Monday 21 September 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Tennis: Radwanska rips through Pan Pacific opener

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TOKYO (AFP) - Former champion Agnieszka Radwanska made short work of American Coco Vandeweghe at the Pan Pacific Open on Monday, reaching the second round with a 6-3, 6-3 win.The Pole may not be quite the force she was when she won the Tokyo title in 2011 and reached number two in the world the following year.But seventh seed Radwanska, chasing a 15th career title and first of the year, can still whack the fur off a tennis ball and had Vandeweghe scampering around court before winning in an hour and 26 minutes.Title holder Ana Ivanovic and top seed Caroline Wozniacki have first-round byes at the $1 million hardcourt event, being played at the waterside tennis venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.In other matches, Czech Barbora Strycova beat Naomi Osaka 7-5, 6-2 while Italys Camila Giorgi came through 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 against Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia.Ukrainians proved ungracious guests, meanwhile, Katernya Bondarenko ousting Japans Nao Hibino 6-3, 6-4 while Olga Savchuk knocked out another Japanese Misa Eguchi, 6-3, 6-4.

Tennis: Safarova back home after bacterial infection

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PRAGUE (AFP) - Lucie Safarova should be able to line up for the Czech Republic in Novembers Fed Cup final after returning home from hospital following a bacterial infection.The world number five spent a week in hospital after contracting a fever and suffering from pain in her neck, caused by the infection.She left hospital in her native Brno on Sunday and a day later she updated her Facebook status, saying: Happy to be back home from hospital I feel much better and hopefully I will be back soon on court Thank you for your support and many nice messagesThe 28-year-old was forced to miss this weeks WTA Tour event in Tokyo but may play in Beijing from October 5-11.She is also expected to be fit to play in the Fed Cup final in Prague against Russia from November 14-15, according to the teams spokesman Karel Tejkal.Safarova is enjoying the best season of her career having reached the French Open final in June.

Tennis: Noah named France Davis Cup captain for third time

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PARIS (AFP) - Yannick Noah has been named France Davis Cup captain for the third time, the French Tennis Federation announced in a statement on Monday.The iconic 55-year-old, who was the last Frenchman to win Roland Garros in 1983, captained the team to Davis Cup victory in 1991 and 1996, as he takes over from Arnaud Clement who was sacked last week. The team were defeated by Great Britain in the quarter-finals this year and last lifted the trophy in 2001 having lost three finals -- against Russia (2002), Serbia (2010) and Switzerland (2014).Clement had been in charge since 2013. Noah also captained the French Fed Cup team to victory, the first for the country in 1997. On the proposition put forward by French Tennis Federation president Jean Gachassin and national technical director Arnaud Di Pasquale, the federal office of the FFT today named Yannick Noah as captain of the France Davis Cup team for 2016, read the statement. Noah has also enjoyed a successful career as a singer/performer and is the father of NBA basketball star Joakim Noah who plys his trade with the Chicago Bulls.

Olympics: Belgian designer to pursue Tokyo logo plagiarism case

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BRUSSELS (AFP) - A Belgian graphic designer will press on with a court case against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over a logo for the Tokyo 2020 Games despite the withdrawal of a key co-plaintiff, his lawyer said on Monday.Olivier Debie filed a lawsuit in a Belgian court in August alleging that Japanese designer Kenjiro Sanos Olympic design was plagiarised from the logo Debie made for a theatre in the Belgian city of Liege.Late on Monday, just hours before a preliminary hearing, the theatre announced it was dropping out of the case.The Theatre de Liege, copyright holder of its logo, has decided to waive the pending procedure in Liege against the IOC, the theatre company said in a statement. After examining the pleas and evidence submitted by the IOC and the definitive withdrawal of Mr. Sanos logo, (the theatre) acknowledges that the disputed emblem, regardless of any similarity with its logo, is not breaching its rights, it said.Debies lawyer, Philippe Mottard, however told AFP his client was still pursuing his case.Mottard said Debie refused settlement under any circumstances, as long as the IOC failed to admit to plagiarism.Last month Tokyos Olympic committee dropped the scandal-hit logo, but insisted the move was not in response to the legal action and that the designs were different.The first hearing of the case is to take place in a civil court in Liege, with a decision due in the coming weeks or months.In September, Debie told AFP: Plagiarism is impossible to prove but the facts are there: the layout and the typography are virtually identical. When I see the Tokyo 2020 logo, I say to myself, thats the logo I created in 2011.Tokyos former emblem is based around the letter T -- for Tokyo, tomorrow and team -- with a red circle said to represent a beating heart. The Liege theatres design features a similar shape in white against a black background, although no circle.Tokyo officials said their decision was due to unrelated problems, including evidence Sano had improperly used Internet images to publicise his logo.

Cycling: Cavendish undergoes 'successful' shoulder surgery

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PARIS (AFP) - British sprint star Mark Cavendish underwent successful shoulder surgery on Monday, his Etixx-Quick Step team said.However, Etixx said the time required to recover from the operation meant the 30-year-old former world road race champion would not compete again this year.Cavendish underwent surgery this morning on his left shoulder, to fix a partial tear of his left AC ligament suffered as consequence of the crash during the 6th stage of Aviva Tour of Britain. This was the opposite shoulder to the one damaged at Le Tour de France in 2014, said an Etixx statement.The operation was performed in Wilslow, near Manchester, England.It has been a very difficult decision. However, after 10 days from the crash, I still had pain and I couldnt lift or pull much weight, said Cavendish. I tried to ride my bike a few days ago on the road, but I could not put any power out by pulling on the handlebars. The surgery was necessary to avoid any problems in the near future.Im so disappointed to end the season like this.

Lower doses of heart meds save lives: study

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MIAMI (AFP) - People who suffered a heart attack lived longer when their dose of a medication known as a beta-blocker was a quarter of the amount commonly prescribed, researchers said Monday.The study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology journal involved more than 6,000 patients whose survival post-heart attack was compared according to the amount of beta-blockers they were prescribed afterward.Beta-blockers help ward off heart failure by stopping the effect of adrenaline on the heart and preventing arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. They are prescribed to nearly everyone who has had a heart attack.The study found that patients taking one-fourth the dose tested in large clinical trials had a 20 to 25 percent increase in survival, compared to those on the standard dose.The findings came as a surprise to lead investigator Jeffrey Goldberger, a professor of medicine in cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He began the study after discovering heart attack patients were being treated with much lower doses of beta-blockers than were used in clinical trials.We expected to see patients treated with the lower doses to have worse survival, said Goldberger. We were shocked to discover they survived just as well, and possibly even better.The study of 6,682 people showed that of those people who received the full dose, 14.7 percent died within two years.Among those taking a half dose, 12.9 percent died in two years and for those taking a quarter dose, 9.5 percent died.Earlier clinical trials did not assess the most appropriate beta-blocker doses for individual patients.Goldberger said new studies should be launched to figure out how to best treat patients and avoid side effects such as fatigue, sexual dysfunction and depression. There is probably not one right dose for every single patient, Goldberger said. It doesnt make sense that the same dose will work for an 80-year-old frail man who had a small heart attack as a burly 40-year-old man with a huge heart attack.

Oil bounces back from sharp losses

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices rebounded Monday in what analysts said looked like a technical correction from heavy losses last week as the basic global oversupply picture remained intact.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in October jumped $2.00, or 4.1 percent, to $46.68 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, nearly erasing Fridays loss.Brent North Sea crude for November finished at $48.92 a barrel in London, up $1.45 from Fridays settlement.Its really the technicals that are driving the market, said Ted Sloup of iiTrader, noting that trade volumes were thin.Sloup said the drop in the US oil rig count on Friday gave traders an excuse to buy. But theres a ton of crude out there, he said.Tim Evans of Citi Futures agreed: Some producers are certainly under pressure, but global supply remains higher than demand on the back of strong OPEC production.Prices had sunk Friday after the US Federal Reserve expressed doubts about the strength of the global economy as it held off from an interest rate hike.There has been so much uncertainty surrounding the latest(Fed) meeting which has caused increased volatility in the oil market, Myrto Sokou, senior analyst at Sucden brokers, said.

Dollar gains on rate hike hopes

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar advanced against the euro and other leading currencies Monday on comments from US central bankers who continue to eye a 2015 interest rate increase.James Stanley, currency analyst at DailyFX, pointed to quotes from Federal Reserve officials, including St. Louis Fed president James Bullard and Richmond president Jeffrey Lacker, that contained a hawkish tint towards the additional Fed meetings on the calendar for this year. The Fed left its benchmark federal funds rate at zero Thursday, dealing a temporary setback to the greenbacks climb. There are two remaining Fed policy meetings scheduled this year, in late October and mid-December.Overall, the dollar is strengthening, said Vassili Serebriakov of BNP Paribas. The market is reevaluating its position on the Fed.The euro was under pressure on expectations the European Central Bank could be preparing additional bond purchases, known as quantitative easing, to boost the flagging 19-nation eurozone.The single currency traded at $1.1195, down from $1.1299 Friday.Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management said all eyes will be on ECB President Mario Draghis testimony to the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday.If the head of the European Central Bank confirms that they could boost the quantitative easing program, EUR/USD could test 1.10, she said.

Kickstarter makes social good part of business model

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SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Crowd-funding platform Kickstarter on Monday officially made social good part of its business model by changing its US corporate status.Kickstarter changed from a standard for-profit structure to being a public benefit corporation (PBC) that is out to make money but bound to take into account the effects of business decisions on society as well as on share holders, according to the founders.Companies that believe there are more important goals than maximizing shareholder value have been at odds with the expectation that for-profit companies must exist ultimately for profit above all, Kickstarter founders said in an online post.Radically, positive impact on society becomes part of a Benefit Corporations legally defined goals.Less than a percent of US companies have opted for PBC status, among them Patagonia and This American Life, according to Kickstarter.We believe that can and will change in the coming years, the founders said.More and more voices are rejecting business as usual, and the pursuit of profit above all.New York City-based Kickstarter launched in early 2009 as an online venue where creative projects seek financial backing from people who pledge funds, usually with the promise of a reward related to the endeavor being backed.Kickstarter will donate five percent of its annual net profit to organizations and arts education programs battling inequality, according to the founders.

Russia has deployed 28 combat aircraft in Syria: US officials

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Russia has deployed 28 combat aircraft in Syria, US officials said Monday, confirming the latest move in Moscows military build-up in the war-torn country.There are 28 fighter and bomber aircraft at an airfield in the western Syrian province of Latakia, one of the officials said.

Indonesia president to visit White House next month

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Indonesias Joko Widodo will visit Washington and the White House on October 26 for a crucial first visit since he became president last year.The trip will be an opportunity for Widodo, who came to power in October last year, to get to know President Barack Obama at a time of geopolitical tension in South East Asia.As leaders of two of the largest democracies in the world, the president and President Widodo will discuss plans to expand existing areas of bilateral cooperation, the White House said.The visit comes as Obama -- who spent part of his childhood in Indonesia -- presses for Jakarta to play a bigger role in its region, where there is nervousness about Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea.The worlds most populous Muslim nation has long punched below its weight, struggling with domestic economic and democratic development, but Washington hopes that it will begin to set a more positive example.Indonesia, as everyone knows, is the worlds third largest democracy, US Secretary of State John Kerry said, welcoming his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi to the State Department.And there are many critical issues that we share enormous concerns about. Were working very closely on any number of economic relationships, he said, praising Jakartas role in the regional body ASEAN.Indonesia plays a critical role, with respect to the South China Sea, our concerns about climate change and other issues.Kerry said Widodo and Obama have a very similar attitude to getting things done and breaking bureaucratic barriers, and that he looked forward to a productive meeting next month.This is the best time for Indonesia and the US to sit together and discuss about the future relations between the two countries, Marsudi told reporters before her meeting with Kerry.Indonesia plays a very significant role in ASEAN and as the biggest Muslim-population country we can contribute a lot to create a positive situation towards peace and stability in the region and the world.Marsudi also insisted on the importance of the extensive trade ties between Indonesia and United States.Ties were rattled last year when documents leaked by fugitive US contractor Edward Snowden revealed that Australia, part of the US-led Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network, had targeted Jakarta.According to a report, which angered Indonesia, Australian spies had tried to tap the then-Indonesian leader Susilo Bambang Yudhoyonos phones during a trade dispute with Washington.

French police evacuate 400 from Calais migrant camps

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CALAIS (AFP) - French police on Monday fired tear gas as they broke down several makeshift camps around the port city of Calais, leaving nearly 400 people, mostly Syrian refugees, without shelter.A local government source told AFP that aside from the sprawling New Jungle where some 3,000 people have set up camp -- most seeking desperately to get to England -- any illegal settlement cannot remain and will result in evacuation.With nowhere to go, about 50 of those evacuated staged a sit-in at the port, accompanied by members of the No Border movement, refusing to go to the New Jungle.The slum-like migrant camp sprung up after the closure of notorious Red Cross camp Sangatte in 2002, which had become overcrowded and prone to violent riots.That camp also strained cross-Channel relations as London saw it as luring migrants to Calais from where they tried to make their way to England.However migrants and refugees have kept coming and the New Jungle has swelled along with the numbers of those making often deadly attempts to smuggle themselves across the Channel.The Syrians refuse to go there because of the insecurity there, said an official from Medecins du Monde (Doctors of the World).Police fired tear gas and took three No Border militants into custody while driving the group out of their makeshift camp.Two other camps where Syrians and African migrants have been living for several months, were also dismantled.Another, home to mostly Eritreans, was bulldozed.Under the driving rain, groups of people, including women and children, wandered around Calais looking for a new place to set up home.The migrants and refugees in Calais initially tried to smuggle themselves onto trucks crossing on ferries to make their way to Britain, a promised land for them, but changed tactics as security was stepped up.In July hundreds tried to storm the Eurotunnel site nightly to enter the undersea tunnel -- several of whom paid with their lives -- but figures have fallen amid tighter security.Calais is only a footnote in the migration crisis sweeping Europe as a flow of refugees from conflict-torn Middle Eastern nations risk their lives on a deadly journey to reach the European Union.

Trump to publish 'America great' book in October

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The brash Republican frontrunner for president, Donald Trump, will publish a new book next month on how America can be restored to greatness, his publishers announced Monday.The as yet unnamed book will be released on October 27, said Threshold Editions, a conservative imprint of Simon and Schuster.In the book, Mr. Trump will outline how a crippled America could be restored to greatness, Threshold Editions said.The book will explore his views on the economy, executive salaries, taxation, healthcare, education, national security and his determination to reform immigration, it added.The 69-year-old billionaire real estate mogul and former reality TV star has already written a string of best-selling books about himself and the art of making money.I am excited to announce that work on my new bestseller is almost done, said Trump in a statement from the publishers.Not since The Art of the Deal have I had this much fun writing a book, he added in reference to his 1987 smash-hit autobiography.Trumps controversial opinions have made immigration a key issue on the campaign trail for the 2016 US presidential elections.The New Yorker has been ridiculed for insisting that millions of illegal immigrants be deported from the United States, and Mexico pay for a wall to be build along the border.Threshold Editions are clearly hoping for another best-seller.This will be the must-read book of the year, said Louise Burke, president and publisher.Donald Trump has proven again and again how hungry audiences are for new ideas and unabashed opinions.The book will also be released in audio form.Trump leads the Republican race for president with 24 percent of Republican voters supporting him, down eight percentage points after last weeks second debate, according to a CNN/ORC poll.Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina shot to second place with 15 percent after a strong debate performance in which she icily skewered the brash tycoon for disparaging her looks.Threshold has previously published works by Republican hawks former US vice president Dick Cheney and George W. Bushs former deputy chief of staff, Karl Rove.

Won't let Afghan soil to be used against Pakistan: Ashraf Ghani

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ISLAMABAD: (Dunya News) – Afghan president Ashraf Ghani has on Monday said that the afghan government will never let its soil be used against Pakistan. He called Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and expressed grief over Badaber tragedy, reported Dunya News.In a telephonic discussion with Pakistan’s prime minister, Ashraf Ghani expressed grief over Badaber incident and assured him that Afghan government will never allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against Pakistan.It is pertinent to mention here that 29 Pakistanis, including soldiers and civilians, had been martyred in Badaber on Friday.

Perfect pre-Roman era tomb discovered at Pompeii

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ROME (AFP) - Archaeologists have discovered a Pre-Roman era tomb in perfect condition at Pompeii, the team at the archaeological site buried in a 79AD volcanic eruption announced Monday.Pompeii continues to be an inexhaustible source of scientific discoveries, Massimo Osanna, superintendent at the ancient city site, said in a statement.The tomb, unearthed by a team from the French Jean Berard Centre in Naples in southern Italy, dates back to the Samnite era, and is located at the Herculaneaum Gate at Pompeii.The Samnites were a group of tribes involved in fierce battles with the Romans in the fourth century BC.The tomb contained a number of vases and amphoras in perfect condition which give a rare insight into the funerary practices of that era in Pompeii.This discovery allows us to carry out research on a historical period which has been relatively unexplored until now at Pompeii said Osanna, an archaeologist who was appointed Pompeiis superintendent two years ago after great controversy over the state of maintenance at the vast site.These excavations prove that the city of Pompeii is still alive and that we must preserve it as it continues to provide us with material for research, said Osanna.The ancient Roman city was frozen in time after Mount Vesuvius erupted on August 24 79AD.With 2.7 million visitors in 2014 it is the second most visited attraction in Italy after the Colosseum in Rome.Thousands of archaeologists and experts are currently working on excavation and restoration projects at the site.
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