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ARY NEWS

AFP

  • England on brink of reclaiming Ashes

    Adam Voges was 48 not out and Mitchell Starc nought not out, with England eyeing a win that would give them a 3-1 lead in the five-match series and see them regain the Ashes.

    Pace-bowling all-rounder Ben Stokes had figures of five for 35 in 16 overs — his second five-wicket haul in his 15-match Test career after he took six for 99 against Australia at Sydney in January last year.

    Earlier, England captain Alastair Cook declared his side’s first innings on a total of 391 for nine.

    That left England with a mammoth first-innings lead of 331 after they had skittled out Australia for just 60 in 111 balls — the shortest-ever completed first innings of a Test match — on Thursday.

    Joe Root top-scored for England with 130 and Jonny Bairstow made 74 as the Yorkshire duo put on 173 for the fourth wicket.

    Stuart Broad, who had wrecked Australia’s first innings with a Test-best eight for 15, was 24 not out when Cook called a halt to England’s reply.

    Left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc led Australia’s attack with Test-best figures of six for 111.

    Victory at Trent Bridge will see England regain the Ashes after they were whitewashed 5-0 in Australia in 2013/14.

  • UN adopts resolution setting up Syria chemical weapons probe

    Russia, Syria’s veto-wielding ally, endorsed the measure as did the rest of the 15-member council — a rare display of unity over how to address the conflict.

    Under discussion for months, the US-drafted resolution sets up a team of experts tasked with identifying the perpetrators of the chemical weapons attacks and paves the way for possible sanctions to punish them.

    The US ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, called the probe panel a “necessary step” toward “eventual accountability.”

    The United States, Britain and France have repeatedly accused President Bashar al-Assad’s forces of carrying out chlorine gas attacks with barrel bombs dropped from helicopters.

    The three countries argue that only the Syrian regime has helicopters. But Russia maintains there is no solid proof that Damascus is behind the attacks.

    The investigative panel will be given “full access” to all locations in Syria and allowed to interview witnesses and collect materials, according to the resolution passed Friday.

    It mandates the panel to “identify to the greatest extent feasible individuals, entities, groups or governments who were perpetrators, organizers, sponsors or otherwise involved in the use of chemicals as weapons” in Syria.

    UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is tasked with assembling the team within 20 days, working with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which is based in The Hague.

    The panel would present its first findings to the council 90 days after it begins its work, which would be for a duration of one year.

    Pressure has been mounting on the Security Council to take action in Syria, where the war, now in its fifth year, has claimed more than 240,000 lives. It tops the UN’s list of humanitarian crises.

  • Us satirist Jon Stewart trends in Pakistan, following his retirement from The Daily Show

     

    Cult American satirist Jon Stewart ended 16 years as host of “The Daily Show” with a standing ovation and was played out by rock legend Bruce Springsteen, bringing to close a unique era in US broadcasting.

    As the hash tag #JonVoyage trended on Twitter, an emotional Stewart made his last appearance on the Comedy Central show, thanking colleagues, fans and family and delivering a final monologue.

    The 52-year-old had turned the four-times a week show into a unique blend of politics, journalism and entertainment that skewered politicians, the world in general and sensationalist cable news coverage in particular.

    Loved by liberals as a voice of reason, distrusted by conservatives for his left-of-center perspective, the clever, biting and funny Stewart indicated that he would be back — if only in another guise.

    “Nothing ends. It’s just a continuation. It’s a pause in the conversation. So rather than saying goodbye or good night, I’m just going to say I’m gonna go get a drink,” he said.

    Since 1999 he has been a liberal conscience, from the end of the Clinton presidency and the arrival of George W. Bush, through the 9/11 attacks to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the financial crisis.

    “Bullshit is everywhere. There’s very little that you’ll encounter in life that has not been infused in some way with bullshit,” said Stewart in his final monologue.

    “The best defense against bullshit is vigilance so if you can smell something, say something.”

    There were farewell video messages from US Secretary of State John Kerry and Republican Senator John McCain.

     

    – White House tribute –

    Trevor Noah, the South African comic who will replace Stewart in September, cheekily appeared to measure up the set and… Stewart’s crotch.

    But few fans believe Trevor can fill Stewart’s enormous shoes.

    Many were already missing Stewart’s wit as Thursday’s Republican debate ended moments after the final, pre-taped show went on air.

    “It just feels like this is going to be a tremendous void and it’s hard to see how it can be filled,” said Chris Reilly, a homemaker from Connecticut in the queue to attend the show for a fourth time.

    Besides taking politicians and TV networks to task — CNN and Fox News in particular — his show had a guest list second to none.

    President Barack Obama has shared the screen with Stewart seven times, most recently last month, when he joked he would ban Stewart from leaving.

    The White House blog paid tribute to “one of the most influential programs on television” that “changed the way we talk about the world around us.”

    Winning almost two dozen Emmy awards, Stewart also cultivated and nurtured new talent, helping to launch the careers of comedians who are now stars in their own right, such as Stephen Colbert and John Oliver.

     

    – Conservative, liberal divide –

    Stewart paid tribute to them in his final show.

    He offered viewers a behind-the-scenes tour of the show’s rather cramped premises in the Hell’s Kitchen district of Manhattan, and videoed introductions to seemingly all the backstage staff.

    But the highlight was the closing set from Springsteen, a fellow New Jersey native, who blasted out renditions of his hit tracks “Land of Hope and Dreams” and “Born to Run.”

    Watched by a modest TV audience of 1.3 million a day, “The Daily Show” reached several million more online, in particular younger viewers.

    But according to the Pew Research Center, less than one percent of conservatives said they trusted the show, while nearly half of liberals — 45 percent — do.

    It was in times of crisis that those Americans looked to Stewart as a rock.

    After the September 11, 2001 attacks, he was there fighting back tears.

    In June, after the racially motivated murders of black worshippers at a church in Charleston, he delivered a searing monologue about America’s “gaping racial wound that will not heal, yet we pretend doesn’t exist.”

    Comedy legend Jerry Seinfeld was one of those to pay their respects. “Wish you all best, dude,” he wrote on twitter. “Love you, man.”

  • 17 killed in bomb attack on Saudi mosque

    The explosion took place as worshippers were praying at a mosque used by Saudi special forces in Abha, the broadcaster said, describing it as a “terrorist” attack. It gave no further details.

    An interior ministry spokesman confirmed the attack but gave a slightly lower toll of “more than 13” dead.

    The victims were members of a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit, the spokesman told AFP.

    “It’s confirmed there’s an explosion and there’s more than 13 (killed)… in a mosque,” the spokesman said.

    The explosion happened at the headquarters of the SWAT team, which is tasked with domestic security, he added.

    It was too early to say who may have carried out the attack, he added.

    Saudi Arabia has been on alert for attacks by the jihadist Islamic State group, who have been blamed for killing policemen and for slaughtering members of the minority Shiite community.

  • Add spice for a longer life?

    But they cautioned it was too early to draw a final conclusion on the potential benefits of fiery fare, and urged further research that may lead to “updated dietary recommendations”.

    The study, published in The BMJ journal, collected dietary data from nearly 490,000 people, aged 30 to 79, in China.

    They were enrolled between 2004 and 2008, and their health monitored for an average of seven years. Just over 20,000 participants died in the period.

    “Compared with participants who ate spicy foods less than once a week, those who consumed spicy foods one or two days a week were at a 10 percent reduced risk of death,” said a statement from The BMJ.

    And those who ate spicy foods almost every day, “had a relative 14 percent lower risk of death compared to those who consumed spicy foods less than once a week.”

    The association was similar in men and women, and stronger in those who did not consume alcohol.

    Fresh and dried chilli peppers were the most commonly used spices — and the association was higher with the fresh variety, according to the team led by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

    The answer may be found in an ingredient of spices — capsaicin, which has previously been suggested to posses anti-obesity, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammation and anti-cancer properties.

    The team urged “further prospective studies in other populations”, that may lead to dietary recommendations and “development of functional foods, such as herbal supplements.”

    In a comment, Kevin McConway of the Open University urged against jumping to conclusions.

    “If people who eat spicy food more often have lower death rates, that might indeed be caused by the chilli eating, or it might be caused by something different that is related to eating chillis and also, separately, happens to promote health.

    “Maybe this is something in the way spices are used in Chinese cooking, or related to other things people eat or drink with the spicy food. Maybe it has something to do with the sort of people, in China, who tend to eat more spicy food.”

    People who ate more chilli were, for example, more likely to live in rural areas.

  • Di Maria passes PSG medical in Doha

    The 27-year-old had extensive tests at the Aspetar sports hospital after being given permission by the Premier League giants to fly to the Qatari capital for talks with PSG officials.

    The two clubs have already agreed a fee of £44.3 million (63 million euros; $68.9 million dollars) for Di Maria who will end his one-year stay at Old Trafford.

    United snapped up Di Maria for a British record £59.7m from Real Madrid last summer, but the winger’s form slumped dramatically after making an encouraging start to life in north-west England.

    After netting three goals and making four assists in his opening six games for the 20-time English champions, Di Maria spent time on the sidelines with injury and fell out of favour with Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal.

    He started just one of the final ten games of last season with his final United goal coming in a 2-0 FA Cup third round win over Yeovil Town in January.

    Di Maria was also unsettled off the field after an attempted burglary on his home in Cheshire in February.

    Since that incident, the Argentine has been living in a city-centre appartment in Manchester — owned by former United player Phil Neville — with his family.

    The former Benfica player had said he wanted to stay at United but after failing to report for the second part of the club’s pre-season tour of the United States on July 25, his future at Old Trafford appeared to be over.

    Di Maria — who has 65 caps for Argentina — scored four goals in 32 appearances for United.

  • At least 20 perish in India after two trains derail

    Divers using gas cutters pulled out trapped passengers and 300 had been rescued by early morning, officials said. Dozens were rushed to hospital in critical condition.

    “We are trying to rescue passengers. Relief work is going on on a war footing. We are checking all carriages to look for trapped passengers,” said ministry spokesman Anil Saxena.

    Twelve coaches of the Kamayani Express to Varanasi from Mumbai derailed near Harda in Madhya Pradesh just before midnight. Six coaches of the Janata Express derailed around the same time, the railway ministry said.

    Heavy monsoon rains and the tail-end of a cyclone have killed more than 100 people across India in flooding, landslides and building collapses in recent days.

    Train wrecks killed more than 25,000 people on India’s overloaded and outdated railway network last year alone. A former railway minister said if the tracks had been maintained, the latest accident could have been avoided.

    “It’s totally unacceptable. It’s a symptom of a deep-rooted cancer in the railway system,” Dinesh Trivedi told reporters.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi this year massively increased spending to modernize the network, but improvements will take years.

    The head of the railway board, A.K. Mittal, however told reporters a flash flood struck the area just minutes before the trains came through, disturbing the tracks. “Ten minutes back at this spot, train movement was normal. There was no problem.”

    India’s state-run railway network carries some 23 million passengers every day. “The two train accidents in Madhya Pradesh are deeply distressing. Deeply pained over the loss of lives,” Modi tweeted.

  • Mullah Omar’s family refuses to back new Taliban leader

    Mullah Akhtar Mansour was announced as the new Taliban chief on Friday after the insurgents confirmed the death of Mullah Omar, who led the militant movement for some 20 years.

    But splits immediately emerged between Mansour and those who challenged his appointment, including the late leader’s son Yakoub and his brother, Mullah Abdul Manan.

    “Our family… has not declared allegiance to anyone amid these differences,” Manan said in an audio message released Sunday, without naming Mansour.

    “We want the ulema (religious scholars) to resolve the differences rather than declaring allegiance to any side,” said the audio message, which Taliban sources confirmed was from Manan.

    “Our family will serve the new leader… if he is elected with consensus.”

    The comments highlight the Taliban’s biggest leadership crisis in recent years at a time when the rival Islamic State group is making gradual inroads into Afghanistan.

    Mansour on Saturday called for unity in the Taliban in his first audio message since becoming head of the group, in comments apparently aimed at averting a factional split.

    The Taliban also released a video on its website showing a large crowd of supporters pledging allegiance to Mansour, in an effort to bolster support for the new leader.

    The video could not be independently verified by AFP.

    ‘Did they deceive us?’

    Yakoub and several other members of the Taliban’s ruling council walked out of the meeting at which Mansour was declared leader, refusing to pledge loyalty to him, a Taliban source told AFP.

    “Part of the insurgency is troubled and needs answers from Mansour and his allies: why did they hide Mullah Omar’s death all these years? Did they deceive us by putting out fake statements in his name just to serve their own interests?” he said.

    The Taliban have not revealed when Omar died but the Afghan government said he passed away in Karachi in April 2013.

    But official Taliban statements in the name of Omar, who had not been seen in public since the Taliban were toppled from power in 2001, were released as recently as last month.

    Another commander linked to the Quetta Shura, the Taliban’s ruling council based in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, criticised Mansour’s selection process.

    He told AFP only a handful of the 20-member shura backed Mansour.

    Many militants also oppose what they see as Pakistan’s attempt to force the Taliban into direct peace talks with the Afghan government.

    Mansour and his two newly named deputies — influential religious leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Sirajuddin Haqqani — are all seen as close to the Pakistani military establishment, which has historically nurtured and supported the Taliban.

    But despite the open rifts the Taliban have sought to present a unified front.

    A senior member of the Haqqani network, the feared Taliban-allied group led by Sirajuddin Haqqani, also urged insurgents to unite behind Mansour.

    He told AFP the present discord “undermines the movement and will benefit the foreign forces”.

    Mansour is seen as a pragmatist and a proponent of peace talks, raising hopes that the power transition could pave the way for an end to Afghanistan’s long and bloody war.

    The announcement of Omar’s death, however, cast doubt over the fragile peace process, forcing the postponement of a second round of talks that had been expected in Pakistan last Friday.

  • Rapper Snoop Dogg stopped in Italy airport with $422,000 in cash

    In the European Union, the maximum amount of undeclared cash one can take on board a plane is 10,000 euros ($10,986.00). Snoop Dogg, who has been touring Europe after releasing the album “Bush” earlier this year, will have to pay a fine, said Andrea Parisi, his lawyer.

    “We clarified everything from a legal point of view. The money came from concerts he had performed around Europe. There was no crime; it was just an administrative infraction,” Parisi told Reuters on Saturday.

    Half of the cash was given back to Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, while the other half is being held by Italian authorities until the amount of the fine is determined, Parisi said.

  • Pakistan releases 163 Indian fishermen in goodwill gesture

    The fishermen were freed from Malir jail in the southern port city of Karachi.

    “We have a total 660 Indians in the prison and most of them are fishermen, who were arrested for violations of territorial waters in the Arabian Sea during the last two years. We have (today) released 163 fishermen as a goodwill gesture,” jail superintendent Muhammad Hassan Sehto told AFP.

    Those released include five children aged between 10 and 14.

    A 10-year-old from India’s Gujarat state, who spent eight months behind bars, left with tears of emotion.

    Pakistan’s leading charity the Edhi Foundation paid the travel expenses of the Indians and presented them with gifts on their departure from the railway station.

    Each country often arrests the other’s fishermen, along with their boats, since many fishing boats lack the technology to check their location.

    India and Pakistan also use the releases as expressions of goodwill.

    Three gunmen stormed a police station and killed seven people in northern India last week and India’s home minister said they came from Pakistan.

    There has also been a flare-up in violence along the de facto border in Kashmir in recent weeks.

    Meanwhile, the Pakistani High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit tweeted: