.

Cricket - Sports

Loading...

Friday, May 3, 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Karzai urges closure of Guantanamo

Posted:

COPENHAGEN (AP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai has pressed for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison as President Barack Obama mulls a renewed push before a reluctant U.S. Congress.Karzai says he has from the very beginning been a very strong supporter of closing down the prison at the U.S. naval base in Cuba, a goal that has eluded Obama since he took office. Obama signed an executive order for its closure, but Congress has used its budgetary power to block detainees from being moved to the United States.Karzai said during a visit to Denmark on Thursday that he also wants the release and return of Afghan prisoners in Guantanamo.The Afghan leader was speaking on the third leg of a visit that also took him to Finland and Estonia.

Activists: Dozens killed in Syrian village

Posted:

BEIRUT (AP) - Syrian activists say regime troops backed by pro-government gunmen have killed dozens of people, including women and children, in a village near the Mediterranean coast.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says forces loyal to President Bashar Assad took over the predominantly Sunni Muslim village of Bayda outside the city of Banias on Thursday.Observatory director Rami Abdul-Rahman says the villagers who fled said at least 50 people were killed and they expected the death toll to rise.Syria's more than 2-year-old conflict has largely split down sectarian lines, pitting a regime dominated by Assad's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, against a predominantly Sunni rebellion.The Observatory reported fighting earlier in the day around Bayda that killed at least six government troops and wounded 20 more.

Pentagon report: NKorea moving toward nuke missile

Posted:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon says North Korea appears headed toward its announced goal, which is to be able to strike the U.S. with a nuclear-armed missile.In a report to Congress Thursday, the Pentagon made no estimate of when North Korea might achieve that capability. It said the North will move closer to its goal if it continues investing in the testing of nuclear and missile technologies.The report says the Norths work on a space-launch vehicle has contributed heavily to its effort to build a missile capable of delivering a warhead to U.S. targets. That work was highlighted by the launch of a satellite into space last December.But it adds that the North has yet to test a re-entry vehicle, without which it cannot deliver a warhead to a target.

60 die in Darfur gold mine collapse: local official

Posted:

KHARTOUM (AFP) - More than 60 workers were killed when an unlicenced desert gold mine collapsed in an area of Sudan's Darfur where hundreds died in fighting over the precious commodity in January-February, the district chief said Thursday.It was not known how many people may still be missing after Monday's accident in Jebel Amir district, more than 200 kilometres (125 miles) northwest of the North Darfur state capital El Fasher.Production from unofficial gold mines has become a key revenue source for Sudan's cash-strapped government.It is also a tempting but dangerous occupation for residents of Sudan's poverty-stricken western region of Darfur which has been devastated by a decade of civil war.The number of people who died is more than 60, said Haroun al-Hassan, local commissioner for Jebel Amir, adding that rescue operations were still taking place.I cannot give exact figures because no one got precise numbers of how many people were going inside the tunnel, which descends 40 metres (yards), he said.Rescuers were using hand tools to try to reach the victims, he said, without specifying whether anyone might still be alive.We cannot use machines because if they came near, the ground will collapse. People are using traditional tools and because of this, the rescue is very slow, Hassan said, unable to give more details.I myself saw this land collapse. It started from Monday evening but the main collapse happened on Tuesday, said a miner who works in a different part of the area.He said it is located in the hill or jebel which gives the area its name.Nobody takes the names of those who go inside. Only their colleagues or their relatives know where they are, the miner said, requesting anonymity.They risk their lives, maybe striking gold but often coming up empty.Sometimes you spend more than three or four weeks without getting anything, the miner said. Other times you get gold that you can sell for 10,000 pounds ($1,590).A resident of El Sireaf, the main town in the surrounding region, said he visited the remote site of the accident.The problem is that those small mines are so close together and if one of them falls it will affect the others. That is what happened in this mine. All the neighbouring mines collapsed, he said, also declining to be named.Residents and members of the security forces were using hand tools to reach the victims, he added.

Chelsea beat Basel to reach Europa League final

Posted:

LONDON (AP) - Fernando Torres scored one goal and set up another Thursday to send Chelsea into the Europa League final with a 3-1 win over Basel and give his team a chance of finishing the season with another European trophy.Chelsea held a 2-1 lead from the first leg but Basel threatened a comeback when Mohamed Salah put the Swiss side ahead in first-half injury time.But Torres engineered the comeback after the break, equalizing in the 50th and helping create the second for Victor Moses just two minutes later.David Luiz finished off the victory in spectacular fashion, curling in an unstoppable strike from outside the area in the 59th.Chelsea reached its second European final in two years after having won the Champions League in 2012, and will play Benfica in Amsterdam on May 15. The Portuguese club beat Fenerbahce 3-1 at home in the other semifinal to turn around a 1-0 deficit from the first leg and advance.The final will be Rafa Benitez's only chance to finish his tenure as Chelsea interim manager with a trophy, which would also salvage some pride for the London club after it became the first reigning Champions League holder to get knocked out in the group stage.Benitez is widely expected to leave in the offseason and the crowd made it clear they won't miss him, with chants of Jose Mourinho ringing out regularly around Stamford Bridge. Mourinho hinted strongly at a return to the London club on Wednesday after Real Madrid was eliminated in the Champions League semifinals.But Benitez once again found a way to turn a game around in the second half, after Basel had taken advantage of poor defending to go ahead just before the break.Valentin Stocker fed Salah with a pass through two defenders that beat the offside trap and set him free against Cech, and the winger calmly slotted his finish into the left side of the net.The lead didn't last long though, and Chelsea took full control after the break.Frank Lampard's low shot from outside the area was saved by Yann Sommer, and Torres slid in to fire the rebound into the roof of the net for the equalizer. The second came almost immediately and in similar fashion. This time it was Torres who fired a shot from outside the area that was deflected into the path of Moses, who slotted in from nearly the same spot.If those goals were more gritty than pretty, David Luiz added a bit of flair seven minutes later.Lampard collected a cross outside the area and thought about shooting before laying the ball off to the Brazilian defender, whose left-footed shot curled perfectly into the far corner past a helpless Sommer.Lampard was looking to equal Bobby Tambling's club record of 202 career goals and nearly converted Chelsea's first chance in the eighth minute. Torres played Lampard clear with a delicate lob into the area, but the midfielder's first-time effort bounced against the far post.With the game out of reach in the closing minutes, Basel's fans saluted their team's run to the semifinals by lighting flares and unfurling flags in the away section, jumping up and down and applauding.

Janko Tipsarevic into BMW Open quarterfinals

Posted:

MUNICH (AP) - Top-seeded Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia defeated Grega Zemlja of Slovenia 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the BMW Open on Thursday.Tipsarevic is bidding for his second title of the year after winning the Chennai Open at India in January. He will face Daniel Brands of Germany, who beat Gael Monfils of France 6-3, 3-6, 6-0.Third-seeded Tommy Haas overcame Ernests Gulbis 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2 in match lasting more than 2 hours, 10 minutes to set up a quarterfinal with Florian Mayer. The sixth-seeded Mayer beat Marinko Matosevic 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.Haas, a finalist in 2000, is bidding to win the title for the first time on his 10th appearance.

Dortmund host Bayern for Champs League preview

Posted:

BERLIN (AP) - Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich won't have to wait for the Champions League final to go head to head.Dortmund hosts Bayern on Saturday in the Bundesliga in a preview of their Wembley showdown, although this time there won't be nearly as much at stake. Bayern wrapped up the title with six games to spare and Dortmund is all but assured of second place although both clubs are keen to strike a psychological blow before their meeting in Europe's showpiece on May 25.Bayern has not beaten Dortmund in five league games but has won every Bundesliga game in 2013. The club's 14-game winning streak is a record.Dortmund, the deposed champion, is still smarting after star player Mario Goetze decided to join Bayern next season and the visitors can be assured of a hostile reception.Goetze is out with a torn left hamstring, however, and faces a race against time to be fit for the sides' next meeting on May 25.It's going to be cutting it fine for everything that's left, said Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp, raising the possibility that the 20-year-old attacking midfielder may have played his last game for the club.Both sides are likely to be feeling the effects of their respective Champions League semifinalsBayern completed a remarkable 7-0 aggregate win over Barcelona on Wednesday, while Dortmund was pushed hard by Real Madrid the day before but Klopp says his side will do its utmost to halt Bayern's winning run.We'll give everything that's in (the players) on Saturday, Klopp said.Dortmund can prevent Bayern from repeating its 1986-87 season feat of winning the title with just one loss and without losing away.Bayern, which is 20 points ahead of Dortmund, has already set records for the most points in a season (84), most away points in a season (43), most wins (26), away wins (14) and the longest winning-streak away (nine games).Bayern has scored 90 goals and has three games remaining to eclipse its record of 101 from the 1971-72 season. The side's goal difference is currently plus-76 and is sure to shatter the record of plus-64 from 1972-73.We're on the right track, Bayern sporting director Mattias Sammer said after Wednesday's 3-0 win in Barcelona.Schalke gets the 32nd round of games under way at seventh-place Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday, with European qualification at stake for both sides.Schalke is three points clear of fifth-place Eintracht Frankfurt in the last Champions League place.

Rallying: Ogier holds on to lead in Argentina

Posted:

CRDOBA (AFP) - World championship leader Sebastien Ogier, in a Volkswagen Polo, held on to his overall lead in the Rally of Argentina after Thursday's second day.Ogier, who claimed his third win of the season in the Rally of Portugal last time out, picked up where he left off on Wednesday evening.The French driver, who has also captured the Sweden and Mexico races, leads Citroen's nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb by 16 seconds.Mikko Hirvonen, in the second factory Citroen, was back in third place, 18 seconds off the pace.Earlier, Hirvonen's stablemate Dani Sordo lost several minutes when he rolled his car, with it ending on its roof needing to be righted with the help of spectators.But he ran into controversy as he re-started just in front of Ogier, who later accused him of slowing him down over several kilometres.Loeb, racing a reduced programme this year, is bidding to maintain his extraordinary record in the event, having won every edition of this South American leg of the championship since 2005.

12-year-old Ye sets record on European Tour debut

Posted:

TIANJIN (AP) - Twelve-year old amateur Ye Wocheng created history by becoming the youngest player ever to compete in a European Tour event, firing a score he'd prefer to forget.Ye had a 7-over 79 on Thursday in the first round of the Volvo Open, including eight bogeys and one birdie.He was 11 shots behind the clubhouse leading duo of Raphael Jacquelin of France and Thailand's Kiradech Aphinbarnrat, who were among the early starters and each carded 68s.While Ye struggled, his 16-year Chinese compatriot Dou Zecheng carded an impressive 70.Dou, who contested last year's U.S. Junior Championship, had four birdies and two bogeys to be the leading amateur in the field.Ye, who set the European Tour mark for youngest player at 12 years, 242 days, is following in the footsteps of Guan Tianlang, who made history last month when he became the youngest to compete in the Masters at 14. He also made the cut at the Masters, despite a one-stroke penalty for slow play in the second round.Guan competed at the China Open last year when he was 13 years, 177 days.In the field this week along with Ye is 14-year-old Andy Zhang, the youngest to play in the U.S. Open last year. He's joined by Bai Zheng-kai, 15, last year's winner of the China Junior Matchplay Championship, Dou, and Jim Liu, the youngest winner of the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2010 at 14.Ye qualified for the China Open with his father on the bag, rallying from a late double bogey to secure the last of four qualifying places.

Oil jumps more than 3 percent, natural gas drops

Posted:

NEW YORK (AP) - The price of oil rose more than 3 percent Thursday as the European Central Bank cut its key interest rate to a new low and U.S. unemployment claims dropped.But natural gas was headed for its biggest decline since August after U.S. supplies rose much more than expected.Benchmark oil for June delivery rose $2.96, or 3.3 percent, to finish at $93.99 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. That's the biggest one-day gain for crude since November.The European Central Bank cut its benchmark interest rate to 0.5 percent from 0.75 percent at its meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia. The effects of the rate cut remain to be seen, but traders viewed it as an encouraging step, supporting the economy and possibly leading to increased oil demand.In the U.S., the Labor Department reported that applications for unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest since January 2008. That suggests layoffs are easing.Natural gas futures dropped by 30 cents, or 7 percent, to end at $4.03 per 1,000 cubic feet, its biggest one-day slide since August. The Energy Department reported that natural gas in storage grew by 43 billion cubic feet to 1.777 trillion cubic feet last week. Analysts expected a more modest increase of 28 billion to 32 billion cubic feet.Before Thursday, natural gas prices had risen 29 percent this year as homeowners kept the heat on when cold weather hung around past the end of winter and supplies fell.Brent crude, which is used to set prices of oil from the North Sea used by many U.S. refiners, rose $2.90, or 2.9 percent, to finish at $102.85 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

Euro falls on ECB hint of more rates action

Posted:

LONDON (AP) - An interest rate cut from the European Central Bank and hints it may take further measures gave European markets only a small lift Thursday amid ongoing worries about the state of the eurozone economy. U.S. stocks recovered their poise in the run-up to monthly payrolls data Friday.The euro was a big loser Thursday after Mario Draghi, the European Central Bank's president, said the institution was ready to charge banks that decide to keep deposits at the bank. A negative deposit rate would ostensibly push banks to lend more rather than hoard cash. Draghi conceded he was frustrated that the banks weren't lending more.The deposit rate is currently zero percent but wasn't cut alongside the main benchmark rate.The central bank, which sets interest rates for the 17 European Union countries that use the euro, cut its benchmark rate by a quarter of a percentage point to a new record low of 0.5 percent. The decision was widely anticipated following a grim run of economic data for the eurozone.Following his confirmation that negative deposit rates could be considered, the euro fell sharply. It was trading 0.9 percent lower at $1.3061, having traded 0.2 percent earlier in the wake of the interest rate reduction.Given that the rate cut was largely priced in by the markets and there are ongoing concerns over the state of the eurozone stocks in Europe were fairly subdued.The CAC-40 in France rose 0.1 percent to close at 3,858.76 while Germany's DAX rose 0.6 percent to 7,961.71. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares, which was not on holiday on Wednesday, rose 0.2 percent to 6,460.71.

Solar-powered plane set to launch cross-US flight

Posted:

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - An innovative solar-powered aircraft is set to launch from California on a flight across the United States, aiming to showcase what is possible without fossil fuels.The experimental Solar Impulse plane -- with the wingspan of a Boeing 747 but the weight of a small car -- bears 12,000 solar cells.By day, the cells power the plane's electric motors while also charging batteries, so the plane, unlike other solar aircraft, can keep flying all night.The project was launched over a decade ago, after inveterate adventurer Bertrand Piccard, 54, nearly ran out of fuel on his historic non-stop round-the-world balloon flight.The Swiss psychiatrist decided to re-attempt the journey -- Solar Impulse aims to launch that flight in 2015 -- without using any fossil fuel.Adventure in the 21st century consists in using human creativity and the pioneering spirit to develop the quality of life to which present and future generations are entitled, he said in a statement, explaining his philosophy.The Solar Impulse plane has already made several trips, including a 26-hour flight in 2010, but this is its first trip across a continent.The plane could make the flight nonstop -- it would take approximately three days, travelling at the aircraft's cruising speed of around 43 miles (70 kilometers) per hour, its creators said.But with space for only one pilot and the intensive task of navigating the ultra-light but ultra-long plane through turbulence, Solar Impulse decided, for safety reasons, to break the flight up into multiple stages.That will allow two pilots -- Piccard and his co-founder, Swiss engineer and ex-fighter pilot Andre Borschberg -- to share duties and rest between legs.We have limited ourselves to fly a duration maximum of 24 hours, Borschberg, 60, said at a press conference in March.The plane is scheduled to stay over in Phoenix, Dallas and Washington, D.C. before arriving in New York in early July.It will spend up to 10 days at each stop on its journey in order to showcase its technology to the public, schoolchildren and students who will also have a chance to talk with the pilots.The people will be able to follow the mission, to speak to the pilot, to ask questions, Piccard said.We would like to inspire students, schoolchildren, inspire as many people as possible to try to have the spirit to dare, to innovate, to invent, he added.

Scientists develop epilepsy warning device

Posted:

PARIS (AFP) - A tiny device implanted in the brain of epilepsy sufferers has for the fist time been able to predict the onset of seizures, scientists reported on Thursday.The potentially life-saving device works with electrodes that monitor electrical activity on the brain surface, they wrote in The Lancet Neurology.The electrodes were connected to a second device implanted under the skin of the chest, which transmitted the data wirelessly to a hand-held device that calculated the probability of a seizure.The device lights up in red for a high risk, white for moderate, or blue for low seizure probability.Knowing when a seizure might happen could dramatically improve the quality of life and independence of people with epilepsy and potentially allow them to avoid dangerous situations such as driving or swimming, lead author Mark Cook from Australia's University of Melbourne said in a statement.It could also give epilepsy sufferers the freedom to take seizure-stopping drugs before the onset of an attack, rather than on a continuous basis.Epilepsy is a chronic disorder characterised by recurrent seizures -- anything from a brief lapse of attention or muscle jerks to severe convulsions.The seizures are caused by excessive electrical discharges in a group of brain cells.The biggest risk is from falls and injuries sustained when patients lose consciousness.According to the World Health Organisation, about 50 million people around the world, some 80 percent of them in developing regions, suffer from the disease.The researchers said about 30 to 40 percent of patients are unable to keep their seizures under control with existing treatments. The new technology may be especially useful for them.The team tested the implants on 15 patients and recorded relatively few adverse effects, which included infection and device migration.The system correctly predicted seizures with a high warning sensitivity level greater than 65 percent in 11 of the patients, said a statement.There was a high variability between seizure warning times, and the team said more work was needed.Our small proof-of-concept study shows that seizure prediction is possible and could lead to new therapeutic strategies and more independence for individuals with epilepsy.Commenting on the study, epilepsy experts Christian Elger and Florian Mormann of the University of Bonn Medical Centre described the outcome as a major milestone.But they cautioned it was too early to determine whether the device performed well enough to find medical application. This will depend on how well patients tolerate false alarms or missed seizures, and will ultimately need to be decided on an individual basis, they wrote.Nevertheless, the presented results suggest that at least some patients would view the warning device as beneficial.

Sri Lanka recall Welegedara for Champions Trophy

Posted:

COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lanka on Thursday recalled left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara for next month's Champions Trophy in England, but kept unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis out of the 15-man squad.Welegedara, 32, played the last of his 10 one-day internationals in 2010 and was forced to return home from the Test tour of Australia last year due to a hamstring injury.He now partners Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Shaminda Eranga, Thisara Perera and captain Angelo Mathews in a strong seam attack suited to England's conditions.Mendis was ignored for the June 6-23 tournament as the selectors opted for the experience of left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake.The batting will revolve around the seasoned trio of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.Sri Lanka are drawn with defending champions Australia, New Zealand and hosts England in group A of the preliminary league, with the top two teams qualifying for the semi-finals.The other group comprises India, South Africa, Pakistan and the West Indies.Sri Lanka open their campaign against New Zealand in Cardiff on June 9.Squad: Angelo Mathews (capt), Dinesh Chandimal (vice-capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Kulasekara, Shaminda Eranga, Sachithra Senanayake, Chanaka Welegedara.

Nawaz pledges to bring prosperity after coming into power

Posted:

THATTA (Dunya News) - Addressing a public gathering here on Thursday‚ PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif said if voted to power‚ his party would put an end to unemployment‚ price hike and poverty.He vowed to bring a change in the lives of the people by initiating development projects and providing jobs.Earlier, talking to newsmen at Karachi airport, Nawaz Sharif said if voted to power‚ his party will establish peace in Karachi by eliminating militant wings of political parties.Nawaz Sharif also pledged to build underground railway system in Karachi and announced to connect it with rest of the country through motorway.

Posted by IMRAN ALI SOOMRO (DARVESH) at 5/03/2013 07:04:00 AM

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

World EYE

Loading...

  © Blogger templates Newspaper III by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP