Sunday 20 December 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Karachi: Clash between two rival groups leaves one dead

Posted:

KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, an armed clash between two rival groups took place in Shah Faisal Colony on Sunday which resulted in death of a person while two other were wounded.Police sources said that the deceased, identified as Gulfam, was an activist of a political party. The dead an injured were shifted to a nearby hospital.On the other hand, police have arrested two persons on charges of sand theft during an operation in Bhainse Colony. Police have also seized 16 dumpers used in the sand theft.

Football: Blatter says corruption charge dropped

Posted:

GENEVA (AFP) - FIFAs suspended president Sepp Blatter says the world bodys ethics watchdog have dropped corruption charges against him over a suspect two million dollar payment.FIFA have investigated the cash payment which Blatter approved to Michel Platini with both men set to discover their fates when the verdicts are delivered on Monday.Blatter was interviewed by Swiss daily Blick on Sunday about his eight-hour hearing in front of the chief FIFA judge Hans-Joachim Eckert last week.He told the newspaper: The judge told me at the start the corruption charges have been withdrawn.FIFA investigators have sought life bans against Blatter and Platini and both men have signalled that appeals will be made.The suspect payment was for work that Platini carried out as a consultant from 1998 to 2002.

SpaceX postpones rocket launch until Monday

Posted:

MIAMI, Dec 20, 2015 (AFP) - SpaceX postponed until Monday its first rocket launch since an explosion after liftoff destroyed its unmanned Dragon cargo ship bound for the International Space Station six months ago.After liftoff, SpaceX will attempt to land the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket in an upright position on solid ground for the first time, a milestone it sees as key to making rockets as reusable as commercial airplanes one day.The Falcon 9 rocket is now scheduled to launch at 8:33 pm Monday (0133 GMT Tuesday) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the California-based company said.Monday has a 10 percent higher chance of a good landing. Punting 24 hours, Internet tycoon Elon Musk announced on Twitter Sunday afternoon, several hours before its initially planned launch.Several previous attempts at landing the rocket on a floating ocean platform have failed, but SpaceX says each try has taught them more about how to succeed in the future.If successful, this test would mark the first time in history an orbital rocket has successfully achieved a land landing, SpaceX said in a statement.While the landing is key to SpaceXs plans, the primary goal of the mission is to deliver 11 satellites to low-Earth orbit for ORBCOMM, a global communications company.- Competition heats up -========================Last month, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos -- who also owns the rocket company Blue Origin -- announced he had successfully landed his New Shepard rocket after a suborbital flight.New Shepard flew to a lower altitude than the Falcon 9, making the landing an easier feat for Bezoss rocket than it would be for Musks, analysts say.Both companies are aiming to boost savings and efficiency in modern rocketry by creating a new generation of complex machines that can be re-used after launch.Presently, rocket components costing many millions of dollars are jettisoned as debris after takeoff.The Falcon 9 poised for launch Monday is 30 percent stronger than previous versions, SpaceX said.The return to flight is an important milestone for SpaceX, following the June 28 accident when the Falcon 9 exploded just over two minutes after launching from Cape Canaveral.The blast also destroyed its Dragon cargo ship loaded with supplies for the astronauts living in space, and came just eight months after a space station-bound rocket belonging to competitor Orbital blew up over a Virginia launch pad.Musk said the Falcon 9 blast was due to a faulty strut.The accident came after a series of successful launches for SpaceX, which was the first commercial outfit to send a cargo craft to space under a $1.6 billion contract with NASA.

Yemen peace deal elusive but rivals vow to meet again

Posted:

BERN (AFP) - Yemens warring parties on Sunday wrapped up peace talks in Switzerland with no major breakthrough but vowed to meet again next month, even as fighting raged on the ground.The six days of closed-door meetings were strained by repeated violations of a ceasefire aimed at calming tensions between pro-government forces and the Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels who control Yemens capital.UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed announced in Bern that a new round of talks would be held on January 14 at a location yet to be decided.The head of the government negotiating team, Foreign Minister Abdel Malak al-Mekhlafi, said the much-violated ceasefire will be extended for seven days after it officially expires on Monday.The truce will be extended for seven more days and will then be automatically extended if it is respected by the other party, he told reporters, referring to the Huthis.A halt to the violence is sorely needed in the Arabian Peninsulas poorest nation, where the UN says fighting since March has killed thousands of people and left around 80 percent of the population needing humanitarian aid.Mekhlafi said the decision to extend the truce, at the request of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, has been communicated to the United Nations.He also called for the release of five prisoners held by the Huthis including the defence minister, Major-General Mahmoud al-Subaihi.The talks in Switzerland, held in a remote part of Bern canton to keep media at bay, ended without any major steps forward, and were undermined by daily breaches of the ceasefire.Missiles have been fired from rebel-held areas, even slamming down on the Saudi side of the border with deadly consequences, while government forces have seized several areas back from the rebels.Unfortunately there were numerous violations, Ould Cheikh Ahmed told a news conference, adding that the UN had called for a ceasefire which is not time-bound.The parties had meanwhile agreed to a range of confidence-building measures, he said.These included an agreement in principle to release all prisoners, he said, while acknowledging that such an exchange would probably not happen before a sustainable ceasefire had been agreed.But, he stressed, I am optimistic about a full prisoner release and that a full prisoner release will take place very soon.The two sides had also agreed on the need to lift all forms of blockade and allow safe, rapid and unhindered access for humanitarian supplies to all affected governorates, according to the final statement.The conflict has escalated dramatically since Saudi-led air strikes against the rebels began in March, with more than 5,800 people killed and more than 27,000 wounded since then, according to UN figures.The Huthis, a Shiite minority from Yemens north, seized the capital Sanaa last year and then advanced south to the second city of Aden, forcing Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia in March.Following territorial gains by loyalist troops backed by the Saudi-led coalition, Hadi returned to Aden in November after six months in exile in the neighbouring oil-rich kingdom.There have been multiple violations of the ceasefire which began with the peace talks on Tuesday.Loyalists on Sunday attacked rebel positions in the northern Jawf province after seizing the provincial capital two days earlier from the Huthi rebels, pro-government militia sources said.Coalition air strikes hit a rebel rocket launch pad in Jawf, rebel positions in the north of the western Hodeida province and an army camp in Sanaa.Rebels, meanwhile, claimed to have caused casualties and equipment damage in a rocket attack on a coalition military base in Marib province east of Sanaa, their sabanews.net website reported.Saudi Arabia said a missile fired from Yemen on Saturday struck the border city of Najran, killing three civilians -- a Saudi and two Indian workers.At least 68 people were killed in fighting on Thursday near the northern town of Haradh, which loyalists seized the same day, military and tribal sources said.

Athletics: Bolt thrives despite athletics' annus horribilis

Posted:

PARIS (AFP) - Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt shone at the Beijing world championships, but athletics was later mired in a shocking doping-linked corruption scandal that plunged the Olympics number one sport into crisis.Bolt bagged an unprecedented fifth treble gold medal haul at a global championship in the Chinese capital in August, suitably in the same Birds Nest stadium where his career took off in in the 2008 Olympics.But the towering Jamaicans feats were overshadowed by revelations that threw track and fields world governing body, the IAAF, into turmoil.At the same Beijing world champs where Bolt shone, former British double 1500m Olympic champions Sebastian Coe beat Sergey Bubka in a vote to take over from Lamine Diack as IAAF president.No sooner was Coe installed than Diack was revealed to have accepted bribes worth up to one million euros to allow doped Russian athletes to compete. A horror show, in Coes words.Coe, who was IAAF vice-president for eight years under Diack and had previously described the Senegalese as the sports spiritual leader, insisted he had had no inkling of corruption within his organisation.Diack remains under investigations by French authorities, while the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) is also preparing a report on allegations of corruption within the IAAF.Such was the external pressure, Coe ended his 38-year association with US sportswear company Nike, for whom he worked in the lucrative role as an ambassador, in a bid to eliminate any possible conflict of interest.The BBC had published an email from a senior Nike executive that suggested Coe had lobbied Diack for the 2021 World Championships to be awarded to Eugene, Oregon, where Nike was founded.When asked if it had been in Nikes interest for the event to be awarded to Eugene -- which it was, without a formal bid process -- Coe said: I dont conclude that.The IAAF also provisionally suspended athletics powerhouse Russia in November, and both RUSADA (Russian anti-doping agency) and Moscows anti-doping laboratory were banned over the bombshell WADA report alleging systematic state-sponsored doping.Russian officials have vowed to reinstate the national athletics federation in time for track and field athletes to compete in next summers Olympic Games and to fight the use of performance enhancing drugs in sport.We are against any kind of doping, first of all because doping destroys peoples health, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.Those who resort to doping, of course, must be punished accordingly.After Russia, there were also shocking revelations in Kenya, an east African giant of the track that topped the medals table in Beijing.The IAAF ethics commission suspended Isaiah Kiplagat, who led the national athletics federation for more than 20 years, along with his vice-president David Okeyo and former treasurer Joseph Kinyua over suspicions they had siphoned off sponsorship money from Nike and subverted anti-doping controls.The question remains whether Coe is the man to instigate change.Prior to becoming IAAF vice-president in 2007, the 59-year-old Briton was appointed as the first ethics commission chairman for world footballs governing body FIFA, an organisation currently mired in corruption allegations of its own.With links to two of the biggest scandals in modern sport, Coe nevertheless remained bullish when asked why people should believe that he is the right person to clean up athletics.Have there been failures? Yes. Will we fix them? Absolutely. Im absolutely focused on doing that. If we dont do that, there are no tomorrows for my sport. This is the crossroads.A neutral observer can only hope that the likes of Bolt and American Ashton Eaton, who bettered his own decathlon world record at Beijing, will be there to help track and field through its darkest moment.

Probable Russian raids in Syria kill 36: monitor

Posted:

BEIRUT (AFP) - Air strikes on Sunday likely to have been carried out by Russian warplanes in Syrias northwestern Idlib province killed 36 people, mostly combattants, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.The raids, probably Russian, targeted former regime positions now held by the Army of Conquest, said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman.The Army of Conquest is a coalition that includes Al-Qaedas Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front and Islamist groups such as its ally Ahrar al-Sham.Dozens of people, mostly civilians, were wounded in the raids, Abdel Rahman added.Russia began a wave of air strikes on September 30 targeting the Islamic State group and what Moscow calls terrorist organisations.But the West and Syrian rebel movements accuse the Russians of focusing their raids more on groups battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assads regime.Elsewhere in Syria, pro-regime forces on Sunday seized a strategic rebel stronghold in the northern province of Aleppo, the Observatory and Syrian media reported.The army and loyalist forces now control Khan Tuman and surrounding farms in Aleppo province, the official SANA news agency reported.State television also reported the news, saying: Khan Tuman and the farms near it are the most important bastion of the terrorist organisations in southwest Aleppo province.Khan Tuman was the scene of fierce clashes between loyalist forces, including fighters of Lebanons Shiite militia Hezbollah, and Islamist rebels, said the Observatory.Abdel Rahman said the battle for the key site saw heavy bombardments and at least 40 raids by Syrian and Russian warplanes on the region.The Britain-based monitoring group said 16 Islamists were killed but it did not have details of casualties on the government side.In March, insurgents seized arms depots in Khan Tuman after several days of fighting.Since mid-October, with air support from the Russians, Syrian forces have recaptured several areas in the north from Islamist forces including Al-Nusra Front.

Football: Barca target further glory after world title

Posted:

YOKOHAMA (AFP) - Barcelona striker Luis Suarez warned that the Spanish giants will be hungry for even more silverware after capturing a record third Club World Cup.The Uruguayan fired a second-half double as European champions brushed aside Argentinas River Plate 3-0 in Sundays final in Yokohama before insisting Barcas appetite for success would not be dimmed after lifting a fifth trophy of 2015.After a competition like this the majority of teams suffer a dip, said Suarez. We have to avoid that and we have that desire to keep on winning titles and show that were the best team in the world.Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu described Lionel Messi as the greatest ever after the Argentine wizard returned from a bout of kidney stones to score Barcas opener.Leo Messi is the best player in the history of football, he said. Its spectacular what we have achieved.Messi became the first player to score in three Club World Cup finals, after leading Barca to victory in 2009 and 2011, when he netted with a deft flick of his left boot nine minutes before half-time.However, it was the prolific Suarez who stole the show with a second-half double, collecting the player of the tournament and golden boot awards after scoring five goals in two games in Japan.Suarez, who bagged a hat-trick in Barcas 3-0 semi-final win over Guangzhou Evergrande, has struck 24 goals in 24 games this season, including 17 in his last 11.But the former Liverpool striker is content to let Messi and Neymar, who returned from a groin strain to start against River, take the plaudits.- Hunger games -================They are the top two players in the world, said Suarez. You know you will get chances to score playing alongside them.Astonishingly, Messi (47), Suarez (46) and Neymar (41) have plundered 134 goals in 2015 -- more than Real Madrid.Messi could barely stand up a few days ago, said Barcelona coach Luis Enrique. But he was desperate to play. He is a leader, our reference point.But the players with most weight in the dressing room are the first to show their desire, Enrique added. That determination rubs off on the rest of the team.Barcelona fly back to Spain on Monday still top of La Liga, level on points with Atletico Madrid and two points clear of bitter rivals Real, who pulverised Rayo Vallecano 10-2 at the weekend, and with a game in hand.And Enrique insisted Barcelona, who have collected the European Champions League, La Liga, the Copa del Rey and European Super Cup this year, will hit the ground running.Clearly it does get more and more difficult to win trophies, he said. But if these players have shown anything it is their hunger to do just that.European teams have won the Club World Cup eight times in the 12 years it has been played, underlining a gulf in class partly explained by the fact that six of Barcas starting 11 on Sunday were South Americans.River coach Marcelo Gallardo sighed: We had a game plan. When Messi scored, it went out of the window.

Afghanistan's Helmand province may fall to Taliban, official says

Posted:

KABUL (AFP) - Afghanistans southern province of Helmand is on the verge of falling to the Taliban, with 90 soldiers killed in fierce clashes, its deputy governor said Sunday, imploring Kabul for intervention in an unusual Facebook post.The warning bore grim similarities to the security situation that led to the brief fall of the northern city of Kunduz in September -- the biggest Taliban victory in 14 years of war.Clashes between insurgents and government forces have intensified in several key districts of Helmand, fuelling concern that the opium-rich province is on the brink of a security collapse.I know that bringing up this issue on social media will make you very angry, deputy governor Mohammad Jan Rasoolyar wrote in a Facebook post addressed to President Ashraf Ghani.But I cannot be silent any more... as Helmand stands on the brink... Ninety men have been killed in Gereshk and Sangin districts in the last two days.Rasoolyar pleaded for urgent assistance to save the province that British and US forces struggled for years to defend, saying he had been unsuccessful in making contact with the president through other means. The fall of Helmand would deal another stinging blow to the countrys NATO-backed forces as they struggle to rein in the ascendant insurgency.Rasoolyar alleged that government officials around Ghani are downplaying the gravity of the situation in the province.There was no immediate reaction on Rasoolyars post from Ghanis office. The defence ministry in Kabul strongly denied that Helmand would fall and rejected claims of 90 deaths.But local officials backed Rasoolyars assertions, saying that fighting was particularly worse in the northern district of Sangin, which has long been a hornets nest of insurgent activity.Some reports late Sunday said insurgents had overrun the district, with government employees fleeing the area after large casualties, but there was no official confirmation.Highlighting the deteriorating situation, US special forces have been sent to Helmand in recent weeks to assist Afghan forces, a senior Western official told AFP. This month marks a year since the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan transitioned into an Afghan-led operation, with allied nations assisting in training local forces.President Barack Obama in October announced that thousands of US troops would remain in Afghanistan past 2016, backpedalling on previous plans to shrink the force and acknowledging that Afghan forces are not ready to stand alone.Ghani has been pushing to jump-start peace talks with the Taliban, which stalled after the insurgents belatedly confirmed longtime leader Mullah Omars death earlier this year.Afghanistans spy agency chief resigned earlier this month after a scathing Facebook post that vented frustration over Ghanis diplomatic outreach to Pakistan -- the Talibans historic backers -- aimed at restarting the talks.Rahmatullah Nabils resignation raised uncomfortable questions about a brewing leadership crisis in Afghanistan as the insurgency gains new momentum.

Football: Drogba-less Ivory Coast finally achieve glory

Posted:

ABUJA (AFP) - In a drama-filled 2015, the Elephants of the Ivory Coast without the inspirational Didier Drogba finally delivered on a long-term promise to win a second Africa Cup of Nations title with TP Mazembe from DR Congo crowned African club champions for a fifth time.Since reaching the 2006 final against hosts Egypt, the Ivorians led by skipper Drogba have promised so much at the continents showpiece football event only to fall short of repeating their first and only triumph in 1992.It was then left to reigning African Footballer of the Year Yaya Toure to get the Elephants past Ghanas Black Stars on penalties in the championship game in February in Bata, Equatorial Guinea.Frenchman Herve Renard, who inspired Zambia to outscore the Ivorians in the 2012 final in Libreville, Gabon, was the man at the helm when the Elephants triumphed.Manchester City midfielder Toure, 32, is in strong contention to be named Africas best player for a fourth straight year as he is on a three-man shortlist that also includes Andre Ayew of Ghana and Swansea City and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who features for Gabon and Borussia Dortmund.The 2015 CAF Player of the Year will be announced at a ceremony in the Nigerian capital city of Abuja on January 7.The 2015 Nations Cup itself will long be remembered for the ugly scenes involving last-minute hosts Equatorial Guinea in knockout matches against Tunisia and Ghana with the semi-final against the Black Stars disrupted by a riot, which left many fans injured and sparked off wide-spread criticisms around the world.CAF president Issa Hayatou took exception to some of the reactions, accusing the western media of perpetuating colonisation.When something bad happens in Europe, they say its an error. When something happens in Africa, they begin talking about corruption, blasted an enraged Hayatou.What happened in that (abandoned 2012) match between Serbia and Italy? Its the same as what happened here, but when its Africa its different. Its irrelevant that its a semi-final. Its a football match. The western media are simply here to perpetuate colonisation.Hayatou himself also made history after he was appointed acting FIFA president after Sepp Blatter was suspended on account of the corruption probe in the world football governing body.The 69-year-old Hayatou has been CAF president since 1988 and he will step down as FIFA helmsman when the presidential election is staged in February with South African mining magnate Tokyo Sexwale one of the candidates.Africa will hope for better representation at next years Rio Olympics after 1996 Atlanta gold medalists Nigeria led Algeria and South Africa to book automatic qualification at the U23 Nations Cup in Senegal.Nigeria coach Samson Siasia, who led Nigeria to the final of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, maintained adequate preparation will determine how far his team go in Brazil.If you dont get it right, youre in trouble at a major tournament like the Olympics. We still have a lot of tidying up to do over all, admitted the former international strikerI have to thank the players for what they have done but they should not let it get to their heads because we need to correct our mistakes and improve our game before the Olympics.In club football, TP Mazembe beat USM Alger 4-1 on aggregate to win a fifth Champions League, but they failed to reproduce the run of five years ago when they lost in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup.Etoile du Sahel extended Tunisias dominance in the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup after they won a second trophy at the expense of Orlando Pirates from South Africa after their first triumph in 2005.

Spanish voters deal blow to bi-party politics

Posted:

MADRID (AFP) - Spain dealt a blow to bi-party politics Sunday in historic elections that saw the incumbent conservatives score an uneasy win tailed by the long-established Socialists and upstart, far-left Syriza ally Podemos.For more than 30 years, the Popular Party (PP) and Socialists had alternated power, but they now find themselves challenged by Podemos and centrist party Ciudadanos, which came fourth in the closely-fought legislative polls.While it took the largest share of the votes, the PP lost its absolute majority in parliament by a significant margin and will now have to try and form an uneasy alliance with other parties or attempt to rule as a minority government.We are starting a new political era in our country, gushed Pablo Iglesias, the pony-tailed, 37-year-old Podemos leader, as supporters looked on holding purple balloons to match the colours of the party.The countrys long-established Socialists, meanwhile, scored their worst score in modern history -- challenged as they were by Podemos, which has skillfully managed to surf on the wave of exasperation over austerity and corruption that saw it emerge in the first place.The polls cap a year of electoral change in southern Europe after Syriza was swept to power in Greece in January and a coalition of leftist parties in Portugal pooled their votes in parliament to unseat the conservative government after an inconclusive election in October.Official results showed the ruling PP obtained 122 seats -- 64 less than in 2011 -- with 28.7 percent of the votes.The PSOE followed with 91 seats and 22 percent of the vote, then Podemos with 69 seats and 20.6 percent, and finally centrists Ciudadanos got 40 seats or nearly 14 percent.The results mean that the parliament will be constituted of four main groupings of significant clout, as opposed to the usual PP and Socialists.For the first time, we will not know who will be Spanish prime minister this evening, political analyst Josep Antich said on television, pointing to the negotiations that will now ensue to form alliances to try and unseat the PP or keep it in power.And even if the PP emerges unscathed, it will rule as a minority government.The PPs victory is a Pyrrhic victory, analyst Joaquin Estefania told Spanish radio.With a parliament like this, it will have a lot of problems to govern.And in front of the PPs headquarters in Madrid, the atmosphere was far from festive.This is a disaster, a disaster, said Carmen Terron Lopez, a 71-year-old retiree.Without (Prime Minister Mariano) Rajoy Spain will plunge in total chaos.Sky-high unemployment, inequality, corruption and an ever-rising separatist drive in Catalonia were just some of the issues at stake in a country deeply scarred by a financial crisis and fed up with what many considered a staid political scene.Rajoy, the austere 60-year-old incumbent premier and PP leader, had positioned himself as a safe pair of hands who dragged the country away from economic collapse when he took power in 2011 and put it on the path of recovery.But unemployment remains stubbornly high at more than 21 percent.During the campaign Rajoys rivals also pointed to glaring inequalities brought on by his drastic spending cuts, tax rises and health reforms -- and none more so than Iglesias.On the 21st there must be smiles on the faces of all those modest people who can give a lesson to the powerful, he tweeted just days before the elections.Seen as running out of steam just months ago, Podemos gained ground again thanks to Iglesiass down-to-earth appeal and his move away from the more radical, far-left ideals and rhetoric his party once espoused.Meanwhile centrist Ciudadanos led by 36-year-old Albert Rivera, which until just weeks ago was seen as playing the role of kingmaker, only came fourth but will still wield influence in parliament.The two ancient parties, the old left and the old right, wont have power anymore, enthused Ciudadanos deputy leader Jose Manuel Villegas.Among the PSOE camp, the mood was cautiously optimistic.I was born in a country where these types of results are quite usual, Italian photographer Enrico May, who has lived in Spain for 17 years and supports the Socialists, said in Madrid.You have to make alliances. And not be like dogs fighting each other. Because thats kind of the adage of Julius Caesar -- divide and conquer.

Oil prices slump further, Tokyo hit by Yen strength

Posted:

HONG KONG (AFP) - Oil prices extended their losses Monday, adding to worries about the global economy, while Tokyo led most Asian markets lower as a stronger yen hurt Japans exporters.With Wednesdays US Federal Reserve interest rate hike well in the past, analysts said concerns about the global economy returned and traders were now looking ahead to the next increase.However, while markets will begin winding down for the Christmas break Friday there are some key economic figures due for release this week, including US economic growth and home sales as well as Japanese inflation and spending.Crude continued to slide as an ongoing supply glut showed no sign of easing, with figures Friday showing an increase in the number of US rigs drilling, fuelling worries output will continue apace.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate lost 0.6 percent to $34.50 a barrel and Brent sank one percent to $36.50 in early Asian trade.Prices have slumped by almost a fifth since December 4 when the OPEC oil producers group decided against limiting its production, despite tepid demand and the supply glut.The commodity has sunk more than 60 percent from above $100 in summer 2014 and are now at levels not seen since the financial crisis.There hasnt been any significant signs of a pick-up in demand and we havent seen any meaningful cuts to production, Ric Spooner, a chief analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney, told Bloomberg News.Nothing has really changed in the oil market over the past couple of months apart from the price.- Toshiba plunges -===================Japans Nikkei suffered hefty selling pressure as the dollar retreated after Wednesdays Fed-fuelled rally, hitting exporters whose goods are made more expensive overseas.The greenback slipped to 121.17 yen Monday, well below last weeks high above 123 yen touched after the US rate rise. The dollar was also down against the euro.Tokyo-listed Toyota and Fast Retailing, which operates the Uniqlo clothing brand, each shed more than two percent.Scandal-hit conglomerate Toshiba lost more than nine percent following a weekend report in the leading Nikkei business daily that it will likely record a fiscal year net loss of about $4 billion.In a statement Monday, Toshiba said it would hold a board meeting later in the day and discuss structural reform.The 140-year-old company was this year hit by revelations that executives systematically pressured underlings to inflate profits in a years-long scheme to hide poor results.Tokyos Nikkei stock index ended the morning session 1.7 percent lower. Among other markets Sydney shed 0.4 percent and Singapore was 0.5 percent lower.However, Hong Kong was up 0.4 percent and Shanghai added 0.8 percent. The losses tracked a sell-off in New York and Europe.

Football: Messi, Suarez propel Barca to third world title

Posted:

YOKOHAMA (AFP) - Lionel Messi marked his return from illness with a brilliant goal as Barcelona beat Argentinas River Plate 3-0 to capture a record third Club World Cup on Sunday.The Spanish giants welcomed back Messi after a bout of kidney stones and the mercurial Argentine scored with a clinical finish on 36 minutes, before a lethal Luis Suarez double destroyed Rivers hopes in a spiky Yokohama final.We came here to win the title and it was important to get the job done, said the prolific Suarez, who picked up the player of the tournament and golden boot awards after finishing with five goals.Leos goal opened up the game and in the second half we controlled things and had more chances, added the Uruguayan, who has struck 24 goals in 24 games this season, including 17 in his last 11. Neymar, himself returning to the side after a groin strain, was instrumental in Barcelonas opener, climbing to knock down a Dani Alves cross for Messi to steer past River goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero with a deft flick of his left boot.Suarez, who scored a hat-trick in Barcas 3-0 semi-final win over Guangzhou Evergrande, scored a second with a fierce low drive four minutes into the second half.The former Liverpool striker grabbed his second of the night when he dispatched a thumping header past Barovero after a pinpoint cross from Neymar.Our aim is to win titles but what is also important is the style we do it in, said Barca coach Luis Enrique. The process behind it is important to me. We try to keep improving, not just on the pitch but as human beings, he added. That is also something thats expected of players at Barcelona.River Plates starting eleven cost a total of some six million dollars while Barcelona paid $85 million for Suarez alone, and the gulf in class showed.The Catalans, who had already bagged the European Champions League, La Liga, the Copa del Rey and European Super Cup this year, tore River to shreds in the second half. Neymar also came close to scoring with a curling effort that shaved the bar.Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was a spectator for much of the game on a cold night but made an acrobatic save from River substitute Gonzalo Martinez seven minutes from time to deny the South Americans a consolation goal. Messi, who could himself have finished with a hat-trick, became the first player to score in three finals after leading Barca to victory in 2009 and 2011.Along with captain Andres Iniesta, Messi also celebrated his 26th title with Barcelona as both players surpassed the 25 won by Xavi Hernandez.Im delighted to make a little more history for this club, he said. Its a difficult title to win but a massive one for Barcelona so we will celebrate this one.River manager Marcelo Gallardo apologised to the estimated 15,000 fans who made the long journey from Buenos Aires to Japan.We had a plan but when Messi scored, it went out of the window, he said. We let the fans down but we can be proud that we did our best. Barcelona were simply too good.

Football: Bale scores four as Real stick 10 past nine-man Rayo

Posted:

MADRID (AFP) - Gareth Bale scored four times as Real Madrid came from behind to beat nine-man Rayo Vallecano 10-2 in a wild game at the Santiago Bernabeu to close the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to two points.It is the first time in 55 years that a team has scored 10 goals in a La Liga game.However, the Madrid fans still voiced their disapproval towards under fire coach Rafael Benitez after Real found themselves 2-1 down inside 12 minutes.Red cards inside half an hour for Tito and Raul Baena opened the floodgates, though, as a double from Cristiano Ronaldo and a hat-trick for Karim Benzema added to Bales most prolific day in three years as a Madrid player.Atletico have the chance to extend their lead at the top back to five points later on Sunday when they visit Malaga.Barcelona arent in La Liga action this weekend as they sealed the Club World Cup with a 3-0 win over River Plate in Japan earlier in the day.We conceded the goals early, but then the team reacted, said Benitez.I am not going to judge the decisions of the referee, but from the sending-off the team did what it had to do, try to play well and score goals.However, Rayo boss Paco Jemez said the referees decisions made a mockery of the league as whole.La Liga has lost credibility. We feel trampled upon and humiliated, he said.It is a long time since I have something so grotesque and shameful that doesnt benefit us or Madrid. All of us lose credibility.Madrid president Florentino Perez had restated his support for Benitez in midweek after rumours suggested he was one defeat away from the sack after losing 1-0 at Villarreal last weekend.Real had won their previous 14 meetings against their humble rivals from across Madrid and looked well set for another routine afternoon when Bale teed up Danilo for the opener after just three minutes.Yet, Madrids defensive deficiencies in recent weeks were exposed again when Antonio Amaya rose highest to head home Roberto Trashorrass corner.And the defending was even worse from Danilo as he allowed Jozabed to head home from close range two minutes later.With the Madrid fans on the verge of full revolt, the hosts were handed a huge break when Tito needlessly lunged in on Toni Kroos and was rightly shown a straight red card.Danilo then made amends for his poor defending with a sensational cross for Bale to head home the fourth goal of the game after just 25 minutes.More controversy was to follow when Baena was penalised for a pull on Sergio Ramos and was harshly shown his second yellow card to leave Rayo with nine men.Ronaldo made no mistake from the spot and Bale then exploited a huge gape in the Rayo defence to gallop clear and slot home his second.The one way traffic continued after the break as James Rodriguez teed up Benzema and then Ronaldo to register his 23rd goal of the season with a thumping header.Ronaldo then turned provider as his low cross was swept home by Bale for just his second ever hat-trick for Madrid.And it got even better for the Welshman when he took advantage of a kind ricochet to tap home his eighth goal of the season 20 minutes from time.Bale was then replaced to a standing ovation, but Madrids hunger for goals continued as Benzema struck twice in the final 10 minutes to complete his hat-trick and a historic rout.Elsewhere, Celta Vigo stayed a point clear of Villarreal in the battle for fourth with a 2-0 win at Granada thanks to goals from Fabian Orellana and Iago Aspas.Villarreal were also 2-0 victors away to Real Sociedad courtesy of a Denis Suarez double.And Athletic Bilbao moved up to seventh as Mikel San Jose and Inaki Williams were on target in their 2-0 win over Levante.

Football: Ighalo punishes Liverpool, Hammers hold Swansea

Posted:

LONDON (AFP) - Nigerian striker Odion Ighalos brace punished a ramshackle defensive display by Liverpool as Watford overwhelmed Jurgen Klopps side 3-0 on Sunday to record a fourth consecutive Premier League win.After a clanger by Liverpool goalkeeper Adam Bogdan, deputising for the injured Simon Mignolet, enabled Nathan Ake to give Watford a third-minute lead, Ighalo struck twice to seal an impressive victory.Promoted Watford, who last won four successive top-flight games in 1987, now trail the top four by just a point, with Liverpool four points further back after a third successive league game without victory.It was a bad start to the game, Klopp told Sky Sports. Of course the first ball from Adam Bogdan, he should keep and he drops it.Having seen it again, usually it is a foul, but it is 1-0 and our reaction was really bad. We lost our mind and stopped playing football.Klopp had vigorously defended Mignolet after a shaky display in Liverpools 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion last weekend, but a hamstring injury prevented the Belgian from lining up at Vicarage Road.It enabled Bogdan to make his full league debut, but the Hungary international made a nightmare start, fumbling Ben Watsons corner and allowing on-loan Chelsea left-back Ake to stab the ball over the line.Twelve minutes later it was 2-0 as Martin Skrtel failed to clear Troy Deeneys lobbed through-ball and Ighalo hooked a shot across Bogdan and into the bottom-left corner.Liverpool improved slightly after the break, Jordan Henderson and Emre Can testing home goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, but Ighalo had the last word when he headed in Valon Behramis right-wing cross with five minutes remaining.Asked if Watford could finish in the top four and secure a Champions League place, manager Quique Sanchez Flores told BBC Sport: I dont want to talk about thatOf course we want to dream, but we want to remain humble. We are completely happy with the performance. It was an amazing victory against an amazing team.Swansea City and West Ham United are both without a victory in seven league games following a turgid 0-0 draw at the Liberty Stadium.Swansea, still without a manager following the dismissal of Garry Monk, remain in the relegation zone, two points from safety, while Slaven Bilics West Ham are four points below the top four in eighth place.Swansea have been linked with former Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa, but caretaker manager Alan Curtis does not know when a long-term successor to Monk will arrive.I have to presume that I am in charge for the next few games as time is tight, but if someone comes in they will obviously take over, he said.Leicester City will top the table on Christmas Day after their 3-2 win at Everton on Saturday.Second-place Arsenal and third-place Manchester City face off at the Emirates Stadium on Monday.

Football: Blatter, Platini to find out FIFA court verdict

Posted:

ZURICH (AFP) - FIFAs ethics watchdog will on Monday give a verdict against Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini with both facing lengthy bans over a suspect two million dollar payment.The FIFA president, 79, and vice president, 60, were suspended after Swiss prosecutors started a criminal investigation into the cash transfer that Blatter approved for Platini in 2011.The FIFA judges ruling is set to have far-reaching repercussions.It could bring an inglorious end to Blatters 17 year reign over world football. A ban for Platini would deal a fatal blow to the European football chiefs hopes of taking over when an election for a new president is held on February 26.FIFA investigators have sought life bans against Blatter and Platini and both men have signalled that appeals will be made.Multiple scandals that have hit world football have intensified the spotlight on the inquiry into a two million Swiss franc ($2 million/1.8 million euro) payment that the FIFA leader authorised for Platini.The money was for work that the French football legend carried out as a consultant from 1998 to 2002.There was no contract and details of the sum owed only appeared in FIFAs accounts after it was paid in 2011.Blatter was then seeking support for a fourth term as FIFA leader and facing a challenge from Mohamed Bin Hammam of Qatar. Platini endorsed Blatter for the presidency but he has insisted there was no link between the payment and the election.Both men deny corruption and say there was an oral contract for the payment because Platinis whole salary for his work could not be made at the time. No explanation has been given for the delay however.Chief FIFA judge Hans-Joachim Eckert held hearings for the two men last week. Blatter gave a lengthy defence while Platini boycotted the hearing and had his lawyer read out a statement saying: I am already judged, I am already condemned.Blatter has already announced that he will give a press conference at 1000 GMT on Monday in a Zurich restaurant, the Sonnenberg, that used to be FIFAs headquarters.The Swiss powerbroker has combatively attacked the FIFA action against him saying that it was like the inquisition.But he also faces a Swiss criminal inquiry into the case. Prosecutors have called the cash transfer a disloyal payment and accused him of criminal mismanagement.The allocation of television broadcasting deals is also being investigated.Blatter and Platini can attack any ban at a FIFA appeal tribunal, the Court of Arbitration for Sport and even in a Swiss civil court. Blatter would be fighting for his reputation. For Platini, a ban would almost certainly rule him out of the FIFA election.The deadline for candidates to be registered and pass an integrity check is January 26.With FIFAs reputation in tatters after the arrest of several top officials, Blatter announced four days after winning reelection to a fifth term in May that he would stand down and call a new election.Seven FIFA officials were arrested in a luxury Zurich hotel two days before the election congress.Now US authorities have charged 39 football officials and sports business executives over more than $200 million in bribes for football television and marketing deals.Swiss prosecutors are in parallel investigating FIFAs management and the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.Facing pressure from governments and the International Olympic Committee for major reforms, there are currently five candidates to take over FIFA: Asian football head Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa of Bahrain, South African politician and tycoon Tokyo Sexwale, former FIFA vice president Prince Ali bin al Hussein of Jordan, UEFA general-secretary Gianni Infantino and Jerome Champagne, a former FIFA assistant general secretary from France.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)