Thursday 8 December 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Syria army advances as Assad eyes Aleppo victory

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ALEPPO (AFP) - Syrias army battled to take more ground from rebels in Aleppo Thursday after President Bashar al-Assad said victory for his troops in the city would be a turning point in the war.Three weeks into a major offensive to retake all of Aleppo, government troops have captured about 85 percent of territory rebels controlled in the citys east and were continuing to push forward.AFP correspondents in the city said rebel areas were facing intense bombardment.In east Aleppo, terrified residents could be seen fleeing in the streets as heavy bombing shook opposition-held areas.In the citys west, the explosions from rebel bombing were so strong they shook the windows of buildings. Plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the east.Cornered in a shrinking enclave in Aleppos southeast, the rebels have asked for a five-day ceasefire.Western countries have backed the call, and US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov kept up talks on Thursday in an effort to halt the bloodshed.In a wide-ranging interview with Syrian daily Al-Watan published Thursday, Assad predicted victory for his forces in Aleppo, though he admitted that would not end the countrys conflict entirely.Its true that Aleppo will be a win for us, Assad said.Lets be realistic -- it wont mean the end of the war in Syria, he said. But it will be a huge step towards this end.Rebels seized control of large parts of Aleppo in 2012, dividing Syrias former commercial hub into an opposition-held east and government-controlled west.For years Aleppo was a key battleground and important rebel stronghold, but Assads forces have recently made a concerted push to retake the city.In the last week government forces steadily gained ground until on Wednesday -- after a highly symbolic retreat from the Old City -- the rebels called for the ceasefire to allow thousands of civilians to evacuate.Assads government has said a truce is only possible after a full rebel withdrawal, and opposition fighters have rejected any talk of abandoning Aleppo.On Thursday the army, backed by fighters from Iran and Lebanons Hezbollah movement, was continuing to advance, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.The Britain-based monitor said there were heavy clashes in several rebel neighbourhoods, including Bustan al-Qasr, Saif al-Dawla, Zibdiya, Sukkari and Kallaseh.All rebel areas were under heavy bombardment, it said, and opposition forces were returning fire with rockets into west Aleppo.At least 384 civilians have been killed in east Aleppo during the offensive, while rebel fire into the west has killed at least 105 people, the Observatory says.The assault has prompted a mass exodus from east Aleppo where at least 80,000 people have fled their homes, according to the monitor.On Thursday, hundreds of families, most of them from the Salhine district, arrived in Aziza, a southeastern suburb of Aleppo, after the latest rebel defeats.I feel reborn, said Yasser, a 40-year-old father of four as he tugged at a cart stacked with luggage atop of which sat his ailing mother.The UN renewed its call for an immediate ceasefire in Aleppo, warning as many as 500 sick and injured children desperately needed to be evacuated.There has to be a pause, said Jan Egeland, head of the UN-backed humanitarian taskforce for Syria.At the moment, those who... try to escape are caught in crossfire, they are caught in shelling, (and) risk being hit by snipers.The International Committee of the Red Cross said it carried out an operation on Wednesday night with Syrias Red Crescent to evacuate 150 civilians, many disabled or sick, from a health facility in the Old City.It was unclear how many civilians remained in rebel territory, but there were an estimated 250,000 in east Aleppo prior to the latest offensive.An appeal also came from the White Helmets rescue group for international organisations to protect its members in rebel-held parts of east Aleppo.If we are not evacuated, our volunteers face torture and execution in the regimes detention centres, they said in a statement.A series of diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting this week have stalled, with Moscow and Washington trading accusations of blame.Moscow is a key Assad ally and launched an air war in support of his forces last year, while Washington and other Western nations have supported rebel forces.Russia this week suggested a deal was in the works for rebels to be allowed to withdraw from Aleppo to other opposition-held territory.Kerry and Lavrov met twice Thursday in the German city of Hamburg but without any announcement of progress on a ceasefire.Their talks were held on the margins of a meeting of the 57-member Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Russia says Syria army halts Aleppo attacks as rebels cornered

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ALEPPO (AFP) - Syrias army on Thursday halted its attacks in Aleppo to allow for trapped civilians to be evacuated, Russias foreign minister announced, after advancing regime forces cornered rebels in the city.I can tell you that today combat operations by the Syrian army have been halted in eastern Aleppo because there is a large operation underway to evacuate civilians, said Sergei Lavrov.There is going to be to a column of 8,000 evacuees travelling five kilometres (three miles), Lavrov said after talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry in the German city of Hamburg.In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Lavrovs announcement was an indication that something positive could happen.A senior State Department official said Lavrov and Kerry spoke again by phone late Thursday and agreed to continuing having discussions about establishing a framework for a ceasefire.There was no immediate reaction from Damascus, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said the fighting had eased.Air strikes ceased and artillery fire was far less intense, according to an AFP correspondent in east Aleppo.Moscow is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and launched an air war in support of his forces last year, while Washington and other Western nations have supported rebel forces.Russia this week suggested a deal was in the works for rebels to be allowed to withdraw from Aleppo to other opposition-held territory.On the strength of his armys latest gains in territory of east Aleppo held by the rebels, Assad said in a newspaper interview Thursday that victory for his troops would be a turning point in Syrias five-year war.Three weeks into a major offensive to retake all of Aleppo, government troops have captured about 85 percent of territory rebels controlled in the citys east.AFP correspondents in the city said rebel areas faced intense bombardment on Thursday before Lavrovs announcement.Cornered in a shrinking enclave in Aleppos southeast, the rebels have asked for a five-day ceasefire.Western countries have backed the call, and Kerry and Lavrov held talks on Thursday for a second straight day in an effort to halt the bloodshed.The UN renewed its call for an immediate ceasefire in Aleppo, warning that as many as 500 sick and injured children desperately needed to be evacuated.There has to be a pause, said Jan Egeland, head of the UN-backed humanitarian taskforce for Syria.At the moment, those who... try to escape are caught in crossfire, they are caught in shelling, (and) risk being hit by snipers.In his interview with Syrian daily Al-Watan, Assad predicted victory for his forces in Aleppo, though he admitted that would not end the countrys conflict entirely.Its true that Aleppo will be a win for us, Assad said.Lets be realistic -- it wont mean the end of the war in Syria, he said. But it will be a huge step towards this end.Rebels seized control of large parts of Aleppo in 2012, dividing Syrias former commercial hub into an opposition-held east and government-controlled west.For years Aleppo was a key battleground and important rebel stronghold, but Assads forces have recently made a concerted push to retake the city.In the last week government forces steadily gained ground until on Wednesday -- after a highly symbolic retreat from the Old City -- the rebels called for the ceasefire to allow thousands of civilians to evacuate.Assads government has said a truce is only possible after a full rebel withdrawal, and opposition fighters have rejected any talk of abandoning Aleppo.On Thursday the army, backed by fighters from Iran and Lebanons Hezbollah movement, continued to advance, said the Observatory.The monitor had reported heavy clashes in several rebel neighbourhoods, including Bustan al-Qasr, Saif al-Dawla, Zibdiya, Sukkari and Kallaseh.All rebel areas had been under heavy bombardment, it said, with opposition forces returning fire with rockets into government-controlled west Aleppo.At least 384 civilians have been killed in east Aleppo during the offensive, while rebel fire into the west has killed at least 105 people, the Observatory says.The assault has prompted a mass exodus from east Aleppo where at least 80,000 people have fled their homes, according to the monitor.On Thursday, hundreds of families, most of them from the Salhine district, arrived in Aziza, a southeastern suburb of Aleppo, after the latest rebel defeats.I feel reborn, said Yasser, a 40-year-old father of four as he tugged at a cart stacked with luggage atop of which sat his ailing mother.The International Committee of the Red Cross said it carried out an operation on Wednesday night with Syrias Red Crescent to evacuate 150 civilians, many disabled or sick, from a health facility in the Old City.It was unclear how many civilians remained in rebel territory, but there were an estimated 250,000 in east Aleppo prior to the latest offensive.An appeal also came from the White Helmets rescue group for international organisations to protect its members in rebel-held parts of east Aleppo.If we are not evacuated, our volunteers face torture and execution in the regimes detention centres, they said in a statement.

50,000 IS fighters killed in Iraq, Syria since 2014: US official

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - At least 50,000 Islamic State jihadists have been killed by the US-led coalition since it began operations in Iraq and Syria in late 2014, a senior US military official said Thursday.A relentless operation using planes and drones from a dozen or so members of the anti-IS coalition since August 2014 has conducted some 16,000 air strikes against the jihadists in Iraq and Syria -- two-thirds of them in Iraq.In addition, the coalition has provided training and weapons to local forces fighting IS.I am not into morbid counts but that kind of volume matters, that kind of impact on the enemy, the official said, calling the 50,000 number a conservative estimate.The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the air campaign had been the most pristine ever in terms of avoiding civilian casualties, with almost all the bombs dropped so far being smart weapons that can be steered to a precise target.The coalition tally of civilians killed in the operations is 173 -- though critics say the real figure is far higher.The official said the coalition had diminished ISs ranks to such a level that the simultaneous attacks being waged on Mosul in Iraq and Raqa in Syria -- the jihadists last remaining major power centers -- have been possible.Coalition spokesman Colonel John Dorrian said earlier that in Mosul, IS was turning to adolescent fighters as its hardcore warriors got wiped out.As this effort goes on with each passing day, Daesh has fewer fighters and fewer resources at their disposal, Dorrian said in a videocall, using an Arabic IS acronym.He added the jihadists appeared to have run out of armored suicide car bombs, and estimated many hundreds of fighters had been killed in Mosul.It doesnt mean that its not still an extraordinarily dangerous situation. They are not going to go quietly, but they are going to go.The coalition has previously said it does not use a casualty count as a measure of effectiveness in the campaign to ultimately defeat (IS) in Iraq and Syria.Despite this assertion, such figures are periodically announced.Airwars, a London-based collective of journalists and researchers, uses local sources, photographs and media accounts to keep a detailed list of every known coalition air strike.They have praised Pentagon efforts at accountability compared with other actors in Syria such as Russia and the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. But the group says the number of likely civilian deaths from coalition strikes is 1,957 at a bare minimum.

IS kills 34 Syria regime fighters in Homs: monitor

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Islamic State group jihadists killed at least 34 members of Syrian government forces on Thursday in an assault on regime positions in the central province of Homs, a monitor said.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that 22 civilians were killed in air strikes on IS-held areas in northern Syria.IS launched simultaneous attacks near the Mahr and Shaar oil and gas fields and elsewhere in the desert in eastern Homs, said the Britain-based monitoring group, which earlier gave a death toll of 26 among pro-regime forces.IS was able to take control of seven checkpoints and other positions held by government forces, who were forced to withdraw amid fierce clashes, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.IS once held several key towns in Homs, including ancient Palmyra, but has been driven from all but the desert in the east of the province.It now regularly attacks isolated army positions in the area, as well as oilfields under government control.Some northern parts of Homs are held by various rebel groups, but the government holds the rest of the province.Further north, 11 civilians were killed in a strike believed to have been carried out by the US-led coalition fighting IS in the village of Al-Mashrifa in Raqa province on Wednesday night.Another three people were killed in strikes, also believed to have been carried out by coalition aircraft, on the village of Al-Abarah in Raqa, the monitor said.The Observatory says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved.The US-led coalition says it investigates credible reports of civilian casualties in its strikes and has acknowledged a handful of civilian deaths in Syria since it began raids there in September 2014.Raqa is home to ISs de facto Syrian capital, Raqa, though a Kurdish-Arab alliance backed by the US-led coalition launched an offensive to recapture the city and surrounding province last month.Elsewhere, the Observatory said eight people were killed in strikes on the IS-held village of Bzaa in northeast Aleppo on Thursday morning.The monitor said it could not confirm who was behind those strikes, but the area is one where both Turkey and the US-led coalition operate.Turkey began an unprecedented operation inside northern Syria dubbed Euphrates Shield on August 22, saying it was targeting both IS but also Kurdish militants that have battled the jihadist group.

Solomons escape serious damage after powerful 7.7 quake

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SYDNEY (AFP) - A major 7.7-magnitude quake struck Friday off the Solomon Islands, but there were no reports of any serious damage, officials said.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre initially warned of possible widespread, hazardous tsunami waves and villagers rushed to higher ground.But within three hours the warning was downgraded after the threat passed without serious incident.The epicentre of the quake, which hit at 4:38 am (1738 GMT Thursday), was located 68 kilometres (42 miles) west of Kirakira, a provincial capital in the Solomon Islands, at a depth of 48 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.Electricity supplies were cut in some areas and there were reports of thatched houses collapsing.Donald Tehimae, an officer at the Kirakira police station, said most of the damage appeared to be superficial.Some houses have been damaged but no one was hurt. At the police station a lot of documents in the storeroom fell down, he said.The US Geological Survey said earlier that some casualties and damage were possible from the quake, warning that waves reaching 1-3 metres above tide level could occur along parts of the Solomons.It had also warned some coasts in Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, New Caledonia, Tuvalu and Kosrae, as well as Hawaii, were at risk, before saying the threat had passed.The Solomon Islands are often rocked by powerful earthquakes and are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of tectonic activity known for frequent quakes and volcanic eruptions.It is one of the most seismically active parts of the world.In 2013, the islands were hit by a tsunami after an 8.0-magnitude quake, leaving at least 10 people dead and thousands homeless after buildings were destroyed.

Karachi: Drug peddler killed in police encounter

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, an exchange of fire between drug peddlers and police took place in Purani Sabzi Mandi area of Karachi on Thursday in which one drug peddler was killed.Police sources said that the deceased was identified as Imran and was wanted by police in 15 cases including hand grenade attack at a police post in PIB Colony.On the other hand, some unidentified persons opened fire and shot dead a man in Liquatabad No-8 area. Police have also recovered dead body of a woman from near the Fatima Hospiatl in Patel Para area. The identity of the deceased is not yet known.

Muridke: 6 injured in fog-related mishaps

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MURIDKE (Dunya News) - At least six people were wounded when three cars collided at the GT Road due to poor visibility on Thursday as thick fog blanketed plain areas in Punjab, Dunya News reported.The injured were shifted to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Muridke. Rescue sources said that the accident was caused due to dense fog and visibility was very low.The rescue officials and police have urged the drivers to drive slowly and switch on fog lights while driving. They also requested people to stay home and avoid unnecessary travelling.

Karachi: Five terrorists of banned outfit arrested

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – The terrorists are trying to regroup in Karachi to carry out terror strikes in the city as police rounded up five militants affiliated with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Thursday night, Dunya News reported.According to details, police conducted an operation on an intelligence report in Orangi Town area and arrested five terrorists of banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.Police have recovered five Kalashnikovs and one and a half kilogram of explosive material from the possession of the arrested terrorists. The arrested terrorists informed police during initial investigation that their group consists of TTP activists from Swat and Wana.

Both factions of MQM to observe Youm-e-Shuhada separately

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London and the Pakistan chapter of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM-P) have decided to observe Youm-e-Shuhada today (Friday) at different places in Karachi, Dunya News reported.Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) will hold a public meeting in PIB Colony to observe Youm-e-Shuhada. All arrangements have been made to hold public meeting at the KMC Ground. On the other hand, MQM-London has asked its workers to reach Jinnah Ground in Azizabad to observe Youm-e-Shuhada. to offer ‘Fateha’ for the martyres. The party has asked the workers to visit the memorial of martyrs and offer ‘Fateha’.

Lahore: Two accused involved in firing on Dolphin Force arrested

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – According to details, Dolphin Force officials tried to stop a motorcycle in Gulberg area of Lahore on Thursday upon which the motorcycle riders opened fire at the officials.The Dolphin Force officials returned the fire due to which one accused was wounded. The law enforcement agencies have arrested the injured accused and his accomplice and started investigation.

Fog in Punjab: Motorway closed, Lahore airport shut down

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Dence Fog has blanketed different areas of Punjab, including Lahore, on Thursday night badly disrupting the road traffic and flight schedules, Dunya News reported.The Allama Iqbal International Airport’s operations have been shut down and the international and domestic flights coming to land there have been diverted to other airports.A Pakistan International Airline (PIA) flight PK-204 coming to Lahore from Dubai was diverted to Sialkot while a flight of a private airlines from Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) to Lahore landed at the Multan Airport.The fog has also affected road traffic. The Motorway has been closed from Lahore to Pindi Bhattian as visibility was down to zero due to dense fog.The Motorway police have appealed the drivers to use GT Road for travel from Lahore to Sheikhupurs and Pindi Bhattian. The Motorway police have also urged the drivers to drive slowly and switch on fog lights. They also requested people to stay home and avoid unnecessary travelling.

Karachi: Rangers recover arms in raid on gang war accused house

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Rangers conducted a raid on a house in Purana Golimar area near Lyari on Thursday and recovered a large quantity of arms, Dunya News reported.A Rangers spokesman informed that the house belonged to gang war accused Ritasat of Uzair Bloch group. The ammunition recovered from the house included nine SMGs, two repeaters, one 32-bore pistol, eleven 9MM pistols, nine 30-bore pistols, one air gun, one 30-bore mouser, 76 hand grenades and detonators, one awan bomb and 5,000 bullets.Rangers also recovered 841-kg of hashish, 122 kilograms of heroin and 480 bottles of liquor from the house. The Rangers spokesman said that the arms were stored in the house to carry out target killing and terrorist attacks in the city.

Football: Mkhitaryan breaks duck as United go through

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PARIS (AFP) - Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored his first Manchester United goal to set up a 2-0 win over Zorya Luhansk in Ukraine on Thursday and take Jose Mourinhos side into the last 32 of the Europa League.United required only a point to secure progress from Group A but Mkhitaryans 48th-minute strike and a late Zlatan Ibrahimovic goal separated the sides and took the Premier League club through in second place behind Fenerbahce, who won 1-0 at Feyenoord thanks to a Moussa Sow effort.The game went ahead despite concerns about the state of the icy, rock-hard pitch at the Chornomorets Stadium in Odessa, almost 1,000 kilometres away from Luhansk in the conflict-torn east of the country.After a goalless first half, United broke the deadlock three minutes into the second half as the Armenian Mkhitaryan burst forward from midfield through the middle of the Zorya defence before finishing past goalkeeper Igor Levchenko.They wrapped up the victory two minutes from the end as a fine one-touch passing move ended with Paul Pogba sending Ibrahimovic away, the Swede running through and finishing coolly.I was waiting a long time for this goal. My next goal has to be at Old Trafford because I want to score at home, Mkhitaryan, who previously played in Ukraine for Shakhtar Donetsk, told BT Sport.The first half was a little bit difficult because we couldnt find the last pass but in the second half we created some space for the wingers and the strikers. The important thing was to win today and go through.Mourinho praised the playmaker, who endured a difficult start to his United career but is now starting to show his worth.He worked hard physically and tactically -- the talent was there, we knew that when we bought him. Now hes playing good -- in the Premier League, Europa League and EFL Cup -- and now the goal means a little more happiness for him, so Im very pleased, Mourinho said.United will join Tottenham Hotspur, who drop out of the Champions League, in the last 32, but there was bitter disappointment for fellow Premier League club Southampton.Claude Puels men knew a goalless draw or a win at home to Hapoel Beer-Sheva would see them advance from Group K but instead drew 1-1 with the Israelis and were eliminated.The visitors went in front in the 79th minute, Yuval Shabtai pouncing on a poor pass by Oriol Romeu and setting up Maor Buzaglo to fire home.Virgil van Dijk equalised with a deflected shot in stoppage time but they could not get a winner and Hapoel go through instead.A brilliant late chip by Manuel Trigueros gave Villarreal a nervy 2-1 win over Steaua Bucharest that took the Spanish club into the last 32 from Group L behind the Turkish side Osmanlispor.Fellow Spaniards Celta Vigo won 2-0 at Panathinaikos and qualify from Group G, while Fiorentina are through as winners of Group J after a 2-1 win over Qarabag in Azerbaijan secured by a 76th-minute goal from 19-year-old Federico Chiesa, son of ex-Italy striker Enrico, who was then sent off shortly after.PAOK of Greece are also into next weeks draw for the first knockout round thanks to a 2-0 win against Slovan Liberec, while Gent joined Shakhtar Donetsk in advancing from Group H.Kalifa Coulibalys stoppage-time strike clinched a 1-0 win over Konyaspor in Turkey and took the Belgians through at the expense of Braga, who lost 4-2 at home to Shakhtar.AZ Alkmaar beat Zenit 3-2 in the Netherlands and join the Russians in progressing from Group D.Dundalk had gone into their final game in the same group away to Maccabi Tel Aviv still in with a chance of going through but a 2-1 reverse in Israel ended the Irish champions hopes.Romanian champions Astra drew 0-0 at home to Roma and go through with the Italians from Group E, while Sassuolo and Genk will try again in Group F on Friday after fog in Italy forced their encounter to be postponed.

Football: Ronaldo publishes details of 225m-euro income

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MADRID (AFP) - Cristiano Ronaldo published his financial records on Thursday which showed the Real Madrid star declared income of more than 225 million euros in 2015 as he battled accusations of tax evasion.An international consortium of media organisations claimed that a huge data leak involving 18 million documents showed the Portuguese skipper hid 150 million euros ($160 million) from image rights in the British Virgin Islands.But the 31-year-old has released details of his income in 2015 which he had already passed on to the Spanish tax authorities.The procedure, known as a Model 720 and which was apparently presented to tax chiefs in March, showed that Ronaldo earned 203.7 million euros outside of Spain and 23.5 million inside the country.This document confirms that Spains Tax Agency is knowledgeable of all of Cristiano Ronaldos assets and income. From now on, the player will not make any further statement on this subject, said a statement released by his management company, Gestifute.As reported in recent days, the player has been aware of his tax obligations right away from the beginning of his professional career in all of the countries in which he has resided, and has not and has never had any issue with the tax authorities of any of those countries.This communication, which was not required by law, constitutes irrefutable proof that Cristiano Ronaldo and his representatives are in good faith and cooperate with the authorities in a spirit of transparency and compliance with legality.Earlier Thursday, Ronaldo seemingly resorting to a proverb to plead his innocence of any wrongdoing.You believe I am worried? He who owes nothing, fears nothing, said the superstar after being approached by Portuguese TV station RTP to respond to the allegations after Real Madrids Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday evening.On Wednesday, his club side also came out in his defence.Real Madrid demand the maximum respect for a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, whose behaviour has been exemplary during his entire time at our club, Madrid said in a statement.

Tennis: All top stars confirmed for Aussie Open

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MELBOURNE (AFP) - Every player in the worlds top 99 bar pregnant Victoria Azarenka has confirmed for the Australian Open, including Roger Federer and Serena Williams as they return from injury, organisers said Thursday.The all-star field for the opening Grand Slam of 2017 at Melbourne Park will see Andy Murray and Angelique Kerber start as top seeds in a sign of the changing of the guard in world tennis.It will also be notable for six-time tournament champion Williams, who is attempting to claim her 23rd major singles title to surpass Steffi Graf and set a new record for the Open Era.On the mens side, world number two Novak Djokovic will be aiming to hoist the trophy for a record seventh time. We have an exceptionally strong field for Australian Open 2017, and its exciting to welcome two new world number ones, and two new top seeds in Angie (Kerber) and Andy (Murray), said tournament director Craig Tiley.American powerhouse Williams has been out of action since September due to a shoulder injury that hindered her throughout the year.She has signed on for the Auckland Classic in early January, along with sister Venus, as a warm-up for the Australian Open later that month.Fellow former world number one Federer has also been sidelined for knee rehabilitation after undergoing the first operation of his career on a torn meniscus in February.He is set to play the Hopman Cup in Perth ahead of the Australian Open and renew his rivalry in Melbourne with Rafael Nadal, who is also working to regain full fitness and is set to kick-off his year at the Brisbane International.We have been in regular contact with Roger and Rafa and both are ready and excited for the Aussie summer, with Roger heading to Perth and Rafa to Brisbane for the first time, said Tiley.Like all the players, they cant wait to get to Melbourne and start the year off well.The only player from the top 99 missing is two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka, who announced in July she was pregnant with the baby due towards the end of the year.
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