Sunday 6 November 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Karachi: Dozens arrested in police, Rangers operation

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to a spokesperson of the Majlis-e-Wehdatul Muslimeen (MWM), police conducted an operation in New Rizvia area of Karachi on Sunday and arrested MWM deputy secretary general Allama Ahmad Iqbal.MWM spokesman further informed that Allama Ahmad Iqbal was arrested from his residence and was shifted to some undisclosed location. The MWM also condemned the arrest of its leader.Police also conducted raids in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Johar and Metroville areas and arrested 12 accused, including activists of a banned outfit. Police also detained 10 suspects during operation in different parts of the city.On the other hand, Rangers conducted a search operation in Patel Para and arrested four suspects during house-to-house search. Arms were also recovered from the arrested suspects.

Green Line Express engine derails near Hyderabad

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HYDERABAD (Dunya News) – According to eye-witnesses, the engine of the Green Line Express going to Islamabad from Karachi derailed soon after it left the Hyderabad Station on early Monday morning, Dunya News reported.All passengers of the train remained safe as the train was moving at a very slow speed.Rescue teams of Pakistan Railway reached the spot after the accident and arranged another engine after which the train left for its destination.

Lahore: Police bust intra-district drug-peddler gang, 2 held

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Police busted an intra-district drug-peddler gang in Lahore on Sunday and arrested two accused, Dunya News reported. Over 63 kilograms of hashish was recovered from the arrested drug-peddlers.According to SP City Muhammad Naved, personnel from Lower Mall Police Station arrested two accused named Ihsan Illahi and Mazhar Iqbal fron Sagian Pull area at the Band Road Lahore on a tip-off and recovered more than 63 kilograms of hashish hidden in the secrete chambers of a vehicle.The arrested accused belonged to Nankana Sahib. The initial investigation revealed that the gang used to supply narcotics to Faisalabad, Sahiwal and other cities of Police. A case has been registed against the accused.

Karachi: Case registered against persons taking out rallies against arrests

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – A First Information Report (FIR) against activists of a religious party was registered in Karachi on Sunday on behalf of government at the Soldier Bazar Police Station for taking out rallies against recent arrests in the city, Dunya News reported.At least 10 people were nominated in the FIR while at least 150 unknown persons were also included in it. Police sources said that provisions related to creating trouble for the citizens and raising slogans against the government were also included in the FIR.It is interesting to note that SP Jamshaid Town was unaware of the registration of the FIR.

Panama Leaks case hearing today, PM children expected to submit reply

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The hearing of Panama Leaks case will be held at Supreme Court today, as children of Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif are expected to submit reply, reported Dunya News.Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali had given time to Salman Butt, the lawyer of PMs children, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Nawaz and Maryam Nawaz, to submit reply until today.The hearing of case filed by PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi against Imran Khan and Jahangir Tareen would also be held today.Special passes of room number 1 have been given for the hearing of Panama Leaks case.

Usain Bolt says he would like to be both Messi and Ronaldo

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BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - Olympic sprint king Usain Bolt said Sunday that if he ever realised his long-held ambition of becoming a professional footballer, hed like to have the skills of both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.Asked by Argentine magazine Viva: Would you prefer to be like Lionel Messi or like Cristiano Ronaldo?, the worlds fastest man replied: Id be a good mixture. By combining the talents of the two and adding my speed and my heart, I would be the greatestBolt has often stated his dream of playing for Manchester United.If they call me to say, we need you now, Id take the next flight to England, said the nine-time Olympic gold medallist and world record holder.

US-backed forces launch assault on Syrian IS 'capital'

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AIN ISSA (AFP) - US-backed Kurdish-Arab forces launched an offensive Sunday on the Islamic State groups de facto Syrian capital Raqa, upping pressure on the jihadists who are already battling Iraqi troops in Mosul.The start of the assault by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) came as Iraqi forces fought inside Mosul for the third day running amid fierce jihadist resistance.The two cities are the last major urban centres under IS control after the jihadists suffered a string of territorial losses in Iraq and Syria over the past year.The US-led coalition battling IS is backing both assaults, hoping to deal a knockout blow to the self-styled caliphate it declared in mid-2014.SDF commanders announced the start of the Raqa operation in Ain Issa, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the city.The major battle to liberate Raqa and its surroundings has begun, SDF spokeswoman Jihan Sheikh Ahmed said.Operation Wrath of the Euphrates involves some 30,000 fighters and began on Saturday night, Ahmed said.SDF forces are advancing on three fronts, from Ain Issa and Tal Abyad to the north of Raqa, and from the village of Makman to the east.SDF spokesman Talal Sello told AFP forces would first seize areas around Raqa before taking the city itself.The fight will not be easy, and will require accurate and careful operations because IS will defend its bastion knowing that the loss of Raqa will mean it is finished in Syria, Sello said.US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter echoed that sentiment.As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to end the fiction of ISILs caliphate and disrupt the groups ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners, Carter said, using an alternative name for IS.An AFP correspondent in Ain Issa Sunday saw dozens of SDF fighters heading for the front line.SDF spokeswoman Ahmed said that 10 villages and several hamlets had been retaken.Later the powerful Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) later denied an IS report that 14 of its fighters were killed in a car bomb attack the Suluk area.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor reported only wounded in that attack.Driving IS from Mosul and Raqa has been the endgame since the US-led coalition launched air strikes against it in summer 2014.The coalition has also provided training and deployed hundreds of advisers to work with Iraqi forces and select Syrian fighters, including the SDF.Near Ain Issa, the AFP correspondent saw at least one soldier who had US markings on his helmet with SDF fighters.Sello said the alliance had received new weapons from the coalition for the Raqa battle, including anti-tank missiles.Another SDF source said 50 US military advisers would be involved in the operation, particularly to guide air strikes.After it was seized by IS, Raqa saw some of the jihadists worst atrocities, from stonings and beheadings to the trading of sex slaves.Last month, the US defence secretary said the idea of simultaneous operations against Mosul and Raqa has been part of our planning for quite a while.But the battle for Raqa is far more complicated.After five years of civil war, Syria is divided into a patchwork of fiefdoms, with President Bashar al-Assads regime, IS and a range of opposition forces all holding territory.Dominated by the Peoples Protection Units, the SDF has in recent months flushed IS out of swathes of territory in northern Syria, including the flashpoint town of Manbij in August.Washington has promoted the SDF as a key ally in the fight against IS, but the partnership is complicated by Turkeys fierce opposition to the YPG.Ankara considers the militia a terrorist group, and in August began its own operation inside northern Syria, targeting both IS and the YPG.Sello said the SDF had agreed with Washington that there will be no role for Turkey or the armed factions allied with it in the operation to capture Raqa.In Jordan, however, President Barack Obamas envoy Brett McGurk said Washington was in close contact with Ankara over the assault.It is a complex environment in Syria to say the least, but we are constantly in touch with all the different players.In Mosul, Iraqi forces were clearing eastern neighbourhoods, nearly three weeks into the offensive there.Resistance is very heavy and they (IS) have suffered major losses, Staff Lieutenant General Abdelghani al-Assadi of the elite Counter-Terrorism Service told AFP.Soldiers from the armys 9th Armoured Division also battled jihadists in a southeastern neighbourhood, an AFP correspondent reported.IS has responded to the Mosul assault with a string of diversionary attacks.It claimed responsibility for suicide bombings on Sunday in Tikrit and Samarra, two cities north of Baghdad. Officials said at least 25 people were killed and more than 50 wounded.Aid groups have voiced concerns for civilians trapped in both Mosul and Raqa, warning they may be used as human shields.More than a million people are believed to be in Mosul. Raqa had a population of some 240,000 before 2011 but more than 80,000 people have since fled there from other parts of Syria.

Tanks of Iraq's 9th division rumble into Mosul

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MOSUL (AFP) - Every shot sent shock waves all around and left ears ringing: the tanks of the Iraqi armys 9th armoured division were advancing through the streets of Mosuls Intisar neighbourhood.When Iraqi forces finally punched into the streets of Mosul in the past few day, the three-week-old offensive to wrest the city back from the Islamic State ground entered a new phase.Were now involved in urban battles, facing a mobile enemy that moves in small groups and opens fire on troops and civilians indiscriminately, said Lieutenant General Qassem Jassem Nazzal.In Intisar, a modest neighbourhood on the eastern edge of Mosul, civilians kept as low a profile a possible.Most of them shuttered their homes and only a handful ventured out after making sure it was the Iraqi army and not the jihadists coming down their street.Mohammed Ibrahim, 47, emerged cautiously after more than two days locked inside his home with 20 members of his family.Were caught in the middle: the army is firing in one direction and the Islamic State in the other, he told an AFP reporter.We adults can take this but the children live in constant fear, they cry all the time, said his neighbour, a retired officer who gave his name as Ahmed.Another threat comes from the sky in the shape of the hundreds of munitions being dropped by the aircraft of the US-led coalition assisting Iraqi forces in their war against IS.Ibrahim said he holed himself and his family up in his home after spotting six jihadists posted on the corner of his street. They were taken out in an air strike.Their boss was a foreigner, they were all killed by the planes, said Ibrahim, who wore thick black-rimmed glasses.His neighbour said the killed leader was a Turk.Only two of the bodies were taken away. The four remaining corpses were left decomposing in the street, the blankets that had been thrown over them doing little to stop the stench.Just a few houses down, around a dozen children snuck out from behind an iron gate, several of the girls keeping their hands over their ears to block out the booms of canon shells and mortar rounds.The fighting was gradually moving deeper into Mosul by Sunday afternoon but the odd sniper bullet whizzing by was a reminder of the dangers remaining for the residents of Intisar.We have advanced to the second half of the neighbourhood, Lieutenant General Nazzal said.Mostafa Sabah Yunes, a brigadier general in the 9th division, explained they would move into the adjacent neighbourhood of Judaidat al-Mufti after clearing Intisar of roadside bombs and flushing out any remaining jihadists.Civilians in Intisar were also keen to see the army advance as fast as possible.They have to reach the city centre, Mohammed Ibrahim said. That way the fighting will be over there and well be safe here at the rear.

25 killed in Iraq suicide bombings claimed by IS

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KIRKUK (AFP) - Suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 25 people and wounded more than 50 in two cities north of Baghdad on Sunday, officials said.One bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at the southern entrance to Tikrit, while another other blew up an ambulance at a car park in Samarra, possibly in concert with a third bomber.The Tikrit attack killed at least 15 people and wounded at least 33, while at least 10 died and at least 25 were wounded in Samarra, security and medical officials said.Iranian pilgrims were among the victims in Samarra, which is home to a major Shiite shrine that was bombed in 2006, setting off a wave of brutal sectarian violence.IS issued a statement claiming Sundays attacks, but said there were three suicide bombers: two who struck Samarra and the third who attacked Tikrit.A police lieutenant colonel also said there was a second bomber who attacked the car park in Samarra, but other sources only mentioned one in the city.The IS statement identified two of the bombers as Al-Moslawi -- a nom de guerre that would indicate they were from Mosul, though it could be a propaganda attempt to link militants from other areas with the ongoing battle for Iraqs second city.Iraqi forces are fighting to retake Mosul, the jihadist groups last major urban stronghold in the country, in a massive operation that was launched on October 17.IS has carried out a series of diversionary attacks since the start of the Mosul offensive in a bid to draw both attention and forces away from the battle.But aside from the names of the two bombers, the IS statement made no reference to Mosul.The Sunni extremist group overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air support have since regained significant ground.

UN peacekeeper, two civilians killed in Mali attack

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BAMAKO (AFP) - A peacekeeper from Togo and two Malian civilians were killed Sunday in an attack on a military convoy in Mali, rounding off a bloody week for foreign forces stationed there, a UN statement said.More than 11,000 UN police and military are currently serving in Mali, attempting to guarantee security in lawless swathes of the vast Sahel nation.Seven other peacekeepers, also from Togo, were wounded in the attack in the central Mopti region, according to the statement by the UN mission, known by the acronym MINUSMA.After a mine or improvised explosive device was detonated, attackers opened fire on the convoy, the UN said, without identifying the assailants.The attack came the day after a soldier serving with Frances Barkhane counter-terror force was killed in a similar incident.He died of his injuries following a mine blast near the northern town of Kidal in an attack claimed by the Islamist group Ansar Dine, which has ties to Al-Qaeda.A MINUSMA spokesman said Malian police would investigate the death of the two civilians following the convoy.Also on Sunday, Ansar Dine claimed the ransacking of an army base in the restive north during which they stole weapons and vehicles as troops fled their positions.The claim of responsibility was issued by Mauritanian news agency al-Akhbar, which regularly carries statements from jihadist groups operating in the Sahel.The jihadists said they had killed several Malian soldiers but this was denied by independent sources and military officials contacted by AFP.More than 30 MINUSMA troops have been killed this year, more than in any other UN peacekeeping mission.It has been plagued by logistical failings and the UN has admitted instances of torture and sexual abuse by staff, as well as one instance of causing the death of a detainee.The Mopti attack took place as Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan held talks with top officials in Bamako ahead of the deployment of 600 Canadian peacekeepers to Africa, and possibly to Mali.Sajjan said Canada wanted to take our time before deciding which nation to support, but added Canada was not adverse to risk.The United Nations has expressed interest in having Canadian tactical helicopters deployed in the region once Dutch aircraft leave in January.MINUSMA deployed in Mali in 2013, following a French counter-terrorism force that landed in January to drive jihadists from key northern cities they had overrun.Northern Mali had fallen into the hands of jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda in early 2012 -- briefly backed by Tuareg-led rebels -- throwing the country into chaos.Although the jihadists were routed, large swathes of Mali remain outside the control of domestic and foreign troops.

Football: Ibrahimovic double inspires United stroll

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SWANSEA (AFP) - Zlatan Ibrahimovic eased the pressure on Jose Mourinho as the Manchester United strikers double sealed a 3-1 win at struggling Swansea on Sunday.With only one victory in their previous seven Premier League games, United manager Mourinho had come under mounting pressure at Old Trafford.However, for one day at least, it was all smiles for United as they poured even greater misery on a Swansea side that look destined for a long struggle to avoid relegation.Swedish star Ibrahimovic struck twice before half-time after France midfielder Paul Pogba had produced a stylish opener as United ran riot.Mike van der Hoorn got a consolation for Swansea in the second half, but there was never any chance of a fightback from the hapless hosts.United started as they have in so many games this season, with a degree of hesitancy. They were clumsy in the midfield and lacking direction or accuracy in the final third.Still, what stood in front of them was a Swansea team equally short on confidence.With only one league win this season, Bob Bradleys side are languishing in the relegation zone.So, once United settled, they enjoyed a glut of possession. And as Pogba became increasingly influential, so the visitors began to ask serious questions of Bradleys team.The first of those came on 15 minutes when Pogba and Wayne Rooney created the danger and Swansea couldnt clear their lines, leaving Pogba to hit an unstoppable shot from 20 yards into the top corner of Lukasz Fabianskis goal.Marouane Fellaini came within a yard of making it 2-0 two minutes later after a sublime piece of footwork from Ibrahimovic.Swansea simply had no answer to Uniteds incisive raids and it came as no surprise when Ibrahimovic lost his marker on the edge of the box and beat Fabianski with a fine strike from 20 yards in the 21st minute.United sensed their opportunity to kill the contest and duly set off in pursuit of a third. It came 12 minutes from the interval when Ibrahimovic popped up in acres and beat Fabianski from eight yards.The Swansea fans responded with calls of we want our club back and suggesting the decision to sell to the current American owners was all about greed.It was little more than a training ground run out thereafter for United, who popped the ball around with increasingly ease and confidence, while Swansea retreated towards their own goal in an attempt to limit the damage.Having been booed from the field at half time, Swansea made two changes in personnel.Jefferson Montero and Modou Barrow entered the fray as Bradley sought a way back into the gameBy now, United were happy to go through the motions. They continued to pass the ball with ease and comfort and denied Swansea a foothold until the 69th minute.Gylfi Sigurdsson whipped in a free kick from the right and van der Hoorn beat David De Gea with a firm header from eight yards.Rejuvenated and sensing a chance, Swansea gave it their all in the final 20 minutes.Sigurdsson came into his own and Barrow and Montero caused problems out wide.However, United remained firm and duly helped themselves to three valuable points.

Football: Ronaldo extends Real Madrid deal to 2021

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MADRID (AFP) - Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to retire at Real Madrid after agreeing a bumper new five-year contract to be signed on Monday that ties him to the Spanish giants until 2021.The official event for the renewal of Cristiano Ronaldos contract will take place tomorrow, Monday 7 November at 1:30pm in the presidential box at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, Madrid said in a statement on Sunday.The Portuguese forward will extend his contract until 30 June 2021 at the event attended by club president Florentino Perez and the player himself.Ronaldo, 31, follows in the footsteps of Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos as the latest Real star to agree a contract extension in recent weeks as the club prepares to serve a one-year transfer ban imposed by FIFA.According to UK media reports Bales lucrative new six-year deal will earn the Welshman as much as 600,000 pound ($750,000) a week before tax.However, Ronaldo, whose previous deal expired in 2018 is expected to remain the highest earner at the Santiago Bernabeu.Ronaldo is already the worlds highest paid sportsman according to American magazine Forbes, raking in $88 million between his salary and endorsements in 2016.Ronaldo has shot himself into the Real record books by plundering 371 goals in 360 games in his eight seasons since swapping Manchester United for Madrid for a then world record fee in 2009.And Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane called on Ronaldo to end his playing days in Spain like he did when retiring from club football in 2006.What he has to do is finish his career here, said Zidane after Sundays 3-0 win over Leganes extended Madrids lead at the top of La Liga.Cristiano is unique for what he has done and what he is doing.It is his dream to end his career here. I am happy that he can renew and finish with this white shirt like I did a long time ago.As well the individual accolades of winning the Ballon dOr in 2013 and 2014 for the worlds best player since joining Madrid, Ronaldo has won eight trophies with Los Blancos.Most notably he scored in the 2014 Champions League final against Atletico Madrid as Real ended a 12-year wait to win their 10th European Cup.Ronaldo was Atleticos scourge again as he netted the winning penalty in a shootout victory to once again win the Champions League in May.His only La Liga title came under Jose Mourinho in the 2011/12 season.However, arguably Ronaldos crowning glory came in leading Portugal to their first ever international tournament win at Euro 2016.After suffering knee ligament damage in the Euro 2016 final, Ronaldo has endured a slow start to this season.His scoreless performance against Leganes extended his worst ever goal drought at the Bernabeu to five matches.However, Madrids confidence in handing out a huge deal that will secure Ronaldos position as the worlds highest paid sportsman has not been shaken.There is nothing wrong, he is not worried, insisted Zidane.He looks good, he is motivated, he likes to scores goals and even more so in this stadium, but he is calm.

Golf: Olesen holds nerve to bag Turkish million

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BELEK (AFP) - Denmarks Thorbjorn Olesen held on after his seven-shot lead was reduced to one to capture the Turkish Airlines Opens one million euro winners cheque at Belek on Sunday.Olesen, 26 eventually won by three strokes with a fourth round of 69 for a 20-under par tally of 264 on the Regnun Carya course.It was Olesens fourth European Tour success and it took his career earnings through the seven million euro barrier in his seventh season on the tour.It was a weird feeling coming out today knowing I was leading by seven as I knew the guys would shoot a low number today, so I had to go out and see if I could make a few birdies, he said.After nine holes there were a few guys shooting low numbers so all of a sudden there was a lot of pressure on me.But I tried to play steady and clearly the last four holes were tough mentally and it was really difficult.The London-based player jumped from 32nd to ninth on the Race to Dubai.Olesens biggest challenge came from Englands David Horsey who had managed to cut the Danes lead to just one shot in racing to six under par for his round through 12 holes.Horsey went into the last day sharing second place at 11-under par and while he birdied the 15th to go to 18-under the Englishman dropped a shot at the next to eventually shoot a round of 65 and share second place on 17-under par.Joining Horsey in second spot was Chinas Li Haotong who capped a similar last round 65 with four birdies in succession from his 14th hole.Olesen had been level par over his outward nine with one birdie and a bogey before finally answering Horseys charge with birdies at the 12th, 14th and 15th and while he bogeyed the 16th it was still good enough to secure the biggest purse of his eight-year pro career.I was watching the leader boards around the course and I knew what I had to do, and even though my lead was down from seven shots to one, it does put pressure on you, he said.But to win this event means a lot to me as the last three to four months my game has been pretty poor, and I havent played well.Horseys effort was his best finish since winning a fourth Tour title in August last year in Denmark.I thought, if I could get to sort of 20, that would be a reasonable effort and put a little bit of pressure on Thorbjorn, said Horsey.Li, 21 also secured the biggest cheque of his European Tour career, some 100,000 euros more than capturing the Volvo China Open this year.The effort has seen the Shanghai-born Li move to 41st on the Race to Dubai.Its fantastic for me, he said.I already do my best, and just like I said yesterday, only top five is really, really good for me.Masters Champion Danny Willett failed to regain his Race to Dubai lead with a closing round 75 for a disappointing two over par tally.Willett needed to finish fifth or higher to go past the absent Henrik Stenson but ended the Turkey event sharing 68th place.Both Stenson and Willett will be contesting next weeks Nedbank Challenge at Sun City in South Africa and the second of the Tours Final Series.

Tennis: Kvitova beats Svitolina to take Elite Trophy title

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BEIJING (AFP) - Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic defeated Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in straight sets to take the title at the $2.2-million WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai on Sunday.Number three seed Kvitova dispatched the fourth seed 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and ten minutes, a month after she marked a return to form by winning the Wuhan Open. Chinas a lucky place for me Its an amazing week and Im really lucky I was able to compete here, Kvitova said in her victory speech, according to the WTA website.The 26-year-old has now reached six Asian finals and won three of them. Svitolina, 22, was looking to end what had been a promising season on a high, but was unable to hold any of her first three service games. I just felt that she played a little bit aggressively than me in the beginning of the match, Kvitova said in her post-match interview.So I was a little bit trying to get the rhythm to play a little bit more aggressive, maybe a little bit longer rallies, that I can go to the game and be able to play.The title comes in a year of stark highs and lows for the Czech, who scooped an Olympic bronze medal but failed to get further than the round of 16 at any of the Grand Slams.

Athletics: Ghebreslassie wins, Keitany defends at NY Marathon

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Reigning world marathon champion Ghirmay Ghebreslassie of Eritrea won the 40th New York City Marathon mens crown Sunday while Kenyas Mary Keitany took her third consecutive womens title.Ghebreslassie won his New York debut in an official time of two hours, seven minutes and 51 seconds -- only five seconds off his personal best set in London.Winning the New York Marathon is one of my best dreams, Ghebreslassie said. Im really proud of my victory. Nobody from Eritrea has won this marathon before. Im really proud.Eight days shy of his 21st birthday, the prodigy accelerated at the halfway mark and pulled away to become the first mens champion since 2010 from outside Kenya.Kenyas Lucas Rotich was second in 2:08:53 with 39-year-old American Abdi Abdirahman third in 2:11:23 and Japans Hiroyuki Yamamoto fourth in his first marathon outside Japan, another 26 seconds adrift.In the womens race, Keitany also pulled away to an overwhelming victory, the 34-year-old mother of two winning in 2:24:26.I feel good, Keitany said. Im very excited. Winning three times consecutively means a lot to me.Keitany, the second-fastest woman in marathon history behind Britains Paula Radcliffe, has the longest New York womens win streak since Norways Grete Waitz took five in a row from 1982-1986.Kenyas Sally Kipyego was second in 2:28:01, 12 seconds ahead of American Molly Huddle, third in her marathon debut. Kenyas Joyce Chepkirui, third in Boston this year, was fourth in 2:29:08.Each champion over the 26.2-mile distance took home a top prize of $100,000.Ghebreslassies triumph came after fourth-place finishes at London and the Rio Olympics.At the halfway mark, Ghebreslassie, Kenyas Lucas Rotich and Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa, last years Boston Marathon champion, pulled away.In the 20th mile, Ghebreslassie surged away from Rotich and Desisa, accelerating ahead to leave behind his last threats.The Eritrean shared a high five with Rotich, running back down the course to greet him before the finish.I wanted to shake hands with him, said Ghebreslassie.Abdirahman was thrilled to make the podium after a previous best showing of sixth in New York.I was a believer anything could happen, he said. I did what I was supposed to do. I did what I could control. I was ready to run.Kenyas Stanley Biwott, last years New York champion, was out before the halfway mark in another disappointment. Biwott dropped halfway into the Rio Olympic marathon, saying he was given the wrong water bottle and that caused stomach issues.With plenty of time to prepare for her Big Apple run after not being selected to compete at Rio, Keitany outclased the field.In a pack of 14 after five miles, Keitany picked up the pace and by the 10-mile mark had trimmed the lead group to herself, Chepkirui and Ethiopias Aselefech Mergia.By mile 12, Mergia was falling back and at 15 miles, Keitany had opened a 10-second lead. By mile 16, Chepkiruis gap was 33 seconds back and growing as Keitany surged to the finish alone.I started to run my own race at 15 miles and started to follow my tactics and continue with my race, she said.
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