Monday 9 November 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Karachi: Gang war accused killed in police encounter

Posted:

KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, police conducted a search operation in Mochko area of Karachi on Monday on a tip-off that criminals are present in the area. Gang war accused in the area opened fire at the police party. Police returned the fire as a result commander of a gang war faction, Amir alias Bhaya, was killed.Police sources said that the killed gang war commander was involved in several target killing, extortion and abduction for ransom cases.Also Read: Firing claims life, two criminals apprehended in separate Karachi incidentsIn a separate operation in Manghupir area, police arrested a target killed named Mazhar after and encounter while two of his accomplices managed to escape. According to SSP West, the arrested target killer was member of a political party.On the other hand, Karachi police arrested a member of a banned outfit named Kamran Mullah during an operation in Islamabad. Police sources said that the arrested militant was involved in target killing of police officials and several other civilians.

Karachi: Target killer arrested, gangwar operative killed during clashes

Posted:

KARACHI (Dunya News) – A target killer was arrested while a gangwar operative was killed during police clashes in various areas of the city on Monday night. The killed operative and arrested suspect was involved in police target killing.According to the details, police conducted a search operation on a tip off related to the presence of criminals in Karachi’s Mochko area. Gangwar operatives opened fire on police during the raid to which the police responded with a befitting reply. A local commander involved in gangwar named Amir alias Bhaya was killed in the retaliatory fire. According to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) City the suspect was involved in the target killing of various people including police and was also involved in cases of extortion and kidnapping for ransom.Meanwhile, a target killer was apprehended during clash with the police in Manghopir area. SSP West stated that the arrested suspect belonged to a political party while 2 of his accomplices had managed to flee.On the other hand, Karachi police in a raid conducted in Islamabad were able to capture an operative of banned organization named Kamran Mullah. According to the police the arrested suspect was involved in target killing of police as well as numerous individuals. The police stated that the suspect had fled Karachi during the Karachi operation and was in disguise while in Islamabad. The suspect is being shifted to Karachi.

Sundar factory collapse, rescue operation concludes after 131 hours

Posted:

LAHORE (Dunya News) – Rescue operation underway at the factory collapse site in Sundar Industrial Estate, Lahore concluded early morning Tuesday after a total of 131 hours of rescue efforts. Talking to the media, District City Officer (DCO) Capt. Usman stated that Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Shahbaz Sharif has formed an investigative committee into the matter to apprehend the culprits involved in the tragic incident.Speaking at the accident site, Capt. Usman informed that a total of 2079 rescue workers participated in the difficult and over-whelming rescue operation of the accident while a total of 309 vehicles were utilized during the rubble clearance operation.Also read:Sundar tragedy: Man rescued after 50 hours, family buried wrong bodyThe DCO stated that 17,500 tons of wreckage was cleared from the destruction site. He further informed that 45 dead bodies in total had been extricated from the debris.Deputy General (DG) Rescue also added that 103 people had been taken out alive from the rubble during the rescue efforts. He also stated that state of the art technology had been used in the rescue efforts to find survivors and clear the wreckage as they wanted to extricate victims from the twisted mangle of steel and concrete as soon as they could.The unfortunate incident occurred almost a week before when a four-storeyed building of Rajput Polyester polythene bag factory came crashing down with workers still inside in the Sundar Industrial Estate, around 45 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of Lahore s city centre.Factory employee Mohammad Navid had earlier told AFP that up to 50 shift workers may have been sleeping in a part of the building that rescuers had not yet reached, and that children as young as 12 had been working in the factory.A list of the injured from one of the three hospitals the wounded were shifted to, however, showed three 15-year-olds as the youngest patients listed.Another employee, 18-year-old Mohammad Irfan, told AFP from his hospital bed that the workers were mostly aged between 14 and 25.The factory may have suffered structural damage in the October 26 quake which killed almost 400 people across Pakistan and Afghanistan, Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif said.I have heard about the earthquake affecting the building, but according to labourers the owner continued to build an extension, he told reporters.Some of the pillars of the building had been weakened in the earthquake, 22-year-old Navid told AFP, adding that workers had informed the owner of the problems.The building caved in with a big bang and I fell unconscious on the ground, he said, adding that he had regained consciousness after some 15 minutes.I heard people screaming and shouting for help.Pakistan has a poor safety record in the construction and maintenance of buildings.At least 24 people died last year when a mosque collapsed in the same city, while more than 200 people lost their lives, mostly due to collapsed roofs, following torrential rain and flooding in 2014.In 2012, at least 255 workers were killed when a fire tore through a clothing factory in Karachi, one of the deadliest industrial accidents in Pakistani history.

Suu Kyi party chalks up wins in first Myanmar poll results

Posted:

YANGON (AFP) - Supporters of Aung San Suu Kyis pro-democracy party on Monday cheered early results from Myanmars historic election, with hopes boosted of sweeping gains to carry it to power after decades of military dominance.Election authorities have so far announced only a small fraction of the results, but the National League for Democracy has scooped the lions share of those seats, boosting enthusiasm in the crowds in front of party headquarters in Yangon. Well win tonight, well stay until we win anyway, said 24-year-old Wanna Htay, sporting a scarlet bandana with the partys iconic fighting peacock motif as the crowd sung and cheered around him at the height of the celebrations.Hours later, the White House hailed what it called a historic election, but urged parties to wait for the final vote tally before declaring victory or making assessments about fairness.Sundays elections saw millions line up to cast their ballots in what many hope will mark a dramatic leap towards democracy in the Southeast Asian nation, which withered for decades under the iron grip of junta rule. It could take days for the full results to be officially announced, but the NLD has already given a bullish prediction for its first election in 25 years.Party spokesman Win Htein told AFP that unofficial tallies showed the opposition on track to win more than 70 percent of seats around the country.He did not specify if the percentage would translate into power under Myanmars complex political system.The NLD, which currently accounts for a tiny proportion of parliaments MPs following landmark 2012 by-elections, is shooting for 67 percent of elected seats in the national legislature to be able to select a president and form a government. That would be enough to overwhelm the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party and their military allies -- who automatically get 25 percent of seats under a constitution scripted to ensure they still have a major stake in the future.The USDP has already said it was ready for a wipeout in the commercial capital Yangon, while several of its heavyweights -- including its chairman -- lost their seats. Suu Kyi, who is barred from the presidency under the army-drafted constitution, on Monday gave a cautious hint at victory in her first comments since the polls.It is not the time to congratulate our candidates who we think have won the election, she told supporters and journalists from the balcony of her partys Yangon headquarters.But people have an idea of the result even if I dont say it, she added.Election authorities have said that preliminary figures would be released within 48 hours of Sundays vote, and a full nationwide count could take 10 days or more.Assistant US Secretary of State Daniel Russel called the election a hell of a step forward for democracy on Monday, but echoed the caution of the White House, whose spokesman said it was too early to call the result or explore how it might affect international ties.The NLD has so far won 49 lower house seats -- including 24 in Yangon and 10 in the countrys second city Mandalay, both areas where the party is expected to sweep the vote.The USDP, appearing increasingly beleaguered, has taken just three lower house seats so far.Another two lower house seats have gone to ethnic parties in eastern Shan and northern Kachin states, according to the tally officially released so far.Early NLD victories also included a win for Naing Ngan Linn, contesting for the Yangon regional parliament, who was injured in a dramatic sword attack while out canvassing on October 29 in Tharketa township on the citys fringes. Meanwhile USDP heavyweight Shwe Mann conceded on his Facebook page that he had lost his seat to his NLD challenger, and party chairman Htay Oo told local media that he had also failed to keep his seat in Hinthada, a few hours from Yangon.Some local media called on President Thein Sein to concede without delay.The junta nominally gave up power in 2011, and the country has since spun through rapid change, with the quasi-civilian USDP government launching reforms that brought an end to most international sanctions.Election officials estimated an 80 percent turnout, a figure observers say will aid the NLDs quest for a majority. Among the 30 million registered for Sundays election, many were first-time voters.President Thein Sein and the still-powerful army chief have both vowed to respect the outcome of the election -- even if the USDP loses its choke-hold on power.

Arab League seeks end to Israel's violent 'escalation'

Posted:

RIYADH (AFP) - Arab foreign ministers searched on Monday for ways to halt what one called Israels dangerous escalation of violence against Palestinians.Weeks of knife, gun and car assaults by Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank have left 74 Palestinians dead, around half of them alleged attackers.Ten Israelis and one Arab Israeli have also been killed, and violence has spread to the Gaza Strip as well.Attacks against Jews began in early October as tensions over the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem erupted.The compound is the third holiest site in Islam, as well as being the holiest site in Judaism which venerates it as the Temple Mount. This emergency meeting comes with the dangerous escalation by the Israeli government, the settlers, the Jewish extremist groups, and the Israeli forces in the blessed city of Jerusalem, United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan told the meeting, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.He chaired the gathering of the 22-member bloc, and said the Palestinian issue is key to peace and security in the region.We gather today to take a decision about what we can do to stop these crimes and violations, the UAE minister said.Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi urged the UN Security Council and others to work towards an end to the conflict, SPA reported.The meeting came on the eve of the Fourth Summit of Arab and South American countries, to be held in the Saudi capital on Tuesday and Wednesday.Saudi Arabias Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir spoke of a convergence of positions between countries of the two regions on many issues and commended the Latin nations positive stance on the Palestinian issue.The summit between the Arab League states and 12 nations from South America will be their fourth meeting since 2005.The summits were an initiative of Brazils former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.Jubeir told a pre-summit meeting that the previous three gatherings tried to develop trade, investment and transport links.There remain promising opportunities for collaboration, he said, according to a written text of his speech.Two South American nations, Argentina and Brazil, belong to the Group of 20 worlds largest economies, as does Saudi Arabia.The kingdom and its Gulf neighbours pump much of the worlds oil, but Brazil and Venezuela are also major producers.There are also cultural ties, as Chile hosts some 350,000 Palestinian immigrants and their descendants who have settled there over the past century.Recent immigration has brought more than 2,000 Syrian refugees fleeing the war in their homeland to Brazil since 2011.The figure is far more than for any other Latin American state, although some pledged open doors and Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro said 20,000 were welcome in his country.Maduro, however, is a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is facing rebel forces supported by Saudi Arabia and other Arab states.

Jordan policeman kills US, S. African instructors

Posted:

AMMAN (AFP) - A Jordanian policeman shot dead two US instructors, a South African and a fellow Jordanian at a police training centre Monday before being gunned down, the government spokesman said. Mohammed Momani said the shooter also wounded two American instructors and three Jordanians.The assailant was shot dead by colleagues at the centre in Al-Muwaqqar, 30 kilometres (20 miles) east of Amman, Momani, who is also information minister, said in statements carried by state news agency Petra.Authorities opened an investigation to determine the motive for the shooting, he added.The three foreign instructors killed were on contract with Jordanian police, Momani said.A source close to the family of the shooter identified him as police captain Anwar Abu Zeid.He has no ties with any terrorist organisation like Daesh, the source said, using an Arabic acronym for the jihadist Islamic State group.The family is in shock and security forces are questioning them about the incident, the source, who declined to be named, told AFP.The US embassy in Amman said in a statement that the mission is in contact with the appropriate Jordanian authorities concerning the shooting at the Jordanian International Police Training Centre (JIPTC).The embassy also posted on its website a message for US citizens reporting a security incident at the JIPTC and urging individuals to please avoid that area for the time being.Please monitor the news for further developments and maintain security awareness, the message said.The attack coincides with the 10th anniversary of suicide bombings in Amman hotels that cost 60 lives and wounded dozens more.On Monday, King Abdullah II and his wife Queen Rania attended a memorial for the victims of the November 9, 2005 attacks.The bombings, which were claimed by Al-Qaeda, had shocked one of the Middle Easts most stable countries and a key US ally.Earlier this year Jordan executed an Iraqi woman whose husband was one of the bombers.Sajida al-Rishawi was arrested after the attacks and confessed that she was also wearing an explosives belt but had been unable to activate it. She was tried and sentenced to death.She was executed on February 4 along with another Iraqi jihadist who had been on death row in revenge for the killing by IS of fighter pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh.IS captured the fighter last December and later burned him alive.The pilots murder sparked international condemnation and was described by a senior Jordanian official as a turning point in the kingdoms fight against IS.Jordan is part of a US-led coalition battling IS, which has seized swathes of territory in its neighbours Syria and Iraq.A key US ally, the tiny desert kingdom has trained tens of thousands of Iraqi, Palestinian and Afghani police officers and announced earlier this year plans to train former Libyan rebels at the police academy.The centre was set up initially after the US-led invasion of Iraq to train Iraqis for their countrys post-war police force.

Shootings at Mexico cockfight, football field kill 14

Posted:

ACAPULCO (AFP) - A weekend of violence killed at least 14 people in Mexicos troubled southern state of Guerrero as shootings erupted at a cockfight and a football field, police said on Monday.At least 10 people were killed, including a 12-year-old child, and seven others were wounded when a gunfight erupted at Sunday nights cockfight in Cuajinicuilapa, a senior state police official told AFP.The cause of the gun battle was not immediately known but it broke out between two groups of armed men following an argument at the center of town, the official said.The wounded were taken to a general hospital, while some of the dead were taken away by their relatives minutes before security forces arrived, the official said.Apart from the minor, the victims were between 26 and 50 years old and included a woman.Cuajinicuilapa, which lies near the state of Oaxaca, is famous for its mixture of cultures derived from descendants of African slaves.The area is not known for the type of violence that has plagued other parts of Guerrero, such as the Pacific resort of Acapulco or mountain regions of the interior beset by drug cartel turf wars.Acapulco has become Mexicos murder capital, with the violence leaving four dead and three wounded after an amateur football game on the outskirts of the city on Sunday, municipal police said.The attack took place in broad daylight after the game had ended and the players were relaxing on the small pitch.Relatives of the victims removed the bodies before the authorities arrived, police said.Authorities found bullet casings matching the caliber of AR-15 assault rifles as well as shotguns and handguns.Guerrero is the state where 43 teacher college students disappeared after they were abducted by local police in the city of Iguala on September 26, 2014.Prosecutors say the officers handed the students over to the Guerreros Unidos drug cartel, which killed them, incinerated their bodies at a landfill in the town of Cocula and threw bags of remains in a nearby river.The case has renewed interest in the plight of the 25,000 people who remain missing across Mexico.It also led to the discovery of more bodies buried in clandestine graves around the region.A group of citizens dubbed The Committee of the Other Disappeared of Iguala found human bones in another pit on Sunday near the city.The group, which was created a year ago, claims to have found 105 human remains in 60 mass graves, of which 13 have been identified and 11 delivered to relatives of the victims.The members of the group use picks and shovels to find human remains, even though they say authorities have ordered them to stop.Authorities can put me in jail, but we are alone, said committee leader Mario Vergara, whose brother Tomas is missing. We will keep looking for our relatives, even though the federal government doesnt want us to.

Blame black magic for divorce between couples, tweets Reham Khan

Posted:

LAHORE (Dunya News) – In a tweet resonating her earlier divorce with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, Reham on Monday night took to the social media website Twitter to subtly express her views on the marriage dissolution. The former wife of PTI Chairman tweeted:“The Quran states that the fundamental reason why Iblees taught people black magic was in order to cause separation between husband and wife”The Quran states that the fundamental reason why Iblees taught people black magic was in order to cause separation between husband & wife— Reham Khan (@RehamKhan1) November 9, 2015The marriage between the former BBC weather girl and the PTI leader and their subsequent split has recently remained a hot topic and has been under the spotlight, both for the media and the general public.As the rumours came alive and news of the divorce settled in, the incident was scrutinized more than ever before. Questions, conspiracy theories, facts of past and present, all were tossed and turned, rejected and acknowledged in an effort to somehow correlate any one of them that may answer the separation of the recently wed couple. Reham’s entrance into the political arena, the apparent displeasure of Imran’s family over the wedding, conspiracy theories that have been denied as baseless such as the former wife trying to poison her husband and reports of her being physically tortured, even far-stretched claims by a British newspaper of Reham banning the PTI Chairman’s dogs and servants from the house have been linked to the couple’s breakup.Also read: Reham breaks silence, says long-term partnership is what mattersThe tweet by Imran’s ex-wife offers an interesting perspective into the matter, as do her earlier comments during a media conference in Manchester:““You can hit a six but what matter is if you opt for a long term partnership and complete your century.”Reham has, for the most part, remained silent on the issue, dropping faint hints as to what led the couple to part their ways. In her own words and the reason for the divorce was that the “bond” between the couple had broken and that the relationship had suffered a breakdown.Both partners have been seen denying various claims including a claim by a British newspaper that the PTI Chairman divorce message was communicated to her via text message, which was denied by one of Reham’s friend saying a note had been given to her.Take a look:Imran Khan divorced Reham via text message, claims British media outletClaims have also been made that the former BBC presenter will be paid Rs. 8 Crore in financial settlement of divorce, a claim denied by Reham in a written statement.Read further:Reham Khans divorce settlement is worth Rs 8 crore: SourcesThe PTI Chairman, previously married to Jemima Marcelle Goldsmith, has also denied the various claims made and even vented his anger at a journalist for asking him about his private life.Reham has also reconnected with her ex-husband Dr Ijaz who wanted to take the matter of meeting children to court.Read further:Reham reconnects with ex-husband Dr Ijaz, likely to meet soonThe celebrated and much hyped marriage of the couple suffered an unfortunate end as the marriage ended with a divorce after 10 months of their wedding. The couple had agreed mutually for the divorce citing irreconcilable differences.Also read: Imran, Reham mutually agree to divorceTalking to Dunya News, PTI spokesperson Naeemul Haq ha d stated that the decision to divorce was very sensitive and serious issue. He stated:She (Reham) wanted to get involved with politics and that is not what Khan wanted at all. She just did not want to sit at home.Soon after the news broke, Imran Khan had stated that this was a painful time for him and Reham and requested everyone to respect their privacy.

Tennis: Murray up to second in world rankings

Posted:

PARIS (AFP) - Andy Murray gained some consolation for his straight sets defeat to Novak Djokovic in the Paris Masters final on Sunday by regaining the world number two spot.The Scot was edged for second place by Roger Federer last week, but his run into the Paris final, coupled with Federers early loss to John Isner, reversed the positions.That could be significant for Murray at next weeks ATP World Tour Finals in London as he could expect an easier draw for the group stages.Already the two-time major tournament champion has his end-of-season sights firmly set on Britains Davis Cup final against Belgium in Ghent from November 27-29.To that avail, Murray wasted no time Monday in getting some practice in on an indoor claycourt at Queens Club, as that is the surface chosen by the Belgians for the final, which gets underway just five days after the World Tour Finals week.Britain have not won the Davis cup since 1936 and were last in the final in 1978.ATP world top 10:1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 15,2852. Andy Murray (GBR) 8,470 (1)3. Roger Federer (SUI)7,340 (-1)4. Stan Wawrinka (SUI)6,5005. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 4,630 (1)6. Tomas Berdych (CZE)4,620 (-1)7. David Ferrer (ESP) 4,305 (1)8. Kei Nishikori (JPN)4,035 (-1)9. Richard Gasquet (FRA) 2,71510. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)2,545.

Tennis: Venus and Serena reunited in WTA Top 10

Posted:

PARIS (AFP) - Venus Williams victory in the Zhuhai Masters in China over the weekend sees her climb from 11th to seventh in the latest WTA standings dominated by her sister Serena.At 35-years-old Venus thereby becomes the oldest woman to have featured in the WTA top 10 since Martina Navratilova, who was 38-years-old in 1995.The five-time Wimbledon and two-time Flushing Meadows champion is a former WTA rankings leader, a position she last held back in February 2002.Towering over her rivals atop the rankings by a wide margin stands the younger of the Williams sisters Serena, 34, with a whopping 9,945 points, while Romanias Simona Helep is second on 6,060 and Spains Garbine Muguruza on 5,200.The beaten finalist at Zhuhai. Karolina Pliskova. also climbed two places with the Czech clinching 11th place.Latest WTA rankings:1. Serena Williams (USA)9,945 pts2. Simona Halep (ROM)6,0603. Garbine Muguruza (ESP) 5,2004. Maria Sharapova (RUS)5,0115. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 4,5006. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 4,2207. Venus Williams (USA) 3,790 (4)8. Flavia Pennetta (ITA)3,621 (-1)9. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 3,590 (-1)10. Angelique Kerber (GER) 3,590 (-1).

Golf: Malnati claims maiden win at Sanderson Farms

Posted:

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Peter Malnati fired a five-under-par 67 to snatch the first victory of his career, triumphing by one stroke to claim the weather-disrupted Sanderson Farms Championship on Monday. After a front nine which included four birdies and two bogeys, Malnati produced an error-free performance down the stretch, reeling off three birdies and no bogeys, to finish clear of David Toms and William McGirt in second. Victory completed a dream return to the PGA Tour for Malnati, who played on the junior Web.com Tour last season after finishing 178th in the Fedex points list in 2014.Malnati, who returned to the PGA Tour after finishing fourth on the Web.com money list, said he finally felt like he belonged on the tour. This year I dont feel like Im out here as a surprise, Malnati said after his win, which left him with an 18-under-par four-round aggregate of 270. I feel like Im out here and I belong to be out here. Two years ago I was just so wrapped up in being on the Tour and enjoying it all. This year it feels like business. It was a disappointing finish for overnight leader Roberto Castro. Castro had started the day one shot clear of the field after seeing a healthy lead evaporate with a three-over-par 75 on Sunday. Castro, who had shot a 10-under-par 62 on the opening day, was unable to overhaul Malnati, firing a final round 68 to finish two shots off the lead on 272. Four other players -- Aaron Baddeley, Patton Kizzire, Bryce Molder and Jhonattan Vegas -- were also on 272. The tournament finished on Monday after heavy rain and lighting lashed the course on Friday and Saturday, forcing several lengthy delays.

Football: Ronaldo opens up on Messi, family life in new film

Posted:

LONDON (AFP) - Cristiano Ronaldo has no regrets after making an intimate documentary about his life and career, he told a press conference in London to mark the films launch on Monday.Made by the team behind award-winning films about Ayrton Senna and Amy Winehouse, Ronaldo charts Ronaldos life between Real Madrids European Cup triumph in 2014 and his third Ballon dOr crown in January 2015.The films revelations include a confession by Ronaldos mother, Dolores, that she wanted to abort him, while Ronaldo talks openly about his brother and late fathers struggles with alcoholism.He also defends his decision not to disclose the identity of his son Cristianos mother, but when asked if he felt he had opened up too much, the Madrid superstar replied: Maybe, but I just had fun.I dont regret anything. I feel unbelievable. When you do something people will find reason to criticise you, but its normal.Since I was a young boy I always felt special. I saw the people looked at me with different eyes.The film captures intimate moments at home between Ronaldo and his five-year-old son -- who he dubs my successor -- and shows him relaxing with friends including his agent, Jorge Mendes.The Portugal captain, 30, discusses his obsession with winning the Ballon dOr, which he has won for the past two seasons after seeing his great Barcelona rival Lionel Messi walk away with it for the previous four years.Ive started seeing him as a person, not a rival, Ronaldo says of the Argentine. But we are always busting our balls to see who is better.On speculation about the identity of his sons mother, Ronaldo, who describes himself in the film as an isolated person with few friends in football, says: Ive never told anybody and I never will.Asked at the press conference why the film does not feature Irina Shayk, the Russian model who he split from last January, Ronaldo said it was because the filmmakers didnt see a strong part to put in the movie.He also refused to be drawn on the crisis surrounding suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who is pictured in the film during scenes shot at various Ballon dOr galas.When Cristiano says something its a huge thing. Im not going to be involved in these problems, Ronaldo said. What do you expect me to say?The film also reveals that a promise by former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson that Ronaldo would play in 50 percent of the clubs games prompted him to move to Old Trafford in 2003.Mendes says that Fergusons offer was key in encouraging the winger, then an 18-year-old rising star at Sporting Lisbon, to reject rival offers from clubs including Barcelona and Inter Milan.Speaking on Monday, Ronaldo said: When Sir Alex Ferguson says, Cristiano, I want you to come to Manchester United, youre going to play 50 percent of the games, it made me feel comfortable and I said, Wow.Because 18 years old, to play 50 percent of the games, for me its unbelievable. Jorge helped me to take that decision and of course the last word of Sir Alex Ferguson was the key to sign for Manchester United.Ronaldo spent six years at United, winning three Premier League titles, the 2008 Champions League and being awarded his first Ballon dOr, before joining Madrid in a world-record transfer in 2009.He has won La Liga, two Spanish Cups and the Champions League at Madrid and last month became the clubs record goal-scorer. His current Madrid tally stands at 326 goals in 315 games.The film was due to have its official premiere at a London cinema later on Monday.

Athletics: Coe gives Russia until end of week to respond to WADA report

Posted:

LONDON (AFP) - World athletics chief Sebastian Coe wants the Russian federation to respond by the end of this week to a damning report into systematic dope cheating that could see the countrys athletes banned from the Olympics.The report, by a World Anti-Doping Agency independent commission, published on Monday, called for Russian athletes to be suspended from all competitions, including the 2016 Olympic Games.I will seek an explanation for the allegations and the (International Association of Athletics Federations) council will then make a judgement, Coe, the IAAF president, told journalists in a conference call.My instinct remains to encourage engagement not isolation, but the extent of whats being said, I need to seek (IAAF) council support to have them (the Russian Athletics Federation) report back by the end of the week.The allegations are deeply shocking and alarming and I accept that the sports credibility is on the line.WADA also suggested the presence of doped athletes had sabotaged the 2012 Olympics in London.We have received it only today and are still absorbing it, said Coe, a 1500m gold medallist for Britain at both the 1980 and 1984 Games, of the 320-page report. We will investigate and if we find failures in our governance we will act, insisted Coe, who took over as president in August after the retirement of Lamine Diack, who was charged by French police last week with corruption over allegations he took bribes to cover up doping cases.Dick Pound (report author and former head of WADA) said in the report that this was not IAAF policy but rogue individuals who have inserted themselves into the organisation.If there are issues we have to absorb then we will but the report did also say that this is not limited to track and field and not limited to one country.The IAAF can ban Russia, whom Pound accused of indulging in state-sponsored corruption, from its events, including the 2017 world championships in London.All Olympic Games are run under the sporting authority of the International Olympic Committee. But were Russia to be banned by the IAAF at the time of the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, their athletes would effectively be frozen out of track and field events -- the centrepiece of any Olympics -- in Brazil.In August, when still IAAF vice-president, and prior to his election as Diacks successor, Coe labelled a report by Britains Sunday Times revealing the existence of an IAAF file detailing thousands of athletes with suspiciously high blood values, as a declaration of war on my sport.On Monday, Coe reiterated he he had no criticism of investigative journalists who kicked the tyres.Those words I used referred to the selective use of data to besmirch the reputation of clean athletes, Coe said. It was never criticism of any news or media group.I actively welcomed the (Russian) investigation (by German broadcaster ARD) and made the point at the time that if they did not trust the organisation (IAAF), to hand over the information to WADA.Questions have been asked about Coes suitability to lead a clean-up of athletics given that, when Diack stepped down as IAAF president, he spoke of his deep admiration for his predecessor and said the Senegalese would always be the spiritual president.But Coe denied those words hampered him from taking effective action. That presumes that when I made those remarks, I had a list of allegations. I didnt, he said.I recognise that I am going to come in for some criticism. But as Dick Pound actually said, I share his sentiments, Im completely shocked.Earlier, Pound said Coe could lead athletics fight against doping.We were taken unaware too -- there were some nasty surprises, Pound admitted. Seb Coe is someone who can grasp this, I hope -- his reputation is at risk if he doesnt.

Passengers distressed by flight delays, protest against admin passivity

Posted:

MULTAN (Dunya News) – Passengers on Monday night were extremely distressed by two separate incidents of flight delay, protesting against the prolonged wait and the administartions passivity and inaction in resolving the issues. Passengers stranded at Multan airport on Monday night were flown to Lahore following a 10 hour delay in the flight of a private airline originally bound for Lahore from Karachi. Passengers had earlier protested severely against the lengthy stoppage and blocked the exit gates of domestic lounge. Dunya News came to the rescue, becoming the voice of the frustrated and perturbed passengers as the administration finally came into action and resolved the issue by shifting the passengers to an alternate aircraft.According to the details, the private airlines flight bound for Lahore from Karachi was landed at Multan airport due to some technical problems. However the flight to Lahore could not be resumed even after a wait of 10 hours. The administration remained adamant on sending the passengers to Lahore by bus. However the passengers stubbornly refused the administration’s decision.Airport administration in light of the situation called in a heavy contingent of Airport Security Force (ASF) to deal with any untoward incidents. Action was finally taken after Dunya News reported the incident.Meanwhile in a separate incident of delay, Passengers of a private airline on Monday night strongly protested at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport as a flight bound for Jeddah from Lahore experienced a severe delay. Dunya News reported the incident and once again became the voice of the distraught passengers after which the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) took notice of the inconvenience and advised the airline’s administration to offer accommodation to its 300 passengers in a hotel for the night. The flight’s revised expected departure time for Jeddah is now said to be 10am Tuesday.The private airlines flight carrying 300 passengers was expected to depart for Jeddah at 6pm Monday evening. However, passengers were forced to wait for more than seven hours due to the unavailability of an aircraft at Lahore’s airport which was to fly the travelers to their destination.The airline’s administration has assured that the passengers are being shifted to a hotel for the night.Passengers expressed their gratitude to Dunya News for reporting the incident and helping the distressed travelers.

Aggressive blood pressure control could help millions: study

Posted:

MIAMI (AFP) - A more aggressive approach to lowering blood pressure could help millions of people over age 50, according to the results of a major US study published Monday.Patients who lowered their systolic number, meaning the higher of the two figures used to express blood pressure, to less than 120 mm Hg saw their risk of heart attack, heart failure or stroke drop by 24 percent, and their risk of death plummeted by 27 percent.Current guidelines urge adults to keep their blood pressure below 140 mm Hg.In September, the National Institutes of Health-sponsored study was stopped a year early due to the positive results. On Monday, a detailed report on its findings was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.The positive results of this trial have taken most investigators by surprise, and the strong benefits of treatment seem to outweigh the risks, said co-author Alfred Cheung, chief of nephrology and hypertension at University of Utah Health Care.However, more research is needed before health authorities can recommend a change to current guidelines.Before deciding to treat blood pressure aggressively, it may be prudent to wait until additional questions are answered, Cheung added.The treatment, which involves using medications to lower blood pressure along with healthy lifestyle choices, also came with an increased risk for some serious side effects, including blood pressure that fell too low, fainting, and kidney problems. Researchers are also still investigating how the treatment might affect cognition, dementia and kidney disease.The study involved more than 9,300 people who were randomly assigned to a blood pressure target of either 120 mm Hg or 140 mm Hg.All the study participants were aged 50 or older and had faced an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, having a systolic blood pressure of at least 130 mmHg.They also had no history of diabetes or stroke, a requirement which made the study population majority white, and tended to exclude many African Americans and Hispanics.About 16.8 million people in the United States would fit the study and criteria and therefore might benefit from the approach, researchers said. Given that millions of US adults meet SPRINT eligibility criteria, the implementation of SPRINT recommendations could have a profound impact on how blood pressure is treated in this country, said senior author Paul Muntner, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Alabama. Even more important, is its potential for greatly reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease.More than one billion people worldwide have hypertension, which is defined as a systolic blood pressure of 140 or more, over a diastolic blood pressure of 90 or higher.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)