Sunday 18 December 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

350 people leave rebel-held Aleppo despite halted evacuations

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ALEPPO (AFP) - Some 350 people were able to leave a rebel-held pocket of east Aleppo on Sunday, a medical official said, despite the official postponement of evacuations of civilians and fighters from the devastated Syrian city.Dozens of buses had entered Aleppo earlier in the day to resume evacuations, but plans were called off at the last minute after gunmen attacked vehicles for a similar operation from two rebel-besieged villages.The development came as the UN Security Council prepared to vote on a resolution to deploy observers to the city, with Syria-allied Russia giving cautious backing to the measure. Five buses carrying the evacuees arrived from besieged parts of east Aleppo, said Ahmad al-Dbis, who heads a team of doctors and volunteers coordinating evacuations to rebel-held Khan al-Assal, from where they can travel on to other parts of Aleppo and Idlib provinces.They were in a terrible state, Dbis told AFP.They hadnt eaten, they had nothing to drink, the children had caught colds, they were not even able to go to the toilet, he added.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the 350 were able to be evacuated after Russia and Turkey urged the Syrian regime to allow the convoy of buses to pass its final control point.Evacuations were suspended on Friday, a day after convoys of people had begun leaving the rebel sector under a deal allowing the regime to take full control of the battleground city.The main obstacle to a resumption had been a dispute over how many people would be evacuated in parallel from two Shiite villages, Fuaa and Kafraya, under rebel siege in northwestern Syria.But just as a deal to go ahead with the evacuations was found and announced by both sides, gunmen attacked and torched buses sent to take people out of Fuaa and Kafraya, a monitor said.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said one bus driver was killed in the attack and that security guarantees would be needed before evacuations could resume. Yasser al-Youssef of the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group confirmed that the evacuations have been momentarily suspended.Buses would not leave the rebel areas of Aleppo until residents of Fuaa and Kafraya were also able to leave, the Observatory said. A rebel representative had said that hundreds of people would also be evacuated from Zabadani and Madaya, two regime-besieged rebel towns in Damascus province, as part of the deal.Syrian state television said earlier Sunday that 100 buses would take people out of east Aleppo. By early evening, more than 30 buses were packed with people awaiting evacuation, while thousands more stood in the cold for their turn to board other buses, an AFP reporter said.Meanwhile the UN Security Council said it would vote Monday on sending observers to ensure the well-being of civilians, along with the Syrian Red Crescent and International Committee of the Red Cross who are already supervising evacuations. Russia had threatened to veto a draft resolution presented by France, but after nearly four hours of closed-door consultations a new proposal was agreed. US Ambassador Samantha Power anticipated member states would vote unanimously at 9:00 am (1400 GMT) on Monday.Irans official news agency IRNA said the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran would meet Tuesday in Moscow to discuss the situation.Families have been sheltering at night in freezing temperatures in bombed out apartment blocks in Aleppos Al-Amiriyah district, the departure point for evacuations.An AFP reporter visited a hospital in the rebel sector where patients lay on floors without food or water and almost no heating.Aleppo has seen some of the worst violence of the nearly six-year war that has killed more than 310,000 people.A physiotherapist, Mahmud Zaazaa, said only three doctors, a pharmacist and three nurses remained in the area.An official said more than half of Aleppos buildings and infrastructure have been badly damaged or destroyed since violence erupted there in 2012.UN envoy Staffan de Mistura estimated that as of Thursday around 40,000 civilians and perhaps as many as 5,000 opposition fighters remained in Aleppos rebel enclave.Before evacuations were suspended around 8,500 people, including some 3,000 fighters, left for rebel-held territory elsewhere in the north, said the Observatory.

Unknown woman leaves newborn child at midwife's home

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MIAN CHANNU (Dunya News) - An unknown woman left her newborn child at midwifes home in Mian Channu on Sunday, reported Dunya News.The woman left the baby at midwifes home, who handed over the baby to police. A couple reached police station to adopt the baby, who did draw to decide who should be given the baby.The law experts questioned the decision, after which baby was taken back. Now court will decide who will have the custody of baby.

Fire gutted more than 20 shops in Dir Bala

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DIR BALA (Dunya News) – According to details, fire broke out in the cylinder shops in Tar Patar Bazar of Dir Bala on Sunday night which spread very quickly and engulfed more than 20 shops.The residents of the area tried to bring the blaze under control on self-help basis. The traders staged protest against the fire brigade and rescue teams as they failed to reach the spot in time.Two vehicles of fire brigade with the help of local residents brought the fire under control after a hectic effort of three hours. The fire was so severe that it destroyed more than 20 shops in the area. The cause of the fire is still not known. No loss of life was reported in the incident.

Salman Butt should get a chance to comeback: Waqar Younis

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LONDON (Dunya News) - The former captain and coach of Pakistan team Waqar Younis said that Salman Butt also deserves a chance of making a comeback to International cricket, reported Dunya News.Salman Butt was banned for spot fixing in 2010 and scored twin centuries in Quaid-e-Azam trophy final earlier this month. Muhammad Amir was also banned with Butt but he has already represented Pakistan in all three formats after serving the ban.Waqar Younis said that Butt has served the ban so he deserves a chance. Salman Butt had helped WAPDA in winning the trophy with his fabulous performance in the final.

Unhappy Rodriguez puts Madrid future in doubt

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YOKOHAMA, Japan (AFP) - Real Madrid playmaker James Rodriguez plunged his future into doubt by claiming he will decide in the next week whether to remain with the European champions in the January transfer window.The Colombian joined Real for a reported 80 million euros from Monaco ($84 million) after starring as the top scorer at the 2014 World Cup.However, after a fine debut campaign, Rodriguez has been marginalised in the past two seasons and was an unused substitute as Real won the Club World Cup with a 4-2 win over Japanese champions Kashima Antlers in Yokohama on Sunday.I have to be calm and I have seven days to be able to reflect on it, Rodriguez told reporters after the final.I want to be here but sometimes things dont work out. I have to think about it all and I cant guarantee if I will stay or not because I want to play more.Rodriguez has started just four times in La Liga this season as Real have shot to the top of the table on a club record 37-game unbeaten run in all competitions.Since Zinedine Zidane took charge in January, the 25-year-old has fallen behind more unheralded names such as Lucas Vazquez, Isco, Casemiro and Marco Asensio for a place in Reals midfield.However, any exit may be complicated by the fact Real wont be able to immediately replace him unless the Spanish giants appeal against a one-year transfer ban for irregularities in the signing of players under 18 is upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

UN to vote Monday on sending observers to Aleppo

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN Security Council will vote Monday on a French-drafted resolution to quickly deploy UN observers to Aleppo, with Russia, Syrias ally, giving cautious backing to the measure.Russia had threatened to veto a first draft presented by France calling for observers to monitor evacuations from Aleppo and report on the protection of civilians in the besieged Syrian city.But after nearly four hours of closed-door council consultations on Sunday, a new draft was agreed. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters: We put in some good hours of work and I think we have a good text.French Ambassador Francois Delattre declared that the council had reached common ground, while US Ambassador Samantha Power anticipated the member states would vote unanimously at 9:00 am (1400 GMT).The vote, initially tabled for Sunday, was delayed until Monday to allow the Russian delegation to consult with Moscow on the final draft resolution that provides for UN and other international observers to be dispatched to eastern Aleppo.The new draft calls on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to make arrangements, in consultation with Syrian authorities and the rebels, to allow UN monitoring of the well-being of civilians.Moscow had presented its own draft resolution that requested that the United Nations make arrangements to monitor the situation, but made no specific mention of sending observers to east Aleppo.France and the United States said the new text, which took into account Russian proposals, resulted in minor changes.The text left standing includes all the core provisions to allow for UN monitoring, to get the 100-plus UN people ready to go to team up with the ICRC and the Syrian Red Crescent, said Power.Evacuations of fighters and civilians from Aleppo were suspended on Sunday after gunmen attacked buses for a similar operation from two rebel-besieged villages.Syrian forces this week moved to assert full control over the east of the city, which had been held by opposition fighters since 2012.Russia, which has deployed forces in Syria to support President Bashar al-Assads military, has vetoed six resolutions on Syria since the conflict began in March 2011. Delattre said the international presence would prevent Aleppo from turning into another Srebrenica, where thousands of Bosnian men and boys were massacred in 1995 when the town fell to Bosnian Serb forces.If adopted, I believe it will be the first time the Security Council has been able to agree on a text in a long time, said Delattre.It will give us collectively the tools to try to avoid a new Srebrenica.The draft resolution demands that all parties allow complete, immediate, unconditional, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian aid to Aleppo, which has been under siege since July.It stressed that evacuations of civilians must be voluntary and to final destinations of their choice, and protection must be provided to all civilians who choose or who have been forced to be evacuations and those who opt to remain in their homes.It calls for the protection of doctors, medical workers and hospitals following reports that Syrian forces bombed all of the medical facilities in east Aleppo.Ban is due to report to the council within five days of the adoption of the resolution on whether access has been granted by the Syrian government, which has repeatedly blocked UN aid.France hopes the draft resolution, if adopted, will give new momentum to efforts to reach a broader ceasefire and re-start political talks on ending the war.Hundreds of civilians, including scores of children, have died in east Aleppo during the latest fighting. Nationwide, more than 310,000 people have been killed in the nearly six-year war.

Aleppo evacuations again suspended after deadly attack

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ALEPPO (AFP) - Evacuations Sunday of fighters and civilians from the devastated Syrian city of Aleppo were postponed until further notice after gunmen attacked buses for a similar operation from two rebel-besieged villages.The development came as Syria ally Russia warned it would veto a French-drafted resolution at the Security Council on sending UN observers to Aleppo and submitted a counter draft resolution.Diplomats said the Security Council vote would take place on Monday.Dozens of buses had entered the last rebel-held parts of Aleppo on Sunday to resume the evacuation of thousands of increasingly desperate trapped Syrian civilians and rebels.The evacuation was suspended on Friday, a day after convoys of people had begun leaving the rebel sector under a deal allowing the regime to take full control of the battleground city.The main obstacle to a resumption had been a dispute over how many people would be evacuated in parallel from two Shiite villages, Fuaa and Kafraya, under rebel siege in northwestern Syria.But just as a deal to go ahead with the evacuations was found and announced by both sides, gunmen attacked buses sent to take people out of Fuaa and Kafraya and torched them, a monitor said.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said one bus driver was killed in the attack and that the overall evacuation operation was put on hold.The Britain-based monitor said security guarantees were needed before they could resume.Yasser al-Youssef of the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group confirmed that the evacuations have been momentarily suspended.The Observatory said buses would not leave the rebel areas of Aleppo until residents of Fuaa and Kafraya were also able to leave.Buses began entering several east Aleppo districts earlier Sunday under Red Crescent and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) supervision to bring the remaining terrorists and their families out, state news agency SANA said, referring to the rebels.State television said 100 buses would take people out.By early evening in Aleppo, more than 30 buses were packed with people awaiting evacuation, while thousands more stood in the cold for their turn to board other buses, an AFP reporter said.A rebel representative had also said that hundreds of people would also be evacuated from Zabadani and Madaya, two regime-besieged rebel towns in Damascus province, as part of the deal.The UN Security Council met to discuss a French draft resolution saying that tens of thousands of besieged Aleppo inhabitants are in need of aid and evacuation.The measure would task Secretary General Ban Ki-moon with deploying UN staff to Aleppo to monitor evacuations and report on the protection of civilians who remain there.But Russia said it would use its veto to block the French proposal, and instead presented a rival draft asking the UN to make arrangements to monitor the situation.The Russian draft seen by AFP made no specific mention of observers going to Aleppo.We believe quite simply that what they are proposing is unworkable and dangerous, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said ahead of the meeting.We cannot allow it to pass because this is a disaster.The Security Council will vote Monday on a new draft resolution on observers after France agreed to take Russian concerns into account, diplomats said.Russian President Vladimir Putins special envoy to Syria visited Damascus ally Iran on Sunday for talks with top officials on the Syrian conflict.Irans official news agency IRNA said the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran would meet Tuesday in Moscow to discuss the situation.Families have been sheltering at night in freezing temperatures in bombed out apartment blocks in Aleppos Al-Amiriyah district, the departure point for evacuations.An AFP reporter visited a hospital in the rebel sector where patients lay on floors without food or water and almost no heating.Aleppo has seen some of the worst violence of the nearly six-year war that has killed more than 310,000 people.A physiotherapist, Mahmud Zaazaa, said only three doctors, a pharmacist and three nurses remain in the area.An official said more than half of Aleppos buildings and infrastructure have been badly damaged or destroyed since violence erupted there in 2012.This is an optimistic percentage of the damage, Aleppo administrator Nadeem Rahmoun said.UN envoy Staffan de Mistura estimated that as of Thursday around 40,000 civilians and perhaps as many as 5,000 opposition fighters remained in Aleppos rebel enclave.The ICRC appealed for safe passage for the civilians.People have suffered a lot. Please come to an agreement and help save thousands of lives, said Syria delegation head Marianne Gasser.Before evacuations were suspended around 8,500 people, including some 3,000 fighters, left for rebel-held territory elsewhere in the north, said the Observatory.

Kerry hopes for new Yemen ceasefire in 2 weeks

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RIYADH (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed the hope in Saudi Arabia on Sunday that a new ceasefire in the Yemen conflict could be agreed within two weeks.On his last visit to the kingdom as secretary, Kerry said the United States will work with Britain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to achieve a new pause in the fighting, which would be the eighth ceasefire attempt since hostilities escalated early last year.The group of four nations, formed previously to focus on Yemen, hopes that within two weeks it might be possible to achieve a pause in fighting, Kerry told reporters at a joint news conference with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir.The failure to achieve a lasting cessation of hostilities is disturbing to all of us, Kerry said.Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has led an Arab coalition conducting air strikes against Huthi rebels and providing other assistance to local forces in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.The coalition intervened after the Huthi rebels allied with elite members of security forces loyal to Yemens former president Ali Abdullah Saleh seized the capital Sanaa and overran other parts of the country.Previous ceasefire attempts collapsed when new fighting broke out.The group of four nations -- which also met Omans foreign minister as well as UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed -- reaffirmed UN proposals for a peace roadmap made in October.Sources have said the plan calls for agreement on naming a new vice president after the rebels withdraw from Sanaa and other cities, and hand over heavy weapons to a third party.Hadi would then transfer power to the vice president who would appoint a new premier to form a government in which the north and south of Yemen would have equal representation.Hadi, who has spent most of his time in Riyadh since early last year, rejects the plan, however, saying that he would only cede power to an elected leader.The rebels, in turn, in late November formed a 42-member government of national salvation in areas they control.Ould Cheikh Ahmed called the rebels move an obstacle to the peace process.Riyadh and Washington accuse Iran of arming the Huthis, a charge Tehran denies.Since early last year the war in Yemen has killed more than 7,000 people, about half of them civilians, while the humanitarian situation is dire and deteriorating rapidly, according to Kerry.Washingtons top diplomat leaves office in January at the end of President Barack Obamas presidency.But he said the US will remain engaged in the search for peace in Yemen.We think weve found a path that can move forward, Kerry said.And we invite the parties, President Hadi, the Huthis and their supporters, both sides, to take advantage of this moment.He added that Iran has also indicated that it wants an end to the Yemen war, and they believe that the key is for Huthis to be able to have some role within government.Yemens Tourism Minister Mohamed Qubaty told reporters that Kerry is a lame duck attempting a shot from across 50 yards to score a goal at the last minute.The Saudi-led coalition has faced repeated allegations of killing civilians during its air strikes in Yemen, and last week the United States blocked the transfer of precision-guided bomb kits to Saudi Arabia.A senior US administration official said the move reflected strong concerns with the flaws in the coalitions targeting practices and its overall conduct of the Yemen air war.At Sundays news conference Jubeir dismissed such reports as media propaganda and said the Saudi-led coalition had not been contacted about a halt in shipments.

Saudi Arabia lobbies US over 9/11 law

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RIYADH (AFP) - Saudi Arabias foreign minister has been lobbying US legislators to change a law allowing victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks to sue the kingdom, he said on Sunday.Adel al-Jubeir told reporters he has just returned from an extended stay in the United States, which was partly to try to persuade them that there needs to be an amendment of the law, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA).The US Congress voted overwhelmingly in September to override President Barack Obamas veto of the JASTA.Fifteen of the 19 Al-Qaeda hijackers who carried out the 9/11 attacks were Saudi. But Riyadh denies any ties to the plotters who killed nearly 3,000 people.JASTA allows attack survivors and relatives of terrorism victims to pursue cases against foreign governments in US federal court, and to demand compensation if those governments are proven to bear some responsibility for attacks on US soil.We believe the law, that curtails sovereign immunities, represents a grave danger to the international system, Jubeir said at a joint press conference with visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry.In opposing the law, Obama said it would harm US interests by opening up the United States to private lawsuits over its military missions abroad.Saudi Arabias Gulf allies have also expressed concern about erosion of sovereign immunity, a principle sacrosanct in international relations.But the potential implications go far beyond the Gulf.Some British, French and Dutch lawmakers have threatened retaliatory legislation to allow their courts to pursue US officials, threatening a global legal domino effect.The United States is, by eroding this principle, opening the door for other countries to take similar steps and then before you know it international order becomes governed by the law of the jungle, Jubeir said.He added that the US itself would suffer most from the erosion of sovereign immunity.The question now becomes how do you go about amending the law, he said.Kerry, whose visit was focused on the war in Yemen, at the press conference reiterated his governments concern over JASTA.

Electoral College, archaic and unloved, prepares to anoint Trump

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Donald Trumps fiercest critics may be dreaming of a last-minute revolt, but the Electoral College, a peculiarly American institution, appears near-certain on Monday to select the 70-year-old real estate mogul as the 45th US president.Its detractors -- and they are many -- have denounced an electoral system that flies in the face of the venerated one man, one vote principle, and which perversely encourages presidential candidates to campaign in only a few key states while ignoring whole swaths of the country. But despite the torrent of criticism this method has faced for decades, no reform attempt has ever succeeded.When American voters cast their ballots on November 8, they did not in fact directly elect the next occupant of the White House. Instead, they picked 538 electors charged with translating their wishes into reality. Trump won a clear majority of those electors -- 306, with 270 needed for election -- despite dramatically losing the popular vote to his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.A similar scenario took place in 2000, when George W. Bush became president even though Democrat Al Gore won more popular votes. However, the gap is far more dramatic in 2016, with Clinton scoring nearly three million extra votes over Trump.This Monday, electors will convene in each of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, to officially designate the next president and vice president.Following an extraordinarily vitriolic campaign, this step in the electoral process -- normally little more than a formality -- has been thrust into the spotlight.Historically, electors only rarely defy the expressed wishes of the majority of voters in their district. And never have the votes of these faithless electors changed the outcome of a presidential election.Still, some Democrats -- who see a Trump presidency as presenting an existential danger to American democracy -- are clinging to the slender hope that a few dozen Republican electors might decide not to vote for their partys populist leader. Yet, should that happen, it would be up to the House of Representatives to designate the successor to Barack Obama. And Republicans hold a strong majority there.An online petition calling on electors to reject Trump, has collected some five million supporters. Hollywood stars including Martin Sheen (President Bartlet on the popular television series West Wing) recently released a video to goad electors to take that step. You have the position, the authority and the opportunity to go down in the books as an American hero who changed the course of history, the celebrities say, addressing electors who have been thrust overnight from the shadows into the spotlight.But these efforts appear to have almost no chance of succeeding: There is no evidence that the requisite 37 Republican electors will decide to abandon Trump. To date, only one of them, Christopher Suprum of Texas, has publicly announced his intention to stage such a revolt. The final result may not be known on Monday, as states are given several days to report their numbers. The Congress will, in any case, announce the name of the official winner on January 6, two weeks before the next president is to be inaugurated in a solemn and pomp-filled ceremony outside the Capitol.Asked about it at his final news conference of the year before leaving for a Hawaiian vacation, Barack Obama acknowledged that the system was a vestige, its a carry-over from an earlier vision of how our federal government was going to work, and that it could disadvantage Democrats. Still, the outgoing president urged his camp to draw needed lessons from their electoral failure and develop a strategy for the future rather than bemoaning the 2016 loss or trying to overturn it.The truth of the matter is that if we have a strong message, if were speaking to what the American people care about, typically, the popular vote and the Electoral College vote will align, he said in a clear allusion to his own presidential victories in 2008 and 2012. David Pozen, a professor at Columbia Law School, sees at least one silver lining to the intense focus on the Electoral College: it will draw attention to the urgent need for change. Either way, the renewed public interest in the Electoral College underscores the need to do away with this antiquated and fundamentally undemocratic institution, he said in an op-ed article in the New York Times. In November 2000, Hillary Clinton, then the newly elected Democratic senator from New York, issued a clear call for an electoral reform that would result in direct, universal suffrage. Trump, for his part, has radically changed his stance on the matter in just four years. The Electoral College is a disaster for a democracy, he tweeted in November 2012.Last month, just days after a victory that seemed to stun even him, he sounded a rather different note: The Electoral College is actually genius in that it brings all states, including the smaller ones, into play. Campaigning is much different

At least 20 dead in DR Congo gold mine collapse: minister

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BUKAVU (AFP) - At least 20 people were killed in a gold mine collapse in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a local minister said on Sunday.The deaths occurred overnight at a mine in South Kivu region in the east of the country, the provinces mines minister Apollinaire Bulindi said.The toll is likely to rise because many people were working in a disorderly way in this quarry, Bulindi said, referring to illegal miners.The Makungu mine where the accident took place is located in the Fizi district of Sud Kivu near the border with the Tanganyika province.We (the provincial authorities) do not control this quarry, these are soldiers who are working there..., he said.Mining accidents are common in mineral rich DR Congo. Last year, 15 people have suffocated while digging in an illegal mine in southeast, where the problem of illicit mining is widespread.Much of the gold mined in Sud Kivu is smuggled out of the country to Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, and from there allegedly to Dubai, according to the OECD.Rebel militia frequently use illicit gold trading as a source of financing.President Joepeh Kabila in 2010 imposed a nine-month ban on illegal mining in three provinces including Sud Kivu.It hit cassiterite and coltan mining but failed to have any impact on the gold mining there, OECD added.

Murray wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year award

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LONDON (AFP) - Andy Murray was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for a record third time on Sunday despite his wife telling him she was voting for one of his rivals.The 29-year-old Murray capped a memorable year in which he claimed his second Wimbledon and Olympic titles, deposed Novak Djokovic as world number one and became a father for the first time.He beat two-time Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee and Olympic showjumping gold medallist Nick Skelton in the public vote with the results announced at a ceremony in Birmingham.Actually, Ive got a bone to pick with my wife (Kim) because about an hour ago she told me shed voted for Nick Skelton. Not smart from her with Christmas coming up, said Murray who was presented with his trophy at his Miami training base by former world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis.Murray, who also won the award in 2013 and 2015, added: Id like to thank everyone who voted -- I really appreciate your support.Also Id like to thank my family. I think my mum is in the crowd there (in Birmingham). Id like to thank my dad as as well, who just got married 10 days ago. A huge thanks to my wife and my daughter (Sophia) -- she wont know what this means yet, but maybe in a few years she will.Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri was named coach of the year after guiding the Foxes to the Premier League title. Leicester, 5,000-1 to lift the trophy at the start of last season, were also voted team of the year.Michael Phelps received the lifetime achievement award after winning five Olympic golds in Rio, taking his total to 23 gold and 28 medals in total.American teenage gymnast Simone Biles was named Overseas Sports Personality of the Year for her four gold medals and bronze in Rio.

Suarez and Messi help Barcelona thrash Espanyol

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BARCELONA (AFP) - Luis Suarez celebrated his bumper new five-year Barcelona deal in style with a double as the champions defeated Espanyol 4-1 in the Catalan derby to move to within three points of La Liga leaders Real Madrid.However, it was Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messis skills that stole the show as Barca took advantage of Reals duties in winning the Club World Cup earlier on Sunday to cut the gap at the top ahead of La Ligas three-week winter break.Iniesta teed up Suarez for an early opener before both Iniesta and Messi showed sublime touches for the second eventually finished off by Suarez.Messi created Barcas third as well for Jordi Alba before David Lopez pulled a goal back for Espanyol as their 10-game unbeaten run came to an end.The five-time World Player of the Year wasnt to be denied, though, as Messi got the goal his performance deserved a minute from time.Barcas upturn in form in recent weeks has coincided with the return of veteran playmaker Iniesta from a six-week injury layoff and the Spanish international was to the fore as the hosts dominated throughout.Iniesta sparked a sweeping counter-attack on eight minutes involving all three of Barcas star-studded frontline as he fed Suarez, who spun away from the Espanyol defence, before picking out Neymar and the Brazilians low cross was fired inches wide by Messi.Barca had to wait just 10 minutes more to open the scoring as another sumptuous Iniesta pass was expertly controlled by Suarez and he bore down on goal before slotting into the far corner.For all their dominance in possession, the champions had to wait till the start of the second period to enjoy more clear chances as Messi curled wide from the edge of the box before he teed up Suarez with a brilliant defence splitting pass.This time the Uruguayan was denied by Diego Lopez, but at a cost as the Espanyol keeper injured his knee in clashing with Suarez and had to be replaced by Roberto.Suarez moved level with Messi as La Ligas top scorer with 12 with Barcas second, but once again the credit should go to Iniesta and Messi as they dribbled past a combined seven Espanyol defenders before Messis shot was parried by Roberto and Suarez snaffled up the rebound.Seconds later Messi tore the Espanyol defence apart once more to leave Jordi Alba free to drill the ball into the far corner.Espanyol did muster a reply to salvage some pride with their first shot on target as Gerard Moreno headed into Lopezs path, who had stormed forward from centre-back to find the top corner.However, a virtuoso display from Messi got the finale it deserved as he and Suarez exchanged a one-two before the Argentine prodded between Robertos legs.

Boxing: Middleweight great Hopkins knocked out of ring in career finale

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Bernard Hopkinss bid to add a last chapter to a storied ring career ended Saturday with the 51-year-old former world champion spent sprawling out of the ring by Joe Smith.In a fight that Hopkins vowed would be his last the 27-year-old Smith -- who wasnt born when Hopkins launched his career in 1988 -- ended proceedings with a series of blows that included one of his punishing right hands.Hopkins, who sagged against the ropes and then through them as Smith landed a final left, fell backwards, hitting his head and twisting an ankle.When Hopkins was unable to make it back into the ring within the mandatory 20 seconds referee Jack Reiss called a halt, making it a technical knockout for Smith at 53 seconds of the eighth round.The fighter got hit with a legal punch, went out of the ring and was injured. Its over, Reiss said.The result was booed by some of the 6,513 at the Forum in Los Angeles, and Hopkins insisted he was pushed, not punched out of the ring.Im really still in shock, said Hopkins, whose resume includes some of the biggest names of his generation and an astonishing 20 straight middleweight title defenses beginning in 1994.Hopkins became the oldest boxer in history to win a major title when defeated Tavoris Cloud in 2013. In 2014 he beat Beibut Shumenov by split decision to become the oldest to unify world titles.After a two-year layoff, Hopkins looked all of his 51 years in the early going, but he said he believed he was on his way to turning the tide.I know if I hadnt made a mess and gotten knocked out of the ring, I wouldve come back like Im known for and wouldve had my chin, Hopkins said after the result saw his record slip to 55-8-2 with 32 knockouts.I had seen him fall, and I kept hitting him until I saw him go out, and I landed that left hook to finish the job, Smith said. I hit him with four or five clean shots and they were good shots on the button.Although it wasnt the ending he wanted, The Executioner said he wouldnt change his mind about retiring for good.I promised I wouldnt, he said of returning. You come to that point in life where it is final and Im happy with my life in retirement.I belive that the crowd and the fans know for a fact I went out as a soldier, fighting the toughest, baddest opponents.Joe was a tough, heavy-hitting fighter, Hopkins added of his hand-picked opponent, who improved to 23-1 with 19 knockouts.The sometime construction worker from New York said he knew it wasnt the result many came to see.I came here to do my job, Smith said. This is my coming out party, too. I had to finish him.

Karunaratne, Silva pile up runs for Sri Lanka

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POTCHEFSTROOM (AFP) - Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva put on 159 for the first wicket as the touring Sri Lankans got off to a strong start on the first day of a three-day match against a South African Invitation XI at Senwes Park on Sunday.Karunaratne hit 71 and Silva made 80 before both batsmen retired at the end of the 45th over of the touring teams only warm-up match before the first of three Tests against South Africa, starting in Port Elizabeth on December 26.The Sri Lankans finished the day on 328 for six after winning the toss and batting on a batsman-friendly pitch.Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva also hit half-centuries against a youthful Invitation XI bowling attack.De Silva provided the days most attractive batting, reaching a half-century off 43 balls with four fours and two sixes.The only disappointment for the touring team was the dismissal of captain Angelo Mathews, who was caught behind without scoring off left-arm spinner George Linde.The left-handed Karunaratne and right-handed Silva both showed good form, with Karunaratne making his runs off 127 balls with ten boundaries, while Silva faced 145 deliveries and hit 11 boundaries. Both batsmen were officially recorded as retired out despite not being dismissed by a bowler.Linde, who replaced Test off-spinner Dane Piedt in the Invitation team, was the most successful bowler, taking two for 72.
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