Sunday 2 October 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Tennis: Nadal slams possible match format change

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BEIJING (AFP) - Rafael Nadal slammed changes being mulled by tennis governing bodies to shorten matches and make them more TV-friendly, saying Sunday that the move goes against the sports values.The kind of matches that stay on (in) the memory and on the history of our sport are a little bit long matches and dramatic matches that become emotional, Nadal told reporters in Beijing.Womens tennis boss Steve Simon told AFP last week the WTA was considering introducing super tie-breakers and no-ad scoring for singles matches.The potential changes mirror the still-controversial rule shift made to non-Grand Slam doubles -- on the mens and womens circuits -- a decade ago.The new format would create shorter matches that are more predictable in length, making them easier for broadcasters to accommodate. If you want to change the values of the sport, maybe yes, the 30-year-old Spaniard said.Tennis has values that we need to follow, in my opinion.Simon said the shift was necessary to accommodate the shortening attention span of audiences -- another point the former world number one took umbrage with.All the sports needs to improve and adapt to the new things. But I am not sure if thats the way -- to make the matches quicker, Nadal said.You need to put everything together to create a great show, to create a show (so) that the people emotionally feel involved in the match.But I am just a player, added the 14-time Grand Slam champion.The Spaniard has been part of some of tenniss most emotionally charged matches in recent history. His storied rivalry with Roger Federer played out in a nearly five-hour championship match at Wimbledon in 2008, which finally saw Nadal win his first crown at the All England Club.Novak Djokovic fell to Nadal at the US Open final in 2013 in a four-set epic often billed as a tennis masterclass.This weeks China Open could be the stage for a repeat of the five-set thriller between Nadal and Lucas Pouille, currently ranked at 16, at Flushing Meadows last month.The pair are on course to meet in the quarter finals, potentially allowing Nadal to exact revenge over the Frenchman, who won the deciding tie-break, ousting the two-time US Open champion in the round of 16. Nadal meets 35th-ranked Italian Paolo Lorenzi in the first round, while Pouille faces wildcard Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan.

Declare India a terrorist state: Petition filed on White House website

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WASHINGTON (Dunya News) - An online White House petition seeking to designate India a terrorist state was created on September 26, Dunya News reported. The petition needing 1,00,000 signatures in 30 days to get a response from the White House has so far gained 4440 signatures.“It is imperative to declare India a terrorist state as it is against the spirit of American people to deal with a nation who has tainted human right violation on its record, India is sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan, India Premier has admitted to this fact openly,” says the petition.

Radwanska two wins away from booking WTA finals spot

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BEIJING (AFP) - Agnieszka Radwanska beat Chinese wildcard Wang Qiang in straight sets in the first round of the China Open Sunday, leaving her just two wins away from clinching a place in the elite season finale.The Pole needs to reach the quarter finals in Beijing to guarantee her sixth consecutive appearance at the eight-player WTA Final in Singapore.She scooped the year-end crown last year, having qualified for the event just a week before when she bagged her second title of the season in Tianjin.I had the situation last year when I had to win the Tianjin Open to qualify for Singapore, and I did it, said the current world number four, speaking to reporters in Beijing.Of course, it was last-minute qualifying. I will try everything to qualify a bit before that this year.Eighth ranked Carla Suarez Navarro crashed out in the first round of the China Open, putting her qualification for the year-ending tournament in doubt.But the Spaniards defeat to Yaroslava Shvedova, currently ranked at 41, opens the door to players just behind her in the so-called Race to Singapore -- Venus Williams, Petra Kvitova and Svetlana Kuznetsova.A first-time qualification is also in sight for both Briton Johanna Konta and American big hitter Madison Keys, who both won their first-round matches.Meanwhile, Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic battled past former world number one Jelena Jankovic to secure her second-round spot in a nail-biting tie break.Caroline Wozniacki faced a three set battle against Coco Vandeweghe to reach the second round of the China Open, just a week after the former world number one won her first title since February 2015 in Tokyo.The Dane was sidelined by injury for much of this year but made a strong late-season comeback, reaching the US Open semi-finals in September and the round of 16 in Wuhan to signal her return to form.

Pakistan has to play role on International level for Kashmir: Lord Nazir

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Member of the British House of Lords, Lord Nazir said on Sunday that Pakistan would have to play role for Kashmir on International level, reported Dunya News.The leader of Pakistani origin was talking to media as he said that Pakistan would have to make their foreign office active to take steps for Kashmir.Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Chaudhry Sarwar was also present on the occasion, who said that whole nation is standing with Pakistan Army against Indian aggression and united on Kashmir issue. He added that Raiwind march got successful because of people’s sentiments against government.

SAARC conference postponement is inability of govt: Maula Bux Chandio

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HYDERABAD (Dunya News) - Sindhs information minister Maula Bux Chandio said on Sunday that postponement of SAARC conference was the inability of government, reported Dunya News.Chandio said that SAARC conference was postponed because of not having a foreign minister. He also advised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan to improve his tone. He said that success also depends on the partners and movement would be successful if everybody would be with him. He added that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan are leaders but not so serious for opponents.

Golf: USA rips Europe 17-11 to end Ryder Cup drought

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CHASKA (AFP) - Shaking off three consecutive defeats, the United States recaptured the Ryder Cup on Sunday, ripping Europe 17-11 for their most decisive triumph since 1981 in the biennial team golf showdown.Cup newcomer Ryan Moore, selected with a captains pick only a week earlier, won the last three holes to defeat Englands Lee Westwood 1-up and secure the trophy by giving the Americans an unbeatable edge in a tension-packed test at Hazeltine.To score the clinching point in the Ryder Cup is just incredible, Moore said. I cant digest what just happened. I was trying my hardest not to let my team down.Moore was 2-down before an eagle at 16, birdie at 17 and conceded par at 18, admitting, I just wanted to hit a couple of good shots coming in.Earlier singles triumphs by Patrick Reed, Rickie Fowler, Brandt Snedeker and rookie Brooks Koepka plus a vital half point from Phil Mickelson had put the US team on the brink.Weve got a memory and life experience that we will cherish forever, said Mickelson, who made 10 birdies in halving with Spains Sergio Garcia.US captain Davis Love, the 2012 captain whose team suffered its greatest collapse in Ryder Cup history to fall, and the task force that spent two years revamping the US Cup program saw their effort rewarded.Im just proud of these guys, Love said. They had pressure on them for the last two years. Im proud of every one of them. Unbelievable golf.The Miracle at Medinah was still on the minds of many as the US began putting the painful loss deeper into the past.We did this for our captain. He had a tough go four years ago, said US star Jordan Spieth.The Americans had dropped six of the past seven and eight of the past 10 in the rivalry.Weve been criticized for eight or 10 years for not coming together, Love said. Im so proud of them. We were kicked around for so long. You realize you have to do something.But they were already talking about defending the trophy in France in 2018.Hopefully theres a change in the Ryder Cup, Spieth said. Were looking forward to going to Paris and trying to win one over there.Europe captain Darren Clarke, whose players led early in eight of the 12 concluding singles matches, called the loss incredibly disappointing.They put up a massive fight. Some of the shotmaking was out of this world. The Americans putted that little bit better and that made the difference.Loves captains picks went 7-6 while Clarkes went 5-7, Belgian Thomas Pieters a record 4-1 but Westwood and Martin Kaymer each 0-3 until Kaymers singles win after the Cup was lostSix Europe rookies were 7-9 overall while two US newcomers went 5-2.Spectators were so insulting to European players the first two days at Hazeltine that the PGA of America issued a statement Sunday reminding of ejections for obscene remarks.Its a big Ryder Cup family, Reed said. We want everyone to play well. We want to beat each other at our best.The US team led 9 1/2 - 6 1/2 entering the singles matches and Reed edged Rory McIlroy 1-up in the opener.All square at the eighth hole, McIlroy sank a 50-foot birdie putt, cupped his hand to his ear hollering I cant hear you. Reed answered with a 25-foot birdie to halve the hole, wagged a finger at McIlroy and they shared fist bumps, laughs and pats on the back.To play as well as we did, it was fun to be a part of, Reed said.Reed took his first lead with a 10-foot par putt at the 12th and went 2-up with his first birdie in eight holes at the par-5 16th. Reed chipped across the par-3 17th green and lost the hole with a bogey, but sank a five-foot birdie putt on 18 to win.British Open champion Henrik Stenson downed Spieth 3 and 2. Stenson won on 16 when Spieth stepped in a water hazard and his ball moved, prompting him to surrender the hole and the match.Pieters beat J.B. Holmes 3 and 2, becoming the first Europe rookie to take four points and the first rookie to play five matches since American Larry Nelson was 5-0 in 1979.I thought I did pretty well, Pieters said.Fowler birdied to win the 16th and parred the last two holes for a 1-up win over Olympic champion Justin Rose of England and Mickelson made 10 birdies in nudging the Americans closer by halving with Sergio Garcia.

Football: Barca defeat and Real draw sends Atletico top

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MADRID (AFP) - Atletico Madrid moved top of La Liga on Sunday as Celta Vigo edged Barcelona in a 4-3 thriller, whilst Real Madrids run of draws stretched to four against Eibar on Sunday.Three goals in 11 first-half minutes sentenced a Barca side once again without the injured Lionel Messi as Pione Sisto, Iago Aspas and a Jeremy Mathieu own goal put Celta in command.Gerard Pique and a Neymar penalty reduced Barcas deficit. However, a Marc-Andre ter Stegen howler teed up Pablo Hernandez to restore Celtas two-goal lead before Pique headed in his second late on.Real Madrid remain two points ahead of the champions, but were booed off at the Santiago Bernabeu after a 1-1 draw against the Basque minnows.Atletico lead their city rivals on goal difference at the top of the table despite missing two penalties as Antoine Griezmann and Kevin Gameiro netted in a 2-0 win at Valencia.Barca boss Luis Enriques heaviest defeat in charge came in a 4-1 hammering at the hands of Celta last season and the former Celta coach suffered another embarrassing return to Balaidos.Former Liverpool striker Aspas did most of the damage as Sisto slotted home the opener from his superb through ball.Aspas then drilled the second into the far corner and it was under pressure from the Celta striker that Mathieu turned Daniel Wasss excellent cross into his own net.Enrique introduced Andres Iniesta on his 600th Barca appearance for the second-half and his presence transformed the Catalans after the break.Pique headed home Iniestas cross to give the visitors hope and a brilliant pass into Andre Gomes provoked a penalty just after the hour, which Neymar converted.However, all of Barcas good work was undone when Ter Stegen chipped the ball into the path of the onrushing Pablo Hernandez to head into an unguarded net.Pique set up a grandstand finish three minutes from time and the centre-back was inches away from an incredible hat-trick when he glanced a header wide in stoppage time.Earlier, Eibar celebrated their first ever goal and point against Madrid wildly.Fran Rico headed the visitors into a sixth minute lead before Gareth Bales 50th La Liga goal secured a fourth consecutive draw for Real.The game is 90 minutes long and lately we have started matches very badly, said Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane.It is the first time Madrid have drawn four successive games since Zidane was a Real player in 2006.It is not a crisis. It is still October and I am not going to go crazy, but something is wrong, added Zidane.The only thing I can see we can do is to work harder and play with more intensity.The European champions badly missed the presence of Luka Modric, who is set to be sidelined for a month after undergoing knee surgery on Sunday morning.Real took almost an hour to get firm control of the game and Cristiano Ronaldo had the chance to snatch the three points but blasted over from point-blank range.A super Bale header also came back off the post and substitute Alvaro Morata had a goal rightly ruled out for offside as Eibar held on for a historic point.Earlier, Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alvess heroics couldnt deny Atletico as he extended his exceptional penalty record with stops from Griezmann and Gabi either side of the Frenchmans opener just after the hour mark.However, Gameiro finally sealed a deserved three points for Atletico in stoppage time.New Valencia coach Cesare Prandelli watched on from the stands before officially taking charge on Monday, but other than Alves taking his record of saved penalties to 22 from 45 faced in Spanish football, there were few positives for the Italian.Griezmann had hit the bar from the spot against Bayern in midweek and his well-struck penalty was brilliantly turned behind.But Gameiro teed up Griezmann for his sixth La Liga goal of the season.Gabi then saw a poor spot-kick easily saved by Alves, but deep into stoppage time Gameiro slotted past Alves to seal the win.

Juventus go on top of the Italian Football league

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MILAN (AFP) - A brace from Gonzalo Higuain helped send Juventus four points clear of title rivals Napoli on a day of contrasting fortunes for Inter and city rivals AC Milan on Sunday.Juventus travelled to Empoli, where the hosts best result against the Bianconeri was a scoreless draw in 2008, confident of ensuring that they would remain on top of the table going into the international break.Yet the Turin giants missed a host of first-half chances before Argentine striker Paulo Dybala finally broke the deadlock on 65 minutes with a close-range strike.Higuain then pounced on Mario Leminas precision pass only two minutes later to beat Lukasz Skorupski from the edge of the area.Three minutes after that, the Argentine cheekily dispossessed Marco Zambelli yards from the Empoli goal to round the Polish keeper for his second of the day as Juve claimed a 3-0 win.Higuain moves on to seven goals in all competitions this season, six in Serie A, in which he is level with compatriot Mauro Icardi after Inter stumbled to a 2-1 defeat at Romas Stadio Olimpico.The lads did great on what is a difficult ground to play at, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri told Premium Sport.They had a few counter-attacks because we didnt finish the job off on several occasions, but it was a different story in the second half.Once we scored, everything became much easier.Juventus are aiming for a record sixth consecutive Serie A title this season and Napolis first reverse of the campaign, away to Atalanta, is a welcome boost.Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri, speaking immediately after a 4-2 win over Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday, had warned of the potential dangers of their trip to Bergamo.After a bright start that saw Lorenzo Insignes free-kick whizz past Etrit Berishas upright, the visitors were stunned by Andrea Petagnas ninth-minute opener and failed to recover.Papu Gomezs cross inched over the head of Kalidou Koulibaly inside the area, but after ricocheting off the face of Faouzi Ghoulam the ball fell kindly for Petagna to drive past Pepe Reina at the keepers near post.Sarri goes to great lengths to talk down Napolis hopes of winning a first title since 1990 after he took over from Rafael Benitez last year.On Sunday, the Napoli handler turned philosophical when he said: We have to improve against opponents who are aggressive. These kinds of games, at difficult grounds, are the limit for us.But if were going to get better, we have to play these kinds of games. Its up to us to show we deserve to bring the points home.Inter Milan went off in search of a fourth win of the campaign that would keep their early season title hopes afloat.But Frank De Boers men had to wait until the 72nd minute to respond to Edin Dzekos fifth minute opener, Ever Banega beating Wojciech Szczesny with a well-taken strike.Only minutes later, Kostas Manolas rose to meet Alessandro Florenzis well-struck free kick to fire a bullet header past Samir Handanovic and secure the points that moved Roma up to third at five points off the lead.This is a huge win for us, and for the fans, said Romas Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman.Wed dropped too many points, especially away from home. Now, we can look ahead.De Boer admitted his side had succumbed to Roma in the opening half but added: We totally dominated the second half, a draw would have been a fairer result.City rivals Milan, meanwhile, got the chance to offer club owner and president Silvio Berlusconi a late 80th birthday present with a thrilling, come-from-behind 4-3 win over Sassuolo at a buzzing San Siro.I got a phone call from the president, Berlusconi, who offered me his congratulations, Milan coach Vincenzo Montella told Mediaset, one of the several companies owned by Berlusconi.I told him the boys really wanted to win tonight to be able to dedicate this victory to him as a birthday present. He was very happy.

PM Nawaz to chair parliamentary parties' heads meeting today

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will preside over a meeting of heads of parliamentary parties in the National Assembly in Islamabad today (Monday) to brief them about the prevailing situation in the Indian-held Kashmir as well as on the Line of Control (LoC).All parliamentary parties in the National Assembly, excluding Awami Muslim League, were invited to attend today’s meeting which will be held at PM House in order to evolve a joint response in view of the current situation at the LoC.The parliamentary leaders will be briefed on the situation in Occupied Kashmir and on the Line of Control.The meeting will be attended by Shah Mehmood Qureshi from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Ghulam Ahmad Bilour of Awami National Party (ANP), Farroq Sattar and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-Pakistan), Siraj-ul-Haq and Sahibzada Tariq Ullah of Jamaat-e-Islami, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Khursheed Shah, Naved Qamar and Sherry Rehman of Pakistan People’s Party, Kamil Ali Agha of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and other leaders.

Lahore: Police conduct flag march to maintain law and order in Muharram

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Police conducted flag march in different parts Lahore on Sunday night to maintain law and order situation in the city during Muharram, Dunya News reported. The flag march was conducted under the command of SP Iqbal Town, Adil Memon.The flag march was carried out in areas of Iqbal Town, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Nawan Kot, Samanabad, Muslim Town and Wahdat Colony. Apart from police, officials from Dolphin Force and PRU Force participated in the flag march.Police sources said that the flag march was carried out to review the security arrangements during the holy month of Muharran-ul-Haram.

One trooper killed in Indian Kashmir army camp attack

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NEW DELHI (AFP) - Suspected rebels fired on an army camp in Indian Kashmir late Sunday killing one trooper, police said, two weeks after a similar deadly attack that spiked tensions between arch rivals India and Pakistan.An unknown number of attackers tried to break through the camps perimeter in Baramulla town but were repelled by soldiers and paramilitaries in heavy exchanges of fire, an army official said.One BSF man has been killed and another injured, senior police superintendent of Baramulla, Imtiyaz Hussain Mir, told AFP, referring to the paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF).The incident that lasted more than two hours had been brought under control and firing had now stopped, the armys northern command and police said.The attack comes after India last week launched surgical strikes on militant posts across the de-facto border that divides the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan, prompting a furious response from Islamabad.Indian and Pakistani troops regularly exchange fire across the disputed border known as the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, but sending ground troops over the line is rare.Islamabad has dismissed the talk of surgical strikes across the heavily militarised LoC as an illusion and said two of its soldiers had been killed in small arms fire.The strikes followed the deadly attack on one of Indias army bases in Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militants, triggering a public outcry and demands for military action.The raid on September 18 on the Uri army base by militants hurling grenades left 19 Indian soldiers dead in the worst such attack in more than a decade.Early on Monday morning, soldiers were searching for the militants outside the Baramulla camp, located some 50 kilometres (34 miles) from Srinagar, and it was unknown if any had been killed or captured.The militants were hurling grenades during the attack, according to the Press Trust of India, although this could not be confirmed. Residents told local media of loud gunfire coming from the camp.Terrorists opened fire on an army camp in Baramulla town, army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia earlier told AFP. Since last months attack at Uri, India has been on a diplomatic drive to isolate Pakistan.India and Pakistan have fought three wars since they gained independence from Britain seven decades ago, two of them over Kashmir. Both claim the region in full.A number of armed separatist groups in the Indian-controlled part of the picturesque territory have for decades been fighting to break free from New Delhi.Even before the Uri attack, tensions were high in the heavily militarised Kashmir region, with weeks of deadly protests in response to the killing of a young, popular militant leader.The Kashiri separatist was killed during a gun battle with security forces in July.More than 80 civilians have been killed, mostly in clashes with forces during protests against Indian rule, in the worst violence in the region since 2010.Islamabad has repeatedly accused India of committing human rights abuses in the Muslim-majority state.

Syria army advances as UN decries Aleppo's 'living hell'

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ALEPPO (AFP) - Syrian regime forces advanced Sunday in Aleppo after Russia unleashed dozens of air strikes, as the UNs top aid official decried the living hell suffered by residents in the citys rebel-held east.The devastating five-year war in Syria has ravaged second city Aleppo, once the countrys economic hub but now torn apart by fighting between government troops and rebel forces.The army of President Bashar al-Assad announced a major push on September 22 to capture Aleppos opposition-held east and has gained ground in the city with the help of ally Moscow.Dozens of air strikes pounded multiple battlefronts in the city throughout Sunday but lessened as evening fell, AFPs correspondent said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebel groups and regime forces exchanged artillery fire in several neighbourhoods across Aleppo. The Britain-based monitor said Russian raids helped regime forces to advance in the north of the city, where they reached the outskirts of the opposition-held Al-Heluk district.One person was killed in bombardment there, the Observatory said. If loyalist fighters seize Al-Heluk, Bustan al-Basha and Sakhur -- all rebel-controlled neighbourhoods in Aleppos north -- they will confine opposition factions to a small section of the citys southeast.Assads Russian-backed military campaign in Aleppo has sparked international outrage, particularly after two barrel bombs hit the largest hospital in the citys east on Saturday. United Nations aid chief Stephen OBrien fiercely criticised the attack on the M10 hospital, and called on Sunday for immediate action to end the living hell of civilians in Aleppos east.The health care system in eastern Aleppo is all but obliterated. Medical facilities are being hit one by one, OBrien wrote.OBrien said the latest indiscriminate bombings subjected residents to a level of savagery that no human should have to endure.The clock is ticking. Stop the carnage now, he added.At the bombed hospital Saturday, an AFP journalist saw bloodstained beds and dented equipment lying in disarray beneath blown-out windows.M10 had already been hit on Wednesday along with the second-largest hospital in the area, M2.That bombardment badly damaged the two facilities and left only six fully functional hospitals in east Aleppo, according to the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), which supports the facility.On Saturday, European Parliament president Martin Schulz called the hospital bombing a war crime, tweeting that the international community must unite to prevent (the) citys annihilation.The World Health Organization has called Syria the worlds most dangerous place for health workers, and Aleppo in particular has seen much of its medical infrastructure destroyed or heavily damaged.Syrias armed forces on Sunday called on rebel fighters in east Aleppo to abandon their positions and let civilians live their normal lives.The Russian and Syrian armies will secure safe passage and aid to any opposition fighters that defect, said the statement, distributed on Syrian state news agency SANA. Damascus has made similar offers in the past, but activists and rebels say they are afraid of being detained or tortured if they leave opposition-held zones.Syrias conflict broke out in March 2011 with anti-government protests but has since turned into a complex civil war drawing in world powers. North of Aleppo city, Turkey-backed rebel factions pressed an offensive Sunday against the Islamic State group, edging closer to the jihadist-held town of Dabiq, the Observatory said. Dabiq, which according to a Sunni Muslim prophecy will be the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims, has become a rallying cry for IS.In central Hama province, Russian strikes killed six members of the Jaish al-Izzah rebel group, which has received US backing, according to the Observatory. And at least four civilians were killed, including two siblings, in government shelling of the opposition-held town of Douma near Damascus. Diplomatic efforts to put an end to Syrias war, which has killed more than 300,000 people, have all but collapsed.Russia and the United States brokered a ceasefire deal in early September, hoping it could open a path to peace -- but the truce fell apart a week later.Relations between the two world powers have since been strained, but their top diplomats have continued to seek a way forward.Russia said its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to his American counterpart John Kerry on Saturday and they examined the situation in Syria, including the possibility of normalising the situation around Aleppo.They spoke again later that evening, the foreign ministry in Moscow said on Sunday, without providing additional details.

Yemen rebels say to set up rival government

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SANAA (AFP) - Huthi rebels in Yemen said Sunday they will establish their own government of national salvation to rival the internationally recognised administration of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in the south.The move was decided by a supreme political council created in July by the Iran-backed rebels and forces allied to Yemens former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.In early August, UN-backed peace talks in Kuwait between Yemens warring parties were suspended.On Sunday, Saleh al-Sammad, head of the supreme political council, appointed Abdel Aziz Ben Habtoor to form a government of national salvation, the rebels announced on their website sabanews.net.Ben Habtoor is a former governor of the southern port city of Aden and a member of the political bureau of Salehs General Peoples Congress.The rebel announcement of a rival government is likely to further complicate the prospects of a political settlement in Yemen.It coincided with the presence in the Saudi capital Riyadh ofUN Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, and the arrival in Sanaa of UN humanitarian operations chief Stephen OBrien.The United Nations says the conflict has killed more than 6,600 people and displaced at least three million since a Saudi-led Arab coalition backing Hadis government launched operations in March 2015.Since then, the rebels have been pushed out of much of Yemens south, but they still control nearly all of the countrys Red Sea coast as well as swathes of territory around the capital Sanaa.On Sunday, the coalition said the rebels pose a threat to shipping in the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, after an attack on an Emirati vessel.The coalition said Shiite Huthi militiamen had attacked the vessel on its usual route to and from Aden to transfer relief and medical aid and evacuate wounded civilians.Coalition air and naval forces targeted Huthi militia boats involved in the attack near the Bab al-Mandab, it said, while coalition forces rescued civilian passengers following the attack on Friday.This incident demonstrates Huthi tactics of terrorist attacks against civilian international navigation in the Bab al-Mandab, the coalition said in a statement.The strait is a major shipping lane between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden leading into the Indian Ocean.The rebels, in a statement posted Saturday on their sabanews.net website, claimed the attack which it said targeted and completely destroyed an Emirati warship with rockets as it neared Mokha on the Red Sea coast.The United Arab Emirates military acknowledged an incident involving a chartered vessel under its command in the Bab al-Mandab as it was returning from a routine journey to Aden, but reported no casualties.On Sunday, the rebels reported on sabanews.net that five people were killed and six wounded in a coalition air strike targeting fishing boats off Wahjah, south of Mokha.That incident could not be independently confirmed.The UAE is a key member of the coalition battling the Huthis and their allies.On Sunday, the secretary general of Gulf Cooperation Council, Abdullatif al-Zayani, strongly condemned the attack on the Emirati vessel.This terrorist act endangers world seaborne trade in the Bab al-Mandab, contravenes the regulations of international shipping and hinders efforts to send aid and relief to Yemen, Zayani said in a statement.

18 dead as Libyan forces battle IS in Sirte: unity govt

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TRIPOLI (AFP) - Eight Libyan pro-government fighters and at least 10 Islamic State group jihadists died in clashes Sunday as some jihadists tried to flee their besieged stronghold, the unity government said.Pro-government forces said they were progressing in Sirte, where they have surrounded IS militants, prompting some to try to escape.They said pro-government fighters had recovered the bodies of at least 10 jihadists and were chasing another group that had fled the coastal town, 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of the capital Tripoli.Eight soldiers loyal to the Government of National Accord were killed, according to the Facebook page of a field hospital set up by their forces in Sirte.Twenty-four members of the pro-GNA forces were wounded and transferred to the main hospital in Misrata.Forces allied with the GNA have cornered the group in Sirte, the birthplace of ousted dictator Moamer Kadhafi, since launching an offensive on May 12.But suicide bombings and sniper fire from the surrounded jihadists have slowed the assault.On Saturday, GNA aircraft conducted six sorties in preparation for an advance on the jihadists hideout in the citys east, said the GNA statement.American aircraft have also carried out some 177 air strikes since early August in support of GNA forces, according to US Africa Command (AFRICOM).The fighting has left more than 450 GNA fighters dead and 2,500 wounded. The IS death toll is not known.An IS defeat in Sirte would be a serious blow to the group, which has faced major setbacks in Iraq and Syria in recent months.

52 dead in Ethiopia festival stampede

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BISHOFTU (AFP) - Fifty-two people died on Sunday at a religious festival in Ethiopia to celebrate the end of the rainy season after police fired tear gas at protesters triggering a stampede.Violence broke out at the gathering in the town of Bishoftu near the capital Addis Ababa due to the actions of irresponsible forces, the regional government said in a statement, adding that as a consequence, 52 people died in this crush.Opposition groups had said they believed more than 100 people had been killed in the chaos after thousands of people gathered at a sacred lake for the Irreecha (thanksgiving) ceremony, in which the Oromo community marks the end of the wet weather.Ethiopia is facing its biggest anti-government unrest in a decade and some festival participants had crossed their wrists above their heads, a gesture that has become a symbol of protest by the Oromo community, according to an AFP photographer at the scene.The annual Irreecha festival has been disrupted due to a violence created by some groups... Loss of lives has occurred due to a stampede, said a government statement published by state media earlier.Merera Gudina, chairman of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, told AFP there had been many fatalities.Bodies are being collected by the government. But what I hear from people on the ground is that the number of dead is more than one hundred, said Gudina.Sundays event quickly degenerated into violence, with protesters throwing stones and bottles and security forces responding with baton charges and tear gas grenades, with some reports of gunfire.The police action sent people fleeing in panic with many falling on top of each other into a ditch.Police demanded that AFPs photographer leave the scene, where rubber bullets were seen strewn on the ground.Oromo activists called for five days of rage to protest the deaths while a strong police presence was visible as the news of the days events spread.This government is a dictatorship, there is no equality or freedom of speech. There is only TPLF. Thats why we must protest today, said Mohamed Jafar, referring to the Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front.In 1991 the TPLF, then a rebel group, overthrew Mengistu Haile Mariams dictatorship and now, as a political party stands accused of monopolising power.Every year millions of people in the Oromo region mark the Irreecha festival on the shores of Lake Harsadi, which they consider sacred.The anti-government protests started in the central and western Oromo region in 2015 and spread in recent months to the northern Amhara region.For the last 25 years the Oromo people have been marginalised in many things. Today we come together as one to chant for our freedom, said one of the people at the festival, Habte Bulcha.Together, Oromos and Amharas make up 60 percent of the population of the Horn of Africa nation and have become increasingly vocal in rejecting what they see as the disproportionate power wielded by the northern Tigrean minority in government and the security forces.
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