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Cricket - Sports

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV


At least 120 dead in Nigeria mosque suicide attack

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KANO (AFP) - At least 120 people were killed and 270 others wounded on Friday when two suicide bombers blew themselves up and gunmen opened fire during weekly prayers at the mosque of one of Nigerias top Islamic leaders.The attack at the Grand Mosque in Kano, the biggest city in the mainly Muslim north of the country, came just as Friday prayers had started. The mosque is attached to the palace of the Emir of Kano Muhammad Sanusi II, Nigerias second most senior Muslim cleric, who last week urged civilians to take up arms against Boko Haram.The blasts came after a bomb attack was foiled against a mosque in the northeastern city of Maiduguri earlier on Friday, five days after two female suicide bombers killed over 45 people in the city.National police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu told AFP that the bombers blew themselves up in quick succession then gunmen opened fire on those who were trying to escape.Ojukwu said he did not know whether the suicide bombers were male or female, after a spate of attacks by women in recent months, and did not give an exact figure on the number of gunmen.But he said an angry mob killed four of the shooters in the chaotic aftermath. Witnesses in the city said they were set on fire.An AFP reporter at the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital morgue counted 92 bodies, most of them men and boys with blast injuries and severe burns.As night fell, hundreds of people were desperately trying to use the lights on their mobile phones to identify loved ones. But a senior rescue official said later that there were at least 120 dead and 270 wounded. Emergency workers were still trying to visit all hospitals, he added.The Emir of Kano last week told worshippers at the same mosque that northerners should take up arms against Boko Haram, which has been fighting for a hardline Islamic state since 2009.He also cast doubt on Nigerian troops ability to protect civilians and end the insurgency, in rare public comments by a cleric on political and military affairs. The emir, who is currently thought to be out of the country, is a hugely influential figure in Nigeria, which is home to more than 80 million Muslims, most of whom live in the north. Officially the emir is the countrys number two cleric, behind the Sultan of Sokoto, and any attack could inflame tensions in Nigerias second city, which is an ancient seat of Islamic learning.Sanusi was named emir earlier this year and is a prominent figure in his own right, having previously served as the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.During his time in charge of the CBN, he spoke out against massive government fraud and was suspended from his post in February just as his term of office was drawing to a close. Boko Haram has repeatedly attacked Kano. On November 14, a suicide bomb attack at a petrol station killed six people, including three police.The Islamists have a record of attacking prominent clerics. In July 2012 a suicide bomber killed five people leaving Friday prayers at the home of the Shehu of Borno in Maiduguri. The Shehu is Nigerias number three Islamic leader. Boko Haram threatened Sanusis predecessor and the Sultan of Sokoto for allegedly betraying the faith by submitting to the authority of the secular government in Abuja. In early 2013, the convoy of Sanusis predecessor was also attacked.Andrew Noakes, co-ordinator of the Nigeria Security Network of security analysts, said the attack fit a pattern of violence targeting religious and traditional leaders seen as allies of the state.He said it was possible that the group carried out the attack as a direct response to Sanusis comments last week, although it may have been planned beforehand.Whatever the case, the group has sent a message to northern leaders that crossing them will have consequences, Noakes said in an email exchange.Boko Haram attacks in recent months have ranged from the far northeast of Nigeria, across the wider north and northwest, using hit-and-run tactics, suicide bombings and car bombs.The authorities in Cameroon, Chad and Niger have all expressed concern about Boko Harams ability to conduct cross-border strikes, particularly as the dry season approaches.

2 dead as Islamists and police clash in Cairo

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CAIRO (AFP) - Two people were killed Friday as Islamist protesters and police clashed in Cairo just hours after attackers shot dead two soldiers, including a senior officer, in the Egyptian capital.The army and police had fanned out across Cairo and other cities in anticipation of rallies called by an Islamist group that opposes the militarys overthrow of president Mohamed Morsi last year.Hours before the small marches left from mosques, gunmen in a car killed a brigadier general in a shooting outside a hotel in the east of the city that also left another soldier dead and one wounded, the military and health officials said.The assailants fled and were not identified, but the jihadist group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis later claimed responsibility. The organisation is spearheading an insurgency in the Sinai peninsula and has killed scores of policemen and soldiers. It recently pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group that controls parts of Iraq and Syria.Protests by Islamists in Egypt are increasingly giving way to armed attacks amid a deadly security crackdown that has killed hundreds of people and left thousands in jail.In Cairos working class district of Matariya, at least two people were killed when protesters clashed with police, health and security officials said.A health ministry official said one had been shot in the chest.A friend identified him as Mohammed Hassan, and told AFP the dead man was an Islamist who had regularly attended anti-government demonstrations.The police fired randomly at the protesters, he said.However, the interior ministry said police came under fire from the protesters, and officers arrested one of them carrying a shotgun.In all 224 people were rounded up by police, the ministry said, for planning or carrying out acts of violence during the protests. Nearly half of them were arrested before the demonstrations got underway.Smaller marches, quickly dispersed by police, were reported elsewhere.In Cairos Haram district, only about 20 protesters turned up and fled at the sight of police. Officers frogmarched one suspected demonstrator left behind to a waiting police car.The protests were called by the little-known Salafi Front, part of a loose network of Islamists who oppose the armys overthrow of the Islamist Morsi in July 2013.The interior ministry said in a statement that police experts had defused eight rudimentary bombs across the country.Also on Friday, an army officer and a policeman were wounded in an exchange of gunfire with unknown assailants in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, a security official said.Islamists, particularly Morsis Muslim Brotherhood movement, were the strongest political bloc in Egypt before the military toppled him, following mass demonstrations demanding his resignation.Morsis ouster led to a deadly crackdown on his supporters that has killed hundreds. Thousands have also been arrested and jailed.The Brotherhood has also been blacklisted as a terrorist group, making mere membership of the 86-year-old organisation punishable by a prison sentence.Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former army chief who toppled Morsi and won a presidential election earlier this year, has pledged to eradicate the group.The Brotherhood insists it is peaceful, but the crackdown that has caused it to go underground is believed to have radicalised some of its members.

Tennis: Ivanovic says 'hard to imagine' faster future for game

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MANILA (AFP) - Ana Ivanovic demolished Daniela Hantuchova in an impressive International Premier Tennis League debut on Friday, but said it was hard to imagine the game evolving to adopt the much faster format.The Serbian world number five routinely broke her fellow baseliner Hantuchovas serve in a 6-0 win that was over in a whirlwind 15 minutes, as the tournament got underway in Manila.I think it will be hard to imagine the fast-paced, television-friendly IPTL format replacing tennis as it is played in the mens and womens tours now, Ivanovic told a news conference later.As for rules its very hard because weve been playing by certain rules for a long, long time.The IPTL, which will also have stops in Singapore, New Delhi and Dubai next month, has a team format with ties consisting of five one-set matches, with no advantages. The first to six games wins.A 20-second shot-clock between points guarantees quick play, and at 5-5, players go into a timed shoot-out in which they must accumulate the most points before time is up.Players receiving a serve can also call a happiness power point once per set, meaning the next point will count double.Reigning US Open champion Marin Cilic, who defeated world number six Andy Murray, called it the most important feature of the IPTL.It can turn the game around and it can make it interesting, he said.However it was the shootout that won the Croat the match, 6-5.World number two Maria Sharapova, boosted by the partisan crowd in the 16,000-capacity Mall of Asia Arena, rallied from 2-5 down to beat Kristina Mladenovic, 6-5.However, her and Murrays Manila Mavericks eventually went down 4-1 to Cilic and Mladenovics UAE Royals.I didnt want to lose my first singles match in Manila, the Russian said as she thanked the fans for their overwhelming support.Sharapova faces Ivanovic in the headline match-up on Saturday. IPTL officials have touted the rapid format, which has attracted many top players on the mens and women circuits, as the future of the sport.The IPTL also features skimpily-clad female cheerleaders dancing to loud music during timeouts.I think with this format, we want the crowd to make as much noise as possible. We want it to be like a basketball match, Murray said. But Ivanovic, whose effort helped her Indian Aces team beat Hantuchovas Singapore Slammers 4-1, said its speed changes the dynamic of the game a lot.I need some more time and breaks in between, Ivanovic said, especially with balls sometimes not being in place.Most of the other players were also bemused by the shot clock on Friday, while both Murray and Cilics veteran team-mate Goran Ivanisevic grumbled about the slowness of the court surface.Ivanovics team-mate Gael Monfils, who eventually won against Lleyton Hewitt 6-1, was penalised and went behind 0-15 in the fifth game of the singles match because he could not serve fast enough.It was very slow, very strange. Balls were flying then stopping, Ivanisevic said.The ball bounces very high. Sometimes its quite difficult to control, Murray said.Ivanovic pointedly described the IPTL tournament, which comes after the end of the 2014 tour, as an exhibition but conceded it was actually an interesting concept.Tonight was (my) first match for a long time and (was) without match practice, she said.I really enjoyed it and was really happy to win that first game and I kind of settled in and played well after that.However, with Ivanovic scheduled to play at all four stops of the IPTL tour this year, she said it was likely to affect her preparations for the 2015 regular season.Definitely. Its a long two weeks and Im still going to do my own training on the side while still playing and competing, so well see.

Football: Pele improving but still on dialysis - hospital

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SAO PAULO (AFP) - Brazil football legend Peles health is improving but he is still receiving an intensive treatment known as hemodialysis for a urinary infection, the hospital treating him said Friday.Pele, 74, is in better clinical condition, said the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, adding that he was lucid and breathing on his own but still receiving hemodialysis, which involves filtering a patients blood through an artificial kidney that cleans it before returning it to the body.The hospital said the measure was a temporary kidney support and that no other treatment was currently required.Pele, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time.He was admitted to hospital Monday and diagnosed with a urinary infection.After the hospital said Thursday that he had been placed in intensive care, he took to Facebook and Twitter to insist that he was fine and had simply been moved to another room for more privacy.I want to take this opportunity to let you know that I am doing fine, he wrote.I am blessed to receive your love and support, and thank God this is nothing serious.I was simply relocated to a special room within the hospital for privacy purposes only. While I appreciate all the visitors that came to see me, I really need to continue my treatment and recovery in peace.He said he would spend the upcoming holidays with family and looked forward to beginning 2015 with renewed health, adding he had many international trips already planned.His agent Jose Fornos said that the star was tired after receiving too many visits, and added that his treatment could go on for eight days.Pele underwent surgery for kidney stones at the same hospital on November 13.He had to cancel an appearance at his museum in Santos, on the coast near Sao Paulo, on November 12 as he began showing symptoms of the illness.And he was also forced to miss a gathering of members of the Brazil team that won the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, who had come together to mark the 45th anniversary of his 1,000th career goal.But he appeared to be in good humor when he was released from hospital two days later, joking with journalists: I am ready to play tomorrow.Nicknamed O Rei (The King), Pele was born in a humble home in the city of Tres Coracoes. He is considered by many as the greatest footballer in history with his exploits for Brazil and a career that saw him score 1,281 goals in 1,363 games.He scored 77 goals in 91 games for his country and won his first World Cup aged just 17, scoring twice in the 1958 final win over hosts Sweden.In 1977, he inspired New York Cosmos to the US national title in his final season with the club, which featured fellow greats Franz Beckenbauer, Italian striker Giorgio Chinaglia and former Brazil captain Carlos Alberto.

Football: Rodriguez, Di Maria and Schweinsteiger on World XI short-list

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PARIS (AFP) - A short-list of 15 midfielders from whom three will be selected for a World XI was released by footballs World governing body FIFA on Friday.The World XI team, which is voted for by tens of thousands of players worldwide, is to be presented at the FIFA Ballon dOr award ceremony on January 12th.All of those on the list were stars of the 2014 World Cup including top scorer James Rodriguez of Colombia, plus Angel Di Maria of beaten finalists Argentina and Bastian Schweinsteiger of the champions Germany.Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will feature on the list of strikers to be revealed on December 1st, while candidates for the goalkeeper position and defenders have already been released.Midfielders short-list:Xabi Alonso (Esp/Bayern Munich), Angel Di Maria (Arg/Manchester United), Cesc Fabregas (Esp/Chelsea), Eden Hazard (Bel/Chelsea), Xavi (Esp/Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Esp/Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Ger/Real Madrid), Luka Modric (Cro/Real Madrid), Mesut Ozil (Ger/Arsenal), Andrea Pirlo (Ita/Juventus), Paul Pogba (Fra/Juventus), James Rodriguez (Col/Real Madrid), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Ger/Bayern Munich), Yaya Toure (ICoast/Manchester City), Arturo Vidal (Chi/Juventus).

Oil plunges to new multi-year lows on OPEC decision

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Global oil prices plunged Friday to new multi-year lows after the OPEC oil-producing cartel decided to maintain crude output in an oversupplied market.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in January closed at $66.15 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, down $7.54 from the closing price Wednesday. It was the lowest WTI close since September 2009.The NYMEX was closed Thursday for a holiday. As the New York market closed in an abbreviated session Friday, in London, Brent oil for January delivery sank below $70 for the first time in four and a half years, to $69.78 a barrel. Brent settled at $70.15 a barrel, down $2.43 from Thursdays close.The selloffs came after the 12-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) opted Thursday to maintain its collective output ceiling at 30 million barrels per day, where it has stood for three years, sending prices plunging.OPEC refused to cut production despite oversupply that has sent prices tumbling by more than a third since June, with analysts warning of further falls to come.OPEC confirmed what many market participants had expected by leaving their official production quota unchanged, said Sucden analyst Kash Kamal.Many investors had hoped for some positive steps forward as the global supply glut continues to exert considerable downward pressure on futures prices, he added.At Thursdays OPEC gathering in Vienna, the cartel came under pressure from its poorer members, including Venezuela and Ecuador, to trim production as tumbling prices were eating into revenues and raising fears over their economies.However, the groups powerful Gulf members led by kingpin Saudi Arabia resisted the calls to turn down the taps unless they are guaranteed market share, particularly in the United States, where shale gas has contributed to the global supply glut.Another member, Kuwait, supported the move with the countrys oil minister Ali Omair saying: We decided that price will adjust itself based on supply and demand and that OPEC is supposed to safeguard its market share in order not to lose its clients.He suggested the United States should also bear responsibility and lower its own output of shale oil.Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared Thursday that he would keep pushing OPEC to slash output.The oil market has plunged in recent months, depressed by plentiful supplies, the stronger dollar and demand fears in a weakening global economy.OPECs decision to keep output is the main reason for prices to drop quite rapidly, said Daniel Ang, an investment analyst with Phillip Futures in Singapore.Prices are likely to be going down for the rest of the year, he told AFP.Ang, who closely tracks the oil market, said he expects WTI to end 2014 in the low 60s and Brent in the mid-60s.This weeks OPEC decision was meanwhile perceived by some analysts as an attack on the booming US shale energy sector.OPEC is dominated by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, who also have the highest tolerance for low oil prices due to the economies of scale generated by their huge super fields, said analyst Nick Campbell at consultancy Inspired Energy.Therefore, in order to combat low demand and a new supply threat -- both mainly in the United States -- the trick is to drop your price.Technological innovations have unlocked shale resources in North America and raised daily US oil output by more than 40 percent since 2006, but at a production cost which can be three or four times that of extracting Middle Eastern oil.US shale producers costs are estimated to be much higher than most OPEC producers and, therefore, by pushing the oil price lower they are hoping to drive the higher cost current producing wells to the margin and, more importantly, stop new sites developing, added Campbell.US oil output is soaring thanks to shale energy, which involves blasting a high-pressure blend of water, sand and chemicals deep underground in order to release hydrocarbons trapped between layers of rock.

Ruble scrapes new lows as Russia braces for cheap oil

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MOSCOW (AFP) - Energy-rich Russias currency extended Friday its slide into record low territory and the government lowered its crucial oil price forecast in the wake of OPECs decision to leave its output target unchanged.The ruble shed another 1.6 percent against the dollar and stood near the 49.35 mark in evening trading on the Moscow Exchange. It gave up the same percentage point and was valued at almost 61.55 against the euro -- also a historic low.The beleaguered currency has been trying to find its footing ever since the OPEC cartel decided on Thursday evening not to cut back production to support oil prices that have fallen by a third since June.The value of energy on international markets is critical here because Russia -- eager to limit borrowings at a time of extreme tensions with the West -- will generate a whopping 52 percent of its 2014 revenues from oil and gas sales.But the global energy glut and corresponding price collapse has contributed to a ruble slide that began during the first turmoil in Ukraine this winter and accelerated in recent weeks.The currency has now lost about a third of its value since the start of the year -- the same as during the 2008-2009 global financial crisis.Such falls are especially sensitive to Russians who saw their ruble savings wiped out with the collapse of communism in the 1990s.The Kremlins approval rating in that era once dipped below five percent.But Vladimir Putin has proven to be a teflon president whose increasingly militant talk and overtly anti-American sentiments appeal to Russian nationalists and help keep his own support level near 80 percent. The veteran Russian leader was dismissive on Friday of the turmoil hitting the worlds commodity markets and Moscows own trading floor.We do not see anything extraordinary here. The winter is coming and I am sure that the market will level off in the first quarter and the middle of the year, he said in televised remarks.Russias central bank -- its regular support for the ruble permanently suspended at the start of the month -- also vowed to jump in should things get out of hand.In case we identify risks of destabilisation, the Bank of Russia will be ready to conduct currency interventions, the central bank said in a statement carried by the RIA Novosti state news agency.Yet Russias growth is still likely to flatline this year and contract in 2015 -- a malaise attributed to Putins failure to improve market conditions and develop industries that could ease the budgets dependence on oil.The 2014 state spending plan is based on an average oil price of $93 a barrel.But Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev admitted on Friday that the 2015 draft will have to be revised to account for a Brent crude price that stood at $73.20 on Friday evening.There is a strong probability that it will be closer to $80 a barrel, Ulyukayev told reporters.This situation once against confirms our position that Russias budget policies must be adapted to new oil prices, Maxim Oreshkin of the finance ministrys strategic planning department added.Russias most powerful oil executives were also entering the winter holiday season in a sour mood.The head of state crude giant Rosneft cautioned that prices may even approach levels not seen since early 2009. We think the price could fall to $60 and below, but in the course of the first half of the year, Igor Sechin told Austrias Die Presse daily.Lukoil private oil firm vice president Leonid Fedun said the joint effect of falling prices and Western sanctions will probably see Russias oil production drop from its current peak of about 525 million tonnes to 490 million tonnes within five years.This decrease will not be dramatic -- it will be more similar to what is happening in the North Sea, he told the Financial Times.

Huge outpouring for Australia's tragic Hughes

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SYDNEY (AFP) - Flags flew at half-mast and thousands of fans and players paid tribute Friday as Australia and the world cricket community united in an outpouring of grief for the tragic death of batsman Phillip Hughes.Cricketers the world over paused to remember the player, and a spontaneous putyourbatsout campaign received a massive response with thousands posting pictures of bats on Twitter.Australias stunned Test team comforted each other in a grief counselling session at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where Hughes was knocked unconscious while batting in a domestic game on Tuesday.The 25-year-old died two days later on Thursday from massive bleeding in his brain, becoming one of the highest profile deaths in sport since Formula One icon Ayrton Senna in 1994.Shock at the freak accident pulsed around the globe as Hughes featured on front pages worldwide and flags were at half-mast at Lords, the home of cricket in London.New South Wales authorities announced a public memorial service for Hughes, while next weeks first Test against India hung in the balance. Four players in Australias Test squad -- David Warner, Brad Haddin, Shane Watson and Nathan Lyon -- were on the field when he collapsed after being hit by a Sean Abbott delivery.Six or seven days is not a long time, but right now with where we all are, it seems like a million miles away, said Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland, referring to next weeks game in Brisbane.Sutherland said the understanding and empathy of Indias powerful Board of Control for Cricket has been absolutely outstanding.They understand that these are unique and extraordinary circumstances, he said, adding: We all love cricket and no one loved cricket more than Phillip. Cricket will go on and it will go on when were ready.Both the Sydney Cricket Ground and the cavernous Melbourne Cricket Ground lowered their flags to half-mast, while club teams from Australia to India paused in a minutes silence.Before play in the third Test against Pakistan, New Zealands players lined up their bats and caps outside their dressing room in sombre tribute.Both teams in Sharjah, who cancelled play on Thursday in shock at the news, also held a minutes silence and donned black armbands.Rank-and-file fans and superstars alike contributed to putoutyourbats, posting pictures of bats leaning against front doors, stadiums and statues.Previously anonymous Sydneysider Paul D. Taylor, who started the campaign, said he was amazed and humbled by the outcome.Google Australia joined the trend, decorating its home page with the poignant image of a single bat.The tragedy transcended sports. Golf number one Rory McIlroy wore a black ribbon as he played the Australian Open in Sydney, and tennis star Rafael Nadal offered his condolences.Fans of Western Sydney Wanderers planned a minutes applause at 63 minutes -- Hughes score when he was struck down -- during Saturdays derby match against Sydney FC.Australias rugby team will wear black armbands when they play England at Twickenham on Saturday, and a message of sympathy came from New Zealands All Blacks.Meanwhile support remained for Abbott, 22, the unlucky fast bowler who delivered the fateful ball and who was said to be broken by the incident.That lad is absolutely shaken and broken at the moment, former Test quick Jason Gillespie told Fox Sports.Doctors said the ball cannoned into the base of Hughes skull, splitting his vertebral artery and causing massive bleeding in his brain.Hughes, who was struck below his helmet, remained standing for a few seconds after the blow, before crashing to the pitch face-first. Experts called it a freak injury with only 100 cases ever reported, and only one known incident as a result of a cricket ball.

Hesson admits playing was tough after Hughes tragedy

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SHARJAH (AFP) - New Zealand coach Mike Hesson Friday admitted his players were struggling in grief over the passing of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes, saying they discussed not playing the match at all.Before the start of second days proceedings Pakistan and New Zealand players and officials observed a minute of silence in respect of Hughes who passed away on Thursday after being hit by a bouncer in a first-class match in Sydney.Teams had agreed to abandon the second days play on Thursday when the tragic news poured in from Australia and Hesson admitted it was tough to play for his players.I think everybody was hit in different ways, said Hesson of the after-effects. Everybody in the team is affected, some very deeply affected and today wasnt about cricket, today was about supporting one of our fellow player.The players were really struggling and there is no doubt about that. I think the key for us was to help the individuals in the group who were struggling more than the others and get through the day.Asked how close the New Zealand team came to not continuing the Test on Friday, Hesson said: There was a lot of discussion taking place regarding the Test match continuing, this morning the Test match continued and we knew that so we turned up and we were aware of that and we worked on helping each other get through the day.New Zealand dominated the day by dismissing Pakistan for 351 from a strong 281-3 and then raced to 249-1 with Brendon McCullum hitting a fiery 153 not out.Off-spinner Mark Craig took a career-best 7-94 but Hesson said nobody was thinking of performance.We werent conscious of the performance, we were just looking after each other, said Hesson, whose team did not celebrate the fall of wickets in the morning. The game was irrelevant at that stage, that was just a natural reaction (not celebrating) by a group of people whose mind was elsewhere.Hesson said nobody fielded close to the batsman and no bouncer was bowled. We didnt have anyone under the close field and under a helmet and didnt bowl any bouncer and that was to show respect.Hesson praised Craig and McCullum.I think Mark drifted the ball and certainly created lots of curves and got rewards, said Hesson of the spinner.Brendon can play like that and he was going through a range of emotions today but that certainly showed the character of the man to play the way he did, said Hesson of McCullum who played alongside Hughes for New South Wales.

Hughes death will cast shadow over Sri Lanka ODI: Cook

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COLOMBO (AFP) - Alastair Cook says England and Sri Lanka will play with heavy hearts in their one-day international on Saturday, but that the show must go on as a mark of respect to Phillip Hughes.The talented Australian, 25, died in a Sydney hospital on Thursday after sustaining serious head injuries while batting in a domestic Sheffield Shield game match two days earlier.England captain Cook said the teams had decided to go ahead with Saturdays second ODI in Colombo to show our respects in the right way for Phil, but admitted they may not play with their usual flair.It was been a really sad day yesterday, a tragic day for cricket, a sombre-looking Cook told reporters on Friday ahead of the match at Premadasa stadium.Words I say here are not going to do any justice. Its an incredibly sad changing room for us and all our thoughts are with Hughes family and those Australian players who knew him so well.I think the intensity will probably be less tomorrow, but both sides agreed we should carry on playing and show our respects in the right way for Phil, and try and put on a good show.Sri Lanka lead the seven-match series 1-0 after winning the opening match by 25 runs in Colombo on Wednesday.Cook, a left-handed opener like Hughes, said the tragedy will not change his approach to the game.I certainly would not change the way I play, he said. You cannot have doubts in the back of your mind when you walk out to bat, (otherwise) you wont be playing very well.But we have got to keep trying to improve player safety, even though I think the improvements even since Ive started playing cricket have gone through the roof, especially helmets and in technology.The game of cricket will move on, but its a real reminder to everyone how precious life is and how lucky we are to be playing cricket.The series is an opportunity for both sides to prepare for the World Cup which takes place in Australia and New Zealand in February and March.

Brazilian Central Bank presents Rio de Janeiro Olympics 2016 coins

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RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Coins to commemorate the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics were presented Friday by the Brazilian Central Bank along with four designs that will enter general circulation.The commemorative coins feature one gold design and four in silver. The gold coin depicts Rios famous Christ the Redeemer statue on one side, and a 100-meter sprint design carrying the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger).The silver coins show well-known Rio landmarks where people practice sports. The coins also show natural aspects of the city and Brazil. The general circulation coins show Olympic and Paralympic sports. The selling price for the gold coin is 1,180 reals about $470. The silver coins sell for 195 reals (about $80). Officials said 36 different styles of coins will be minted by 2016.

Blasts at mosque in Nigeria kill 35 people

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KANO, Nigeria: (AP) - Police say 35 people were killed when multiple explosions tore through the central mosque in Nigerias second-largest city.State Deputy police commissioner Sanusi Lemu said 150 others also sustained various degrees of injuries in the blasts Friday in the city Kano.Hundreds had gathered to listen to a sermon in a region terrorized by attacks from the militant group Boko Haram.

Mayhem as US 'Black Friday' hits Britain

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LONDON (AFP) - Police blasted stores for bringing Black Friday to Britain, with the US sales event descending into chaotic fist fights as frenzied consumers battled to grab discounted goods.In scenes of pandemonium around the country, common civility went out the window as yelling customers punched it out in a bid to secure reduced-price televisions and coffee makers.Police in Manchester said three people had been arrested as the sales spiralled out of control after stores in the city in northwest England opened at midnight.The events of last night were totally predictable and I am disappointed that stores did not have sufficient security staff on duty, said Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Peter Fahy.This created situations where we had to deal with crushing, disorder and disputes between customers.His deputy Ian Hopkins said they had to close several outlets of Tesco, Britains biggest retailer.People have been trampling on each other and its been akin to a mini-riot in some of the stores, he said.A ladys had her wrist broken, a member of the public in a wheelchair had a TV dropped on them and a security guard in one of the stores has been punched.They urged stores to learn the lessons for next year and work with the police to reduce the risks of disorder.A Tesco source said: We will work with them following this event to make any improvements for next year.Jamie Hook was buying food at the Stretford Tesco in Manchester late on Thursday when the screaming started.I looked at the massive crowd to see people climbing over shelves and displays, staff running for cover, fights breaking out, stock flying through air, people breaking through carrying televisions -- and this was before the sale had even started, he said, according to the BBC.The lady on the till I was at was in tears, terrified.Shaun Thompson, 21, said he saw a female member of staff in the store with what appeared to be a black eye.It just went mad. People were shouting their heads off and a few minutes after that it exploded, he said.People were ripping covers off the shelves, they were fighting with each other, fighting over TVs.I have never seen anything like it in my life. It was quite scary.Footage from an ASDA supermarket in Wembley, northwest London, showed security staff struggling to contain a crowd of shoppers grappling for cut-price televisions.Some customers had to be separated as the sale sparked furious exchanges, while two women were seen wrestling over a TV.London police sergeant Paul Marshall said on Twitter: Even on Black Friday shoving people to the floor so you can get 20 off a Coffee Maker is still an assault.The sales event takes place each year in the United States the day after their Thanksgiving holiday.The imported event is expected to be one of Britains busiest shopping days this year.

University in Hyderabad result of people's prayers: Altaf Hussain

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HYDERABAD: (Dunya News) – Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain has said that setting up of university in Hyderabad is the result of oppressed masses’ prayers, Dunya News reported. He said that he wished to see Governor Sindh Dr. Ishratul Ibad and Malik Riaz laying the foundation stone of the university.Addressing the ceremony conducted for celebrating the announcement of university on Friday, Altaf Hussain said that the establishment of the university was a longstanding demand of the people of Hyderabad and finally it was being met.Altaf Hussain announced to distribute sweets worth Rs. 700,000 among citizens and bangles worth Rs. 100,000 among the women of the city as a gift. MQM workers celebrated the announcement of university at Koh-i-Noor Chowk of Hyderabad.

Syrian refugees request to leave Greece

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ATHENS (AFP) - Some 200 Syrian refugees protesting in Athens on Friday asked to be allowed access to other European countries, fearing deteriorating conditions in crisis-hit Greece.Crisis-hit Greece alone cannot support the weight of accommodating war refugees, said Nander Halbuni, a representative of the Syrians who have been camping on Syntagma Square in central Athens for over a week.The only solution for ourselves and our families is to have the right to go to another country to start a new life of dignity for our children, he told reporters.The Syrians began their protest on November 19 to demand housing from the Greek authorities, after spending the previous months sleeping in parks or on the street.Over a dozen among them who have mounted a hunger strike have been been hospitalised after fainting.Greece is one of the main points of entry into the European Union for people fleeing war-torn and poor countries in Africa, the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent.Many of the recent arrivals are escaping the war in Syria, where more than 200,000 people have been killed, according to UN figures.Some 28,000 Syrians have been caught illegally entering Greece since January, compared to just 8,500 last year.

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