Wednesday 24 February 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Two death row convicts hanged

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Two death row convicts were hanged in the jails of Gujranwala and Sahiwal on early Thursday morning, Dunya News reported. The dead bodies of the prisoners were handed over to their families after the execution.According to details, death row prisoner Imran Sabir was executed in the Central Jail Sahiwal. Imran Sabir was hanged for killing three persons in 2003.Another death row convict, Arshad, was hanged in Central Jail Gujranwala. Arshad had molested a 12-year-old girl after abduction.

Assad assures Putin over ceasefire as Moscow launches diplomatic blitz

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MOSCOW (AFP) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad assured Russias Vladimir Putin of his readiness to respect a ceasefire agreement as the Kremlin strongman on Wednesday launched a diplomatic offensive to get the deal off the ground.Apart from securing Assads pledge to support the truce deal brokered by Moscow and Washington, Putin also held phone talks with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Iran and Israel.Very intense contacts are underway, Putins spokesman Peskov told reporters.Amid the diplomatic blitz a senior Assad political adviser, Busseina Shaaban, has arrived in Moscow, a spokesman for Vitaly Naumkin, a Russian academic who has taken part in talks on the Syrian crisis, told AFP.The Kremlin said that Assad confirmed the readiness of the Syrian government to facilitate the establishment of a ceasefire.Assad noted that the proposals were an important step in the direction of a political settlement, Moscow said.The ceasefire agreement, which does not apply to jihadists like the Islamic State group and Al-Nusra Front, calls for a cessation of hostilities between regime forces and opposition groups from midnight Friday Damascus time (2200 GMT).Putin and Assad stressed the importance of continuing an uncompromising fight against the IS group, Al-Nusra Front and other terrorist groups included in the relevant UN Security Council list, Moscow said.Putin also discussed Syria with Saudi Arabias King Salman and Irans Hassan Rouhani and also held phone talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.The Saudi king welcomed the concluded agreements and expressed his readiness to work together with Russia to implement them, the Kremlin said.Riyadh said for its part that King Salman told Putin that ceasefire efforts must include guarantees to ensure the delivery of humanitarian and medical aid to all Syrian regions, without any exceptions, the official Saudi Press Agency said.Putin, whose air force has been conducting a bombing campaign to support Assads troops on the ground since late September, on Monday pledged to do whatever is necessary to get Damascus to uphold the deal after sealing the agreement with US President Barack Obama. But some US officials have expressed doubt over whether Russia will respect the ceasefire.Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that Washington was considering a Plan B over Syria if Damascus and Moscow do not keep their end of the bargain.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday took a jab at the naysayers as Moscow said it was not aware of any plan B and warned Washington not to jeopardise the deal. Literally on the day when the presidents of Russia and the United States approved a joint initiative on a cessation of hostilities in Syria, voices calling into question the viability of this agreement began to be heard in capitals of US allies and Washington itself, Lavrov said.We would like to say openly that a desire for and call to war and not peace can be heard in these voices, state news agency RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.The Kremlin spokesman for his part insisted it was premature to speak of any other plans.We are fully and completely focused on the task defined by the two presidents, said Peskov. The most pressing task right now is to achieve a ceasefire when it comes to the groups who support the initiative of the two presidents.

Libya MPs voice support for unity government

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TRIPOLI (AFP) - Lawmakers from Libyas internationally recognised parliament said Wednesday they support a UN-backed unity government but were forcibly prevented from putting it to a vote of confidence.The parliament, located in the remote eastern town of Tobruk, was unable to hold a confidence vote on the line-up of a new unity administration on Tuesday because it lacked a quorum.In a petition seen by AFP, 100 of the parliaments 196 members said they supported a unity government but were forcibly prevented from voting on Tuesday after receiving threats.We, 100 members of the House of Representatives, confirm... our agreement on the proposed cabinet line-up, the lawmakers said.We need to decide on an appropriate place for a new parliament session as it has become impossible to hold one in Tobruk.The aborted confidence vote came as forces loyal to the recognised government seized a key jihadist bolthole from Islamist militias including the Islamic State (IS) group in the centre of second city Benghazi.Oil-rich Libya has had two rival administrations since mid-2014 when the recognised government was forced from Tripoli after a militia alliance including Islamists overran the capital.The United Nations has been pushing both sides to back a unity government.The UNs Libya envoy Martin Kobler said it was unacceptable that lawmakers had been threatened. Parliamentarians have to decide freely, he said in a statement, demanding that the parliamentary process is unhindered and conducted in an environment free from threats or intimidation.A Presidential Council, born of a UN-brokered agreement in December between representatives of the rival parliaments, last week put forward a unity government of 18 members.A previous cabinet line-up of 32 ministers proposed by premier-designate Fayez al-Sarraj was rejected by the Tobruk parliament as being too large.According to the parliaments website, 99 lawmakers would need to vote in favour of the new unity government for it to receive the legislatures approval.Libya descended into chaos after the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, allowing extremist organisations including IS to gain significant ground.IS fighters briefly occupied the heart of a city near Tripoli on Wednesday but were ousted by fighters loyal to the government in control of the capital.The clashes in Sabratha left 16 people dead, officials said, after the jihadists overran the citys security headquarters and other buildings overnight. The city was the scene of a US air strike last week on a suspected IS training camp that killed more than 40 people including two Serbian diplomats being held hostage. Sabrathas municipal council said jihadists had exploited the security vacuum as security forces conducted raids looking for IS operatives in the suburbs, but said it had since gained complete control of the city.On Tuesday, special forces loyal to the Tobruk government retook the jihadist stronghold of Lithi in central Benghazi after seizing a port area and several army headquarters since launching an offensive at the weekend. French daily Le Monde said Wednesday that French special forces had been deployed in Libya for clandestine operations against IS jihadists. In response to the report, officials in Paris said a probe had been launched into a possible leak of classified information. France and other Western countries have agreed that military action is needed to dislodge IS in Libya, but world powers want a national unity government installed to request help before formally intervening. Representatives from neighbouring countries are to meet on March 21-22 in Tunisia to continue to study ways of finding solutions to Libyas unrest.

Qatar, Kuwait urge citizens to leave Lebanon

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DOHA (AFP) - Qatar and Kuwait on Wednesday became the latest Gulf states to urge their citizens to leave Lebanon due to tensions over the pro-Iranian Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah which backs the Damascus regime.Dohas foreign ministry, in a statement on the official Qatar News Agency (QNA), called on citizens in Lebanon to leave for their own safety and said no Qatari nationals should travel there.Earlier on Wednesday, in a statement cited by the official KUNA news agency, the Kuwaiti embassy in Beirut also advised Kuwaitis to postpone any planned travel to Lebanon.The mission said all citizens should leave except in extreme circumstances, and advised those who stay to exercise caution and avoid unspecified, unsafe areas.Qatar and Kuwait join Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in issuing travel warnings for Lebanon.Riyadh, which supports the Syrian opposition, has also halted a $4-billion military and police funding programme for Beirut in response to what it said were hostile positions linked to Hezbollah.Riyadhs ambassador in Lebanon. Ali Awad Assiri, said on Wednesday that Lebanon must apologise for failing to join other Arab nations in condemning attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran last month.This has upset the kingdom and (Lebanon) has to repair the error with wisdom and courage, Assiri told AFP.The attacks on Saudi missions in Iran, which followed the kingdoms execution of influential Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, prompted Riyadh to cut diplomatic ties with Tehran.Syrias war has exacerbated political rivalries within Lebanon, which has been without a president for almost two years because of fierce disagreements between Hezbollah and its rivals, some of whom are supported by Riyadh.Meanwhile, the spokesman of Yemens internationally-recognised government accused Hezbollah of training Shiite Huthi rebels and orchestrating attacks on Saudi Arabia from Yemen.The government has evidence of Hezbollahs involvement in the Huthi war on the Yemeni people, Rajih Badi said in a statement to the official sabanew.net agency.Hezbollah militants are present in the battlefields along the border with Saudi Arabia, said Badi, urging international legal measures against the movement.Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition battling the Iran-backed rebels in support of the Yemeni government.

'Anti-mosque' law thrown out by Italy's highest court

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ROME (AFP) - Italys highest court on Wednesday nullified a regional law in Lombardy dubbed anti-mosque by critics, easing regulations on the construction of places of worship in the countrys north.The law, drawn up by the anti-immigrant party Northern League and voted in at the start of 2015, tightened rules regarding all religious buildings, but was widely believed to target the wealthy regions Muslim community.It required new places of worship fit into the architecture of the Lombard landscape and be voted in by local referendum. It also stipulated the religion in question be officially recognised by the state -- which Islam is not, because it lacks a signed agreement with the government.According to the interior ministry, at the start of 2015 there were 1.6 million Muslims in Italy, 26.5 percent of whom lived in Lombardy, which boasts the countrys oldest and second largest mosque.While there are over 700 places of Islamic worship in the country, there are only six official mosques, with many Muslims instead praying together in make-shift areas in a growing phenomenon the ministry dubs garage mosques. The high court has yet to publish the motives of its ruling, but the government had previously denounced the law as going against the exercise of fundamental rights of religious freedom and the principle of equality among citizens.The left cheers Allah Akbar, Northern League hardliner and the regions president Roberto Maroni said on Twitter, while Matteo Salvini, the Leagues president, posted his congratulations to the Islamic court on its ruling.

Nepal plane crashes, killing all 23 on board

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KATHMANDU (AFP) - Rescuers have found the burnt-out wreckage of a passenger plane that crashed into a mountainside in Nepal on Wednesday, killing all 23 people on board, officials said.The Twin Otter turboprop aircraft lost contact with air traffic control eight minutes after taking off from the tourist town of Pokhara early on Wednesday.The army had deployed helicopters and foot soldiers to search Myagdi, a mountainous district around 220 kilometres (160 miles) west of Kathmandu, after locals reported seeing possible wreckage of the Tara Air plane.Chief district officer Sagar Mani Pathak said there was no possibility of survivors from the crash, the latest in a series of fatal aviation accidents in the impoverished Himalayan nation.A small team has reached the crash site for an initial investigation, said Pathak.It looks like the plane crashed into the hillside. The wreckage was still in flames when the team arrived and the bodies were scattered.The airline said the plane was carrying three crew and 20 passengers, one a Chinese and one a Kuwaiti national. All the others were from Nepal and two of them were children.A statement on its website said weather conditions were good when the plane took off for Jomsom, a popular trekking destination in the Himalayas about 20 minutes flight from Pokhara.Relatives of the victims gathered at Pokhara airport after hearing the news. But Pathak said a full team of rescuers would be unable to reach the crash site, which is around 16,000 feet (4,900 metres) above sea level, on Wednesday.We are sending teams to bring down the bodies, but they have not arrived yet. It is not possible for a helicopter to land in the area, he said.The weather is deteriorating and it might snow. It is unlikely they will be able to bring anything down today.Tara Air is a subsidiary of Yeti Airlines, a privately-owned domestic carrier founded in 1998 which services many remote destinations across Nepal.It suffered its last fatal accident in 2010 when a plane chartered by a group of Bhutanese tourists crashed into a mountainside in eastern Nepal.Air travel is popular in Nepal, which has only a limited road network. Many communities, particularly in the mountains and hills, are accessible only on foot or by air.Aviation expert Kunda Dixit said the flight path, which passes near two of the worlds highest peaks Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, was prone to very strong winds.Most flights in the area fly before 9:30am because very strong winds pick up after that, he told AFP.It is very strange because it is a brand-new plane and the weather was clear in the morning. The pilot is very experienced and focused on safety, I flew with him only 10 days ago.The country, which is still reeling from a devastating earthquake last April, has in recent years suffered a number of air disasters which dealt a blow to its tourist industry.Most have been attributed to inexperienced pilots, poor management and inadequate maintenance.Two years ago a Twin Otter plane belonging to national carrier Nepal Airlines crashed into a hillside shortly after taking off from Pokhara, killing all 18 people on board.The countrys aviation sector has come under fire from international authorities and in 2013 the European Union blacklisted all Nepals airlines.EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said at the time the countrys safety record does not leave us any other choice.Nepals last major aviation accident was last May when a US military helicopter helping with earthquake relief crashed in bad weather, killing six Marines and seven other people.

Football: Superb City have quarter-finals in sight

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KIEV (AFP) - Manchester City may be toiling domestically at the moment but they produced a superb European away performance to beat Dynamo Kiev 3-1 in Ukraine in their Champions League last 16, first leg on Wednesday.Manuel Pellegrinis side did enough to win the game in the first half with Sergio Aguero and David Silva both scoring to underline their importance to City.Dynamo pulled a goal back in the second half through midfielder Vitaliy Buyalskiy, but Yaya Toures late beauty ensured that City are very much on course to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.It was an exceptional result away from home. We couldnt have hoped for better, City captain Vincent Kompany told BT Sport.The performance was good and 3-1 is a good result. Were happy with it, we just dont want to get carried away with it.We could have scored many more goals. It was a Man City performance that wed like to see more often.They have been eliminated by Barcelona at this stage in each of the last two seasons but this was a far kinder draw for City against opponents who were playing their first competitive match since December due to the Ukrainian winter break.We made lots of mistakes in the middle of the pitch and with this team of Manchester City its not acceptable, said Dynamo coach Sergiy Rebrov, who denied the long period without a competitive game had been a factor.Pellegrini, meanwhile, had complained of not having enough time to prepare his team for this encounter.He named a fringe side containing numerous untested youngsters for Sundays 5-1 FA Cup fifth-round defeat to Chelsea but his starting XI in the Olympic Stadium was back to full strength, with Fernando the only player to keep his place.With Joe Hart, Kompany, Toure, Silva and Aguero in the side, City are a different proposition and, after three consecutive defeats, they looked in the mood here.There was an early fright when an Andriy Yarmolenko cross was parried by Hart only for the ball to drop down onto the bar, but the visitors played with a degree of hunger and intensity not seen in recent weeks.They were rewarded with the opening goal a quarter of an hour in, as a Silva corner from the left was headed down by Toure for Aguero, who controlled before lashing in his 19th goal of the season.Dynamo had held Premier League opponents in Chelsea to a goalless draw at home in the group stage and beat Everton 5-2 in last seasons Europa League, but they struggled to handle City and Aguero fired narrowly wide midway through the first half.With his midfield being overrun, Rebrov chose to remove Denys Garmash and send on Miguel Veloso just after the half-hour mark, but still City came and Toure forced a save from veteran goalkeeper Olexandr Shovkovskiy before the second goal arrived five minutes from half-time.It was a superb goal too, as Aguero laid the ball off for Raheem Sterling and his low cross to the back post was turned into the net by Silva.With club legend Andriy Shevchenko watching from the stands, Dynamo rallied at the start of the second half and were given hope when they cut the deficit just before the hour mark.Nicolas Otamendi headed out a Domagoj Vida cross but Buyalskiy met the falling ball first time from 20 yards and his shot deflected into the net off the Argentine defender.City then had Hart to thank for keeping their lead intact as he produced a strong hand low down to his right to turn away another Buyalskiy shot following a Veloso pass, but City remained a danger on the break at the other end.Toure somehow headed a Sterling cross wide when unmarked six yards out but he more than made up for that with a vintage goal to make it 3-1 in the 90th minute.The Ivorian exchanged passes with Fernandinho before curling home with his left foot from 18 yards into the far corner.

Football: FIFA reduces Blatter, Platini bans to six years

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ZURICH (AFP) - A FIFA appeal committee on Wednesday reduced bans against Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini to six years but maintained they were still guilty of ethics breaches.The appeal result was announced as UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino and Asian football leader Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa stepped up their rivalry in the campaign to take over as head of footballs scandal-tainted world body in a vote on Friday.The bans against Blatter, FIFA president for 17 years, and UEFA president Platini were reduced from eight years to six by the appeal committee.Both were found guilty of conflicts of interest when Blatter approved a $2 million payment to Platini in 2011 for consultancy work done without a contract a decade earlier.French football legend Platini had been favourite to take over from Blatter but the ban demolished his hopes.He and Blatter said they would take their cases to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in an attempt to have their bans overturned.The FIFA appeal body said that the ethics tribunal did not take into account some strong mitigating factors when determining the eight-year sanction.Blatter and Platini again overshadowed FIFAs new attempt to turn the page on its scandal-plagued recent past with Fridays election.Police raided a FIFA congress last May just before Blatter was elected to a fifth term. He announced he would stand down four days later.Now 39 football officials and executives face charges in the United States over more than $200 million in bribes paid for soccer deals.In the absence of Platini, Infantino and Sheikh Salman, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), have led a five-man race to become the new president.The battle has been seen as too close to call in the final stages. But the election took a new twist when Prince Ali bin al Hussein went to the CAS on Monday seeking an order to force FIFA to use transparent voting booths.The princes lawyers had said they could seek a vote delay.The CAS said the demand by the Jordanian prince, a former FIFA vice-president, had been rejected.And Prince Ali, who had paid for transparent voting booths to be sent to Zurich, backed off from a move to delay the election.The only positive aspect of todays ruling is that the election will now go forward as planned, and the media will be closely watching for any evidence that anyone is photographing their ballot, the prince said in a statement.The FIFA vote is meant to be secret but Prince Ali and another candidate, Jerome Champagne, a former FIFA executive, had raised suspicions that delegates would photograph their ballots to prove they had kept promises to back selected candidates.The AFC, with 47 votes, and 54-member Confederation for African Football (CAF) have both said they will back Sheikh Salman, a 50-year-old senior member of Bahrains royal family.But while embarking on final lobbying in Zurich, Infantino told AFP he believed he has swayed African votes in his favour. Infantino went on a whistle-stop African tour before heading to the congress.I am confident and I have reason to be even more confident, Infantino said. The discussions I have had with the presidents of African federations have been very convincing.Infantino said he had a reform programme with very concrete proposals, notably for Africa.Infantino hs vowed to more than double aid to FIFAs 209 members to $5 million each over four years from about $2 million now.Rivals including Sheikh Salman have said his plan could bankrupt FIFA.Sheikh Salman strongly denied claims made in the British parliament late Tuesday by a lawmaker, Damian Collins, that he was involved in a cash-for-votes scandal when elected AFC chief in 2013.Collins, a member of Britains ruling Conservative Party and a campaigner for better governance in sport, said there were strong grounds to suspect the Kyrgyz Republics delegation to the AFC voted for Sheikh Salman in the belief they would receive significant financial support for football projects from the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). The OCA is headed by an ally of the Sheikh.Sheikh Salman has and had no knowledge whatsoever of any inducements offered, or of any payments made by the OCA to any football associations and absolutely no evidence has been forthcoming to show this to have been the case.The Sheikh has also had to deny allegations of involvement in human rights abuses during a crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Bahrain in 2011.While the result of Fridays election remains in doubt, the Sheikh suffered a new blow when FIFAs executive committee recommended Wednesday that Kuwait and Indonesia be barred from voting Friday. Both are suspended from FIFA over government interference in sport.

Tennis: Djokovic eases into 700-win club in Dubai

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DUBAI (AFP) - World number one Novak Djokovic recorded his 700th career win on Wednesday when he cruised past Tunisias Malek Jaziri and into the Dubai Tennis Championships quarter-finals.Djokovic won 6-1, 6-2 in 65 minutes and will face Spains Feliciano Lopez for a spot in the last four.The 28-year-old Serb moves to 12th on the all-time win list which is headed by Jimmy Connors of the United States who racked up 1,254 in his career.Djokovic is the third active player to pass the milestone, following in the footsteps of Roger Federer (1,067) and Rafael Nadal (775).The Serb had 25 unforced errors in what could not be called a perfect performance on Wednesday but which still carried him to 14-0 this season.Ive played a lot of matches and Im very pleased and very proud of each win Ive had, said 11-time major winner Djokovic, who was presented on court with a gluten-free cake to mark the occasion.Organisers also created a nole700 hashtag in honour of his latest achievement.I started as a professional just over ten years ago. I love this sport with all of my heart and enjoy every moment of it. I expect a lot from myself, Im trying to improve and get better in every element of my game.But I know Im not the only one who wants to be number one and win titles.Djokovic admitted to some frustration as he closed out the win.(After a set and a half) I started missing a lot of forehands, easy forehands from mid-court. It frustrated me, honestly, a little bit.But I managed to win the match. Ill take the positives out of it and hopefully will be able to raise my game even more. Second seed Stan Wawrinka, who denied Djokovic a career Grand Slam with victory over the Serb in last years French Open final, needed five match points to beat Croatian qualifier Franko Skugor, ranked 188th.While not playing at his best, Wawrinka was not disappointed.I got through in two sets and Im into the quarter-finals. Now I can look forward to the next match, said the Swiss star who next faces eighth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber.Flamboyant Australian Nick Kyrgios won his second match in less than 24 hours, after a late arrival in the emirate following his first career title last weekend in Marseille.The unseeded Kyrgios dispatched Kazakhstans Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 6-2 and next faces third seed Tomas Berdych, who he beat last weekend in the Marseille semi-finals.The Czech, however, will be bouyed by having knocked the talented 20-year-old out of the Australian Open last month.As clouds moved into the Gulf, conditions remained hot at 33 degrees Celsius at the Aviation Club, where Berdych tamed Italian qualifier Thomas Fabbiano 6-2, 6-2.Kyrgios is doing well, for me its going to be a big challenge. I have a lot to get back after last week. I must refocus myself, try to raise the game, and play some good tennis again, two-time runner-up Berdych said.Hes full of fireworks on the court -- in a good way. Hes playing really aggressive. Hes going for a lot of shots, risking a lot.Fourth seed Roberto Bautista Agut claimed a 16th win of the season with a 6-0, 6-1 hammering of South Korean youngster Hyeon Chung.Bautista Agut, who has won two titles already this season, will next face Marcos Baghdatis after the popular Cypriot defeated Canadian Vasek Pospisil 6-4, 6-2.Two more seeds also reached the last eight, with sixth seeded Spaniard Lopez beating Czech Lukas Rosol 6-3, 7-6 (9/7).Kohlschreiber put out young Croatian Borna Coric 6-2, 7-6 (7/5).

Tennis: Radwanska through as more seeds fall in Qatar

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DOHA (AFP) - The remaining top seed at the Qatar Open, Agnieszka Radwanska, avoided the fate of many of the other top players in Doha and eased through to the final eight on Wednesday.The number three seed won in straight sets 7-5, 6-1, against Romanias Monica Niculescu, to restore some order to a tournament where many of the top players have crashed out in the opening rounds.The Pole overcame windy conditions and a tricky first set where her serve was twice broken, to make the quarter-finals.Well, for sure, (that was) not an easy match. Very tricky opponent, Radwanska told reporters. She really made me play my best tennis, so Im very happy to win that match in two sets.Radwanska struck 31 winners and 15 unforced errors throughout the match.Asked if she was now the clear favourite to win having seen at least nine seeds lose in the past two days, including the Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, number two seed Simona Halep and the defending champion Lucie Safarova, Radwanska said the tournament was still very open.Well, as we know, every tournament has these kind of score surprises and some of the top players are out in the earlier rounds, she said.But it doesnt mean its going to be easy. A lot of new names are coming up now, and we can see theyre really doing good. I think every match is tough.Double Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, the number five seed, was another who exited the tournament on Wednesday.The Czech lost to Latvias Jelena Ostapenko in three sets, 7-5, 2-6, 1-6.Ostapenko is ranked 78 places behind world number eight, Kvitova.It was really great, and, yeah, Im really happy, said Ostapenko.Also out is Caroline Wozniacki.The number 13 seed lost in three sets to the impressive Elena Vesnina 5-7, 7-5, 3-6.Vesnina had beaten Halep in the previous round and is now one of at least four unseeded players through to the last eight.Another is Zheng Saisai, the Chinese player who surprisingly knocked out Kerber in the previous round. On Wednesday, she claimed another high-profile scalp beating Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets.Zheng won 7-6 (7/1), 6-1 to march into the final eight.The world-ranked number 73 won in an hour and 35 minutes against Bouchard, who is returning to the circuit following a freak injury she sustained at the US Open last September.Number four seed Garbine Muguruza won 6-2, 7-5 in an uncharacteristically scare-free match against Hungarys Timea Babos.

Golf: Tiger progressing nicely in comeback bid

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Tiger Woods tweeted a photo of himself Wednesday at an indoor swing practice session, saying he is progressing nicely but giving no clue when he might return to competition.The 14-time major champion was shown hitting golf balls into a giant video screen, a sign that his recovery from a third back surgery is advancing.Mark Steinberg, Woods agent, on Monday refuted Twitter reports that the 40-year-old star feels pain when he sits and does not move well, calling the claims absolutely false.Tiger continues to work on his rehabilitation and we will have an accurate update at the appropriate time, Steinberg said.Woods has not played a US PGA Tour event since last August, when he tied for 10th at the Wyndham Championship.Woods had microdiscectomy surgery on March 31 of 2014 to treat a herniated disk. He underwent a second procedure on September 16, 2015 to deal with a disk fragment that was pinching a nerve, and six weeks later underwent another procedure to address continuing discomfort.During the World Challenge tournament he hosted in December, Woods said that there was no timetable for his return, telling reporters: Where is the light at the end of the tunnel? I dont know.Woods, who has not won a major title since the 2008 US Open, is chasing the record 18 major titles won by Jack Nicklaus. Woods has won 79 PGA Tour titles, three off the career record held by Sam Snead. The most recent victory for Woods came at the 2013 World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational.

Formula One: Hamilton lashes out at rules change plans

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BARCELONA (AFP) - Defending Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has hit out at plans for a revolution in the sports regulations in 2017 and claimed drivers opinions should be more valued.Changes to the regulations hope to add more speed to the cars in a bid to liven up the sport after Hamilton romped to the title in the dominant Mercedes for the past two years.However, he claimed the change to heavier hybrid cars in recent years is the real problem with the sport rather than the lack of competition.I dont think the regulations are fine, even if there were five teams battling at the front of the grid, but I like a different kind of car, said the Englishman.The deadline on when agreement must be reached for changes to be implemented for the 2017 season was pushed back to April 30 by a meeting of the F1 strategy group and commission on Tuesday.However, a new knockout format for qualifying will be introduced ahead of the start of this season on March 20 to try and mix up the grid to provide for more exciting races.I just realised that when I got to Formula One I think the car was 600 kilos and now its 100 kilos heavier, that is the big difference, added Hamilton.We dont actually have to change the regulations much to go three seconds faster, just make the cars lighter.They are just super heavy. It is ridiculous if they are going to be even heavier.They were great at 600 kilos, nice and nimble, easier for the tyres too as there were fewer tyre blowouts.The heavier the car, there is more force on the tyres, so the tyres feel worse.And Hamilton believes more consultation, especially with experienced drivers who have had to deal with the shifting sands of F1s technical regulations over the past decade, would produce better solutions than those being offered at present.I think the drivers should be consulted.We have feelings about the car, we know what would be better and what is not good for the car, especially the drivers who have been driving for 10-15 years through all the changes and know which ones work and dont work.In 2008 (Hamiltons first world title) it was a great year when we were fighting against another team and since then weve had some battles but we need more of that.I dont know what the answer is, but whatever decisions theyve been making have not been right.

Muslim graves in France date to 8th century conquest

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Archeologists working in southern France have identified three graves that represent the oldest Muslim burials ever found in Europe, dating to the eighth century.The skeletons at a medieval site at Nimes were found facing Mecca, and a genetic analysis showed their paternal lineage was North African, said the study in the journal PLOS ONE.Furthermore, radiocarbon dating shows the bones likely date from the 7th to 9th centuries, suggesting they came from the Muslim conquests of Europe during that period.We believe that they were Berbers integrated into the Arab army during its rapid expansion through North Africa, said the study.The findings add a new dimension to knowledge of the era, which had been limited to history books and rare bits of archeological data.We knew that Muslims came to France in the eighth century but until now we did not have any material evidence of their passage, Yves Gleize, an anthropologist with the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) and lead author of the study, told AFP.The graves were first discovered in 2006 near a major roadway in Nimes as construction workers were digging an underground parking garage.A careful analysis in the years since has shown that the men were all laid on their right sides, facing southeast in the direction of Mecca, according to traditional Muslim burial rites.One was in his 20s when he died, another in his 30s and the third was older than 50. Their bones showed no sign of injury in combat.The three graves were spaced 2.5 meters (yards) apart.Another Muslim grave site has been found in Marseille, but it dates to the 13th century. One found in Montpellier may date to the 12th century.

Man with world's largest feet receives welcome gift

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CARACAS (AFP) - Finding comfortable shoes can be a challenge even for those with average-shaped feet. But its virtually impossible for the Venezuelan man who holds the record for the worlds largest feet.So it is hard to overstate just how welcome the gift was Jeison Rodriguez received on Wednesday: four pairs of size-26 shoes.The donation from Georg Wessels -- a German shoemaker who specializes in making irregular-sized shoes -- included boots, sneakers, clogs and sandals.Ive been making shoes for the worlds tallest people for almost 40 years and I do it for free, Wessels said in a telephone interview.The businessman says he has donated some 500 pairs of shoes.I never stop to think how much these shoes cost because theyre gifts, he said.The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Rodriguez, 20, as having the worlds largest feet in 2014. His right foot measures 15.8 inches (40.1 centimeters) and his left 15.6 inches.Although Rodriguez and Wessels do not speak a common language, they have kept in touch since the German first gave him three pairs of shoes three years ago.Jeison was so very pleased. It was incredible, said Wessels, who was contacted at the time by relatives of Rodriguez living in Germany.Rodriguez is also Venezuelas tallest man at 7 feet three inches (2.21 meters).

Karachi: Anti-encroachment cell demolishes illegal roadside shops

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – The anti-encroachment cell of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) late Wednesday night demolished all illegal roadside shops that had been opened under a bridge in Qaidabad area of Karachi.KMC’s anti-encroachment squad was accompanied by a contingent of police during the action to deal with any untoward events.KMC employed heavy machinery during the operation and razed all encroaching shops to the ground.
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