Wednesday 2 March 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

UN imposes toughest-ever North Korea sanctions

Posted:

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The United Nations on Wednesday adopted the toughest sanctions to date on North Korea in response to its fourth nuclear test and rocket launch, but all eyes were on China and Russia to see if they fully enact the sweeping measures.The Security Council unanimously passed a resolution imposing new sanctions after seven weeks of arduous negotiations between the United States and China, Pyongyangs sole ally. Among the unprecedented measures is a new requirement that all countries must inspect cargo destined for and coming from North Korea, in all airports and sea ports.The resolution bans or restricts exports of coal, iron and iron ore and other minerals from North Korea, and prohibits the supply of aviation fuel including rocket fuel.North Korea earns about $1 billion per year in coal exports -- a third of all export revenues -- and about $200 million annually from iron ore sales, US Ambassador Samantha Power told the council. US President Barack Obama welcomed the measures as a firm, united, and appropriate response to the January 6 nuclear test and February 7 rocket launch. The international community, speaking with one voice, has sent Pyongyang a simple message: North Korea must abandon these dangerous programs and choose a better path for its people, Obama said in a statement.Banking restrictions will be tightened and governments will be required to ban flights of any plane suspected of carrying contraband destined for North Korea.The resolution tightens an arms embargo by banning sales of small arms and bars vessels suspected of carrying illegal goods for North Korea from ports.These are among the toughest measures we have agreed against any country in the world, certainly the toughest ever against the DPRK, said British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, referring to North Korea by its official acronym.Under the measure, UN member states will expel North Korean diplomats engaged in smuggling or other illegal activities.A total of 16 individuals and 12 entities were added to a UN sanctions blacklist, including North Koreas NADA space agency and its spy agency, the Reconnaissance General Bureau.Luxury watches, snowmobiles, recreational watercraft such as Sea-Doos and sports equipment are banned from sale to North Korea, in sanctions targeting Pyongyangs elites.South Korean Ambassador Oh Joon said Pyongyang has spent an estimated $4 billion on its banned weapons program and argued that those funds could have covered the cost of humanitarian aid for 40 years.It simply pains me, pains all of us, to think about how the regime has been developing weapons by people who are starving, he added.Japanese Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa described the resolution as ground-breaking but stressed that the heart of the matter now is implementation of the sanctions by China, North Koreas largest trading partner, and other countries.Power also called for a robust and unyielding follow-up to ensure the sanctions bite and singled out Russia and China as important players in that effort.Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi said the resolution should be a new starting point and a stepping stone for renewed talks on dismantling North Koreas nuclear program.Russia echoed that view, with Ambassador Vitaly Churkin saying the resolution is designed to shut down as much as possible the financing of North Koreas weapons program to push Pyongyang back to the negotiating table.During the weeks of negotiations, China had been reluctant to endorse harsh sanctions out of concern that too much pressure would trigger the collapse of the pariah regime, creating chaos on its border.Chinas ambassador renewed Beijings opposition to plans by South Korea and the United States to deploy a new missile defense system on the Korean peninsula, saying it undermines efforts to re-start Korea talks.The US Treasury Department separately announced sanctions against two entities and 10 individuals with ties to North Koreas weapons programs, and the State Department added three entities and two individuals to its sanctions blacklist.The sanctions resolution did not target oil deliveries to North Korea and allows for exemptions to some export bans if a government can show that the revenue will not be used to develop North Koreas military programs.China, and to a lesser extent Russia, will find loopholes, they always have, to avoid fully implementing UN sanctions, said Roberta Cohen, an expert on North Korea at the Brookings Institution. But Beijing sees the mobilization of alliances, strong military alliances between the United States, South Korea and Japan and it sees that it cant go on the way it has, she added.The latest resolution ushered in the fifth set of UN sanctions to hit North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006.

Car bomb kills 18 rebels in southern SyriaCar bomb kills 18 rebels in southern Syria

Posted:

BEIRUT (AFP) - A car bomb killed at least 18 members of a Western-backed rebel coalition in southern Syria on Wednesday, a monitoring group said.Four leaders of the Syrian Revolutionaries Front were among the dead after unknown assailants targeted the group in a village in Quneitra province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.The rebel coalition, which is also backed by Arab countries including Jordan, is one of the most powerful in Quneitra province along with Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front.Together with other rebels, it drove Islamic State group jihadists from the province a year ago.The United States announced in September 2014 it wanted to support and train members of the Syrian Revolutionaries Front.The alliance was created in late 2013 after the establishment of the Islamic Front which brings together various strains of Islamists.A fragile ceasefire in Syria has been in place since Saturday but it does not include jihadist groups.

Tunisia kills five militants near Libyan border

Posted:

TUNIS (AFP) - Tunisian security forces killed five militants near the Libyan border on Wednesday in a gunbattle in which one civilian also died and an army commander was wounded, the government said.Troops had been on alert after receiving reports that militants had slipped across the border over the past three days in response to a US air strike on an Islamic State group training camp in Libya on February 18 that targeted a senior Tunisian commander, the interior ministry said.The militants were killed after being surrounded by troops in a house in El Aouija, 10 kilometres (six miles) outside the town of Ben Guerdane, the defence ministry said.The army commander was wounded in the head during the operation but was in a stable condition, ministry spokesman Belhassen Oueslati told AFP.Tunisia kills five militants near Libyan borderTunisian security forces killed five militants near the Libyan border on Wednesday.TUNIS, March 2, 2016 (AFP) - Tunisian security forces killed five militants near the Libyan border on Wednesday in a gunbattle in which one civilian also died and an army commander was wounded, the government said.Troops had been on alert after receiving reports that militants had slipped across the border over the past three days in response to a US air strike on an Islamic State group training camp in Libya on February 18 that targeted a senior Tunisian commander, the interior ministry said.The militants were killed after being surrounded by troops in a house in El Aouija, 10 kilometres (six miles) outside the town of Ben Guerdane, the defence ministry said.The army commander was wounded in the head during the operation but was in a stable condition, ministry spokesman Belhassen Oueslati told AFP.The civilian was killed by a stray bullet, the interior ministry said in a statement.Explosive vests, improvised grenades and a large quantity of munitions were recovered from the slain militants, it added.Search operations were continuing late Wednesday, the defence ministry said.Tunisia has built a 200-kilometre (125-mile) barrier that stretches about half the length of its border with Libya in an attempt to prevent militants from infiltrating. A series of deadly attacks by IS on foreign holidaymakers last year, which have dealt a devastating blow to the countrys tourism industry, are believed to have been planned from Libya.Last months US strike on the IS training camp outside the Libyan city of Sabratha targeted the suspected mastermind of two of the attacks, Noureddine Chouchane. Washington has said that Chouchane was likely killed along with dozens of other militants.Britain announced on Monday that it was sending a team of around 20 soldiers to Tunisia to train troops patrolling the border with Libya.The civilian was killed by a stray bullet, the interior ministry said in a statement.Explosive vests, improvised grenades and a large quantity of munitions were recovered from the slain militants, it added.Search operations were continuing late Wednesday, the defence ministry said.Tunisia has built a 200-kilometre (125-mile) barrier that stretches about half the length of its border with Libya in an attempt to prevent militants from infiltrating. A series of deadly attacks by IS on foreign holidaymakers last year, which have dealt a devastating blow to the countrys tourism industry, are believed to have been planned from Libya.Last months US strike on the IS training camp outside the Libyan city of Sabratha targeted the suspected mastermind of two of the attacks, Noureddine Chouchane. Washington has said that Chouchane was likely killed along with dozens of other militants.Britain announced on Monday that it was sending a team of around 20 soldiers to Tunisia to train troops patrolling the border with Libya.zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Happiness can break your heart: doctors

Posted:

PARIS (AFP) - Joyful events -- the birth of a child, a big win by your team -- can trigger a dangerous condition called the broken heart syndrome, doctors and researchers reported Thursday.Takotsubo syndrome, as it is also known, involves the sudden weakening of heart muscles, causing the left ventricle -- the chamber which pushes oxygen-rich blood through the body -- to balloon out abnormally at the bottom.Besides acute chest pain and shortness of breath, the condition can lead to heart attacks and death.It has long been known that an unexpected emotional shock -- typically something unpleasant, such as the death of a spouse, or a violent argument -- can provoke an attack.But statistics were lacking, and no one had ever investigated whether an intensely happy event could give the same result.In 2011, a pair of researchers in Switzerland -- Christian Templin and Jelena Ghadri, both of University Hospital Zurich -- set up a global registry to track cases of the syndrome, which is fairly rare.Five years later, the network of 25 hospitals spread across nine countries had collected data on statistically significant 1,750 cases of the Takotsubo syndrome (TTS).For the study, Templin and Ghadri, leading a team of 16 researchers, determined that emotional jolts were responsible for 485 of those cases.And within that group, four percent -- a total of 20 individuals -- could be said to have suffered from happy heart syndrome.Birth of a grandchildWe have shown that the triggers for TTS can be more varied than previously thought, said Ghadri. The disease can be preceded by positive emotions too.The 20 cases set off by joyful events included a birthday party, a wedding, a surprise farewell celebration, a favourite rugby team winning a game, and the birth of a grandchild.None of them proved fatal.Emergency room doctors should be aware of the fact that patients with signs of heart attack could be suffering from TTS, sparked by either positive or negative experiences.For reasons the researchers do not understand, 95 percent of the patients in both the broken heart and happy heart groups were women, mostly in their mid-to-late 60s.We still do not know why women are predominately affected by the Takotsubo syndrome, Ghadri told AFP.We can only speculate that the hormonal state -- namely, oestrogen -- might play a role in the disease mechanism.Women have much higher levels of oestrogen than men, in whom testosterone is the dominant hormone.The skew towards women is even more perplexing, she said, because heart attacks are more common among men.Further studies are also needed to figure out if both happy and sad life events, while obviously different, ultimately share the same pathway in the central nervous system for triggering the syndrome.The condition -- discovered by Japanese researchers -- gets its name from a traditional Japanese octopus trap, which is said to resemble the distended heart chamber.

Venezuelan students clash with police over court ruling

Posted:

CARACAS (AFP) - Venezuelan students threw Molotov cocktails and stones at police Wednesday in a protest against a Supreme Court ruling curbing the opposition-held legislatures powers, authorities said.Wearing masks in the colors of the Venezuelan flag, the demonstrators set up roadblocks in the western city of San Cristobal, the cradle of anti-government protests that shook the country in 2014.The new protest was against a ruling by the high court Tuesday that stripped the National Assemblys power to remove justices from the bench, which voided the oppositions bid to undo what it calls unconstitutional court-packing by President Nicolas Maduro.Governor Jose Vielma Mora said on Twitter that student protesters from Catholic University attacked police with stones and petrol bombs.The protesters use violence to support a National Assembly that wants to violate the rule of law, the governor wrote.An AFP reporter saw protesters throw rubble and stones at a police brigade near the seat of the state government. Venezuela has returned to the boiling point since the opposition won a landslide victory in legislative elections in December, dealing a crushing blow to the socialist revolution launched by Maduros late mentor Hugo Chavez in 1999.Riding a wave of outrage over a deep economic crisis gripping the once-mighty oil giant, the opposition has vowed to use its majority to oust Maduro from power.But it has repeatedly been stymied by the Supreme Court, which it accuses the president of loading with allies.The high courts constitutional panel ruled Tuesday that the legislatures oversight role is limited to the executive, quashing its attempt to review the lame-duck appointment of 34 Supreme Court judges -- passed by the previous legislature in an 11th-hour session on the eve of the opposition takeover.San Cristobal was also the scene of anti-Maduro protests that spread nationwide in 2014, leaving 43 people dead and more than 800 wounded.

World's costliest train station to open at site of NY's 9/11 tragedy

Posted:

NEW YORK (AFP) - New York on Thursday opens the most expensive train station in the world, on the site of the World Trade Center destroyed 14 years ago in the 9/11 attacks.Twelve years in the making, there will be no official ceremony to mark the 3 pm opening to rail commuters of the World Trade Center Transportation Hub next to the site of the Twin Towers, which were destroyed in the Al-Qaeda hijackings.The center connects the PATH commuter rail to New Jersey with New York subway lines, provides indoor pedestrian access to the Trade Center towers and will also house an enormous shopping and restaurant plaza.The building, designed by Spanish-Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava and called Oculus, is a giant oval made up of steel ribs and glass laid out in elliptical shape, reaching for the sky like wings of a bird.The space measures 350 feet (107 meters) long by 115 feet (35 meters) at its widest point, according to Calatravas website.Thursday is only a partial opening and the shops are slated to open in August. In the 12 years since the project was unveiled, it has been heavily criticized -- for its appearance but also for spiralling so drastically off budget and closing seven years behind schedule.Intially budgeted at $2 billion, it has spiraled to $3.85 billion according to a spokesperson in Calatravas office, which would make it the most expensive station in the world.In contrast, the temporary station which was built straight after the September 11, 2001 attacks cost just $323 million.The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey admitted in a report published in 2008 that the original cost estimate was too low to begin with but stressed the advantages it would afford the city.It said that when completed, the transit hub will serve 250,000 people and more than 200,000 commuters each day, making it the third-largest transportation center in the city.

Football: Van Gaal impressed by youthful United

Posted:

MANCHESTER (AFP) - Louis van Gaal hailed Manchester Uniteds youthful spirit after they ground out a 1-0 Premier League victory over Watford.United were second best for much of the game in atrocious weather at Old Trafford on Wednesday, but still secured a fourth successive victory thanks to Juan Matas 83rd-minute free-kick.It was tough on Watford, and on their head coach Quique Flores, who coached Mata in Real Madrids youth set-up and at Valencia.United boss Van Gaal, though, felt it was just reward for the way his players battled against physical opponents.I dont think it was an ugly win because the free-kick was a fantastic shot from Mata, van Gaal said.The performance was not so good. The weather meant it was difficult to play good football. It was a physical game.If you see the size of the Watford players compared to ours, it was not beneficial to us.I think that the youngsters give us a lot of spirit and now when the dressing room is full of joy and all the players are laughing, that is beautiful to see.Uniteds teenage striker Marcus Rashford was unable to repeat the scoring form that brought him two goals in each of his first two senior games for the club.He laboured in a central striking role in the first half, but was much more effective when moved to the right in the second half, with Anthony Martial switching inside to take the central role.In the first half, Martial was not in the game as a right winger and Rashford was not in the game as a striker, van Gaal said.Thats why we changed the shape. From that moment, we were the better team.HandfulUniteds manager also praised the performance of 18-year-old Tim Fosu-Mensah, who made his full debut at centre-half.Timothy has saved us three times because of his speed. He wanted to come off in the second half, but I kept him on because he always closed the door for us, van Gaal added.I think hes a better full-back than a central defender. But at Ajax, he always played right centre midfield or right centre-half.However, he had not played before against Odion Ighalo, who is a handful for a centre-half.When you get a yellow card after 20 minutes, as Timothy did, it is not so easy to play against Ighalo and Troy Deeney.Flores was encouraged by Watfords display, but disappointed by a result that left his side 12th in the table.This happens in English football. We played well. We tried to get a good result, but a moment of quality decided the match, he said.It was a bad result, but we had good feelings after the match because of our performance.It didnt surprise me what Mata did with the free-kick. Ive known him since he was 14, when I was training the teenagers of Real Madrid.Mata can score these kind of goals. He can make the difference in very dangerous areas.Ighalo missed a host of chances for the visitors, and Flores says the Nigerian striker needs to stop putting himself under so much pressure.My work with Ighalo is about trying to remove pressure from this player, Flores said.He puts a lot of pressure on himself. At the moment, he is not scoring. Sometimes, putting pressure on yourself is not the way to sort this out.He needs to forget about the bad feelings and play more freely.

Football: German FA to unveil truth behind 2006 scandal

Posted:

BERLIN (AFP) - The German FA (DFB) is set to answer corruption allegations on Friday as accusations the 2006 World Cup was bought threaten to give FIFA another headache.The 2006 finals were lauded in Germany as a huge success with fans from all the world lapping up the well-organised tournament over four sun-soaked weeks.But the Sommermaerchen (summer fairytale) -- as the tournament has been sentimentally dubbed by Germans -- threatens to finish with a far-from-happy ending for both the DFB and footballs governing-body FIFA.Last October, German magazine Spiegel opened a can of worms by claiming the DFB had used a slush fund to buy votes in order to host the tournament.Spiegel claimed the DFB borrowed 10.3 million Swiss francs in 2002 from Robert Louis-Dreyfus, the former CEO of German sportswear giant Adidas, in order to buy the votes of four Asian members of FIFAs 24-strong executive committee.In 2000, Germany won the bid to stage the 2006 World Cup ahead of South Africa by 12 votes to 11, with one abstention.Spiegel claim the DFB transferred 6.7 million euros ($7.49m), the equivalent exchange rate for the borrowed Swiss francs at the time, to a FIFA account.DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach resigned over the scandal then last month general secretary Helmut Sandrock, who helped organise the 2006 finals, suddenly quit.German legend Franz Beckenbauer, who was chairman of the 2006 organising committee, has strenuously denied any allegations of corruption.Der Kaiser claims the money was sent to FIFA to secure a grant and admits he made a mistake.But the 70-year-old did little for his credibility by admitting he signed several documents at the time without reading them first.The DFB ordered an internal investigation and the firm instructed to audit their 2006 bid -- business law specialists Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer -- will publish their results on Friday.The findings will first be presented to the 45 members of the DFBs executive committee in Frankfurt before a press conference is held.We will first take note of the results and assess the situation. Then we will talk about the consequences in the short, medium and long term, said the DFBs joint interim president Rainer Koch.The DFB is bracing itself for the full extent of the reports revelations.Our position has always been to say: we want to resolve this, said Reinhardt Rauball, who shares the job with Koch after stepping in when Niersbach resigned.The scandal refuses to go away.Authorities in Frankfurt are investigating Niersbach, his predecessor as DFB president Theo Zwanziger, and ex-general secretary Horst Schmidt on suspicion of tax evasion. All three have denied the charges.The German FAs offices in Frankfurt were raided last November.Officers also swooped on the homes of Niersbach, Zwanziger and Horst Schmidt.According to the Munich-based Sueddeutsche Zeitung, even the FBI is interested in the mysterious payment of 6.7 million euros.In early February, the DFB started the legal process of trying to get the 6.7 million euros back from Beckenbauer and other figures in the organising committee.Now football-mad Germany is waiting to discover whether or not their treasured 2006 tournament was bought.

Apprehend Pathankot suspects before talks: Indian Foreign Secretary

Posted:

LAHORE (Dunya News) – The barrage of accusation hurled towards Pakistan continues as Indian Foreign Secretary S J Shankar on Wednesday stated that Pakistan should first conduct action and apprehend the suspects involved in the Pathankot incident before holding talks with India.Answering a question during a discussion held in the Capital New Delhi, the Indian Foreign Secretary stated that there were numerous hurdles in improving Pak-India relations, of which terrorism was the leading issue.Shankar stated that Pakistan should change its attitude regarding several issues including terrorism.Shankar added that both countries were in contact with each other after the attack in Pathankot.

New Zealand batting legend Martin Crowe dead at 53: family

Posted:

WELLINGTON (AFP) - New Zealands greatest batsman Martin Crowe died on Thursday at the age of 53 after a long battle with cancer, his family said.It is with heavy hearts that the family of Martin Crowe, MBE, advise his death, they said in a statement.Diagnosed in September 2014 with terminal double-hit lymphoma, he passed away peacefully today, Thursday, March 3, in Auckland surrounded by family.Crowe enjoyed a 13-year international career from 1982-95, including four years as captain.He had a Test average of 45.36 in 77 matches and held a slew of New Zealand batting records when he retired, including most Test runs (5,444), highest Test score (299), most 50s (35) and most hundreds (17) -- the last of which still stands.In his retirement, Crowe devised a new ultra-short form of the game called Cricket Max for his new employer Sky Television, which was pitched to British officials and helped lay the foundation for the modern Twenty20 revolution.Former Black Caps captain Stephen Fleming hailed Crowe as one of our true greats.An inspiration to me and so many others, he tweeted.

Karachi: Law enforcement agencies arrest Uzair Baloch's accomplice

Posted:

KARACHI (Dunya News) – Noose has also started tightening against Lyari gang war head Uzair Baloch’s accomplices one of his close aides, Waseem Ahmed, was arrested Wednesday by law enforcement agencies. The arrested suspect was the former Joint Secretary of Fisheries Union and a right hand man of Baloch.The suspect was arrested during action conducted by the security forces in Fisheries area.According to sources, Ahmed was arrested by the law enforcement agencies on identification by Baloch.The suspect has been shifted to an unknown location for interrogation.

Tennis: Djokovic hopeful of Davis Cup despite eye problem

Posted:

BELGRADE (AFP) - World number one Novak Djokovic is optimistic he will be fit to lead Serbias Davis Cup team against Kazakhstan this weekend despite fearing an eye problem would sideline him for the first round clash.Djokovic saw his run of 17 successive finals come to an end in Dubai last week when he was forced to retire from his quarter-final against Feliciano Lopez with an eye infection.But having trained at Belgrades Pionir Hall venue, the 28-year-old said he was ready to play.I am optimistic and I hope that I am going to play, said the 11-time major winner, whose loss to Lopez was the first time he had failed to reach a final since January 2015.I was a little sceptical but now all is going well. I have already had two training sessions to adapt to the indoor conditions.Djokovic led Serbia to the 2010 Davis Cup title.

Tennis: Proud dad Murray ready to lead Davis Cup title defence

Posted:

LONDON (AFP) - Andy Murray insists he is fully focused on leading Great Britain in their Davis Cup title defence against Japan after spending several weeks as a doting dad.Murray has left wife Kim and three-week-old daughter Sophia at home in Surrey for the first-round tie in Birmingham, which begins on Friday.The 28-year-olds last competitive appearance was a fifth Australian Open final defeat by Novak Djokovic at the end of January, after which he ran out of Melbourne Park to catch the first flight home.It was very different to what I expected, Murray told reporters on Wednesday as he reflected on his first few weeks as a new father.Its an amazing experience but its also difficult to see someone you care about go through that.I knew it wasnt going to be like in the movies or on the TV. You see the last 20 seconds, you dont see everything that goes on beforehand.I still practice hard and do all the same things I was doing before. I will find out if it is different on Friday or not. But it can only be a positive thing.Murray arrives back on the tennis circuit well rested because he has yet to experience the sleep deprivation that many new parents suffer.She (Sophia) has been sleeping very well the first few weeks. Without getting particularly graphic, theres nothing much I can do, Murray said.She is waking up because she wants to be fed and unfortunately my body doesnt produce any milk. I cant help too much there. In the night I would stay up with her as late as is needed while Kim was asleep.Murray will hope becoming a father has the same effect on him as it has on Djokovic, who has been in sublime form since the birth of his son Stefan 16 months ago.He will get his first taste of how things will play out on Friday, when he takes on Japan number two Taro Daniel in Britains first tie since they defeated Belgium in November to win the Davis Cup for the first time in 79 years.I dont see it being negative at all, in terms of my career. And it is not the end of the world if it is as I now have something more important, Murray said.With his extra family commitments, it would not have been surprising had Murray opted against playing in the Davis Cup this year.But he revealed he is planning to play in all Britains ties this year, including a potential quarter-final against Serbia in July, sandwiched between Wimbledon and the Olympics.Murray, who confirmed he has appointed former British player Jamie Delgado as his assistant coach, said: If Im fit I will play for sure against Serbia or Kazakhstan.Before Murray can worry about his future schedule, he has to see off Japan and that tie could come down to a clash against world number six Kei Nishikori, the highest-ranked player he has ever faced in the competition, in the reverse singles on Sunday.Nishikori, who has lost five of his six matches against Murray, is not taking much comfort from the Scots lay-off, saying: He did great in Australia so its not like he hasnt played for a long time, so its not going to change much.(Britain) just won the Davis Cup and they have one of the best teams with Andy and his brother. Its not going to be easy for us but we have a chance. Its a great challenge.

Tennis: Lisicki outpaces Krejcikova in sticky Malaysian Open

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Third seed Sabine Lisicki overcame gutsy Czech opponent Barbora Krejcikova in humid conditions Wednesday to advance to the next round of the Malaysian Open in a week that saw top players crashing out.The 26-year-old Lisicki, who looked in fine form, beat Krejcikova 7-5, 6-3 in one hour and 45 minutes to go through to the quarter-finals.Earlier Slovakias Kristina Kucova defeated seventh seed Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in one hour and 50 minutes.Also advancing to the next round is Canadas sixth-seeded Eugenie Bouchard.Bouchard, 22, took just over one hour to dispose of Japans Kurumi Nara 6-1, 6-2.Chinas Wang Qiang beat her compatriot Duan Ying-Ying 6-4, 6-4.Two top stars had crashed out on Tuesday. Fourth seed Annika Beck of Germany, a two-time WTA Tour winner, went down to world number 95 Zarina Dyas of Kazakhstan 7-5, 6-3.Top seed and world number 10 Roberta Vinci of Italy was meanwhile sent crashing out by Taiwans Chang Kai-Chen 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.

Football: Advantage Leicester as Spurs, Arsenal, City lose

Posted:

LONDON (AFP) - Claudio Ranieris Leicester City remain sitting pretty at the Premier League summit after their closest rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester City remarkably all contrived to lose on Wednesday.Leicester had dropped points in a 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday, but they remain in pole position after Spurs lost 1-0 at West Ham United, Arsenal crashed 2-1 at home to Swansea City and Liverpool claimed revenge for their League Cup final defeat by crushing City 3-0.The results kept Leicester three points clear of second-place Tottenham, with Arsenal -- booed off at the Emirates Stadium -- three points further back and City now 10 points off the pace, albeit with a game in hand.We made some mistakes and the team didnt feel free to play the way they play, Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino, whose side host Arsenal on Saturday, told the BBC.We need to be positive and it is important to be ready for Saturday. When you lose you can blame that the players are tired or whatever, but the reality is that it was just a bad night for us to play the way we play tonight.Manchester United are now level on points with City in fifth place, having played a game more, after Juan Matas 83rd-minute free-kick secured a 1-0 home win over Watford.West Hams victory over Tottenham, courtesy of Michail Antonios seventh-minute header, left them a point off the Champions League places in sixth place.Spurs, for whom Dele Alli started on the bench due to a foot injury, would have gone top on goal difference if they had won at Upton Park.But Pochettinos side never recovered from going behind early on, Antonio meeting Dimitri Payets corner with a header that visiting goalkeeper Hugo Lloris could not keep out.Arsene Wengers Arsenal completed a night to forget for the north London clubs by blowing a 1-0 lead in a home defeat at the hands of relegation-threatened Swansea.It was Arsenals third defeat in succession in all competitions and their seventh of the league campaign, prompting a wave of angry boos to roll around the ground at the final whistle.After earlier hitting the post, Alexis Sanchez neatly teed up Joel Campbell to put Arsenal ahead with a scooped finish in the 15th minute.But Wayne Routledge equalised from Jack Corks pass just after the half hour and although Olivier Giroud and Sanchez both hit the bar for Arsenal, Swansea won it when captain Ashley Williams converted Gylfi Sigurdssons 74th-minute free-kick.I believe we were really unlucky with our finishing and some decisions today, said Wenger, who revealed that goalkeeper Petr Cech and centre-back Laurent Koscielny will miss the trip to Spurs through injury.We need to bounce back very quickly now.Victory took Swansea, whose head coach Francesco Guidolin was absent with a chest infection, six points clear of the relegation zone.Manchester Citys title hopes were left in a sorry state after they slumped to defeat at Anfield, three days on from their 3-1 win on penalties over Liverpool in the League Cup final at Wembley.Two goals in seven first-half minutes put Liverpool in control, Adam Lallana beating England colleague Joe Hart from 25 yards with a tame left-footer before James Milner stabbed in from Roberto Firminos pass.Firmino completed victory for Liverpool in the 57th minute, curling home from Lallanas pass, as Jurgen Klopps men climbed to eighth.It is difficult to have an excuse, but I saw the team was not recovered from the last week, said City manager Manuel Pellegrini.It seems like the Premier League continues being the same from the start and very close. We will continue fighting.Louis van Gaals Manchester United seized their opportunity to make ground on the top four as Matas late strike gave them a fourth successive win in all competitions.Van Gaal was able to align fit-again Anthony Martial with teenage sensation Marcus Rashford in attack, but Watford created the better chances before Mata curled in the winner.I have to give a lot of compliments to my players, said Van Gaal.Because when it is a physical game and you can win that game, in an important moment because all our competitors are losing, (it is) very important.The days other match saw Stoke City beat Newcastle United 1-0 at the Britannia Stadium courtesy of a late 25-yard screamer by Xherdan Shaqiri, which kept Steve McClarens men rooted in the bottom three.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)