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Monday, August 17, 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

US to withdraw Patriot missiles from Turkey in October

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ISTANBUL (AFP) - Turkey and the United States said Sunday that Washington would withdraw its Patriot missile batteries from the country in October after bolstering Ankaras air defences against threats from Syrias civil war.The NATO mandate for the mission will run out in October and will not be renewed, but the US is prepared to return Patriot assets and personnel to Turkey within one week if needed, a joint Turkish-US statement said.They will be redeployed to the US for critical modernisation upgrades that will ensure the US missile defence force remains capable of countering evolving global threats and protecting Allies and partners, including Turkey, the statement said.It also emphasised that Washington remains committed to supporting Turkeys air defence capabilities, including against ballistic missile risks and threats... and its security and regional stability.A US defence official stressed that the move by the US military was for the purpose of force modernisation.It does not reflect a decision by the NATO Alliance to reduce support for Turkeys air defence, the official told AFP.The decision comes less than a month after Turkey opened its southeastern Incirlik air base to US fighter jets to carry out bombing raids against Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria.The US and Turkish officials have said their respective armies are currently working to coordinate logistics before starting full-scale operations against IS.Turkey turned to its NATO allies for help over its troubled frontier after shells landed on its border areas from Syria in October 2012, killing several villagers.The United States, the Netherlands and Germany have provided a total of six Patriots batteries along the Turkish border with Syria. Germany on Saturday announced it would withdraw its two missile systems from Turkey from January 31, saying that the main threat in the region now came from the Islamic State group.Originally used as an anti-aircraft missile, Patriots today are used to defend airspace by detecting and destroying incoming missiles. NATO deployed Patriot missiles in Turkey during the 1991 Gulf war and in 2003 during the Iraqi conflict.Turkey is currently pressing a two-pronged anti-terror offensive against IS jihadists in Syria and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq and southeast Turkey following a wave of attacks inside the country.Ankara launched its first air strikes against IS targets in late July but then put them on hold, instead concentrating its firepower on Kurdish militants in operations that have troubled its allies.

Iraq PM scraps third of cabinet posts in reform drive

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BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the removal of 11 of 33 cabinet posts Sunday, the first concrete step in a reform drive to curb corruption and streamline the government.The announcement came as parliament and Abadi made preliminary moves toward holding top officials -- including ex-premier Nuri al-Maliki -- accountable for military disasters in the cities of Mosul and Ramadi, which have been seized by the Islamic State jihadist group.Abadi rolled out a reform programme a week ago in response to popular pressure from weeks of protests against corruption and poor services, and to a call for drastic change from Iraqs top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.Parliament approved Abadis plan along with additional measures two days later, but a major gap remains between announcements and implementation.In a first move from proposals to action, Abadi scrapped three deputy premier positions, three ministries and a minister without portfolio, and merged four more ministries with others, his office said Sunday.It is unclear whether the scrapped ministries -- human rights and the ministries of state for womens affairs and for provincial and parliamentary affairs -- will continue in another form, or will be done away with altogether.Amid a major heatwave that has seen temperatures top 50 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit), protesters have railed against the poor quality of services, especially power outages that leave just a few hours of government-supplied electricity per day.Thousands of people have turned out in Baghdad and cities in the Shiite south to vent their anger and pressure the authorities to make changes.Their demands were given a boost when Sistani called on August 7 for Abadi to take drastic measures against corruption, saying the minor steps he had announced were not enough.The following Friday, Sistani said judicial reforms were needed, and Abadi responded by calling on the judiciary to carry out measures to ensure its independence and allow it to fight corruption.Calls for change by Sistani, who is revered by millions, have shielded as well as influenced Abadis efforts, as it is politically risky for rival Shiite politicians to publicly oppose measures called for by the top cleric.But even with popular support and Sistanis backing, the entrenched nature of corruption and the fact that parties across the political spectrum benefit from it will make any efforts extremely difficult.Earlier on Sunday, lawmakers said that a parliamentary investigation found former prime minister Maliki -- who is now a vice president -- to be among those responsible for IS jihadists overrunning Iraqs second city Mosul in June 2014.Various former senior officials were also named in the report detailing the committees findings, which has not been publicly released.An MP on the committee said these include defence minister Saadun al-Dulaimi, army chief of staff Babaker Zebari, his deputy Aboud Qanbar, ground forces commander Ali Ghaidan, Nineveh operations command chief Mahdi al-Gharawi and the provinces governor, Atheel al-Nujaifi.The report was presented Sunday to parliament speaker Salim al-Juburi, who said it will be sent to the prosecutor general for legal action.No one is above the law and questioning by the people, and the judiciary will punish those responsible, Juburi said in a statement.IS launched a devastating offensive on June 9 last year, overrunning Mosul the next day and then sweeping through large areas north and west of Baghdad.While Baghdads forces have regained ground, the jihadists still hold much of western Iraq, including the city of Ramadi, which they seized in May after government forces had held out against militants there for more than a year.Abadis office said Sunday that he had cleared the way for the military prosecution of senior commanders responsible for the disastrous loss of Ramadi.Abadi approved decisions of the investigative commission on the withdrawal of the Anbar operations command and units attached to it from the city of Ramadi, his office said in a statement.Those include referring a number of the leaders to the military judiciary for leaving their positions without orders and contrary to instructions (and) despite the issuance of a number of orders not to withdraw, it said.Abadi previously said that forces in Ramadi had to resist, and if they had resisted, we would not have lost Ramadi.A senior British military officer in a US-led anti-jihadist coalition, Brigadier Christopher Ghika, said in June that the city was lost because the Iraqi commander in Ramadi elected to withdraw.

Syria regime raids kill 82 in 'massacre' near Damascus

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Beirut (AFP) - Syrian government warplanes bombed a market in a rebel-held town outside Damascus on Sunday, killing at least 82 people in one of the bloodiest regime attacks in the countrys war.The series of strikes on the town of Douma overwhelmed makeshift clinics, with bodies lying side-by-side on a bloodied floor as medics struggled to treated waves of wounded.The head of the Syrian opposition National Coalition, Khaled Khoja, called the attacks as massacre and pledged they will not go unpunished.The deaths came as the UNs new humanitarian chief visited Syria for the first time since his appointment in May.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said regime warplanes had carried out at least 10 strikes on Douma, most of them hitting a marketplace.It said that at least 250 people were wounded, with civilians accounting for most of the dead, and the toll could rise further because many of the injured were in a serious condition.Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said locals had gathered after a first strike hit the market to help evacuate the wounded when more attacks came.At least six raids hit the market, with the others striking nearby in the centre of town, Abdel Rahman said, confirming that the attack was among the bloodiest regime strikes in Syrias conflict.An AFP photographer in Douma described the attack as the worst he had covered in the town in the opposition bastion of Eastern Ghouta.In one makeshift clinic, whole sections of floor were covered with rows of the dead, as volunteers worked to wrap each victim in a white shroud.Frantic residents brought in the injured, who were treated on chairs, beds and the floor if necessary as the clinic overflowed with patients.Two young boys sat on a stretcher with blood drying on their faces as they awaited treatment, one resting as though exhausted while the other cried.Eastern Ghouta is the regular target of government air strikes and has been under siege for nearly two years, with regime forces tightening the blockade since the start of 2015.Amnesty International earlier in the week accused the government of committing war crimes in Eastern Ghouta, saying its heavy aerial bombardment of the area was compounding the misery created by the blockade.The group also accused rebels in the area of war crimes for firing rockets indiscriminately at the capital.Sundays strikes on Douma came as new United Nations humanitarian chief Stephen OBrien held talks with government officials in Damascus on his first trip to Syria since being appointed.OBrien met Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and expressed a willingness to work with the government to alleviate humanitarian suffering, state media said.Close to 12 million people have been uprooted by Syrias conflict, with more than four million becoming refugees and another 7.6 million internally displaced.On Saturday, OBrien met the deputy foreign minister and visited the central city of Homs, which is now mostly under government control.Beyond destruction of buildings lies destruction of lives. Syria needs peace, he wrote on Twitter.We are committed to continuing to support humanitarian efforts in Syria. Equal access to all people in need (is) vital for our work, OBrien added.Elsewhere, the Observatory said at least 27 opposition fighters and 15 government forces had been killed in battles since Saturday around the village of Tasneen, in central Homs province.The fighting there began after a truce involving two government-held villages in Idlib province and a rebel bastion near Damascus broke down.The truce for the villages of Fuaa and Kafraya and the town of Zabadani crumbled early Saturday after negotiators failed to reach a broader deal.Fighting in all three areas continued on Sunday, with rebels firing missiles into Fuaa and Kafraya and government and allied forces battling the opposition in Zabadani.Also Sunday, a US-trained rebel group said that Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front had freed seven of its members kidnapped two weeks earlier.The group, known as Division 30, is among the units participating in a US-led programme in Turkey to train forces to fight the Islamic State group.But after the first 54 members of the force entered Syria in July, Al-Nusra kidnapped 13 of them, including a commander, and at least three more were killed in clashes with the jihadist group.Al-Nusra accused the force of serving US interests and paraded several of the captives in a video.

Four killed as small planes collide in California

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Four people were killed Sunday when a pair of small aircraft collided in southern California near the Mexican border, US media reported.One of the aircraft was a twin-engine Sabreliner and the other a single-engine Cessna 172.They crashed near Brown Field Airport in San Diego, the Los Angeles Times reported.The crash killed four and caused small brush fires, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.No cause for the crash was known but aviation authorities were investigating.

US warns China on agents pressuring fugitives to go home: report

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States has warned Beijing about Chinese agents it says are operating secretly in the US to pressure fugitives to return to China, The New York Times reported Sunday.Citing unnamed US officials, the Times said the effort, part of Beijings global manhunt dubbed Operation Fox Hunt, sought to repatriate fugitives wanted for corruption and other misdeeds and recover illicit funds.In recent weeks, the US State Department issued a warning to Chinese officials to halt these activities.The complaints come ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinpings state visit to Washington next month.The newspaper said the agents, working not as spies but rather undercover for Chinas Ministry of Public Security, were most likely entering the country on tourism or trade visas.Their strong-arm tactics include threats to family members, and have increased in recent months.The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.More than 930 suspects around the world have been repatriated to China since last year under the program, the Times said, citing the Ministry of Public Security.The fugitives sought under the program are believed to be prominent expatriates, some of whom are being sought for economic corruption or what Beijing considers political crimes.

Tennis: Murray beats Djokovic to win Montreal Masters

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MONTREAL (AFP) - Britains Andy Murray snapped an eight-match losing streak against top-ranked rival Novak Djokovic on Sunday to win the ATP Montreal Masters only hours after his coach Amelie Mauesmo gave birth.The Scotsman, who moves to second in the ATP rankings on Monday, revealed the news from his French mentor, the only woman to coach a major mens player.With assistant Jonas Bjorkman watching from the player box, Murray turned in a fighting performance over three hours to finally beat Djokovic for the first time in more than two years, the first time since he won the 2013 Wimbledon final over the Serbian.You never like losing, but any streak comes to an end, said Djokovic, who said he received treatment this week on a right elbow niggle which has been bothering him recently.I just did some tests. They were good. They were positive. I hope for the best.Murray and the world number one took an hour per set to settle their score in Quebec as Murray completed a Canadian title hat-trick after trophies in 2009 and 2010.The Scot now owns 11 Masters 1000 titles and 35 over all. He denied Djokovic the chance at a 25th Masters trophy.I lost to a better player today. I lost to Andy, who I know very well. I did fight till the last point and did try my best. Thats something that I take as a positive from this week, Djokovic said.Andy deserved the win. He stepped in, played some great shots. Most of all the moments when he needed to, he served very, very well. He just came up always with big serves, so I couldnt do much.Murray won his fourth title of 2015 and lifted his record on the season to 53-8.Novak made it extremely difficult out there, said Murray, who needed five match points to win as the Djokovic defence came to life.Djokovic said he hopes to carry his form into Cincinnati next week and the US Open, which starts on August 31 in New York.When I reflect on the week, of course its positive, Djokovic said. Im playing better as the tournament progressed, and hopefully I can continue in the same style in Cincinnati.

Tennis: Swiss teen Bencic wins Toronto WTA title

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TORONTO (AFP) - Swiss teen Belinda Bencic outlasted Simona Halep to win Sundays WTA Rogers Cup final when the Romanian second seed retired trailing 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (4/7), 3-0.Bencic, who upset world number one Serena Williams in the semi-finals, broke twice to open the third set before the effort of battling in extreme heat and humidity proved more than Halep could take.The Swiss 18-year-old has won 21 of her last 25 matches and defeated four top-10 foes this week, improving to 6-1 this year against such high-ranked rivals.I dont think Im so good at speeches yet, Bencic said. But first I want to congratulate Simona on a great week, and my mom, my dad and my team. Even if I lost today it wouldve been an amazing experience.It was the second career WTA crown for Bencic, whose first came in June at Eastbourne, and it capped an impressive week in which she defeated six Grand Slam finalists -- Eugenie Bouchard, Caroline Wozniacki, Sabine Lisicki, Ana Ivanovic, Halep and Williams, winner of the past four Grand Slam events in a row.Bencic will jump to 12th in the world rankings after starting the week 20th, improving her position for the US Open, the years final Grand Slam event that starts August 31 in New York.Halep and Bencic exchanged breaks over the first five games of the match before Bencic held for a 4-2 edge. The 18-year-old double faulted to surrender an equalising break in the eighth game as the two battled into the tie-breaker.Halep, who had her left leg treated in the final changeover before the tie-breaker, seized a 4-1 lead but Bencic fought back to win six of the last seven points to claim the first set, the last when Halep netted a forehand.After an early exchange of breaks in the second set, Bencic broke for a 4-2 lead and Halep, taking treatment for the extreme heat at humidity, seemed near the end.But she broke back to 4-3 and answered when Bencic broke for a 5-3 edge, breaking back again at love when the Swiss was serving for the match to pull within 5-4.Halep held and broke again for a 6-5 lead and then it was her turn to serve for the set, but Bencic broke back to force the second tie-breaker.Winning six points of seven, Halep seized a 6-2 edge and rallied from a weak stretch for the third match in a row to level matters.But Halep, who beat Bencic in straight sets at Wimbledon a year ago in their only prior meeting, did not have a second wind and Bencic dominated her twice in service games before Halep called it quits, only her fourth loss in 32 hardcourt starts in 2015.Sorry I couldnt finish, I fought as hard as I could, Halep said.

Tennis: Sampras warns against writing off Federer

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PARIS (AFP) - Pete Sampras believes it would be foolish to write off Roger Federers chances of winning an 18th major at the US Open despite the Swiss having just turned 34.Federers last Grand Slam crown came at Wimbledon in 2012, and his three-year drought is the worst dry spell of his career.But Sampras, a 14-time Grand Slam title winner, insists the veteran can collect a sixth US Open to add to the five he won between 2004-2008 when the seasons final major gets underway in New York on August 31.I do think there is, Sampras told The Tennis Podcast when asked if Federer had a chance in New York.I think hes playing well, hes fit, he hits the ball great, hes doing everything that hes been doing for years.But it wont be an easy road for Federer even if he still wouldnt be the oldest champion at the US Open.That distinction belongs to Australias Ken Rosewall who was just two months short of his 36th birthday when he triumphed in 1970.It is tougher as you get older and now Novak (Djokovic] and (Andy) Murray, theyre in their prime now, added Sampras.I think for Roger to win, things need to fall into place. I think if he has to play Murray, Djokovic, then Rafael Nadal in one week or back-to-back, it gets more difficult.Wimbledon I think is his best chance, but the US Open hes won there five times, he knows what hes doing. I think hes got a good shot, but I think obviously Novak is the man to beat. Sampras had harsh words for Nadal, the 2010 and 2013 US Open champion, who is currently enduring the worst slump of his career.I think he is still working hard. He is doing all the right things, he is just not playing as well, said the American legend of the Spanish star who saw his world ranking slip to a 10-year low after losing his French Open title in June.It just seems like anxiety is creeping in, he seems a little bit nervous, hes hitting a lot of short balls.Guys dont fear him as much and its tough to play defence out there. Mentally and physically hes been out there a while and its taking its toll.When Rafa struggles, I think he feels like his career is over. But hell be fine, hell get back to where he once was.

Golf: Day 20-under in historic PGA win over Spieth

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KOHLER (AFP) - Australias Jason Day won the PGA Championship in historic fashion on Sunday, capturing his first grand slam title with a 20-under par total unprecedented in major championship history.Day carded a five-under par 67 in the final round at Whistling Straits for a 20-under total of 268 -- breaking Tiger Woodss major-record low winning total of 19-under set at the British Open in 2000.Day, who has endured a bevy of near-misses on golfs biggest stages, was never going to let this one slip away.From his birdie from a bunker at the second hole, Day was off and running, leaving Masters and US Open champion Jordan Spieth and the rest of the field in the shade.Spieth carded a four-under par 68 for 17-under 271, holding off Englands Justin Rose and South African Branden Grace to finish second and seize the world number one ranking from Rory McIlroy.His ascent to the top of the world rankings will be some consolation for his inability to join Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods as the only men to win three majors in one year.Days progress to the title was majestic. His 50-foot birdie putt at the seventh capped a burst of three straight birdies.He finished with seven birdies on the day and two bogeys, twice reaching 20-under as his pursuers scrambled in his wake.He reached 20-under for good with a two-putt birdie from the fringe at the par-five 16th.At 18, he rolled his first putt from 45 feet to within a foot, and was already weeping as he tapped in for par and the win.Grace applied the most pressure, moving within one stroke of Days lead after a third straight birdie at the seventh.But Day pulled away with his own birdie burst at five, six and seven, and his lead was never again less than two strokes.Grace finished third after a 69 for 273, while Rose bogeyed 18 to fall to fourth with a 70 for 274.

Golf: Canadian teen Henderson captures Portland Classic

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PORTLAND (AFP) - Canadian Brooke Henderson blitzed the field Sunday to run away with the Portland Classic title, becoming just the third player in history to win an LPGA Tour event before her 18th birthday.The 17-year-old Henderson, who only qualified for the tournament on Monday, continued her dream season, capturing her first title by a commanding eight strokes over Thailands Pornanong Phatlum, Taiwans Candie Kung and Jang Ha-Na of South Korea.Henderson closed with a three-under 69 to finish at 21-under 267, breaking the tournament scoring record and joining world number two Lydia Ko of New Zealand and American Lexi Thompson as the youngest players to win an LPGA tournament.Pornanong fired a 68 to finish at 13-under 275 along with Jang and Kung, who both shot 70 Sunday at the Columbia Edgewater Country Club.Spains Azahara Munoz (69) was tied for fifth along with Americans Austin Ernst (68) and Mo Martin (69).Henderson, who usually plays on a lower level developmental tour, didnt have a caddie at the start of the week. Her sister Brittany usually caddies for her but couldnt this time because she was also competing this week. So Brooke enlisted the help of family friend Bunk Lee to carry her bag.The former hockey goaltender is the first Canadian to win an LPGA title since Lorie Kane in 2001.She also becomes just the second player to win on the LPGA after going through Monday qualifying, joining Laurel Kean, who won the 2000 State Farm Classic.Henderson has one victory this year on the developmental Symetra Tour and finished in the top five in eight LPGA events, earning her way into fields through qualifying and sponsors exemptions. She would need a special waiver to join the LPGA before turning 18, which she will do next month.

Football: PSG ease to victory as Marseille lose again

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PARIS (AFP) - Reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain eased to a 2-0 win against Corsican minnows Gazelec Ajaccio to maintain their perfect start to the Ligue 1 season on Sunday after Marseille slumped to another defeat.A stunning Blaise Matuidi strike and a Thiago Silva header, both in the first half, put PSG out of sight against newly-promoted Gazelec at the Parc des Princes and left Laurent Blancs side with six points from a possible six at the start of the new campaign.It was a good evening. The match could have been a bit more spectacular if we had taken a couple more chances but their keeper made several very good saves, acknowledged Blanc.Argentina winger Angel di Maria, the 63 million-euro (44.3m pound; $68.9m) signing from Manchester United, was introduced to the Paris fans before kick-off, although he was not yet fit enough to make his debut.And with Zlatan Ibrahimovic again sidelined, PSG were not at full strength, as 18-year-old forward Jean-Kevin Augustin was handed a first start in the top flight.But this was always likely to be a trying night for Gazelec, a club whose overall budget for their debut season at the top level barely equates to Ibrahimovics annual salary at the Parc des Princes.It always seemed a question of when, not if, Paris would open the scoring and they duly did so in the 11th minute thanks to Matuidi, the France midfielder taking the ball into the box and then sending a fizzing left-foot drive high into the net at the near post.PSG added their second goal midway through the first half, captain Silva putting the disappointment of being dropped from the Brazil squad last week behind him as he headed home a Thiago Motta corner.At that point it looked like turning into a rout, but Edinson Cavani failed to convert several openings in the second half and Serge Aurier headed a great chance wide.David Luiz was denied by a brilliant Clement Maury save as the hosts settled for a win that leaves them, ominously, already in top spot on goal difference.Gazelec are still looking for their first top-flight goal, but their coach Thierry Laurey said: We knew it would be complicated, but we kept fighting after losing the goals. Luckily for us there are not 19 teams like PSG in this league.Earlier, Marseille slumped to a second defeat in as many games, a first-half strike by Hamari Traore giving Reims all three points in a 1-0 win in Champagne country.Marseille, still reeling from the shock resignation of coach Marcelo Bielsa following their opening 1-0 defeat to Caen, never really looked like scoring and find themselves in the relegation zone in the fledgling standings.Bielsas former assistant Franck Passi took charge of the away side in Reims but he insisted the Argentines departure could not be used as an excuse for a disappointing display.We have to stop talking about trauma Weve put last weekend (Bielsas resignation) behind us, said Passi.We mustnt hide behind that excuse. But its clear that it will not be easy and it will take time to find a solution.In contrast to OM, it has been a great start to the season for Reims, who had already beaten Bordeaux on the opening weekend.Sundays other match saw Lorient scramble a 1-1 draw at home to Bastia thanks to a stoppage-time Benjamin Moukandjo penalty, which cancelled out Floyd Ayites early opener.Mathieu Valbuena made his Lyon debut in a 1-0 win at Guingamp on Saturday as Claudio Beauvue netted the only goal of the game against his old club.Rennes and Caen were the weekends other winners, while Monaco warmed up for their Champions League play-off first leg away to Valencia by drawing 0-0 at home to Lille on Friday.It was a difficult night for the principality club, who lost influential midfielder Joao Moutinho to an ankle injury that will keep him out for up to six weeks.

Football: United confident before Club Brugge tie, Celtic wary of Malmo

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PARIS (AFP) - Manchester United are heavy favourites to get the better of Club Brugge in the Champions League play-offs as they look to return to the group stage after missing out last season.United entertain last seasons Belgian league runners-up in the first leg on Tuesday hoping to take control of the tie before the return in Bruges next week, and manager Louis van Gaal believes his side are ready for the challenge after winning their opening two games of the new Premier League campaign.Yes, I think when you win two times then you shall have a lot of confidence, said the Dutchman. But every match is difficult and Belgian teams can play very compactly, they can defend and a team always has a chance of winning.Club Brugge, beaten European Cup finalists in 1978, began their Belgian league campaign with a defeat to unfancied Sint-Truiden but have since started to find their feet, winning their last two home matches.However, Michel Preudhommes side, Europa League quarter-finalists last season, know they will be rank outsiders at Old Trafford.Manchester will try to make the difference in the home leg but I hope we still manage to create danger, said the 38-year-old captain Timmy Simons.Of course, playing at Old Trafford constitutes a real experience for us but I think we need to put it into context and do our job.The draw could have been far tougher for United, who avoided being paired with last seasons quarter-finalists Monaco.The principality club will instead face Valencia, who came fourth in the Spanish top flight last season, in a tie that looks too close to call.While Valencia are yet to play a competitive game, Monaco are already four matches into their season, although their hopes have been hit by the loss of midfielder Joao Moutinho for up to six weeks with an ankle injury suffered in Fridays 0-0 draw with Lille in Ligue 1.Lazio, another side who could have faced United, will entertain Bayer Leverkusen in Rome with the Germans travelling fresh from starting their Bundesliga campaign by beating Hoffenheim 2-1 on Saturday.The Serie A club, yet to play a competitive game this season, have not been in the Champions League group stage since 2007, but their preparations have been hit by injuries to goalkeeper Federico Marchetti and striker Filip Djordjevic.The other first-leg ties in the League Route will see Sporting Lisbon host CSKA Moscow in a repeat of the 2005 UEFA Cup final won by the Russian club at the same venue and Rapid Vienna entertain Shakhtar Donetsk.Meanwhile, Celtics hopes of returning to the group stage after missing out a year ago face a stiff test as they entertain the Swedish champions Malmo in Glasgow in the first leg of their tie.The Hoops, who have already won qualifiers against Stjarnan of Iceland and Qarabag of Azerbaijan, will be wary of a Malmo side who beat Rangers in the third qualifying round in 2011.And manager Ronny Deila warned his side they will need to be less sloppy at the back than they were in the last 20 minutes of their 4-2 win against Inverness Caledonian Thistle at the weekend.It is a warning, of course, the players know that. But what we have to take with us is the first 70 minutes, which I thought was very good, said the Norwegian.Elsewhere, Kazakhs Astana and Skenderbeu from Albania are bidding to become the first ever representatives from their countries to reach the Champions League group stage.Astana are making their debut in the competition and host Cypriots APOEL, surprise quarter-finalists in 2012.Skenderbeu are already the first Albanian side to reach the play-offs and take another step into the unknown as they host Croatians Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday.Swiss champions Basel, who beat Liverpool en route to the last 16 last season, host Maccabi Tel Aviv of Isreal while 1966 European Cup finalists Partizan Belgrade go to Belarus to face BATE.

Lorenzo wins Czech MotoGP to take overall lead

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BRNO (AFP) - Spain’s Jorge Lorenzo won the Czech Republic MotoGP race to draw level with Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi at the top of the overall championship standings after 11 out of 18 races.Fellow Spaniard Marc Marquez, the reigning champion and winner of the previous two races, finished second ahead of Rossi.Lorenzo clocked 42:53.042 seconds on the 22 laps of the 5.4km circuit, finishing 4.462 seconds ahead of Honda’s Marquez and 10.397 seconds clear of Rossi.Both Lorenzo and Rossi have 211 points at the top of the overall standings but Lorenzo has won five races this season against three wins for the Italian superstar.Marquez in third has 159 points following a lacklustre start to the season.“Luckily I had a little more pace than Marc and I could win this very important victory for the championship,” said Lorenzo, the 2010 and 2012 champion.“Now I lead the championship with Valentino and for Marc it is more difficult now to recover.”The first non-Honda rider to win at Brno since his own victory here in 2010, Lorenzo already dominated the free practice sessions in the southern Czech city before smashing the circuit record in qualifying on Saturday.On the hot, dry Sunday afternoon, the 28-year-old led all the way from pole position, with Marquez nestled in right behind him.But unlike at Indianapolis last weekend, Marquez never got a chance to get past Lorenzo, who gradually started to broaden the gap.Riding on two medium compound tyres, Lorenzo said he “was a bit worried at the end of the race” as the bike slid in traction, forcing him to “be careful with the throttle”.Marquez admitted that “it was really difficult to win the race” given Lorenzo’s pace.“But my target was try to win (finish) in front of Valentino and I did,” added the 22-year-old 2013 and 2014 champion.“In the beginning I tried to follow (Lorenzo) and I knew that with the new tyres I could do it the first five or six laps but when the tyres dropped we struggled with the grip.“I just forgot about Jorge and tried to keep the distance with Valentino. Today we did the maximum. I’m happy with the result,” added Marquez, who won at Brno in 2013.Rossi, who has made it on to the podium in all races so far this season, got off to a poor start, losing two positions from third on the grid as Lorenzo and Marquez sped ahead.“Unfortunately my start was bad and I lost some time in the first laps,“ said the 36-year-old, who has won nine championship titles across all categories.“Jorge and Marc were faster than me and I was a bit in trouble to ride the bike so I tried to push but I wasn’t fast and strong enough to stay with them,“ he added, refusing to blame his choice of the hard tyre option on both wheels.In Moto2, championship leader Johann Zarco of France took the honours ahead of Spaniards Tito Rabat and Alex Rins.And in Moto3, Italy’s Niccolo Antonelli took a maiden victory ahead of compatriot Enea Bastianini and South African rider Brad Binder in a race suspended for half an hour following a series of crashes that required a re-start.The next MotoGP event is the Great Britain Grand Prix at Silverstone on Aug 30.

Duck for Smith as Australia draw

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LONDON (AFP) - Steve Smith was out for a duck in his first innings since being named Australias next captain as the tourists warmed up for the final Ashes Test with a draw against Northamptonshire.Smith, 26, who will replace Michael Clarke at the helm of Australia after the end of next weeks fifth Test against England, was caught behind off Maurice Chambers in only the 12th delivery of the last day of the rain-hit three-day match.Mitchell Marsh (68) and Pat Cummins (82) rescued Australia after they had slipped to 87 for five, to finish on 312 for nine declared.The final Test of the Ashes begins at The Oval on Thursday with England having already taken an unassailable 3-1 lead.

Slain Shuja Khanzada laid to rest

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ATTOCK (Dunya News) – Slain Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada was laid to rest ahead of midnight on Sunday at his native village Shadi Khan, Dunya News reported.The funeral prayer of Khanzada and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Shaukat Shah was offered at Attock Police Line in which Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervaiz Khattak among several other prominent personalities participated.Shuja Khanzada, Shaukhat Shah and 17 others were killed in a terrorist attack at Khanzada’s Dera at his native village on Sunday.Reportedly, Khanzada was visiting to condole with people over his cousin’s death and decided to stay a little longer at his Dera in his native Shadi Khan village when the terrorists struck.Following the explosion – believed to be suicide blast – roof of the premises collapsed and several people including Khanzada were trapped in the rubble. Eye witnesses say Khanzada passed away shortly after.The eyewitnesses say Khanzada shook hands with a man and sat down at the Dera alongside and the explosion took place one or two minutes after.Some of the people killed were identified as Asif Khan, Muhammad Bashir, Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Fayaz, Muhammad Ajmal, Muhammad Usman, Amir Afzal, Sardari Ghulam Khan, Haji Zamurd Khan, Naseer Khan, Abdul Quyyum, Muhammad Zaman, Naveed Mushtaq and Gharib Nawaz.Mourning announcementsChief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif announced three-day mourning across the province while the Azad Kashmir government has announced one day mourning period.Preliminary inquiry reportAs per the preliminary report, most casualties took place because of entrapment under the rubble while ball bearings and nut bolts were not used in the attack.Sources said that investigation process of the Attock explosion has begun and evidence is being collected from the scene.It includes eyewitness accounts, body fragments of attackers, explosive material among other.The bomb disposal squad sources said that this wasn’t a conventional suicide attack in which ball bearings and nut bolts are used but this was something new.The report said that the suicide bomber blew himself while standing close to a pillar which caused the building to collapse.Inspector General (IG) Punjab Mushtaq Sukhera also confirmed the same while talking to the media.Last TV appearance on Dunya News’ Badal Dou showKhanzada’s last TV appearance was on Dunya News’ show Badal Dou with Iftikhar Ahmed that aired at 10pm on August 15, just one day before he embraced martyrdom.Slain Punjab Home Minister had vowed to continue fighting terrorism and their backers especially in the Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and not-for-profit sectors.Prominent leaders including President, PM, Army chief condemn Attock attackPresident Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif among other leadership strongly condemned terrorist attack in Attock that left Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada killed.President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain termed Khanzada’s martyrdom as tragic. He said in a statement that Khanzada’s martyrdom won’t go wasted.Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also termed the attack as cowardly and made it clear that terrorists will be chased till the end. He directed to take immediate action against culprits behind the attack.Army Chief expressed condolence on the incident and said that Shuja Khanzada sacrificed his life for a great cause, adding that acts of terrorism cannot shake determination against terrorism.Former president Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the incident while terming it a cowardly act.Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan expressed grief and said that he stands with the nation against all acts of terrorism.Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain said that the National Action Plan (NAP) needs to be implemented fully.Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif said that Khanzada’s sacrifice will not go wasted, adding that terrorists will not escape exemplary end.Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad phoned CM Punjab and expressed condolences over the killings. Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch also strongly condemned the attack.Opposition Leader in National Assembly Khurshid Shah and Jamaat Islami chief Sirajul Haq also expressed condolence on the incident.Former Chief Minister Punjab Pervez Elahi also strongly condemned the attack and urged Shahbaz Sharif to lead and run the Punjab Home Ministry himself.

Posted by IMRAN ALI SOOMRO (DARVESH) at 8/17/2015 07:50:00 AM

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