Dunya TV

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• John Kerry arrives in Islamabad
• DIK Jail guards were scanty and ill-equipped
• JI flays raise in POL, electricity prices
• 10 die in Shanghai after hottest July in 140 years
• PTI will protest if bye-polls rigged: Imran
• Multan: LHC takes notice of acid attack on woman, daughter
• Qatar: Benitez died of heart failure
• Oil above $104 after US GDP, supply reports
• 9 Turkish athletes banned for steroid use
• UK seeks to better relations with Iran
• Greece wins IMF praise despite slow state reform
• Sri Lanka takes South Africa ODI series 4-1
• 24 migrants drown off Turkish coast
• Italy: Berlusconi's defense makes its final arguments
• NSA phone spying document declassified

John Kerry arrives in Islamabad Posted: ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday night on a three-day visit to discuss issues ranging from bilateral relations to regional situation.He was received by Director General Foreign Office for America‚ Dr Sohail‚ Chief of Protocol Zaheer Ahmed Janjua and other senior officials of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olson was also present.During his stay‚ John Kerry will hold talks with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz.The two sides are expected to discuss resumption of strategic dialogue as well as cooperation in diverse fields including energy.The US Secretary of State during his visit to Pakistan will reinforce Washingtons continuing commitment to Pakistan.A statement released by State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki in Washington said that Kerry is in Pakistan for consultations with the newly elected civilian government and to reinforce the United States continuing commitment to the Pakistani people.

DIK Jail guards were scanty and ill-equipped Posted: DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) - Only a handful of badly armed guards were posted at a Pakistani prison assaulted by Taliban militants earlier this week even though the government had intelligence indicating the facility was under threat, the prison chief said Wednesday in an admission likely to feed accusations of negligence over the deadly jailbreak.The 35 guards, only 10 of whom had weapons, faced 150 attackers. Some were so scared during the assault late Monday night that they hid in sewer pipes, and others opened up one of the prison's main gates after the militants threatened them, said a senior government official.These details are likely to spark further criticism of the government, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where the prison was located. The militants freed over 250 prisoners during the attack and killed more than a dozen people.Increasingly, the militant network appears an organized, emboldened and well-armed force running rings around a sluggish, even inept, security network, said an editorial in Pakistan's leading English language newspaper, Dawn.The Taliban have smuggled over two dozen militants they broke out of the prison in the town of Dera Ismail Khan to one of the group's stronghold in the country's tribal region, two commanders said.The deadly raid was codenamed Freedom from Death, cost 11.5 million rupees ($115,000) and took six months to plan, said the commanders, speaking to The Associated Press by telephone on condition of anonymity for fear of being targeted by security forces.It's unclear how so many heavily-armed militants were able to travel unhindered in vehicles and motorcycles to the walls of the prison, especially given the intelligence indicating a possible attack.Only 10 of the 35 guards at the prison were armed, and some of their AK-47 assault rifles were not even in good shape, said the head of the prison, Ghulam Rabbani. He said the armed guards fought valiantly until they ran out of bullets. But the militants were armed with bombs and grenades, as well as guns. The 10 of my men did their best, said Rabbani. They fought bravely.But a senior official in the provincial government, Ali Amin Gandapur, criticized the guards, saying some of them were found hiding in sewer pipes and drains and others opened a main gate for the militants after they were threatened.This is such a shame, said Gandapur, minister of revenue. I promise they all have to lose their uniforms.Rabbani defended his men, saying unarmed guards had a right to hide since they were tasked with controlling the prisoners, not protecting the jail from attack. He held a meeting with city administrators the day of the attack to discuss the threat to the prison, but they were not prepared when the raid happened, he said.The Taliban carried out a similar attack on a prison elsewhere in the northwest less than 18 months ago. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has suspended 27 police and prison officials in the wake of the attack, including 22 members of an anti-terrorist squad who were supposed act as a quick response force, but failed to do so, provincial officials said.Authorities have managed to capture 41 of the 252 prisoners who escaped from the prison, said police official Salahuddin Kundi. There were 482 inmates in the prison at the time of the attack. A curfew is still in place in Dera Ismail Khan as authorities search for more of the fugitives.Militants managed to smuggle 25 of their colleagues to the South Waziristan tribal area, located very close to Dera Ismail Khan, and plan to transport them to North Waziristan, Pakistan's main sanctuary for Taliban and al-Qaida fighters, the Taliban commanders said.It's unclear whether there are more escaped militants making their way to the tribal region. Dera Ismail Khan's commissioner, Mushtaq Jadoon, said Tuesday that 25 dangerous terrorists had escaped. A civilian adviser to the prison department in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Malik Mohammad Qasim, said at least 38 of those who escaped were either convicted of or on trial for terrorism.The Taliban commanders said 18 of the 150 militants who took part in the attack on the prison received special commando training. The operation was the brainchild of Adnan Rasheed, a militant who was freed in an attack on a prison in the town of Bannu in April 2012. It was led by a commander named Khitab Mehsud, who was a close aide to slain Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud.The militants had orders to complete the operation in an hour and not to spend more than 20 minutes in the prison, but the raid ended up taking two hours to complete, the commanders said. Earlier reports indicated the operation went on for over four hours.The militants killed six policemen, six Shiite Muslim prisoners one of whom was beheaded and two civilians, said Jadoon, the commissioner. Many hard-line Sunni extremists consider minority Shiites to be heretics.The militants didn't meet any resistance when they retreated back to South Waziristan, said the commanders.

JI flays raise in POL, electricity prices Posted: LAHORE (Online): Ameer Jamaat e Islami Syed Munawar Hasan has strongly reacted to the proposed raise in the POL, gas and electricity prices terming it drone attack on the masses on the auspicious occasion of Eid.In a statement, he said that mini budgets by the government every other day had made the life of the people miserable.He said a number of new taxes were levied in the annual budget while the frequent raises in POL and energy prices were adding to the worries of the people.He counseled the government to desist from raising the POL and gas prices.He said that with the proposed raise of Rs 5 per liter, the government would cause another flood of price raise that would lead to fresh deprivations for the masses.Syed Munawar Hasan said that the load shedding of electricity had led to the closure of thousands of industrial units, rendering millions of workers jobless.Many of them were starving and some were even committing suicides.Terming the one and a half months performance of the new government as poor the JI Ameer said while the masses were living from hand to mouth, the luxuries of the ruling junta continued as usual.He said all government promises for end of load shedding had proved false.Meanwhile Secretary General Jamaat e Islami Liaqat Baloch has congratulated new President Mamnoon Husain on his election to the high office, and urged him to practically prove himself the head of the state.Speaking at an Iftar dinner in the city, he said that the foremost challenge before the new president was the Karachi situation.He said that the Prime Minister’s visit to Karachi and shake hand with the elements involved in target killings, extortion and black mailing had driven the country into darkness again.He said this U- turn by the ruling party would have dreadful results. He said this move of the government had disappointed the people of Karachi, the industrialists, traders and the forces working for democracy.Liaqat Baloch said, the government drive against electricity and gas thieves had slowed down within a few days.

10 die in Shanghai after hottest July in 140 years Posted: SHANGHAI (Web Desk) - Local journalists have demonstrated the heat by frying meat on the pavement.The national heat alert covers nine provinces, including Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan, Hubei, Shanghai and Chongqing.According to figures from the Shanghai Meteorological bureau, Shanghai has seen 24 days with temperatures at or above 35C in July.It should be a new record since Shanghai had its own weather recording, said chief service officer Wu Rui.Also, in July of this year Shanghai reached 40.6 degrees Celsius, its highest ever temperature. So the highest temperature in July also broke a record.Parts of China are experiencing a heat wave, with record-high temperatures prompting a national heat alert covering nine provinces.More than 10 people in Shanghai have died after suffering from heatstroke, state-run news agency Xinhua said, citing health officials.In a TV report, journalists from Shanghai TV said they successfully fried a pork chop on a marble slab outdoors in just 10 minutes.The practice appears to have become popular, with photos of slices of bacon and fish being barbecued outdoors by the heat appearing online.The China Meteorological Administration issued the level two emergency heat alert on Tuesday.Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan, Hubei, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Chongqing and Shanghai meteorological bureaus should enter into emergency response on the basis of actual weather conditions, it said on its website.It added that weather forecasts suggested that some areas south of the Yangtze river, including Chongqing, could experience temperatures of over 35C until 8 August.It urged members of the public to avoid outdoor activities and to take protective measures against the heat.It's impossible for people to live without an air-conditioner, a resident was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.Just going outside in this kind of temperate can roast people.

PTI will protest if bye-polls rigged: Imran Posted: ISLAMABAD (Online) - Chairman Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf Imran Khan has warned that his party will not accept the results if the sitting rulers attempt to rig the bye-elections of national and provincial assemblies scheduled to be held on August 22.“In case of any kind of rigging in the bye-elections, our party would offer strong resistance as it would be tantamount to depriving the voters of their real democratic representatives,” said Imran Khan while addressing an Iftar party arranged by DrShehzad Waseem, the Advisor to PTI Chairman on Foreign Political Parties, in his honour at his farm house here.Referring to the disqualification of his party’s candidate Ayla Malik from NA-71, he said that through a calculated attempt their leaders are being kept away from contesting the bye-elections. However, they would win the game with massive public support demonstrated during the last general election, he maintained.The Iftar party, besides Imran Khan, was attended by President Awami Muslim League Sh. Rashid Ahmed, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, President Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, MNA Dr. Shireen Mazari, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Shafqat Mehmood, Fozia Kasuri, Ayisha Gulalai, Shehryar Afridi, Saifullah Khn Niazi, Naeem ul Haq, Sardar Azhar Tariq and a large number of other party members.On the occasion, the PTI Chairman also appreciated the effective role played by the party leader Dr. Shehzad Waseem in running the election campaign of Javed Hashmi for the NA-48 constituency and securing the big victory for him on May 11.He hoped that this time too he along with other party leaders and workers would mobilize all-out support for the success of Asad Umar in the bye-elections.While speaking on the occasion, PTI candidate for NA-48, Asad Umar said that their party will retain the NA-48 constituency with a big margin and urged the party workers to mobilize every segment of the society to muster public support in favour of PTI.He also said that he would make an effective struggle for the holding of Local Bodies elections in the federal capital, represent the local citizens in the parliament and raise voice for the protection of their genuine rights.

Multan: LHC takes notice of acid attack on woman, daughter Posted: LAHORE (Online): The Chief Justice of Lahore High Court has directed District and Sessions Judge of Multan to send report about the submission of challan by police before the relevant court within three days so that the investigation could be concluded fairly and honestly.The LHC Complaint Cell had taken notice of report published in a section of press that acid was thrown on a woman and her daughter for resisting a rape attempt in Multan.The D&SJ has reported that victims succumbed to injuries and the case had been registered against Nazeer Hussain and Altaf Hussain.Both have been arrested, recoveries have been made and they are behind the bars.As per police report, challan has been completed and will be presented before the Anti-Terrorism Court soon.Complaint Cells has directed D&SJ Multan to ensure compliance of the orders of Chief Justice regarding submission of challan in letter spirit within three days.

Qatar: Benitez died of heart failure Posted: DOHA, Qatar (AP) -Qatari club El Jaish says Ecuador striker Christian Benitez died of heart failure.The club released a statement Wednesday with the cause of death, but provided no further details. Benitez died Monday, the day after playing his first match for the club.The finding comes a day after Ecuadorean football chief Luis Chiriboga said the player had been taken to a hospital with sharp stomach pains, developed peritonitis and died of cardiorespiratory arrest.The club also says it plans to hold a ceremony before it sends Benitez's body to Ecuador on a private plane. A funeral was planned for Thursday in Quito and a tribute in the General Ruminahui coliseum.

Oil above $104 after US GDP, supply reports Posted: NEW YORK (AP) -US benchmark oil was up $1.25 to $104.33 per barrel at midday on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil fell $1.47 Tuesday to finish at $103.08 per barrel, the lowest closing price since July 3.Traders had plenty of data to assess Wednesday. The government said the U.S. economy grew at a better-than-expected annual rate of 1.7 percent in the second quarter. And a survey by payroll company ADP showed businesses created a healthy 200,000 jobs this month.The Energy Department said oil supplies rose by 400,000 barrels last week the first increase in five weeks although supplies at the crucial Cushing, Oklahoma, hub for benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude were down by 1.9 million barrels.The price of benchmark WTI was up 7 percent this month as of Tuesday. Analysts say any further gains in oil prices should be limited because of abundant supplies.The government said gasoline supplies rose as well last week, up 800,000 barrels. Demand for gasoline increased by 3.2 percent in the four weeks ended July 26 compared with a year earlier.Bank of America Merrill Lynch issued a report Wednesday that said rising production in the U.S. and slowing growth in emerging markets should constrain oil prices.The research firm said that unless a deteriorating geopolitical outlook in the Middle East results in further crude oil supply disruptions, the rally in WTI prices is unlikely to persist.Later Wednesday the Federal Reserve will give an updated assessment of the U.S. economy when it wraps up a two-day meeting in Washington.On Friday the release of employment data for July will be examined for hints about future energy demand in the worlds No. 1 economy.Brent crude, traded on the ICE Futures exchange in London, rose 13 cents to $107.04 per barrel.In other energy futures trading on Nymex:Wholesale gasoline was flat at $2.97 a gallon.Heating oil rose 3 cents to $3.04 a gallon.Natural gas rose 1 cent to $3.44 per 1,000 cubic feet.

9 Turkish athletes banned for steroid use Posted: MONACO (AP) - Nine Turkish track and field athletes have been banned after testing positive for anabolic steroids, the latest doping scandal there during Istanbul's campaign to win 2020 Olympics hosting rights.The IAAF said Wednesday all had received two-year bans and that six are women, including two teenagers.Six cases involved field athletes testing positive for stanozolol at Turkey's national university championships held in May at Bursa. Stanozolol is the steroid used by Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.Among those six, three athletes also tested positive for oral turinabol, the steroid used in state-sponsored East German doping programs in the 1970s and 1980s.The IAAF confirmed the disciplinary cases days after its president, Lamine Diack, suggested Turkish athletics officials need to clean their house.They are bidding for the 2020 Olympics but every few days we have three or four athletes caught for doping, Diack said in London. He is a member of the International Olympic Committee which on Sept. 7 will choose Istanbul, Madrid or Tokyo as 2020 host.In June, eight Turkish athletes, including 2004 Olympic hammer silver medalist Esref Apak, were caught doping, and dozens more were reported to have tested positive before the Mediterranean Games hosted by Turkey.In May, the IAAF asked the Turkish federation to prosecute cases against Olympic 1,500-meter champion Asli Cakir Alptekin and two-time European 100-meter hurdles champion Nevin Yanit over alleged doping violations.Responding to Diack, the Turkish National Olympic Committee said the series of cases is not evidence of more cheats.It is evidence that we are stepping up to fight this problem more aggressively and coming into line with top-tier sports nations, the Turkish Olympic body said in a statement.In the latest verdicts, the IAAF said 17-year-old discus thrower Burcu Akmazoglu tested positive for both banned steroids in Bursa. She is suspended from competing through June 13, 2015.A second teenager, 18-year-old hammer thrower Elif Akbas, also tested positive for stanozolol at the student event.An IAAF list of sanctioned athletes shows that stanozolol and oral turinabol were both found in samples taken at Bursa from Kubra Danis, a 22-year-old shot putter, and Gokce Celenk, a 25-year-old discus thrower. Javelin throwers Sarik Bilgin, who is 25, and 21-year-old Gulsum Ozdemir Gunes also tested positive for stanozolol.The IAAF said the other cases involve two field athletes and one runner.Ali Ekber Kayas, a 26-year-old 400-meter runner who competed at the 2012 world indoor championships in Istanbul, gave a sample with oxandrolone at a national competition in May 2012. He is suspended through July 2, 2014.Shot putter Nilgun Ozturk tested positive for methandienone at the same competition, and received the same ban as Kayas.The IAAF said 21-year-old javelin thrower Berkay Tolun tested positive for stanozolol during training in May. His ban expires on June 6, 2015.The Turkish Olympic body acknowledged that more doping cases could follow.In the short term, the redoubling of (the Turkish anti-doping agency) testing and sanctioning procedures will mean more positive tests, it said. We want clean young Turkish athletes winning medals on home soil in 2020.

UK seeks to better relations with Iran Posted: LONDON (AP) - Foreign Secretary William Hague says Britain is open to better relations with Iran on a step-by-step basis and he is willing to meet with Tehrans foreign minister.The Foreign Office says Hague stressed the need for urgent progress to resolve the Wests concerns about Irans nuclear program in a phone call with Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi.It said Thursday that Hague made clear that the U.K. was open to improvements in the bilateral relationship with Iran, on a step-by-step and reciprocal basis and is willing to meet in New York in September during the United Nations General Assembly.The call comes after Hasan Rouhani won Irans June 14 presidential election.Rouhani has pledged to follow a path of moderation, reviving hopes for easing tensions with the West.

Greece wins IMF praise despite slow state reform Posted: ATHENS (AP) - The International Monetary Fund said Greece had made exceptional progress in stabilizing its economy and remains on course to emerge from a near six-year recession in 2014, despite missing targets for privatization and axing state jobs.In a 207-page report published Wednesday, the Washington D.C.-based institution also cautioned that Greece needs to make major structural reforms so its economy can grow in the long-term.Greeces coalition government is struggling to meet staff reduction targets in the large public sector, and is due to announce details later Wednesday of its plan to suspend up to 25,000 employees on reduced pay by the end of the year. Though some will then be transferred, the government admitted that some wont find a new job and will be fired.The country has been surviving on rescue loans from the IMF and other eurozone countries since 2010, when it lost access to long-term debt markets.Austerity measures demanded in return for the 240 billion euro ($319 billion) bailout program have hammered the economy and seen unemployment surge to 27 percent. Greeces annual economic output is around a fifth smaller than when it entered recession in 2008.The fiscal adjustment remains exceptional by any international standard, the IMF said.The IMF described the countrys privatization program as being painfully slow and expressed concern that mass staff transfers and firings planned in the public sector may not have the desired effect.The (IMF) is concerned that the focus is shifting significantly away from ensuring the exit of redundant and unqualified staff to relocation of such staff within the public sector, it said.Poul Thomsen, the IMFs mission chief in Greece, said he was confident the recession would end soon and that eurozone countries would make good on their pledge to provide Greece with additional debt relief after Athens balances its state budget.I have no doubt we will see a bottoming out of recession next year, early next year. I am still confident, Thomsen said.The government, meanwhile, said it was finalizing a credit system for its new transfer-and-firing mobility scheme in the public sector taking qualifications, work assessment and experience, as well as family status and other social factors into account to meet its target of firing 15,000 workers on the state payroll by the end of next year.Workers will be suspended on reduced pay during an assessment period of up to eight months. The government conceded that many of those suspended would ultimately be fired in contrast to an earlier pledge.It is true that there will be a number of employees placed who will be placed in the mobility scheme who will not be absorbed and they will have to head to the exit ... we must be sincere about this, Administrative Reform Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told private Antenna television Tuesday.Unfortunately the truth is that the country was bankrupted by its large state. And now we are obliged under conditions of great pressure to make these changes, he said.Mitsotakis said the country would be in a better position if the public sector reforms had started three years ago, instead of the cuts to pay and hikes in tax that have unduly hit the private sector.Unfortunately, the wrong choices were made three years ago, he said.

Sri Lanka takes South Africa ODI series 4-1 Posted: COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - Tillakaratne Dilshan was bowled for 99 and Kumar Sangakkara smashed an unbeaten 75 on Wednesday to propel Sri Lanka to a convincing 128-run win over South Africa, and a 4-1 victory in their one-day international series.Electing to bat first after winning the toss, Sri Lanka scored a challenging 307-4 in 50 overs. Dilshan hit 13 boundaries in his 110-ball innings and shared 163 runs for the second wicket with No. 3 batsman Lahiru Thirimanne (68). Sangakkara faced just 45 deliveries and hit 12 boundaries.South Africa started the run chase with promise but was dismissed for 179 in the 44th over. Captain AB de Villiers top scored with 51.Seamer Suranga Lakmal and spinner Ajantha Mendis took three wickets each.

24 migrants drown off Turkish coast Posted: ISTANBUL (AP) Turkey's state run Anatolia news agency says that at least 24 migrants have drowned after a boat capsized in the Aegean Sea 10 miles off the Turkish coast.The Turkish Coast Guard responded to an SOS call from the speed boat's captain early Wednesday. Video footage taken by Anatolia shows a coast guard boat returning with bodies under sheets on the deck.News reports said that 42 people were rescued, including citizens of Syria, Burma and Afghanistan.Rescuers were continuing the search.

Italy: Berlusconi's defense makes its final arguments Posted: ROME (AP) - Silvio Berlusconis reinforced defense team made its final arguments Wednesday in front of Italys highest court, seeking the reversal of a tax fraud conviction that could bring a quick halt to the three-time former premiers 20-year political career.The highly anticipated decision could weaken the fragile coalition government of Enrico Letta, which is struggling to pass measures to help Italy out of recession. A decision could come later Wednesday or Thursday.Berlusconi has urged supporters not to let the decision interfere with the government, but analysts warn that the situation is volatile and already center-right lawmakers slowed work in Parliament to protest the high courts decision to take the case in July instead of the fall.Berlusconi and three others were convicted in October of tax fraud in the purchase of TV rights for Berlusconis Mediaset network. Berlusconi was sentenced to four years in prison with a five-year ban on public office, which was confirmed on appeal.If also confirmed by Italys highest court, Berlusconi would lose his Senate seat and be banned from running in elections for the duration of any public office ban.The state prosecutor on Tuesday recommended shortening the public office ban to three years which Berlusconi defense lawyer Franco Coppi told reporters indicates a blatant error in the sentencing.Berlusconis defense team, long-time defender Niccolo Ghedini and Coppi, an appellate expert, began what was expected to be several hours of arguments late in the afternoon Wednesday. Earlier, defense lawyers for the other three defendants made their case.At one point, chief justice Antonio Esposito grew impatient with the exhaustive arguments, telling a lawyer for one of the defendants: We have read everything.

NSA phone spying document declassified Posted: WASHINGTON (AP)The Obama administration is declassifying documents about its telephone spying program to try to tamp down congressional opposition to domestic surveillance.The documents will provide little solace, however, to Americans hoping to understand the legal analysis that underpinned the widespread surveillance.And the redacted documents show only in broad strokes how National Security Agency officials use the data.One particular type of analysis, called hop analysis is hinted at but never fully discussed. That allows to the government to search the phone records of not only suspected terrorists, but everyone who called them, everyone who called those people, and others who called them, as well.With that authority, the government can search the records of millions of people in an investigation of one person.

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Dunya TV

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• Youm-e-Ali (RA): Mobile service to remain suspended in various cities
• Israel, Palestinians eye peace deal in 9 months
• New DRS feed to be tried in 3rd Ashes Test
• Anderson hopes to win Ashes 5-0
• Australia will benefit from Warners return: Rogers
• Londons gay venues boycott Russian vodka
• 17 people burnt to death in bus, truck collision
• Black Italy minister demands stop to racist taunts
• 17 killed in air, mortar attacks in Syria
• Wife of Syrian journalist indicted in his killing
• Wealthy Greeks set to pay for police bodyguard
• US consumer confidence dips from 5-year high
• US home prices rise 12.2 percent, best in 6 years
• No wine at lunch: China Communist Party warn cadres
• Edler banned for 2 Olympics matches

Youm-e-Ali (RA): Mobile service to remain suspended in various cities Posted: LAHORE (Dunya News) The government has instructed the mobile phone companies to suspend their services in various cities of the country including Karachi, Quetta, Lahore Multan and Sialkot as part of security arrangements for Youm-e-Ali (RA) today (Wednesday).The services would remain suspended in Lahore between 4:00am and 8:00 pm, Rawalpindi 4:00 am and 6:00 pm , Gujranwala 3:00 am and 1:00 am Thursday, Sargodha 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm.The cellular services would also be shut in Jhnag, Sialkot and others cites.Foolproof security arrangements have made on the occasion of Youm-e Shahadat of Hazrat Ali (RA) as large rallies are taken out and procession and gatherings are organized across the country.

Israel, Palestinians eye peace deal in 9 months Posted: WASHINGTON (AP) - Israeli and Palestinian negotiators agreed Tuesday to meet again within two weeks to start substantive negotiations on a so-far elusive peace deal with the goal of reaching a deal within nine months, Secretary of State John Kerry said.Speaking as the two sides wrapped up an initial two days of talks at the State Department after paying a visit to President Barack Obama at the White House, Kerry said Israel and the Palestinians were committed to sustained, continuous and substantive negotiations on the core issues that divide them. He said the next round of negotiations would take place in either Israel or the Palestinian territories at an as yet-unspecified date before mid-August.Kerry said he was aware of the deep skepticism surrounding the new push for peace and acknowledged that the road ahead would be difficult. Yet, he said he was hopeful an agreement could be reached. While I understand the skepticism, I dont share it. And I dont think we have time for it, he said.Kerry said the negotiations, to be mediated on a day-to-day basis by his new Mideast peace envoy, Martin Indyk, would be cloaked in secrecy and that the parties had agreed that he would be the only person to comment on them. He quickly added that he would not comment on them, leaving unclear the framework for the talks that he struggled for six months to get back on track.Earlier Tuesday, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met with the lead negotiators Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat for about 30 minutes. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama called the meeting to directly express his personal support for final status negotiations. Obama pledged full US support to the process, Carney said.At the State Department ceremony, Kerry was flanked by Livni and Erekat who each spoke briefly about the need to resolve the long-standing conflict.Its time for the Palestinian people to have an independent sovereign state of their own, said Erekat, who spoke first. Its time for the Palestinians to live in peace, freedom and dignity within their own independent, sovereign state.Livni allowed that she and Erekat had been involved in failed negotiations before, notably the Annapolis Process that former President George W. Bush initiated in 2008, but she said this time could be different.You know, Saeb, she said to Erekat, we all spent some time in the negotiations room ... but we didnt complete our mission. And this is something that we need to do now, in these negotiations that we will launch today. And the opportunity has been created for us, for all of us, and we cannot afford to waste it.I believe that history is not made by cynics; it is made by realists who are not afraid to dream, Livni added. Let us be these people.

New DRS feed to be tried in 3rd Ashes Test Posted: MANCHESTER (AFP) - This weeks third Ashes Test will see the International Cricket Council (ICC) trial an independent television feed with the aim of improving its controversial Decision Review System.DRS, designed to eliminate the howler by on-field umpires, has been at the centre of several controversial decisions in the first two Test of the Ashes, both of which England have won to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.Former Australia captain Ian Chappell has been among those leading calls for the system to become a fully independent operation and not, as is currently the case, be reliant on the technology of the host broadcaster.Now this weeks Test between England and Australia at Old Trafford will see the ICC trial an independent feed, although it will not yet be available to help the third umpire with his deliberations.Earlier this month, ICC chief executive David Richardson explained how the new feed, which is still at the drawing-board stage, might work as part of an improved DRS set-up.There will be a bank of televisions in the third umpires room -- with Hawkeye, replays and Hot Spot directly available to him to look at independently to what is on TV, Richardson said.At the moment the third umpire talks to the TV producer and says Can I have a look at this?, the former South Africa wicketkeeper added.The idea is you give the third umpire access to information he needs much quicker and (you are) not reliant on the television producer to do it.

Anderson hopes to win Ashes 5-0 Posted: MANCHESTER (AFP) - England spearhead James Anderson said on Tuesday that the side were focused solely on the job in the hand ahead of the third Ashes Test against Australia and not a 5-0 whitewash.Ashes-holders England have put themselves in pole position to retain the urn by going 2-0 up in the five-match series with victories at Trent Bridge and Lords ahead of this weeks clash at Lancashire paceman Andersons Old Trafford home ground.Only last week Anderson, who turned 31 on Tuesday, said: We want to win the series 5-0, so we will be doing everything we can in each game to win.But in his latest remarks, he indicated the best way of achieving a 5-0 sweep -- something England have never managed against arch-rivals Australia -- was to concentrate on one Test at a time.When the third Test starts on Thursday it will be the first time Old Trafford -- which shares its name with the nearby Manchester United football ground -- has staged an Ashes match since 2005 when Australias last-wicket pair of Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath batted out the final four overs of a thrilling draw.Since 2005, Old Trafford has undergone a 44 million ($67 million) redevelopment which has seen the pavilion modernised, a conference centre built and, perhaps the most striking change of all, the square turned so that pitches now face north-south rather than east-west axis.However, for all the changes the surface at Old Trafford -- where England off-spinner Jim Laker took a record 19 wickets for 90 runs in the 1956 Ashes Test -- remains helpful to slow bowlers.Monty Panesar has been added to Englands squad as a second spinner but Anderson was understandably keen the pitch should have something in it for himself and the rest of the hosts faster bowlers.Meanwhile Anderson said he had no specific information on Kevin Pietersens fitness after the batsman suffered a calf injury at Lords.England have added the in-form James Taylor to their squad as cover for Pietersen.Pietersen did bat in the nets on Tuesday and, with his left calf strapped up, joined his team-mates in a warm-up before going through his own training routine under the guidance of Englands physiotherapist.England are unlikely to say for definite if Pietersen is playing until they announce their team on Thursday.

Australia will benefit from Warners return: Rogers Posted: MANCHESTER (AFP) - Chris Rogers said on Tuesday that Australia could only benefit from David Warners return, even though the opener may have to make way if his fellow left-hander plays in the third Test against England.Rogers is one of several Australia top order batsmen who have struggled so far in this years Ashes, scoring just 89 runs in four innings while England have taken a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.Warner, yet to play a Test against England, missed those defeats at Trent Bridge and Lords having been suspended in the run-up to the Ashes for punching Englands Joe Root in a Birmingham bar after Australia lost a Champions Trophy match to their arch-rivals last month.Instead the 26-year-old joined up with the Australia A side and bolstered his hopes of a Test recall when the third match of the Ashes starts at Old Trafford on Thursday by making 193 against South Africa A in Pretoria last week.David brings a lot of energy to the group. He goes 100mph and it is fantastic to see him get runs, Rogers told an Old Trafford news conference on Tuesday.He is such a destructive player, so if he bats for long he could put some real pressure on England.He is one of those ones the opposition know they have to get out quickly.If he bats for a while he can take the game away like a (Adam) Gilchrist used to do.Hopefully he can do that for us if he does play.I think they used Davey in the middle order when he played for Australia A -- I dont know if that is what they want to do but maybe it is.Warner has also opened in Tests, however, and Rogers did not hide from the fact that he could be dropped to make way for him.Darren (Lehmann, Australia coach) said we (Rogers and Shane Watson) were the openers to start but it us up to us to perform and I know if I dont perform I may not deserve a place in the side, he told reporters.Both Rogers and Warner could play in the same side if top-order batsman and part-time leg-spinner Steven Smith fails to recover in time from the stiff back that prevented him from training on Tuesday.Steve Smith may have tweaked his back yesterday (Monday) but its improved a bit and hopefully he will be all right to train tomorrow (Wednesday) and be good to go on the first day, Rogers said.

Londons gay venues boycott Russian vodka Posted: LONDON, July 30, 2013 (AFP) - The G-A-Y Group, which runs the famous Heaven superclub, is among those removing Russian products after President Vladimir Putins government banned gay propaganda and cracked down on gay rights protests.As other countries move forwards (on gay rights), Russia is moving backwards, Jeremy Joseph, founder and owner of the G-A-Y Group, told AFP on Tuesday.Its important to show solidarity at a really hard time.Joseph said he had asked his four venues, including Heaven -- which has a capacity of almost 2,000 -- to take Russian drinks off the shelves with immediate effect.The Shadow Lounge, which calls itself Europes premier gay members club, and Manbar in Soho said they were boycotting Russian vodka, both naming Stolichnaya as the main brand affected.US writer Dan Savage called for the boycott last week, urging gay bars to dump Stoli and dump Russian vodka over what he called Putins anti-gay pogrom.Christopher Amos, owner of Manbar, said the boycott call had gone viral among the gay community internationally.Stolichnaya has already responded to the campaign, issuing an open letter dated Friday condemning the dreadful actions taken by the Russian government.Val Mendeleev, chief executive of the SPI Group, which owns the brand, said: Stolichnaya vodka has always been, and continues to be, a fervent supporter to the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community.We also thank the community for having adopted Stoli as their vodka of preference.He said the Russian government had no control or ownership over the brand, which originated in Russia but is now headquartered in Luxembourg.Joseph said he hoped the boycott would prompt supermarkets to follow suit, and added that corporate sponsors of the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Russian resort of Sochi should also reconsider their position.Young gay men are being targeted, theres been murders -- theres no protection for them now, he said.You can attack a gay man in Russia and not face the consequences.Comptons, one of many gay venues on central Londons Old Compton Street, is taking part, and several of its neighbours said they were considering joining the campaign.Reports indicate some US bars have also heeded the call, including in Chicago.More than 1,300 people have signed up on Facebook for a gay rights protest outside Londons Russian embassy on August 10.Putin this month signed a law banning same-sex couples in foreign countries from adopting Russian children.Last month the country introduced a law imposing jail terms for people promoting homosexual propaganda to minors, while dozens were arrested at gay rights protests for which authorities had refused permission.Also in June, investigators said three men in the eastern region of Kamchatka were suspected of kicking and stabbing their neighbour to death because he was gay.The murder came less than a month after a 23-year-old man was beaten to death and sodomised with beer bottles in an apparent homophobic attack in the southern city of Volgograd.

17 people burnt to death in bus, truck collision Posted: PESHAWAR (AFP) - At least 17 people, including three children, burned to death in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday when a gas cylinder exploded on a bus after it collided with a truck, officials said.The bus was carrying passengers to the city of Bannu when the collision happened on a highway around 140 kilometres (87 miles) from Peshawar, the capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.The gas cylinder installed in the bus leaked after the accident and it caught fire, said Dil Nawaz Khan, a senior government official in Karak city, where the accident happened.All 18 people on board were burnt and only one passenger could survive. His position is also critical, he told AFP.Hospital officials said six women and children were also among the dead.We received 17 dead bodies including the bodies of three children and as many women. Most of the dead bodies are badly mutilated and could not be identified, Sarfraz Khan, a doctor at Karaks public hospital, told AFP.

Black Italy minister demands stop to racist taunts Posted: MILAN (AP) - Italys first black minister has demanded that the leader of the anti-immigrant Northern League political party put a clear and sharp stop to racist remarks directed at her by members of his party.Integration Minister Cecile Kyenge said Tuesday that she told Roberto Maroni that the behavior of some members of the Northern League had become intolerable.Kyenge has been the target of numerous racist outbursts since accepting the Cabinet post in Enrico Lettas 3-month-old government.In the latest incidents, Northern League council members walked out of a meeting she attended in a town near Milan and a Northern League official near Padua likened her to a gorilla in a Facebook post.Kyenge says she wont be intimidated into stepping down, nor does she believe Italians in general are racist.

17 killed in air, mortar attacks in Syria Posted: DAMASCUS (AP) - Mortar attacks and air raids in two major cities in Syria killed at least 17 people, activists and government officials said Tuesday, as a Kurdish opposition leader was killed in the north.The deadliest attack struck the central city of Homs, which has been an opposition stronghold since the beginning of the two-year conflict and is now the target of a withering offensive by President Bashar Assads forces.Three mortars slammed into a government-held district of Dablan before dawn Tuesday, killing 10 people and wounding 26 others, a government official. He said many living in the neighborhood fled there to escape fighting elsewhere in Homs. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations for civil servants.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 11 people including a child were killed. The Observatory, citing hospital officials, also said attack happened late Monday close to midnight.Homs has been the center of protests against Assads rule since the Syrian revolt started in March 2011. In recent weeks, the city has been the scene of fierce fighting between Assads troops and rebels fighting to topple his regime.On Monday, government troops captured Homs strategic area of Khaldiyeh after a monthlong battle, bringing Assads regime closer to its goal of capturing all of Syrias third largest city.In northern Syria, regime warplanes hit the town of Andan, killing seven people, including five children, the Observatory said.Much territory in the north and the northeast along the borders with Turkey and Iraq has been under rebel control since last summer, when the opposition forces seized large swaths of land and several neighborhoods in Aleppo, Syrias largest city. In February, rebels also captured Raqqa, the first city to fall entirely under opposition control.In the past months, Assads troops regrouped and have been battling rebels on multiple fronts, capturing strategic towns near the border with Lebanon and steadily regaining control of territory they previously lost to the opposition, including around the capital, Damascus, the seat of Assads power.The battlefield successes largely have been credited to the regimes superior firepower, including heavy artillery and fighter jets, as well as battle-hardened fighters from Lebanons militant Hezbollah group that have been fighting rebels alongside Syrian troops in recent weeks.While the rebels have been forced into retreat on the central front, rebel-on-rebel fighting also has sapped energy from anti-Assad forces.A prominent Kurdish opposition leader, Issa Hisso, was killed Tuesday in a bomb attack in the city of Qamishli, near the border with Turkey, the Observatory said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. A Kurdish member of the Syrian parliament, Omar Ossi, confirmed to The Associated Press that Hisso had died in car bombing.Hisso was an opponent of Assads regime. He also was speaking against radical Islamic groups, including the al-Qaida-linked Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which have gained influence in the opposition movement after leading several battles against the regime.Kurds, the largest ethnic minority in Syria, make up more than 10 percent of the countrys 23 million people. Their loyalties in the conflict are split. Kurdish rebel factions have fought al-Qaida lined militants in recent weeks for control of the territory they captured from the regime together.More than 100,000 people have been killed in the conflict and millions have been driven out of their homes, seeking shelter in safer areas of the country or in the neighboring Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

Wife of Syrian journalist indicted in his killing Posted: BEIRUT (AP) - Lebanons state-run National News Agency says a prosecutor has indicted the wife of a Syrian journalist along with two of her relatives in the killing of her husband.Mohammed Darrar Jammo, who spoke out stridently in favor of President Bashar Assad, was shot dead on July 17 in the southern Lebanese town of Sarafand. Authorities said gunmen raided his apartment and shot Jammo almost 30 times.Syrias civil war has set off political and sectarian tensions in neighboring Lebanon. It was initially thought the killing was part of that.But Tuesday, the Lebanese news agency reported Jammos wife Siham Younes and her brother and nephew had been arrested. The three face a possible death sentence.Officials said Jammo and his wife fought before his death.

Wealthy Greeks set to pay for police bodyguard Posted: ATHENS (AP) - Wealthy Greeks fearing attacks by anarchist groups will no longer be entitled to free police bodyguards in the latest cost-cutting plan from a government trying to meet budget targets set by international creditors.The Public Order Ministry said Tuesday that individuals with a net income of more than 100,000 euros ($132,500) a year will have to pay for their own police protection from potential terrorist and organized crime attacks. Under the plan, they will have to pay 2,000 euros ($2,650) per month for each officer acting as a bodyguard and a daily fee of 50 euros for use of a patrol car.The new pay-for-protection scheme still needs to be signed off by the Finance Ministry and will not include elected officials, judges, or public sector executives. Private citizens currently receiving police protection include prominent businessmen and journalists who have been repeatedly threatened by anarchist groups, though few of the warnings have been specific.Nevertheless, theres been a resurgence of attacks lately amid growing public hostility toward those, whether in the public or private sector, seen as corrupt and incompetent and blamed for Greeces economic crisis.It is the latest in a series of austerity measures that the Greek government has had to enact in recent years in return for bailout cash to avoid bankruptcy. However, the spending cuts and tax increases have come at a heavy cost to the Greek economy. The country is in its sixth year of recession and the countrys unemployment rate has spiked to over 25 percent.The Greek state has routinely provided a level of protection to individuals widely seen as potential targets of far-left and anarchist militant groups. However, in this time of austerity, the police budget has become strained and the government is looking around for ways to keep a lid on costs.The ministry declined to make any immediate comment on the number of officers involved in security details and the projected amount of money that would be saved.The Greek Police Officers Association said the government had the right to recover some of the cost it spent on protection of individual citizens but described the system as poorly organized, reviewed infrequently, and governed by political influence.Police officers have borne a large brunt of the cuts to public sector pay. A typical officer receives around 1,100 euros ($1,460) in take-home monthly pay, while bonuses worth €300-400 euros ($400-530) to those on bodyguard duty per month have been scrapped.Last month, an armed group named Informal Anarchist Federation, which has links to other European militants, claimed responsibility for a series of parcel bomb attacks this year, one targeting the former director of the polices anti-terrorism division.In a report Monday, bailout monitors from the European Union pressed Greece to speed up cost-cutting reforms, including extensive public sector staff cuts, and announced that emergency taxes that have drastically cut into consumer spending are likely to be extended for another year, through 2016.

US consumer confidence dips from 5-year high Posted: WASHINGTON (AP) - Americans confidence in the economy fell only slightly in July but stayed close to a 5 ½-year high, a sign that consumers should continue to help drive growth in the coming months.The Conference Board, a New York-based private research group, said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index dipped to 80.3 in July. Thats down from a reading of 82.1 in June, which was revised slightly higher and the best reading since January 2008.Despite the slight drop in July, confidence remains well above year-ago levels. And consumers are more optimistic about the current job market.Overall, indications are that the economy is strengthening and may even gain some momentum in the months ahead, said Lynn Franco, an economist for the Conference Board that oversees the consumer confidence survey.Amna Asaf, an economist at Capital Economics, blamed the July drop in confidence on rising gasoline prices. But she said the confidence index remains at a level that is consistent with stronger growth in consumer spending in the July-September quarter.Consumers confidence in the economy is watched closely because their spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity.The index surged in June, coinciding with a stronger job market. Employers added 195,000 jobs in June and many more in April and May than initially reported. That brought the monthly job growth up to an average of 202,000 in the first six months of 2013, up from 180,000 a month in the final six months of last year.The government releases the July employment report on Friday. Economists forecast that employers added 183,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate fell to 7.5 percent from 7.6 percent in June.A recovery in housing is also boosting confidence, and a separate report Tuesday offered more encouraging news on that front.The Standard & Poors/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index jumped 12.2 percent in May compared with a year ago. Thats the biggest annual gain since March 2006. The gains were widespread with all 20 cities reporting monthly and annual increases.One reason why consumers are more confident than they were a year ago continues to be the comeback in housing, said Jennifer Lee, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets.Still, the Conference Board report showed consumers are still worried the economy remains vulnerable.Their assessment of current economic conditions improved in July, as did their view of the job market. But their short-term outlook for the economy and job market weakened slightly in July, signaling some worries about the next few months.The job market has shown surprising resilience in the face of tax increases, federal spending cuts and economic weakness overseas.Stronger hiring is not being reflected in overall economic growth at the moment. The government will release its first look at economic growth in the April-June quarter on Wednesday.That report is expected to show growth slowed to an annual rate of 1 percent or less, down from a subpar 1.8 percent annual rate in the January-March quarter.Economists are hopeful that the economy will rebound in the second half of the year as the adverse impact of the tax increases and spending cuts lessen. Many are forecasting a growth rate of around 2.5 percent in the second half of the year.Revisions to economic growth being released Wednesday could also show stronger growth at the start of the year.Despite recent gains, consumer confidence remains below the 90 reading that indicates a healthy economy. That level hasnt been reached since the Great Recession began in December 2007.

US home prices rise 12.2 percent, best in 6 years Posted: WASHINGTON (AP) - US home prices jumped 12.2 percent in May compared with a year ago, the biggest annual gain since March 2006. The increase shows the housing recovery is strengthening.The Standard & Poors/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index released Tuesday also surged 2.4 percent in May from April. The month-over-month gain nearly matched the 2.6 percent increase in April from March the highest on record.The price increases were widespread. All 20 cities showed gains in May from April and compared with a year ago.Prices in Dallas and Denver reached the highest level on records dating back to 2000. That marks the first time since the housing bust that any city has reached an all-time high.Home values are rising as more people are bidding on a scarce supply of houses for sale. Steady price increases, along with stable job gains and historically low mortgage rates, have in turn encouraged more Americans to buy homes.One concern is that higher mortgage rates could slow home sales. But many economists say rates remain low by historical standards and would need to rise much faster to halt the momentum.Svenja Gudell, senior economist at Zillow, a home price data provider, said a big reason for the recent price gains is that foreclosed homes make up a smaller proportion of overall sales. Foreclosed homes are usually sold by banks at fire-sale prices.Gudell said higher mortgage rates and a likely increase in the number of homes for sale in the coming months should slow the pace of price gains and stabilize the housing market.The index covers roughly half of U.S. homes. It measures prices compared with those in January 2000 and creates a three-month moving average. The May figures are the latest available. They are not adjusted for seasonal variations, so the monthly gains reflect more buying activity over the summer.Despite the recent gains, home prices are still about 25 percent below the peaks they reached in July 2006. Thats a key reason the supply of homes for sale remains low, as many homeowners are waiting to recoup their losses before putting their houses on the market.Dallas and Denver, the two cities that reached record highs, were not hit hard by the housing bust and therefore didnt experience the sharp price swings like cities in Nevada, Arizona, California and Florida.In Dallas, prices fell only 11.2 percent from their previous peak in June 2007 through February 2009. Thats far less than Las Vegas, where prices plummeted by more than half. Since bottoming out, home prices in Dallas have increased nearly 14 percent.In Denver, prices dropped 14.3 percent from August 2006 until they also hit bottom in February 2009. Since then, they have risen 17.3 percent.The biggest price gains are occurring in many of the states that experienced the worst housing bust.Prices jumped 24.5 percent in San Francisco in May from a year earlier, the largest increase. Las Vegas reported the next biggest gain at 23.3 percent, followed by Phoenix at 20.6 percent. All three remain well below their peak prices.The smallest yearly gains were in New York, at 3.3 percent, followed by Cleveland with 3.4 percent and Washington, D.C. at 6.5 percent.Higher home prices help the economy in several ways. They encourage more sellers to put their homes on the market, boosting supply and sustaining the housing recovery.And they make homeowners feel wealthier, encouraging consumers to spend more. Banks are also more willing to provide mortgage loans when homes are appreciating in value.Mortgage rates have surged since early May, though the increase would have had little impact on the current report. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage has jumped a full percentage point since early May and reached a two-year high of 4.51 percent in late June.Mortgage rates jumped after Chairman Ben Bernanke said the Federal Reserve could slow its bond-buying program later this year if the economy continues to improve. The Feds bond purchases have kept long-term interest rates low, encouraging more borrowing and spending.In recent weeks, Bernanke and other Fed members have stressed that any change in the bond-buying program will depend on the economys health, not a set calendar date.Since those comments, interest rates have declined. The average on the 30-year mortgage was 4.31 percent last week.The Fed begins a two-day policy meeting Tuesday and could clarify its remarks further when the meeting concludes on Wednesday.

No wine at lunch: China Communist Party warn cadres Posted: BEIJING (AP) Lavish weddings, fancy holidays and lunchtime wine on the public dime were among transgressions detailed Tuesday that led China's ruling Communist Party to discipline 2,290 officials so far this year in a frugality campaign aimed at addressing public anger.The party's disciplinary arm, quoted in official state media, provided eight examples of such breaches, including a party chief in a township in Hebei who was stripped of his post for holding an extravagant wedding for his daughter and receiving around 1 million yuan ($163,000) in cash and gifts.Party officials, led by President Xi Jinping, hail their efforts to eradicate extravagance among cadres as evidence that they are serious about cracking down on the graft that plagues them at every level. But while it might seem as though many officials have been admonished this year as part of the campaign, the number is only a small drop in China's ocean of 85 million party members.Official reports have also not indicated the seniority of the officials who were being punished, though most of the examples listed appeared to be mid- and low-level cadres. Xi has promised to target even high-level officials, who are usually seen as enjoying special protections that come with ties to the politically powerful.One analyst said such campaigns are only of limited use because they address only the symptoms of corruption rather than focus efforts on building systematic checks on power.Of course these are helpful to anti-corruption efforts, but they remain only the traditional way of fighting corruption, by using campaigns and iron-fisted administrative methods, said Hu Xingdou, a political economist at the Beijing Institute of Technology. There has been no progress in developing an anti-corruption mechanism.Hu said such a mechanism would include requiring officials to declare their assets, allowing for greater press freedom and stronger oversight of official organs.There is an even greater need for work on this front, he said.The 2,290 officials cited were punished for violating new guidelines aimed at curbing waste, the official Xinhua News Agency cited Xu Chuanzhi, a party official, as saying. Examples cited in Xinhua's report paint a picture of the privileges enjoyed by many government officials throughout China that are a source of public resentment.A community leader in the central city of Wuhan who led 10 staffers on a holiday in southern Hainan paid for by government funds was given a serious warning while staffers were ordered to return the funds spent on the vacation, it said.In central Hunan, the head of the provincial-level judicial bureau was handed a warning for hosting a massive wedding banquet for his son while 10 officials who misused police cars as part of the celebrations were also admonished.The party issued a serious disciplinary warning to the party chief of Gongzhuling, a northeastern city, for drinking wine at a weekday lunch, the report said.The campaign comes as more individuals have stepped forward to publicly accuse senior officials of wrongdoing.The allegations publicized mainly on microblogs but carried by Chinese media test the new leadership's resolve to fight graft at the highest levels.Liu Hu, a reporter with the New Express Daily newspaper, publicly accused the deputy head of China's industry regulator, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, of failing in his previous duties as an official in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing.The regulator's press office said it had no immediate comment on the report while a man who answered the phone at Chongqing's propaganda office said he had not heard about the allegations.

Edler banned for 2 Olympics matches Posted: ZURICH (AP) - Sweden defenseman Alex Edler has been suspended for two Sochi Olympics matches for a dangerous hit on Canada captain Eric Staal at the world championships.The International Ice Hockey Federation says its disciplinary panel judged Edlers action to be reckless, dangerous and in disregard to the vulnerability of his opponent.Edler knocked Staal out of the quarterfinals with knee-on-knee hit in Stockholm in May, and was given a major penalty and game misconduct.Edler, who plays for the Vancouver Canucks, was banned from the rest of the tournament as Sweden went on to become world champion.The IIHF says he attended a disciplinary hearing in Zurich last week which decided on a four-match total sanction.Edler must sit out Swedens matches against the Czech Republic and Switzerland in Sochi next February.

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• MCG to host 2015 Cricket World Cup final
• Eleven including 4 cops killed as militants attacked DI Khan prison
• Monogamy may sound sweet, but why it evolved isn't
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• Economist withdraws Bank of Israel candidacy
• Several injured in Swiss train collision
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MCG to host 2015 Cricket World Cup final Posted: MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - England and Australia are drawn in the same group and the 2015 Cricket World Cup final will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with the semifinals set for Sydney and Auckland, New Zealand.Tournament organizers announced Tuesday that New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and two qualifiers will join Australia and England in Pool A of the 14-team tournament that is held every four years.South Africa, defending champions India, Pakistan, the West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland and a qualifier will compete in Pool B.Australia and New Zealand will host 49 matches over 44 days during February and March 2015.Other Australian venues for the tournament will be the Sydney Cricket Ground, Brisbane's Gabba, the WACA in Perth, Adelaide Oval, Manuka Oval in Canberra and Bellerive Oval in Tasmania.

Eleven including 4 cops killed as militants attacked DI Khan prison Posted: DERA ISMAIL KHAN (Dunya News) - At least eleven people including four policemen, four insurgents and three civilians were killed while nine others were injured in the brazen attack in Dera Ismail Khan.The security sources said the jail is considered one of the largest jails of the province, as over 4000 prisoners are detained here. The security sources added as many as 150 terrorists have been kept in custody at this DI Khan jail.A curfew was clamped in the area after the militant engaged the security forces in gunfight. The area plunged into darkness as militants destroyed electricity transformers. Deputy Commissioner said that the curfew was imposed to avoid any damage to public.As per details insurgents wearing police uniforms and armed with mortars attacked a prison holding hundreds of militants in Dera Ismail Khan jail and escaped with prisoners after a gunfight with security forces, officials said.Security forces have entered the prison and cleared the building after which we have started counting prisoners with flashlights as there is no power in the prison and it is making our job difficult, Abbas said.The jail holds up to 5,000 prisoners including some 300 militants involved in attacks on security forces and sectarian killings, he added.Pakistani Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid claimed responsibility for the attack, saying 150 militants took part and around 300 prisoners were freed.The attack in the town of Dera Ismail Khan began around midnight with a huge explosion, said intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. A local resident, Sharafat Khan, said the blast was so loud it rattled every house in the neighborhood.The militants then set off a series of smaller explosions to destroy the prisons boundary wall, said the intelligence officials. At least eight attackers wearing police uniforms stormed inside the prison once the walls fell. Security forces engaged the attackers, who were chanting God is great and Long live the Taliban.The militants also fired rocket-propelled grenades and lobbed hand grenades during the attack, said the deputy commissioner of Dera Ismail Khan, Khan Mushtaq Jadoon.Right now some of the attackers are inside the jail and others have occupied two buildings outside, said Jadoon. We are going to launch a major operation soon. The city has been sealed. The army is leading the operation.Khalid Abbas, head of the prison department in surrounding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said the jail held 40 high profile prisoners.We are not sure if any of them escaped, Abbas said.The militants are reportedly calling out specific prisoners by name using a microphone and amplifier, said Jadoon. Authorities caught six prisoners trying to flee the city by car, he said.Officials received a letter threatening an attack on the prison, but they didnt expect it so soon, said Abbas. Army troops encircled the prison and exchanged fire with the attackers, he said, but security forces were having trouble distinguishing the militants in the dark because of their police uniforms.One prison official, Gul Mohammad, said he had just walked out of the prison at the end of his shift when two militants armed with AK-47s shot him. There are other officials who have been wounded, he said from a hospital bed, although the casualty toll was unclear.

Monogamy may sound sweet, but why it evolved isn't Posted: WASHINGTON (AP) - Only a few species of mammals are monogamous, and now two scientific teams think they have figured out why they got that way. But their answers arent exactly romantic.One team looked just at primates, the animal group that includes apes and monkeys. The researchers said the exclusive pairing of a male and a female evolved as a way to let fathers defend their young against being killed by other males.The other scientific team got a different answer after examining about 2,000 species of mammals. They concluded that monogamy arose in mammals because when females were spread out geographically, males had trouble guarding them against competitors unless they stuck close by.The studies are published online Monday in the journals Science and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Death penalty for Kenyan for killing UK man Posted: LAMU, Kenya (AP) - A Kenyan man was Monday sentenced to death for the September 2011 killing of a British man who was shot dead and his wife kidnapped by Somali gunmen at an island resort on the Kenya coast.Magistrate Johnstone Munguti found Ali Babito Kololo guilty of the murder of British tourist David Tebbutt, 58, who was killed.Tebbutts wife Judith, 56, was abducted and taken to Somalia and held by pirates before being released after six months.Munguti also sentenced Kololo to seven years in jail for the wifes abduction.Kenya has not carried out a death sentence in the past 26 years and most sentences for death row prisoners are commuted to life imprisonment.After the sentence was announced, Kololo said in Swahili, I am innocent. Let the court do what it wants to do. I have been victimized in this, since I was also kidnapped.Munguti said Kololo was convicted on circumstantial evidence after a total of 20 witnesses, including Judith Tebutt, testified in the case. The investigation was assisted by officers from Britains Metropolitan Police Service Counter Terrorism Command.A small team of British officers travelled to Kenya shortly after the murder and kidnap to support the local police investigation.Inquiries matched footprints found on the beach after Judith Tebbutts abduction to the shoes worn by Kololo when he was arrested shortly after the incident.Judith Tebutts kidnapping was among a string of abductions by Somali gunmen along the Kenya-Somali border. Kenyas military cited those attacks as the reason it sent troops in October 2011 into Somalia to fight the Islamic extremist rebels of al-Shabab.Gunmen easily entered the Tebbutts cottage at the Kiwayu Safari Village resort on the night of Sept. 10, the door was only a piece of colorful cloth. Police believe David Tebbutt resisted and was shot. The Tebbutts were the only tourists staying at the 18-cottage resort, located along a private beach 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Lamu, and the kidnappers spirited Judith Tebbutt away in a boat.A month later, gunmen kidnapped a disabled French woman who lived part-time in Lamu. She died in captivity. Before African Union troops expelled al-Qaida linked al-Shabab insurgent group from the major cities late 2012, kidnapping was a big business in Somalia, where opportunities to make money are limited.Two Spanish aid workers with the aid group Doctors Without Borders, who were kidnapped by Somali militants from a Kenyan refugee camp in October 2011, were released earlier this month, ending a 21-month hostage ordeal.In January 2012, U.S. Navy SEALs parachuted into Somalia and hiked to where a criminal gang was holding a 32-year-old American and a 60-year-old Dane kidnapped October 2011. Nine captors were killed in the raid that freed the two hostages.

Talks with Palestinians should start today: Israel Posted: UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Israels chief negotiator Tzipi Livni said negotiations with the Palestinians should start Monday evening when both sides meet in Washington after five years of diplomatic stalemate. The expectation had been that the Washington meeting would prepare for a new round of Mideast peace talks, but Livni said the idea is to start the negotiations today.There is a lot of cynicism and skepticism and pessimism but there is also hope, Livni told The Associated Press after meeting with U.N. Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon.Livini now heads to Washington for a dinner with the Palestinians hosted by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.Kerry brokered an agreement early this month to bring both sides back to the negotiating table. It included a decision by Israel, which its Cabinet made on Sunday, to free 104 long-held Palestinian prisoners in four stages. That led to Monday nights dinner invitation from Kerry.It is the first time we are going to meet with the Palestinians today, Livni said. But during the last four months secretary Kerry was in the region working with us and with the Palestinians. So basically we are starting today.I believe that by relaunching the negotiations we can recreate hope for Israelis and Palestinians as well, she said.The Palestinians want a state in territories Israel captured in 1967, the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, which they want as their capital. They have accepted the principle of limited land swaps to allow Israel to annex some of the dozens of settlements it has built on war-won land.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had repeatedly said he will only resume talks if Israel either freezes settlements or recognizes the borders before the start of the 1967 war as a starting point for drawing the borders of a new Palestinian state.Pressed on whether Israel signs on to that starting point, Livni replied: You know what, Im trying to build trust between us and the Palestinians, and the last thing that I want to refer to is what they said before, what they are going to say now. Im going to meet them and we are going to discuss everything in the negotiations.She said there are a lot of core issues that are on the table and need to be addressed including a decision on borders, ending the conflict and security for Israel.Livni spoke soon after Kerry appointed former U.S. ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, to shepherd the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.Im glad that he was nominated, Livni said. Hes familiar with all the situation in the region, the problems. Hes very involved and Id love to work with him.

Terrorists storm DIK Jail, army called in Posted: DERA ISMAIL KHAN (Dunya News) – According to initial reports number of blasts were heard followed by heavy firing in the Central Jail here in a apparent attack by the terrorists.According to Dunya News reporter, the terrorists, wearing police uniforms, occupied a house near the jail and some of them entered the jail.Terrorist also threw hand grenades at a police van as a result of which a DSP and his gunmen were seriously injured.Gunmen battled Pakistani security forces for control of a major prison holding hundreds of militants on Monday night, police said.The gunmen launched their attack with a series of heavy explosions before firing rocket propelled grenades and machineguns, district police chief said.Terrorists crossed the first police picket after a suicide attack and broke into the jail after blasting its main gate.Contingents of Army and security agencies rushed to the area and exchanged firing with the miscreants.According to initial reports at least 10 terrorists managed to enter the jail and blasts were heard inside the jail.Forces surrounded the jail and started operation against the terrorists.Heavy firing was heard in the town that was plunged into darkness due to loadshedding.According to Dunya News reporter 520 prisoners, including 60 dangerous terrorists from Waziristan, are imprisoned in the DIK jail.The prison, in the central town of Dera Ismail Khan, houses Taliban and militants from banned sectarian groups.Some prisoners belonging to banned outfits and terrorist groups were on a hunger strike after a conflict with the jail authorities over possession of mobile phones.The jail authorities had been issued warnings by the terrorists of attacks for the last three days.

Syria is in 'free fall': UN Posted: UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The head of the U.N. commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria says the country is in free fall and has become a battlefield where civilians are the main victims of acts of terror from indiscriminate shelling to rape and sectarian killing.Paulo Pinheiro told the U.N. General Assembly Monday that massacres and other unlawful killings are perpetrated with impunity, most by pro-government forces and some by anti-government armed groups.He demanded that the government stop using imprecise weapons such as unguided missiles on civilian areas, and said both sides must stop laying siege to cities and towns, cutting off vital supplies of food, water, medicine and electricity.Pinheiro said the international community must demand a diplomatic solution to the 2 1/2-year conflict that has killed over 100,000 people.

Tunisia to hold elections by Dec. 17: PM Posted: TUNIS (AP) - Tunisias prime minister responded to mounting opposition demands to dissolve the government with a defiant speech Monday, promising to complete the countrys democratic transition with a new constitution by August and elections in December.But the assassination of two opposition legislators over the last six months has plunged Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab Spring, into a crisis involving anti-government protests, Mondays resignation of a Cabinet minister, and a legislative walkout by dozens of lawmakers.Many had hoped that Tunisia would serve as a model for democratic transformations for North Africa and the Middle East, but its struggle comes as Egypt descends into chaos and Syria is enmeshed in a civil war.On Thursday, left-wing Tunisian politician Mohammed Brahmi was assassinated in Tunis, shot 14 times outside his home in front of his family. That followed the killing of another left-wing opposition legislator, Chokri Belaid, in February.The opposition has seized on these assassinations as evidence of the Islamist-led governments failure to manage the political transition and ensure security and said the government and the constitutional assembly elected in 2011 should now be dissolved.After Brahmis funeral on Saturday, hundreds of people demonstrated in front of the assembly. The crowd swelled to 25,000 on Sunday night, according to the Interior Ministry, and was divided between pro- and anti-government groups.Police attempted to keep the rival demonstrations separate and finally cleared the area early Monday with widespread use of tear gas.Education Minister Salem Labiadh submitted his resignation on Monday. And dozens of opposition members in Tunisias 217-seat assembly, as well as a few from the ruling coalition, have announced their withdrawal from the body in effort to paralyze it. For the legislature to function, two-thirds of its members must be present, and opposition politicians say they nearly have the 73 seats needed.But Prime Minister Ali Larayedh refused to back down on Monday.In a forceful televised speech, during which often banged on a podium, he presented a road map for completing the long drawn out democratic transition with a new constitution by the end of August and the passage of the needed election laws by Oct. 23, the anniversary of the date in 2011 that brought the moderate Islamist Ennahda Party to power.He said an election for a new legislative body would be held on Dec. 17, the third anniversary of the self-immolation of itinerant fruit seller Mohammed Bouazizi that sparked the uprising that overthrow dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali a month later.The assembly elected in 2011 was supposed to write a constitution and hold new elections within a year. Instead the transition has dragged on for nearly two years as the country has been beset by social unrest, a faltering economy and terrorist attacks.Referring to the weekend protests, Larayedh said: Dialogue should not be in the streets or through violence but at the table and about strategies and plans.The opposition, backed by the countrys largest trade union and civil society groups, says Brahmis assassination demonstrates the governments failure to protect its citizens and that the opposition should form a new national salvation Cabinet to replace the government.But Larayedh criticized the opposition and said: The government will continue its performance and redouble its efforts. We dont want to stay in power. We are not addicted to it.Interior Ministry spokesman Mohammed Ali Aroui said Monday that security forces committed some abuses while dispersing protesters with tear gas early Monday. But he defended their efforts to avoid what he called a blood bath between the rival demonstrations.There also have been anti-government protests in several cities in the interior of Tunisia since Thursdays assassination.

12th head of state to be elected today Posted: ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - All preparations are in place to elect country’s 12th President today as there is one-on-one contest between Pakistan Muslim League (N) candidate Mamnoon Hussain and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf nominee Wajhihuddin Ahmad.The electoral college of the Presidential election consists of Senate‚ National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies. The election will be held through secret ballot. The polling will begin simultaneously at the parliament house and the four provincial assemblies at 10:00 am and end at 03:00 pm.The Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court will preside over the polling process at the parliament house while the chief justices of the four provinces will preside over the process in the provincial assemblies. The legislators have been asked not to carry mobile phones or any other electronic device during the voting process.The Election Commission has clarified that as per Presidential Election Rules‚ the voters for the Presidential Elections including members of the Senate‚ National Assembly and the Provincial Assemblies after receiving the ballot paper‚ are required to proceed to the place reserved for marking the ballot paper with a Cross-Mark against the name of a candidate of their choice and no other mark. The Commission also clarified that that any sign like Tick Mark or OK on the ballot paper against the name of the candidate of the voters choice is incorrect.

Bruni-Sarkozy under fire over cost of website Posted: PARIS (AP) - Frances former first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, is threatening legal action after an online petition asked her to repay nearly half a million euros used to fund her website while her husband was president.A website developer started a petition asking her to repay 410,000 euros, the amount the website cost French taxpayers from January 2011 to May 2012, when her husband, Nicolas Sarkozy, left office. As of Monday afternoon, the petition had already been signed by more than 80,000 people.The developer argues the site could have been maintained for much less, and wants the model-turned-singer to donate the money to charity.Bruni-Sarkozys lawyer Richard Malka said Monday in a statement that the money went only to promote the former first ladys official activities.Carla Bruni-Sarkozy reserves the right to sue for all claims that would attack her personal honor, Malka said. He insisted that the site did not benefit the Carla Bruni-Sarkozy Foundation, a charitable organization that aims to bring education and culture to the poor and which has the same web address as the old site dedicated to the former first lady.The foundation says it kept the same address for practical reasons. She should still pay the money back, insisted Nicolas Bousquet, the French website developer who started the petition. I know the cost of such projects.A representative of the foundation insisted that its funding comes only from private sponsorships. The representative spoke on condition of anonymity because of the policy of the foundation.Bruni-Sarkozy married Nicolas Sarkozy on February 2008. She is currently promoting her new album Little French Songs.

FBI raids rescue 105 kids forced into prostitution Posted: WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. authorities rescued 105 children who were forced into prostitution and arrested 150 pimps and others in a three-day sweep in 76 American cities, the FBI said Monday. The victims, almost all girls, range in age from 13 to 17.The largest numbers of children rescued were in San Francisco, Detroit, Milwaukee, Denver and New Orleans.Child prostitution remains a persistent threat to children across the country, Ron Hosko, assistant director of the bureaus criminal investigative division, told a press conference. The FBI said the campaign has resulted in rescuing 2,700 children since 2003.The investigations and convictions of 1,350 have led to life imprisonment for 10 pimps and the seizure of more than $3.1 million in assets.The Justice Department has estimated that nearly 450,000 children run away from home each year and that one-third of teens living on the street will be lured toward prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home.Congress has introduced legislation that would require state law enforcement, foster care and child welfare programs to identify children lured into sex trafficking as victims of abuse and neglect eligible for the appropriate protections and services.

Economist withdraws Bank of Israel candidacy Posted: JERUSALEM (AP) - One of Israels top economists on Monday withdrew his candidacy as head of the central bank over an old shoplifting case.The incident happened in a Hong Kong airport seven years ago. Jacob Frenkel told Israeli media he mistakenly thought his companion paid for an item he was carrying.A committee reviewing his appointment raised questions about the incident, and Frenkel decided to withdraw his candidacy. Frenkel did not report the incident to the committee. It was meant to be the second time that 70-year-old Frenkel headed the Bank of Israel.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement praising Frenkel and harshly criticizing the reports that led to his withdrawal.This is a direct result of an atmosphere in which a person is slandered without the opportunity to present his side, the statement said. Frenkel was an outstanding governor of the Bank of Israel, and could have brought great benefit to the Israeli economy in dealing with the world economic crisis, said the statement, signed by Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yair Lapid.An economics analyst said there is no indication that Frenkel was charged in the shoplifting case. The government did not comment on that aspect.Frenkel was governor from 1991 to 2000. He won praise for reducing inflation, liberalizing markets and integrating Israels economy into the global financial system. He has since worked in finance, including as chairman of JPMorgan Chase International.

Several injured in Swiss train collision Posted: GENEVA (AP) – At least 44 people were injured, four of them seriously, in a head-on collision of two trains in western Switzerland late Monday, Swiss television reported, citing police.Public TV station SRF quoted Vaud canton (state) police spokesman Pierre-Olivier Gaudard as saying that one person had yet to be recovered from the wreckage.News website 20min.ch quoted Patricia Claivaz of the Swiss rail company CFF as saying the trapped man, a driver of one of the trains, had been located. It was unclear if he was alive.Neither the police nor the rail company could immediately be reached for comment.The crash happened near the station of Granges-pres-Marnand shortly before 7 p.m. (1700 GMT) on a regional line about 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of the capital, Bern.Photographs from the site showed the two regional trains locked together, partly lifted off the tracks by the force of the collision.

Amazon unveils new hiring spree ahead of Obama visit Posted: SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc unveiled a new hiring spree on Monday ahead of a visit by President Barack Obama to one of the Internet retailers giant distribution warehouses this week.Amazon said it is looking to fill more than 5,000 new full-time jobs at 17 of its fulfillment centers across the United States. Thats roughly a 25 percent increase in full-time fulfillment center staff, which currently number more than 20,000 in the country.Amazon has been building lots of new fulfillment centers closer to customers in recent years as the company tries to speed up delivery of online orders and reduce shipping costs.Amazon needs a lot of workers to pick, pack and ship orders alongside high tech robots that whiz around its warehouses. The companys demand for employees is so strong that it has created special programs to woo candidates.Last year, Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos used the front page of the companys website to announce a Career Choice program that pays thousands of dollars for warehouse employees to take technical and vocational courses in high-demand areas including engineering, information technology, transportation and accounting.Amazon made its latest hiring push as President Obama is due to visit a company fulfillment center in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Tuesday to speak about jobs in the United States.The President will discuss proposals to jumpstart private sector job growth and make America more competitive, according to a White House spokeswoman.

PML-N takes notice of Sanaullah's MQM remarks Posted: LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: PML-N leader and Interior Minister Pervez Rasheed has said that Rana Sannaullah’s remarks about MQM do not reflect the party policy and Rana made the statement in his personal capacity.“Rana Sanaullah’s remarks were against the party policy of PML-N,” he said, adding the two parties would continue efforts for improving mutual relations.“The statement of Rana Sanaullah does not reflect the party policy,” he said categorically.MQM is a mainstream political party and enjoys the support of masses, he said.He urged MQM leadership not take any negative impression about PML-N because of Rana Sanaullah’s statement.Pervaiz Rashid said that PML-N respected mandate of MQM and it wanted to establish better working relationship between both parties.According to the sources PML-N has contacted MQM to defuse the tension after Rana Sanaullah’s statement in which he had said that the PML-N posture about MQM had not changed.Meanwhile, talking to Dunya News Monday night, Rana Sanaullah said MQM had misunderstood his remarks and was overreacting.“I only said that MQM offered unconditional support to PML-N presidential candidate and there was no question of any political adjustment,” he said.Rana said that this was already stated by MQM’s leader Hyder Abbas Rizvi when the PML-N delegation visited Nine Zero to get the support of MQM for presidential candidate Mamnoon Hussain.Earlier, taking notice of the statement of Rana Sanaulla’s statement, MQM coordination committee has called an emergency meeting to discuss the strategy regarding participation in presidential election on Tuesday.

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