Wednesday 21 October 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Tennis: Serena, Murray to begin 2016 at Hopman Cup

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PERTH (AFP) - World number one Serena Williams and British star Andy Murray will start their 2016 seasons at the Hopman Cup in Perth, organisers said Wednesday.An exhausted Williams cut her 2015 season short this month, pulling out of both the China Open and the year-ending WTA Finals, saying she needed time to heal.But the American great will be back on court for the January 3-9 tournament as she prepares to defend her Australian Open title at Melbourne Park later that month.Perth definitely started something quite amazing so I think its only natural and fair and reasonable that I go back to Perth, said Williams, who went on to win not only the Australian Open but the French Open and Wimbledon.She teamed up with John Isner at the mixed team tournament in Perth this year, losing in the final to Poland.We were so close to winning last year. Im really excited to be back, she said, with doubles specialist Jack Sock her partner in 2016.For me the Hopman Cup is super great preparation for the Australian Open.In 2016 I want to play doubles in Australia so it will be really exciting for me to get there, play some doubles and get some little experience at the Hopman Cup.Murray will partner Heather Watson for Britain while retiring Australian star Lleyton Hewitt will play alongside Casey Dellacqua.Among other teams, Gael Monfils and Caroline Garcia play for France while Lucie Safarova and Jiri Vesely turn out for the Czech Republic.

Tennis: Weary Tsonga keeps London hopes alive

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VIENNA (AFP) - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga shook off jet lag to defeat 37-year-old Tommy Haas 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 Wednesday to reach the Austria Open second round and keep his World Tour Finals hopes alive.French star Tsonga only arrived in Vienna on Tuesday night after losing the Shanghai Masters final against Novak Djokovic on Sunday.He overcame 32 unforced errors, counter-balanced by 41 winners and five breaks of serve, to deny Haas, playing on a 466th ranking after coming back from a third shoulder surgery.Tsonga, seeded fourth, is in the mix for one of two remaining places in the eight-man field at the World Tour Finals in London from November 15.He stands provisional ninth with Vienna top seed David Ferrer holding eighth behind Japans Kei Nishikori.Haas said that he is already looking ahead to 2016 when he will be playing for at least the first half of the season with a protected ranking due to his injury comeback.But his defeat by Tsonga still stung.How can you be happy when you lose? Its never a good feeling. But Im pleased that Im still playing good tennis. I have a lot of work to do though, said the former world number two.Unpredictable Latvian Ernests Gulbis out-aced John Isner 23 to 16 in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 knockout of the American third seed to reach the quarter-finals.The defeat meant that Isners already slim chances of qualifying for the eight-man field in London took a major hit as the provisional 12th-placed candidate was beaten.Gulbis, who has ridden a ranking roller-coaster in his patchy career, currently stands at a humble 117th in the world.The Latvian son of a millionaire businessman improved to 3-2 over Isner, who had won their last two meetings.Gulbis went up an early break in the final set and held the edge until the end.In a first round match, Italys eighth seed Fabio Fognini defeated Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the pairs first meeting since 2009.

Tennis: Pavlyuchenkova into Moscow last-eight

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MOSCOW (AFP) - Defending champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova reached the Kremlin Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday while US Open winner Flavia Pennetta pulled out through injury despite also successfully booking her last-eight spot.Pavlyuchenkova, 29th in the world, defeated Czech second seed Lucie Safarova 6-1, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3 to record her fifth win in seven meetings against the left-handed French Open runner-up.Im really tired, said Pavlyuchenkova, who last week won her first title of 2015 at Linz.I felt exhausted ahead of todays match. I have no idea how I managed to win it.Pavlyuchenkova took the opening set in 35 minutes and grabbed a commanding 5-2 lead in the second.But Safarova, who needed to reach the semi-finals to claim a place in the season-ending WTA Finals, battled back to send the set into a tiebreak, which she won.Early in the deciding set, Pavlyuchenkova took a medical time-out because of the problems with her ribs. But the 24-year-old Russian still managed to regain the initiative to take the tie.Italian third seed Pennetta cruised comfortably into the last eight with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Russias Daria Gavrilova which guaranteed her place in the WTA Finals in Singapore.But an hour later, the US Open champion withdrew from the rest of the Moscow event due to problems with her right foot.Pennettas withdrawal handed Ukraines Lesya Tsurenko a walkover into the semi-finals.In the ATP section of the event, second seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, last years runner-up, cruised into the last eight, disposing of Turkeys Marsel Ilhan 6-2, 7-5.Third seed Serb Viktor Troicki, the 2010 champion, lost to Russias Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-2, 6-3.Dutchman Robin Haase ousted Uruguayan fifth seed Pablo Cuevas, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.

Tennis: Goodbye girl Pennetta, Kerber join WTA Finals lineup

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PARIS (AFP) - US Open champion Flavia Pennetta and Germanys Angelique Kerber qualified for the eight-woman season-ending WTA Finals on Wednesday, leaving just one place to decide.The pair join Simona Halep, Garbine Muguruza, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova and Agnieszka Radwanska in the October 23-November 1 tournament in Singapore.It is a competition which will be missing world number one Serena Williams who has shut down her season.Qualifying for the WTA Finals in Singapore is a dream come true and the perfect way to end to an amazing season for me, said Pennetta who will retire from the sport after the event.It will also be a wonderful way for me to say to say goodbye to tennis -- its a spectacular stage to bow out on. Having won the WTA Finals before in doubles, I cant wait to make my debut in singles.

Football: Honours even as PSG, Real play out goalless draw

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PARIS (AFP) - Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid played out an anti-climactic 0-0 draw in the Champions League on Wednesday despite both teams being able to call upon their all-time leading scorers.Cristiano Ronaldo, who overtook Raul as Madrids top scorer in history last weekend, came as close as anyone to breaking the deadlock in the French capital with a second-half volley that whistled wide.Zlatan Ibrahimovic and PSG, meanwhile, were stifled by Reals defensive organisation and never seriously tested Keylor Navas in the visitors goal.But while the game failed to live up to expectations as a spectacle, the result is not a bad one for either team, particularly the visitors.Both sides remain unbeaten this season and are yet to concede after three games in Group A as they sit locked together on seven points at the top of the section.Malmo won 1-0 at home to Shakhtar Donetsk in the nights other game but Paris and Madrid are each four points clear of the Swedes and will have an opportunity to clinch qualification for the last 16 when they meet again in Spain in a fortnight.Perhaps that will be a more open contest, but under the Parisian drizzle it was Rafael Benitezs tactical nous that frustrated the hosts and enabled Real to secure a result that is not to be sniffed at given their current injury problems.Deprived of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez, Benitez handed starts to Jese and Lucas Vazquez on the flanks in a 4-4-2 formation but his main objective appeared to be to stifle a PSG side obsessed with dominating possession. It was a tactic that proved very effective in the first half, with Paris unable to trouble Navas other than from a low Blaise Matuidi shot from the edge of the box in the 11th minute that was stopped comfortably enough by the Costa Rican.The French champions were too slow and predictable on the ball and Angel Di Maria, who had said ahead of the game that he would not celebrate if he scored against the club with whom he won the Champions League in 2014, looked like he would rather not be playing at all. It was Real who were the more likely side, and Toni Kroos slipped a pass through to Jese, who was denied by Kevin Trapp racing from his line. A brief spell of applied Madrid pressure followed after Di Maria lost the ball cheaply in the opposition half and Trapp tipped over a Ronaldo header following a Kroos corner.Ronaldo tried his luck from two long-range free-kicks either side of half-time but they only served to show why, for all his immense talent, he has scored from just two of his last 89 direct free-kicks.But it was Ronaldo who might have won the game in the 72nd minute. When a Paris corner came to nothing, Real broke quickly and Marcelo teed up the Portuguese superstar for a volley from a tight angle to the left of the box that fizzed just past the far post.He was also the target of the affection of a pitch invader who ran on to the field for a hug with the Ballon dOr winner before being dragged away to the biggest cheer of the evening.

Khanewal: 3 of same family killed in road accident

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KHANEWAL (Dunya News) – At least three members of the same family were killed when the car they were travelling in collided with a trailer coming from opposite side in Kabirwala near Khanewal on early Thursday morning.According to details, the ill-fated car going to Khanewal from Multan while over-taking a truck collided with a trailer coming from opposite side in Kabirwala, killing three members of the same family and injuring two others. A woman is among the dead.The rescue teams reached the spot and shifted injured to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Kabirwala. The injured were later referred to Nishtar Hospital Multan due to their critical condition.

PM, delegation meets US Foreign Affair Committees of House, Senate

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WASHINGTON (Dunya News) – Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif and his delegation on Thursday met with the US Foreign Affairs Committees of Senate and the House of Representatives. US Foreign Affairs Committee was led by Chairman Ed Royce while Pakistan’s delegation led by PM Nawaz included Federal Minister for Interior Chaudhary Nisar, Special Assistant to PM on Foreign AffairsTariq Fatemi, Advisor to PM on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar and the Minister for Defense Khawaja Asif. The meeting was held in Capitol Hill building of the US Parliament. During the meeting, PM Nawaz stated that Pakistan will continue efforts of reconciliation and peace with Afghanistan as this will maintain stability in the region.According to the details, PM Nawaz made aware to the Committee of Pakistan’s efforts in the fight against terrorism and stated that the initial goals of Operation Zarb-e-Azb had been successfully achieved while Pakistan’s war on terror was in its final stages.Steps taken for maintaining peace with India were also highlighted during the meeting by the PM. On this occasion, PM Nawaz elucidated to the Committee on Pakistan’s vision of peaceful co-existence in the region.Prior to this meeting, PM Nawaz also met with Chairman Foreign Affairs Committee of Senate Bob Corker.During the meeting the PM expressed his gratitude to the US Congress for cooperation in anti-terroism efforts.

Dengue claims one more life in Lahore

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - 23-year-old man named Sajjad died of dengue virus at the Lahore’s General Hospital on early Thursday morning. It is the second death from the virus in the city in 2015.Sajjad, a resident of Haloke village, was brought to the General Hospital on Wednesday. Hospital sources said that DNA test proved that dengue virus was present in Sajjad’s blood.Also Read: Rawalpindi, Multan face dengue fever outbreak as more cases surfaceOn the other hand, the number of dengue patients across Punjab has reached 2500 as 150 new dengue patients landed in the government run hospitals in Rawalpindi on Wednesday.The situation is getting worse despite the administration’s directives to fumigate the most affected areas.Dengue virus was confirmed in fifty patients on Monday and another ninety dengue patients were admitted at various hospitals on Tuesday.According to the health department, number of dengue patients has reached 2350 in Rawalpindi. Most of the patients are children and women.Emergency has also been imposed at three government hospitals. Reportedly, all dengue wards are full and there is no more space in the hospitals to accommodate the patients.Meanwhile, situation in Multan is getting out of control despite establishment of Dengue Control Centre at the DCO Office by the health department. At least 273 patients were admitted in various government hospitals among which 183 have been tested positive to the disease.

PM discussed key issues with US leadership in meeting: Aizaz Chaudhary

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WASHINGTON (Dunya News) – Secretary of Foreign Affairs Aizaz Chaudhary on Thursday, during a press conference in Washington, briefed on the developments made during Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with US officials. The Foreign Secretary stated that PM discussed key issues with the US leadership including improvement of bilateral relations between the two countries. The Foreign Secretary reiterated that no deal will be made on Pakistan’s nuclear assets.During the Press briefing, Chaudhary stated that PM Nawaz’s meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry was highly effective in which positive developments were made. The Foreign Secretary informed that Kerry was made aware by the PM of Indian efforts to destabilize Pakistan.Chaudhary further stated that US leadership was made clear of the fact that Pakistan’s soil was not being used for attacks against any other country.The Foreign Secretary stated that PM Nawaz met with important personalities of the US leadership including the US Foreign Affairs Minister and the Minister for Finance during the meeting. Chaudhary informed that PM addressed Pakistan-US Business Forum as well during the meeting. Improvement in relations between the countries was also highlighted during the meeting while ideas on Afghanistan were also exchanged.Foreign Secretary Aizaz further stated that Pakistan’s energy crisis was also discussed and PM Nawaz also held a meeting with US Secretary of Energy Department.Chaudhary also briefed on the upcoming meeting of PM Nawaz with US President Barack Obama stating that improvement of relations between the two countries will be discussed in the meeting. He stated that Pakistan does not want to limit its relations with the US only on matters of security.

UN chief 'not optimistic' about Israeli-Palestinian crisis

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council on Wednesday that he was not optimistic following his talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to urge them to defuse tensions, diplomats said.Ban addressed a closed-door emergency session of the council by video-conference from Amman, the latest stop on his mission to put an end to the spiraling violence.The UN chief traveled to the region on Tuesday to urge the Israelis and Palestinians to pull back from a dangerous escalation that could lead to a full-scale Palestinian uprising.After meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, Ban delivered a sobering assessment of the prospects, according to diplomats at the meeting.We were struck by the pessimistic tone which he gave us, British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft told reporters after the meeting.There is a wide gap between the leaders, said Rycroft, both on the short term on how to de-escalate and on the longer term, on how to get back to a genuine political process.Ban told the council that addressing the situation at the holy sites was key to quelling tensions, and that he was very concerned by incitement from both sides.Stating bluntly that he had emerged from his meetings not optimistic, he said there was no time to waste to press for a de-escalation and pull the sides back from the brink.At least 47 Palestinians and an Arab Israeli have been killed in the upsurge in violence that began at the start of the month, including alleged attackers. Eight Israelis have also died.The UN chief also presented a report prepared by his legal experts on international protection after the Palestinians called for the deployment of an observer force in east Jerusalem.The report, seen by AFP, outlines 17 cases - from Trieste after World War II to Kosovo in 1999 - when the Security Council stepped in and set up special regimes to guarantee the protection of civilians.In a letter to the council, Ban said the report should not be seen as an options paper for addressing the current crisis but could be useful in informing future work on this subject.The 42-page summary of precedents was prepared last year, but it has been the focus of recent interest following an appeal from the Palestinians for international protection, beginning with an observer force at the Al-Aqsa compound.Clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque in September sparked the current wave of violence.Israel last week flatly rejected any suggestion that an international presence could be deployed at Al-Aqsa, saying it would violate the status quo.Bans report comes on the eve of a ministerial-level Security Council debate on the way forward in the Middle East amid growing fears that the violence could spiral out of control.

Putin discusses Syria conflict with Saudi king: Kremlin

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MOSCOW (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday spoke by phone with Saudi Arabias King Salman after hosting Syrias embattled leader for key talks the day before, the Kremlin said.The discussion of the issue of Syria was continued, the Kremlin said in a statement.The Russian leader informed the monarch about the results of Syrian President Bashar al-Assads visit to Russia.Assad travelled to Moscow for his first known foreign trip since the conflict broke out in his country in 2011, holding landmark talks on the future of Syria with Putin.The two leaders stressed the importance of political settlement that should follow military operations, the Kremlin said.Throughout Wednesday, Putin and his Russian foreign minister have been involved in a flurry of diplomatic talks, with the Kremlin chief also speaking to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also held phone talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry, with the two agreeing to meet for talks on Syria in Vienna on Friday.Foreign ministers from Turkey and Saudi Arabia -- which have been among the most vocal opponents of the Assad regime -- are also set to take part in the Vienna talks.Putin has been seeking to muscle his way back onto the world stage after months of Western isolation over the Ukraine crisis. On September 30, he launched a bombing campaign in Syria.Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said last month that Assad must leave office or face being turfed out by force.Putin met Saudi Arabias Defence Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman earlier this month for talks about the possibility of a political solution in Syria.

Rockets kill at least 22 civilians in Yemen's Taez: medics

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SANAA (AFP) - At least 22 civilians were killed and several others wounded as suspected rebel rockets crashed into the central Yemeni city of Taez Wednesday, medics and military officials said.The Katyusha rockets hit areas in the centre of the city, which is encircled by the Shiite Huthi rebels and allied forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, a military official said.He said the rockets were fired by Huthis and Saleh forces.Al-Mutahideen hospital has received 22 bodies of civilians, a medical source said.The city remains in the hands of forces allied with President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.Human Rights Watch accused the rebels and Salehs forces Wednesday of repeatedly firing mortar shells and artillery rocket indiscriminately into populated areas of Taez.It also accused the rebels of unlawfully confiscating food and medical supplies from civilians there.The pro-Huthi forces should take all possible steps to minimise harm to civilians, end the unlawful confiscation of essential goods from civilians and hold accountable commanders responsible for unlawful attacks, the rights group said.The Huthis overran the capital Sanaa in September 2014 and went on to seize control of several regions, aided by Salehs forces.In July, loyalists backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition evicted the rebels from five southern provinces and have set their sights on Sanaa.Around 4,500 civilians have been killed in the conflict since March, when the coalition began targeting the rebels in air strikes.

13 dead as Russia strike hits Syria field hospital: monitor

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BEIRUT (AFP) - At least 13 people including medical staff were killed when Russian warplanes struck a field hospital in northwestern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday.Thirteen people were killed in Russian air strikes on Tuesday on a field clinic in the town of Sarmin, including a physiotherapist, a guard, and civil defence member, the Observatorys Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.Sarmin lies in the northwestern province of Idlib, which has been regularly targeted by Russias military since the beginning of its air war in Syria on September 30. The clinic was run by the Syrian-American Medical Society, whose staff confirmed that strikes had severely damaged the facility.Yesterday at around 1:00 pm (1000 GMT) a SAMS facility near Sarmin, Idlib was hit, a SAMS staff member told AFP. Our initial reports from the ground show that we have lost two hospital staff, a physiotherapist and a nurse, the staffer said in an emailed statement.Speaking on condition of anonymity, she did not specify whether the strikes were conducted by Russian warplanes.Russias defence ministry said on Wednesday that its armed forces had targeted Sarmin, but did not mention the hospital.Russia has conducted more than 500 strikes against what it says are Islamic State group fighters.But Moscow has come under fire for targeting non-extremist groups and inflicting civilian casualties.On Tuesday, the Observatory said at least 127 of the 370 killed so far in Russias aerial war are civilians.It documented Russian bombardment of field hospitals in coastal Latakia and central Hama on October 2. In an online statement, SAMS said Russian air strikes the same day hit a field hospital it operated in Hama, causing severe damage to the facility and wounding staff.Journalist and activist Maamun al-Khatib told AFP that Russian raids had struck two hospitals in the northern province of Aleppo in the past week.More than 250,000 people have been killed since Syrias conflict began in March 2011, and more than 11 million people have been forced to flee their homes.

Hajj stampede death toll tops 2,100: foreign figures

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DUBAI (AFP) - The death toll from last months hajj stampede has topped 2,100, according to tallies given by foreign officials, making it by far the deadliest disaster in the pilgrimages history.Saudi Arabia has yet to provide an updated death toll after saying 769 people died in the tragedy near Mecca, home of Islams holiest sites.But figures given by more than 30 governments around the world show that at least 2,139 foreign pilgrims died, according to an AFP tally.Saudi authorities have not given a toll for any deaths among their own nationals.The loss of life in the September 24 disaster far exceeds the 1,426 pilgrims who died in the hajjs worst previous incident -- a tunnel stampede in July 1990.Here is a breakdown of the dead from foreign governments: - Iran: 464 dead- Nigeria: 199 dead- Mali 198 dead- Egypt: 182 dead- Bangladesh: 137- Indonesia: 129 dead- India: 116 dead- Pakistan: 89 dead- Cameroon: 76 dead- Niger: 72 dead- Senegal: 62 dead- Ethiopia: 53 dead- Chad: 52 dead- Ivory Coast: 52 dead- Benin: 52 dead- Morocco: 36 dead- Sudan: 30 dead- Algeria: 28 dead- Burkina Faso: 22 dead- Tanzania: 22 dead- Ghana: 17 dead- Libya: 10 dead- Somalia: 8 dead- Kenya: 8 dead- Tunisia: 7 dead- Mauritius: 5 dead- China: 4 dead- Afghanistan: 3 dead- Burundi: 1 dead- Iraq: 1 dead- Jordan: 1 dead- Netherlands: 1 dead- Oman: 1 dead- Malaysia: 1 dead

20 shot dead by suspected Islamists in NE Nigeria: locals

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KANO (AFP) - Twenty people were shot dead by suspected Boko Haram gunmen Wednesday on a road outside a village in Nigerias northeast Borno state, local sources said.A large group of Boko Haram gunmen fleeing a military offensive on their camp in Nganzai district opened fire on four cars just outside Jingalta village, 70 kilometres (45 miles) north of Maiduguri, killing all 20 passengers inside, a vigilante and a villager said. We received information of an attack by Boko Haram gunmen on four cars near Jingalta village where they shot dead all 20 occupants of the vehicles before setting the cars ablaze, said Babakura Kolo, a member of a local vigilante group assisting the military in fighting the Islamic sect in Maiduguri.The gunmen were fleeing a military operation against one of their enclaves in the area around 9:30 am (0830GMT) when they came across the vehicles on the highway and opened fire on them, Kolo said.The gunmen, who were driving pick-up trucks and motorcycles, then looted and burnt the entire village whose residents had already fled following the attack, he added.Jibir Hassan, a commercial bus driver who arrived at the scene after the gunmen had fled, confirmed the death toll.When we arrived at Jingalta village, we found it smouldering, with everything completely burnt and just outside the village we saw bodies sprawled by the roadside, 20 of them in all, said Hassan.Near the bodies were charred remains of four cars, still smouldering, he said.
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