BAMAKO // Malian Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra resigned today, hours after he was arrested at home by soldiers acting on the orders of ex-coup leader Amadou Sanogo.
"I, Cheick Modibo Diarra, resign with my government," Mr Diarra said in a brief speech given at the premises of, and aired by, national broadcaster ORTM.
He gave no reason for his decision.
Looking drawn and speaking in solemn tones, Mr Diarra thanked his supporters and expressed the hope that "the new team" would succeed in their task in a country where the north is controlled by armed Islamists linked to Al Qaeda.
His message was delivered hours after a source in his entourage said the prime minister had been arrested by about "20 soldiers who came from Kati", a military barracks outside Bamako and headquarters of the former putschists.
"They said Captain Sanogo sent them to arrest him," he added. A security source confirmed the information.
Mr Diarra, a noted astrophysicist who has worked on several Nasa space programmes and served as Microsoft chairman for Africa, was due to leave for Paris for a medical check-up.
He cancelled plans to head to the airport when he learnt his baggage had been taken off the plane meant to take him to France.
Diarra was named as prime minister in an interim government just weeks after a disastrous March coup that plunged the once stable democracy into a crisis which has seen over half its territory seized by hardline Islamists.
The 60-year-old is a staunch advocate of plans to send a west African intervention force into the occupied territory to drive out the extremists who are running the zone according to their brutal interpretation of sharia law.
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Match info:
Burnley 0
Manchester United 2
Lukaku (22', 44')
Red card: Marcus Rashford (Man United)
Man of the match: Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)
Full Party in the Park line-up
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Family: Wife and six children
Favourite holes at Al Ghazal: 15 and 8
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Childhood sport: cricket
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
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T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
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Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
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Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo
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Start times
5.55am: Wheelchair Marathon Elites
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7am: Marathon Masses
9am: 10Km Road Race
11am: 4Km Fun Run
UAE WARRIORS RESULTS
Featherweight
Azouz Anwar (EGY) beat Marcelo Pontes (BRA)
TKO round 2
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) beat Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Split points decision
Welterweight
Gimbat Ismailov (RUS) beat Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR)
TKO round 1
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) beat Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Unanimous points decision
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) beat Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
TKO round 1
Catchweight 100kg
Marc Vleiger (NED) beat Mohamed Ali (EGY)
Rear neck choke round 1
Featherweight
James Bishop (NZ) beat Mark Valerio (PHI)
TKO round 2
Welterweight
Abdelghani Saber (EGY) beat Gerson Carvalho (BRA)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) beat Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Unanimous points decision
Bantamweight
Fabio Mello (BRA) beat Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Unanimous points decision
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magomedsultanov (RUS)
TKO round 1
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) beat Jayson Margallo (PHI)
TKO round 3
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) beat Roman Golovinov (UKR)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Submission round 2
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
TKO round 2
Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press
Company profile
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Specs
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