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Monday, September 7, 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Air Force Day is being observed today

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - Air Force Day is being observed today (Monday) to commemorate the heroics of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in the war of 1965 against India. Pakistan Air Force celebrates September 7 as the PAF Day in commemoration of the PAF’s role in defending the country and remembering its martyrs in the 1965 war. Airshows and other programmes will mark the Pakistan Air Forces role in defending the nation in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

Lahore: PTIs Mian Aslam Iqbal survives gun attack

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – According to details, eight gunmen riding on four motorcycles opened indiscriminate fire at the ‘Dera’ of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and MPA Mian Aslam Iqbal on Sunday. Fortunately no one was injured in the attack.Talking to media after the attack, Mian Aslam said that it was not the first attack. Some unidentified gunmen also opened fire at the PTI’s election office in Samanabad yesterday. “I am being harassed over PTI’s campaign for the by-election in Lahore,” Mian Aslam said. He further said that Punjab government would be responsible if anything happened to him.

Tennis: Serena, Venus to meet in US Open quarters, Bouchard out

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Serena and Venus Williams advanced to a dramatic US Open quarter-final showdown with straight-set triumphs Sunday while Canadas Eugenie Bouchard withdrew from her fourth-round match due to a concussion.World number one Serena Williams served well in moving within three match victories of a rare calendar Grand Slam with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over US 19th seed Madison Keys.Serena made only six unforced errors to 19 for Keys and hit 58 percent of her first serves. She took 79 percent of those points and 70 percent on her second serves, nearly twice Keys second-try effectiveness.Im so proud. Im so glad its so much better, Serena said of her serve. My only chance was to start out fast. I just stayed in there and was able to relax.Venus, seeded 23rd, downed 152nd-ranked Estonian teen qualifier Anett Kontaveit 6-2, 6-1 at Arthur Ashe Stadium, matching her deepest Grand Slam run since reaching the 2010 US Open semi-finals.Were both prepared, Venus said. Even though youre playing your sister you have to be prepared and focus. The preparation doesnt change.Serena, who holds all four major tennis titles, is trying to complete the first calendar Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988 and match Grafs Open Era record of 22 career Slam singles titles by capturing her Open Era record seventh US Open crown.But Venus, two years older than Serena at 35, could play the spoiler as she tries to add to a trophy collection that includes the 2000 and 2001 US Opens and five Wimbledon titles, the most recent in 2008.I dont think anyone wants to be a spoiler. I think people love to see history being made, Venus said.But at the same time, youre focused on winning your match even though the circumstances are really much different than you.Bouchard, who suffered a head injury after slipping in the locker room late Friday, pulled out of her match against Italys Roberta Vinci with what US Open tournament director David Brewer said was a concussion. Bouchard had pulled out of mixed and womens doubles on Saturday.The 21-year-old from Montreal was a French and Australian Open semi-finalist last year and lost the 2014 Wimbledon final to Petra Kvitova. Her head injury to a season of setbacks, including first-round French Open and Wimbledon exits and a 12-17 record.Vinci advanced by walkover to her third US Open quarter-final in four years to match her deepest Grand Slam run. She next faces the winner of a later match between Russian 13th seed Ekaterina Makarova and Frances Kristina Mladenovic.Serena leads the Williams sibling rivalry 15-11 but they have split four US Open meetings, including the 2001 and 2002 finals. Serena won their most recent matchup in the fourth round at Wimbledon in July.Awesome. It has been awesome, Venus said when asked about her sibling rivalry. Im so proud of Serena and I think shes proud of me. We inspire each other.Serena won her first set in 27 minutes, Keys handing her the lone break in the sixth game. Serena hit a backhand winner to break Keys for a 4-3 edge in the second set and broke again on match point when Keys, who also lost to Serena in the Australian Open semi-finals, double faulted to end matters after 68 minutes and ensure an all-Williams showdown.She is playing great, Serena said of Venus. I have to play like I did today or better. But at least one of us, a Williams, will be in the semis, so thats good.Venus, who lost the 1997 US Open final to Martina Hingis when Kontaveit was 21 months old, broke in the fourth game and and again in the eighth, Kontaveit hitting a forehand long to drop the set after 24 minutes.Kontaveit, who lost in the first round at the past two Wimbledons in her only prior Grand Slam appearances, swatted a forehand beyond the baseline to give Venus a 2-0 lead in the second set and sent a backhand long to surrender a break for a 4-0 deficit. Williams held twice more, denying the Europeans lone break point in the final game to win in 50 minutes.Experience helped a lot, Williams said. I was able to understand what its like to play in this moment more than she was.Kontaveit, 19, was thwarted in her bid to match the best US Open qualifier showing, American Barbara Gerkens quarter-final run in 1981.Even with the loss, Kontaveit will nearly double her career prize money with $213,575 for her US Open run.

Tennis: Cilic, Tsonga to clash in US Open quarter-finals

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Defending champion Marin Cilic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga set-up a US Open quarter-final clash on Sunday as world number one Novak Djokovic waited to take another step closer to a 10th Grand Slam title.Cilic made the last-eight for the fourth time with a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7/2) 6-1 win over Frances Jeremy Chardy.Cilic, the Croatian ninth seed, took his record in New York to 11 successive wins after capturing his maiden Grand Slam title in the city last year.But the 26-year-old had to overcome an injury scare in the second set to stay alive in the tournament when he rolled his right ankle.I twisted my ankle in the second set but I tried not to let it affect my movement, he said.In the first few games of the third set, I was conscious of it but after that I didnt have trouble with it.Cilic fired 23 aces and 52 winners in his win over Chardy, one of four Frenchmen to make the last-16.Four of those aces came in the third set tiebreak.I took the joker from Goran in the tiebreak, he said, explaining his inspiration from coach and big-hitting former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic.French 19th seed Tsonga reached his second quarter-final in New York with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over unseeded compatriot Benoit Paire, the man who opened up their section of the draw by knocking out fourth seed Kei Nishikori in the first round.The 30-year-old Tsonga, who made the semi-finals at the French Open in June, did not face a single break point against Paire.He has now held all 56 service games at the tournament.Cilic holds a 4-1 career lead over Tsonga in main tour matches, winning the pairs last three without dropping a set.Tsongas only win was in the 2011 Cincinnati Masters.I have the feeling that I am playing my best tennis and I hope this will continue, said Tsonga, who made the quarter-finals four years ago.Its been a great week. I hope for the same again in the next few days.Later Sunday, Djokovic goes under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium to face Spanish 23rd seed Roberto Bautista Agut.The top seed has won both their previous matches, which came on the hard courts of Dubai in 2013 and 2014.Djokovic, bidding for a third Grand Slam title of the year after winning a fifth Australian Open and third Wimbledon, hasnt dropped a set in the tournament.The 2011 champion has played in five finals in New York and is looking to reach his ninth straight US Open quarter-final.Bautista Agut, 27, made the last 16 in 2014 but has lost his last 13 matches against top-10 opponents.The winner of that match will face either Spanish 18th seed Feliciano Lopez or 32nd-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini, the man who sent 14-time major winner Rafael Nadal crashing out in the third round from two sets down.Lopez is looking to reach his fourth Grand Slam quarter-final but first outside of Wimbledon.Fognini, who fired 70 winners past Nadal, is the first Italian to make the fourth round in New York since Davide Sanguinetti in 2005.The last Italian man in the quarter-finals was Corrado Barazzutti, who went to the semi-finals in 1977 when the tournament was played at nearby Forest Hills.

Tennis: Bouchard withdraws from US Open with head injury

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Canadas Eugenie Bouchard withdrew from the US Open on Sunday after failing to recover from the head injury she suffered in a freak locker room fall, organisers said.Eugenie Bouchard is withdrawing from the womens singles competition at the 2015 US Open due to a concussion, said a statement.The 21-year-old had been due to face Italys Roberta Vinci later Sunday for a spot in the quarter-finals.Bouchard, the poster girl of the womens game, had already pulled out of the womens doubles and mixed doubles on Saturday.She suffered the injury on Friday night when she slipped and fell in the womens locker room.

Football: Turkey stun woeful Dutch in battle for Euro spot

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KONYA (AFP) - The Netherlands hopes of making the Euro 2016 finals hung by a thread on Sunday after last years World Cup semi-finalists were convincingly downed 3-0 by a well-organised Turkey.In front of 40,000 Turkish supporters creating a hostile atmosphere in the packed-out Konya arena, Turkey combined cohesion with physicality as the Dutch fell short in every department.An early strike by Oguzhan Ozyakup of Besiktas was followed by a second from Barcelonas Arda Turan and then a killer third from Burak Yilmaz.The Netherlands star Turkey-based players Wesley Sneijder and Robin Van Persie meanwhile failed to make any impact up front.With the Czech Republic clinching qualification on Sunday and Iceland set to take the second automatic qualification spot going in Group A, Turkey and the Netherlands are in a straight fight for third and likely entry into the play-offs for the finals in France.Defeat was a body blow for new Dutch coach Danny Blind, who has now lost both his matches in charge following Thursdays 1-0 loss to Iceland.Ozyakup gave Turkey a dream start in the eighth minute, causing wild excitement among the Konya crowd including Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu who hails from the central region.Rushing through from midfield, Ozyakup connected with an inch-perfect pass from Turan and slotted the ball neatly past goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen as the Dutch defence vaporised.The Dutch nightmare continued in the 26th minute when Turan surged into the penalty area past the hapless Stefan de Vrij to wedge the ball past Cillessen and the near post.With the Netherlands misfiring in attack and defence, Georginio Wijnaldum could only head a chance metres wide in the second half despite being left unmarked. Turkeys tight defence piled behind the ball in the closing minutes and the lacklustre Sneijder and Van Persie never looked like scoring.Burak Yilmaz of Galatasaray then hammered a devastating nail into the Dutch coffin in the 86th minute with a third goal following a spectacular solo run down the left wing by Caner Erkin. Turan, Turkeys talisman who signed for Barcelona from Atletico Madrid over the summer, performed sharply despite sitting out the start of the Spanish season due to the Catalan clubs FIFA-imposed ban on registering new signings until January.But lacking match fitness and collapsing to his knees in exhaustion at the end of the first half, coach Fatih Terim substituted Turan in the 56th minute for Volkan Sen.

Football: De Rossi fires Italy top after Bulgaria win

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MILAN (AFP) - A first-half penalty from Daniele De Rossi allowed Italy to beat Bulgaria 1-0 in Palermo on Sunday to push them closer to the Euro 2016 finals.Three days after a patchy 1-0 victory over Malta secured thanks to Graziano Pelles winner -- which came off the Southampton strikers arm -- this latest win for Italy took them top of qualifying Group H ahead of Norway.The Norwegians beat third-placed Croatia 2-0 in Oslo and are two points adrift of Italy with two games left.Im happy with the result, weve fulfilled our objective of taking six points from these two games, but we have to learn to be a bit more clinical in front of goal, Italy coach Antonio Conte told Sky Sport.The lads gave it everything, and Im happy with their commitment.On Saturday, Conte had expressed surprise over criticism of Andrea Pirlos performance in the Azzurris 1-0 win over Malta.Yet the former Juventus coach bowed to the consensus when he left the New York City FC midfielder on the bench in favour of Roma midfielder De Rossi, a choice that was to bring joy and despair and equal measure.Conte made further changes, with Antonio Candreva -- who provided the cross for Pelles winner in Florence -- coming off the bench to start in place of Manolo Gabbiadini and Monaco forward Stephan El Shaarawy taking Eders slot on the left of a 4-3-3 formation. Italy got off to a bright start, the hosts pouncing on sloppy defending after just a few seconds to see El Shaarawy come close with a bicycle kick that flew just over after Pelle had forced a save from Bozhidar Mitrev.Three minutes later, Russian referee Sergei Karasev pointed to the spot after Veselin Minev upended Candreva in the area and De Rossi converted at the second attempt after his first effort was disallowed for encroachment.On what was Gianluigi Buffons 150th appearance for Italy, the Juventus goalkeeper had comparatively little to do but pulled off a fine one-handed save to touch Ilian Mitsanskis drive around his far post after Bulgaria went on the counter.Italy, however, dominated throughout and before the interval should have added to their early goal.Pelle headed over from a Marco Verratti free kick and, after Mattia De Sciglio had forced Mitrev into action following good work by Candreva and Matteo Darmian, the Southampton man saw a volley fly off target.Candreva wasted a great chance in front of goal, and on the stroke of half-time Parolo saw his volley charged down after being set up by Pelle and Verratti.Both sides were reduced to 10 men 10 minutes after the restart, De Rossi going from hero to villain after retaliating to a foul by Mitsanski by kicking the striker while lying on the ground. Mitsanski was also dismissed.He shouldnt have done it, Conte responded curtly when asked to comment on De Rossis gesture.Daniele knows he made a mistake, said defender Leonardo Bonucci. It wasnt the right reaction from him, but these things can happen when you are provoked.Their early exits failed to dampen what was a lively encounter, the excellent Candreva setting up El Shaarawy on the hour mark with a fine angled pass to the back post although Mitrev was quickly out to close down the move.Bulgaria showed some signs of a fightback, but they could not find an equaliser and the result ends any hope they had of qualifying for the finals in France.With two games remaining, Bulgaria are fourth, seven points behind Croatia in third place, which will guarantee at least a play-off berth.

Football: Egypt strike five, Ivory Coast fail to score

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JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Egypt crushed Chad 5-1 while title-holders Ivory Coast missed talisman Yaya Toure when held 0-0 by Sierra Leone in 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers Sunday.Cameroon won 1-0 in Gambia and the Central African Republic shocked the Democratic Republic of Congo 2-0 in other matchday 2 games.Libya fluffed two penalties when losing 2-1 to Cape Verde and Benin and Mali drew 1-1 in a west Africa showdown.Emerging young star Bassem Morsi scored a hat-trick as Egypt replaced Nigeria as Group G leaders with a show of force in NDjamena.Mohamed Salah and Kahraba, real name Mahmoud Abdel Moneim, got the Pharaohs other goals and Nadjim Haroun scored for Chad.Morsi struck twice during a first half that ended with the visitors leading 3-1 and completed his hat-trick with the last goal on 62 minutes.Record seven-time African champions Egypt are chasing a place at the Cup of Nations in Gabon after failing to qualify for the past three tournaments.They have shown a clinical streak in qualifying under Argentina-born former Valencia manager Hector Cuper, trouncing Tanzania 3-0 three months ago in the opening round.Egypt have six points, three-time champions Nigeria four, Tanzania one and Chad are pointless with just the group winners guaranteed a finals spot.Ivory Coast made a disappointing start to their defence of a title won in Equatorial Guinea last February after a penalty shootout against Ghana.An Elephants team lacking unavailable Toure and injured striker Wilfried Bony struggled in heavy, wet Port Harcourt conditions against combative opponents.A home fixture for Sierra Leone, it was switched to southern Nigeria because of the Ebola epidemic.The match marked the debut of Michel Dussuyer as coach of the Ivorians after fellow Frenchman Herve Renard quit to join Ligue 1 outfit Lille.Sudan head Group I -- the only mini-league containing three nations -- with three points followed by Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone with one each.Vincent Aboubakar was the Cameroon match-winner for the second matchday running with his mid-second half goal sufficient to beat Gambia in rain-drenched Banjul.Four-time African champions Cameroon top Group M with six points, Mauritania have three and Gambia and South Africa one apiece.Central African Republic recovered from a matchday 1 mauling in Angola three months ago to upset 2015 Cup of Nations bronze medalists DR Congo 2-0 in Bangui.Both goals came during the opening half with Vianney Mabide converting a penalty and Junior Gourrier doubling the advantage of the hosts.Angola are the Group B pacesetters with four points, Central African Republic and DR Congo have three each and Madagascar one. Ryan Mendes scored in the final minute to grab a 2-1 victory for Cape Verde over Libya, who staged the home fixture in Cairo because of post-Moamer Kadhafi-era violence.Carlos da Graca put the island state ahead in the second half and Almaetasm Al Mosrati levelled four minutes from time.Libya failed to convert two penalties with Hamdo Al Masri and Mohamed Zubya the culprits.Abdoulaye Diaby put Mali ahead in Cotonou and Jordan Adeoti equalised before half-time for Benin.Mali top Group C with four points followed by South Sudan (three), Benin (two) and 2015 Cup of Nations semi-finalists Equatorial Guinea (one). Matchday 3 fixtures are scheduled for next March.

Formula One: Hamilton's Italian GP win confirmed after inquiry

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MONZA (AFP) - Lewis Hamiltons 40th career victory in Sundays Italian Grand Prix and, with it, a 53-points advantage in the drivers world championship was confirmed late Sunday after a two-hour stewards inquiry.The defending two-time world champion had faced possible disqualification following a technical report that claimed his Mercedes team had raced on tyres that were set at a pressure that was too low and infringed the technical regulations.But in a statement issued nearly three hours after the race, the stewards said that they had determined the pressure in the tyres concerned were at the minimum start pressure recommended by Pirelli -- when they were fitted to the car.This and the teams adherence to safety procedures was sufficient evidence of Mercedes good intent to sway the decision in their favour.I dont know what to say about it, its not my job, said Hamilton, when faced with the claims. Today Ive been so happy with how the car has been in the race.Formula One is about running to the bare minimum. For whatever reason today, 0.3psi - if thats what it was - 0.3psi... It makes no difference to the car, particularly on one tyre. Im sure Pirelli could prove it. Thats not the reason we won.It was claimed in a report by the sports technical delegate Jo Bauer that the left rear tyres on the Mercedes cars of both Briton Hamilton and his Mercedes team-mate German Nico Rosberg were below the specified minimum tyre starting pressure when checked on the grid before the race.This, said members of rival teams, was enough to represent a clear breach of the sports strict technical regulations and should have resulted in automatic exclusion.But after more than two hours of deliberations, during which the stewards talked to the technical delegate and representatives of both Mercedes and Pirelli, they took into consideration that Mercedes tyre warming blankets had been disconnected from their power source and that their tyres were significantly below the maximum permitted tyre blanket temperature when measured on the grid.In addition, said the statement, the stewards are satisfied that the team followed the currently specified procedure supervised by the tyre manufacturer for the safe operation of the tyres.It ended by adding that the stewards recommended that the tyre manufacturer and the FIA hold further meetings to provide clear guidance to the teams on measurement protocols.The stewards decision meant that the result stands with Hamilton as winner and local hero four-time champion German Sebastian Vettel confirmed in second place for Ferrari - not promoted to winner, as many of the tifosi had hoped.Vettel had earlier said he did not welcome the tyres controversy and the way in which claims were made to take the result away from Hamilton.I think its not fair to question Lewis because he doesnt know whats going on, so thats that. In principle, the tyres last a little bit longer (with lower pressures), but as I said, I dont think it matters.In a lot of respect and fairness, he did a very good job today and you have to accept that.Vettel added: I was second on the podium and thats the emotions I got and I am grateful for them. I had a great car today - not good enough to win, but good enough just to finish second.Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said: We were exactly on the minimum pressures like we should have been, when the tyres were put on the car.I dont know where the discrepancy came from, but it was not a mistake done by the team in order to gain an advantage.Tyre pressures were under scrutiny following the two high-speed Pirelli tyre blowouts suffered by Rosberg and Vettel at last months Belgian Grand Prix.Hamilton won Sundays race by 25 seconds ahead of Vettel and the Williams pair of Brazilian Felipe Massa and Finn Valtteri Bottas.His Mercedes team-mate Rosberg was challenging for second place, while running third, when his engine failed with two laps remaining.

Cycling: Rodriguez wins Vuelta stage 15, Aru clings onto lead

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SOSTRES (AFP) - Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez claimed the 15th stage of Spains Vuelta to move within one second of overall leader Fabio Aru on Sunday.Rodriguez, 36, was strongest on the 12.7km category one climb to the finish of the 175.8km ride from Comillas to Sostres to win from Polands Rafal Majka and fellow-Spaniard Daniel Moreno.Aru, who is bidding to go one better than his runners-up spot in this years Giro dItalia, was fifth on the day, 15 seconds behind, to hold onto his lead by the slenderest of margins.Majkas second place was also enough to move him up to third overall, 1min 24sec behind.It was a tough day for Dutchman Tom Dumoulin, though, as he was dropped on the final climb and falls to fourth overall, one second behind Majka.It is a big confidence boost because we have been looking for the stage win and to be involved in the general classification as well is great, Rodriguez told Television Espanola.We are in a perfect position, just one second off Aru. Whoever is the strongest will win this Vuelta so being ahead or behind by a second I dont think makes a big difference. The most important thing is that I am feeling very good, added Rodriguez, who has twice finished third in his home Tour in 2010 and 2012.A nine-man breakaway had led the stage for most of the day, but the peloton never allowed them a lead of more than four minutes to ensure there would be no repeat of Saturdays breakaway victory for Alessandro De Marchi.Nairo Quintana was the first of the general classification favourites to attempt an attack, but the 2014 Giro dItalia champion was kept in check by Arus Astana team.Rodriguez made his break for the line with a kilometre to go and neither Quintana or Aru could respond to allow the Katusha rider to add a first Vuelta stage victory for two years to his two wins at the Tour de France in July.Quintana remains three minutes back in ninth overall, 35 seconds behind his Movistar teammate Alejandro Valverde.Rodriguez had a great stage, but there are still stages left to achieve things in this Vuelta, said Aru.Dumoulin, who is one of the big favourites for Wednesdays 38.7km time trial in Burgos, recovered well from being dropped by the peloton to limit the damage as he finished 51 seconds back in 12th.I tried to go at my rhythm and not get involved with the real climbers. I am doing better on the mountains, but not like them, said Dumoulin.I have to prepare for the time trial with the same calm that I have up until now. If it goes well then it will be great for me and the team, but it is clear everyone wants to win this Vuelta and there can be only one winner.

Cycling: Viviani outfoxes Cavendish for Tour of Britain first stage win

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LONDON (AFP) - Team Skys Elia Viviani won a dramatic sprint finish for the first stage of the Tour of Britain on Sunday ahead of Britains Mark Cavendish.Cavendish looked set to win the sprint following the run from Beaumaris to Wrexham as he led Andre Greipel round the final bend.But Italian Viviani managed to sneak through to snatch victory ahead of Cavendish.On the last turn I took Greipels wheel and when he did not start his sprint I thought he had left it too late, Viviani told ITV.But when Cavendish went I saw a space on the left and I went for the line. I thought maybe I had won but I didnt know until a few metres after.The trio were among a main bunch who hauled in a four-rider breakaway with two kilometres remaining to set up the thrilling finish.Mondays second stage of eight is a 159.3km ride through Lancashire from Clitheroe to Colne in northern England.

IMF chief says 'extremely encouraged' by Ukraine reforms

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KIEV (AFP) - International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde on Sunday heaped praise on Ukraines reform efforts in a visit to Kiev following a deal to restructure the countrys debt burden.Im extremely encouraged by the progress that you have been achieving (over) the past few months, Lagarde said at a press conference alongside Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.As I told you in a previous discussion, Ukraine has surprised the world.Lagarde added a few words of caution, though, saying, This is not the end of the road. You started the journey... reform is a process. On August 27, four commercial lenders agreed to a 20 percent write-down on their portion of Ukraines sovereign and sovereign guaranteed debt.The accord provided immediate debt relief of around $3.6 billion (3.23 billion euros), according to Ukrainian finance ministry figures.The deal also extended repayment of $11.5 billion by four years, and allowed Kiev to avoid what otherwise would have been inevitable default.That achievement keeps global credit markets open to the cash-strapped ex-Soviet state.The IMF and United States put bondholders under intense pressure during the five-month negotiations to accept short-term losses in return for preventing Ukraines pro-Western leaders from being forced into resuming their reliance on Russia.The IMF said the deal will help the government reduce costs as required under a $40 billion rescue programme it designed earlier this year.The agency will send an assessment mission to Ukraine later this month to monitor compliance with the programme, Poroshenko said.

Australia's Watson announces Test retirement

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LONDON (AFP) - Australias veteran all-rounder Shane Watson announced his retirement from Test cricket on SundayThe last match of the 34-year-olds 59- Test career, which spanned a decade, came in the Ashes opener at Cardiff which England won by 169 runs.Watson made 30 and 19 with the bat, and failed to take a wicket, causing him to lose his place for the rest of the series, with 23-year-old Mitchell Marsh becoming the Test sides preferred all-rounder.Watsons Test retirement was announced on Cricket Australias official website.Its been a decision that hasnt come lightly, over the last month especially, he said. I know its the right time to move on and still hopefully play the shorter formats of the game, one-dayers and T20s.Ive been through a lot of different waves of emotion about what is right for myself, my family and most importantly the team as well.Over the last couple of days there was a lot of clarity (for me) of what the right decision was. I just know that Ive given everything I possibly can to get the best out of myself.Australia coach Darren Lehmann added: Shane has been a fantastic servant for Australia in Test cricket.His determination to be the best he can be over more than a decade in the longest format has been an example to everyone and we look forward to him continuing to contribute in limited-overs cricket in the time to come.Watson, who captained his country in one Test, stepped down after being ruled out of the rest of the one-day international series by a calf injury sustained in the tourists victory at Lords on Saturday which put Australia 2-0 up against England with three to play.An Ashes winner in 2013/14 and a member of the Australia side that lifted this years World Cup, Watsons career has been blighted by a variety of injuries.Shifted up and down the batting order, including a relatively successful period as an opener, Watsons career Test figures of 3,731 runs at an average of 35.19 and 75 wickets at 33.68 meant he could not be considered a great all-rounder.When fit, the strapping Watson looked the picture of a modern professional athlete.But a failure to convert promising starts into hundreds -- he got to fifty 28 times in his Test career yet scored just four centuries -- and a recurring tendency to get out lbw, saw him become something of a figure of fun, even among Australia supporters, some of whom were often riled by his repeated inclusion in the side.I havent achieved certainly all the things I dreamed of achieving in Test cricket -- average 50 with the bat and in the 20s with the ball. Thats obviously the dream as an all-rounder to achieve and obviously I didnt get anywhere near that, Watson later told reporters.Of course I didnt convert the 50s into 100s that I certainly wouldve (liked to), but its certainly not through lack of trying. I was doing everything I could. It just wasnt meant to be in that regard.Watson also had his run-ins with Australian management, notably when, at the time when South African coach Mickey Arthur and captain Michael Clarke were at the helm, he was one of four players dropped from the squad during the 2013 tour of India for not doing their homework after failing to provide a written report on how to improve the teams performance.Watsons Test exit follows Clarkes retirement from all international cricket after the recent 3-2 Ashes series loss in England.

Bairstow replaces Buttler for final Australia one-dayers

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LONDON (AFP) - Jonathan Bairstow will replace Jos Buttler in Englands squad for the final three matches of their one-day international series with Australia after team officials decided the Test gloveman needed time off, it was announced Sunday.The 24-year-old Buttler was an ever-present behind the stumps during Englands recent 3-2 Ashes Test series win over Australia.At his best, Buttler is one of the quickest-scoring and most dynamic limited overs batsmen in English cricket.But he was out for a duck in Saturdays second one-day international at Lords, having managed just four in the series opener in Southampton.World champions Australia won both of those matches to go 2-0 up with three to play in a series which continues at Old Trafford, Buttlers Lancashire home ground, on Tuesday.England have a Test and white-ball series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates coming up and then travel to South Africa, the worlds top-ranked Test nation, before the end of the year.Following Australias 64-run win at Lords on Saturday, England coach Trevor Bayliss and one-day captain Eoin Morgan and Buttler himself agreed a break from international duty would be in the keepers best long-term interests.While we initially felt Jos would have enough left in the tank for this ODI series, it has become clear in the last couple of days that he will benefit from a break from cricket ahead of the winter tours, said Bayliss.We know that for players involved in all formats finding periods throughout the year when they can rest is key and Jos has had a heavy workload throughout 2015, the Australian added.Resting players provide opportunities for others in the international arena and Jonny Bairstow now has a chance to build on the one day form he showed at the end of the New Zealand series earlier this summer.Bairstows original omission from the squad for this series was surprising given it was the Yorkshiremans impressive 83 not out, made when called-up as a late injury replacement for Buttler, that saw England to a 3-2 one-day series win over New Zealand, the beaten World Cup finalists, at Chester-le-Street in June.He also played, purely as a batsman, in the final three Ashes Test and scored a valuable 74 in Englands series-clinching win at Trent Bridge.The 25-year-olds inclusion means Bairstow, son of the late former England wicket-keeper David Bairstow, will miss the County Championship match against Middlesex at Lords next week -- where Yorkshire could retain English crickets first-class title.

Appointments made in PHF contrary to PM's directions: Zafarullah Jamali

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LAHORE: (Dunya News) – Former President Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Mir Zafarullah Jamali has on Sunday said that the appointments made in the PHF are contrary to the directions of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He said that corrective measures will have to be taken in order to bring hockey back on track, reported Dunya News.In an interview to a foreign media channel, Zafarullah Jamali said that all the appointments made in the PHF including that of Secretary Shahbaz Ahmad are unacceptable to him because whatever has happened is against the directions of the PM. He said that he is not ready to move an inch from his stance. He said that if PHF management wants to bring hockey back on track then some tough measures will have to be taken.It is pertinent to mention here that PHF’s Patron-in-chief PM Nawaz Sharif had given the responsibility of forming the new setup of the PHF and had directed the Secretary Ministry of Inter-provincial Harmony Ejaz Chaudhry to remain in consultations with Mir Zafarullah Jamali in this regard.The new president of the PHF Brigadier (r) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar had met Mir Zafarullah Jamali along with Secretary PHF Shahbaz Ahmad but Jamali made it clear that none of the appointments was acceptable for him because whatever happened was against the directions of the PM.

Posted by IMRAN ALI SOOMRO (DARVESH) at 9/07/2015 07:18:00 AM

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