Friday, 9 September 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

US and Russia agree Syria truce plan

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GENEVA (AFP) - The United States and Russia agreed a deal Friday to impose a ceasefire in Syria, and if the truce holds they will begin a joint military effort against Islamic jihadists. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the truce would come into force on Monday, the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.The two powers back opposite sides of the conflict, with Moscow supporting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and the US behind a coalition of rebel groups it regards as moderate.But if Russia is able to use its leverage over Assad to respect the ceasefire for a week, Moscow and Washington will begin joint air strikes against agreed terrorist targets.The much anticipated breakthrough came at the end of marathon talks between Lavrov and Kerry in Geneva, as the pair push for an end of the five-year civil war that has killed 290,000 and displaced half the countrys population.Today, the United States and Russia are announcing a plan which we hope will reduce violence, ease suffering and resume movement towards a negotiated peace and a political transition in Syria, Kerry said.The vexed question of President Bashar al-Assads fate remains, with Western powers calling for his removal and Russia backing him.But both Kerry and Lavrov said the plan represents the best available chance to end the fighting between Assad and the mainstream opposition rebels, while still targeting Al Nusra jihadist rebels and Islamic State extremists.Lavrov stressed that his country had long been calling for closer cooperation with the US to fight Al Nusra, Al-Qaedas Syrian affiliate, and the Islamic State.Despite all the problems, despite the mistrust, despite the attempts to disrupt what we agreed today, we have been able to work on a package of documents, Lavrov said.All this creates the conditions for a return to the political process, he added.The Pentagon warned in a statement following the announcement that any potential military cooperation between the US and Russia was contingent on the terms of the truce being fully met.We will jointly agree on strikes against terrorists to be carried out by the Russian and American air forces. We have agreed on the zones in which these strikes will be carried out, said Lavrov. Only the Russian and American air forces will work in these zones, he added.US and its allies have been insisting that Assads own air force, accused of widespread civilian massacres, must stand down.The final hours of the talks dragged out as Kerry contacted US President Barack Obamas office to get approval for the plan, but the top diplomat said both governments stand behind it.The United States is going the extra mile here because we believe that Russia and my colleague have the capability to press the Assad regime to stop this conflict and come to the table and make peace, Kerry said.The ceasefire should see Syrian and allied forces pull back from positions on key supply routes around Aleppo, allowing desperately needed humanitarian access to the communities besieged in the five-year-old conflict.The UNs Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura joined Kerry and Lavrov after their talks and welcomed the deal, which he said he will to take to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and to seek international support for its implementation.The United Nations hopes that the political will that led to this understanding is sustained, Mistura said in a statement.Washington wants concrete steps from Russia to force Assad to stop bombing Syrian citizens, respect a ceasefire and lift the siege of the northern city of Aleppo.Though Lavrov cautioned that Moscow could not 100 percent guarantee that all the parties would obey the ceasefire.Pro-regime forces have taken back a strategically important district on Aleppos southern outskirts, rolling back nearly every gain from a month-long rebel offensive there.The government advance further sealed off Aleppos opposition-held eastern districts, and regime troops backed by the Russian air force have completely encircled opposition-held neighbourhoods.And in another major blow to the rebels, the military commander of the Army of Conquest, the largest rebel alliance, was killed in an air strike, Islamist sources said Thursday.Rebels are now back to square one, under an even more ruthless siege, Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP.In Aleppo, desperate civilians described a battle for survival.This siege is much harder than the first one. During the first one, there were at least some products still in the market -- now theres nothing at all, said one shopper, Omar al-Beik. No products, no vegetables, no sugar. Nothing. We came to buy a few things to cook and we couldnt find a thing, he told AFP.In the nearby Al-Sakhur district, Abu Omar said he was bracing himself for more shortages. He and his three children are surviving on rice, bulghur wheat and lentils, and had not had bread in three days. Theres a risk that well be starving in two weeks, he said. The Syrian war began as a pro-democracy revolt in 2011 but morphed into a multi-front conflict after the regime unleashed a crackdown.

Air strike kills top jihadist rebel commander in Syria

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BEIRUT (AFP) - The commander of Syrias largest rebel coalition has been killed in an air strike near Aleppo, in what analysts say is the biggest blow to the alliance since its formation.The strike on a meeting of leaders of the Army of Conquest came after a major defeat for the rebels, which saw them once again besieged inside Aleppo after a pro-government advance this week. Former Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, renamed Fateh al-Sham Front when it broke ties in July, announced on Twitter the martyrdom of commander Abu Omar Saraqeb in an air strike.The jihadist Fateh al-Sham is a leading member of the Army of Conquest alliance, which groups its fighters with those of Islamist factions such as Ahrar al-Sham. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said unidentified aircraft hit the Army of Conquest meeting on Thursday night, killing Saraqeb and another rebel commander named as Abu Muslim al-Shami.Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said it was not clear whether the strike was carried out by the Syrian regime or its Russian ally.In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said the US military was not involved. It was not a US strike, he said.A US defence official later told AFP that Russia was the leading suspect in the strike.A US-led coalition carries out daily air raids in northern Syria targeting the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, but it has steered clear of Aleppo, where Russian and regime forces are battling rebels.This is undoubtedly the biggest blow ever inflicted on Fateh al-Sham and the Army of Conquest in Syria, Abdel Rahman told AFP.According to the Observatory, Saraqeb was a leading member of Al-Qaeda in Iraq -- a precursor to IS -- in its fight against the US-led occupation of that country after 2003.He went on to become a key commander of Al-Nusra Front in Syria.Abu Omar reportedly also founded Al-Nusra Fronts Lebanon branch which has claimed responsibility for several bombings in Syrias western neighbour.He has operated under different noms de guerre, making it difficult to know his nationality.He led a major offensive by the Army of Conquest in spring last year that saw it seize control of nearly all of the northwestern province of Idlib.But the alliance has been less successful in and around Aleppo, where it was dealt a major blow by regime forces this week.In early August, Saraqeb led an offensive against pro-government fighters encircling the rebel-held east of the divided city and opened up a new supply route from the south that broke the siege.But this week regime loyalists backed by Russian jets recaptured nearly all of the territory taken last month and reimposed the blockade on the estimated 250,000 civilians in rebel-held neighbourhoods. Pro-jihadist accounts on Twitter mourned Saraqebs death, calling him a heroic martyr.The targeting of the symbols of this blessed revolution will only increase our determination to achieve our goals, pledged one Army of Conquest brigade.Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute think tank, said Saraqeb had helped found the Army of Conquest last year and once served as the emir of Idlib province.Amid Syrias fractious rebel movement, he was an advocate of military unity as well as an ideological hardliner who held strong views on how society should be controlled, Lister told AFP.He said the raid on Thursday targeted a meeting that would plan a fresh rebel offensive to break the re-besieging of Aleppo.It remains unclear the extent to which Abu Omars death will have an impact on the fight for Aleppo and the broader rebel movement in Syria.According to Syria expert Thomas Pierret, the Army of Conquest remains the only group that could credibly claim that it can break the siege of Aleppo. The consequences of this assassination will undoubtedly be more political than military, as jihadist groups are generally well-prepared to replenish their cadres, he told AFP. Aleppo has been ravaged by fighting since the rebels seized eastern districts in 2012, with the former commercial hub transformed into a bombed-out city.

UN to begin work on new North Korea sanctions

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN Security Council agreed on Friday to immediately begin work on a new raft of sanctions on North Korea after its fifth nuclear test drew global condemnation.During a meeting behind closed doors, the council strongly condemned the test and agreed to begin drafting a new resolution under article 41 of the UN charter, which provides for sanctions.The members of the Security Council will begin to work immediately on appropriate measures under article 41 in a Security Council resolution, New Zealands Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen, who holds the councils rotating presidency, told reporters after the urgent talks.South Korea, the United States, Japan, Russia and China all condemned the blast at the Punggye-ri nuclear site, the Norths most powerful yet at 10 kilotons.The council met at the request of Japan, South Korea and the United States to agree on a response, despite resistance from China, Pyongyangs ally, to calls for tougher measures.After the meeting, Chinas Ambassador Liu Jieyi sidestepped questions about Beijings support for sanctions.We are opposed to testing and we believe that it is more urgent than ever to work together to ensure denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, Liu said.All sides should refrain from mutual provocation and any action that might exacerbate the situation.North Korea has been hit by five sets of UN sanctions since it first tested a nuclear device in 2006.After Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test, the council in March adopted the toughest sanctions resolution to date targeting North Koreas trade in minerals and tightening banking restrictions.Work on that resolution took two months, with the United States engaged directly with China on the sweeping measures.Since that measure was adopted, North Korea has carried out 21 ballistic missile launches, US Ambassador Samantha Power said, describing those tests and Pyongyangs second nuclear detonation this year as more than brazen defiance.North Korea is seeking to perfect its nuclear weapons and their delivery vehicles so they can hold the region and the world hostage under threat of nuclear strike, Power said.France backed plans for a new resolution to make clear to Pyongyang that its actions will have consequences.We believe new sanctions are indispensable, French Ambassador Francois Delattre said.Pyongyangs state media said the nuclear test had realized the countrys goal of being able to fit a miniaturized warhead on a rocket.Our nuclear scientists staged a nuclear explosion test on a newly developed nuclear warhead at the countrys northern nuclear test site, a North Korean TV presenter said.The first indications of an underground explosion came when seismic monitors detected a 5.3-magnitude artificial earthquake near the Punggye-ri nuclear site.The 10-kiloton blast was nearly twice the (power of the) fourth nuclear test and slightly less than the Hiroshima bombing, which was measured about 15 kilotons, said Kim Nam-Wook of the Souths meteorological agency.North Koreans gathered around public screens to watch the official announcement of the test -- which came on the 68th anniversary of the countrys founding.The test came as American and South Korean forces staged a re-enactment of the Incheon landing, 66 years after the start of Operation Chromite, the battle that turned the tide in the Korean War.North Koreas nuclear program has accompanied a series of ballistic missile launches, the latest of which took place on Monday as world powers gathered for a G20 meeting in China.This weeks events pose yet another challenge for China, which has been under pressure to rein in its increasingly aggressive neighbor.Beijing strongly condemned the test, but has limited room to maneuver. Its priority is to avoid the regimes collapse, which would create a crisis on its border and shift the balance of power on the Korean peninsula toward the United States.US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter called for further pressure on North Korea, but said China bore responsibility for tackling the problem.China shares important responsibility for this development and has an important responsibility to reverse it, he said.Its important that it use its location, its history and its influence to further the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and not the direction things have been going.

Car bomb attacks near Baghdad mall kill 10: police

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BAGHDAD (AFP) - Two car bomb blasts outside a shopping mall in central Baghdad late Friday killed at least 10 people and wounded another 28, police and medical sources said.One explosion came from a parked car and the other was caused by an explosives-laden vehicle driven by a suicide bomber outside the Nakheel mall, a police colonel said.The preliminary casualty toll was at least 10 people killed and 28 wounded, the officer said. An official in Baghdads health department confirmed the figures.An interior ministry source also confirmed the details of the attack, which he said took place just before midnight (2100 GMT).The mall opened last year on Palestine street in central Baghdad and shops were likely to have remained open late during the weekend preceding next weeks Eid al-Adha feast.The multi-storey shopping mall houses one of the citys most popular cinemas.Interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan however said no casualties were reported inside the mall.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the double bombing but all such attacks recently have been claimed by the Islamic State group.The latest of these, on Tuesday, killed at least seven people near a hospital in Baghdads busy district of Karrada.Karrada was still reeling from a July suicide truck bomb explosion that killed more than 300 people, the deadliest single bombing ever to hit the Iraqi capital.IS has suffered a string of military defeats over the past year and the caliphate it proclaimed in June 2014 seems doomed.As the jihadist organisation loses territory across Iraq, observers and officials alike have warned that IS may revert to carrying out campaigns of terror attacks instead of attempting to hold fixed positions.

IS attack kills 3 more Turkish soldiers in Syria

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ISTANBUL (AFP) - Three Turkish soldiers were killed and another wounded in an attack Friday on an army tank launched by Islamic State (IS) group jihadists in northern Syria, the Turkish army said in a statement on state media. The new fatalities come after three Turkish soldiers were killed in a rocket attack by IS this week. Turkey had blamed the death of one soldier on August 28 in a similar attack on Kurdish militia.In a statement posted on the jihadist accounts, IS claimed the tank attack.The tank was hit during clashes in the Tel Al-Hawa region in northern Syria, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported, quoting the army statement. Turkey launched an unprecedented operation inside Syria on August 24, sending tanks and special troops to back Syrian opposition rebels in a bid to remove IS jihadists from the entire border area. On Friday, the Turkish army said it had struck 15 IS targets 41 times, adding that four IS-held buildings had been destroyed in air operations. Ankara-backed fighters seized the town of Jarabulus from IS jihadists on the first day of the operation, without much resistance from the extremist group. As well as attacking the jihadists, Turkey has been working to push out the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its Peoples Protection Units (YPG) militia from the area.The latest fatalities come as Turkey is considering an ambitious plan to capture from the jihadists the Syrian town of Raqa, the de facto capital of IS, an operation that would be on a different scale from Jarabulus.Speculation has grown of a possible joint Turkey-US operation to seize Raqa and possibly IS-held Mosul in northern Iraq after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed he had discussed the issue with US counterpart Barack Obama at the G20 in China.Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Friday such an operation to boot out IS could be successful if supported by coalition air power. The spokesperson of the US-led coalition against IS, John Dorrian, tweeted on Thursday that Turkey, the United States and Syrian opposition fighters were working to come up with a game plan for Raqa.Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Friday the Syria operation was aimed at securing Turkeys southern border.He vowed to press ahead with the military offensive against not only Daesh (IS) but also other terror groups like PYD and YPG until this goal is achieved.Turkey sees the Syrian Kurdish militia force YPG as a terror group affiliated with its outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) waging a bloody campaign against the Turkish state.

Pence releases tax returns but Trump refuses

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Republican White House hopeful Donald Trumps running mate released 10 years of tax returns on Friday, but his billionaire boss still refuses to do so, leading critics to cry foul over his lack of transparency.Mike Pences tax returns are quite simple compared to the financials of bombastic real estate magnate Trump.Pence reported that he and his wife Karen earned a total of $113,026 in adjusted gross income last year, most of it from his salary as governor of Indiana and including nearly $9,000 in pensions or annuities.They paid $8,956 in federal income taxes, at an effective tax rate of 12.40 percent.The Pences were able to obtain a relatively low tax rate thanks to losses and tax breaks they claimed, including $8,923 in gifts to charity.Their 2015 income was the lowest of the 10 years of released tax returns, though in all years they brought home a six-figure income. The peak came in 2009 and 2010, when they earned more than $187,000.The Pence family has been honored to serve their state and their nation for the past 16 years, while raising three great children and putting them through college, said spokesman Marc Lotter.These tax returns clearly show that Mike and Karen Pence have paid their taxes, supported worthy causes, and, unlike the Clintons, the Pences have not profited from their years in public service.Every major US presidential nominee since Richard Nixon has released their tax returns before the election, but Trump has repeatedly punted on the issue.In releasing Pences returns, Trumps campaign again said Friday that the candidate plans to release his tax returns upon completion of a routine audit.Trumps rival for the presidency, Democratic nominee and former first lady Hillary Clinton, has described Trump as dead wrong for saying that his tax returns were not the concern of everyday Americans.He clearly has something to hide, she said this week.Christina Reynolds, a deputy spokeswoman for Clintons campaign, added: As prominent Republicans have speculated, Trumps returns could reveal further ties to Russia and its oligarchs, the truth about his personal wealth, or more lies about his charitable contributions. But we wont know until we see them.Were pleased to see that one member of the Trump ticket has decided to meet the long-held threshold for disclosure in a modern day presidential campaign, she said.But its Donald Trump... running to be our next president.

Kante even better than Makelele, says Matic

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SWANSEA, United Kingdom (AFP) - New Chelsea enforcer NGolo Kante is so good that he is even better than Stamford Bridge legend Claude Makelele, fellow midfielder Nemanja Matic has declared.Attention ahead of Sundays trip to Swansea City has focused on David Luiz, the Brazil centre-back who will make his second debut for Chelsea following his return from Paris Saint Germain on the final day of the transfer window.But Matic highlighted the immediate impact of midfield partner Kante, another big-money signing who arrived from Premier League champions Leicester City, saying he has been instrumental in Chelseas perfect start under new boss Antonio Conte.Kante has drawn comparisons with fellow Frenchman Makelele, who excelled in the holding midfield role during Chelseas back-to-back Premier League title triumphs in 2005 and 2006 during Jose Mourinhos first spell as manager.But Matic told Sky Sports: Many people say that he is the new Makelele, but I dont think so.Makelele was a great player and we all respect him, me especially because I know that position and how it is difficult to play.But I think that NGolo is better than him. He is doing his defensive job very well and with the ball he has some extra quality.It is very hard for him and its going to be hard, but Im sure that he is ready. He is very important for us, especially in that position. You have to give balance to the team and he knows how he needs to do that job.Luizs return baffled pundits, but many Chelsea supporters were pleased to see the return of a player who helped the club to Champions League and Europa League success before moving to PSG for 50 million ($66 million, 59 million euros).The defenders reputation for making mistakes, however, has raised questions about the move to bring him back, even at a cut-price 32 million.Conte, though, has no concerns.Its important to have in a squad players with good personality, great personality, said Conte.Its important, this. Also, I want that great personality transposed on to the pitch. Im very happy when we have great players with personality. Its good. This changing room is a good changing room at Chelsea.The visit of Chelsea marks the start of a daunting run for Welsh club Swansea that includes games against Southampton, Manchester City and Liverpool.Swanseas opening-day victory over Burnley has been followed by losses to Hull and Leicester and left-back Neil Taylor acknowledged the significance of the coming run of fixtures.As a squad now we need to be ready for these next five to six games, said the Wales international. Its a testing run against top teams, not just top teams but teams that are playing very well at the moment.We have to be on top form, but at the Liberty (Stadium) we feel we can beat anybody on our day.Swansea hope to have record signing Borja Baston available for the first time following his 15.5 million arrival from Atletico Madrid, while Taylor is included in a league squad for the first time this season after an extended break following Waless run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.

Football: Blatter hit with FIFA bribery probe

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ZURICH (AFP) - Banned former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and his chief lieutenants were under fresh investigation Friday over alleged illicit salaries and bonuses totalling $80 million (71mn euros), FIFAs ethics committee said.Footballs scandal-plagued ruling body said in June that Blatter, Jerome Valcke and Markus Kattner had skimmed off the eight-figure sum in a coordinated effort to enrich themselves between 2011 and 2015.It says it has passed on details to the Swiss police, who along with US authorities are pursuing dozens of former football bosses over widespread corruption at the highest levels of the game.In a statement, the investigatory chamber of FIFAs ethics committee announced it had now opened formal proceedings against the three men, who it suspects of bribery, conflict of interest and corruption.Once the most powerful man in football, Blatter is already serving a six-year ban from football over ethics violations relating to a suspect $2 million payment he authorised in 2011 to former UEFA boss Michel Platini. Valcke was banned for 12 years, reduced to 10 on appeal, over misconduct regarding television deals and 2014 World Cup ticket sales.Kattner, who briefly succeeded Valcke as Blatters right-hand man, was fired in May over breaches involving millions of dollars.Under the FIFA code of ethics, the investigatory chamber shall examine all circumstances of the cases equally, Fridays statement said.For reasons linked to privacy rights and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, the investigatory chamber will not publish further details at the present time.Blatter, 80, who is fighting to overturn his ban from football, declined to make comment about the latest case against him.However, people close to the disgraced Blatter and Kattner say both men strongly deny the allegations. Blatter and Platini were the most prominent casualties during more than a year of unprecedented scandal that upended world football, but many others have fallen. Prosecutors in New York have indicted at least 40 football and sports marketing executives over allegedly receiving tens of millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks.The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which typically has the final word in major sport disputes, is expected to deliver a verdict in Blatters appeal within weeks.Blatter has said that he will respect the verdict.Separately, former CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb has been banned from all football-related activities for life, FIFA said.Webb was found guilty of charges including conflicts of interest and bribery and corruption. He was also fined one million Swiss francs ($1.02 million).Webb, who had been close to Blatter, was among those arrested in a dawn raid at a Zurich luxury hotel in May last year by Swiss police acting on a US warrant.

Football: Red-hot Lewandowski fires Bayern past Schalke

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BERLIN (AFP) - Robert Lewandowski and Joshua Kimmich struck late goals in Bayern Munichs 2-0 win at Schalke in the Bundesliga on Friday as teenage Portugal star Renato Sanches made his debut for the Bavarian giants.Dutch forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar rattled the crossbar for Schalke early in the second half as the hosts frustrated the reigning champions for much of the evening in Gelsenkirchen.But Lewandowski struck his fourth goal in two games nine minutes from the end to put Bayern ahead, before setting up Kimmich in stoppage time to wrap up a second victory in as many matches for Carlo Ancelottis side.The Italian handed Sanches, 19, his first Bayern start following his return to fitness from a thigh injury initially sustained during Portugals triumphant Euro 2016 campaign.Schalke coach Markus Weinzierl introduced two new faces of his own by fielding Ukrainian winger Yevhen Konoplyanka and Algeria midfielder Nabil Bentaleb after both joined the Royal Blues on loan last month.Lewandowski scored a hat-trick in Bayerns 6-0 demolition of Werder Bremen on the season-opening weekend, and the Poland striker missed an opportunity to add to his haul when he dragged wide from a Thomas Mueller cutback on 24 minutes.But Schalke, beaten 1-0 by Eintracht Frankfurt a fortnight ago, showed plenty of promise and Manuel Neuer and David Alaba combined to deny Huntelaar shortly before the break after Konoplyanka skipped past Mats Hummels.The Netherlands international went even closer on 56 minutes when Neuer produced a superb fingertip save to tip Huntelaars thunderous long-range effort onto the woodwork.Lewandowski should have broken the deadlock on 73 minutes when Alabas cross evaded Mueller, with last years leading scorer then somehow spooning the ball over from point-blank range.But he soon atoned for that glaring miss, taking Javi Martinezs through ball in his stride and rifling a clinical finish beyond Ralf Fahrmann to end Schalkes resistance.With the hosts pressing for an equaliser, Bayern hit Schalke on the counterattack in the dying stages and Lewandowski played in Kimmich to tuck away his first goal in the German top flight. On Saturday, Borussia Dortmund travel to promoted RB Leipzig, while Germany striker Mario Gomez is likely to make his Wolfsburg debut away to Cologne following his return to the Bundesliga after finishing as the top scorer in Turkey last season.Borussia Moenchengladbach, who visit Manchester City in their Champions League opener next week, must first go to promoted Freiburg.

Golf: Wiesberger grabs halfway lead at Dutch Open

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SPIJK (AFP) - Austrias Bernd Wiesberger carved out a one-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the Dutch Open after a five-under-par 66 in Fridays second round at Spijk.Wiesberger recovered superbly from a patchy start, having bogeyed two of his opening three holes, bouncing straight back to reel off three successive birdies.The 30-year-old made seven birdies in total as he matched his first-round 66, leaving him 10-under overall and well positioned for a tilt at a fourth European Tour victory this weekend.Ive been playing alright, Ive just not had breaks going for me, said Wiesberger, who has just two top-10 finishes this season following an impressive 2015 campaign.Ive not had a good, solid week on the greens. It was good to finally hole a couple of putts and get a score.Nino Bertasio had threatened to join Wiesberger atop the leaderboard, but a bogey at the 18th dropped the unheralded Italian into a three-way tie for second place after he signed for a four-under 67.Home hope Joost Luiten is level with Bertasio and Englishman Mark Foster after the Dutchman shot a flawless 64 in the joint-lowest round of the day. Overnight leader Ben Evans is another shot back along with Spains Alejandro Canizares and fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, while Australian Scott Hend, runner-up in a play-off at Crans Montana last weekend, is three strokes behind the leader.

Athletics: Smiling Thompson celebrates perfect dozen

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BRUSSELS (AFP) - Jamaicas double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson brought the curtain down on a spectacular season with her 12th straight 100m victory at Brussels Diamond League meeting on Friday.In a thrilling night of track and field which featured a couple of botched world record attempts, the stand-out performance unexpectedly came from American pole vaulter Sandi Morris, who became only the second female in history to go over the 5m barrier outdoors after Russian Yelena Isinbayeva.Although Morriss compatriot Jennifer Suhr has vaulted 5.03m, that was indoors, and the current Olympic silver medallist set a packed King Baudouin stadium alight when she cleared 5.00m.But she failed at three attempts at 5.07m, 1cm further than Isinbayevas world record.On the track, Thompson scorched to victory in a new meeting record of 10.72 seconds ahead of Dutch rival Dafne Schippers.The victory was Thompsons 12th consecutive in the blue-riband event in 2016, coming just weeks after she wrapped up golds in the 100 and 200m at the Rio Olympics.Now I can finally go back home, said the 24-year-old Jamaican, whose winning time meant she became the first woman in history to record four consecutive sub-10.8sec 100m times.I keep on smiling because this season was really great. If I had to summarise it in one word: WonderfulEuropean champion Schippers, who came fifth in the Rio 100m and took silver in the 200m, clocked 10.97sec for second ahead of another Jamaican in the shape of Christania Williams.I had a decent start in my race but when it came to accelerating at the midway stage, my hamstrings caused me some trouble, Schippers said.Ethiopian Almaz Ayana fell short in her bid to break compatriot Tirunesh Dibabas world 5000m record of 14min 11.15sec set in Oslo in 2008.Ayana, the reigning 5000m world champion who obliterated the world record when winning gold in the 10,000m in Rio, clocked a meeting record of 14:18.89, the eighth-fastest time ever run over the distance.She paid the price for a slow opening couple of laps and despite breaking out on her own with 2km to run, the Ethiopian left herself too much to do on the final lap, missing out on the record by 7sec.Seven of the 17-strong field set personal bests while the USAs Shannon Rowbury set an American continental record.There was also expected to be a tilt at a world record in the mens 3000m steeplechase, but in-form Kenyan Conseslus Kipruto fell well short of the 7:53.63 mark set in 2004 in Brussels by Kenyan-born Qatari Saif Saaeed Shaheen.Olympic champion Kipruto made it six wins on the Diamond League circuit this season, however, seeing off American Evan Jager in a winning time of 8:03.74.South African Caster Semenya, Olympic 800m gold medallist, pulled off an extraordinary victory in the womens 400m, setting a personal best of 50.40sec for the win that looked completely out of question after the first half of the race.Its fantastic said Semenya. This is suicide The 800m is much better, the 400m I do for speed.The South African judged her finish to perfection to see off Courtney Okolo and a threatening pack of Rio finalists led by Jamaicas Olympic bronze medallist Shericka Jackson.Three-time world 1500m champion Asbel Kiprops plans to put his sixth-place finish in Rio behind him faltered as he was trumped by Kenyan team-mate Timothy Cheruiyot in a fast finish.Cheruiyot just missed out on a sub-3:30 time, clocking a personal best of 3:31.34 with Moroccos Abdelaati Iguider taking second ahead of Kiprop.Olympic heptathlon champion Nafi Thiam delighted her home crowd by winning the womens high jump on countback from three others who also managed 1.93m, while Colombias imperious Olympic gold medallist Caterine Ibarguen won the triple jump (14.66m).

Cycling: Froome storms to time trial, cuts Quintana's Vuelta lead

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CALPE (AFP) - Tour de France winner Chris Froome maintained his outside hopes of winning the Vuelta a Espana by romping to victory in Fridays 19th stage time trial and cutting race leader Nairo Quintanas advantage to 1min 21sec.Froome finished the 37km route from Javea to Calpe in 46min 33sec to claim his second stage win of the race, 2min 16sec ahead of Colombias Quintana, who finished 11th.Two stages of the three-week tour remain, but with Sundays finale a mere procession around the streets of central Madrid, Saturdays 193.2km ride from Benidorm to Alto de Aitana will determine whether Froome can become the first man in 38 years to do the Tour de France-Vuelta double.Of course Im really happy with the result today, especially at this point of the season. This is the last race of my season, so I am really happy to still be in good condition, Froome told Spanish TV station Teledeporte.There is still one really tough day of racing tomorrow. Quintana still has more than one minute of advantage, but we will keep fighting all the way.Quintana, with Movistar, he has a really good team around him, so it is going to be difficult to beat him.Three-time Vuelta winner Alberto Contador moved up to third overall by finishing eighth on the day to leapfrog Esteban Chaves.Spains Jonathan Castroviejo finished second, 44 seconds behind Froome, with Swedens Tobias Ludvigsson third a further 40 seconds back.Quintanas early race prediction that he needed at least a three-minute lead over Froome to see off the Britons superior time-trialing ability proved correct as the Sky rider was in a class of his own in the race against the clock.Froome was flying, he posted a much better time than we expected, said Quintana.My stats werent bad and the important thing is I continue to have strong legs to be able to defend the lead in a very important day tomorrow.Froome was already 46 seconds up on Quintana at the first check point after 12.5km and passed Chaves, who had started two minutes ahead of him, before the end of the second sector.His lead on Quintana continued to rise from 1min 13sec at the second check to over two minutes by the end, but it is still unlikely to be enough after Quintana built up a huge 3min 37sec advantage with a surprise early attack on stage 15 which caught Sky cold and left Froome isolated.Initially we thought we needed more than three minutes to be able to defend the leaders jersey and we have done it. We have an advantage in our favour and now we need to defend it to Madrid, added Quintana.It is going to be a very important stage, the demands of today will cause some to suffer and we hope it doesnt affect me.There will be battles in the general classification which will interest a lot of people to push the pace. I have to just cover Chris and I have the team to do it.Chaves lost over a minute on Contador to slide to fourth, whilst American Andrew Talansky moved ahead of Britains Simon Yates into fifth.

Djokovic edges Monfils to reach final of US Open for the seventh time

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NEW YORK, Sept 9, 2016 (AFP) - Novak Djokovic downed Gael Monfils to reach a seventh US Open final Friday after a semi-final in which the Frenchman was roundly booed and accused of not trying.The world number one and defending champion won 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 and will face either Stan Wawrinka or Kei Nishikori in Sundays final where he will bid to win a third major of 2016 and 13th of his career.But his 13th win in 13 meetings with the mercurial Frenchman will go down as one of the oddest in Grand Slam history.In a match of high drama and controversy, Monfils was jeered for an apparent lack of effort as he threatened to capitulate in straight sets.The first question is like youre not competing. Fuck, yes, Im competing, insisted Monfils to reporters after the match.Djokovic, the 2011 and 2015 champion, needed treatment on each shoulder, including a medical timeout in the fourth set, as crushing humidity of 60 percent took its toll.At one stage, the Frenchman even called for a can of cola to help summon an extra level of energy while Djokovic went into Incredible Hulk mode by ripping off his shirt in frustration on dropping the third set.Monfils finished with 52 unforced errors while having to save 12 of 20 break points.Humid, said the 29-year-old Djokovic, now in a 21st Slam final, when asked to summarise the match.I think thats all we were thinking about and feeling in the last couple of sets.In decisive tense moments we had many exchanges from the baseline and Gael is one of the best athletes on the tour, very flexible.Djokovic will start as favourite in the final, holding a 19-4 lead over Wawrinka and 10-2 when facing Nishikori.In a bizarre first set, Djokovic raced to a 5-0 lead in just 15 minutes where his only challenge came from the stadium TV lights which he claimed were distracting.However, he was even more agitated by Monfilss curious decision to stand bolt upright inside the baseline waving his racquet airily at the ball.It looked lightweight but carried a mighty punch as the Frenchman saved four set points in the sixth and seventh games.Monfils broke in the seventh game before the Serb regained his composure to close out the set after 36 minutes.- Medical timeout -===================Djokovic was quickly 4-1 to the good in the second as Monfilss interest again appeared to wane.By the sixth game, the 30-year-old had won just nine points which he managed to nudge into double figures by the end of it.Monfils, playing in only his second Grand Slam semi-final after making the last-four at the 2008 French Open, theatrically hobbled off the court and was jeered.He was roundly booed again by sections of the 20,000-strong crowd as he dropped the first game of the third set.The Frenchman insisted his tactics were deliberate.Definitely I tried to get into his head, said Monfils.Theres not only one way to play tennis. When the guy is hitting clean and youre not serving good and I wasnt returning good, you just show him.You stand in the middle of the court. Start to double fault a little bit.Monfils is nothing if not unpredictable and the man who squandered a two sets to love lead and two match points against Roger Federer at the 2014 US Open, suddenly found the on-switch.He broke back for 2-2 and again for 4-2 as his villains mask slipped.Djokovic provided added unexpected spice by requiring treatment on his left shoulder when he slipped down 2-5 and then saved a set point in the eighth game.Monfils saved three break points in the ninth game before clinching the set, celebrating his lifeline with a mighty roar. Djokovic responded by tearing off his shirt.Both men were struggling in the late afternoons heavy humidity with Monfils supplementing his water intake with a can of cola at a changeover.Djokovic was the more energised, breaking for 3-1 in the fourth set before double-faulting for a sixth time to hand it straight back.The Serb then needed treatment on his troublesome right shoulder and took a medical timeout.He broke for a 4-2 lead and this time held for 5-2 before securing the tie with his eighth break of the match.

Dollar edges northward on Fed speculation

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar on Friday inched upwards on international currency markets as anticipation grew that US interest rates will rise this year.Toward 2100 GMT, the euro stood at $1.1232, down from $1.261 on Thursday. The pound bought $1.3268, down from $1.3295.In a speech Eric Rosengren, president of the Boston branch of the Federal Reserve and a voting member of the Feds policy committee this year, suggested a rate hike could be appropriate to avoid an overheating economy. His words touched off jitters on US equities markets, which fell upwards of two percent. Fed policy makers are next due to meet on September 20-21, meaning a rate hike could occur as soon as this month.Vassili Serebriakov of Credit Agricole said the Fed speculation and higher returns on US sovereign debt both supported demand for the dollar.It is kind of combination -- some hawkish Fed comments and higher US Treasury yields, he said. The overall backdrop has been more bullish over the last few days and so these comments did not really change the trend.

Pakistan recall Umar Akmal for West Indies T20s

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KARACHI (AFP) - Pakistan on Friday recalled explosive middle-order batsman Umar Akmal for its forthcoming Twenty20 series against the West Indies, five months after axing him on disciplinary grounds.The 26-year-old has taken on the mantle of Pakistans enfant terrible and has been involved in a number of on and off-field disciplinary breaches, the latest being a scuffle with a traffic policeman in Lahore last year.He was dropped after being heavily criticised in a post-mortem report written by head coach Waqar Younis in the aftermath of the World Twenty20 held in India in April this year, where Pakistan crashed out in the first round.He was recalled after assuring the Pakistan Cricket Board he would mend his ways, and after a string of whirlwind knocks including a 48-ball 115 not out, an 81 and a 75 in the ongoing National Twenty20 event in Faisalabad.But there were no recalls for opener Ahmed Shahzad, also dropped on disciplinary grounds who suffered a back problem in the tournament.Another opener Mohammad Hafeez was also left out after he returned home mid-way through the one-day series in England with calf and knee injuries.Also recalled are allrounder Saad Nasim and paceman Rumman Raees. Left-arm paceman Raees has been included in Pakistans Twenty20 squads twice year but had to withdraw with injuries each time.Wicket-keeper batsman Sarfraz Ahmed will lead the side, having made his captaincy debut for Pakistan in a nine-wicket win over England in Manchester on Wednesday.Pakistan and West Indies play the first two Twenty20 matches in Dubai on September 23 and 24 followed by the third in Abu Dhabi on September 27.Pakistan will also play three one-day internationals and as many Tests against the West Indies in UAE, for which squads will be announced later.Squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Saad Nasim, Rumman Raees.
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