Monday, September 27, 2010

Figc donates 100,000 euros to Pakistan relief

ROME: The Italian Football Federation on Monday donated 100,000-euros to the flood relief effort in Pakistan.

Federation president Giancarlo Abete handed over a cheque to Italian Red Cross president Patrizia Ravaioli in the presence of Pakistan's Ambassador to Italy Tasnim Aslam.

“This is an opportunity for the whole football world to show our support for the Pakistani population,” said Abete.

Nearly 21 million people have been affected by the floods in the north of the country and officials say eight million people are reliant on handouts.

The donation will only make a small dent in the 120-million euros the UN High Commission for Refugees recently said it still needs to buy tents and other supplies.


US praises 'restraint' as settlement freeze ends

WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday praised the “restraint” shown by Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, who did not immediately quit the Middle East peace talks after Israel ended its settlement freeze.

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley also voiced US disappointment that Israel had not extended the 10-month moratorium on new settler homes in the West Bank, which formally ended at midnight (2200 GMT Sunday).

The Palestinian president had repeatedly warned he would turn his back on the US-backed negotiations with Israel should the Jewish state continue building on occupied Palestinian land.

But Abbas told reporters in Paris on Monday he would not rush to respond to Israel's failure to extend the freeze, but would first consult Palestinian and Arab leaders.

“In our discussions with both sides over the weekend, we encouraged restraint whenever a decision was made on the Israeli side,” Crowley told reporters.

“The Palestinian response so far reflects the restraint... The restraint at this point is appreciated.”

He said US envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell was heading to the region late Monday, adding: “We'll be in touch with the Israelis this week.””We are disappointed, but remain focused on our long term objectives,” Crowley said.

“One way or the other the parties have to find a way to continue direct negotiations. We recognize that given the decision yesterday we still have a dilemma to resolve.” -AFP

Australia get good practice in drawn tour match

CHANDIGARH: Uncapped batsman Ajinkya Rahane hit a sparkling century as a three-day practice match between the visiting Australians and an Indian side ended in a draw on Monday.

Rahane, 22, hit 18 fours and a six in his unbeaten 111-ball 113 to help the Board President’s XI finish on 174-0 after the tourists declared their second innings at 187-6 on the third and final day of the tie in Chandigarh.

Shane Watson (104 not out) scored his second century of the match after opening the innings with captain Ricky Ponting.

Ponting, who has hit just one century in 12 Tests in India, was dismissed by 18-year-old left-arm paceman Jaidev Unadkat for nine. The Aussie skipper had scored 42 in his team’s first-innings total of 505-8 declared.

Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla was the most successful bowler for the hosts with figures of 3-64.

The Indians were set back by injuries to captain Gautam Gambhir and opener Shikhar Dhawan in the course of the match. Both the batsmen were hit by rising deliveries from Australian paceman Ben Hilfenhaus.

Australia will play two Tests, in Mohali (Oct 1-5) and Bangalore (Oct 9-13), and three one-day internationals in Kochi (Oct 17), Visakhapatnam (Oct 20) and Goa (Oct 24).

Brief scores
Australia: 505-8 decl. and 187-6 decl (S. Watson 104 n o; P. Chawla 3-64).
Indian Board President’s XI: 177 all out (P. Chawla 82; B. Hilfenhaus 5-47) and 174-0 (A. Rahane 113 n o, C. Pujara 52 n o).

Yawar Saeed resigns as manager of Pakistan team

LAHORE: The manager of Pakistan’s cricket team resigned on Monday, just days after the players flew home from England following controversies over spot fixing.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt relieved Yawar Saeed of his duties at Saeed’s own request, the board said.

The 75-year-old Saeed had hinted about stepping down before the tour began in June and denied that his decision to go was connected to the allegations that marred the team’s tour of England.

The allegations surfaced after British newspaper News of the World claimed that alleged bookie Mazhar Majeed paid several Pakistani players to deliberately bowl no-balls during last month’s Lord’s Test against England.

Scotland Yard raided the team’s hotel in London, and interrogated Test captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamir and Wahab Riaz.

So far no charges have been brought against Pakistani players.

The International Cricket Council has provisionally suspended Salman, Asif and Aamir.

“I had requested the PCB chairman to relieve me of the duties before the England tour... nor it is linked to the tour of England,” Saeed told reporters.

Saeed is the son of Mian Mohammad Saeed, who led Pakistan in their first unofficial Test in 1948, and brother-in-law to the late fast bowler Fazal Mahmood.

Pakistan’s next assignment is a neutral venue series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates, starting next month.

Saeed is likely to be replaced by Shafqat Rana, assistant manager on the England tour.

India races to prepare for Commonwealth Games

NEW DELHI: Indian workers raced to finish preparations on Monday for the Commonwealth Games as hundreds of athletes and team officials arrived in New Delhi.

The city’s chief minister said she was confident they would complete the job ahead of the event’s opening on Sunday.

India has come under harsh criticism for the state of the athletes’ village, including complaints about filthy conditions, infrastructure problems and even a snake found in the room of a South African competitor over the weekend. Another snake, a four-foot-long cobra, was reportedly found at the tennis stadium.

The games village was supposed to be ready last week, but many teams have delayed moving in because cleaning and repair work have not been finished.

New Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who took charge of the work last week, has been seen travelling around the village in a golf cart in recent days to personally inspect the work.

“We inherited a very difficult situation, but it’s improving almost by the hour,” she said on Monday. “We are racing against time, no doubt about it, but we will perform.”

Some of the buildings had leaks in them, there was still water in some basements and some elevators were not yet working, she said.

Several team officials said conditions in the village had improved dramatically.

“A lot of work has taken place over the last few days. I am relatively satisfied,” said Mike Summers, head of the Falkland Islands delegation. His 15-member team will arrive in the city and move in to the village on Tuesday, he said.

Juliet Acon, a Ugandan official, said her nation’s delegation had been forced to live in hotels for a few days until their rooms were ready Saturday. “So far, so good,” she said.

Kenyan shot putter Agnes Flora Oluoch said her team’s rooms were in good condition, but she and her fellow athletes had yet to receive keys, forcing them to leave their doors unlocked.

The multi-sport games, held every four years, bring together nearly 7,000 athletes and officials from 71 countries and territories from across the former British empire. The games were meant to help cement India’s reputation as a growing regional power. Instead, its image has been battered by negative publicity about its frantic last-minute efforts to get ready for an event it knew it was hosting seven years ago.

The collapse of a pedestrian bridge leading to the main stadium and the recent shooting of two tourists outside one of New Delhi’s top attractions added to organizers’ woes.

Montek Singh Ahluwalia, one of India’s key economic policymakers, brushed off concerns that the bad publicity could scare off potential investors in India.

“If you are talking about investors, people who are planning to invest significant sums of money in India, (they will do so) based on overall assessment of the economy and the economic policy and so on,” he told reporters in Malaysia. “I don’t think this will become an opportunity for people ... to reverse their opinion of how the Indian economy is performing.”

Nevertheless, the bad publicity has continued, with Australian cyclist Travis Meyer and table tennis player Stephanie Sang announcing Sunday they would pull out of the competition _ following a string of other athletes who have decided to stay away, either because of health and security concerns or injuries.

Tuelo Serufho, head of the Botswana contingent, was quoted by Press Trust of India as saying that his team’s rooms in the village were “unlivable for our athletes,” with filthy bed sheets, bathroom fixtures that did not work and construction debris yet to be cleared away.

Complaints heave also came from Indian competitors.

Boxer Akhil Kumar, who won gold for India in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, said he was disappointed with his accommodation. “When I sat down on my bed to take a rest, it collapsed,” Kumar was quoted as saying by the Times of India newspaper. —AP

MQM leader's murder linked to rows within party: report

KARACHI: MQM senior party leader, Dr. Imran Farooq may have been killed due to conflicts in his own party, a report in the Guardian stated on Sunday.

The report said that Farooq, who was stabbed to death in London earlier this month, may have been about to join a new political party set up by former president Pervez Musharraf and his assassination could have been linked to that.

Farooq’s assassination is being investigated by the Scotland Yard.

Also on Sunday, MQM Chief, Altaf Hussain said that the “international establishment” and a few powerful countries had planned a conspiracy to eliminate him and Farooq’s murder was a part of this plot.

Petition in SC against Abdul Qayyum Jatoi

LAHORE: A Contempt of Court petition has been filed against former federal minister Abdul Qayyum Jatoi in the Supreme Court’s Lahore registry. The petitioner has requested the apex court to declare Mr Jatoi ineligible for holding the position of MNA.

The petition was filed regarding Jatoi’s remarks against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and the Pakistan Army. Later on, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani summoned Jatoi at his residence and received his resignation.

Petitioner Safdar Shaheen said that Jatoi should be tried for contempt of court and under Article 6 of the constitution.

The petitioner also said that the federal minister blamed the judiciary and the army falsely.

Iran set to arrive for eight-day joint kabbadi camp

ISLAMABAD: A joint kabbadi training camp between Pakistan and Iran is set to get underway as the Iranian team arrives in Islamabad on Monday.

The training camp will be held to help both countries prepare for this year’s Asian Games, to be held in China from November 12 to 27.

“Iran’s national team will arrive here on Monday for a joint training camp and some friendly matches. The training camp will be beneficial for both the teams ahead of the Asian Games,” Pakistan Kabbadi Federation (PKF) secretary Mohammad Sarwar told PPI.

Sarwar was hopeful that the joint training camp will boost Pakistan’s chances of bagging a medal at the Games.

“Iran’s team is very strong and both the teams will gain a lot from this training camp and the matches,” he said.

The camp will get underway on Monday, September 27 and will go on until October 4 at the Pakistan Sports Complex. —PPI