Spanish La Liga: ‘We are still in a privileged position’

Real Madrid's French forward Karim Benzema (C) vies with Valencia's French midfielder Sofiane Feghouli during the Spanish league football match Real Madrid CF vs Valencia CF at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on May 4, 2014. PHOTO: AFP

MADRID: Atletico Madrid captain Gabi stayed positive despite his side squandering a chance to all but wrap up their first La Liga title since 1996 when they slumped to a surprise 2-0 defeat by Levante on Sunday that trimmed their lead at the top to three points.

“I am proud of the team, we tried every way we could and their best player was their goalkeeper,” said Gabi in an interview with Spanish television.

“We can’t make a drama out of it because we are still in the privileged position of having our destiny in our own hands. If we win our two remaining games we are champions.”

Meanwhile, Real Madrid failed to take full advantage of Atletico’s loss and Barcelona’s 2-2 home draw against Getafe on Saturday when they needed a brilliant Cristiano Ronaldo volley in added time to rescue a point in a 2-2 home draw with Valencia.

Victory for Atletico at Valencia-based Levante would have meant they needed only a win at home to Malaga next weekend to secure top spot and render their final match at Barca the following week irrelevant.

However, an own goal from Filipe Luis in the seventh minute and a neat finish from David Barral 21 minutes from time meant Atletico will almost certainly need to beat the champions as well to secure their first title since 1996.

With two matches left, Atletico lead on 88 points, three ahead of second-placed Barca. Real, on 83 points in third, have a game in hand at Real Valladolid on Wednesday when a win would lift them
above Barca.

Indian Premier League: Tambe hat-trick seals stunning win for Rajasthan

Pravin Tambe was the architect of the win for Rajasthan with a stunning spell of leg-spin bowling. PHOTO: BCCI

KARACHI: Rajasthan Royals recorded one of the most remarkable comebacks in T20 cricket to defeat a stunned Kolkata by 10 runs in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match played in Ahmedabad, India.

Chasing a target of 161 runs, Kolkata were in complete control at the end of 14 overs. The opening pair of Robin Uthappa (65) and Gautam Gambhir (54) had added 121 runs when Gambhir fell to trigger a sensational collapse.

Six wickets fell for the addition of only two runs as spinner Pravin Tambe ran through the middle order, accounting for Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan and Ryan ten Doeschate off successive deliveries in the 15th over of the innings.

Shakib al Hasan (21) tried hard to bring his team back in contention after the shocking spell but failed to lead them past the target as Kolkata ended 10 runs short.

Earlier, Rajasthan posted a fighting total of 160 courtesy an all-round batting performance by their top order. Karun Nair was the main contributor, scoring 44 off only 35 balls while Sanju Samson scored 37 runs.

Tambe was declared the man of the match for his outstanding bowling spell.

Kohli hails De Villiers’ contribution for Bangalore

Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli hailed foreign recruit AB de Villier’s superb knock against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday, that helped his team secure a thrilling four-wicket win.

The South African tore into teammate – arguably the best fast-bowler in contemporary cricket – Dale Styen in the penultimate over of the match to seal victory. The hosts needed 28 off the last two overs and De Villiers scored 24 of those in the 19th over bowled by Steyn.

“He [De Villiers] is the best player in the world by far,” said Kohli. “He has shown it every now and then, and he has shown it again today [Sunday] why he is rated number one in the world in any format.”

The right-hander hit three sixes including an astonishing lap sweep that went into the top-tier at the fine-leg boundary to spell doom for the fast bowler.

New Zealand to declare match-fixing a crime

McCully said that while some elements of match-fixing would have been covered by existing crimes such as fraud, they were not designed to deal specifically with sports. PHOTO: FILE

WELLINGTON: New Zealand said on Monday it will make match-fixing a specific crime for the first time to ensure sport remains corruption-free as the country prepares to co-host next year’s Cricket World Cup.

Sports Minister Murray McCully said that in recent years, some sporting codes had been targeted by international criminal syndicates “seeking to gain unfair advantage to profit from sports betting”.

“These activities compromise athletes and tarnish sport,” he said, announcing the creation of a new crime of match-fixing, with a maximum penalty of seven years behind bars.

McCully said that while some elements of match-fixing would have been covered by existing crimes such as fraud, they were not designed to deal specifically with sports.

He believed the new crimes would give greater certainty to sports bodies combating match-fixing, but stressed the move was preventative and there was no evidence of a problem in New Zealand.

Smith in action: Visitors inflict eight-wicket crushing defeat on Delhi

Opener Dwayne Smith kept up Chennai Super Kings’ near-perfect winning streak with an inspiring 79 runs off 51 deliveries. PHOTO: FILE

Opener Dwayne Smith kept up Chennai Super Kings’ near-perfect winning streak with an inspiring 79 runs off 51 deliveries, enabling his team to secure a massive eight-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils late Monday in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

Adding to the West Indies all-rounder’s contribution was Brendon McCullum (32), Suresh Raina (47) and captain MS Dhoni’s small but timely knock of 12 off five as the visitors wrapped up their victory at 181 runs for two with two balls to spare at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground in Delhi.

“The rain helped us, their [Delhi’s] bowlers found it tough,” said Dhoni.

Earlier, Delhi were asked to bat first and they managed to accumulate a decent total of 178 runs for the loss of five wickets, courtesy Dinesh Karthik’s half-century and steady knocks by Quinton de Kock (24), Murali Vijay (35), JP Duminy (28) and Kedar Jadhav (29).

Holmes seals Quail Hollow victory

ADMIRABLE RECOVERY: Holmes had surgery late in 2011 to correct structural defects in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance. PHOTO: AFP

CHARLOTTE: JB Holmes survived two late bogeys to win the US PGA Tour Wells Fargo Championship on Sunday, his first title since he underwent brain surgery in 2011.

The American fired a final-round 71 on the par-72 Quail Hollow course for a 14-under total of 274 and a one-stroke victory over Jim Furyk.

Furyk stormed into contention with a seven-under 65, but overnight leader Holmes’s effort – capped by a three-footer for bogey at the last – was good enough for a third career title.

His previous two came at Phoenix in 2006 and 2008, but since then he had been slowed by health troubles.

He began 2014 playing on a medical exemption, but had won enough money by April to secure his spot on tour for the remainder of the year.

“It feels great,” said Holmes. “It’s been a long journey for me. I’ve had some ups and downs, so it’s a great feeling to be out here and get one done.

“I felt good going all day. I played well and hit the driver well. It was a good day for me.”

American Martin Flores carded a final-round 72 for sole possession of third place on 276. Jason Bohn carded a 70 for 277.

US Open champion Justin Rose of England carded a 71 for fifth place on 278.

Phil Mickelson, who won the most recent of his five major titles at the British Open last year, had charged into contention on Saturday with a nine-under par 63.

But the US star slumped to a four-over 76 that included three bogeys and one double-bogey to fall into a tie for 11th on 281.

Another jab: BJP’s hate politics will not take India forward, says Rahul

Indian Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi addresses an election rally in Allahabad. PHOTO: AFP

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the hate politics of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will not take the county forward, and blamed the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the BJP for lack of development in Uttar Pradesh, Daily News and Analysis reported.

“If you listen to the speeches of the opposition leaders, then they are always abusing and criticising us. They have never appreciated anybody, not even their own party leaders. They indulge in the politics of hatred. This type of politics will not take India forward,”  Rahul told a rally here.

Raking up the issue of Muzaffarnagar riots, Rahul said, “The riots happened in Muzaffarnagar because these parties wanted to gain mileage from the riots. So everybody has to stand up together, and without this the country will not go any further.”

Rahul blamed the SP, the BSP and the BJP for lack of development in UP, and alleged that these parties have only spread communalism and casteism in the state. “The issues like education, poverty, unemployment and development were put on a backburner. They have wasted 25 years,” he said.

He also targeted the BJP and the Shiv Sena on the issue of UP people being thrashed in Mumbai.

“Here they say that they will change the face of the UP. But in Mumbai they thrash the people of UP. Here they show one face and in Mumbai they have a different face,” he added.

He also said that the Congress party believes that both industrialists and farmers should work towards development, and added that the party has always encouraged them to do so.

Embarrassment: Pakistan faces global travel curbs

“Currently, Pakistan does not have trained people who can issue certificates for polio vaccination which meet international standards,” says an official of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination. PHOTO: ONLINE/FILE

LAHORE / ISLAMABAD: 

Pakistan’s failure to stem the spread of polio triggered global emergency health measures on Monday, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommending all residents to show proof of vaccination before they can leave the country.

The emergency measures also apply to Syria and Cameroon, which along with Pakistan are seen as posing the greatest risk of exporting the crippling virus and undermining a UN plan to eradicate it by 2018.

The statement issued by WHO Assistant Director-General (DG) Dr Bruce Alyward is based on recommendations of the Emergency Committee and is effective from May 5.

“This has been recommended under International Health Regulations so it will be mandatory on all countries to seek certification of anti-polio vaccination from all Pakistanis travelling to their lands,” the WHO chief coordinator for polio eradication in Pakistan, Dr Elias Durray, told The Express Tribune.

According to the statement, the governments of these three countries shall ensure that all residents and long-term visitors (even foreigners) visiting for more than four weeks should receive a dose of the OPV or inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) between four weeks and 12 months prior to international travel.

The heads of state should officially declare that the interruption of poliovirus transmission is a national public health emergency.

The government must also ensure that individuals undertaking urgent travel (within four weeks) who have not received a dose of OPV or IPV in the previous four weeks to 12 months, receive a dose of the polio vaccine at least by the time of departure.

It must also ensure that such travellers are provided with an ‘International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis’ to record their polio vaccination and serve as proof.

Govt caught ‘unawares’

While the possibility of international travel restrictions loomed for days before Monday’s announcement, the government appears to be largely unprepared for the situation – a predicament evidenced by officials’ cluelessness regarding vaccination of people who will be travelling following these restrictions.

“Currently, Pakistan has no plan to facilitate polio vaccinations for those travelling or any details about locations where certificates can be obtained. Therefore, it is too early to talk about it,” National Manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Dr Ejaz Khan said.

He is of the view that Pakistan cannot eradicate polio from the country unless it strengthens routine immunisation and merges it with the National Polio Eradication Programme.

A senior official at the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHSRC) who requested anonymity said, “Like always, this time, too, Pakistan has not planned anything beforehand although it had a clue that travel restrictions would be placed on the country.”

The official said the restriction gives a clear message to the government to get serious and start working on polio eradication on practical grounds.

“At present, Pakistan has polio vaccines in stock for the national and supplementary anti-polio drives but do not have supplies for vaccinating every single person who will be going out of the country,” said the official.

He said that vaccine procurement is a lengthy process and will take time to acquire.

Furthermore, in each district of the country there is a need to have adequate health facilities where people could get vaccinated against the crippling disease, which could be conducted at tertiary hospitals, basic health units (BHUs) or rural health centres (RHCs), said the official.

“Currently, Pakistan does not have trained people who can issue certificates for polio vaccination which meet international standards,” he said.

International wire agencies quoted Saira Afzal Tarar, the deputy minister for health, as saying that she had called a meeting of health officials to consider how to respond to the new travel measures, and in particular how to ensure the supply of vaccine and health workers to administer the drops.

An emergency meeting is being held today (Tuesday) with all provincial ministers for the introduction of special measures following the restrictions.

The measures will include the establishment of mandatory immunisation counters at all airports, on border crossings and at seaports, and health officials will ensure that every single person going out of Pakistan has been given polio drops.

WHO national campaign coordinator in Pakistan, Zubair Mufti, said: “It is worrisome that travel restrictions have been placed on Pakistan due to the continuous surge in the number of polio cases.”

“The Pakistani government should immediately formulate a mechanism regarding vaccination for people going out of Pakistan,” he said.

Implications for travellers

• The government must ensure that all residents and long-term visitors receive a dose of the polio vaccine (IPV) between four weeks and 12 months prior to international travel

• Those who are leaving the country within four weeks must receive a dose of the vaccine at least by the time of departure

• Travellers must be given an ‘International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis’ to record their vaccination as proof

• It is mandatory for all countries to ask travellers from Pakistan to show proof of polio immunisation

• PM must officially declare that the interruption of poliovirus transmission is a national public health emergency