In a major foreign policy speech after two weeks of fending off domestic scandals, Obama limited the scope of what his predecessor, George W Bush, had called a global war on terror after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks.

“Our nation is still threatened by terrorists,” Obama said at Washington’s National Defence University. “We must recognise, however, that the threat has shifted and evolved from the one that came to our shores on 9/11.”

Faced with criticism about the morality of using unmanned aerial vehicles to wage war in distant lands, Obama said the US will only use drone strikes when a threat is imminent, a nuanced change from the previous policy of launching strikes against a significant threat.

“To say a military tactic is legal, or even effective, is not to say it is wise or moral in every instance,” Obama said.

Under a new presidential guidance signed on Wednesday, Obama said the Defence Department will take the lead in launching drones, as opposed to the current practice of the CIA taking charge.

Any drone strike will only be launched when a terrorism suspect cannot be captured. The US will respect state sovereignty and will limit strikes to al Qaeda or associated targets, he said.

“And before any strike is taken, there must be near-certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured – the highest standard we can set,” said Obama.

His policy shift came after the Obama administration acknowledged on Wednesday that four Americans abroad had been killed in drone strikes since 2009 in counter-terrorism operations in Yemen and Pakistan, including militant cleric Anwar al Awlaki.

Obama defended those operations, saying when a US citizen goes abroad to wage war against the US, his citizenship should not be a shield.

Tribute to Pakistani soldiers

During the speech, Obama also paid respect to “thousands of Pakistani soldiers have lost their lives fighting extremists.”

Abbottabad raid

President Obama also spoke of his country’s raid in Abbottabad in 2011 to capture and kill former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, which derailed its relationship with Islamabad.

The president said it was not possible for America to deploy a team of Special Forces to capture every terrorist, and adding that putting US boots on the ground may trigger a major international crisis.

“To put it another way, our operation in Pakistan against Osama bin Laden cannot be the norm. The risks in that case were immense,” he said.

“The cost to our relationship with Pakistan – and the backlash among the Pakistani public over encroachment on their territory – was so severe that we are just now beginning to rebuild this important partnership.”

Closing Guantanamo Bay prison

Faced with congressional opposition, Obama has been frustrated by his inability to carry out a 2008 campaign pledge to close the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. A hunger strike by 103 of the 166 detainees has put pressure on him to take action.

“There is no justification beyond politics for Congress to prevent us from closing a facility that should never have been opened,” Obama said.

During the speech, the US president also condemned the killing of a British soldier in London by two suspected extremists as “appalling” and “horrific.”

Heckler interrupts Obama

An anti-war heckler repeatedly interrupted President Obama, prompting him to depart from his prepared remarks. “The voice of that woman is worth paying attention to – obviously I don’t agree with much of what she said,” Obama said, after repeatedly asking the woman to sit down.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2013.

Broad’s seven-wicket haul in the second-innings of the first Test bowled England to a 170-run victory as New Zealand were bundled out for just 68 having matched the hosts for three days on a slow and difficult batting pitch.

Conditions at Headingley should be more favourable to run-scoring if the sun is shining, but can be equally unpredictable and favour seam and swing with Broad, James Anderson and New Zealand’s Tim Southee, fresh from his 10-wicket haul at Lord’s, ready to exploit any cloud cover.

However, England captain Alastair Cook believes Headingley will be far from the bowling-friendly ground of old.

“Over the last couple of years there have been some high-scoring games here and it’s quite similar to Lord’s,” said Cook. “If it’s sunny it can be a nice pitch to bat on and we will have to work hard in every session.”

England have not won a Test at Headingley since beating West Indies in May, 2007. Since then they have lost to and drawn with South Africa, and were beaten in Leeds by the Australians in 2009.

Vettori ruled out

Meanwhile, spinner Daniel Vettori was ruled out of playing in the second Test after doubts over his ability to last a five-day match.

Former captain Vettori has not played a Test for nearly a year, mainly because of Achilles trouble, and was only originally selected for the one-day leg of this tour.

He trained on Wednesday but New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum told reporters at Headingley yesterday, “Dan’s out of the game unfortunately.

“We obviously gave it our best shot with Dan but he didn’t scrub up that well and with the workload he’s had, it was just a bridge too far unfortunately.”

Vettori, New Zealand’s joint highest-capped Test player of all-time with 111 appearances, a mark he shares with Stephen Fleming, has taken 359 Test wickets for his country — a record only bettered for the Black Caps by Richard Hadlee.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2013.

Aisamul Haq Qureshi and his Dutch partner Jean-Julien Rojer crashed out of the doubles event at the Nice Open 2013, going down in the quarter-final to local duo of Nicholas Mahut and Edouar Roger-Vasselin 3-6, 7-5, 10-3 in France, yesterday.

Aisam and Rojer, the top seeds in the tournament, had earlier defeated James Cerretani and Victor Hanescu 6-3, 6-1 but failed to continue the momentum.

Aisam and Rojer now head to the French Open with their form dipping since their win in Miami last month. The pair lost in Rome and Madrid before their defeat in Paris.

Injured Murray confirms French Open withdrawal

Meanwhile, Andy Murray will miss the French Open with the back injury that flared up at the Rome Masters, confirmed the world number two in a statement.

After meeting with medical specialists Murray has decided to skip the second Grand Slam of the year at Roland Garros to ensure he is fully fit for Wimbledon.

“It’s a really tough decision and I love playing in Paris, but, after seeking medical advice, I am not fit to compete,” the US Open and Olympic champion explained in a statement to Britain’s Press Association.

“After consultation with his team and medical specialists, Andy has reluctantly withdrawn from the French Open and will instead focus on preparation for the grasscourt season,” added the statement.

Murray had raised the possibility of his absence from the French Open after retiring with the back problem in his second-round match against Spain’s Marcel Granollers at the Rome Masters last week.

“I’d be very surprised if I was playing in Paris,” said a subdued Murray then.

This will be the first Grand Slam he will miss since Wimbledon in 2007. The injury was the same one which required him to take a pain-killing injection in order to play at Roland Garros last year where he reached the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, world number seven Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina also pulled out of next week’s French Open after failing to recover from a virus, reported the Argentine media yesterday.

Bernard Tomic will, however, feature in the Grand Slam despite his off-court troubles only to keep some momentum going for the grasscourt season ahead, said Tennis Australia’s (TA) Todd Woodbridge yesterday.

Tomic’s father John faced a charge of causing criminal injury in a Madrid court earlier this month after allegedly assaulting his son’s hitting partner Thomas Drouet.

“He needs to keep playing coming into the grasscourt season — that’s where he’s played some great tennis before,” said Woodbridge, TA’s Professional Tennis Manager. “If you do not get that little bit of match play, it’s hard to get the momentum going.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2013.

In a statement released by the President’s Secretariat on Monday, President Zardari said Baig made the entire nation proud by becoming the first Pakistani woman to climb Everest.  He lauded her determination and praised her as a symbol of the great talent and potential of women in the country.

Furthermore, the president paid glowing tributes not just to 21-year-old Baig, but also to her brother Ali, who is 29.

He said their achievement represented the potential of the youth to rise in every field, and underscored the importance of grooming and guiding talented Pakistanis, especially women and the youth, to fully realise their capabilities.

President Zardari expressed hope that the siblings will continue their hard work and keep Pakistan’s flag waving high in the world of mountaineering.

A disquieting silence

Despite the national acclaim, members of the Gilgit-Baltistan legislative assembly session made absolutely no mention of the siblings’ achievement.

The assembly, dominated by the Pakistan Peoples Party, also remained tight-lipped over the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz victory in the polls.

“The house discussed the former chief secretary Sajjad Hottiana and the role of bureaucracy but didn’t appreciate the achievement of the climbers who are residents of G-B,” said journalist Abdur Rahman Bukhari, also adding that ignoring PML-N’s victory also speaks volumes for the government’s intentions about its opponents.

No small feat

In the past, only two other Pakistani mountaineers, Nazir Sabir and Hassan Sadpara, have scaled Mount Everest.

Baig and Ali, who belong to the small town of Shimshal in the Hunza Valley, scaled the 8,848 metre peak early on Sunday after a gruelling expedition in rough weather.

Karrar Haidri, a member of the executive council of the Pakistan Alpine Club, said Baig had raised Pakistan’s name in the world.” She used her own resources and despite rough weather and fears of an avalanche she never lost courage,” Haidri told AFP. “I sincerely hope that [her] achievement will induce more and more women to join
this sport and help us convince the government to give [us] more funds.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21^st, 2013.

LONDON: England have been left in no doubt about what will be required of them in the first Test against New Zealand starting at Lord’s today.

The world’s second-ranked team struggled on their recent tour of New Zealand where they were outplayed in the three-Test series, salvaging a 0-0 draw only by stubbornly batting out a gripping final day of the third match in Auckland. With the five-match Ashes series against Australia starting in July, captain Alastair Cook and his teammates know they must focus fully on beating New Zealand under the enterprising leadership of Brendon McCullum.

“They under-performed in New Zealand but you don’t just discard somebody because they have had a bad time as a unit,” said England chairman of selectors Geoff Miller. “You say right, not good enough, improve. That’s the message they have been given. New Zealand are a good side but we didn’t play to the capabilities shown in the past. That has got to be rectified.”

Wasim Akram inspires New  Zealand’s Boult

New Zealand’s Trent Boult hopes to succeed where cricket hero Wasim Akram failed by getting his name on the Lord’s honours board.

Pakistan great Akram was the pre-eminent left-arm fast bowler of his generation, and arguably the best of all-time.

Yet for all the occasions he was too hot to handle for England’s batsmen with his blend of reverse swing and pure pace, he never managed a five-wicket innings haul, or 10 wickets in a Test, that would have put his name on the Lord’s honours board.

“Idolising Wasim Akram, it has always been with me that I want to be a swing bowler,” said Boult. “That’s what started me off. It doesn’t get much better than him, in regards to world-class bowlers and left-arm bowlers around the world.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2013.

LONDON: Alex Ferguson bowed out in triumph following his last Old Trafford match as Manchester United manager only to leave successor David Moyes with the familiar problem of what to do with striker Wayne Rooney.

No sooner had the Premier League champions defeated Swansea 2-1 on Sunday to bring down the curtain on Ferguson’s final home match after more than 26 years in charge of United, than the veteran manager revealed England international Rooney had submitted a transfer request.

Ferguson, who retires at the end of the season, dropped Rooney for the Swansea match and said the forward had not been in the right frame of mind to play.

“I don’t think Rooney was keen to play because he’s asked for a transfer and he wants to think it through in his mind,” Ferguson told Sky Sports. “I think that’s a good idea.

“We’re not going to let him go. I think maybe he’s a little bit frustrated that he’s been taken off once or twice in the last few weeks.”

Rooney last asked to leave United in 2010, when he accused the club of failing to match his ambitions, only to change his mind and sign a new five-year contract.

Ferguson, perhaps conscious of the Rooney problem that will confront Moyes, thanked supporters and urged them to back his successor.

“You’ve been the most fantastic experience of my life,” he said, as fans in the crowd of 75,572 fell silent to listen to the man who revived United following his arrival from Aberdeen in November 1986.

“My retirement doesn’t mean the end of my life with the club. I’ll be able to enjoy watching them, rather
than suffer with them. Your job now is to stand by our new manager.”

Everton manager Moyes will take over as manager on July 1, having signed a six-year contract, with Ferguson taking up a role as a director and ambassador.

Wenger prepares Arsenal for Wigan game

For Arsenal, failure to defeat Wigan Athletic today would leave their hopes of a 16th season in the Champions League in severe jeopardy; for Wigan Athletic, anything other than a win would quickly sour the taste of a memorable FA Cup final shock.

As end-of-season fixtures go, the clash at the Emirates could hardly have more importance to the two sides involved.

“Both teams will go for it, it’s a huge game for both of us,” Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger told reporters yesterday. “We are on a remarkable run and have been hugely consistent and our destiny is in our hands.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2013.

PML-N

Casting his vote at the Government Technology College Railway Road’s polling station in NA-119 and PP-142, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif said he was sure of his party’s victory. He told reporters that if voted to power he would unite all the political forces and draft a strategy to “bring Pakistan on the road to prosperity.”

Former chief minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif cast his vote at the Model High School Model Town of NA-126. Emerging from the polling booth, he expressed the hope that his party would win a clear majority. Chaudhry Nisar, another prominent PML-N leader, cast his vote in his native town of Chakri.

PPP

Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf cast his vote in the home constituency NA-51 of Gujjar Khan. Yousaf Raza Gilani’s family, still protesting against the election commission’s code of conduct which they allege led to Ali Haider Gilani’s abduction, cast their votes in the Hamid pur Kanora’s polling station of NA-152.

The chairman of the party, Bilawal Bhutto Zadrari, however, seemed missing from action. When contacted the spokesperson of Bilawal House stated that they were not aware if he cast his vote. The co-chairman was to cast his vote through postal ballot. President Zardari, Bakhtawar Bhutto and Aseefa Bhutto cast their votes earlier through postal ballot.

Other luminaries

Vice chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Shah Mehmood Qureshi cast his vote in the NA-148 constituency of Multan. JUI-F’s Fazlur Rehman cast his ballot in the NA-25 of D I Khan.

Asfandyar Wali Khan and Ghulam Ahmed Bilour of Awami National Party (ANP) cast their votes in NA-7 and NA-1, respectively. Meanwhile, the head of BNP-M Sardar Akhtar Mengal cast his vote in his area polling station in Wadh High School.

One of the main contenders for NA-55, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed cast his vote at the Government Boys High School Zia-ul-Aloom, Raja Bazar. The Awami Muslim League leader praised the electoral body, saying it had made all the efforts for transparent and smooth conduct of elections.

Prominent Figures

The man behind the effort of holding one of the biggest polls in the nation’s history, CEC Justice (retd) Fakharuddin G Ebrahim cast his vote in Defense Karachi. He described elections as the `victory of democracy’ and urged every voter to play their part in the electoral exercise. “Our future is in democracy. Let every Pakistani cast their vote. If the good people will not cast their vote, bad people will win,” he said.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry cast his vote at Railway Accounts Academy polling station in Quetta. Speaking to reporters, he said that the conduct of elections is the proof that there is the rule of law in the country.

Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani exercised his constitutional right to vote and cast his ballot in Rawalpindini for NA-54.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2013.

LONDON: Manchester United confirmed that David Moyes will succeed Alex Ferguson as manager of the club.

Moyes’s departure from Everton was announced earlier in the day and United subsequently revealed that he has been awarded a six-year contract at Old Trafford.

“When we discussed the candidates that we felt had the right attributes, we unanimously agreed on David Moyes,” said Ferguson in a statement, the day after he announced his decision to retire after 26 years in charge.

“David is a man of great integrity with a strong work ethic. I’ve admired his work for a long time and approached him as far back as 1998 to discuss the position of assistant manager here.

“He was a young man then at the start of his career and has since gone on to do a magnificent job at Everton. There is no question he has all the qualities we expect of a manager at this club.”

Moyes, 50, has been at Everton since 2002 and will take over from Ferguson on July 1.

“It’s a great honour to be asked to be the next manager of Manchester United,” he said in a statement released by his new employers.

“I am delighted that Sir Alex saw fit to recommend me for the job. I have great respect for everything he has done for the football club. I know how hard it will be to follow the best manager, but the opportunity to manage Manchester United isn’t something that comes around very often and I’m really looking forward to taking up the post next season.”

Ferguson set for emotional sendoff

Meanwhile, emotions will be running high at Old Trafford on Sunday for Alex Ferguson’s last home game as Manchester United manager with his retirement overshadowing the presentation of the Premier League trophy to the champions.

Ferguson will take his seat in the dugout for the final time with Swansea City the visitors for his home farewell.

Fans unable to get a ticket will be able to line the streets and toast the Scot on Monday evening when United embark on an open-top bus parade through the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2013.

SHEFFIELD: Ronnie O’Sullivan outclassed Barry Hawkins 18-12 on Monday to win his fifth World Snooker Championship and become only the third man to claim back-to-back titles at the Crucible Theatre.

The 37-year-old Englishman, returning to the sport after a year-long absence, showed no signs of rustiness over the two weeks of competition, culminating in a comfortable win over world number 14 Hawkins.

“I thought it was a brilliant final,” O’Sullivan told reporters after making a final-record six century breaks.

“Overall, the snooker was really good. In December/January, I’ll have a better idea of whether I will return to play here. I enjoyed my year out and I intend to play in some smaller events for the love of the game.

“I do appreciate what snooker has done for me and what it’s given me but it’s the build-up I struggle with. It’s hard to keep a lid on what I go through sometimes.

“At no stage did I feel relaxed in any match. You just don’t here. You have to face your demons and that’s why it’s such a hard tournament.”

Asked whether he would return to the Crucible next year, O’Sullivan replied: “I’ve had a great time and I enjoyed every moment.

“Everyone knows me…I am up and down. I didn’t know what to expect.

“I realised after a year out that I didn’t really miss snooker — I just missed having something to do, so if I can balance it with other things, then that’s the way forward for me.”

O’Sullivan, 10-7 up overnight, watched his opponent win the opening frame of the day.

Breaks of 76 and 55 lifted O’Sullivan to a four-frame lead at 12-8, but the gritty Hawkins produced a break of 90 to take the following frame before O’Sullivan responded with a 133.

Hawkins reduced the deficit to four frames at 14-10 before O’Sullivan produced a clearance of 124.

The unfancied Hawkins compiled a century of his own with a 127 and then made it 15-12 with a break of 66.

Hawkins threatened to move to within two frames of O’Sullivan in frame 28 before a missed red on the cushion proved costly and O’Sullivan punished the error with a break of 77 to lead 16-12.

A run of 88 enabled O’Sullivan to claim the following frame and he clinched the title with a fine break of 86.

Hawkins lauds world champion

The 34-year-old Hawkins, who has won only one ranking tournament in his career, paid tribute to his fellow countryman O’Sullivan.

“There’s no shame in losing 18-12 to him because he’s got to go down as the greatest ever player,” said Hawkins. “He’s a phenomenal talent.

“The way he makes it look so easy is frightening. He’s unbelievable. I think I played well but I just made a few mistakes.”

Hawkins believes O’Sullivan could go on to beat Stephen Hendry’s record of seven world titles.

“If he wants it, I’m sure he could do it if he carries on playing like that. I’d like to see him stay because the game is better with him in it.”

Six-time world champion Steve Davis became the first man to win back-to-back titles at the Crucible in 1983 and 1984, before Hendry won five in a row in the early 1990s.

Hendry holds the record of seven world titles since the tournament moved to its permanent base at the Crucible in 1977.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2013.

MADRID: Roger Federer showed little sign of rustiness on his return to action after a two-month break as he cruised past Radek Stepanek 6-3, 6-3 to progress into the third round of the Madrid Open.

The world number two had suffered from a back injury in his last outing at Indian Wells at the beginning of March, but he looked comfortable on his first appearance on the clay in 2013 against the world number 48.

The 17-time Grand Slam winner got off to the perfect start as he broke in the third game before holding serve to take the first set 6-3.

And Federer broke Stepanek again early in the second set to move ahead 3-1 before breaking once more to serve for the match at 5-2.

However, he was then broken himself for the first time in the match as Stepanek finally took a break point opportunity at the eighth time of asking. That only delayed the inevitable though as Federer broke again in the very next game to seal the win.

Next up the three-time champion in Madrid will face either 14th seed Kei Nishikori or Victor Troicki tomorrow.

Serena makes serene progress

In the women’s event, world number one and defending champion Serena Williams continued her serene progress when she eased past Spanish wild card Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-2 7-5 in the second round yesterday.

Chasing a fourth title of the year and the 50th of her career, Williams had too much power for the slightly-built Dominguez Lino, who nonetheless managed to unsettle her illustrious opponent with some clever drop shots and lobs.

Williams, 31, said she had enjoyed the test and the experience would stand her in good stead the next time she came up against a player like the 47th-ranked Spaniard, who likes to mix up her shots.

“I made a lot of errors, but her game kind of forces you to make errors,” the American told a news conference. “It was a really good clay-court tennis match for me.

“Seeing as I have a few more tournaments on clay, it was perfect to play a match like this, so I know if I face another opponent like that I’ll have that experience and I’ll know how to play.”

A 15-times grand slam singles champion, Williams will play unseeded Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic or 13th-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko for a place in the quarter-finals.

Russian second seed Maria Sharapova was due to play her second-round match against American qualifier later at night.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2013.