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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

UK government announces new steps against illegal immigrants

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LONDON (AFP) - Britains government promised new measures Monday to crack down on illegal immigrants by making landlords evict them, as the Calais migrants crisis continued to dominate the headlines.Landlords in England who do not remove people with no right to remain in Britain, or do not check their immigration status before renting them a property, could be jailed for up to five years.The move, announced by Communities Secretary Greg Clark, is set to be included in a new Immigration Bill that parliament will debate in the coming months.In addition, 100 more guards are to be placed on duty at the terminal in Calais, while UK Border Force officials are to begin working inside the control room of the cross-channel Eurotunnel from Monday.I think we have got a grip on the crisis. We saw a peak last week, since when the number of illegal migrants has tailed off, said Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond after a meeting of the governments emergency COBRA committee.We have taken a number of measures in collaboration with the French authorities and Eurotunnel which are already having an effect and over the next day or two I would expect to have an even greater effect.Immigration is one of the most sensitive issues in British politics and Prime Minister David Camerons centre-right government has been battling to bring the numbers down for years.Images of migrants trying illegally to cross the Channel Tunnel from France to Britain have fuelled calls from political opponents for ministers to do more and Cameron has warned that the situation could last all summer.In a joint editorial for this weeks Sunday Telegraph, the French and British interior ministers warned that our streets are not paved with gold as Camerons government seeks to dispel any perception that migrants have a soft landing in Britain.Migrants in Calais made around 1,700 attempts overnight Sunday to cross, according to French police sources, a major increase on the past few nights when there was only a few hundred.Last week, Britain pledged 10 million euros ($11 million) to improve fencing around the Eurotunnel rail terminal in Coquelles, outside Calais, as well as promising more sniffer dog teams.Camerons government has previously announced that the new Immigration Bill will also include giving police the power to seize wages earned by illegal immigrants.

Obama says climate one of 'key challenges' of our time

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Barack Obama framed climate change as the toughest and most pressing challenge of our time Monday, as he unveiled the first ever limits on US power plant emissions.No challenge poses a greater threat to our future and future generations than a change in climate, Obama said, warning: There is such a thing as being too late.This is one of those rare issues, because of its magnitude, because of its scope, that if we dont get it right, we may not be able to reverse, he said, at the White House. We may not be able to adapt sufficiently.In an attempt to at least try to slow the process, Obama announced that power plant owners must cut carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.Electric power plants account for some 40 percent of US emissions of carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.Obama described the move as the single most important step America has ever taken in the fight against global climate change.The announcement fires the starting gun on a months-long environmental drive that will shape his legacy.Later this August, Obama will become the first president to visit the Alaskan Arctic.Our fellow Americans have already seen their communities devastated by melting ice and rising oceans, Obama said.In September, when Obama hosts Pope Francis at the White House, they are expected to make an impassioned collective call for action.And in December, representatives from around the world will gather in Paris to hash out rules designed to limit global temperature increases to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).But Obamas invocations got short shrift from the Republican-controlled Congress, which described the measures as overreach and heavy-handed.In its initial proposal a year ago, the Obama administration had set the carbon emissions cut from the power sector at 30 percent.Climate change is a hot-button issue in American politics and cuts are politically sensitive because coal, among the dirtiest energy sources, remains a major US industry.It has some influential supporters, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a senator from coal-rich Kentucky.Not only will these massive regulations fail to meaningfully affect the global climate, but they could actually end up harming the environment by outsourcing energy production to countries with poor environmental records like India and China, said McConnell.The leader of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy accused Obama of choosing a green legacy over a growing economy.The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, an industry lobby group, previewed likely legal action, saying Obamas administration was pursuing an illegal plan that will drive up electricity costs and put people out of work.Accusing detractors of scaremongering, Obama insisted that suggestions of higher electricity costs, power shortages and a damaged economy would prove incorrect.When president (Richard) Nixon decided to do something about the smog that was choking our cities, they warned that it would ruin the auto industry. It didnt happen, Obama said. In 1990, when Republican president George H W Bush decided to do something about acid rains, (they) said electricity bills would go up, lights would go off. It didnt happen.We only get one home. We only get one planet. Theres no plan B, he said.

US to speed up arms sales to Gulf after Iran deal: Kerry

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DOHA (AFP) - Washington has agreed to speed up arms sales to Gulf states, US Secretary of State John Kerry announced Monday after talks in Doha on their concerns over the Iran nuclear deal.At the same time, his Qatari counterpart, Khalid bin Mohammad Al-Attiyah, told a joint press conference with Kerry that the nuclear deal was the best option among other options.Asked what he could offer Gulf states, Kerry said the United States agreed to expedite certain arms sales that are needed and that have taken too long in the past.The US would also step up efforts to share intelligence and increase the number of joint military exercises with its Arab allies, Kerry said following talks with foreign ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.He travelled to the Qatari capital for meetings with the Sunni monarchies of the GCC in a bid to calm their fears over the nuclear accord with Shiite Iran.The GCC groups Qatar with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.Gulf countries have expressed concerns that the July 14 deal between Iran and world powers would allow greater regional interference by the Islamic republic.We talked about the possibility, not the possibility, the reality of increasing the number of exercises that we are conducting together, Kerry said.These are a few examples and ways in which we believe the security of the region can be strengthened and cooperation will be enhanced.Kerry added that there was also agreement to talk about how to integrate the regions ballistic missile defences based on some of the activities of other countries. Attiyah said there was support for the nuclear deal among countries in the Gulf, despite their cautious reaction.This was the best option among other options to come up with a solution to the nuclear weapons of Iran through dialogue and this came up as a result of the efforts exerted by the United States of America and its allies, the Qatari minister said, speaking in Arabic.Attiyah also called for a ban on all nuclear weapons not only in Iran but all the Middle East. As well as his talks with Attiyah, Kerry also met Saudi Arabias foreign minister, Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubeir, and Qatars emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.Before leaving Qatar late Monday, Kerry also held a three-way meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Jubeir, with discussions expected to centre on Syria.However, those talks may not have been so convivial.Afterwards, Lavrov told reporters that an announced US willingness to take extra measures to defend allied fighters in Syria was counter-productive.In a Doha news conference alongside Attiyah, Lavrov said: We believe its counterproductive to announce publicly that some US-trained armed groups... will be under the protection of the coalitions air forces, Lavrov said.And that to protect these groups this air force would be authorised to strike at any forces which may -- may -- be considered a hindrance to the work of this group.Lavrov said the matter had been raised with Kerry in the meeting.Russias top diplomat was responding to remarks from White House spokesman Josh Earnest who said Syria should not interfere with operations by US-trained forces, warning that additional steps could be taken to defend them, raising the prospect of strikes against the regime.Kerry flew to Qatar on Sunday from Egypt, where he also sought to assure Cairo that the landmark Iran deal signed in Vienna would bring greater security to the Middle East.He said Washington recognised that Iran is engaged in destabilising activities in the region -- and that is why it is so important to ensure that Irans nuclear programme remains wholly peaceful.If Iran is destabilising, it is far, far better to have an Iran that doesnt have a nuclear weapon than one that does, he said.

Lawmaker: Majority in US House oppose Iran nuclear deal

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - A Republican majority in the US House of Representatives will vote to block the Iran nuclear deal, a lawmaker announced Monday, but in numbers shy of the two-thirds required to torpedo the accord.Congress will vote before September 17 on a resolution of disapproval of the agreement that six world powers reached with Tehran last month.If the resolution is adopted, it would prevent President Barack Obama from lifting crippling US sanctions against the Islamic republic in exchange for the rollback of Irans nuclear program.Republicans control both the House and Senate, and such a motion appears on track to pass both chambers -- but Obama would veto it. Overcoming the presidential veto would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers, a difficult challenge if most Democrats remain loyal to the president.House Republican Peter Roskam said Monday that 218 of the 434 current members have committed to voting for the disapproval resolution which he introduced in July. All are Republicans, and to date some in the party have yet to express their backing.Congress and the American people believe a better agreement is still achievable, and we can start by walking away from this one, Roskam said.We will do everything in our power to stop an accord that so utterly fails to shut down Irans nuclear program.On the Democratic side, several key lawmakers -- fervent allies of Israel -- have remained quiet on the accord, including Senator Chuck Schumer of New York and congressman Eliot Engel, top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.Some figures like Nancy Pelosi, the top House Democrat, have expressed unequivocal support for the deal.The current House breakdown is 246 Republicans and 188 Democrats. A Republican seat is vacant and will be filled in a September 10 election, bringing the total again to 435 representatives.The two-thirds threshold is 290.The Senate, where the two-thirds threshold is 67, consists of 54 Republicans and 46 on the Democratic side, including two independents.

31 dead as Syria army jet crashes in rebel-held town: monitor

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BEIRUT (AFP) - A Syrian army aircraft crashed during a bombing run over rebel-held Ariha on Monday, killing at least 31 people and destroying a vegetable market, a monitoring group and residents said.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was not immediately clear how many of the deaths in the northwestern town had resulted from the crash and how many were killed in the bombing run.It was flying at a low altitude when it had mechanical failure, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.At least 31 people, including two children, were killed. Five of them have not been identified, said Abdel Rahman, citing medical officials and residents inside the town.He said at least 60 people were wounded in the attack on Ariha, which is in Syrias northwest province of Idlib.Security officials reached in Damascus would not confirm whether a regime aircraft had crashed in the area. The official news agency SANA reported only that army units had destroyed ammunition warehouses and attacked terrorist groups in Ariha.Residents cited by the Observatory said the plane crashed near a vegetable market, causing a huge blast in the town, the scene of heavy destruction in previous regime bombardment. Local activist Ibrahim al-Idlibi, speaking to AFP via the Internet, said the blast was caused by the remaining rockets and bombs on the plane.It destroyed the entire market, as well as residential buildings near the market, he said.Local civil defence workers were scrambling to rescue anyone buried under the rubble, he said.The wounded have been taken to field hospitals inside Ariha and in nearby Jabal al-Zawiya, because there is such a high number, he added.The Observatory, which relies on a wide network of activists, medics and fighters throughout war-torn Syria, said the fate of the planes crew was unknown. The Damascus regime has relied heavily on its monopoly of air power in Syrias four-year-old civil war, repeatedly pounding rebel-held towns. It has lost a number of aircraft, some to rebel fire and others to mechanical failure. In mid-January, at least 35 government troops were killed when a military aircraft crashed in Idlib.The province, which borders Turkey, has since been largely overrun by a rebel alliance including Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.The Army of Conquest alliance seized Idlib city on March 28, heralding a string of victories in the province including the capture of Ariha exactly two months later.

11 soldiers killed in attack on Mali camp: government

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BAMAKO (AFP) - Eleven soldiers were killed Monday in a terrorist attack on their camp in northern Malis Timbuktu region, said a government statement.The toll is 11 guards killed, one wounded, the statement said, condemning it as a cowardly and barbaric terrorist act perpetuated by lawless individuals. According to Mauritanian news agency Al-Akhbar, jihadist group Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has claimed responsibility for the attack in Gourma-Rharous.Our...fighters attacked at dawn the Malian army base in this village and we succeeded in killing nine soldiers, AQIM spokesman Abou Darda Al-Chinguitty said by telephone, according to the agency.They also destroyed four vehicles and took significant loot, the spokesman added. This claim had not been reported by Monday evening through the other usual jihadist channels.The attack comes two days after two Malian soldiers were killed and four others injured in an ambush in the centre of the west African country. Earlier on Monday another military source confirmed the ambush, saying it had targeted a unit of the National Guard based in Gourma-Rharous and left around 10 men dead.The source said the attackers were believed to be jihadist elements linked to Islamist group Ansar Dine.A local resident told AFP that they were holed up inside on Monday morning during the attack.We began leaving our homes at 7:00 am (0700 GMT). We were afraid.Jihadist attacks have long been concentrated in Malis north, but began spreading at the beginning of the year to the centre of the country, and in June to the south near the borders with Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.The north came under the control of Ansar Dine -- which is Arabic for Defenders of Faith -- and two other jihadist groups, AQIM and the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, in April 2012.A move south towards the capital by the extremists, who imposed a brutal version of sharia law on inhabitants, prompted Malis former colonial master France to intervene in January 2013, pounding their positions in the north.While their organisational structure has been smashed, small pockets of armed Islamists managed to remain active, and continue to carry out occasional deadly attacks in the desert.Mondays attack is Malis second deadliest in a month, after six UN peacekeepers from Burkina Faso were killed at the beginning of July in an assault claimed by AQIM.

1,500 schools damaged or destroyed in Iraq's Anbar

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BAGHDAD (AFP) - More than 1,500 schools have been damaged or destroyed as a result of the conflict in Iraqs troubled Anbar province alone, a spokesman said Monday.Anbar is Iraqs largest province. It has been rocked by violence since the beginning of 2014, months before the Islamic State jihadist group launched a massive nationwide offensive that saw it conquer swathes of the country.It is currently the main focus of the governments efforts to regain lost ground, with large military operations under way in several parts of the province and multiple daily air strikes by war planes from the US-led coalition.Anbar has been hit badly... More than 1,500 schools have been partially or completely destroyed, Eid Ammash, a spokesman for the provincial council told AFP.Anbar stretches from Iraqs western borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia all the way east along the Euphrates to the outskirts of Baghdad.Most of these schools were targeted directly by the criminal gangs of Daesh, Ammash said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.The others are places that Daesh used as bases and were targeted by the Iraqi security forces and the coalition air force, or were simply on the frontline of the fighting, he said.It will take a lot of money and at least two and a half years after Anbar is fully retaken from Daesh for these schools to be rebuilt and rehabilitated, Ammash said.He said no area was spared, with damaged schools from Karma, near Baghdad, to Al-Qaim on the Syrian border, as well as in areas around the main cities of Ramadi, Fallujah and Haditha.The dire state of access to education in Anbar is replicated in several other regions of Iraq affected by a conflict that has displaced more than three million people.According to the latest figures from the United Nations, more than 70 percent of displaced children do not have access to education.Most schools in affected areas are overcrowded or operating in double and triple shifts to accommodate demand with limited basic classroom amenities, the UN report said.Besides the schools that have been destroyed or damaged, others are occupied by armed groups. Even when they are vacated, the cannot be used until cleared for unexploded ordnance.

Four killed as new Ukraine peace talks fall apart

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KIEV (AFP) - Ukraine on Monday reported the death of four soldiers in clashes with pro-Russian rebels that came just hours before another failed bid to negotiate an end to the 15-month separatist revolt.Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said another 15 servicemen had been wounded in the past 24 hours of fighting across the eastern Russian-speaking provinces of Lugansk and Donetsk.The first week of August... has been very tense, Lysenko told reporters.The insurgents countered that indiscriminate shelling by Kievs forces had damaged power lines and four buildings in Gorlivka -- a rebel bastion more than 30 kilometres (20 miles) northeast of their de facto capital Donetsk.The local village council said it was checking whether any civilians were killed in the reported attack.The incessant exchanges of fire and mutual accusations of responsibility have frustrated Western efforts to resolve Europes bloodiest and most protracted conflict since the Balkans crises of the 1990s.The warring sides and Russia on Monday launched another round of European-mediated negotiations in the Belarussian capital Minsk that seek to salvage a sweeping but largely ineffective ceasefire and political reconciliation agreement signed nearly six months ago.The latest meetings were meant to agree the withdrawal of smaller weapons from a proposed 30-kilometre-wide (18-mile) buffer zone that splits rebel-run districts from the rest of Ukraine.Donetsk separatist negotiator Denis Pushilin said the discussions were aborted by the Ukrainian side after more than six hours because of Kievs refusal to move back its forces from four strategic locations.Pushilin added that some talks would continue into Tuesday.But most likely, nothing will get done, he said. Kiev and Moscow envoys did not speak to reporters in Minsk.More than 6,800 people have died and at least another 1.4 million have been left homeless by a revolt that began across Ukraines industrial heartland in the wake of the February 2014 ouster in Kiev of a Moscow-backed president.The resulting war has both crippled the ex-Soviet states economy and chilled Western relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin -- a veteran strongman who is increasingly isolated abroad but still rejecting charges of fomenting his southwestern neighbours war.Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and his foreign allies believe that Putin does not necessarily want to annex the two rebellious regions in the same way he seized the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in March 2014.But they do think the Kremlin is trying to keep Kiev politically off-balance and forced to finance a military operation it can ill afford.Some analysts believe that the situation is being mitigated somewhat by enduring diplomatic efforts to avert a frozen conflict that keeps the EUs eastern frontier on security alert for decades to come.The Minsk II pact agreed in February was sealed only after all-night talks between Putin and Poroshenko that were attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande.The two European leaders see no alternative to the Minsk solution and insist on its full implementation by the end of the year.But Kiev and the combattants have radically different readings of what that document says.Poroshenko has been under pressure to back the extended buffer zone idea from both Merkel and Hollande. Yet several hundred residents of the Kiev-controlled frontline port of Mariupol -- whose eastern outskirts have been targeted by insurgent shells -- rallied against the pullback on Sunday out of fear that it would only provoke a new rebel advance.It also remains highly doubtful that any new demilitarisation agreement would have any real affect on the ground.Monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) have for weeks observed the deadliest exchanges involving heavy tanks and powerful rockets that should have been withdrawn months ago.

Poll: Altaf Hussain questions whether he should step down as leader

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LAHORE (WebDesk) – Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain posted a poll on the party’s official website asking whether he should step down as leader and distance himself from the movement. For an answer to Hussain’s question “I ask the just public of the nation if I should withdraw from the movement to save the nation and the party”, voters have to select from amongst 3 options: “Yes”, “not at all” or “I don’t know”.Recently, MQM has been receiving blows after blows as the government and the Rangers tighten their noose against them while cases against its leader pile up abroad, with Scotland Yard’s investigation regarding Hussain’s alleged money laundering case and the government co-operating with the British police in the murder investigation of senior MQM leader Imran Farooq. Even MQM’s central nerve centre at Nine Zero was under scrutiny as a raid by the rangers resulted in a heavy cache of ammunition being seized from its headquarters.Statements made by former leaders and activists were also detrimental to the party’s image like the infamous case of Saulat Mirza and the BBC highlighting Tariq Mir’s allegations of MQM receiving funding from Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) have also left its leaders exasperated, having to clarify their situation again and again.Amidst all this, are the episodes of Hussain’s repeated resignations from party leadership and cancellation of these resignations. Hussain has repeatedly resigned from his post in the past as well and hours after his resignation, cancelled it. The withdrawal of resignation is either on the request of the party workers or its leaders.Hussain’s resignation series are not new and have a history as far back as 1992, during Karachi Operation when the MQM chief had announced his decision to leave the party leadership.In January 2007, citing differences with MQM leaders’ style of governance, Hussain stated that he could not continue under such conditionsIn April 2008, Hussain was furious with target killings in Karachi and announced his decision to resign.Likewise in August 2011, Hussain declared his resignation from the party and handed over his duties to MQM’s Rabita Committee and suggesting that the army take over the country.On December 17th 2012, Hussain asked his worker’s opinion on his resignation but did not follow thorugh with his decision due to the pressure of party workers.In June 2013, during Scotland Yard’s search of his residence, Hussain stated that it was not possible for him to lead MQM while staying in London. Similar resignations where Hussain talked about handing over his responsibilities to the Rabita Committee were made on 4th of September and in December 2014 but taken back on the same days.During a TV interview in January 29th, Hussain announced he would be addressing the workers for the final time but was stopped by party workers from stepping down.During this year as well, Hussain has handed over his resignation numerous times only to cancel it again.Resignations are normally announced during a late night telephonic address to the party workers and taken back during that address.Some of the things which have infuriarted Hussain and led him to hand in his resignation are the alleged targeting of MQM workers during the Karachi operation and his differences with the Rabita Committee leaders whose decisions Hussain sees as cowardly and his past differences with them on their style of governance.The poll posted on MQM’s official website has now been closed with the results and the final decision on Hussain’s resignation still unclear with the expectation that a trend followed in the past will be repeated.

Shafqat Hussain hanged in Central Jail Karachi

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - Shafqat Hussain, killer of a 7-year-old innocent kid, was hanged on early Tuesday morning in the Central Jail, Karachi. Shafqat Hussain’s execution was postponed four times but he was finally hanged today.According to details, Shafqat Hussain had killed a 7-year-old kid, named Umair, after kidnapping him in 2004. The final meeting between Shafqat and his family was held yesterday.Shafqat’s execution was postponed four times while the human rights organizations had requested to postpone his execution for the fifth time as well.Shafqat Hussains lawyers and family claim he was only 15 at the time of the killing, though a government-ordered probe ruled he was an adult.A six-year halt to executions came to an end in December as Pakistan got tough on extremism after Taliban gunmen massacred more than 130 children at a Peshawar school. Since then, around 180 people have been hanged.

Tennis: Early arrival to hardcourts pays off for Murray

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Britains third-ranked Andy Murray has spent a week adjusting to hardcourts ahead of the ATP Washington Open, his earliest arrival to any event this year paying off with confident strokes.The 28-year-old Scotsman seeks his 35th career ATP title and fourth of the year in his first tour event since reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals, where he lost to Roger Federer.Top seed Murray makes his first Washington appearance since 2006, when he lost to Frances Arnaud Clement in the final. He arrived last Tuesday, cutting short his rest to begin his training push to the US Open that starts in four weeks.I havent actually hit a ball on a hardcourt since Miami. That has been four or five months, Murray said Monday. This morning was the first time that I started to feel more comfortable on the courts, get used to them again. It takes quite a lot of time to get used to the conditions.The field also features eighth-ranked Marin Cilic, the first reigning US Open champion in the US capital since Andre Agassi in 2000, and 2014 US Open runner-up Kei Nishikori, the Japanese world number five who could meet Cilic again in a semi-final.Its a strong field, maybe the strongest cutoff ever, Murray said. Its going to be a tough event for sure.Murray visited the White House on Saturday and posted photographs on the Internet, although he was disappointed US President Barack Obama was not at home.When I was here last time I didnt see much of the city.Murray is 48-7 this year with titles at Queens, Madrid and Munich. He also reached the finals at Miami and the Australian Open and the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the French Open.One of the things I spoke about at the beginning of the year was consistency. That has been a positive, Murray said. The year as a whole, there has been some progress. Hopefully I get on a good run now on the hardcourts to the end of the year.Murray hopes to add to his Grand Slam trophy haul at Flushing Meadows, having already taken the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon titles.Ive played well in all of the Slams, Murray said. The French Open was the best Ive ever played on the clay and at Wimbledon Roger played a really good match.After Wimbledon, Murray was the hero as Britain beat France 3-1 in the Davis Cup, advancing to a home September semi-final against Australia.Its a good opportunity, Murray said. France was a huge win for us, one I wasnt probably expecting. Were in a good position but Australia for us is a very difficult match with the depth they have.It would be amazing if we could make the final. I certainly didnt expect that at the beginning of the year.Murray is being coached by Swedens Jonas Bjorkman while coach Amelie Mauresmo is on a maternity leave that is expected to last the rest of the year.

Tennis: Stronger Nishikori seeks return to US Open final

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Japans fifth-ranked Kei Nishikori made history by reaching last years US Open final and he feels stronger, smarter and more confident as he begins the quest to repeat the feat.Nishikori opens his hardcourt run to this years Flushing Meadows fortnight with a first-round match Tuesday against 95th-ranked Australian James Duckworth at the ATP Washington Open.My tennis is going a good way. Im feeling stronger and more confident, Nishikori said. Looking forward to playing this week.Nishikori beat top-six rivals Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka in five sets and then ousted top-ranked Novak Djokovic to reach last years US Open final, becoming the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final.Croatias Marin Cilic beat Nishikori in the championship match, but the 25-year-old has renewed confidence that he has what it takes to return to a Grand Slam final and perhaps make more history by winning it.The biggest thing was experience -- first time in a Grand Slam final, I played five sets twice -- I learned a lot of things, Nishikori said.This year is different. Mentally I got a little stronger. Beating Novak, Stan, top 10 guys, I could believe in myself a little bit more. I was staying tough. I hope I can play good tennis these next few weeks.Even though Rafael Nadals ranking has slid due to injury, Nishikori sees the top four of Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer and Washington top seed Andy Murray as the top of the tennis world for the moment, even though Wawrinka has two Grand Slam titles and he is knocking on the door.I hope I can be the next one, Nishikori said. New players are coming to the top 10 but the top four is still there. Little by little were coming through. Its good for tennis.Nishikori, a quarter-finalist at the French and Auistralian Opens, withdrew from Wimbledon after the second round with a calf injury, but says he is at full strength now.Im feeling pretty well, had a good preparation before coming here, about three weeks, Nishikori said. I took one week after after Wimbledon. My leg was fine after that.Nishikori was pleased to see Japanese teen Yoshi Nishioka qualify for Washington and says he sees part of his role as Asian number one as inspiring new generations.I hope more Asian players are coming up and I hope I can keep the momentum going, Nishikori said. I hope I can inspire new dreams the more kids see me.

Swimming: Girls rule worlds pool as records tumble

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KAZAN (AFP) - Girl power prevailed at the world swimming championships on Monday as three womens records fell and Hungarys Iron Lady Katinka Hosszu lived up to her nickname.After Katie Ledecky bettered her own 1500m freestyle world record in the mornings heats and Swedens Sarah Sjostrom broke her 100m butterfly mark, Hosszu claimed the 200m individual medley record which has stood since 2009.The Hungarians achievement was all the more impressive as the 26-year-old clocked two mins 06.12 secs to take gold in the 200m IM final and shave 0.03secs off Ariana Kukors previous record from the 2009 world championships in Rome.The US swimmer set the time in the era of the super-fast neoprene suits, which have since been banned and Hosszu has been chasing the record.Honestly, I was just trying to race, beamed Hosszu, who will also be defending her world 400m IM crown in Kazan.Obviously, the record was on my mind, it was my goal.But before the race I was just trying to give my best and race as fast as possible, and then there was a record. It was just perfect.Sjostrom was equally as delighted as she shaved 0.15secs off her own record -- set in Sundays semi-finals - to retain the world title she won two years ago in Barcelona by winning the 100m butterfly gold.I have been waiting six years to break my personal best time and now I have taken a few more tenths of a second off it - finally said Sjostrom as Denmarks Jeanette Ottesen came second with Chinas Lu Ying third.Ledecky, who also holds the 800m record, hinted she could yet send more records tumbling in Tuesdays 1500m final.It felt pretty easy, said Ledecky, who also came within a second of her 400m freestyle world record while winning Sundays final.I am pretty shocked that I was able to do that.Ledecky only recently finished high school in Maryland, but this is the eighth time the teenager has set a world record in her fledgling career.It is the fourth time the defending champion has broken the 1,500m record alone having first achieved the feat in Barcelona two years ago on her way to winning the world title.Great Britain claimed three medals on Monday as Adam Peaty became the first Brit to win the 100m breaststroke world title for 40 years when he beat South Africas Olympic champion Cameron van der Burgh on the wall.Scotlands Ross Murdoch took bronze behind Peaty while teenager Siobhan Marie OConnor claimed 200m IM bronze behind Hosszu.Florent Manaudou won the mens 50m butterfly title to claim his second gold in Kazan after helping France retain the 4x100m freestyle relay title on Sunday.Australias Mitchell Larkin was the fastest into the mens 100m backstroke final on Tuesday.The 22-year-old set a new Oceania record of 52.38secs with Frances Camille Lacourt, the world 50m champion, just behind at 0.32 back with Olympic champion Matt Grevers of the United States at 0.35secs in what promises to be a fast final.There will be a battle royal in the womens 100m breaststroke final on Tuesday with crowd favourite Yuliya Efimova of Russia, who is back competing after serving a 16-month doping ban for taking steroids, going head to head with 18-year-old Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte.The Russian was the fastest into Tuesdays final after clocking 1:05.60 in her semi, but Meilutyte, the world record holder, touched the wall just 0.04secs slower.Australias Emily Seebohm is on course for her second gold in Kazan.She was the fastest qualifier into Tuesdays 100m backstroke final by clocking 58.56secs.Reigning world and Olympic champion Missy Franklin of the USA was fifth fastest at 0.86 back, having beaten Seebohm into second two years ago in Barcelona.Chinas long-distance expert Sun Yang had to settle for second in his 200m freestyle semi-final heat behind 15-time world gold medallist Ryan Lochte of the USA as both qualified for Tuesdays final.It promises to be a mouth-watering occasion with Germanys world record-holder Paul Biedermann through as Australias Cameron McEvoy and Britains James Guy also posted quick times.

Asad Umar's strong reply to Khawaja Asif's allegations

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Asad Umar severely criticized Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and gave a strong reply to his allegations against PTI. The PTI leader dismissed these allegations as false and stated that he challenges Asif to come on any forum and have a debate regarding these accusations. Umar also stated that if these allegations are proven true, he would leave politics for good and personally apologize to Asif and to the nation. The PTI leader stated that Asif’s allegations regarding former Director-Generals Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) General Ahmad Shuja Pasha and General Zaheer-ul-Islam’s involvement in PTI’s internal matters are baseless allegations.Both Generals have also denied these allegations. General Pasha stated that he is ready for a complete investigation into the matter while General Zaheer-ul-Islam stated that he has always upheld the army’s discipline.The Federal Defense Minister had previously, in the show Dunya Kamran Khan Kay Sath, accused that General Pasha had been the recruitment officer for PTI and General Zaheer-ul-Islam had played an important role in PTI’s protests in Islamabad. Asif also stated that PTI officials had met both Generals back in 2012. He also stated that he has evidence which supports these accusations.

England selector backs Lyth to come good

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NOTTINGHAM (AFP) - England selector Mick Newell has defended the ongoing inclusion of struggling opener Adam Lyth in the Test side facing Australia in the Ashes series.Yorkshire batsman Lyth has failed to make a major impression on the series so far with 72 runs in six innings at an average of 12 and a best of 37, although he did score a Test century against New Zealand earlier this season.England head to Nottinghams Trent Bridge, where the fourth Test starts on Thursday, with a 2-1 lead in the five-match series after an eight-wicket win completed inside three days across the Midlands at Birminghams Edgbaston ground.England have already altered their batting line-up once this series, bringing in Jonny Bairstow and promoting Ian Bell and Joe Root up a place after dropping number three Gary Ballance -- a Yorkshire colleague of Lyth, Root and Bairstow.Lyths form prompted speculation that England might give a Test debut to limited overs international opener Alex Hales on his Nottinghamshire home ground.But Newell, Nottinghamshires director of cricket, said Hales had still to push his case.Adam Lyth has everyones confidence to come out here on Thursday and score runs for England, Newell told Sky Sports on Monday.He has justified his place in the team and scored an awful lot of runs for Yorkshire to get into this team and he has a Test match century under his belt, so he has everyones confidence.Its up to players like Alex Hales and others to push their cases in the county games.Victory in Nottingham will see England regain the Ashes and Newell is hoping for a lively pitch similar to the one the teams encountered at Edgbaston.Pitch preparation has been a hot topic this Ashes, amid claims England chiefs deliberately instructed groundsmen to prepare slow surfaces for the first two Tests in a bid to negate the impact of Australias fast bowlers.But if this was indeed a tactic, it backfired spectacularly in the second Test at Lords where the combination of a slow pitch and a lack of sideways movement favoured Australia, who won the match by 405 runs, as their pacemen are generally quicker through the air than Englands fast bowlers.Nottinghamshire head groundsman Steve Birks is under particular pressure after last years Test pitch at Trent Bridge was officially classed as poor by International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee David Boon.Former Australia batsman Boons assessment followed a run-glut draw between England and India played out on a slow surface that was heartbreaking for any bowler above medium pace.The Test ran to five days, during which time India scored 457 and 391 for nine declared while England amassed 496 in their only innings -- a total of 1,344 runs. The match also witnessed two 10th-wicket century stands -- including Root and James Andersons Test-record 198 for England.Newell, however, was optimistic this seasons Test pitch would play very differently indeed.Its looking good. The groundsman is preparing the pitch as he always does, he said.I think the main issues are that we want to make sure it has pace, carry and bounce through to the wicket-keeper and the slip fielders are there to take the catches as they come.

Posted by IMRAN ALI SOOMRO (DARVESH) at 8/04/2015 07:20:00 AM

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