Kvitova stuns Sharapova to claim Wimbledon crown

Petra Kvitova

stunned Maria Sharapova in straight sets 6-3 6-4 to claim the Wimbledon women's singles title Saturday.
The 21-year-old Czech had gone into the final as the underdog against three-time grand slam champion Sharapova, but belied that status with a high-class display on Centre Court.
She is the third player representing the Czech Republic, after Martina Navratilova and Jana Novotna, to take a Wimbledon singles crown.
Both were in the Royal Box to witness her triumph and Kvitova paid them both a compliment as she savored her victory.
"It's hard to find some words, to see the great players in the Royal Box," said Kvitova, the first left-hander since Navratilova in 1990 to win the title."It's very nice when they're watching me all the time and supporting me, it's great."
Russia's Sharapova was bidding to repeat her success as 17-year-old in 2004, but despite breaking Kvitova in her very first service game was largely second-best against an opponent hitting with pace and accuracy.
Eighth seed Kvitova, beaten in the semifinals by eventual winner Serena Williams last year, responded with two breaks of Sharapova's service to take the first set in 40 minutes.
She immediately broke Sharapova at the start of the second set and appeared to be in control, but the fifth seed retrieved it to level at two games all.
Sharapova looked to gain momentum but she surrendered her service again only to show great resilience to break back again.
But it was her last glimpse of glory as Kvitova broke again for 4-3 to close on her maiden grand slam title.
Serving for the championship at 5-4, Kvitova carved out three match points and clinched it with an ace, sinking to the turf in triumph.
But in contrast, it was a bitter disappointment for Sharapova, who has battled back to the top of the game after serious shoulder surgery.
"It's great to be back at this stage and holding the runner-up plate -- but I wanted the big one today," said Sharapova.
"But it's something I want to be back for and holding again one day."
Defending champion Rafael Nadal and new world No.1 Novak Djokovic contest the men's singles final Sunday.

PPP sends 1,600 blood bags to KP, Army

Daily News
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Sindh as a gesture of solidarity in war against terror and as a tribute to the memory of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto has sent gifts of 1,000 bags of donated blood to Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa province and another 600 bags to Pakistan Army.
These bags of donated blood were sent aboard PIA flights to Islamabad and Peshawar yesterday evening. This was announced by Secretary Information of PPP Sindh, Waqar Mehdi. He said that in a message on the occasion, President PPP Sindh and Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah said that collection of 23,000 bags of blood by the Sindh PPP on the 58th birthday of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, was a humble tribute to the memory of our beloved leader. Syed Qaim Ali Shah also thanked the National Airline for making excellent arrangements for carrying the donated blood to its destination free of cost.

PML-N faces first split against Nawaz

: Renowned PML-N leader from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Saranjam Khan, has resigned from the basic membership of the party, lashing out at party boss Mian Nawaz Sharif for what he described as dictatorial decisions.
Khan, who served as Vice President and Secretary General, is the first key PMLN leader who has publicly challenged Sharif since his 2007 comeback after a long exile.
"We did not accept Zia and Musharraf's dictatorship and how is it possible to tolerate Nawaz Sharif who is following in their footsteps in what is an absolute negation of democracy and democratic norms," Khan told The News shortly after he quit the party.
The dispute, which infuriated the former vice president, is over the appointment of PML-N head of Mardan district of Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa Nawab Arsla Khan.

No imminent threat of floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

There is no imminent threat of floods encountering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the near future, a testimony given by National Weather Forecasting Centre, Pakistan Meteorological Department and Irrigation Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

People are advised to consult reliable informational sources instead of relying on false rumors.

Shakeel Qadir Khan, Director General Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said while briefing Zafar Qadir Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) during a meeting which took place at Provincial Disaster Management Authority Office at Secretariat on Saturday.

While addressing the members he assured that the information sharing from Meteorological and Irrigation departments was done on regular basis and the gaps in response and relief towards preparedness measures are scrutinized for immediate rectifications.

General FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA), Zulfiqar Ali Shah Director Relief Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Asghar Ali Director Administration Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). Besides these, officials from Food, Health, Education, Irrigation, UNOCHA, Communication & Works (C&W) departments also shared their mutual views towards floods preparedness.

Zafar Qadir Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) abetting the efforts of PDMA emphasized the need of water resource and small Dams formation, escalating the possibility of inundation in case of floods onset.

Talks for acquisition of Doppler Radars are also in progress with China, he added.

China's communist party's 90 years

Celebrations are taking place across China to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Tourists have flocked to caves in Ya'nan, in the country's north-west, where Mao Zedong and his followers started the guerrilla war which saw them later take over the country.

Performances have recreated the civil war, with tourists dressing up in revolutionary garb.

Visitors have also seen the mud cave houses where Mao Zedong and his fellow communists lived in and planned their conquest of China.

One visitor said he is using the day to reaffirm his commitment to the CCP.

"We have come with a tour organised for the communist party members of Beijing's Pinggu district," he said.

"We are here to pay our tribute to the CCP, and to mark its anniversary on July first, we have renewed our vows of faith and fidelity. We will integrate our learning here with our work and life."But Chinese president Hu Jintao used the celebrations to warn that corruption could threaten the party's legitimacy at the helm of the world's second-largest economy.

Mr Hu made the comments in a keynote address at a ceremony in the Great Hall of the People to party leaders and members gathered to celebrate the anniversary of the CCP's founding in 1921.
"The whole party is confronted with growing pains," Mr Hu said, telling the thousands-strong audience that "incompetence" on the part of some members and their "being divorced from the people" had created problems.

"It is more urgent than ever for the party to impose discipline on its members.

"The party's development over the past 90 years has told us that firmly punishing and effectively preventing corruption is key to the winning or losing of people's support and the life or death of the party."

Mr Hu also hailed the achievements of the party "in revolution, development and reform" since it was founded.

"Today a vibrant socialist China has emerged in the East and the 1.3 billion Chinese people are marching ahead, full of confidence under the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics," he said.

China, which likes to mark official anniversaries with pomp, has already released a star-studded patriotic film, featuring many of China's biggest stars.

And on the eve of the anniversary, premier Wen Jiabao launched a new $33 billion high-speed train line between Beijing and Shanghai - an event that was widely covered in the media.

Yemenis condemn Saudi interference

Anti-regime protesters in Yemen have held fresh rallies denouncing the interference of Saudi Arabia and the US in their country's internal affairs.

“Listen, Al Saud! We are protesting in millions despite plots!” the demonstrators chanted on Saturday.

The protesters also called for the formation of a transnational council while they chanted slogans against Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh, AP reported.

Saleh, who has been hospitalized in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, has not appeared in public since June 3, when explosions at his presidential compound killed 11 people and wounded 124 others.

Yemen has witnessed nationwide anti-government demonstrations, demanding the ouster of Saleh after being more than three decades in power, since late January.

Demonstrators also demand the trial of Saleh for murdering hundreds of Yemenis during the regime's crackdown on the protests.

Yemeni protesters have told the Saudi government to stop its efforts to obstruct their revolution.

Moreover, Riyadh has claimed that al-Qaeda militants may try to take advantage of the situation if the Yemenis continue to hold demonstrations.

Foreign intervention has been condemned by thousands of Yemenis during demonstrations across the country over the past few weeks.

Obama: ending tax breaks required to cut deficit

President Barack Obama pressed his case on Saturday for achieving deficit reduction, in part by ending tax breaks and singling out hedge fund managers, oil companies and billionaires to take the hit.
Obama is locked in a dispute with Republicans over how to bring down the deficit as part of a deal to raise the debt ceiling and prevent Washington from default.

Democrats insist that some tax increases be included in a deficit-cutting package.

Republicans say that would be bad for the economy.

"Now, it would be nice if we could keep every tax break, but we can't afford them," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address.

"Because if we choose to keep those tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, or for hedge fund managers and corporate jet owners, or for oil and gas companies pulling in huge profits without our help - then we'll have to make even deeper cuts somewhere else."

Obama listed a range of areas, some of which are considered top Democratic political priorities, that would face the chopping block if such tax breaks were allowed to continue.

"We've got to say to a student, 'You don't get a college scholarship.' We have to say to a medical researcher, 'You can't do that cancer research.' We might have to tell seniors, 'You have to pay more for Medicare,'" he said.

"That isn't right, and it isn't smart. We've got to cut the deficit, but we can do that while making investments in education, research and technology that actually create jobs."

Senator Dan Coats, delivering the weekly Republican address, said reducing spending was the key.

"The president and Democrats in Congress must recognize that their game plan is not working," he said. "It's time to acknowledge that more government and higher taxes is not the answer to our problem. It's time for bold action and a new plan to address our current crisis."

TIT FOR TAT

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has warned of huge risks if Congress fails to raise the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by August 2, potentially triggering a default that could send shivers through an already-fragile banking system.

Obama said both sides agreed spending cuts were necessary and said he and Vice President Joe Biden had made progress in getting lawmakers to agree on areas to cut.

"Over the last few weeks, the vice president and I have gotten both parties to identify more than $1 trillion in spending cuts," Obama said.

"But after a decade in which Washington ran up the country's credit card, we've got to find more savings to get out of the red. That means looking at every program and tax break in the budget - every single one - to find places to cut waste and save money."

Fears of a default, which could disrupt everything from debt payments to retirement benefits, rose after Republicans walked out of budget negotiations led Biden last week.

Coats said Obama had to step up to get a deal done.

"Now is the time for decisive leadership from this president," he said. "It's time to cast aside the false safety of political denial and re-election hopes and put the future of our country above all else."

Janet Jackson revives brother's memories with virtual duet

Janet Jackson is opening up for the first time about a duet with her brother that she's reviving two years after his death.
Jackson took to the stage in London on Thursday and performed their 1995 song Scream as video of Michael Jackson played and his voice filled Royal Albert Hall.
The reworked duet follows in the footsteps of jazz pianist and singer Nat King Cole and his daughter, Natalie Cole. In 1991 she turned her father's famous 1961 recording "Unforgettable" into a father-daughter duet.
Janet Jackson said she did the original duet at the request of her brother years ago.
"I was on the Rhythm Nation tour and Mike actually asked me to do a song with him and I told him no. I didn't want to do it. I felt I hadn't come into my own and I hadn't fully made a name for myself ... and I didn't want to ride anyone's coattails," she said. "And I remember being in the Janet Tour a few good years later and he asked me again if I would do a song with him. And I felt, at that point, I'd carved my own little niche in this world of music and I felt okay, I can do this now and that's how it came about."
Jackson said that performing the song alongside her brother again isn't difficult.
"It feels great -- just listening to and hearing his voice," she said, adding that on stage she finds herself, "remembering the experience of recording it."
Jackson decline to comment to the press on the two-year mark of her brother's death, instead taking to social media this week with a simple message on Twitter on the June 25 anniversary: "I miss you, I love you."
Jackson wraps up the European leg of her tour this week then heads to North America, Australia and Africa.

ANP likes President Zardari: Mian Iftikhar

Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain Friday said whether anyone likes President Zardari or not ANP does like him the best, Geo News reported.

Addressing a program to celebrate ‘provincial autonomy’, the Minister said ‘the man who fulfilled our deepest desires, we cannot help but feel love for him’.

He said provincial autonomy will strengthen democracy in the country and that ANP would take all the political parties along.
Pukhtun nationalists have fought long and hard for changing the colonial name of the province and to gain Provincial Autonomy and to receive the net hydel profit. During the present Government of PPP & ANP all the issues have been resolved to some extent. President Zardari might have a bad reputation but for the Pukhtun Nationalist he has proved to be a catalyst.