Friday 19 August 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Oil holds onto gains as investors hope for OPEC action

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil kept its recent gains on world markets on Friday, ending a week of rallying on encouraging remarks from producing countries.A barrel of West Texas Intermediate for September delivery finished up 22 cents on the New York Mercantile Exchange to close at $49.11.In London, North Sea Brent for October delivery fell 1 cent to settle at $50.88 a barrel.Oil futures had tumbled during a bearish July as investors worried about a global supply glut, bloated inventories and weak demand.But officials from Saudi Arabia and Russia this month have acted to reassure markets, suggesting that producing countries could agree to limit output in an effort to stabilize prices.The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is due to meet in Algeria next month and officials have said an agreement on controling production could emerge.Andy Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates said Fridays trading represented a pause after the weeks gains.The market is taking a breath after this week being supported by the talk of production freeze by members of the OPEC at the upcoming meeting in Algeria in September, Lipow told AFP.On the other hand, if they come to a freeze agreement theyll already have increased their production to near maximum levels, which means there really is not much of an impact on the supply side and it can further extend the oversupply situation.

2.4 million in Libya need aid, says UN on world humanitarian's day

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TRIPOLI, Aug 19, 2016 (AFP) - The UN used World Humanitarian Day on Friday to plead for help for Libya, saying millions of Libyans and migrants were engulfed in a worsening crisis.More than 2.4 million people in Libya are in need of humanitarian assistance, Martin Kobler, the UN secretary-generals special representative for Libya, said in a statement.They lack medicines, vaccinations and suffer from poor hospitalization services. Almost 300,000 children are out of schools and almost 350,000 Libyans are displaced within the country.Kobler also noted the predicament of more than 270,000 migrants who fled their home countries and are stranded in Libya.The humanitarian needs created by the crisis in Libya are enormous and this should serve as an incentive for us to do our utmost to give hope to the people, particularly those in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, he added.The ouster of Moamer Kadhafi in 2011 plunged Libya into chaos, with rival militias jockeying violently for power.The latest fighting is centered on the coastal city of Sirte, where pro-government forces are pressing an assault against the jihadist Islamic State group.

Dollar reverses slump as market plumbs murky Fed direction

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar reversed its slump and headed higher in forex trade Friday as markets plumbed the murky direction of the Federal Reserves interest rate plans.The dollar pulled up to 100.20 yen and $1.3080 against the pound, and pushed to $1.1324 against the euro.There were still widespread doubts that the Fed could raise rates in its September meeting despite two central bank officials pointedly reminding of the possibility over the past week.A week before US and foreign central bankers gather for the Feds annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the Fed clearly remains unsettled about the disjunction between the strong jobs market and persistently weak inflation.With the US economy still growing slowly, San Francisco Fed chief John Williams recently suggested the Fed needs to consider increasing its inflation target, now at 2 percent, to help stimulate more spending and investment.Fed Chair Janet Yellen could address that challenge at the Jackson Hole meeting amid worries that ultra-low interest rates around the world are failing to push up economic growth.The selling pressure in the dollar is strong and for sentiment to change, we need Yellen to say that a rate hike is coming and we need another unambiguously strong non-farm payrolls report, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.Even then, theres zero chance of a rate hike in September or November, she argued.

'New port of call' installed at space station

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MIAMI (AFP) - With more private spaceship traffic expected at the International Space Station in the coming years, two spacewalking US astronauts installed a special parking spot for them on Friday.Americans Jeff Williams and Kate Rubins floated outside the orbiting laboratory for a spacewalk lasting five hours and 58 minutes to attach the first of two international docking adaptors.The astronauts spent more than two hours tying down the adaptor, after which robotic machinery at the space station completed the hard mate, making the attachment permanent.With that, we have a new port of call, NASA commentator Rob Navias said as the space station flew over Singapore at 10:40 am (1440 GMT).During the rest of the spacewalk, astronauts connected power and data cables for the adaptor.The fittings will enable the space station to share power and data with visiting spaceships.The spacewalk was the fourth for Williams, a veteran astronaut who on Wednesday will surpass US astronaut Scott Kellys record for the most cumulative days in space for an American.Kelly has 520 days in space over his career.Williams will have 534 days in space by the time he wraps up his stint at the ISS and returns to Earth in early September.The spacewalk was Rubinss first. She is the 12th woman to walk in space.NASA describes the docking adaptor as a metaphorical gateway to a future that will allow a new generation of US spacecraft -- the first since the space shuttle program ended in 2011 -- to carry astronauts to the space station.The second docking adaptor is expected to be launched in late 2017, Navias said.ISS operations integration manager Kenneth Todd called Fridays installation a very significant milestone on the path to establishing commercial crew capability.Built by Boeing, the circular adaptor measures around 42 inches (one meter) tall and about 63 inches wide.The adaptors will work with Boeings CST-100 Starliner and SpaceXs Crew Dragon, two spaceships under construction that are planned to ferry astronauts to the space station.The docking adaptor is more sophisticated than past equipment because it will allow automatic parking instead of the current grapple and berthing process, which is managed by astronauts.During the last US spacewalk on January 15, a problem with American Tim Kopras spacesuit allowed a small amount of water to build up inside his helmet by the end of the outing.It was the latest in a series of spacesuit issues, but not as severe as an emergency in 2013 when Italian astronaut Luca Parmitanos helmet flooded, forcing him to end his spacewalk early.Williams experienced a problem with an earpiece in his suit near the end of Fridays outing, briefly interfering with his ability to hear mission control, but NASA said the issue was not serious.The US space agency is planning another spacewalk on September 1 to retract one of the thermal radiators outside the space station.Astronauts unsuccessfully tried to push it back into position last year.

Struggling Australia look for ODI redemption in Sri Lanka

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COLOMBO, Aug 20, 2016 (AFP) - Australia will look to restore some battered pride when they begin their one-day series against Sri Lanka Sunday, hoping that some fresh blood can help reverse a string of defeats on a miserable tour.Days after losing their title as the worlds top Test team, the reigning champions in 50-over cricket will be determined to stop the rot when they take to the field in the first of five ODIs against an upbeat Sri Lanka.Angelo Mathews side completed a 3-0 series whitewash over the tourists on Wednesday when they won the final Test in Colombo by 163 runs, a result which led to Australia being toppled by India at the top of the rankings.Australian captain Steve Smith admitted they had been totally outclassed after failing to come to terms with the turning Sri Lankan wickets, both with bat and ball.While Smith remains at the helm of the ODI side, the squad will be bolstered by one-day specialists such as allrounders Aaron Finch and James Faulkner, along with young spinner Adam Zampa.Mitchell Marsh, who was earlier named in the ODI squad, was released after the Test series and his place in the starting line-up is expected to be taken by another allrounder Moises Henriques.Coach Darren Lehmann said Australia had obviously got some quality allrounders in our one-day squad and the decision to release Marsh meant he could recharge his batteries before next months tour to South Africa.- Solid unit -==============While Lehmann said his side were building towards next years Champions Trophy in England, he acknowledged the need to produce some immediate results to lift morale.Youre always looking ahead. We have got a pretty solid one-day side who have performed well over a long period of time. The Champions Trophy is the carrot, he said ahead of the opener at Colombos Premadasa Stadium.But at the end of the day we want to win a game in Sri Lanka for a start, so thats probably prime importance for us, and to play well.Faulkner is expected to bolster the batting line-up which struggled in the Test series, particularly against veteran spinner Rangana Herath who has retired from ODIs.Australias spinners failed to carry the same threat in the Test series, with pace bowler Mitchell Starc taking the lions share of the wickets.Left-arm spinner Jon Holland has now returned home but his partner Nathan Lyon is staying on and could well be joined in the starting XI on Sunday by the young leg-spinner Zampa.Sri Lanka will meanwhile be looking to take their new-found confidence into the limited-overs series, with Mathews insisting that there would be no room for complacency after the Test triumph.We have the ODI series left and we will try and concentrate on that, said Mathews.Sri Lanka, who saw four of their top fast bowlers suffer injuries on a recent tour of England, now have Nuwan Pradeep and Suranga Lakmal, who played the final Test in Colombo, back in contention.When you play ODIs you need to have at least two fast bowlers, said Mathews, who played a single fast bowler in the three Tests.Sundays match is the first of two games in Colombo before the contest continues with two matches in Dambulla and wraps up in Pallekele on September 4.Squads:Sri Lanka - Angelo Mathews (capt), Dinesh Chandimal (vice-capt), Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dhananjaya de Silva, Milinda Siriwardana, Avishka Fernando, Danushka Gunathilaka, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Thisara Perera, Dilruwan Perera, Seekkuge Prasanna, Lakshan Sandakan and Amila Aponso.Australia - Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, George Bailey, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Shaun Marsh, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.

USA to face Serbia in Basketball final in Olympics

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 20, 2016 (AFP) - The United States collection of NBA stars, unbeaten for a decade, will face Serbia in Sundays Rio Olympics gold medal game after both teams won semi-finals Friday.The Americans downed Spain 82-76 for their 24th consecutive Olympic victory in a rematch of the past two Olympic finals while Serbia routed Australia 87-61 in a matchup of first-time medal hopefuls.The US NBA squad stretched its 10-year overall win streak to 75 games since a 2006 World Championships semi-final loss to Greece, earning a chance at a third gold in a row and sixth in seven tries with NBA talent.It means a lot to be in the final game, to win the gold, US guard Kevin Durant said. We like our chances, so weve got to come out and play with a lot of intensity, a lot of passion and energy and well be fine.American NBA stars are 2-0 against Serbia, beating them 129-92 in the 2014 Basketball World Cup final to earn a berth in Rio but by only 94-91 in a group match last week, the smallest margin of the US Olympic win streak.Klay Thompson scored 22 points and Durant added 14 for the US team while Kyrie Irving contributed 13 and DeAndre Jordan scored nine points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked four shots as well as disrupting numerous others.He played a great game, US coach Mike Krzyzewski said.We wouldnt be playing for the gold medal if DeAndre didnt play that well.A Spanish side boasting seven NBA standouts and three former NBA players kept the US elite to their lowest-scoring Olympic game since 2004 and their thinnest margin in a knockout game over their unbeaten decade.We held them to 82 points. That was pretty good. Im not sure many teams can do that, said Spanish center Pau Gasol, who scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds.We made it hard on them, but they made us pay a lot with their physical power on the offensive glass. If we would have cut down those (offensive rebounds), we would be probably talking about a different result right now. But we didnt. They took advantage of their strength.Gasol, a two-time NBA champion, said Spain missed its best chance to upset the USA.I dont think they are playing as well as other times they have played, Gasol said. But theyre still a very talented team individually.If we would have been a little sharper with our shots, moved the ball a little better, boxed out a little more -- its a two or three-possession game. In the end we could be talking about a whole different story.- Our hearts are bleeding -=============================Jordan jammed home an alley oop dunk to end the third quarter, giving the Americans a 66-57 lead that they quickly stretched to their largest of the game at 72-57.Spain, which never led, closed with a 19-10 run but it was too little and too late.Our hearts are bleeding. We are winners. Its painful. But our brains must look forward and be proud of the effort we made, Spain coach Sergio Scariolo said.We always were on their tail. We never let them play easy. We managed to find a way to not let them run away. Its like if a team has 50 times your budget and you are able to compete.In the second semi-final, Milos Teodosic scored 22 points and Stefan Markovic added 14 to spark a Serbian rout.Serbia opened with an 8-0 run, stretched the lead to 16-5 by the end of the first quarter and it 24-10 much before the Aussies knew what hit them. By half-time the Serbs led 35-14 and the Boomers could not recover in the second half.Australia made only 6-of-29 shots from the floor in the first half, including just 2-of-15 in the first quarter. Serbia also outrebounded the Boomers 29-15 in the first half.

Viacom power struggle ends as CEO agrees to exit

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SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 19, 2016 (AFP) - Media giant Viacoms nasty corporate power struggle ended on Friday with 93-year-old mogul Sumner Redstone remaining atop his empire and chief executive Philippe Dauman walking.Viacom chief operating officer Tom Dooley took over as interim chief, with Dauman remaining non-executive chairman until he leaves the board on September 13, according to a copy of a memo obtained by AFP.Late last night the boards of Viacom and National Amusements approved an agreement to settle their dispute, Dooley said in the memo.The final agreement is expected to be signed and announced shortly.The agreement expands the size of the board, adding five new directors nominated by National Amusements, according to Dooley.Various media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, reported that Dauman agreed to resign in exchange for a $72 million severance package.Under terms of the deal, Dauman would end legal battles against Redstone and his daughter, Shari.The litigation threatened to make public details about the health of the elder Redstone, whose fitness and mental status had already been questioned in legal proceedings by a former companion who described him as a living ghost.- Power grab -==============Viacoms management, led by Dauman and board member George Abrams, have alleged in court that Shari Redstone effectively controls her ailing father and is making a power grab for his $40 billion media empire.It includes entertainment conglomerate Viacom which is home to the Paramount Pictures movie studio, and television group CBS.Dauman and Abrams sought in a Massachusetts court to speed up their fight against being dismissed as trustees of National Amusements Trust, which controls Sumner Redstones National Amusements holding company.They asked the court to quickly order a medical examination of Redstone, alleging he is not mentally competent to make business decisions and that he was being manipulated by his daughter, who was supposedly behind their dismissals.He is a 93-year-old man suffering from overwhelming physical ailments, including an inability to speak, stand, walk, eat, write or read, they alleged.He suffers from a progressive neurological disease characterized by dementia.A judge in Delaware last month gave the green light for a separate trial over the removal of five Viacom board members, including Dauman. The trial, scheduled for October, would examine Redstones ability to manage his operations.National Amusements exercised its indisputable rights as Viacoms majority shareholder to make changes to Viacoms board, a spokesperson said at the time.And in California, a judge dismissed a suit by Redstones ex-girlfriend Manuela Herzer who alleged he was incapable of making the decision to kick her out of his house, and requested that she be reappointed his caretaker.- Paramount Pictures play -===========================Long considered very close to the tycoon, Dauman was ousted in recent months from positions managing the family fortune.Remaining for a time as non-executive chairman of the board could give Dauman a chance to pitch his plan to sell as much as 49 percent of Paramount Pictures, according to reports.That plan is said to be one of the main points of contention with the Redstone family.Many investors, however, have been critical of Dauman for not reacting more effectively to the rise of online video and a slide in the Viacom share price.

Australia's Chloe Esposito wins modern pentathlon gold medal

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 19, 2016 (AFP) - Chloe Esposito stormed through the closing running-shooting combined contest to win the womens modern pentathlon gold at the Rio Olympics on Friday, giving Australia its first medal in the five-discipline event.Esposito was seventh going into the final stage of competition, which combines a 3,200m run with pistol shooting.She started 45 seconds behind Polands top-ranked Oktawia Nowacka, but missed just one target in the four lots of five shots as she worked her way to the top of the field.Her final combined time of 12min, 10.19sec took her points total to an Olympic record of 1,372 and the gold.Elodie Clouvel of France won silver with 1,356 points and bronze went to Nowacka with 1,349.I know combined is my strongest event but I just didnt want to think about getting a medal, (thinking) Ive gotta do this, Ive gotta do that, she said.I just thought I am good at this event, I enjoy it the most, Im gonna have fun with it, Esposito added.The Aussie, coached by her former Olympian father Daniel, was also cheered on by her brother, Max, who competes in the mens modern pentathlon on Saturday.Sixth after swimming and fencing, she produced a solid ride in the penultimate show jumping, with two obstacle penalties and two time penalties.She benefitted when 2012 gold medallist Laura Asadauskaite and 2008 Beijing champion Lena Schoneborn of Germany were ruled out of medal contention when their horses refused four jumps.I still cant believe it. First person ever in Australia to win a medal in pentathlon, and I cant describe it, said Esposito, whose father represented Australia in modern pentathlon at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and was selected for the 1988 Games but missed the trip to Seoul through injury.Inspired by her fathers feats she set her sights on the Olympics, although she at first wasnt attracted by her fathers sport.But with athletics, swimming and riding on her plate she decided to take a stab at the other two disciplines -- although her training schedule was complicated by the fact that she trained with a different club for each.In 2014 she moved with her father and brother to Hungary to focus on her training and the move has paid off with solid World Cup performances and, now, a gold that had her beaming on the medal podium.I was just thinking of all the hard training Ive put in in the past four years, she said. Its been a tough road.

Olympics: Germany win women's football gold

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RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - Germany handed departing coach Silvia Neid the perfect send off by claiming womens football Olympic gold for the first time thanks to a 2-1 win over Sweden in front of a huge crowd at Rios Maracana.Dzsenifer Marozsans sweet strike and Lisa Sembrants comical own goal put Germany 2-0 up early in the second-half before Stina Blackstenius gave Sweden a lifeline.Canada beat hosts Brazil 2-1 in Sao Paulo earlier on Friday to claim bronze.With Brazils men taking on Germany in their final tomorrow, the boisterous home crowd roared on the Swedes in the final stages.However, it was to no avail as Sweden boss Pia Sundhage missed out on a third consecutive Olympic title after leading the USA to gold in 2008 and 2012.Victory handed Neid a golden goodbye in her last game after a hugely successful 11 years in charge, including wins at the 2007 World Cup and 2009 and 2013 European championships.Sweden had been criticised, most notably by outspoken USA goalkeeper Hope Solo, for their defensive tactics in upsetting the world champions and Brazil in the previous two rounds on penalty shootouts.However, they started on the front foot against the two-time world champions and should have gone in front when Olivia Schough spooned over Lotta Schelins low cross.Germany went onto have the better chances in the first-half, though, as Melanie Leupolz headed over from close range before Anja Mittag somehow blasted wide with the goal gaping.Marozsan showed much more composure with the first opening of the second-half as the Lyon forward curled the ball beautifully into the top corner.Another Marozsan effort provoked Germanys second as her free-kick came back off the post and Sembrants panicked clearance sent the ball crashing back into her own goal.Sweden, having scored just three goals in reaching the final, finally showed their attacking abilities with a well-worked move finished off by Blackstenius five minutes later.Schough had a huge chance to equalise five minutes from the end, but some frantic German defending finally managed to hack the ball clear.Canada completed the podium as hosts Brazil lost for the second time in three days to miss out on a medal.Goals either side of half-time from Deanne Rose and veteran captain Christine Sinclair on her 250th international appearance silenced a passionate crowd and saw Canada defend the bronze medal they won in London four years ago.

Estelle Mossely becomes first Frenchwoman to win boxing gold medal

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 19, 2016 (AFP) - Estelle Mossely celebrated her 24th birthday in style by punching her way into the history books as she became the first Frenchwoman to win Olympic boxing gold on Friday.Mossely also saw her fiance Tony Yoka battle into the mens super-heavyweight final less than an hour earlier and the pair plan to soon marry -- making it a particularly special 2016 for Frances latest heroine.France is enjoying its best Olympics in boxing with the possibility of two more gold to come at the weekend for Yoka and Sarah Ourahmoune.Yoka was watching from the stands, still in the red vest he had fought in and with a white towel around his neck. He wiped away tears as Mossely edged a nervy split-points decision 2-1 over Chinas Yin Junhua in their lightweight clash.He then joined in as a small but vocal contingent of French staff and fans serenaded Mossely with happy birthday.She said that gold made her feel complete.Its a lovely birthday present. It is a beautiful birthday present and it is fitting after all of these years of training and studying, she said.I am very, very honoured to have won this gold medal and to be the first woman to win for France.Mossely is now desperate to see Yoka complete a perfect Games for the lovebirds.We have two parts of a contract and he has the second part in his hands. What can I say? Its just good for us.Mossely grabbed the initiative from the first bell but was down on the judges scorecards and in danger of seeing her birthday ruined.I spoke to my coach and he said, Youve trained hard for this, youre setting a good pace, you have good cardio, and he urged me on, she said.So from there it was just all instinct, trying to give more and more and more. And it worked.Mossely was the deserved winner having been the aggressor in the opening exchanges and to the very end of the bout against Yin, who was in fits of tears later when she collected her silver medal.

Olympics: 'Little Spaniard' Marin breaks Asian grip on badminton gold

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RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - Spains Carolina Marin shrieked her way to a historic Olympic badminton gold on Friday as she beat Indias P.V. Sindhu in three games to become the first non-Asian womens singles champion.World champion Marin won 19-21, 21-12, 21-15 to break an Asian hegemony dating back to badmintons advent as an Olympic sport in 1992, while Sindhu became the first Indian woman ever to win a Games silver medal.Im a little Spaniard that broke the Asian world. My dream has come true, Marin, the 23-year-old world number one, told reporters after grabbing a rare medal for a European country in the sport.Marin, who celebrated almost every point she won by screeching at the top of her voice, lost the first game but stormed back to dominate the second and third games.Marin was told off by the umpire on several occasions about her screaming, while she and Sindhu also engaged in a series of discussions about changing shuttles.Marin claimed it was part of her strategy to keep the shuttles new and quick, while Sindhu wanted to stick with older ones.She didnt want to change the shuttle because she wanted me to lose focus, left-hander Marin said of her opponent.It was a little bit slow and sometimes you have to control everything on court, she added. The third and final game was locked at 10-10 before Marin went 14-10 ahead. It was a gap that Sindhu could not bridge as the Spaniard went to 20-15 before finishing off her Indian counterpart in an engrossing encounter.She became the first non-Chinese winner since the Atlanta 1996 Games, when South Korean Bang Soo-Hyun struck gold. Indonesian Susi Susanti won at Barcelona 1992, badmintons debut as an Olympic sport.Sindhus hard-fought silver was Indias second medal of the Rio Olympics after female wrestler Sakshi Malik claimed bronze on Wednesday.The 21-year-old played down the effects of her opponents on-court vocal exercises.I was really prepared for everything because I knew it would happen. Itll happen every time. Its always there. I didnt get really annoyed. Its all part of the game, she said.Sindhu also went one better than her Indian team-mate Saina Nehwal, who won bronze at London 2012.It was Carolinas day today and thats it. I never thought I would make it to the final. Overall it was a very good match and Im on cloud nine right now, she added.Japans Nozomi Okuhara was awarded bronze after being given a walkover against Chinas defending champion Li Xuerui, who was injured in her semi-final defeat to Marin on Thursday.If I could have got it by actually playing that would have been better but I have achieved my goal of winning an Olympic medal here, said Okuhara.

Olympics: Birthday girl Mossely first Frenchwoman to win boxing gold

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RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - Estelle Mossely celebrated her birthday in style by punching her way into the history books as she became the first Frenchwoman to win Olympic boxing gold on Friday.Mossely, who turned 24, also saw her fiance Tony Yoka battle into the mens super-heavyweight final less than an hour earlier.She edged a nervy split-points decision 2-1 over Chinas Yin Junhua in their lightweight clash, with Mira Potkonen of Finland and the Russian Anastasiia Beliakova taking home a bronze medal each.Mossely was the deserved winner having been the aggressor in the opening exchanges and to the very end of the bout against Yin, who was in fits of tears later when she collected her silver medal.Backed by a small but vocal French contingent and with Yoka watching on still in the red vest he had fought in, Mossely rattled Yin at the end of the second with a fierce right that catapulted the Chinese back towards her own corner.Mossely was again on the attack at the end of the third, one left-right-left combination stunning the Chinese.And the Frenchwoman came out all guns blazing at the start of the fourth and final round -- as Yoka bellowed his support from the crowd, a white towel around his neck.Mossely had eased into the final without breaking sweat after Beliakova badly injured her left arm in the first round of their semi-final on Wednesday.The Russian was rushed out of the arena in tears and in a wheelchair, but returned to pick up her bronze on the podium, her arm in a sling.Womens boxing -- there are three categories -- made its debut at the London 2012 Games but the lightweight champion there, Irelands Katie Taylor, made an early exit from Rio.

Olympics: Coe hails Bolt the genius, foresees leading role

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RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt is a genius whose longevity guarantees his place as a legend worthy of a continuing role in track and field, IAAF president Sebastian Coe told AFP in an interview on Friday.Bolt has won both the 100 and 200m at the Rio Games to match similar feats at the Beijing and London Olympics in 2008 and 2012 respectively.The Jamaican has the chance of making it a triple-triple of Olympic golds when he races in the 4x100m relay later Friday.The man is a genius, Coe told AFP. Theres been nobody since Muhammad Ali whos got remotely near to what this guy has done in terms of grabbing the public imagination.If youd said to me back in 2008, given the average longevity of sprinters, that this guy would still be doing what hes still doing two Games later, you would have taken long odds on it.We throw the word great around far too much, there arent too many great of anythings.Coe, who won two Olympic 1500m golds for Britain in the 1980 and 1984 Games, said his litmus test for greatness came down to the number of years spent grafting on the track.The difference between the great and the good is longevity and he has longevity and thats what clinches it for me with him, Mo Farah and other people who come back here four years, sometimes eight years, later, he said.No ones done it better than Bolt.Coe conceded that athletics would be a poorer place without Bolt, but insisted other athletes would come along to fill the vacuum.Its a massive gap, but its not a gap that is insuperable, Coe said.You could be forgiven for thinking were in a 1973, 1974 discussion asking what are we going to do when Alis gone?Well, Floyd Mayweather, Marvin Hagler, Manny Pacquiao and Sugar Ray Leonard come along.Youre not going to fill that gap overnight, but there are great, talented athletes out there.The onus on us now is to make sure the rest of the world know just how good they are.Bolt said after winning the 200m that you would have to ask Coe what he might do after his retirement from the track.And the Briton, who took over the IAAF from disgraced predecessor Lamine Diack last September, confirmed that talks were under way and would continue on a potential role for Bolt within athletics.Weve already discussed that. We started these discussions two or three years ago, Coe said.Ive been very clear, I said Whenever you decide to do other things, lets make sure in that portfolio of those things you will obviously want to go off and do, we dont lose you from the sport.Im very intent on that, he said, adding: Its one of those discussions that probably you can in reality only have once someones got their competitive years behind them.Hes in no doubt at all about how the sport feels about him and certainly how I do as a president.

German women win football gold medal at Olympics

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 19, 2016 (AFP) - Germany handed departing coach Silvia Neid the perfect send off by claiming womens football Olympic gold for the first time thanks to a 2-1 win over Sweden in front of a huge crowd at Rios Maracana.Dzsenifer Marozsans sweet strike and Lisa Sembrants comical own goal put Germany 2-0 up early in the second-half before Stina Blackstenius gave Sweden a lifeline.Canada beat hosts Brazil 2-1 in Sao Paulo earlier on Friday to claim bronze.With Brazils men taking on Germany in their final tomorrow, the boisterous home crowd roared on the Swedes in the final stages.However, it was to no avail as Sweden boss Pia Sundhage missed out on a third consecutive Olympic title after leading the USA to gold in 2008 and 2012.Victory handed Neid a golden goodbye in her last game after a hugely successful 11 years in charge, including wins at the 2007 World Cup and 2009 and 2013 European championships.Sweden had been criticised, most notably by outspoken USA goalkeeper Hope Solo, for their defensive tactics in upsetting the world champions and Brazil in the previous two rounds on penalty shootouts.However, they started on the front foot against the two-time world champions and should have gone in front when Olivia Schough spooned over Lotta Schelins low cross.Germany went onto have the better chances in the first-half, though, as Melanie Leupolz headed over from close range before Anja Mittag somehow blasted wide with the goal gaping.Marozsan showed much more composure with the first opening of the second-half as the Lyon forward curled the ball beautifully into the top corner.Another Marozsan effort provoked Germanys second as her free-kick came back off the post and Sembrants panicked clearance sent the ball crashing back into her own goal.Sweden, having scored just three goals in reaching the final, finally showed their attacking abilities with a well-worked move finished off by Blackstenius five minutes later.Schough had a huge chance to equalise five minutes from the end, but some frantic German defending finally managed to hack the ball clear.Canada completed the podium as hosts Brazil lost for the second time in three days to miss out on a medal.Goals either side of half-time from Deanne Rose and veteran captain Christine Sinclair on her 250th international appearance silenced a passionate crowd and saw Canada defend the bronze medal they won in London four years ago.

Olympics: Mis-hit serves cost Malaysia first ever Games gold

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RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - Two mis-hit serves caused by nerves on match point in a pulsating mens badminton doubles final dramatically cost Malaysia a first ever Olympic gold medal on Friday.The Malaysian pair of Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong appeared set to make history for their country by beating Chinese duo Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan, only to buckle under the pressure.Malaysia were 20-19 up in the third and deciding game with 27-year-old Tan serving for Olympic glory and sporting immortality back home.However, he inexplicably served the shuttlecock short, gifting a point to the Chinese. The Malaysians regrouped and again went ahead. This time it was Goh serving for the match with the score at 21-20, but he fluffed it into the net, granting a relieved China another reprieve.China then won two points on the spin, including the match-winner which was hit long by Tan, breaking the hearts of Malaysians who are long used to badminton disappointments on the biggest stage.It was nerves. I think we rushed to get the (match-winning) point, a devastated Tan said afterwards.We wanted to win it and it never worked. We made a mistake. Were very disappointed. We wanted to win a first gold for the country and ourselves but unfortunately we lost, he added.Malaysia won the first game 21-16 before China got back in the match with a convincing 21-11 triumph in the second before the 23-21 score in the third.In the last few points I made many easy mistakes. Im very disappointed, said a rueful Goh, 27.It was Chinas first badminton gold medal of the Rio Games, a woeful return for the shuttling powerhouse which won a clean sweep of five gold medals four years ago in London.It was the second consecutive Olympic gold medal in mens doubles for 32-year-old Fu. He claimed silver at Beijing 2008 as well.Our Malaysian opponents felt some pressure and we did sense some changes in their mentality, Fu told reporters.We didnt think too much about losing. I never want to consider that possibility. We just carried on, played well and grabbed the opportunity when it mattered, he added. Zhang, 26, collected his second medal of Rio 2016 after claiming bronze in the mixed doubles.Britains Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge won mens doubles bronze on Thursday with a 21-18, 19-21, 21-10 victory of Chai Biao and Hong Wei.It was only Britains third ever Olympic badminton medal and first since 2004.Lee Chong Wei, who lost the last two Olympic finals, has another shot at that elusive gold medal for Malaysia in Saturdays singles showdown against Chinas Chen Long.
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