Monday 10 July 2017

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Tennis: Nadal in new Wimbledon misery as Murray, Federer coast

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LONDON (AFP) - Rafael Nadals bittersweet relationship with Wimbledon endured another twist Monday when he was knocked out in a five-set, fourth round epic by Luxembourg journeyman Gilles Muller.Nadals stunning 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 15-13 defeat came after defending champion Andy Murray and seven-time winner Roger Federer had cruised into the last-eight in straight sets.The four hour and 48-minute stunner on Court One had the knock-on effect of pushing Novak Djokovics last-16 clash against Frances Adrian Mannarino back to Tuesday.Djokovic had been the last match scheduled on the court but officials chose to postpone the tie instead of shifting it to Centre Court where it could, if necessary, have been completed under lights.Just weeks after winning his 10th French Open title, Nadal was condemned to his fifth exit before the quarter-finals in his last five visits to Wimbledon.It was not my best match against a very uncomfortable opponent, said world number two Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 champion.Well done to him. He played great, especially in the fifth set but I fought to the last ball.Nadal converted just two of 16 break points, while Muller fired 30 aces and 95 winners.Muller, seeded 16th, will make his first Wimbledon quarter-final appearance against former US Open champion Marin Cilic on Wednesday.Tired It was a long match. I did really well in the first two sets then Rafa stepped it up and in the end it was just a big battle, said Muller, who won on a fifth match point, more than an hour and a half after his first.In a pulsating final set, which stretched to 95 minutes, Nadal saved two match points in the 10th game and two more in the 20th.In between, Muller had to fight off a break point in the 13th game and four more in the 19th.Nadal was always chasing the score and he finally cracked in the 28th game of the decider when he went long with a return.I said, just give it a shot, go 100 percent, and its a great feeling to be winning that match, added Muller whose only other win over the great Spaniard also came at Wimbledon, 12 years ago.Defending champion Murray reached a 10th successive Wimbledon quarter-final with a 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-4 win over Frances Benoit Paire.World number one Murray will face Sam Querrey for a place in the semi-finals.I thought I played well. Maybe a couple of sloppy service games in the first set but that was by far the best Id hit the ball so far in the tournament. So Im really pleased with that, said Murray.Only Federer and Jimmy Connors (11 each) have reached more consecutive Wimbledon quarter-finals than Murray.Murrays win meant that with Johanna Konta also making the last-eight in the womens tournament, it is the first time since 1973 that Britain has two players in the quarter-finals.Federer reached his 50th Grand Slam quarter-final and 15th at Wimbledon with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win over Grigor Dimitrov.The Swiss star will now face Milos Raonic, the 2016 runner-up, after the sixth-seeded Canadian clinched a 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 win over Alexander Zverev of Germany, the 10th seed.Raonic defeated Federer in the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2016.Federer, 35, is the second oldest man to make the quarter-finals at Wimbledon behind Ken Rosewall who was 39 when he reached the last-eight in 1971.Im thrilled to be back in the quarters again, said Federer who took his record over Dimitrov to 6-0.The All England Club defended the decision not to switch Djokovic against Mannarino to Centre Court.It was determined the match could not be moved to Centre Court due to the number of spectators remaining in the grounds, said a statement.As late as 8:30pm, 30,000 people still remained in the grounds, and therefore moving the match would have created a significant safety issue.Both players were explained the rationale of postponing the match.Querrey, the US 24th seed who knocked out Djokovic in 2016, made the quarter-finals for a second successive year with a 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 6-7 (13/11), 6-3 over unseeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa.Seventh seeded Cilic downed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.Cilic will look to reach his first semi-final at the All England Club when he faces Muller.Czech 11th seed Tomas Berdych downed eighth-seeded Dominic Thiem of Austria 6-3, 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.Berdych, the 2010 runner-up, will face either three-time champion Djokovic or Mannarino for a place in the semi-finals.

Tennis: Venus rising as Konta eyes Halep revenge

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LONDON (AFP) - Venus Williams is ready to roll back the years as the American star eyes a place in the Wimbledon semi-finals, while British contender Johanna Konta faces a grudge match against Simona Halep on Tuesday.It is eight years since Williams last reached the Wimbledon final, but the 37-year-old showed she is still a formidable force on grass by thrashing Ana Konjuh in the fourth round.Williams quarter-final opponent -- Latvias Jelena Ostapenko -- was just 11 when Venus won the last of her five Wimbledon titles in 2008.The 20-year-old idolised Venuss sister Serena Williams, the reigning champion who is absent while she prepares to have her first child, and has modelled her go-for-broke game after the American legend.Having stunned the tennis world by becoming the first unseeded player to win the French Open, Ostapenko is brim full of confidence.Williams, this years Australian Open runner-up, is the oldest Wimbledon quarter-finalist for 23 years and she knows shell have to summon the kind of dominant display that made her so deadly a decade ago.She had an amazing moment in Paris. Shes riding on that momentum, Williams said of Ostapenko.Im playing pretty solid. Id like to win every round in straight sets. If not, all that matters is you win.Winning never gets old at any stage in your career, ever.Serena, in 2002 and 2015, is the last player to win the French Open and Wimbledon back to back, with Ostapenko not yet looking that far ahead.The first couple of matches here were tough. I wasnt playing my best. But I still won. I was fighting. Thats the key for getting your confidence and playing better with every match, she said.British star Konta and Romanian world number two Halep clash in what promises to be a heated affair with so much at stake for both players.Halep can replace Angelique Kerber on top of the world rankings with a win, while Konta is looking to move a step closer to becoming the first woman to win Wimbledon since Virginia Wade in 1977.As if that wasnt enough to fuel emotions on Centre Court, the pair were involved in a spiteful Fed Cup clash between their countries in April.Konta was reduced to tears by what she felt were threats and intimidation from the Romanian fans in Constanta during her match against Sorana Cirstea.Romania coach Ilie Nastase was sent from the court after calling Konta and his British counterpart Anne Keothavong bitches and was later banned from the stadium following a foul-mouthed rant at a British journalist.Halep didnt exactly soothe Kontas wounds ahead of their last eight clash, saying: In my opinion, the public was very fair.Konta couldnt hide her frustration went told of Haleps unsympathetic attitude.They were not in my shoes. They were not being verbally threatened. I think its very difficult for them to understand my position, she said.Beaten in the 2015 final by Serena, Spains Garbine Muguruza admits she and many of her title rivals know they have a golden opportunity to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish while the 23-time major winner is away.Muguruza, who faces Russias Svetlana Kuznetsova, said: I think so, because shes always in the final. Of course, its a big change. More players have the chance to get to the final.Kuznetsova, a former French and US Open champion, is in her first Wimbledon quarter-final for 10 years as the 32-year-old tries to silence the doubters by reaching the last four for the first time.Coming to Wimbledon, I didnt have any press attention before the tournament. Im, like, why dont I have? And then I was, like, okay I had too much of it in French Open, too much pressure, Kuznetsova said.I feel more free. It actually helped me and I dont care if people dont believe. Its their choice.Inspired by her coach Pat Cashs celebrations of the 30th anniversary of his Wimbledon title, American 24th seed Coco Vandeweghe is targeting her first Wimbledon semi-final.Vandeweghe faces Slovakias Magdalena Rybarikova, who has a 17-1 record on grass this season.I know Pat was celebrating with his team. With the 30-year anniversary, this tournament has been very special for him, Vandeweghe said.

Football: Pogba behind record United deal: Lukaku

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Romelu Lukaku revealed that his record move to Manchester United was inspired by Paul Pogbas arrival at Old Trafford as he began training with the Premier League giants in Los Angeles on Monday.A relaxed-looking Lukaku signed autographs for fans and posed for photos at UCLAs Drake Stadium, where United are training this week as their five-match pre-season US tour gets under way.The 24-year-old Lukaku joined up with the United squad just hours after his reported 75 million pound ($97 million, 85.5m euro) transfer from Everton was officially completed. The five-year deal -- which will see Lukaku pocket more than 200,000 pounds per week -- is a record transfer between two English clubs.The Belgian international striker quickly got into the groove, taking part in passing drills with French star Pogba and other team-mates in blazing sunshine at the UCLA facility near Beverly Hills.In his first interview since becoming a United player, Lukaku told the clubs television channel that his decision to seek a move to Old Trafford had come after seeing Pogba join the club last year.Pogba and Lukaku, who share the same agent, are close friends and were on holiday in Beverly Hills last week together before the deal was completed.Lukaku, who could make his debut in Saturdays tour opener against the Los Angeles Galaxy, told MUTV Pogba had played a big role in his transfer.He is one of my best friends and he is my neighbour as well, Lukaku said.We are always together on a daily basis so he would explain to me how things were going. Last season when he signed for United, to have witnessed that, it really triggered something in my brain and I knew that if one day I had the chance to sign then I would not say no.You just know and realise how big the club is, and the hunger it has to win trophies. I would like to say, at the end of my career, that I played for a team that has always challenged for trophies and this is what the club has always done.To be here now is a blessing and I will not take this opportunity for granted.Lukakus transfer reunites him with Jose Mourinho, who famously sold the striker to Everton in 2014 during his second spell in charge of Chelsea.The two men engaged in an often spiky war of words following Lukakus move to Everton, with Mourinho questioning the strikers mentality and motivation to be successful at Stamford Bridge.However on Monday, as Mourinho declared Lukaku a natural fit for United, the striker said he was looking forward to working with the Portuguese manager once more, insisting the two had a solid relationship.I am really looking forward to it, that is the most exciting part, Lukaku said.Me and him, we have a really good relationship and I always dreamed to play under him since I was 10. To have the opportunity at 24 to work under him and to be part of his plans for challenges for trophies is exciting.I think he is a manager to help us to win trophies and I cant wait to start working under him again.Lukaku, who lives in Manchester, revealed he had harbored a long-time desire to play for United, who won their 42nd major trophy this year with victory in the Europa League final, putting them one clear of bitter rivals Liverpool with 41.I live in Manchester so I pass Old Trafford many times when I want to go to the city centre, Lukaku said. One night I said to my mum that I would play there one day. I thought so. I had a certain feeling.In the short term Lukaku is looking forward to realising his goal of playing in the Champions League next season.Finally Finally I have been a pro for eight years and I have never had a taste of the Champions League group stages, Lukaku said. It is something I have always wanted, that competition has something, I want to see how it is and to have a taste.

Boxing: WBO review rules Horn beat Pacquiao

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SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian Jeff Horns shock welterweight title victory over Manny Pacquiao was confirmed Tuesday after a scoring review by the World Boxing Organization declared him the clear winner.The WBO took a close look at the fight after Pacquiao, backed by the Philippine governments sports regulatory body, criticised the referee and the judges and demanded a review after losing in Brisbane on July 2.Horn stunned the Filipino legend -- who has won world titles in an unprecedented eight weight divisions -- with his ultra-aggressiveness to earn a unanimous 12-round decision.The WBO -- which does not have the power to reverse a decision unless fraud or law violations are proven -- set up a panel of independent and anonymous judges who were asked to watch the bout without sound and determine who won each round.The results were tabulated to show clearly the rounds each fighter won using an average scale based on 60, 80 and 100 percent, with three of the five officials needing to be in agreement.A similar method has been used to review WBO title fights before.Upon the analysis, the findings stated that Pacquiao won the 3rd, the 8th and 9th by 100 percent; the 5th round was won by 80 percent; and the 11th round by 60 percent, the WBO said in a statement. Horn won the 1st, 6th and 12th rounds by 100 percent; rounds 2, 4, and 7 by 80 percent; and then, the 10th round by 60 percent. From the results, it can be established that Pacquiao won five rounds while Horn won seven rounds. Based on this analysis, Jeff Horn was the winner of the bout.The original fight was scored 117-111, 115-113 and 115-113 by judges Waleksa Roldan, Chris Flores and Ramon Cerdan respectively.Horn, a former schoolteacher written off before the bout by most observers, welcomed the ruling as confirming what he already knew.It gives me evidence behind me that I can just use now. Instead of saying I think I won the fight, now a heap of other people -- professionally -- think I won the fight, he told reporters in Brisbane.Its definitely nice to have it finally put on paper. I thought Id won the fight on the day and I think Pacquiao thought it as well. Now just to have it clear in front of us is good.He has made clear he is keen for a rematch and Brisbanes Courier-Mail said talks were already under way for a possible November duel between the two in the same city.Both the Philippine board and Pacquiao had criticised American referee Mark Nelson for supposedly allowing the underdog Australian to get away with illegal tactics without giving him warnings or point deductions.The loss sparked calls in the Philippines for the 38-year-old Pacquiao, a national icon after rising from poverty to be considered one of the greatest fighters of his generation, to retire and concentrate on politics.Pacquiao briefly quit boxing last year to pursue his long-held political ambitions and was elected senator. But he quickly made a successful comeback against Jessie Vargas in November, saying he still felt like a youngster.

Government forces launch south Syria attack despite ceasefire

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Syrian government forces launched an attack on rebels in a southern province on Monday despite a ceasefire, but state media said the assault was against the Islamic State group.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said the assault in Sweida province began in the morning, almost 24 hours into an internationally brokered ceasefire.The regime started an attack on the area northeast of Sweida city, backed by air strikes, the monitor said, reporting clashes between government troops and rebel fighters on the ground.One of the targeted groups, the Ahmad al-Abdo Army, said fierce fighting was ongoing.Regime forces launched a big attack today, with huge columns of armoured vehicles and with Syrian air cover, said Firas al-Munjed, the groups communication head.Both he and the Observatory said regime forces had captured a string of hilltops and villages along the border between the provinces of Sweida and Rural Damascus.But Syrian state media named those same positions as territory that government forces had captured from IS.Our forces and allies captured several areas, villages, hilltops and commanding positions in the eastern countryside of Sweida after eliminating large numbers of IS terrorists, said the official SANA news agency.The clashes come as a ceasefire for southern Syria negotiated by the United States, Russia and Jordan entered its second day.So far, the deal announced Friday has brought quiet to most of the three provinces covered: Daraa, Quneitra and Sweida.But in addition to the Sweida clashes, there have been other limited violations according to the Observatory, including regime shelling and exchanges of fire with rebels in Daraa.In Quneitra province, there were also reports of sporadic machinegun fire from both sides, though there were no casualties in any of the incidents, the monitor said.Sundays ceasefire went into effect just ahead of new peace talks in Geneva.More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

Tillerson looks to defuse Qatar crisis on Gulf tour

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KUWAIT CITY (AFP) - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived Monday in Kuwait, the key mediator between Qatar and its Arab neighbours, for talks aimed at defusing the Gulfs worst crisis in years.Tillerson will shuttle between Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia until Thursday in what is the first serious intervention by Washington in the Gulf crisis.He immediately held talks with Kuwaits Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah who is leading the mediation effort between the Gulf states, the official KUNA news agency reported.Tillerson also met Kuwaits Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah.British National Security Advisor Mark Sedwill, who was also received by the emir, attended part of the meeting which discussed the Gulf crisis.The US chief diplomat will travel on Tuesday to Qatar for talks with leaders there before returning to Kuwait later in the day.The dispute has seen a Saudi-led alliance impose sanctions on Doha over its alleged ties to both Islamist extremist groups and Shiite-dominated Iran. As they met in Egypt last week, Saudi Arabia and its allies said they planned to tighten sanctions against the gas-rich emirate, after Qatar refused to comply with a list of demands.A spokesman for Tillerson said ahead of his landing in Kuwait that it remained to be seen if theres even a possibility of some outcomes towards resolving the crisis.Right now, after Egypt, were months away from what we think would be an actual resolution and thats very discouraging, RC Hammond told reporters.On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt abruptly severed diplomatic ties with Qatar, suspending transport links with Doha and ordering all Qataris to repatriate within 14 days. The four nations later issued a list of 13 demands to be met to lift the sanctions, including that Qatar shut down broadcaster Al-Jazeera, close a Turkish military base and downgrade diplomatic ties with Iran.Hammond said that the demands were not viable, at least as a package. Individually there are things in there that could work. This is a two-way street, he said of a dispute among parties that each have been accused of funding extremists in some way. There are no clean hands.Qatar refused to meet the demands last week on the grounds they undermined its national sovereignty. It has also categorically denied having any ties to extremist groups. The Saudi-led alliance accused Qatar late Monday of failing to meet its commitments under the so-called Riyadh agreement of 2013 and its supplements signed the following year after a diplomatic spat.The accusation came after CNN showed papers from the Riyadh agreements under which Qatar and other Gulf states had pledged to combat terror funding.Analysts say Tillersons success in the Gulf may be contingent on his ability to manoeuvre regional scepticism over conflicting stances from Washington on the crisis.US President Donald Trump initially supported longtime US ally Saudi Arabia, but his stance was later contradicted when the US Department of State took a more neutral position. Tillersons impact largely depends on whether regional officials believe that the secretary of state is fully backed by President Trump, London-based political analyst Neil Partrick said.If Tillerson can convincingly frame his mission as delivering a deal for the United States that is all about defeating terrorism... then he may have some chance, said Partrick, who focuses on Gulf politics. But despite strong mediation efforts by Kuwait and others, governments across the region say they may remain deadlocked for the foreseeable future. No diplomatic effort or... mediation will succeed without Doha being rational, mature and realistic, UAE state minister for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted last week.Tillersons visit comes on the heels of a string of official visits to the region, including UN diplomats and the foreign ministers of Britain, Germany and Oman. Despite the deadlock, regional experts say Washingtons interest in finding a solution to the crisis is a welcome step. The tour comes after contradictory statements from Washington over the dispute, said analyst Abdullah al-Shayeji Shayeji, a political science professor at Kuwait University. It is a last-ditch effort to rescue the situation and try to resolve the crisis, which is impacting regional stability, the war on terror and the campaign against the Islamic State jihadist group, Shayeji said.He said mutual concessions from the feuding states would however be necessary.The United States and its Western allies have vast economic and political interests in the Gulf, which pumps one fifth of the worlds oil supplies, houses one third of proven global crude reserves and sits on one fifth of the worlds natural gas deposits.

US pressures Myanmar to accept UN rights probe

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - US Ambassador Nikki Haley on Monday ramped up pressure on the Myanmar government to accept a UN fact-finding mission tasked with investigating human rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims.Yangon officials said last week that they would deny visas to the three-person team mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate abuses reportedly committed by security forces in Rakhine state.It is important that the Burmese government allow this fact-finding mission to do its job, Haley said in a statement.The international community cannot overlook what is happening in Burma - we must stand together and call on the government to fully cooperate with this fact-finding mission.Myanmars de facto leader and Nobel prize winning democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi has rejected the UN fact-finding mission, arguing that the government is carrying out its own investigation.The north of Rakhine state has been under lockdown since October, when the military launched a campaign to hunt down Rohingya militants who staged deadly attacks on police posts.More than 90,000 Rohingya have been forced to flee their homes since last October, according to UN estimates.A UN report in February said the campaign against the Rohingya, who are denied citizenship and other rights in Myanmar, very likely amounted to war crimes.Haley said the violence in Rakhine continues to claim lives and that there were continuing allegations of sexual violence targeting women and children.In May, the Geneva-based rights council appointed Indira Jaising of India, Radhika Coomaraswamy of Sri Lanka and Christopher Dominic Sidoti of Australia to serve as the three members of the fact-finding mission.

Thousands flee California fires, state of emergency in British Columbia

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - More than a dozen wildfires were raging across California on Monday, forcing thousands of residents of the most populous US state to flee their homes.Further to the north, the Canadian province of British Columbia was under a state of emergency as fire crews there also battled blazes fueled by searing temperatures and high winds.The worst of the brush fires in California was the Alamo fire in San Luis Obispo County, which had burned nearly 29,000 acres (117 square kilometers) as of Monday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection known as Cal Fire.More than 1,200 fire personnel were battling the Alamo blaze, Cal Fire said, adding that hot and dry conditions were expected to continue for the next several days and the inferno has been only 15 percent contained so far.The California fires have forced the evacuation of around 8,000 people while another 10,000 have fled their homes in British Columbia, Canadas westernmost province, where around 200 blazes of varying degrees of intensity have been reported.The Alamo fire, which began four days ago, has spread to Santa Barbara County, approximately midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and is currently the states largest active fire, according to Cal Fire.Fire containment efforts were particularly aimed at guarding mountain peaks holding vital infrastructure such as a high-voltage line that delivers power to nearby cities, according to the Los Angeles Times newspaper.Another fire in Santa Barbara County, the Whittier fire, is threatening hundreds of homes in the Santa Ynez Valley and forced the evacuation of nearly 150 children and counselors from a youth camp over the weekend, authorities said.DC-10 tanker aircraft were spreading retardant in a bid to prevent the blaze, which has engulfed some 10,800 acres, from spreading, according to the Los Padres National Forest service.The Whittier fire has destroyed 20 structures and is threatening 150 more, according to Cal Fire. Area resident Sarah Gustafson told the Los Angeles Times that she was getting her tires changed when she saw a pillar of smoke rising and realized her six cats were trapped at home.She rushed back and managed to save the animals, and described a sky painted orange and black and flames up on the ridge.It was terrifying, she told the paper. When I got home it was smokey with ash.She then scrambled back to a Red Cross shelter parking lot where she and her cats spent the night.Another blaze, the Wall fire in northern Butte County, has burned some 5,600 acres and has been 35 percent contained as of Monday morning, according to Cal Fire.Four people have been injured by the Wall fire, according to authorities.Most of southern California including metropolitan Los Angeles has been in the grips of a blistering heat wave with temperatures reaching as high as 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius).Wildfires are common in California and other parts of the American west over the summer.In British Columbia, the provincial government has declared a state of emergency as thousands of firefighters battle blazes across the sprawling territory.Several villages in the center of the province have been evacuated, leaving more than 10,000 people temporarily homeless, said Canadian public safety minster Ralph Goodale. There are about 231 fires burning. Ninety-eight of these are new... At least 10 of them are very close to communities, which makes them particularly dangerous, he told a news conference. Kevin Skrepnek, chief information officer for the BC Wildfire Service, told the National Post that lightning storms on Friday had ignited many of the fires following a prolonged dry spell.Were focusing now on public safety, keeping these fires away from communities, protecting transportation routes, things like that, Skrepnek said.Forecasters are not expecting rain in the region in the coming week.

Military plane crashes in Mississippi; at least five killed: reports

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US military aircraft has crashed in the US state of Mississippi, killing at least five people, US media reported Monday.The US Marine Corps C-130, a refueling plane, crashed on the Sunflower-Leflore county line, the Clarion-Ledger reported.It cited Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Director Lee Smithson as the source of the information.The Marine Corps has said there was a mishap but did not immediately say where or if the two were the same case.A Pentagon spokesman separately confirmed only that a Marine Corps aircraft was involved in the incident to which the Marine Corps referred.A USMC KC-130 mishap occurred the evening of July 10. Further information will be released as available, the Corps itself said on Twitter.The incident took place around 1600 local, the Clarion-Ledger report said, noting that firefighters sprayed the aircraft with huge layers of foam to quell the fire.Some media said as many as nine people were on the plane without citing a source.

Three cups of coffee a day keep the doctor away: studies

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MIAMI (AFP) - Coffee addicts and aficionados often say drinking the bitter liquid makes life worth living, but the habit may also help them live longer, according to two major international studies Monday.Experts cautioned, however, that the US and European reports, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, failed to show that coffee was truly the reason that many drinkers appeared to have longer lives.Rather, the studies were observational in nature, meaning they showed an association between coffee-drinking and a propensity toward longevity, but stopped short of proving cause and effect.The first study, led by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and Imperial College London, examined more than half a million people across 10 countries in Europe.Those who drank about three cups a day tended to live longer than non-coffee drinkers, said the study, which researchers described as the largest analysis of the effects of coffee-drinking in a European population.We found that higher coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of death from any cause, and specifically for circulatory diseases, and digestive diseases, said lead author Marc Gunter of the IARC, formerly at Imperials School of Public Health.Importantly, these results were similar across all of the 10 European countries, with variable coffee drinking habits and customs.The second study included more than 180,000 participants of various ethnic backgrounds in the United States.It found benefits to longevity whether the coffee was caffeinated or decaffeinated.Coffee drinkers had a lower risk of death due to heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and respiratory and kidney disease.Those who drank one cup a day were 12 percent less likely to die compared to those who didnt drink coffee. Those who drank two or three cups per day saw an even higher 18 percent reduced risk of death.We cannot say drinking coffee will prolong your life, but we see an association, said lead author Veronica Setiawan, an associate professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California.If you like to drink coffee, drink up If youre not a coffee drinker, then you need to consider if you should start.Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. Some 2.25 billion cups are consumed every day.Many prior studies have hailed the benefits of coffee-drinking, saying the beverage imparts anti-oxidants, may improve liver function and reduce inflammation.But coffee may carry risks for some people, and pregnant woman and children are urged to avoid caffeine, which can be fatal in high doses.A report from the IARC last year that said drinking very hot beverages -- coffee, tea or otherwise -- is one probable cause of cancer of the esophagus, the tube that runs from the throat to the stomach.Experts who were not involved in the latest studies urged caution in interpreting the results.For instance, the European study excluded people who had cancer, heart disease or diabetes, meaning it took a measure of people over 35 who were already generally healthy.It also asked about coffee consumption just once, at the beginning, and did not update this figure over the span of the study, which included an average follow-up time of 16 years.Finally, it found signs of a link between women who drank large amounts of coffee and a higher risk of cancer death, but downplayed this finding, saying it may be spurious.The conclusions will not lead me to start drinking coffee or to recommend people drink more coffee as a way to lessen their risks for heart disease, said Naveed Sattar, professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow.I remain unconvinced that the link between coffee and heart disease represents a true cause and effect relationship and that coffee is truly protective, regardless of how large a study suggests this.Sattar said that one downside to the research is the fact that many people stop drinking coffee -- or drink less of it -- when they are ill, a bias is very hard to fully overcome.David Spiegelhalter, a professor at the University of Cambridge, described the research as huge in size and carefully done, but nevertheless unable to prove cause and effect.If these estimated reductions in all-cause mortality really are causal, then an extra cup of coffee every day would on average extend the life of a man by around three months, and a woman by around a month, he added.So perhaps we should relax and enjoy it.

Colorado camper wakes to find bear biting head

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A staffer at a Christian summer camp in Colorado has told of his shock at waking to find his head clamped in the mouth of a bear.The 19-year-old survival instructor at Glacier View Ranch described his immense pain as he heard the black bear crunching on his skull.It dragged him around 12 feet (four meters) before being scared off by other campers, and is being hunted by parks officials with dogs.The crunching noise, I guess, was the teeth scraping against the skull as it dug in, the man, identified only as Dylan, told local news channel Denver 7.It grabbed me... then pulled me, and then it bit the back of my head and dragged me. When it was dragging me that was the slowest part. It felt like it went (on) forever, he added.Dylan described feeling the bears breath on the back of his neck.Theres four spots where its claws dug into me, he told KTVB-TV, showing bite marks on the back of his head from the animal.He had been in a sleeping bag on a lakefront alongside four other camp counselors when the animal struck at 4:15 am (1115 GMT) on Sunday in Ward, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Boulder, Colorado.I thought I was dreaming for a second and then I thought this hurts too bad to be dreaming, he added.He was taken to hospital but came away with just nine staples to his head.Colorado Parks and Wildlife told local media had not been provoked and that such attacks were uncommon.This is really a bear that could be a continual threat to people in this community, a spokeswoman said.

Two more oil tankers catch fire in Vehari

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VEHARI (Dunya News) – According to details, fire broke out in an illegal oil agency situated in a village 20 kilometres from Vehari during filling of petrol in two oil tankers on Monday.The fire completely destroyed the oil agency and oil tankers and also engulfed nearby houses. Rescue teams reached the spot and brought the fire under control. No loss of life was reported in the incident.Meanwhile, police have registered a case against driver and conductor of the oil tanker and owner of the illegal oil agency.

India suspends Poonch-Rawalakot bus service

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SRINAGAR (Dunya News) – Adding to the miseries of Kashmiri people, India has suspended bus service between Poonch and Rawalakot in the Held Kashmir on Monday.Indian authorities suspended Poonch-Rawalakot bus service for a week on the pretest of cross-border firing.Dozens of Pakistanis who went to meet their relatives in Poonch were stranded due to suspension of bus service. The stranded Pakistanis have demanded of the Indian authorities to restore the bus service immediately.

Quetta: Roof collapse kills two children

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QUETTA (Dunya News) – At least two children were killed when roof of a dilapidated house situated at the Kansi Road in Quetta collapsed on Monday, Dunya News reported. Four other children and a woman were also wounded in the incident.According to details, a marriage ceremony was going on in the house when roof of a room caved in, killing two kids on the spot and wounding four other children and a woman.Police and rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the injured to Civil Hospital, Quetta for medical treatment.

Sindh Govt to make effective legislation to curb street crime

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - Sindh home minister Sohail Anwar Siyal while addressing a press conference in Karachi on Monday said that decision to make legislation to curb street crime was taken on the recommendations of the apex committee.Sohail Anwar Siyal said that Sindh government has also decided to amend the street crime laws. He said that the provincial government will contact judiciary regarding the legislation.He also informed that the government is also considering a suggestion to install trackers in new motorcycles to check the theft of motorbikes in the province.The provincial minister further informed that Pervaiz Chandio is being appointed as DIG Jails for improvement in the working of prisons in the province.
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