Thursday 6 August 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Powerful car bomb kills seven, wounds dozens in Kabul

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KABUL (AFP) - A powerful car bomb in Kabul early Friday killed at least seven people and wounded dozens of others, officials said, the first major attack in the Afghan capital since the announcement of Taliban leader Mullah Omars death.No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes as the Taliban step up their summer offensive despite a bitter power transition within the militant movement.The bombing, whose target was not immediately clear, comes a day after Taliban insurgents killed nine people in multiple attacks on police targets in southern and eastern AfghanistanSeven people were killed and 198 wounded people were brought to hospitals, said health ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar.The wounded including children are trickling into city hospitals... the casualty toll is expected to rise.Kabul police chief General Abdul Rahman Rahimi gave a higher death toll of eight, adding that 128 others were wounded.A car packed with explosives was detonated in the crowded residential neighbourhood of Shah Shaheed (in east Kabul). Several houses in the area were damaged, he said.The killed and wounded include women and children. The attack was intended to cause mass murder.The attacks highlight growing insecurity amid a faltering peace process with the Taliban as Afghan forces face their first summer fighting season without full NATO support.Civilian casualties in Afghanistan hit a record high in the first half of 2015, a UN report said Wednesday, as Afghan forces struggle to contain the expanding conflict seven months after the NATO combat mission ended.The report said 1,592 civilians were killed, a six percent fall from last year, but the number of injured jumped four percent to 3,329. Overall, casualties reached their highest level since the UN began issuing its authoritative reports in 2009.The statistics are a grim indicator of the rising violence as the Taliban insurgency spreads north from its traditional southern and eastern strongholds, with Afghan forces increasingly battling the militants on their own.US-led NATO forces ended their combat mission in Afghanistan in December, but a 13,000-strong residual force remains for training and counter-terrorism operations.The Taliban face growing internal divisions after Mullah Akhtar Mansour was announced as the new head of the insurgent movement on Friday, following their confirmation of the death of Mullah Omar who led the militant movement for some 20 years.An increasingly bitter power struggle has broken out, casting a pall over a fragile peace process aimed at ending Afghanistans long war.The Taliban distanced themselves from the second round of talks that were scheduled for last Friday but were cancelled after the announcement of Omars death.The powerful army chief of Pakistan, the Talibans historic sponsors, said this week that ongoing efforts at talks are the only credible way to achieve lasting peace in the region.

More than 240,000 killed in Syria conflict: monitor

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BEIRUT (AFP) - More than 240,000 people, including 12,000 children, have been killed in Syrias conflict which broke out in March 2011, a monitoring group said Thursday.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it has documented the deaths of 240,381 people, up from its tally of 230,618 announced on June 9.The latest toll compiled by the Britain-based group shows that 11,964 children were among 71,781 civilians killed in Syria.At least 88,616 regime forces were killed -- or one thirds all deaths documented by the Observatory -- including 50,570 soldiers and the rest allied fighters.The monitor, which relies on a wide network of sources on the ground, put the death toll for rebel fighters at 42,384 and said 34,375 foreign jihadists have also been killed in Syria.The identity of another 3,225 people killed in the conflict remains unknown, according to the Observatory.The fate of 30,000 people who have gone missing in Syria, including 20,000 said to be held in Syrian jails, was not documented in the toll.It also did not take into account the fate of thousands of loyalist forces held by rebel factions or by the Islamic State jihadist group.The Syrian conflict began with anti-government protests before spiralling into a multi-front war after a brutal regime crackdown.

Kerry in Vietnam for trade, regional security talks

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HANOI (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Vietnam late Thursday to talk trade, regional security and mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the former wartime foes.Kerry is set to meet some of the communist countrys top leaders and will hold talks with Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on topics ranging from the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal to regional security.Kerry arrived in Vietnam from Malaysia, where he told a security meeting hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that the US would not tolerate navigation restrictions in the South China Sea.Vietnam is locked in a longstanding maritime territorial dispute with China. Last year, the US partially lifted a 40-year ban on weapons sales in a bid to bolster Vietnams coast guard capacities.Kerrys visit will mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment diplomatic relations between the US and Vietnam, which were cut off for two decades after their bitter war ended in 1975.Vietnam veteran Kerry served with the US Navy from 1966 to 1970 as a naval lieutenant. It was on his return after two tours of duty that he became a fierce campaigner against the war.His visit is a chance to not only reflect on what weve achieved since normalisation, but also to help set the course moving forward, a senior US state department official told reporters travelling with Kerry.The trip aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation on regional security issues and help with implementation of the Trans Pacific Partnership, a vast US-led trade deal, of which Vietnam is part.Our push for positive steps by Vietnam on human rights, on labour... will be very much on the agenda, the official said.One of the biggest sticking points for the TPP for Vietnam is labour standards, as the authoritarian country does not allow independent trade unions.The Communist Party has run unified Vietnam since 1975. The one-party state is regularly denounced by rights groups for its intolerance of dissent.

Iran says claims of nuclear site cleanup 'preposterous'

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Iran on Thursday dismissed as preposterous claims that it was cleaning up its suspected nuclear military site at Parchin ahead of inspections agreed under a historic nuclear deal with world powers.Irans mission to the United Nations said in statement that extensive construction work was underway to repair a road near the Parchin complex but denied this amounted to a hasty cover-up.The statement was in response to media reports quoting US members of Congress who said the work at the military complex could complicate inspections by the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA that are a key provision of the deal.These claims are preposterous and the repetition of the similar unfounded claims that reappear from time to time and have been disproved each time, said the Iranian statement.Iran argued that the Parchin military complex covers a very, vast area and that it was quite normal to have construction works underway at any time.Over the past week, a road near the Mamloo Dam, which is near Parchin, required repairs using heavy bulldozers and other heavy construction machinery, it added.We regret that the extensive vicious campaign at work, using tens of millions of dollars, to poison the positive environment at the global level, which followed the conclusion of the JCPOA nuclear deal, the statement said.Iran reiterated that it never engaged in nuclear military activity that would need a hasty cover-up.International Atomic Energy Agency director Yukiya Amano on Wednesday met lawmakers who are deeply skeptical of the deal that will lift sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehrans commitment to curb its nuclear activities.The nuclear deal has run into fierce opposition from Israel, which has friends on Capitol Hill.US lawmakers will vote in September on whether to endorse the deal.

UN to host new round of Libya peace talks

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TRIPOLI (AFP) - Libyan peace talks are to resume next week as UN envoy Bernardino Leon presses on with efforts to strike a political settlement between the countrys rival factions, his office said Thursday.The next round is to be held on Monday in Geneva, a source at the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said.The mission said Leon was urging the main parties to redouble their efforts... towards narrowing existing differences and forging a common platform for a solution to the Libya conflict.Leon acknowledges that while some of the parties continue to have reservations about what has been achieved to date, it is important for all parties to continue working on jointly addressing and resolving these concerns within the framework of the dialogue process, it said.Plunged into chaos after the 2011 overthrow and killing of dictator Moamer Kadhafi, Libya has two parliaments and governments vying for power, as a slew of armed groups battle for control of its oil wealth.The elected parliament, which is recognised by the international community, initialled a UN draft deal on July 11 aimed at setting up a national unity government and holding fresh elections.Members of political parties, civil society and local officials also signed the agreement.But the rival parliament known as the General National Congress (GNC) has refused to endorse the draft deal, saying it was unsatisfactory and calling for modifications.It was not immediately clear who will attend the Geneva talks and whether a GNC delegation would travel to Switzerland.

Boko Haram guns down 9 villagers in NE Nigeria: survivors

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KANO (AFP) - Boko Haram Islamists shot dead at least nine people and set homes on fire in a raid on two villages in conflict-hit northeastern Nigeria, fleeing residents told AFP on Thursday.Villagers described how dozens of gunmen on motorbikes stormed Tadagara and Dunbulwa villages, 170 kilometres (100 miles) from Yobe state capital Damaturu, from Wednesday night through to the following morning.All nine victims were gunned down with assault rifles as the jihadis attacked Tadagara around 10:30 pm (2130 GMT), looting thatch-roofed mud homes and shops before setting them ablaze, according to witnesses.Boko Haram gunmen came on motorcycles and opened fire on the village after we had retired for the night and killed nine residents, Tadagara villager Shuaibu Nuhu told AFP. We fled into the bush from where we saw fire erupting from our homes as the gunmen set them alight after looting them. Residents said the Islamists stayed until dawn, sheltering from heavy rain before moving to nearby Dunbulwa village.The inhabitants there had been warned of the danger by escaped Tadagara residents however and had fled by the time the gunmen arrived. We luckily left the village as soon as we heard Boko Haram gunmen were on the attack in Tadagara which was why they found the village empty, said Dunbulwa resident Sani Mai-Masara. They carted away food and jerry cans of fuel. They then set fire to our homes.The attacks forced hundreds of villagers to flee to the town of Potiskum, 70 kilometres away, according to residents there.Boko Harams bloody insurgency in Nigeria has left more than 15,000 people dead since 2009 and has increasingly spread across the countrys borders, with Chad and Cameroon suffering deadly suicide bombings in recent months.The extremist group, whose name roughly translates as Western education is forbidden, has carried on its campaign of attacks on security forces, suicide bombings and bloody raids on villages across Nigerias north and eastern borders despite a major regional military campaign against them.The latest violence in the region comes just over two months after President Muhammadu Buhari took office vowing to crush the Islamist jihadists, now affiliated with the Islamic State group.Boko Haram fighters have been using the islets in Lake Chad as a rear base after being routed from their traditional strongholds in Nigeria by a four-country military offensive against them. The Chadian army has launched a major operation to flush out Boko Haram jihadists from the vast lake, however, sparking violent clashes between soldiers and the group.The attacks in Yobe came a day after Boko Haram fighters shot dead nine fishermen near the town of Baga by Lake Chad in neighbouring Borno State.A week earlier the Islamists slit the throats of 10 fishermen in an attack on three other nearby villages.Baga was the site of the groups worst-ever massacre in January, when its fighters were accused of slaughtering hundreds of people and forcing thousands of civilians to flee.

Egypt's Sisi unveils 'new Suez Canal'

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ISMAILIYA (AFP) - President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi unveiled an expanded Suez Canal Thursday in a lavish ceremony, with the first ships passing through the waterway in what Egypt hopes will boost its economy and global standing.Sisi, dressed in a ceremonial military uniform, arrived aboard a historic yacht at the head of a naval flotilla as fighter planes and helicopters flew overhead.The former army chief, who later changed into a business suit, formally opened the $9 billion (7.9 billion euro) waterway to the cheers of hundreds of guests, including foreign dignitaries.Egyptians exerted massive efforts to offer to the world a gift for the sake of humanity... in very difficult economic and security conditions, said Sisi in a speech, as the first cargo ships passed through.He pledged to defeat militancy, which has bedevilled the country since he overthrew his Islamist predecessor, Mohamed Morsi, in 2013.Security was tight, with the Islamic State groups threat to execute a Croatian kidnapped near Cairo threatening to overshadow the celebrations, showcased by authorities as proof the country is safe.The event in the port city of Ismailiya attended by heads of state, including French President Francois Hollande, comes two years after Morsis overthrow.The ouster unleashed a deadly crackdown on Islamists, and a jihadist insurgency has since killed hundreds of soldiers east of the Suez Canal.ISs Egyptian affiliate released a video Wednesday threatening to execute hostage Tomislav Salopek, a worker with French geoscience company CGG, within 48 hours unless Egypt frees jailed Muslim women.Sisi said terrorist groups are trying to harm Egypt and Egyptians... Egypts fight against terrorism is ongoing.Sisi opened the ceremony by leading the flotilla aboard a refurbished yacht once owned by the former royal family, which carried French Empress Eugenie de Montijo at the canals 1869 inauguration.Sisi, elected last year on a promise to strengthen security and revive a dilapidated economy, broke ground on the canal project last August.Initial estimates suggested the new route would take up to three years to build, but Sisi set an ambitious target of 12 months.It has been touted as a landmark achievement, rivalling the digging of the original 192-kilometre (119-mile) canal, which opened in 1869 after almost a decade of work.The new section, funded entirely by Egyptian investors, runs part of the way alongside the existing canal connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.It involved 37 kilometres of dry digging, creating what is effectively a second lane, and widening and deepening another 35 kilometres of the existing canal.It will cut the waiting period for vessels from 18 hours to 11.By 2023, the number of ships using the canal will increase to 97 per day from 49 now, according to government projections.Officials hope the new waterway will more than double Suez earnings from $5.3 billion expected at the end of 2015 to $13.2 billion in 2023.Analysts were sceptical over the targets.The first priority for shipowners and traders is to cut costs, not speed. The trend in recent years has been for ships to travel at lower-than-normal speeds just to... save on their fuel bills, said Ralph Leszczynski, research head at Italian shipbrokers Banchero Costa.Thursdays guests included Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Yemens exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.Newly acquired French Rafale warplanes participated in the fly-past.Banners reading New Suez Canal: Egypts Gift to the World and The Egyptian Miracle, as well as hundreds of national flags, graced the streets of Cairo and Ismailiya.Dozens of buses ferried invitees to the site of the ceremony as security forces deployed in Ismailiya.Waving Egypts red, white and black flag, a crowd gathered at Cairos Tahrir Square -- epicentre of protests that ousted both Morsi and his predecessor Hosni Mubarak.On June 30 (2013) we changed the course of history; today we are changing the geography of the world, said jubilant tour operator Ibrahim el-Khatab, referring to the day when millions protested against Morsi.The waterway is a cornerstone for Sisi to boost his regimes legitimacy after a deadly crackdown on dissent.The ability to accomplish such an economic project is part of cementing this legitimacy, said Amr Adly, of the Carnegie Middle East Center.Militants have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers, mostly in the Sinai Peninsula that lies between Israel, the Gaza Strip and the Suez Canal.The waterway is part of a comprehensive project to develop the area adjacent to the canal into an industrial hub.

Central African Republic clashes kill 12

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BANGUI (AFP) - At least 12 people were killed in clashes in Central African Republic that were sparked by an attack from gunmen against a herdsmens camp in the impoverished country, a police source told AFP Thursday.The violence in the countrys east pitted Christian anti-balaka militia fighters against Muslim ex-Seleka rebels, mirroring the waves of killing and pillaging that broke out after a 2013 coup pushed the nation into an unprecedented religious conflict.On Sunday and Monday, gunmen claiming to be anti-balaka attacked a herdsmens camp in the village of Malegbassa in the Zangba commune to steal their cows, killing four people and wounding four others, the source said on condition of anonymity.The attacks were followed on Monday by reprisals by ex-Seleka (rebels) and armed herdsmen against residents of neighbouring Ndoma village, killing at least eight people and wounding several others, he added.Several people were taken hostage in Ndoma, the source said, adding that the death toll could yet rise.The reprisals also caused many Ndoma and Malegbassa residents to flee into the bush and (nearby) Democratic Republic of Congo, the police source said.According to Ibrahim Hamat Nediad, a spokesman for the ex-Seleka rebels in the region who said he deployed men to the area of the clash, the number of herdsmen killed in the initial attack could be as high as 16.Ex-Seleka fighters are close to the herdsmen and they regularly defend them against anti-balaka attacks.The March 2013 coup by Seleka rebels that overthrew president Francois Bozize unleashed the worst crisis in Central African Republics history since its independence from France in 1960.The country is set to hold elections in October, but the polls have already been pushed back three times as the country continues to grapple with the crisis.Herdsmen are regularly attacked by anti-balaka militia, and they no longer travel to the capital Bangui to sell their livestock. Beef now costs five times more in the capital than in the countryside, making herdsmens camps a target for militiamen looking to pillage livestock.

Tennis: Nishikori rolls into Washington quarter-finals

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Japans fifth-ranked Kei Nishikori, last years US Open runner-up, advanced to the ATP and WTA Washington Open quarter-finals Thursday by dispatching Argentinas Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 6-4.Second seed Nishikori, the highest-ranked player in the field of the US Open warm-up event after Britains Andy Murray crashed out in his opening match, never faced a break point in winning after 92 minutes.The 25-year-old Asian number one will next face the winner of a later match between Australias Sam Groth and Spanish seventh seed Feliciano Lopez.Womens top seed Ekaterina Makarova of Russia also reached the last eight, defeating Britains Naomi Broady 6-4, 7-6 (7/2).Drizzle interrupted matches time and again for brief periods, disrupting rhythm and forcing umpires to repeatedly check lines for slickness.Nishikori broke Mayer for a 4-3 edge and held twice more to take the first set in 59 minutes, then broke again in the penultimate game of the match when the South American netted a forehand volley after having saved two other break points.Nishikori won both prior meetings with Mayer at Grand Slams without dropping a set, in the second round at Wimbledon in 2013 and last year in the third round at Flushing Meadows on his way to the final, where he lost to Marin Cilic.Croatian third seed Cilic, a possible Nishikori semi-final foe, was to meet American Sam Querrey in a later match.Nishikori seeks his third title of the year after Memphis and Barcelona and the 10th of his career.In other womens matches, Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova ousted Swiss third seed Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-4 to book a quarter-final date with American Christina McHale, who won seven of the last nine games to outlast Kazakhstans Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 1-6, 7-5.

Football: West Ham and Sampdoria crash, Saints, Dortmund through

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PARIS (AFP) - West Ham manager Slaven Bilics decision to put out a young, largely inexperienced side for the second leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie at Astra Giurgiu backfired when the Romanians ran out 2-1 winners on Thursday.The Hammers, who had let slip a two-goal lead and conceded a last-gasp equaliser in the first leg last week, went out 4-3 on aggregate.It had all started so well as a goal from debutant Manuel Lanzini inside three minutes put them ahead.But two quick goals in three minutes from skipper Constantin Budescu, after 33 and 36 minutes, put the Romanians in the driving seat.Bilic defended his decision to rest a host of first-choice players ahead of their Premier League opener against Arsenal on Sunday.It is a good experience for a few of the youngsters but some of the guys who played tonight showed us they are going to be very useful, said Bilic.We have a big season ahead of us which starts on Sunday and we are going to be good in the Premier League. I am very confident about that.Borussia Dortmund, who were Champions League runners-up in 2013, eased into Fridays play-off draw with a 5-0 mauling of Wolfsberg of Austria for a 6-0 aggregate.Henrikh Mkhitaryan grabbed the headlines with a hat-trick in 13 second-half minutes.Southampton were already 3-0 up in their tie against Vitesse Arnhem from the first leg and cruised through 5-0 on aggregate after Graziano Pelles low shot after four minutes killed the tie off as a contest and Senegalese striker Sadio Mane added the final flourish a minute from the end.The result was slightly tainted by news that Dutch police made 53 arrests in Arnhem before the game.But for once it was not just English supporters who were rounded up, as reports suggested that 50 of those detained in the citys bar district, where opposing fans had apparently been drinking together peacefully, were Dutch and only three of them English.Walter Zengas Sampdoria were also losers against Vojvodina of Serbia despite winning their second leg 2-0. But their shock 4-0 defeat on home turf last week proved too great a deficit to recover.Aberdeen were held 1-1 by Kazakh side Kairat Almaty and went out 3-2 on aggregate.Gerard Gohou opened the scoring after 59 minutes for the visitors and although Kenny McLean levelled on the night, the Dons could not find the second goal that would have seen them take the tie into extra-time.Athletic Bilbao did just enough to reach the play-offs by holding Inter Baku of Azerbaijan 0-0.Having done the hard part in the home leg last week, they moved into Fridays draw 2-0 on aggregate.Rubin Kazan of Russia came into their second leg against seasoned European campaigners Sturm Graz 3-2 up from the away leg and survived a brief scare when Josip Tadic put the Austrians ahead on the night.But it was left to captain Oleg Kuzmin to steady the ship five minutes from the end with an equaliser which left it 1-1 to send Kazan through 4-3 on aggregate.

Football: Man United launch scramble to usurp Chelsea

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LONDON (AFP) - Manchester United open the new Premier League season at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday looking for signs that they are ready to mount a sustained assault on Chelseas title.Last seasons equivalent fixture, a 3-0 home win on March 15, proved the belated catalyst for a run of form that ensured Louis van Gaal ended his first season as manager with United back in the Champions League places.But with some 77 million pound ($120 million, 110 million euros) having been spent on new players including Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger, United have set their sights a little higher.(Last season) we could see that we were getting better gradually, but we just needed that consistency in our performances and then, obviously, in results, captain Wayne Rooney told ESPN this week.But we could see in each game we were getting better. I feel this season for the first time, rather than the last two seasons, were ready to challenge again.Saturdays lunchtime game at Old Trafford will give Uniteds fans a clearer idea of how their team will line up this season, with Rooney expected to lead the line as a lone striker in a 4-3-3 formation.Tottenham finished fifth last term, six points below fourth-place United, and will hope to make a more convincing case for Champions League qualification despite a relatively quiet transfer window.Spurs defence has been bolstered by the arrivals of Toby Alderweireld, Kevin Wimmer and Kieran Trippier, but in attack, Harry Kane is under pressure to repeat the feats of his stunning 31-goal breakthrough season.Chelsea begin their title defence at home to Swansea City, who will be looking to repeat their sensational opening-day exploits from last season, when they won 2-1 against United at Old Trafford.The champions have spluttered in pre-season, failing to win any of their five games and losing 1-0 to Arsenal in the Community Shield, and could be without last seasons top scorer Diego Costa due to a hamstring injury.Chelsea finished eight points above second-place Manchester City, the outgoing champions, in May, but manager Jose Mourinho believes this seasons title race will be a much tighter affair.Maybe Im wrong, but I think fewer points will win the title, he said. You have a minimum of five title contenders and the other teams get stronger and stronger.Every club has very good players so I think its difficult for the top teams in England because of the competitive nature.Arsenal, bolstered by the arrival from Chelsea of goalkeeper Petr Cech, begin their season with a home fixture against London rivals West Ham United, who now have their former defender Slaven Bilic at the helm.City travel to West Bromwich Albion on Monday, while Liverpool, sixth last season, start out at Stoke City, where they were dealt a humiliating 6-1 defeat on the campaigns final day.We didnt end the last season particularly well and I think we owe it to the fans to make amends, said Liverpools German midfielder Emre Can.This is why the first few matches are especially important. I think we can start to put (the Stoke result) right with a few good results.Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is expected to hand competitive debuts to a number of new signings, including James Milner, Roberto Firmino and Christian Benteke.All three promoted clubs are in action on the opening day, with Watford visiting Everton, Norwich City hosting Crystal Palace and Bournemouth tackling Aston Villa in the first top-flight match in their 116-year history.Having romped to the Championship title, Bournemouth are expected to make a mark in the Premier League, but manager Eddie Howe has warned his players that he will not show them foolish loyalty.I do whats best for the team and if that means being ruthless and making some tough calls, Ive proved in the past Ill do that, he said.Former England manager Steve McClaren begins his Newcastle United tenure at home to Southampton, while Claudio Ranieri starts life as Leicester City manager with a home game against Sunderland.

Golf: McIlroy fuels PGA speculation after video

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Injured world number one Rory McIlroy fueled speculation he may return to defend his PGA Championship crown next week after posting a video of him hitting a driver online.McIlroy has not played since suffering ankle ligament damage while playing football with friends on July 4.He has yet to commit to playing the PGA Championship but looks to be on the road to recovery in pictures and videos posted on social media this week.Video showed McIlroy hitting a driver as he attempts to regain fitness. Feels good to hit the driver again McIlroy commented.Other images showed McIlroy working out in the gym.McIlroy has not played since appearing in the US Open at Chambers Bay in June, although he is reported to have played golf in Portugal last week.He has skipped the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio this week, where Jordan Spieth will supplant him as world number one if he wins.

Swimming: Lochte writes history as Ledecky wins fourth gold

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KAZAN (AFP) - Ryan Lochte wrote himself into the history books on Thursday while Katie Ledecky won her fourth gold at the world swimming championships to cap a great night for the United States.Lochtes victory in the 200m individual medley final saw him become the first swimmer to win four consecutive world championships gold in the event.Its something Ill remember for the rest of my life, said Lochte.He now has 16 gold medals at world championships dating back to 2005.Australias Grant Hackett is the only other swimmer to have won four consecutive world titles in a single event, having achieved the feat in the 1,500m freestyle between 1998 and 2005.It would have to be a toss up between this, its the coolest thing to make history in any sport, or 2011, when I broke the (200m IM) world record, said Lochte when asked if this was the best moment of his illustrious career.Lochte revealed US swimstar Michael Phelps, who was sanctioned from taking part in Kazan, told him to take leadership of their countrys team via a pre-race text message.The 31-year-old Lochte produced a commanding display to win his final and both butterfly expert Camille Adams and breaststroker Micah Lawrence said Lochtes victory had inspired them to finish second in their following races.Ledecky then anchored the United States womens 4x200m freestyle relay victory.The Americans finished the night with two golds and Adams silver in the womens 200m butterfly to move up to second in the overall medals table behind China.The 18-year-old Ledecky had already won the 200, 400 and 1,500m freestyle golds in Kazan and still has the 800m heats to come on Friday morning and final scheduled for Saturday night.After Missy Franklin swam a strong first leg in the relay, Ledecky dived in with the United States slightly behind the Swedish team, but she put plenty of clear water between her teams rivals to win by a clear margin.Ledecky, who holds the world records for the 400, 800 and 1,500m freestyle, has had an outstanding campaign in Kazan and has twice broken her own 1,500m record.Theres only one word I can use to describe Katie Ledecky - phenomenal, said Lochte.It seems whenever she sets foot in the water she either wins gold or breaks a world record -- shes a beast.She got Team USA on a roll and we have to carry on that momentum.It was also a good night for Asia as Ning Zetao became Chinas first 100m freestyle world champion, while Fu Yuanhui won womens 50m backstroke gold with fellow 19-year-old Liu Xiang earning bronze for the Chinese team.Japans Natsumi Hoshi won the womens 200m butterfly gold to add to her 2012 Olympic bronze in the event while 17-year-old Chinese Zhang Yufei swam a new world junior record of 2:06.51 to take bronze.The womens 100m freestyle final on Friday will be a huge battle with Australian sisters Cate and Bronte Campbell, plus Hollands Femke Heemskerk, all within 0.60 secs of Sarah Sjostroms 52.78secs fastest time in the semi-finals.Cate Campbell is the defending champion.Denmarks world record-holder Rikke Moller Pedersen is on course to win womens 200m breaststroke gold after qualifying fastest from the semi-finals just ahead of Lawrence.Pedersen, who set the world record in Barcelona two years ago, is now the favourite after Russia defending champion Yuliya Efimova failed to qualify.Mitchell Larkin is on course to add 200m backstroke gold to the 100m title he has already won after qualifying as the fastest into Fridays final.He was just ahead of the United States Ryan Murphy and Chinas Xu Jiayu. Olympic champion Tyler Clary of the USA was seventh fastest.

Swimming: Ten-year-old set to race at world championships

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KAZAN (AFP) - The world swimming championships youngest competitor is set to make a controversial splash in the Kazan pool on Friday when ten-year-old Alzain Tareq races in the womens 50m freestyle heats.The schoolgirl from Bahrain says she will not fear anything or anybody when she takes part in the freestyle sprint or Saturdays 50m butterfly heats.Age is no restriction for the swimming section of the world aquatic championships where racers qualify from their countrys national trials.Despite her tender years, Tareq is the fastest female swimmer in her Middle Eastern country and her father funds her travels to compete.She trains five days a week, twice a day, in the mornings and the evenings, fitting her sessions around her schoolwork and her favourite subject is maths.Her parents, especially her father who is a former pro swimmer, have been encouraging her to compete since she was seven.Despite her self-confidence, her times do not suggest a fair fight on the world stage.Her qualifying time of 41.12 seconds in the 50m butterfly is dwarfed by the world record of 24.43 secs, set by Swedens Sarah Sjostrom which could well fall.All four rivals in her opening heat on Friday have swum nearly ten seconds faster and her young age has drawn concerns in Kazan, where she is sure to get a lot of media attention when she races.While Plymouth-based breaststroker Ruta Meilutyte and United States freestyle-specialist Katie Ledecky both won Olympic titles aged just 15 at the 2012 London Games, Tareq is not even a teenager. Germanys former 200m freestyle champion Franziska van Almsick has questioned whether Tareq should be allowed to compete while still so young.I would have thought there would be an age limit, because I was not allowed to race at the world championships in Perth in 1991 when I was only 13, she told German daily Bild.I was allowed to start in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and I think 14 is a good age for it.

World's first ant map launched in Hong Kong

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HONG KONG (AFP) - The worlds first ever ant map showing the distribution of the tiny industrious creatures around the globe was launched Thursday by the University of Hong Kong in a bid to shed more light on the insect world.The colourful interactive online map (antmaps.org), which took four years to complete, displays the geographic locations of nearly 15,000 types of ants, with the Australian state of Queensland home to the highest number of native species at more than 1,400.(Insects are) one of the main groups we need to focus on when we talk about biodiversity, said Benoit Guenard, one of the co-founders of the map.Ants are very important in most ecosystems, Guenard added, as they cycle soil nutrients and help in seed dispersal.They are one of the best studied groups of insect.Antmaps, a joint project between Guenard and Evan Economo, a professor at the Okinawa Institute of Sciences and Technology Graduate School, also differentiates ants which are native to a region and species which were imported.Guenard, a professor at HKUs school of biological sciences, said the map would provide an important record of insect life around the world and would aid research and wildlife conservation.It will help us in approaching the question of how well we are doing in protecting certain regions, he told AFP.Work on the map is ongoing with new species of ants discovered frequently, Guenard said.He leads the universitys study of ants in Hong Kong and said his team believed they had discovered 12 new species in the city in the past year. We are finding and describing new life almost every week... thats what I find absolutely astonishing about the work we do.In a recent study by the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel published in July, ants were found to have an astonishing ability to mix collective muscle with individual initiative for heavy lifting.In experiments, researchers showed how a dozen or more ants working in unison to haul, say, a large insect can adjust their course based on intelligence provided by a single ant joining the effort.
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