Aussie Open: Azarenka becomes new world no.1

MELBOURNE: Victoria Azarenka won her first grand slam title and became the new world number one when she thrashed a disappointing Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final on Saturday.
  
The third-seeded Belarusian overpowered the 2008 champion to win 6-3, 6-0 in 82 minutes to lift the trophy and become the fourth women’s first-time grand slam winner in a row.
  
“I can’t wait to be back next year, I’ve had an amazing month in Australia. It’s a dream true,” said Azarenka.
  
Azarenka came from 0-2 down in the first set to win 12 of the next 13 games for a comprehensive victory, as Sharapova’s game disintegrated in the face of all-out aggression from the Belarusian.
  
Sharapova made 30 unforced errors, while Azarenka played almost flawlessly at times with only 12 errors across the two sets.
  
“As in any sport you have your good days you have your tough days and you have days where things just don’t work out. Today Victoria was just too good,” Sharapova said.
  
“It all comes down to the last two athletes, winner takes it all after all the players in the draw. I’ve had great wins here and I’ve had tough losses but there’s no doubt I’ll be back.”
  
Azarenka won the toss and chose to serve, but she started nervously and dished up two double-faults on her way to dropping the first game.
  
Sharapova consolidated to open a 2-0 lead and got to 0-30 on Azarenka’s next game, but the Belarusian seemed to shake off her nerves and slowly took control.
  
She stepped up to the baseline and took the ball early, pressuring Sharapova into mistakes. And soon Azarenka was dominating in all departments, matching the Russian’s power from the baseline and volleying confidently.
  
The 22-year-old broke back in the fourth game and broke again in the eighth before confidently serving for the first set.
  
And Azarenka started the second set with the same self-belief, breaking Sharapova’s first serve and coming back from 15-40 to hold her own and open a 2-0 lead.
  
Sharapova was becoming increasingly frustrated and, unusually for the three-time grand slam winner, she began to look to her coach Thomas Hogstedt in frustration.
  
Azarenka was in full control, however, and she broke Sharapova twice more to go to 5-0 lead.
  
The Belarusian stepped up to serve for the championship, saving a break point and falling to her knees in delight when a Sharapova backhand crashed into the net.
  
Azarenka, who won the girls’ singles crown in 2005, became only the third woman in the open era to win the junior and senior titles at the Australian Open after Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Chris O’Neil.
  
She is also the first Belarusian to win a grand slam title, going one better than Natasha Zvereva, who finished runner up at the French Open in 1998.
  
Sharapova has now been runner-up at two of the last three grand slams, after losing last year’s Wimbledon decider to Petra Kvitova.
  
The three-time grand slam winner had been attempting to win her first major title since coming back from major shoulder surgery in October, 2008.
  
Azarenka will be confirmed as world number one in the new women’s rankings released next week, ending Caroline Wozniacki’s long stay at the top. TrendPK

Report: Saudi women to be allowed in sport stadium

RIYADH: A government-run Saudi Arabian newspaper reports that for the first time in the conservative Muslim country, women will be allowed to attend soccer matches in one of the country’s stadiums.

Al-Sharq newspaper on Saturday quoted unnamed officials as saying that women will be able to watch the matches in a new facility that will be completed in 2014 in the western port city of Jeddah.

The officials say that the new stadium will include a family section with private cabins and balconies for women who wish to attend the games.

Saudi Arabia’s strict interpretation of Islam prohibits unrelated men and women from mingling. Women and men in Saudi Arabia remain highly segregated and are restricted in how they are allowed to mix in public. AGENCIES

Magnitude 4.9 earthquake rattles Crete

ATHENS: Greek authorities say an earthquake with preliminary 4.9-magnitude has shaken the country’s southern Aegean islands, including Crete. No injuries or damage were immediately reported in the quake, which was the third in three days in the area.

The Athens Geodynamic Institute says the undersea earthquake occurred at 12:50 p.m. (1050 GMT) Saturday about 243 kilometers from the Greek capital, Athens, between the islands of Santorini and Crete. It says the earthquake occurred at a depth of 31 kilometers.

Earthquakes of magnitude 5.3 and 5.2 occurred in the same area on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

Greece is in one of the world’s seismically active areas, with hundreds of quakes occurring each year. AGENCIES

Musharraf delays Pakistan return without setting new date

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf has delayed his return home, the head of his party said on Friday after repeated threats by the country’s leadership that he would be arrested upon arrival.

“He finally decided today that he would accept the recommendations” of the executive committee of the All Pakistan Muslim League party to delay his return, party secretary general Mohammed Ali Saif told reporters.

“This decision (of returning) will be deliberated by the core committee of the party,” he said.

Friends and supporters had urged Musharraf to put off an imminent homecoming after Islamabad said he would be arrested if he returned from more than three years of self-imposed exile in London and Dubai.

Saif said that “political developments in Pakistan took a turn” following Musharraf’s announcement in early January of his intention to return by the end of the month.

Reaction from government officials “led to a change in the political scenario and… a drastic change in the situation,” he said.

The party has concluded that “it would not be beneficial to the party’s interest that (former) president Musharraf returns to Pakistan” in the current conditions, he added.

Saif said the recommendations from party deliberations urged Musharraf, who is currently in Dubai to postpone his return home, “until the situation in pakistan becomes conducive to the return.”

“We have come to the conclusion that if the former president returns to Pakistan in this existing scenario this will in a way provide an escape route for our political opposition,” he said, citing confrontations between parties of the existing political setup.

“They would target his person through various means, and would try to divert public attention from there own problems,” he charged.

Musharraf had promised to fly home to contest general elections just as Pakistan’s government sank deeper into a major crisis, squeezed by the military and the judiciary.

His pledge met with repeated threats of his arrest, most recently by Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani who, speaking to CNN earlier Friday, assured that Musharraf would be “certainly” arrested if he flew home.

Musharraf faces two court warrants for his arrest in connection with the 2006 death of Akbar Bugti, a rebel leader in the southwest, and the 2007 assassination of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto after her own homecoming.

In an interview broadcast on BBC radio earlier this month, Musharraf acknowledged he would be in danger in Pakistan.

“I do feel endangered. There is a danger certainly, but you take your own protection and then leave things to destiny. Nobody can ensure you 100 percent protection,” he said.

Despite widespread disillusionment with the current government over power cuts, inflation, unemployment and the unpopular US alliance, few believe that the ex-dictator is the answer to Pakistan’s troubles.

The crisis saw Prime Minister Gilani hauled before the Supreme Court on contempt proceedings at a time of enormous pressure with the army over alleged government efforts to clip the military’s wings with American help. AGENCIES

Misbah, Stauss hail resurgent Pakistan

ABU DHABI: Rival captains Misbah-ul Haq and Andrew Strauss acknowledged Pakistan’s excellent performance which saw them win the second Test against England by 72 runs in a thrilling finish here on Saturday.

Left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman rocked England — chasing a tricky 145-run target — with 6-62 which helped Pakistan bowl out their opponents for a paltry 72 on a weary fourth day Abu Dhabi Stadium pitch.

This was the world’s top ranked test team’s lowest total against Pakistan in all Tests, worse than the 130 they made at The Oval in 1954 and again in Lahore in 1987.

The victory gives Pakistan an unassailable 2-0 lead with the third and final Test in Dubai. They won the first Test by ten wickets in Dubai.

Misbah said Pakistan’s win was a huge achievement.

“It’s a big win against the top side in the world,” said Misbah, who has won eight of the 14 Tests since taking over as skipper in October 2010. “I don’t have words to describe this win which was made possible through a team effort.”

Misbah said his team has proved it can do well against the world’s best teams.

“There was a lot of pre-series talk that it’s our first big real test against a top team, so we had a very good opportunity to prove ourselves and the team has done well to prove this,” said Misbah, who has not lost a series yet.

Pakistan were able to at least set some sort of target by Azhar Ali (68) and Asad Shafiq (43) who put on an invaluable 88 runs for the fifth wicket before left-armer Monty Panesar finished them off for 214 with 6-62.

“I think we had the realisation that we will have to fight whatever the target is and we also knew that the England batsmen were not scoring runs, they were struggling, especially when the ball was turning.

“We had a good hope that we could make a match out of it and in the end the bowlers proved that and bowled well to give us the win,” said Misbah, of his bowlers which saw Saeed Ajmal also take 3-22, taking him to the landmark of 100 wickets in 19 Tests.

He became the fastest to 100 wickets for Pakistan, beating Waqar Younis and Mohammad Asif who reached the target in their 20th Test.

Asked will his team look for a clean sweep against England, Misbah said: “We will try to do our best, we are up against the best team so they can come back in the series, but we will do what we can do, play well.”

Strauss praised Pakistan’s performance.

“Pakistan have thoroughly deserved their victory in the series,” said Strauss, whose team was unbeaten in their previous nine series since losing to the West Indies in early 2009.

“We’ve been below where we want to be and we need to come back and bounce back strongly from this.”

Strauss lamented England’s weakness in the sub-continent.

“As I said at the start of this tour this is the final frontier in a lot of ways, the sub-continent. English sides haven’t done very well out here in the past and we came here and approached things pretty positively.

“I think we felt we had a great chance to win this series. But, I think the fact we got rolled over twice in Dubai and here meant that there was some baggage there going into this final innings,” said Strauss.

Strauss admitted low targets are tricky.

“Sometimes those sorts of totals are the hardest to chase because you know that you’re almost there. I suppose it’s easy to get caught between two schools, whether to be patient and wait for scoring opportunities.”

Strauss said England did well to be in a winning position on the first three days.

“It’s bitterly disappointing becuase we’d worked so hard over the course of the game to get ourselves into a winning position and you’ve got to give a lot.

“But having done all that hard work you need to go on and complete the job, we just didn’t play well enough, individually and collectively.”

Both teams will also play four one-day internationals and three Twenty20 after Tests. AGENCIES

Karachi: Main accused of Ashoora blasts arrested

The law enforcement authorities have declared the arrest of this militant an important and big success.

According to the law enforcement sources, the accused Qari Muhammad Aleem Khan confessed to install bombs at the locations of Ashoora procession and Paposh Nagar while, he also confessed that he planned Jinnah Hospital and Nursery blasts.
The sources further disclosed that the accused shifted from Chitral to Karachi in 80’s where he studied. Later on, he joined a banned organization.

Momhand Agency: Forces kill 40 militants in retaliation

At least 40 militants were killed in retaliation when helicopters gunships pounded their hideouts in Mohmand Agency on Saturday.

Security forces launched a search operation in Mohmand tribal district, next to the border with Afghanistan, after co-ordinated insurgent attacks on five check posts Friday in which 11 paramilitary soldiers were killed.

At least 24 militants had already been killed in Friday’s fighting. Since yesterday Pakistani security forces helped by helicopter gunships carried out raids on suspected militant hideouts and killed 40 militants, Mohmand’s top administration official told.

A senior security official and local military officials confirmed the militant toll. The operations took place in Baizai and Lakro villages.

NATO captures insurgent leader in east Afghanistan

KABUL: NATO says it has captured a leader of a Pakistan-based Taliban faction closely tied to al-Qaida.

The military coalition said Sunday the militant, from the Haqqani network, was picked up on Nov. 25 in the eastern Afghan province of Khost. He was accused of carrying out remote-controlled roadside bombings targeting coalition bases and convoys.

The capture brings the number of senior Haqqani leaders captured this month to 20.

Although NATO forces have poured troops into the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand and have been making progress in rolling back the Taliban, fighting has continued in the eastern provinces where the Haqqani network holds sway. AGENCIES

India marks two years since the Mumbai attacks

MUMBAI: India was set Friday to mark the second anniversary of the militant attacks on Mumbai with memorial events and prayer meetings to honour the 166 victims killed during 60 hours of carnage.

Police and security forces who tackled the 10 Islamist gunmen were due to parade through the city, while mourners also planned to gather at the hotels, railway station, cafe and Jewish centre where the massacres took place.

The attackers arrived by sea on the evening of November 26, and authorities only regained full control of the city three days later.

Live television footage was shown around the world as commandos battled with the militants and terrified civilians tried to escape the bloodbath. About 300 people were injured.

Nine of the gunmen were killed and the sole survivor, Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, was condemned to death by a Mumbai court in May. He is

Obama sets 2014 goal to end US combat in Afghanistan

LISBON: U.S. President Barack Obama said on Saturday he aimed to end major U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan by 2014 and significantly reduce the number of U.S. troops there.

But he underlined that counter-terrorism operations against al Qaeda and other militant groups could continue past that date.

“My goal is to make sure that by 2014 we have transitioned, Afghans are in the lead, and it is a goal to make sure we are not still engaged in combat operations of the sort we are involved in now,” he told a news conference at a NATO summit in Lisbon.

“Certainly our footprint will have been significantly reduced. Beyond that it is hard to anticipate exactly what will be necessary to keep the American people safe as of 2014. I’ll make that determination when I get there,” he said. AGENCIES

Next Page »