.

Cricket - Sports

Loading...

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Al Qaeda in Syria attacks US-trained rebel base

Posted:

BEIRUT (AFP) - Al Qaedas Syria affiliate launched a fierce assault on the headquarters of a US-trained rebel group Friday, while claiming responsibility for capturing members of the moderate force earlier this week. Al-Nusra Front unleashed its offensive on the base of the Division 30 unit in northern Aleppo province, a monitor said, sparking clashes and air raids by a US-led coalition that killed at least 18 of the jihadists.Seven rebels died defending the base, which Al-Nusra failed to capture, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. In a statement on Facebook, Division 30 said five of its members had been killed and 18 wounded in the fight for the base.It called on rebels to come to its aid in defending the base, and demanded that Al-Nusra stop spilling the blood of Muslims.Al-Nusra accused Washington of recruiting forces from what it calls the moderate opposition... to undergo a training and rehabilitation programme run by the Central Intelligence Agency. A few days ago, one of these groups called Division 30 entered Syria... so Al-Nusra arrested several soldiers of this division, the group announced. It did not specify how many rebels had been captured, or where or when the incident took place.The Observatory had reported that Al-Nusra captured eight rebels from Division 30 in a village in the northern province of Aleppo late Wednesday.Combined with the seven rebels killed on Friday, this would mean at least 13 of the 54 original Division 30 members who entered Syria in mid-July have been neutralised.On Thursday, a US defence department spokeswoman denied the rebels reported capture.Al-Nusra accused Division 30 of being agents of American interests and projects in the area, to fight the terrorist organisations, as they (the US and its rebel allies) described it.The jihadist group said Division 30 had coordinated with aircraft from the US-led coalition attacking jihadists in Syria to strike Al-Nusra positions.We warn the soldiers of this division not to proceed with the American plan... Their return to the truth and the right way will be more beneficial, the statement said.Al-Nusra has previously attacked US-backed groups in northern Syria, including the Syrian Revolutionaries Front and the Hazm Movement, leading to the dissolution of both factions. Charles Lister, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Centre think-tank, said the capture of its fighters could deal a mortal blow to the reputation of the USs train-and-equip programme in Syria. The simple reality here is that any explicitly US-trained rebels effectively have a target set on their backs, he said.Syrias conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests, but has devolved into a multi-front civil war among rebels, regime forces, Kurdish fighters and jihadist groups.The war, in which various fighting groups have carved out what are fluid areas of control, has killed at least 230,000 people. Al-Nusras jihadist rival, the Islamic State group, has seized territory in Syrias north and centre, as well as along the countrys border with Iraq.Since July 2014, IS has used the border town of Albu Kamal in the eastern Deir Ezzor province to link the Syrian and Iraqi parts of its so-called caliphate.On Friday, the US-led coalition destroyed two bridges linking Albu Kamal to the Iraqi border, which the Observatory called strategically important for ISs movements. The two bridges leading out of Albu Kamal -- one to the east, and one to the southeast -- were ISs main routes to the Iraqi border, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.Using these bridges, it would take IS only a few minutes to reach the Iraqi border from Albu Kamal, Abdel Rahman said.The strikes do not cut off ISs route to Iraq, but they make IS movements there more difficult, because it will take them longer and they will be in view (of the coalition) for a longer period of time, he added.The Pentagon confirmed strikes in the area, and a senior US officer said they will have a profound impact on IS abilities to carry out operations in the neighbouring and strategically important Iraqi province of Anbar.

Nigeria attacks kill 16 as force chief promises to crush Boko Haram

Posted:

KANO (AFP) - A female suicide bomber and Boko Haram gunmen killed 16 people in Nigeria as the commander of a new multinational force tasked with fighting the Islamists pledged on Friday to crush the insurgency very soon.Major General Iliya Abbahs appointment in an Abuja ceremony as chief of the 8,700-strong force came as a woman bomber on a tricycle killed six people in a busy market in Maiduguri, the largest city in Nigerias restive northeastern Borno state.Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who won the election in March this year on a promise to defeat the jihadists, said Friday the new task force would lead to the speedy defeat and elimination of Boko Haram, according to a statement.Meanwhile reports emerged that the jihadists had struck neighbouring Yobe state, killing at least 10 people including two women on Wednesday evening in a revenge attack against local vigilantes, a local official told AFP on Friday.The suicide attack in Maiduguri was the latest in a wave of Boko Haram bombings -- often by female bombers -- targeting markets in Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon that have killed and wounded scores in the past month.Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands of civilians, including women and children, with many either forced or indoctrinated into joining the extremists, rights groups say.The attack (on the Gamboru) market happened around 6:30 am (0530 GMT) as the grocers were arriving, Babakura Kolo, a vigilante in Maiduguri, told AFP.From accounts we gathered from people around, the woman arrived on a taxi tricycle, as every woman grocer does. She blew herself up as soon as the tricycle stopped in the midst of other tricycles dropping traders off, Kolo said.Another local resident was at home when he heard the blast, and he rushed to the scene immediately afterwards.The place was littered with victims and burning rickshaws, he told AFP.Gamboru market is the second largest in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state and birthplace of Boko Haram, which has killed at least 15,000 people since its bloody insurgency began in 2009.The extremist group, whose name roughly translates as Western education is forbidden, has carried on its campaign of attacks on security forces, suicide bombings and bloody raids on villages across Nigerias north and eastern borders despite a major regional military campaign against them.The new multinational force, whose troops Abbah said would be deployed any time from today, is expected to be more efficient than the regional offensive launched in February.The force will contain troops from Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad, with Benin also committed to help.I assure (you), by the will of God, that I will live (up) to expectations and we will see the end of this menace very soon, Abbah said in Abuja.However Buhari has recently complained of a lack of resources, raising concerns over the forces chances of defeating Boko Haram once and for all.The Chadian army has gone ahead and waged a vast offensive of its own in the past fortnight, targeting Islamists holed up around Lake Chad and claiming to have killed 117 terrorists.Two soldiers have died and two were injured, a military spokesman said.Alayi Wari, who fled his home in Fitinewa on Lake Chad for Nigeria, told AFP Boko Haram had stormed 10 villages in the past month, and that the army has since recaptured seven.But Bullu Dagi, who has fled his home in Midi, said the villages were still virtually deserted.Although most of the these villages have been reclaimed, residents are still afraid to return, Dagi said.Boko Haram has used the Lake Chad region as a hideout to fall back from offensives by Nigerian and Chadian troops inside Nigeria. The lake lies where the borders of Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria converge.The region has seen a surge in violence since Buhari took office in May vowing to crush Boko Harams campaign for an Islamic caliphate.The latest attacks follow a visit this week by Buhari to Cameroon to discuss a stronger regional alliance in the wake of an unprecedented wave of five suicide bombings there.Two of those attacks killed at least 33 people in the northern market town of Maroua, where a police officer on Friday confirmed a report that they had arrested three youths on Thursday, one allegedly carrying a plastic bag full of explosives.

Muslims in C. Africa 'forced to abandon religion': Amnesty

Posted:

LIBREVILLE (AFP) - Many Muslims returning to western areas of the Central African Republic after last years intercommunal massacres are being threatened and forced to abandon their religion, Amnesty International said Friday.Having forced tens of thousands of Muslims to flee western CAR, anti-balaka militias are now repressing the religious identity of the hundreds of Muslims who remained or who have returned, said Joanne Mariner, the London-based rights groups senior crisis response adviser.Thousands died in violence and hundreds of thousands remain displaced from their homes following a March 2013 coup. Atrocities committed by mainly Muslim Seleka rebels led to reprisals by vigilantes, so-called anti-balaka, from the Christian majority. The Amnesty report, entitled Erased identity: Muslims in ethnically cleansed areas of the Central African Republic, said that Muslims who have returned to their homes in large swathes of the west of the country following the 2014 killing spree and mass forced displacement are barred by armed anti-balaka militia from practising or manifesting their religion in public.Some have been forcibly converted to Christianity on the threat of death, the report added.In areas where UN peacekeepers remain notable by their absence, Muslims are targeted with impunity, Amnesty asserted.A 23-year-old former Muslim in the Sangha-Mbaere prefecture told Amnesty International: We had no choice but to join the Catholic Church. The anti-balaka swore theyd kill us if we didnt.Amnesty said that outside of areas where Muslims live under the protection of UN peacekeepers, Muslims in the western areas have no freedom to practise their religion in public. Prayers are effectively banned, traditional Muslim clothing cannot be freely worn, and the reconstruction of mosques, an estimated 400 of which were destroyed across the country, is not allowed.It is effectively illegal for us to pray, said a Muslim trader in Mbaiki in the southwest. We have to hide, do it quickly, and do it by ourselves. Collective Friday prayers are impossible.Amnesty called on the government in Bangui, the UN mission to the country, and the international community to support Muslims efforts to reintegrate into towns and villages across western CAR, and to strengthen the presence of peacekeeping forces to better protect communities from anti-balaka militias.

'Qaeda' suicide bombing kills nine in Yemen

Posted:

ADEN (AFP) - A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-packed car into a Yemeni army checkpoint Friday, killing nine soldiers, a military source said, blaming Al Qaeda for the attack.Elsewhere, Riyadh said four Saudi security personnel were killed in cross-border rocket fire and shelling, while Yemeni sources said nine rebels were killed in clashes with pro-government forces in Dhaleh province.The suicide bombing took place near the city of Qoton in southeastern Yemens vast desert province of Hadramawt, where Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) operates.The source said the dead soldiers were members of the armys First Division, loyal to exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.Hadi was forced out of the country earlier this year after Shiite Huthi rebels seized the capital and large chunks of Yemen.Separately, the source said AQAP militants flogged eight people in the Hadramawt provincial capital of Mukalla, a port city of more than 200,000 people that they control.Charged with offences including adultery and drug and alcohol use, the eight received between 80 and 100 lashes each in a punishment carried out in a public square before hundreds of witnesses.In March, a Saudi-led coalition launched an air campaign against the Huthis and allied forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh in a bid to restore the authority of Hadi, who has taken refuge in Riyadh.AQAP, which Washington views as the extremist networks most dangerous branch, has taken advantage of the chaos gripping Yemen to make territorial gains in the south, including the seizure of Mukalla in April.The Saudi interior ministry, meanwhile, said cross-border rocket fire and shelling killed three soldiers and a member of a paramilitary force in the Asir and Jazan regions.The bombardment came during a day of relative calm in Yemen itself.Government-aligned forces have since last week been expanding their area of control after recapturing the southern port city of Aden.Nine rebels were killed in a clash with pro-Hadi forces in Dhaleh province on Friday, military sources said.The clash and the border barrage came on the final day of what was supposed to be a ceasefire to allow in aid for Yemens stricken civilians.The humanitarian pause, declared by the coalition, began Monday but collapsed the next day.According to the United Nations, the war has killed 3,984 people inside Yemen, nearly half of them civilians.On the Saudi side of the frontier, about 50 people have been killed in skirmishes and shelling. Most casualties were members of the armed forces, but civilians have also died.

Four die in plane crash in Britain

Posted:

LONDON (AFP) - Four people died when a private jet crashed into a car auction site and burst into flames in southern England on Friday, police said.The pilot and three passengers died when the Phenom 300 jet attempted to land at Blackbushe Airport in Hampshire and crashed into the nearby site.We can confirm that there were four people on board, including the pilot, said Olga Venner, acting chief inspector of Hampshire police.Sadly, there were no survivors. No one on the ground has been injured.Footage of the aftermath of the crash showed plumes of black smoke rising into the sky and several cars on fire in the outdoor area of British Car Auctions, where vehicles were parked awaiting sale.I saw it when it had just happened, and could see the plane and cars in flames, said Andrew Thomas, who was buying a car when he witnessed the accident.The plane nosedived into the cars and exploded on impact.British broadcaster the BBC reported that the aircraft had taken off from Milan Malpensa airport in Italy. No comment was immediately available from Malpensa.

Tennis: Nadal sets up Seppi semi-final clash in Hamburg

Posted:

HAMBURG (AFP) - Top seed Rafael Nadal defeated fifth seed Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 6-2 on Friday to set up a Hamburg semi-final clash against Italian veteran Andreas Seppi.Nadal, 29, broke the Cuevas serve five times on his way to a second triumph over the Uruguayan this year, having also beaten the South American in the Rio quarter-finals in February.Nadal is playing in Hamburg for the first time since 2008, when he won the trophy with victory over Roger Federer, as the left-hander looks to breathe life back into his flagging season.I played I think 90 per cent of the match doing the right things, doing the right shots every time and waiting for my moment, said Nadal, who is chasing his 47th clay-court title.Seppi, who knocked Federer out of the Australian Open this year, enjoyed a walkover into Saturdays semi-finals when compatriot Simone Bolelli withdrew due to gastroenteritis. Seppi trails Nadal 5-1 in career clashes with his only win coming in 2008 in Rotterdam.Hes a great player, said Nadal of the Italian. Hes a very consistent player that has very, very solid shots from the baseline and changing very well the direction.The other semi-final sees French qualifier Lucas Pouille face Italys Fabio Fognini.World number 85 Pouille defeated countryman Benoit Paire, who was champion on clay at Bastad last weekend, 6-3, 6-2.Eighth seed Fognini beat Britains Aljaz Bedene 6-4, 7-5.

Tennis: Serena withdraws from Stanford with elbow injury

Posted:

STANFORD (AFP) - World number one and defending champion Serena Williams withdrew Friday from next weeks WTA hardcourt tournament in Stanford with a right elbow injury, organizers said.Im disappointed to have to withdraw from the Bank of the West Classic, but I need to get my elbow back to 100 percent, Williams said in a statement released by tournament officials.The tournament is one of my favorites and the fans have always been so generous and supportive of me. I wish all of the players much success and I hope to return next year.The 33-year-old American had planned to start her buildup to the US Open in Stanford.Shes coming off a Wimbledon triumph that marked her fourth straight Grand Slam victory -- and which gives her a shot at completing an elusive calendar Grand Slam.Its the second planned start since Wimbledon that Williams has skipped because of her right elbow.She was forced out of the Swedish Open earlier this month.Williams next scheduled US Open warm-up is at the hardcourt tournament in Toronto in two weeks.Serena is having a historic season and we wish her a speedy recovery as she prepares for the US Open, said Stanford tournament director Vickie Gunnarsson.Unfortunately injuries are part of sports and the health of the players is always the number one priority.In Williams absence, Denmarks Caroline Wozniacki will be the top seed.

Olympics: Beijing clinches historic 2022 Winter Games vote

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Beijing on Friday narrowly won a historic International Olympic Committee vote for the 2022 Winter Games that secured its place in sporting history.The Chinese capital beat Almaty in Kazakhstan by just 44 votes to 40, with one abstention, to become the first city to be awarded both the summer and winter Games.Beijings mayor Wang Anshun hailed the win, saying it had been a remarkable day for China.Beijing held the summer Olympics in 2008 in what was then seen as China sealing its place on the world stage as an emerging superpower.This time it had been the strong favourite, presenting itself as an experienced pair of hands against underdog Almaty.But the former capital of the Central Asian republic ate into Chinas support with a Keeping It Real campaign that played on Beijings reliance on artificial snow and the vast distances between its venues.International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said Chinas win was a safe and historic decision, adding: We know China will deliver on its promises.Bach had ordered a revote with paper ballots after voting with electronic tablets produced doubtful results. Bach reacted tersely to suggestions of voting irregularities insisting it was a technical issue.IOC members were surprised by the narrow victory when it was declared.I always said Almaty would get more support than people had expected, but I never thought it would be that close, said Craig Reedie, a British member of the IOC.He said members had been impressed by the final presentation by Kazakh prime minister Karim Massimov.Chinas President Xi Jinping promised rock solid government support for Beijing.Let me assure you that if you choose Beijing, the Chinese people will present to the world a fantastic, extraordinary and excellent Olympic Winter Games, Xi said in a video message to the meeting.After the result, Chinese bid officials, including basketball legend Yao Ming, hugged each other in celebration. In Beijing, performers and uniformed volunteers erupted into orchestrated dancing and flag-waving.Finally - we won, but it was not easy, Yao acknowledged.I was very confident about this campaign, but when the moment came I was still very excited about what we have done, the former Houston Rockets center told reporters.Some of Beijings 2008 venues, including its iconic Birds Nest national stadium will be reused for the 2022 Games.But it will also make widespread use of machine-made snow for outdoor events and some of the venues are 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Beijing. All of Almatys proposed venues were within 30 kilometres (18 miles) of the city, which the delegation portrayed as a winter wonderland with abundant natural snow.Beijing has said it will spend $3.06 billion on running the Games and special infrastructure for the event. That does not include $5 billion for a high-speed train link from Beijing to Zhangjiakou, where many mountain events will be held.Kazakhstan, which became independent from the former Soviet Union in 1991, had sought the Games as a way to mark its place on the world map.We are a golden opportunity to prove that smaller advancing nations can successfully host the Olympic Games, Kazakhstans prime minister told the IOC.Almaty would stage a Games that are centred on the needs of athletes and sport, not on the needs of (the) host countrys global image, said Andrey Kryukov, vice chairman of the Almaty bid committee in a veiled dig at China.Both countries human rights records have been condemned by activist groups, but no mention of rights was made in the IOC debate.However, following the vote Human Rights Watch called the decision a slap in the face to Chinas besieged human rights activists.Six cities were originally in the race to follow 2018 hosts Pyeongchang in South Korea.But after Russia spent more than $50 billion to stage the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Oslo, Stockholm, Krakow in Poland and Lviv in Ukraine withdrew because of cost fears and local politics.

Golf: Tiger makes charge as Ishikawa clings to PGA lead

Posted:

GAINESVILLE (AFP) - Japans Ryo Ishikawa birdied the last three holes to grab a one-stroke lead Friday at the PGA Quicken Loans National while long-struggling Tiger Woods roared into contention.Ishikawa had four birdies and four bogeys in the first 13 holes but closed with authority to post a three-under par 68 and stand on 11-under 131, one stroke ahead of Americans Rickie Fowler and Kevin Chappell and two atop Swedens David Lingmerth.Im looking forward to the next two days, said Ishikawa, seeking his first US PGA win in his 116th start. Im not sure what the victory number will be. My goal this weekend is 15-, 16-under.Tournament host Woods, a 14-time major champion on a two-year win drought due to injuries and swing changes, fired a 66 to stand in a pack of nine players sharing fifth on 134.Im in a good spot, Woods said. Im looking forward to the weekend. Im looking forward to getting after it.Ishikawa, who made his first US hole-in-one in shooting a 63 on Thursday, nearly added another at the par-3 16th, his 9-iron from 15 yards landing two inches from the cup.It was a great moment, Ishikawa said.The 23-year-old world number 203 added a 13-foot birdie putt at 17 and dropped a 31-foot birdie putt at 18 to grab the lead alone after two rounds for the first time in a PGA event.Surprise putt but that was a nice finish, Ishikawa said. It wasnt a great round through 15 holes but it was a great three shots.Woods, who has slid to 266th in world rankings, sank a 36-foot birdie putt at the par-5 eighth, his penultimate hole.That was a bit lucky but Ill take it, Woods said. I putted pretty aggressively. I felt very comfortable hitting the putts.Woods has 79 career PGA titles, three shy of Sam Sneads all-time record, but has not won a title since the 2013 World Golf Championships Bridgestone invitational and has not won a major since the 2008 US Open.Woods flubbed his tee shot at the par-5 14th hole, a sad 161-yard effort that led to a bogey but prodded him to six birdies from there.Actually it got me going a little bit, Woods said. Got me kick started a little bit. Got me a little fired up. Got me a little more focused.Fowler, coming off wins at the Players Championship in May and the Scottish Open three weeks ago, welcomes Woods being in contention.Its great to see him back on the front page of the leaderboard, Fowler said. Sounds like he hs started to feel better about his game and felt good out there. Hopefully he can get out there and get it going and well have some fun over the weekend.Fowler also birdied the last three holes in a round of 65, giving him seven birdies on the day.When the putter gets going, (confidence) is about as high as it can be, Fowler said. Put myself in a great position.Lingmerth, who also shot 65, won his first PGA title in June, defeating Englands Justin Rose in a playoff to capture the Memorial.That win definitely boosted my confidence, Lingmerth said. Now I feel like I play a bit more relaxed and theres no pressure from anywhere. Dont think Ive done anything special, just staying in the game.The group on 134 includes Woods, fellow Americans Pat Perez, Charles Howell, Brice Garnett, Jason Bohn and Jimmy Walker plus New Zealands David Lee, Englands Greg Owen and South Korean Kim Whee.

Golf: Pettersen leads stormy British Open

Posted:

TURNBERRY (AFP) - Suzann Pettersen was out early in the second round of the Womens British Open, shot 69 and set a halfway target that no one else could match on a day of horrendous weather at Turnberry.With wind and rain making it miserable for players and fans, the 33-year-old Norwegian managed to carve four birdies out of her round and finished on an impressive seven under par 137.Lydia Ko (73), the world number two, Ryu So Yeon (72), the 2011 US Womens Open champion, Taiwans Teresa Lu (71) and South Koreas Ko Jin Young were two shots back in joint second.Pettersen, a two-time major winner, feels invigorated this season following a switch in coach from David Leadbetter to Butch Harmon, the Las Vegas guru who steered Tiger Woods through his hugely successful early years as a professional.It was really tough out there today but I played very solid, said Pettersen. I felt I was in control of everything. This ranks pretty high as a good round of golf.I always felt I had a different gear in my body and going to Butch was the right thing. He has made technical changes and it is just much easier. I dont feel like the swing thoughts change from day to day.Its very consistent. Its nice to have somebody that can really push me. Butch has pushed me quite a lot and I feel that some of my best golf is still ahead of me.I thought it would be good to play through (next years) Olympics, but I now have a lot of more goals. I want to be the best that I can be.Last week, Pettersen finished runner-up in the Scottish Open at the nearby Dundonald Links and she is seeking to go one better on Sunday. Pettersens first major was the 2007 LPGA Championship and she added the Evian Championship two years ago. Shes got a decent record in the British Open with top five finishes in the last two years. Im getting older and wiser, she added.You learn something every year and that is what is so great about this game.Ko, who opened with a 66, was mightily impressed by Pettersens effort. Today was like playing a different course, said the teenager.I knew it wasnt going to be another 66 but a day for grinding it out. We were tried to hide behind the signs for shelter. Suzann must have played great.The first round leader, Koreas Kim Hyo Joo followed her 65 with a 78 for one under par.World number one Park Inbee wasnt too delighted with a 73, but the South Korean is still well in the hunt on two under par.Michelle Wie was heading for the exit after failing to get past the 13th hole. At ten over par for the round and 14 over for the tournament, last years US Open champion retired with an ankle injury. Last years victor Mo Martin also missed out. After a promising opening 70, the American slumped to a second day 80.

Football: Liverpool misfit Lambert joins West Brom, scores twice

Posted:

LONDON (AFP) - Striker Rickie Lambert joined West Bromwich Albion from Liverpool on a two-year contract on Friday and quickly celebrated with two goals in a pre-season friendly.The 33-year-old England international has signed for an undisclosed fee believed to be around 3 million pound ($4.7 million, 4.3 million euros).After excelling during a five-year spell at Southampton, Lambert joined boyhood club Liverpool in a 4 million pound deal last year, but he endured a frustrating time at Anfield, scoring only three goals.Rickie is a good, strong, solid player who is a great character, good in the dressing room and good on the pitch, West Brom manager Tony Pulis told the club website.We are very pleased to have him on board. Hes a player of great pedigree and we look forward to integrating him into our squad.Lambert didnt take long to begin repaying Puliss faith as he scored twice for the Baggies in their friendly win at Bristol Rovers just hours after completing his switch.He started the match against his old club, opening the scoring with a deflected effort in the 23rd minute and doubling his tally with a close-range finish a minute after the break before being replaced in the 56th minute.Lambert is West Broms third close-season signing after winger James McClean joined from Wigan Athletic and centre-back James Chester arrived from Hull City.Having been released by Liverpool aged 15, Lambert played for Blackpool, Macclesfield Town, Stockport County, Rochdale and Bristol Rovers before helping Southampton rise from the third tier to the Premier League.He made a memorable England debut against Scotland in an August 2013 friendly at Wembley, rising from the bench to head home the winning goal in a 3-2 victory with his first touch as an international footballer.He has since made 10 further England appearances, scoring two goals, and was a member of Roy Hodgsons squad at last years World Cup in Brazil.

Diving: He gets China back in the gold groove

Posted:

KAZAN (AFP) - He Chao gave the Chinese mens diving team their fourth gold medal from four world championship events in Kazan with victory in the 3m springboard final on Friday.After North Korean teenager Kim Kuk-hyang had snatched gold with her final dive in the womens 10m platform final on Thursday, He gave the Chinese their seventh diving gold in total here with three events still to come.He, the younger brother of He Chong, the 2008 Olympic champion in the event who failed to qualify, claimed his first world title on his championships debut with a winning score of 555.05 points.Russias Ilia Zhakarov claimed silver with 547.60pts while Britains Jack Laugher, who had led after the second round, claimed his second bronze of the Kazan championships having also finished third in the 3m springboard synchro, with 528.90pts.

Vaccine offers 100% Ebola protection: trial results

Posted:

PARIS (AFP) - An Ebola vaccine provided 100-percent protection in a field trial in hard-hit Guinea, researchers and officials said Friday, mooting the beginning of the end of the killer West African outbreak.The world is on the verge of an effective Ebola vaccine, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, hailing the results from the first efficacy test of the VSV-ZEBOV vaccine among people living in a high-danger zone.This is an extremely promising development, added WHO chief Margaret Chan.An effective vaccine will be another very important tool for both current and future Ebola outbreaks.About 28,000 people have been infected in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia in the worst Ebola outbreak in history, according to the WHO, and more than 11,000 have died.VSV-ZEBOV may become the first licensed vaccine against the disease for which there is also no approved treatment or cure.The trial showed that the vaccine offers 100 percent protection against Ebola after roughly one week, said researcher Sven Trelle from the University of Bern.The test, backed by drug firm Merck, the WHO and the governments of Canada, Norway and Guinea, saw 4,123 high-risk people vaccinated immediately after someone close to them fell ill with the deadly haemorrhagic fever. None of the vaccinated group caught the virus, according to study results published in The Lancet medical journal.A second, comparison group of 3,528 people received the vaccine only three weeks after potential exposure. Sixteen of them contracted the virus, said the study, but by day six after immunisation, the remainder of this group was also fully protected.Indeed, no vaccinee developed symptoms more than six days after vaccination, irrespective of whether vaccination was immediate or delayed, said the study paper.The initial results of the study show that the vaccine can effectively contain the further spread of the Ebola virus, added a statement from the University of Bern, which contributed to the research.Disease experts welcomed the results.This is big news -- the most promising medical development so far in the ongoing race to shut down Ebola, Benjamin Neuman, a virologist with the University of Reading, told AFP.Added Peter Smith of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the results were very exciting and suggest that the Ebola vaccine tested may be highly effective in protecting against Ebola disease among those in the immediate vicinity of an Ebola case.

Windows 10 entices millions in first day

Posted:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Some 14 million people installed the Windows 10 operating system in the first 24 hours following its release, Microsoft said, calling the response overwhelmingly positive.The company said its new operating system aimed at computers, mobile devices and other gadgets got off to a strong start toward its goal of reaching one billion devices.Were humbled and grateful to see the response to Windows 10, corporate vice president Yusuf Mehdi said in a blog post late Thursday.We have seen unprecedented demand for Windows 10, with reviews and customer feedback overwhelmingly positive around the globe.The stakes are high for Microsoft as it pushes out the new operating system for both traditional computers and mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones.The company is hoping the new system can help it gain traction in mobile, where it lags behind Google Android and Apple iOS, and in emerging technologies for computing.Windows 10 -- Microsoft skipped directly from Windows 8, which got a lackluster response -- is being offered as a free upgrade for most devices, making it possible to be available quickly on billions of devices.It will allow for voice, pen and gesture input, and in some cases biometric identification for improved security.Mehdi said the company is rolling out the software in phases to make the transition easier.Our top priority has been ensuring that everyone has a great upgrade experience, so, we are carefully rolling out Windows 10 in phases, delivering Windows 10 first to our Windows Insiders, he said.While we now have more than 14 million devices running Windows 10, we still have many more upgrades to go before we catch up to each of you that reserved your upgrade.In one sour note, the chief executive of Mozilla, which makes the Firefox Web browser, complained that Windows 10 imposes the new Edge browser as the default option, overriding choices made by users.The update experience appears to have been designed to throw away the choice your customers have made about the Internet experience they want, and replace it with the Internet experience Microsoft wants them to have, Mozilla CEO Chris Beard said in an open letter to his Microsoft counterpart Satya Nadella.Beard said the new operating system makes it more complicated to choose a competing browser such as Firefox.It now takes more than twice the number of mouse clicks, scrolling through content and some technical sophistication for people to reassert the choices they had previously made in earlier versions of Windows, Beard said.Its confusing, hard to navigate and easy to get lost.Beard urged Microsoft to respect peoples right to choice and control of their online experience by making it easier, more obvious and intuitive for people to maintain the choices they have already made through the upgrade experience.

Oil prices tank as OPEC heightens oversupply worries

Posted:

NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices plummeted Friday as traders digested the latest OPEC signal that crude production would not be cut despite global oversupply and falling prices.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for September delivery dived almost 3.0 percent, shedding $1.40 to close at $47.52 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.Brent North Sea crude for September dropped $1.10 (2.1 percent) to settle at $52.21 a barrel in London trade.Both contracts had tumbled on Thursday, snapping two consecutive days of gains.On Friday, the WTI futures contract clocked a fifth straight week of decline and was heading closer to its lowest level in six years, following an attempt at stabilization around $60 a barrel in the spring.The week hasnt been particularly kind to oil, said Bart Melek of TD Securities.Despite the fact we got a surprise draw in the US crude inventories on Wednesday, the market remains quite worried... that there is an oversupply situation in the crude market globally, he said.The New York market totally erased the timid rebound it staged Wednesday after the Department of Energy reported a sharp drop in US commercial crude inventories last week.The US crude inventories decline of 4.2 million barrels didnt really convince the situation is going to change, Melek said. He added that OPEC had produced in July some two million barrels per day above its production quota set in June.On Thursday, Abdullah El-Badri, secretary-general of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, said the group would not cut output in response to lower prices.The OPEC chief, speaking in Moscow after meeting Russias energy minister on Thursday, he said the cartel is not ready to cut production, which it has officially capped at 30 million barrels per day for nearly four years.Analysts said the statement shows OPEC is determined to defend its market share as it fends off competition from US shale oil.OPEC is telling the market that cuts will not come from them, said Daniel Ang, an investment analyst with Phillip Futures in Singapore.OPEC is emphasizing that it is fighting for market share, he added.

Posted by IMRAN ALI SOOMRO (DARVESH) at 8/01/2015 07:31:00 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