Dunya TV

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• Pakistani diplomat assaulted in India: reports
• Pentagon weighs larger post-2014 force in Afghanistan
• Missile kills 26 as key Syria battle enters third week
• Obama orders new economic sanctions on Iran
• Turkey protestors retake streets; PM defiant
• Ten dead, thousands evacuated as floods sweep Europe
• Nadal marks 27th birthday with last-eight spot
• Sharapova, Azarenka ease into French Open quarters
• Golf: Janzen disqualified for wearing metal spikes
• Boxing: Japan Olympic champion Murata inks pro deal
• Law change kills Germany's longest word
• Cat caught smuggling cell phones into Russian jail
• Oil rises above $93 a barrel
• India cricket's interim boss vows to clean up
• Dhoni under fire over 'conflict of interest'

Pakistani diplomat assaulted in India: reports Posted: NEW DELHI (AFP) - A Pakistani diplomat was manhandled in India's capital city of New Delhi after his car was involved in an accident on Monday evening, according to local media reports.Zargham Raza, the first secretary of Pakistan's High Commission in India was attacked by a group of men after his car hit a motorcycle near a university campus, NDTV news channel reported.The Pakistan High Commission has lodged a protest with the country's foreign ministry and wants India to ensure safety of its diplomats.Our first secretary and his driver both of whom sustained serious injuries have been provided medical treatment and an FIR (police complaint) has also been lodged, Aizaz Ahmed, Pakistan's foreign office spokesman was quoted by NDTV.Officials in the Indian foreign ministry and Pakistani authorities were not immediately available to react to the press reports.According to another Hindi-language news channel, Raza did not suffer any serious injuries.Relations between the two countries have been fractious in recent weeks, with both sides protesting at the deaths of prisoners held by the other's government.The latest incident comes after the murder of Indian prisoner in a Pakistani jail, which was followed by the murder of a Pakistani prisoner in an Indian jail last month.India and Pakistan have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Pentagon weighs larger post-2014 force in Afghanistan Posted: WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Pentagon is weighing a proposal for a larger, temporary US force to remain in Afghanistan after most NATO combat troops withdraw in 2014, a spokesman said Monday.Officials had previously suggested President Barack Obama's administration was considering a smaller force of up to 8,000-12,000 troops to stay in Afghanistan after the bulk of a NATO-led contingent departs as planned at the end of 2014.But the former US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, retired general John Allen, and a former top Pentagon official, Michele Flournoy, floated the idea last week of a bridging force that would expand the post-2014 presence by several thousand troops for up to three years.The additional troops would be able to provide air power, medical evacuations and other support to the Afghan forces, which will still lack some capabilities when NATO forces depart in 2014, according to Allen and Flournoy, who outlined the idea in a report released Friday.The Pentagon confirmed for the first time Monday that the option was being considered.I think that they're looking at all different types of ideas and possible ways ahead, spokesman Colonel Steve Warren told reporters when asked about the proposal.It's certainly an idea that's being discussed in many different settings and forums, he said.It was unclear if Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel would bring up the idea at a NATO meeting of defense ministers in Brussels on Tuesday, he added.The option of a larger US force appears to signal a recognition in the Obama administration that the Afghan forces may need more help after 2014 than originally hoped.However, some of Obama's fellow Democrats in Congress, who are anxious to wrap up the war effort, may strongly oppose any suggestion of a larger long-term military footprint in Afghanistan.The Afghan army and police have grown rapidly in a multi-billion international effort to build up the country's security forces, which now number roughly 350,000. US and NATO commanders have touted the Afghan forces as increasingly capable and say that the Afghans are now in the lead in combat, with coalition forces mostly playing an advisory and training role. But the Afghan government forces are plagued with a myriad of problems, including a high rate of desertion, weak logistics and a fledgling fleet of helicopters. The Obama administration is negotiating a long-term security agreement with the Afghan government and has yet to announce how many troops it hopes to keep in the country after 2014.

Missile kills 26 as key Syria battle enters third week Posted: DAMASCUS (AFP) - A missile strike near Syria's biggest city Aleppo killed 26 people and government warplanes pounded Qusayr, a watchdog said on Monday, as a regime offensive to retake the town entered its third week.The missile attack on the village of Kfar Hamra came as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad mounted a separate assault on the rebel-held countryside surrounding the northern city.Assad's opponents also suffered a political blow when one of the main groups in the National Coalition withdrew from the opposition bloc, amid accusations its leaders were misusing funds and acting in their own interests.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the surface-to-surface missile attack on Kfar Hamra at around midnight killed 26 people, among them six women and eight children.Regime forces... are trying to take the village, and then to break the rebel siege of Nubl and Zahra, two villages north of Aleppo, it added.The attack comes a few days into a Syrian army offensive aimed at advancing on Aazaz, a rebel stronghold 45 kilometres (28 miles) north of Aleppo, the pre-war commercial hub.Regime forces mounted a fierce onslaught on Qusayr, the strategic town near the Lebanese border, and also slightly farther north in Dabaa, the site of a disused military airbase partly under insurgent control.The Observatory -- which relies on a network of activists, lawyers and medics for its reports -- said there were numerous dead on both sides, without giving any details.An estimated 94,000 people have been killed in Syria since a peaceful protest movement that began in March 2011 quickly became an armed revolt when the regime cracked down hard.Warplanes bombarded Qusayr for the second consecutive day, the Observatory said.Three missiles, also believed to be surface-to-surface, also hit areas of the flashpoint town causing serious damage, the Observatory reported, but it was not known whether there were casualties.The watchdog also reported air strikes on the Al-Hajar al-Aswad district of southern Damascus itself, where pillars of thick dark smoke barrelled into the sky.It said clashes between soldiers and rebels were ongoing in the Abasiyeen area outside the capital's Jubar neighbourhood. It was unable to give a casualty figure.The Syrian Revolution General Commission said it was withdrawing from the Coalition because it was taking initiatives far removed from the true revolution and cannot represent the revolution in an authentic way.The opposition faction, a Syria-wide network of activists, said some Coalition leaders were more interested in appearing in the media than helping the revolution.As fears mount of the conflict spilling over, six people were killed and 38 wounded in 24 hours in Lebanon's second city Tripoli as pro- and anti-Assad Alawite and Sunni residents clashed, a security source said.Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon, meanwhile, said Russia cannot deliver a shipment of advanced anti-aircraft missiles to Syria before 2014. Assad had hinted last week that his government may already have received a shipment of S-300 missiles, but Yaalon rebutted this.We are following this matter with concern, but no deliveries have taken place. If they do take place, it will not be before next year, he said in remarks reported by army radio.Monday's fighting in Syria came a day after the regime said it would allow the Red Cross into Qusayr only when the fighting there stopped.

Obama orders new economic sanctions on Iran Posted: WASHINGTON (AP) - Turning the screw on Iran and its nuclear program, the Obama administration imposed new sanctions Monday on Iran's currency and auto industry, seeking to cut off the regime from critical revenue sources and the global financial market.The executive order from President Barack Obama broadens what is already a concerted and multifaceted sanctions campaign aimed at crippling Iran's economy, forcing it to comply with international demands that it prove its nuclear program is peaceful. The U.S. believes Iran is working to develop nuclear weapons, a charge that Iran denies.Officials described the move as part of a dual-track effort to offer meaningful negotiations to the Iranian regime while continually upping the economic pressure.Even as we intensify our pressure on the Iranian government, we hold the door open to a diplomatic solution that allows Iran to rejoin the community of nations if they meet their obligations. However, Iran must understand that time is not unlimited, said White House press secretary Jay Carney, adding that more sanctions would be levied if the regime doesn't change course.The new sanctions marked the first time Iran's currency, the rial, has been targeted directly with sanctions, the White House said. The sanctions apply to foreign financial institutions that purchase or sell significant amounts of the rial, as well as to those who hold significant amounts of the rial in accounts outside Iran.Senior administration officials said they were designed to make the rial essentially unusable outside of Iran. The hope is that banks and businesses holding Iranian currency will dump the funds, making the rial weaker. The value of the rial by half since the start of 2012, the White House said.Officials would not specify what constitutes a significant transaction. The officials were not authorized to speak on the record about the sanctions and spoke on condition of anonymity.Another set of sanctions will target those who enable Iran's auto manufacturing sector by banning the sale or transfer of goods or services to be used in Iran's auto sector. Officials said the auto sector is a key source of revenue for the regime; the U.S. has already targeted other major sectors such as oil and petrochemicals.Also subject to penalties will be anyone who provides material support to Iranians and others who have been blacklisted by previous sanctionsOfficials said the timing of the sanctions was not related to Iran's upcoming elections.

Turkey protestors retake streets; PM defiant Posted: ISTANBUL (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday shrugged off mass protests against his Islamic-rooted government but angry demonstrators flooded back onto the streets for the fourth night in an outburst of clashes that have left at least one person dead.Despite facing the fiercest challenge to his Islamic-rooted government since he came to office in 2002, Erdogan left Turkey earlier Monday on an official visit to North Africa, vowing to stand firm against the protests.He rejected talk of a Turkish Spring uprising by Turks who accuse him of trying to impose Islamic reforms on the secular state, and said the situation in his country was now calm.Hours after he spoke riot police fired tear gas to disperse protestors massing near his Istanbul office and the nearby stadium of Besiktas football team.Thousands of other protestors gathered on Taksim Square, the symbolic heart of the nationwide protests.Tayyip, resign they yelled, waving red flags and banners and blowing whistles.A medics' union earlier Monday said a man had been killed when a car ploughed into protestors in Istanbul on Sunday, the first confirmed death caused by the protests.The unrest began as a local outcry against plans to redevelop Gezi Park, a rare green spot adjoining Taksim Square.After a heavy police response it grew into wider anti-government protests in Istanbul, the capital Ankara and other cities across the country.We have had enough of the way Erdogan understands democracy and the way he wants to dictate his rules, said Ozgur Aksoy, a young engineer demonstrating in Gezi Park on Monday.It's not only about the park here, it is about everything else in the last 10 years. People are angry, very angry.Rights groups and doctors say more than a thousand people have been injured in clashes in Istanbul and 700 in Ankara.The government's latest estimate on Sunday put the figure at 58 civilians and 115 security forces injured, with clashes in 67 cities. It also said over 1,700 people had been arrested across the country and that many had since been released.Erdogan dismissed the protesters as vandals, rejecting talk of a Turkish Spring uprising and stressing that he was democratically elected.His Justice and Development Party (AKP) has won three successive parliamentary elections, but opponents have expressed mounting concern that Turkey is moving toward conservative Islam.

Ten dead, thousands evacuated as floods sweep Europe Posted: PRAGUE (AFP) - Thousands were forced from their homes and at least 10 people were killed as floodwaters deluged swathes of Europe on Monday, including the historic centre of the Czech capital Prague.Shops and schools were shut and road and rail transport were disrupted across the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany following torrential rains.The flooding caused chaos at Prague Zoo where around 1,000 animals were moved to higher ground after the Vltava river burst its banks late Sunday.Zookeepers had to tranquilise tigers and other large animals in a dramatic overnight operation.It's a terrifying feeling to experience this all over again, Petr Velensky, the zoo's reptile specialist, told AFP, recalling how many animals drowned in a 2002 flood.Czech rescue crews were searching for four more people believed to have died in floodwaters that cut power to tens of thousands of households.The heavy rainfall has triggered nightmarish memories of the 2002 floods that killed dozens in the region including 17 in the Czech Republic alone.The Czech government declared a state of emergency Sunday, deploying 2,000 troops in its rescue drive as more than 8,000 people were evacuated from their homes, officials said.A house collapse claimed two lives south of Prague, while an electrician was killed trying to switch off a transformer as a precaution, a woman perished when she was hit by a falling tree branch and three men drowned in rivers or drains around the country, police said.You realise here what nature can do. How helpless we really are despite having all our technology, Prague pensioner Helena Holubova said, watching the water rise from a bridge over the Vltava in central Prague.With Prague's 14th-century Charles Bridge under threat, a 25-tonne excavator was at work throughout the day Monday to remove debris piling up around the structure.Nikol Voborilova, a worker at a riverside restaurant in Prague, told AFP: We are closed for now, we've moved the equipment out and we have 30-40 centimetres (12 to 16 inches) of water inside.The river was expected to peak in the capital on Tuesday.Thousands of households were hit with power outages, while fallen trees snarled rail traffic across western regions of the Czech Republic, where chemical plants were also shut down as a precaution to prevent dangerous spills seen in 2002.Flooding also deluged neighbouring Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Two people were reported dead in Austria and another person died in Switzerland. We're in shock. We had to leave home in the blink of an eye, a woman in the eastern German city of Dresden which had been severely damaged in 2002 told the NTV channel.She and her baby spent the night at a community centre, like thousands of others evacuated in the eastern region of Saxony, where rescue efforts by police and soldiers were being hampered by power outages.Some 2,500 people were evacuated from hard-hit Grimma, near Leipzig.Two people were reported missing in Germany.German Chancellor Angela Merkel was due to visit flood-hit regions Tuesday.In Austria, two people were killed in flooding and close to 1,000 were evacuated as landslides threatened their homes, mostly around the western city of Salzburg and in the north. Authorities in Austria warned that the Danube and the Inn rivers could surpass levels from 2002, when the country suffered up to 7.5 billion euros ($9.8 billion) in damage.Water levels on the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers, which meet in the German city of Passau, have already surpassed records from 2002 and 1954.A lot of people who already had to cope with major flooding in 2002 are refusing to leave their homes, Passau mayor Juergen Duppen told Germany's N24 TV channel.

Nadal marks 27th birthday with last-eight spot Posted: PARIS (AFP) - Seven-time champion Rafael Nadal celebrated his 27th birthday in ruthless style on Monday by trouncing outclassed Japanese 13th seed Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 to reach the French Open quarter-finals.It was third-seeded Nadal's 56 win in 57 career matches at Roland Garros as he moved closer to becoming the first man in history to win the same Grand Slam title eight times.Next up for the defending champion is either French seventh seed Richard Gasquet or Stanislas Wawrinka, the Swiss ninth seed.Nadal arrived in Paris having collected six titles in eight finals since his return from a seven-month injury lay-off.But he was sluggish in the first week of a cold and damp Paris, losing the opening set of his first two matches for the first time in his Grand Slam career.Since the weather has improved, so has the Spaniard, seeing off Fabio Fognini in straight sets on Saturday and then comfortably defeating Nishikori, the first Japanese man in the fourth round since Fumiteru Nakano in 1938.It's a very special moment, said Nadal, as the crowd welcomed him to Court Philippe Chatrier by singing 'Happy Birthday' and repeating it on the match's conclusion.Kei is a great player and he is getting better every season. But today I think I played my best match of the tournament.Nadal was presented with a giant birthday cake at the end of the match and he will be looking for more celebrations on Wednesday in the quarter-finals as he holds a 10-0 career lead over Gasquet and 9-0 over Wawrinka.

Sharapova, Azarenka ease into French Open quarters Posted: PARIS (AFP) - Defending champion Maria Sharapova joined third seed Victoria Azarenka in the French Open quarter-finals Monday as both posted routine fourth-round wins.Sharapova was all business in seeing off American 17th seed Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-3 to set up a meeting with either Serbian 18th seed Jelena Jankovic or US hope Jamie Hampton, while double Australian Open champion Azarenka swamped 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone 6-3, 6-0.Sharapova, who in beating Sara Errani in last year's final became the sixth player in the Open era to complete a full collection of Grand Slams, was rarely troubled by Stephens, Australian Open semi-finalist last January, the Floridian 20-year-old gifting her a final break by hitting long on match point.I knew this was going to be a really hard match so I'm delighted to be in the quarter-final, said Sharapova, who now has an extra day to relax.Am I pleased to have finished my match a day before my next opponent? We don't choose the scheduling, it just depends how it goes. I'm just pleased to be through to the next round.Next up for Azarenka is a meeting with Russian 12th seed and erstwhile doubles partner Maria Kirilenko after her win over Schiavone moved her into the last eight for the third time in Paris.The protagonists notably paired up at the 2011 Australian Open, where they finished runners-up. Then they were rivals as Azarenka won their London Olympics bronze medal encounter last summer.Azarenka was delighted with her form, given that the French Open is the only Grand Slam where she has failed to get beyond the quarter-finals having been beaten at the last-eight stage by Dinara Safina in 2009 and by eventual champion Li Na two years later.I think it was the most composed and the most consistent match so far, she said.The beginning was back and forth. I feel like I didn't take all of the opportunities but there was kind of a build-up to later on that I was doing the right thing.Kirilenko, who had treatment for a sore shoulder, saw off unseeded Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States 7-5, 6-4 to reach the last eight at Roland Garros for the first time after recovering from losing the opening three games.The 26-year-old from Moscow, who broke in the sixth and eighth games to make up for her slow start and then overcame an opening service loss at the start of the second set, has now equalled her best ever Grand Slam showing of runs to the quarters at Wimbledon 2012 and the Australian Open three seasons ago.Azarenka has a 3-2 winning record against Kirilenko -- who won the first two matches of their series although her last triumph was back in 2007.Maria, I played her a lot of times. I think the last time we played was the Olympics. She's definitely improved a lot over the last couple years since she's a very motivated player (and a) good friend of mine, also, said Azarenka.

Golf: Janzen disqualified for wearing metal spikes Posted: ROCKVILLE (AP) - Two-time champion Lee Janzen has been knocked out of U.S. Open qualifying for wearing metal spikes at a course that doesn't allow them.Janzen was at the 36-hole U.S. Open qualifier at Woodmont Country Club. He opened with a 75 on the North course when it was discovered he was wearing metal spikes.All players were informed of the rule against metal spikes in a May 20 letter from the USGA.Janzen said on Twitter that the rule was sent to him in an email. He says he was more concerned about his game than getting disqualified. The 75 made it highly unlikely he would have earned one of the eight spots at Woodmont to compete next week in the U.S. Open at Merion.

Boxing: Japan Olympic champion Murata inks pro deal Posted: LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Ryota Murata, who last year won Japan's first boxing gold medal at the Olympics in 48 years, has signed with promoter Bob Arum's Top Rank organization, the group announced on Monday.More details will be revealed next week at a formal announcement of the deal, including plans for the middleweight fighter's professional debut, expected to be later this year.Murata's 14-13 victory over Brazil's Esquiva Falcao last August made him the 100th gold medal winner in Japanese Olympic history with the first boxing gold for Japan since Takao Sakurai won bantamweight gold at the 1964 Tokyo Games.The victory by Murata, 27, produced the first boxing medal for Japan outside the bantamweight or flyweight classes.Murata also finished second in the 2011 world amateur championships at Baku, Azerbaijan.

Law change kills Germany's longest word Posted: BERLIN (AP) - A tweak to state laws in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to conform with current EU regulations has caused an unexpected casualty: the longest word in the German language.The Rindfleischetikettierungsueberwachungsaufgabenuebertragungsgesetz is no more.The law delegating beef label monitoring was introduced by the state in 1999 as part of measures against mad cow disease. But the dpa news agency reported Monday the law was removed from the books last week because European Union regulations have changed.German still has words like the very robust Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitaenswitwe to fall back on meaning widow of a Danube steamboat company captain.Dpa reports such words have been so rarely used, however, that they're not in the dictionary. There the longest word honor falls to Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung: automobile liability insurance.

Cat caught smuggling cell phones into Russian jail Posted: MOSCOW (AFP) - The Russian prison service said Monday it had caught a cat being used as a courier to smuggle banned cell phones and chargers into a prison camp in the country's remote far north.The prison service in the Komi region said on its website that the cat was detained Friday evening as it climbed the fence of the region's Number One corrective labour camp with two cell phones, batteries and chargers strapped to its back using tape.It posted a photograph of the black-and-white cat held up by the scruff of its neck by a guard with the bulky package still stuck to its fur.They have foiled various attempts to smuggle banned objects into Prison Colony Number One before, but in the case of the cat, the prison colony is at a loss: nothing like this has happened in the prison's history, the regional prison service said.

Oil rises above $93 a barrel Posted: NEW YORK (AP) - The price of oil rose above $93 a barrel on Monday at the start of a big week for economic data, culminating in Fridays U.S. nonfarm payrolls report for May.U.S. benchmark oil for July delivery rose $1.48 to close at $93.45 a barrel in New York.Lately, subpar economic indicators have actually prompted some buying of oil, because the weaker the economy the less likely the Federal Reserve is to begin lifting the stimulus measures it has in place. Monday was no different after a weaker-than-expected report on U.S. manufacturing, said Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consultancy Ritterbusch and Associates.Markets such as the equities and oil are interpreting data releases below expectations as a signal that the Fed will delay any tightening measures, Ritterbusch wrote in a note to clients.A measure of U.S. manufacturing fell in May to its lowest level since June 2009. The Institute for Supply Management said Monday that its index of manufacturing activity fell to 49 last month from 50.7 in April. A reading under 50 indicates contraction.But most automakers posted strong sales for May, which could give a boost to sluggish gasoline demand.Conflicting Chinese figures left investors uncertain over the state of the worlds second largest economy. Though the official manufacturing purchasing managers index, a gauge of activity, rose to 50.8 in May from 50.6 the previous month, an equivalent survey from HSBC fell to 49.2 from 50.4. Anything above 50 indicates expansion.However, a survey for the 17 European Union countries that use the euro offered some hope for the future of the eurozone economy. The monthly manufacturing PMI from financial information company Markit rose to 48.3 points in May from the initial estimate of 47.8.Brent crude, a benchmark for many international oil varieties, gained $1.67 to finish at $102.06 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

India cricket's interim boss vows to clean up Posted: NEW DELHI (AFP) - India's interim cricket boss promised Monday to clean up the country's national game and restore its good name amid a betting scandal that has engulfed the sport.Speaking to his first news conference a day after the row forced Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI) chief N. Srinivasan to stand down until a probe into the alleged illegal betting is over, Jagmohan Dalmiya said he would make every effort to remove the taint from the game so that the good name of cricket is retained.But Dalmiya, who is a former BCCI president, told reporters he didn't have any medicine that you get an instant result.We don't have any such kind of a magic. We will try our best, the 73-year-old said.His statements came as controversy continued to enmesh the BCCI with India's media flaying the body for shaming the nation after it allowed Srinivasan to avoid resigning over the betting scandal.Srinivasan, 68, considered the most powerful man in world cricket because of the Indian game's financial clout, resisted a mounting clamour to quit Sunday at an emergency meeting but agreed to step aside until multiple police investigations end.He has been in the firing line since his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, an executive of the lucrative Indian Premier League's Chennai franchise, was arrested May 24 for allegedly taking part in illegal betting involving the league.A Times of India editorial said the game was at one of the lowest points in Indian cricket history and was run by a cosy clique of administrators who have little regard for the game or its image.BCCI bosses must know they are accountable to the Indian cricket fan, who has made the game what it is. The BCCI has shamed the nation. In its present form, it has lost the moral right to run Indian cricket, the daily said.The Indian Express said: Srinivasan might have stepped out of the frame, but his shadow looms large over the board.Dalmiya, a former IPL and BCCI chief, said he had powers to fill up vacancies in the board after BCCI joint secretary Sanjay Jagdale and treasurer Ajay Shirke quit late last week to pile pressure on Srinivasan to resign.He said Jagdale had no intention of withdrawing his resignation but indicated Shirke might reconsider. I will wait, he said.As part of the wave of resignations, IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla at the weekend also announced he was quitting in the best interest of Indian cricket.The arrest of Srinivasan's son-in-law came after Test paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and two teammates in the IPL's Rajasthan Royals -- Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila -- were taken into custody. All the accused deny any wrongdoing.Police allege the players deliberately bowled badly in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars after striking deals with bookmakers.Meiyappan is being investigated for allegedly passing information to bookies and placing bets on the IPL. India outlaws gambling on all sports except horse-racing.Meanwhile, there was more controversy as the agent of Indian cricket captain M.S. Dhoni admitted Monday the World Cup winner briefly held a stake in a management company representing several other players in the national side.Rhiti Sports, a group run by Dhoni's agent Arun Pandey, issued a statement following a newspaper report alleging a conflict-of-interest between Dhoni's cricketing and business activities.Rhiti said on its website it manages Dhoni as well as all-rounders Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, whose international careers depend in part on the captain who has a large influence on team selection.Rhiti said it was greatly aggrieved at the widespread media reports regarding an alleged conflict of interest. It said Dhoni had ceased to own shares in April after holding an unspecified stake for just over a month.The shareholding was alleged to involve a 15 percent stake in a front-page story by The Economic Times on Monday.

Dhoni under fire over 'conflict of interest' Posted: NEW DELHI (AFP) - The agent of Indian cricket captain M.S. Dhoni admitted Monday that the World Cup winner had briefly held a stake in a management company that represents several other players in the national side.Rhiti Sports, a group run by Dhoni's agent Arun Pandey, issued a statement following a newspaper report alleging a conflict of interest between Dhoni's cricketing and business activities. Rhiti says on its website that it manages Dhoni as well as all-rounders Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, whose international careers depend in part on the captain who has a large influence on team selection.Rhiti said it was greatly aggrieved at the widespread media reports regarding an alleged conflict of interest. It said Dhoni had ceased to own shares in April after holding an unspecified stake for just over a month.As on date, MSD (Dhoni) holds no shareholding in Rhiti Sports Management, said the statement by Pandey.The shares had been allotted to Dhoni in March to secure certain old outstandings which were due for more than one year, said the statement without elaborating.The shareholdings, alleged to be a 15 percent stake in a front-page story by The Economic Times on Monday, come as Indian cricket is engulfed in a betting and spot-fixing scandal amid serious concerns about the management of the game.Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of the national cricket board president N. Srinivasan, was arrested on May 24 for allegedly taking part in illegal betting on the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is the subject of multiple police investigations.Three other players including Test paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth have also been arrested over allegations they fixed part of the games for bookies in exchange for thousands of dollars.Srinivasan, whose ownership of an IPL team while acting as cricket board chief has also been criticised, has defied pressure from the sports ministry and colleagues to step down following the scandal.The Times of India newspaper said the Board of Control for Cricket in India had shamed the nation and lamented that Indian cricket is run by a cosy clique of administrators who have little regard for the game or its image.Dhoni and the Indian national team are currently in Cardiff in Britain, where they will take part in the Champions Trophy.

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