Saturday 10 August 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Ban Ki-moon to arrive Pakistan on Tuesday

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ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - United Nations Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon is reaching Islamabad on a two-day visit on Tuesday.During his stay he will discuss steps for polio eradication and promotion of education especially women education with Pakistani leadership.The UN Secretary General is expected to hold meetings with the President‚ the Prime Minister‚ Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security‚ Speaker National Assembly‚ women parliamentarians and other high officials.Ban-Ki Moon will also take part in the Independence Day celebrations besides attending a number of functions including events on Polio eradication and youth education and inauguration of the Centre of Peace and Security at NUST.

23 picnickers drown in various parts of country

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LAHORE: (Dunya News) - Twenty three people drowned while picnicking in various parts of the country on Saturday.Eight people drowned in River Indus at Taunsa near Muzaffargarh while six persons drowned while taking bath in the sea near Bin Qasim in Karachi.And nine holiday-makers drowned in River Indus near Kund Park in Nowshera.Rescue workers could recover only two bodies out of eight people who drowned at Tounsa Baraj.The search operation was abandoned Saturday night due to darkness.

Four bodies pulled from wreckage of US plane crash

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EAST HAVEN, Connecticut (AP) Four bodies have been recovered from the site of a plane crash in a residential Connecticut neighborhood, a fire official said Saturday.Those presumed dead are the pilot, a former Microsoft executive, his teenage son and two children in a home struck by the plane.The bodies two from the plane and two from one of the two houses it struck were pulled from the site Friday shortly before midnight, said Anthony Moscato, deputy chief of the East Haven Fire Department. He said they are believed to be the only victims.The multi-engine, propeller-driven plane struck the two small homes near Tweed New Haven Airport just before noon Friday. The aircrafts left wing lodged in one house and its right wing in the other.Authorities previously said as many as six people could have been killed. The victims were not immediately identified. Their remains were sent to the Connecticut medical examiners office as the National Transportation Safety Board continued its investigation of the crash.Two children, ages 1 and 13, have been missing since the plane crashed into their home.A family member said the pilot was former Microsoft executive Bill Henningsgaard, who was taking his son, Maxwell, on an East Coast tour of colleges.The family learned it was Bill Henningsgaards plane through the tail number, said his brother, Blair Henninsgaard, the city attorney in Astoria, Oregon.It wasnt his first crash. In April 2009, Henningsgaard crash-landed his small plane on Washington states Columbia River when the engine quit as he was flying from Astoria to Seattle. He and his 84-year-old mother climbed out on a wing and were rescued by a passing boat as the plane began to sink.Henningsgaard was a member of Seattle-based Social Venture Partners, a foundation that helps build up communities. The foundation extended its condolences to his wife and two daughters.There are hundreds of people that have a story about Bill when he went the extra mile, when he knew just the right thing to say, how he would never give up. He was truly all-in for this community, heart, mind and soul, the foundation wrote Friday in a post on its website.The 10-seater plane, a Rockwell International Turbo Commander 690B, flew out of Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and crashed at 11:25 a.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said.Tweeds airport manager, Lori Hoffman-Soares, said the pilot had been in communication with air traffic control and hadnt issued any distress calls.All we know is that it missed the approach and continued on, she said.A neighbor, David Esposito, said he heard a loud noise and then a thump: No engine noise, nothing.A woman was screaming her kids were in there, he said.Esposito, a retired teacher, said he ran into the upstairs of the house, where the woman believed her children were, but he couldnt find them after frantically searching a crib and closets. He returned downstairs to search some more, but he dragged the woman out when the flames became too strong.Henningsgaard spent 14 years at Microsoft in various marketing and sales positions, according to his biography on Social Venture Partners website. He was a longtime board member at Youth Eastside Services, a Bellevue, Washington-based agency that provides counseling and substance-abuse treatment, and led the organizations $10.7 million fundraising campaign for its new headquarters, which opened in 2008.

US angry over release of Mexican drug lord

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MEXICO CITY (AP) US law enforcement officials expressed outrage over the release from prison of Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero and vowed to continue efforts to bring to justice the man who ordered the killing of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent.Caro Quintero was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the 1985 kidnapping and killing of DEA agent Enrique Camarena but a Mexican federal court ordered his release this week saying he had been improperly tried in a federal court for state crimes.The 60-year-old walked out of a prison in the western state of Jalisco early Friday after serving 28 years of his sentence.The U.S. Department of Justice said it found the courts decision deeply troubling.The Department of Justice, and especially the Drug Enforcement Administration, is extremely disappointed with this result, it said in a statement.The Association of Former Federal Narcotics Agents in the United States said it was outraged by Caro Quinteros early release and blamed corruption within Mexicos justice system.The release of this violent butcher is but another example of how good faith efforts by the U.S. to work with the Mexican government can be frustrated by those powerful dark forces that work in the shadows of the Mexican justice system, the organization said in a statement.The DEA, meanwhile, said it will vigorously continue its efforts to ensure Caro-Quintero faces charges in the United States for the crimes he committed.Mexican authorities did not release the full decision explaining the reasoning of the three-judge panel in the western state of Jalisco, but some experts said the ruling may have been part of a broader push to rebalance the Mexican legal system in favor of defendants rights, from both law-enforcement officials and the independent judicial system. Mexicos Supreme Court has issued several recent rulings overturning cases while saying due process wasnt followed.However, Mexican and current and former U.S. officials alike expressed deep skepticism that correct procedures were followed in the decision to free Caro Quintero.Mexican Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam said the First Appellate Court had completely ignored Supreme Court precedent in dismissing the case instead of referring it to the state courts that appellate judges believe should have heard it in the first place.He said his office would get involved in the case but offered no details.Former DEA officials familiar with the Camarena case said they doubted that Caro Quintero walked free simply due to a legally well-founded reexamination of his case. They noted a history of bribery in Mexico and a continuous need for U.S. pressure on Mexican authorities to keep Camarenas killers behind bars.Edward Heath was the DEAs regional director for Mexico at the time of the Camarena killing and was present during the identification of the agents body from dental records.He said Caro Quinteros release reflected a broader lack of cooperation with the U.S. from the new Mexican government, a contrast with the policy of former President Felipe Calderon.You had a president that was working very close with our government in a quiet way. These people come in and so, boom, the curtain comes down, said Heath, now a private security consultant. It means a disrespect for our government ... This is only six, seven months into their tenure and all of a sudden things are happening, not necessarily for the good.He said he was skeptical of the explanation that there was a justifiable legal rationale for Caro Quinteros release.Theres some collusion going on, he said. This guy is a major trafficker. This guy is bad, a mean son of a gun.Caro Quintero was a founding member of one of Mexicos earliest and biggest drug cartels. He helped establish a powerful cartel based in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa that later split into some of Mexicos largest cartels, including the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels.But he wasnt tried for drug trafficking, a federal crime in Mexico. Instead, Mexican federal prosecutors, under intense pressure from the United States, put together a case against him for Camarenas kidnapping and killing, both state crimes.What we are seeing here is a contradiction between the need of the government to keep dangerous criminals behind bars and its respect of due process, said Raul Benitez, a security expert at Mexicos National Autonomous University.The United States wants Mexico to comply with due process but it is likely that due process was not followed when many criminals were caught 10 or 15 years ago.Mexican courts and prosecutors have long tolerated illicit evidence such as forced confessions and have frequently based cases on questionable testimony or hearsay. Such practices have been banned by recent judicial reforms, but past cases, including those against high-level drug traffickers, are often rife with such legal violations.Mexicos relations with Washington were badly damaged when Caro Quintero ordered Camarena kidnapped, tortured and killed, purportedly because he was angry about a raid on a 220-acre (89-hectare) marijuana plantation in central Mexico named Rancho Bufalo - Buffalo Ranch - that was seized by Mexican authorities at Camarenas insistence.Camarena was kidnapped in Guadalajara, a major drug trafficking center at the time. His body and that of his Mexican pilot, both showing signs of torture, were found a month later, buried in shallow graves. American officials accused their Mexican counterparts of letting Camarenas killers get away. Caro Quintero was eventually hunted down in Costa Rica.Caro Quintero still faces charges in the United States, but Mexicos Attorney Generals Office said it was unclear whether there was a current extradition request.The U.S. Department of Justice said it has continued to make clear to Mexican authorities the continued interest of the United States in securing Caro Quinteros extradition so that he might face justice in the United States.Samuel Gonzalez, Mexicos former top anti-drug prosecutor, said the U.S. government itself has been promoting, and partly financing, judicial reforms in Mexico aimed at respecting procedural guarantees for suspects, an approach Gonzalez feels has weighted the balance too far against prosecutors and victims.This is all thanks to the excessive focus on procedural guarantees supported by the U.S. government itself, Gonzalez said.

Hiroshima beats Jubilo Iwata 2-1 in J-League

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TOKYO (AP) Sanfrecce Hiroshima bounced back from defeat in its previous outing with a 2-1 victory at home to Jubilo Iwata on Saturday, maintaining a one-point lead over Yokohama F Marinos in the J-League.Hisato Sato put Sanfrecce ahead three minutes before halftime. Hidetaka Kanazono equalized, but Seok-Ho Hwang scored the winner on 71 minutes.Yokohama remains hot on the leaders heels after beating Sagan Tosu 2-1. Marinos led through Shunsuke Nakamuras first-half strike, Ryota Hayasaka leveled for the visitors after 56 minutes and in-form Marquinhos scored his seventh goal in six games to seal the points.Urawa Reds 2-0 defeat at Nagoya Grampus left them five points behind the leaders in third. Fourth-placed Omiya Ardijas losing streak was extended to five games with a 3-0 home defeat by Cerezo Osaka.

CM Balochistan vows to continue war on terror

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QUETTA (Dunya News):- Chief Minister of Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik has said that the government is responsible for protection of the citizens living in the limits of province.He expressed theses ideas with having a conversation with the families of martyrs hit in a blast at IG Office police line.He said that the government of Balochistan would meet expenditures for academic activities of the children of martyrs.He said that the government was passing from crucial situation but at the same time it is proud of Balochistan police.Terrorists are actually coward who are targeting law enforcement institutions without any moral justification but the government neither would escape nor surrender before them.He assured the victims’ families that the government would not let them alone; rather it would stand by them in every hour of trouble and trial and meet expenditures of health and education.He said, “It is our collective responsibility to defeat terror and restore law and order situation in the country.”Federal minister for economic affairs generl Abdul Qadir Baloch also sympathized with the bereaved families.

Govt's silence over terrorism shocking, says Khurshid Shah

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SUKKUR (Dunya News) Opposition leader Khurshid Shah has said that Islam is being defamed by terrorists who have nothing to do with ideology and practice of universal laws of Islam.While talking to the media on Saturday, he said that the government has only concern with hike in taxes and prices. The Opposition would protest against the silence of the government in the next session of the National Assembly, said PPP leader.He said that he would like to appeal the masses to defend themselves without having any expectation from the government as it has nothing to do with their rights of life and property; rather its motto is to collect funds in the name of so called progress and prosperity.He said that likely All Parties Conference on terrorism postponed due to stubborn attitude of Imran Khan.Commenting on MQM’s secret communication with the PML-N and the PPP, he said it should avoid riding two horses at the same. Politics is a serious matter not a child play.Furthering his statement, he said that the people who are shedding blood of innocent people for their vested interests are not actually Muslim.He concluded that the entire nation from Karachi to Khyber should stand in face of terrorism by shunning away their fear.

Widespread rains expected this week

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ISLAMBAD (Dunya News) – Met Officie has said there would be more rains Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Kashmir during this week.Pakistan Meteorological Department Saturday forecast widespread rains with thundershower in the Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Kashmir during the next 24 hours.Rains also turned weather pleasant in twin cities and other parts of the country on Saturday.According to the Met Office, seasonal low lies over North Balochistan with its trough extending Southeast ward.Strong Monsoon currents are reaching upper parts of the country. Trough of western disturbance is also affecting northern parts of the country.Rain with thundershower is expected in Rawalpindi,Islamabad, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Multan, Bahawalpur, D.G.Khan Faisalabad divisions and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan during next 24 hours. Scattered rain with thundershower is expected in Peshawar, Kohat, D I Khan, Hazara, Malakand divisions during next two days.Hot and Humid weather is likely in most parts of the province Sindh. However isolated dust with thundershower is expected in Sukkar and Larkana divisions during next 24 hours.Mainly hot and dry weather is forecast in Balochistan during next 24 hours. However isolated rain is likely in northeast Balochistan during next 24 hrs.Rainfall recorded during last 24 hrs: Islamabad 80, Rawalpindi 59, Balakot 43, Sargodha 41, Malam Jabba 38, Sargodha 36, Murree 35, Chaklala 28, Saidu Sharif 24, Pattan 22, Muzaffarabad 18, D.I.Khan 15, Shorkot 12, Larkana & Faisalabad 10 (each)mm.

Malaria vaccine shows early promise in clinical trials

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NEW YORK (Web Desk) - A malaria vaccine has shown promising results in early stage clinical trials, according to researchers.The method is unusual because it involves injecting live but weakened malaria-causing parasites directly into patients to trigger immunity.The research is published in the journal Science.Lead author Dr Robert Seder, from the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health, in Maryland, said: We were excited and thrilled by the result, but it is important that we repeat it, extend it and do it in larger numbers.It has been known for several decades that exposure to mosquitoes treated with radiation can protect against malaria.However, studies have shown that it takes more than 1,000 bites from the insects over time to build up a high level of immunity, making it an impractical method of widespread protection.Instead, a US biotech company called Sanaria has taken lab-grown mosquitoes, irradiated them and then extracted the malaria-causing parasite (Plasmodium falciparum), all under sterile conditions. “They are clearly very early stage trials in small numbers of volunteers, but without question we are extremely encouraged by the results”These living but weakened parasites are then counted and placed in vials, where they can then be injected directly into a patients bloodstream. This vaccine candidate is called PfSPZ.To carry out the Phase-1 clinical trial, the researchers looked at a group of 57 volunteers, none of whom had had malaria before.Of these, 40 received different doses of the vaccine, while 17 did not. They were then all exposed to the malaria-carrying mosquitoes.The researchers found that for the participants not given any vaccine, and those given low doses, almost all became infected with malaria.However for the small group given the highest dosage, only three of the 15 patients became infected after exposure to malaria.Dr Robert Seder said: Based on the history, we knew dose was important because you needed 1,000 mosquito bites to get protection - this validates that.It allows us in future studies to increase the dose and alter the schedule of the vaccine to further optimise it. The next critical questions will be whether the vaccine is durable over a long period of time and can the vaccine protect against other strains of malaria.Malaria kills about 600,000 people each year and infects more than 200 million.He added that the fact that the vaccine had to be injected into the bloodstream rather than into or under the skin made delivery more difficult.Commenting on the research, Dr Ashley Birkett, from the Path Malaria Vaccine Initiative, said: They are clearly very early stage trials in small numbers of volunteers, but without question we are extremely encouraged by the results.He added that most current vaccine candidates targeted parts of the P. falciparum parasite rather than the whole organism.This approach induces a broad response against a lot of different targets on the parasite, he said.There are currently about 20 malaria vaccine candidates in clinical trials.The most advanced is called RTS,S/AS01, which has been developed by the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, and is in a Phase-3 clinical trial involving 15,000 children in Africa.According to the latest figures from the World Health Organization, there were an estimated 219 million cases of malaria in 2010 and an estimated 660,000 deaths.

Astronaut Michael Foale retires from Nasa

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NEW YORK (Web Desk) -Holding dual US-UK citizenship, Dr Foale accumulated a total of 375 days in orbit.In his 26-year career in Nasas astronaut corps, he flew on numerous shuttle and Soyuz missions.He serviced the Hubble telescope, and had tours on both the Mir platform and the International Space Station.The latter he commanded in 2003.Dr Foale is leaving the agency to work on advancing green aviation technology, by helping to develop an electric aircraft.Born in Louth, Lincolnshire, Michael Foale went to school in Canterbury, Kent, and received his astrophysics PhD from Cambridge. He then departed the UK shortly afterwards to pursue his dream of going into orbit by joining the US space agency. This required he become a US citizen.The Nasa administrator, and former fellow astronaut, Charlie Bolden, paid tribute to Dr Foale.Michael Foale was delighted to see Tim Peake get selected as an Esa astronautWe salute Mike and his contributions to Nasa as an accomplished member of the astronaut corps, General Bolden said in a statement.Starting with his first flight, shuttle mission STS-45, when we flew together in 1992, Mike has worked tirelessly to support Nasas quest to explore the unknown. I know Mike will go on to do more great things as he continues to support the aerospace industry in his new endeavour.One of the most dramatic events in Dr Foales career occurred on Mir in 1997 when the Russian space station was rammed by a visiting cargo ship.He later recalled to the BBC: It weighed about seven tonnes so the impact was very noticeable. We heard a big thud and I remember having a severe adrenalin rush and thinking about how much longer do we have.I felt the fall of the air pressure in my ears and realised it was fairly severe but not so severe that we wouldnt have time to evacuate. It all started to fit together and a plan even started to form in all our minds that we would be ok - or we could be ok.Dr Foale made a total of six trips into space and at one point held the record for the most cumulative time in orbit for a US astronaut.Michael Foale was made a CBE in 2005 for services to space exploration.Like most of the British-born individuals who have flown in space, Michael Foale had to take the Nasa route to achieve his goals. For years, successive UK governments deemed human spaceflight to be a waste of money and refused to fund programmes involving astronauts.Dr Foale was sometimes critical of this attitude, and was delighted when the European Space Agency went ahead and selected British Army Air Corps pilot Major Tim Peake as an astronaut candidate, even though the UK government had no direct involvement in the Paris-based organisations human spaceflight programme.Britains exploration history is huge. It stops somewhere in the middle of the last century and I would like to see it pick up again; and I think Tim represents that, he told the BBC in 2009.The UK governments position on space has changed markedly since then, with ministers pumping money into the home industry and even funding activities on the space station.In addition, the Chancellor George Osborne took the step in June of putting substantial investment behind a design for an air-breathing rocket engine that could one day power a space plane.

Iraqi Kurdish leader vows to defend Kurds in Syria

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BAGHDAD (AP) -The president of Iraqi Kurdistan has threatened to intervene in neighboring Syria to defend the large Kurdish population living there from al-Qaida-linked fighters.The statement Saturday from Massoud Barzani follows weeks of clashes in predominantly Kurdish parts of northeastern Syrian near the Iraqi border between Kurdish militias and Islamic extremist rebel factions. The fighting has killed dozens on both sides.Barzani has ordered an investigation to verify the reports of fighting. He says that if Syrian Kurds are indeed threatened by killing and terrorism, then Iraqi Kurdistan will make use of all its capabilities to defend the Kurdish women, children and citizens in western Kurdistan.Iraqs largely autonomous Kurdish region boasts its own ministries and security forces.In Syria, Kurds make up about 10 percent of the countrys 23 million people.Syrian government warplanes bombed a predominantly Sunni village and killed at least 20 people, opposition activists said Saturday, as government forces pushed to retake territory in the western heartland of President Bashar Assads Alawite sect.The rebel capture last week of 11 villages in the regime stronghold of Latakia province was a symbolic blow to Assad, whose troops have otherwise been making gains in central Syria and around the capital Damascus.Assads forces are now trying to retake those villages, predominantly populated by Alawites, an offshoot sect of Shiite Islam.The mountainous region near the Mediterranean Sea is also home to villages populated by Sunni Muslims, who dominate the rebel ranks.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighter jets struck one Sunni village, Salma, late Friday, and that at least half of the dead were fighters.The group reported heavy clashes between troops and rebels in the surrounding Jabal al-Akrad mountains on Saturday. It had no reports of casualties in the fighting.The state media said Saturday that government troops recaptured three of the 11 villages. Activists confirmed the fall of one village but said fighting was continuing in the other two.

US embassies to reopen after terror alert

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NEW YORK (Web Desk) - The state department says its embassy in the Yemeni capital Sanaa will stay closed because of ongoing concerns.The US closed 19 diplomatic missions in the Middle East and Africa last Sunday in response to what it said was a threat of a terrorist attack.The consulate in the Pakistani city of Lahore, which closed after a separate threat, will also not reopen yet.We will continue to evaluate the threats to Sanaa and Lahore and make subsequent decisions about the reopening of those facilities based on that information, said spokeswoman Jen Psaki.We will also continue to evaluate information about these and all of our posts and to take appropriate steps to best protect the safety of our personnel, American citizens travelling overseas, and visitors to our facilities.On Thursday, at least 14 suspected al-Qaeda militants - reportedly including seven from Saudi Arabia - were killed in Yemen in three drone strikes, Yemeni officials said.The number of US strikes in Yemen has been stepped up over the past month.Yemen is a stronghold of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) - an al-Qaeda offshoot considered by Washington to be the most dangerous to the West.Staff evacuatedThe US statement said the Sanaa embassy would stay closed because of concerns about a threat stream emanating from AQAP, without providing further details.Most US employees at the Sanaa embassy were ordered to leave the country on Tuesday.The embassy closures, along with a US global travel alert, came after the US reportedly intercepted al-Qaeda messages.Reports said they were between senior figures talking about a plot against an embassy.The US closed its consulate in Lahore on Thursday and evacuated all non-essential staff following what it described as a credible threat.US officials said the evacuation was undertaken as a precaution and not related to the closure of the other diplomatic missions.Thursdays drone attacks in Yemen targeted a group of suspected militants, killing four of them in Wadi al-Jadd in the southern province of Hadramout, Yemeni officials told the BBC.A day earlier, Yemen said it had foiled a major al-Qaeda plot against oil pipelines and ports.Two strikes in Marib and Hadramout provinces killed 10 suspected militants, the security officials said, while another seven people died in a drone attack on Wednesday.While the US has acknowledged targeting militants in Yemen with drones, it does not comment publicly on its policy or the raids.About 30 suspected militants have been killed in a series of such raids in Yemen since 28 July, news agencies report.On Thursday, Yemeni counter-terrorism forces raided a number of addresses north of the capital Sanaa after a tip-off that they were being used by AQAP, a Yemeni security source told BBC Arabic.

India buffalo sells for 'record-breaking Rs 2.5mn

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HISAR (BBC) - A farmer in the northern Indian state of Haryana says he has sold a buffalo for what is believed to be record-breaking 2.5 million rupees ($41,000).The Murrah breed of water buffalo is much in demand for its high milk yield and normally costs between 100,000 rupees and 250,000 rupees.They are highly coveted and their owners take a lot of pride in them.For the price that Lakshmi was sold for it would be possible to buy a small luxury car.Mr Singh, who lives in Singhwa Khas village in Hisar district, said he bought Lakshmi for 250,000 rupees ($4,100; £2,650) two years ago.He said because she was a special buffalo - who yielded up to 28 litres of milk every day and won several prizes for producing record amounts - he was able to sell her for 10 times the price he bought her.I didnt want to sell her, but the new owner offered me the price I asked for. He had come last year and offered me 190,000 rupees, but I refused. He liked the buffalo so much that he made a video film on her and showed it in his village, Mr Singh said.I am very happy that I got the price I wanted. I will use the money for my daughters marriage.Kapoor Singh said Lakshmi will leave her village with her new owner, Rajiv Sarpanch, on Sunday.Mr Sarpanch has been quoted as telling Hindustan Times newspaper that he is planning to make her participate in Andhra Pradeshs best cattle contest in January next year where the winner will get a kilogram of gold.

Police decry Belfast 'anarchy' as 56 officers hurt

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DUBLIN (AP) -Northern Irelands police chief vowed Saturday to hunt down and imprison scores of Protestant militants after they attacked and wounded 56 officers protecting a parade by Irish Republican Army supporters.Friday nights outbreak of violence in downtown Belfast could be the first in a tense weekend involving disputed parades by both the Irish Catholic and British Protestant extremes of society.Senior police said Protestant extremists encouraged by social-media messages rallied to block the parade on Royal Avenue, Belfasts major shopping boulevard. Some wore British flags as capes or masks, and tore up scaffolding and pavement stones to attack police girded in full riot gear.Police responded by striking rioters with water cannons and 26 plastic bullets blunt-nosed cylinders designed to deal punishing blows without penetrating the flesh.Several protesters could be seen staggering away from the confrontation zone with bloodied faces.Protestant politicians said security officials should never have authorized what they called a deliberately provocative march by Irish republican hard-liners opposed to Northern Irelands peace process.After rival crowds of march supporters and opponents briefly outflanked police lines to trade salvos of rocks and bottles, march organizers abandoned their plan to parade past Belfast City Hall and diverted it back into Catholic turf.Britains government minister for Northern Ireland condemned the Protestant mobs for utterly disgraceful behavior.Whatever people think about the merits of the parade or the views of the people taking part in the parade, the rule of law has to be respected, said Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers.Chief Constable Matt Baggott said Northern Irelands prison population soon will be bulging as detectives used video footage to identify and arrest rioters.Baggott said seven people were arrested Friday night for attacks on police and the hijacking of cars, one of which was set on fire in the middle of the parade route. You can be assured that many more (arrests) will follow, he said.He noted that more than 500 rioters, mostly Protestants confronting police in the streets of Belfast, already had been charged and convicted for earlier spasms of street violence in December, January and July.Baggott said the Protestant demonstrators lacked organization, self-respect or dignity. He said his officers had put their own lives on the line to prevent that anarchy from spreading. Without that courage, many lives may well have been lost.This years unusually protracted street trouble reflects rising working-class Protestant anger at Irish Catholic gains from the peace process.The U.S.-brokered Good Friday peace accord of 1998 sought to end IRA and other paramilitary violence, spur police reform and British military withdrawals, and forge a joint Catholic-Protestant government.Those goals have largely been achieved. But the supposed unity government continues to reflect fundamental divisions in Northern Ireland society.They have failed to reach a common position on each sides disputed marches. And as the Irish role in government and policing has risen, Protestant opposition to that changing face of authority has grown.The winter violence followed Catholic politicians surprise decision in Belfast City Hall to curtail the flying of the British flag, a practice that had persisted year-round for a century.Julys violence followed a decision by the government-appointed Parades Commission to block an annual Protestant parade by the Orange Order brotherhood from skirting an IRA power base in north Belfast, scene of heavy Catholic-police clashes following previous years Orange parades.While the major IRA faction, the Provisionals, renounced violence and disarmed in 2005 after killing nearly 1,800 people in a failed bid to force Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom, breakaway IRA factions have continued to mount bomb and gun attacks. Last year they formed a new IRA that does garner some support, and Friday nights march reflected that.But even the Provisionals, with their Sinn Fein party now at the heart of Northern Irelands government, still justify and glorify past IRA violence, a fundamental sore point that shows no signs of easing.On Sunday a Sinn Fein-backed march honoring Provisional IRA members in the religiously divided town of Castlederg is proceeding, despite local Protestants complaints that the IRA killed dozens in their community.One local politician compared it to permitting an al-Qaida parade through New York honoring the suicide attackers of 9/11. Sinn Fein insisted it would be dignified.

Islam gaffe candidate Banister quits Australia election

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SYDNEY (Web Desk) - An Australian election candidate who was widely mocked after she mistook Islam for a country in a TV interview has withdrawn her candidacy.Stephanie Banister, 27, was contesting a seat in Queensland for the anti-immigration One Nation Party. She had only been in politics for 48 hours.Ms Banister also confused the term haram (forbidden) with the Koran and suggested Jews worshipped Jesus Christ.The interview, which aired early this week, went viral on social media.I dont oppose Islam as a country, umm, but I do feel that their laws should not be welcome here in Australia, Ms Banister told Seven News reporter Erin Edwards.She announced her withdrawal from the election on Saturday.With the way Channel Seven edited my interview, I was left quite the fool, Ms Banister said in a brief statement.Id like to apologise to One Nation, to my friends and family, for any embarrassment this has brought to them.One newspaper headline said Ms Banister had managed to put Islam literally on the map.The leader of One Nation, Jim Savage, said Ms Banister continued to have the full support of the party executive.He said she had been under enormous pressure, including threats to her and her family.Commentators compared Ms Banister to Sarah Palin, the gaffe-prone Republican vice-presidential candidate in the 2008 US election.Even before this interview, Ms Banister was regarded as a rank outsider to win her seat, says the BBCs Jon Donnison, in Sydney.The mother-of-two rose to prominence when she was arrested for going into a supermarket and putting stickers saying halal food funds terrorism on Nestle products.She is facing charges of contaminating or interfering with goods. If convicted before polling day, she would have been barred from standing.
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