Sunday 11 August 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Typhoon batters Philippines; 23 fishermen missing

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MANILA, Philippines (AP) - A powerful typhoon made landfall in the northern Philippines on Monday, toppling power lines and dumping heavy rains across mountains, cities and food-growing plains and leaving at least 23 fishermen missing.Typhoon Utor, described as the strongest typhoon globally so far this year, slammed ashore in mountainous eastern Aurora province with sustained winds of 175 kilometers (109 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 210 kph (130 mph).About 1,000 residents in the central Bicol region spent the night in shelters while Aurora province was without power, the national disaster agency said. Radio stations reported roofs were blown off and a covered basketball court washed away in Dinalungan town.There was no immediate word on casualties, but 23 fishermen who were out at sea failed to return home in four towns in Catanduanes province, according to their families. Authorities were hoping they just took shelter in coves and nearby islands, said Office of Civil Defense regional director Bernardo Alejandro IV.I hope theyre just waiting for the typhoon to pass and will show up as soon as the weather clears, he said. A higher number of missing had been reported over the weekend, but some fishermen since returned home.More than 8,000 travelers were stranded as passenger and cargo ferries were grounded.Classes in towns and cities on the typhoons path were suspended, including in the capital Manila, and several domestic flights canceled.Utor was forecast to cut across the main northern island of Luzon on Monday and move into the South China Sea on Tuesday in the direction of Guangdong in China, expected to make landfall there Wednesday.Utor is the 12th of about 20 storms and typhoons expected to lash the Philippines this year.

Japan economy up sluggish 2.6% for last quarter

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TOKYO (AP) - Japans economy grew at a slower-than-expected rate of 2.6 percent last quarter, suggesting demand has been slow to pick up despite strong public spending and ultra-lax monetary policies.The GDP figure reported by the Cabinet Office on Monday reflects a 0.6 percent increase from the previous quarter for the worlds third-largest economy, as the recovery was sustained despite the weaker than anticipated growth.More than 3.0 percent growth in annual terms had been forecast for the April-June period, after the economy expanded at a 4.1 percent pace in January-March. The weaker data will likely raise pressure on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to push ahead with reforms he has promised to help improve Japans competitiveness and sustain growth in the long run.If forecasts for a fall-off in growth in the current quarter are accurate, the pressure for more radical reforms is bound to build, as investors watch for signs that Abes Abenomics strategy can really fuel a lasting recovery from years of stagnation.The data show the strongest contribution to growth coming from public spending and exports, while private investment weakened.Many of Japans corporations have seen their profitability improve as the yen has weakened against other currencies, boosting the value of their overseas earnings when they are counted in yen terms. The recovery in exports has been a boon for big global corporations like Toyota Motor Corp.But domestic corporate investment has remained flat, rising only 0.1 percent in April to June. Meanwhile, wages have risen only for some workers, accentuating concerns over whether household income will keep pace as prices rise under the governments campaign to end deflation through extreme monetary easing.Abe and some of his advisers have expressed uncertainty over a government commitment to raise the sales tax by 3 percent in April. A decision on that is due within months, and it appears increasingly likely Abe might opt for a more gradual approach to raising the tax, which now stands at 5 percent, to help improve public finances.

Panama grants asylum to 19 Cubans held by Bahamas

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PANAMA CITY (AP) - Panamas government is granting asylum on humanitarian grounds for 19 Cuban migrants who are being detained in the Bahamas, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday.Its statement said President Ricardo Martinelli made the decision to accept the request for asylum, adding that Panama has historically been a country that offers asylum for humanitarian reasons.The ministry didnt identify the Cubans involved or say when they might come to Panama.It also didnt give any details on the conditions of the asylum seekers, but alluded to criticism by rights groups over the treatment of Cubans detained in the Bahamas after being stopped on suspicion of trying to immigrate illegally to the United States.The complaints from international human rights groups, which have alerted about the treatment received by Cuban citizens detained in the Bahamas, has been one of the considerations in this decision of the government, the Foreign Ministry said.Activists in Florida allege that Cuban detainees in the Bahamas have been beaten by guards, denied adequate food, water and medical care, and deprived of the ability to file asylum claims.Both the U.S. government and United Nations have criticized conditions in the Bahamas detention center for migrants, who mostly come from Cuba and Haiti. The sparsely populated island chain is frequently used as a transit zone by people trying to reach the nearby United States and its security force regularly detains boatloads of migrants and deports most back to their homelands.Bahamian officials deny any abuse and are angered over calls in Florida for a tourism boycott.Bahamians are quite fed up with this attack on our country, which in our view is unfair, Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell said this past week. We spend $1 billion in the Florida economy every year. Whats the point in trying to damage our economy?

Nadal beats Raonic in Montreal final

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MONTREAL (AP) - Rafael Nadal beat Milos Raonic 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday in the Rogers Cup final, spoiling Raonics bid to become the first Canadian winner in the event in 55 years.Robert Bedard, the last Canadian to win what was then called the Canadian Open in 1955, was in attendance to see Nadal claim his third Rogers Cup title. The Spanish star also won in 2005 and 2008.To win here, I have to be playing my top level, Nadal said. Very happy the way that I played almost every match in this tournament. Is very important for me, this title. Just very happy for everything.Raonic was the first Canadian since the now 81-year-old Bedard even to reach the final.The tournament overall was a great thing, Raonic said. There were a lot of situations that Im very happy with the way I dealt with them, and there were a lot of learning experiences through it all.A lot of stepping stones that I need to do in my career happened this week, so thats great. The match, obviously Im a little disappointed with myself. I would have hoped to deal with that situation a little bit better.Nadal, playing his first tournament since a first-round loss at Wimbledon in June, posted his eighth tournament win this year and the 58th of his career. On Saturday night in the semifinals, Nadal beat two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2).I did a lot of things well, Nadal said. My return was huge this afternoon. I returned a few first serves of his in important moments, decisive. Then I think he play with more mistakes than usual. That helped me.By reaching the final, the 22-year-old Raonic will move up to 10th in world rankings, a record for a Canadian. He will be the youngest player in the top 10. Nadal will move from fourth to third.With his serve, his chance to be in the top 10 for a long time is very good, Nadal said. Then what you need is to work on the mental part and in the game from the baseline, to try to play the right way on the important points. I think he will do it. Hes still young. Hes having great results. This week is going to be very important for him and for tennis in Canada in general.Raonic has worn different colored Davis Cup-style shirts with a maple leaf over the heart all week, but saved a red-and-white one for the final. It didnt help as Nadal needed just 1 hour, 8 minutes to win.The Uniprix Stadium crowd was solidly behind Raonic throughout the one-sided match.Nadals all-around game, particularly his superior passing shots and baseline play, proved too much for the power-hitting Raonic, who was only effective in games in which his booming serve was working.On a windy afternoon, Nadal had two service breaks in the first set, including one after trailing 0-40, and broke again to open the second. At 2-1 in the second set, Raonic wasted three break points to let his best chance for a break slip away.The Spaniard broke again for a 5-2 lead and served out the match.Nadal is 4-0 against Raonic in his career.Nadal stretched his record for wins in Masters series tournaments to 25 with his fourth this year. He is 48-3 and has reached the final of 10 out of 11 tournaments in 2013.Raonics victory over Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C., on Saturday marked the first time two Canadians were in the semifinals of an ATP Tour event since Andrew Sznajder and Martin Wosterholme in 1990 at Rio de Janeiro.The last Canadian to get that far in the Rogers Cup, then called the Canadian Open, was Mike Belkin of Montreal in 1969.

Israeli-born software engineer kills son, himself at YWCA offices

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MANCHESTER (AP) - An Israeli-born software engineer shot his 9-year-old son to death before taking his own life during supervised visitation at a YWCA office, officials said Sunday.An adult supervisor was present when Muni Savyon, 54, of Manchester, took out a handgun and shot 9-year-old Joshua Savyon of Amherst before shooting himself around 10 a.m., the attorney generals office said.The father sent an email to a friend suggesting he was suicidal before the shootings, said Rabbi Levi Krinsky of Chabad Lubavitch in Manchester. Krinsky said Savyon had been depressed after recently returning from his brothers funeral in Israel but he had seen him last week and had no concerns he would harm himself or someone else.What would provoke him to take his life and his sons life? I dont think anyone can figure that out, said Krinsky, who said Savyon attended synagogue occasionally. My heart goes out to the family.On Sundays, the Young Womens Christian Association center is open for supervised child visitation and custody exchanges.Krinsky said the man and the boys mother shared custody of the boy after parting ways years ago. The couples marital status wasnt clear; Krinsky said the couple was divorced, but law enforcement officials said the two were separated.Law enforcement officials said the relationship had been contentious at times and Muni Savyon had previously threatened to kill himself, his sons mother and their son.But Ellen Savyon Vig, who was once married to Muni Savyon and had remained friends with him after their 1997 divorce, described him as a kind-hearted person. She said he was especially close to his brother and he loved his son, trying to give him varied experiences.He was nonviolent. He would try to help anyone he could. He was a really nice guy, she said from her home in Massachusetts.Savyon was active in Libertarian causes, Vig said, and was a twice-defeated candidate for the New Hampshire Legislature, most recently in February.Please keep the Savyon family in your thoughts and prayers as they cope with the unimaginable, Rep. Peter King, who easily beat Savyon in a special election for the New Hampshire House of Representatives, said from his Twitter account.Born in Israel, Savyon was a naturalized citizen who lived in several Western states before coming to New England, where he worked as a software engineer, Vig said.Others were inside the YWCA building when the shots were fired partway through the one-hour visitation. The counselor who was present at the time managed to escape unarmed, officials said.Autopsies were scheduled for Monday.Rabbi Krinsky said he had no idea that Savyon was capable of violence, much less harming his own son. We have to be more and more alert to mental illness and people whore depressed, he said.

Norway leader goes undercover as taxi driver

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STOCKHOLM (AP) - Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg dressed up as a taxi driver and took passengers around Oslo in an unusual election campaign stunt.A video that his Labor Party posted on social media Sunday shows the candid camera-like moments when the passengers realize the man behind the wheel is Stoltenberg.The prime minister says the point was to find out what people really think. And if theres one place where people really say what they think about most things its in the taxi.Labor Party spokeswoman Pia Gulbrandsen said an advertising firm helped set up the stunt. She said most of the passengers hailed Stoltenbergs cab while others were told that they would be picked up but not by whom.

Sialkot: Indian forces unprovoked firing kill a Pakistani

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - A Pakistani man was killed when Indian troops resorted to unprovoked small arms and artillery firing at Line of Control in in Charikot sector in the wee hours of Monday.The Indian security forces also opened unprovoked fire and used mortar shell in Kotli, martyring a youth.Sources said that a mortar shell fired by the Indian troops hit the house in Donga Gambhir, resultantly a youth, identified as Zubair, was martyred.Pakistani forces retaliated the attacks. The intermittent exchange of fire triggered tensions in the region.Earlier on Sunday, Indian Border Security Force (BSF) violated cease fire on LoC and opened unprovoked fire on a Pakistan Rangers checkpost in Sialkot sector in Nakial sector near Kotli, military official said.The situation remains tense between the South Asian neighbours since New Delhi accused Pakistan Army of killing Indian troops in occupied Kashmir.

India releases 87,000 cusec water in River Sutlej

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - India has released more 87,000 cusecs of water in River Sutlej from Harike headworks that will inundat dozens of villages and ruin crops in District Kasur of Punjab.The released fresh water is likely to enter Pakistani territory within 24 hours.The villages and towns near River Sutlej are being evacuated in wake of any possible uncertain situation.Local villagers are facing great difficulties in moving from flood hit areas towards safe place for taking shelter.

Dibaba wins her 3rd world title in women's 10,000

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MOSCOW (AP) Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia won the womens 10,000 meters Sunday at the world championships, making her move with about 500 meters to go and quickly pulling away from the rest of the pack.Dibaba won in 30 minutes, 43.35 seconds. Gladys Cherono of Kenya took silver and Belaynesh Oljira of Ethiopia won bronze.Hitomi Niiya of Japan set the pace for much of the race, but Dibaba blew past her just before the bell lap and was never troubled again.Dibaba, a two-time Olympic champion at the 10,000, won the world title for the third time but first since 2007.

High blood sugar raises dementia risk: Study

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ISLAMABAD (Online): Diabetes has been linked to diabetes before, but a new study suggests people with high blood sugar who dont even have the disease still seem to face an added risk for Alzheimers researchers say the new studys findings suggest a novel way to try to prevent Alzheimers disease is by keeping blood sugar, or glucose, at a healthy level.Alzheimers is by far the most common form of dementia. An estimated In the 5.2 million people have Alzheimers or some other form of dementia in the U.S., and that number is expected to climb to 13.8 million by 2050, according to the Alzheimers Association.The new study tracked blood sugar over time in people with and without diabetes to see how it affects their risk for the mind-destroying neurological disease.The results challenge current thinking by showing that its not just the high glucose levels of diabetes that are a concern, said the studys leader, Dr. Paul Crane of the University of Washington in Seattle.The most interesting finding was that every incrementally higher glucose level was associated with a higher risk of dementia in people who did not have diabetes, Crane said in a statement.Its a nice, clean pattern - risk rises as blood sugar does, added Dallas Anderson, a scientist at the National Institute on Aging, the federal agency that paid for the study. This is part of a larger picture and adds evidence that exercising and controlling blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol are a viable way to delay or prevent dementia, he said.Because so many attempts to develop effective drugs have failed, It looks like, at the moment, sort of our best bet, Anderson said. We have to do something. If we just do nothing and wait around till theres some kind of cocktail of pills, we could be waiting a long time.People who have diabetes dont make enough insulin, or their bodies dont use insulin well, to turn food into energy. That causes sugar in the blood to rise, which can damage the kidneys and other organs - possibly the brain, researchers say.The new study, published in Thursdays New England Journal of Medicine, just tracked people and did not test whether lowering someones blood sugar would help treat or prevent dementia. That would have to be tested in a new study, and people should not seek blood-sugar tests they wouldnt normally get otherwise, Crane said.We dont know from a study like this whether bringing down the glucose level will prevent or somehow modify dementia, but its always a good idea to avoid developing diabetes, he said.Crane did say that trying to eat less sugar -- or foods with a lower glycemic index -- may not help everyone.Your body turns your food into glucose, so your blood sugar levels depend not only on what you eat but also on your individual metabolism: how your body handles your food, he said in a statement. Walking and physical activity could help, he added.The study involved 2,067 people 65 and older in the Group Health Cooperative, a Seattle-area health care system. At the start, 232 participants had diabetes; the rest did not. They each had at least five blood-sugar tests within a few years of starting the study and more after it was underway. Researchers averaged these levels over time to even out spikes and dips from testing at various times of day or before or after a meal.Participants were given standard tests for thinking skills every two years and asked about smoking, exercise and other things that affect dementia risk.After nearly seven years of follow-up, 524, or one quarter of them, had developed dementia - mostly Alzheimers disease. Among participants who started out without diabetes, those with higher glucose levels over the previous five years had an 18 percent greater risk of developing dementia than those with lower glucose levels.Among participants with diabetes at the outset, those with higher blood sugar were 40 percent more likely to develop dementia than diabetics at the lower end of the glucose spectrum.The effect of blood sugar on dementia risk was seen even when researchers took into account whether participants had the apoE4 gene, which raises the risk for Alzheimers.* Dementia risk reduced by putting off retirement, study suggests* Two cups of hot cocoa a day sharpen seniors brains, study suggests* Walking, cycling to work may curb diabetes riskAt least for diabetics, the results suggest that good blood-sugar control is important for cognition, Crane said.For those without diabetes, it may be that with the brain, every additional bit of blood sugar that you have is associated with higher risk, he said. It changes how we think about thresholds, how we think about what is normal, what is abnormal.

IWCCI expresses concern over rising inflation

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ISLAMABAD (Online): The Islamabad Womens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI) on Sunday expressed concern over rising inflation and economic slowdown which is adding to the miseries of the masses.Government should take immediate steps to contain inflation otherwise it may miss the target of keeping inflation at 8 per cent in the on-going fiscal, said Farida Rashid, President IWCCI.In a statement issued here today, she said that high inflation will compromise Pakistan’s bargaining position with the international lenders during negotiations.There is no chance of any improvement in the income of masses, therefore rising inflation will result in more poverty, reduced savings, decreased investments as well as contracted growth rate, she added.She warned that inflation would erode local currency while the central bank will have no option but to hike the policy rate in the first monetary policy under the new political setup.Farida Rashid said that upward revision of interest rates will make loans costly for government as well as business community which will cast a negative shadow on economy.It will force many businesses to become uncompetitive resulting in lost opportunities at home and abroad, colossal losses, bankruptcies, lower tax collections and unemployment, she warned.Farida Rashid said that credit of recent wave of price hike goes to the fiscal policies of the former government while the recent steps like hike in Sales Tax and increase in prices of electricity and petroleum products is also to be blamed.Absence of proper mechanism to check prices during the holy month of Ramadan has also contributed to the hike in prices of food items, she added.She said that situation can improve if the PML-N government successfully fulfils its reform agenda that comprise reduction in budget deficit, attracting foreign investment, taming energy crisis and control precarious law and order situation.

FPCCI suggests forming 'consortium' of businessmen

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KARACHI (Online): Leader of Business Community and former president FPCCI, S M Munir has suggested that the government should form a consortium of businessmen and hand over all loss-making organizations to it so that they could be made profitable entities.Talking to newsmen, he was optimist that these PSEs including PIA, Railways, WAPDA, Steel Mills etc would become profit-making organizations if they were operated in professional way.He was of the view if privatization of these organizations was necessary, they should be given to local businessmen rather than foreign investors.He also urged business community to support the present government to bring the country out of prevailing crisis. He said that the government had initiated efforts to overcome power crisis and entered into agreement with Chain on power generation.Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan criticised the present government for approaching IMF. He alleged that the federal budget had been prepared in light of the IMF instructions.He said that there are 3.3 million NTN holders in the country and out of them only 1.5 million pay taxes.He demanded of the government to apprehend tax evaders and recover taxes from them.Dr Abdul Qadir Khan said that he had made the country unbeatable and fulfilled his responsibility, adding that prayers of the masses were with him and he did need nothing.He said that all the powers received in the life end with the death and all these things are temporary and human services towards the creatures of God are remembered forever and said that he would continue serving the people up to the end of his life.He lamented that all the rulers came into power to safeguard their personal interests and do corruption.He observed if the present government appointed experienced technocrats, it would be able to overcome energy crisis.

Govt unable to formulate counter-terror strategy: Imran

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ISLAMABAD (ONLINE); PTI Chairman Imran Khan has expressed his grave concerns over government’s inability to formulate a viable, holistic Counter-Terrorism policy and a strategy to implement the same.In his recent press statement issued on Sunday, he lambasted the deteriorating security situation in the country, stating that the government seemed least interested in giving this issue top priority.“Talks of an APC are meaningless until the government has a counter-terrorism policy to present before it”, he stated, while declaring that, “If the government is unable or unwilling to present a holistic counter-terrorism policy, it should extricate itself from the “US war on terror” and stop drone attacks.The PTI chief also reiterated that a comprehensive counter terrorism policy was required to identify the different types of terrorism impacting Pakistan and use politico-economic measures alongside security measures to counter this challenge on emergency basis, as “governance is imploding and the state cannot bear the growing pressure”.He regretted that the security apparatus was overstretched and exposed in the absence of a holistic counter terrorism policy, with the under-equipped and under trained police force being the greatest sufferer.Outlining the very first step in effecting an effective counter-terror policy, of which KPK has been directly hit, mainly out of the Pakistani state’s support for the US WoT and covert support for drone attacks on Pakistani, Imran Khan stressed that Pakistan has to get out of the US War on Terror (WoT) which had allowed terrorists to misuse the narrative of jihad against the Pakistani security forces, the police, paramilitary and military.“By isolating ourselves from the US WoT, the Pakistani state will deprive the terrorists of the narrative of jihad and allow it to combat them within a more viable environment”, he suggested.Understanding that this was not the only policy component of an indigenous counter-terrorism strategy especially in the context of major victim, the Province of KPK,, he termed it as yet a critical component, especially when accompanied by an immediate end to acceptance of drones’ attacks.As Khan reminded, the illegality of drones is now well-established internationally and the Peshawar High Court decision is still pending implementation by the federal government. What is equally well-established, Khan went on, is the negative impact of drone attacks through creation of more space for terrorists.This would be the PTI’s first suggested step.The ill-equipped police in KPK have made immeasurable sacrifices in the front line of fighting terrorists who are equipped with latest weaponry and night vision devices’ “ something the Province was unable of bearing the costs of such a disastrous policy any longer”, he reasoned.Assuring that PTI was formulating a strategy to protest the continuing participation in the WoT and continuance of drones, he promised, that “we will announce our line of action soon after the bye-elections”.

PCP releases over Rs 14 billion under PSDP

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ISLAMABAD (Online): The Planning Commission of Pakistan has so far released Rs 14.508 billion under its Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) against the total allocations of Rs 540 billion for the fiscal year 2013-14.According the latest data of Planning Commission‚ out of the total allocations Rs 13.008 billion have been released for various projects of Federal Ministries‚ whereas Rs 1.5 billion have been released for Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority.The Planning Commission has been following a proper mechanism for the release of funds.

Burney requests early release of Baloch family

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KARACHI (Online): The Ansar Burney Trust International has requested India for early release of a 5- member Pakistani Baloch family taken into custody on Saturday, by the Indian police of Karunagappally at Kollam.Chairman of Ansar Burney Trust International and former Federal Minister for human rights, Ansar Burney immediately contacted the Indian Authorities at Delhi and Indian High Commission at Islamabad, after he came to know about the arrest of Pak family, on humanitarian grounds as family by themselves went to concern Authorities in Kollam to include the visiting area into their traveling documents.The arrested Pakistanis have been identified as 46-year old Kishore Kumar, 40-year old Sangeetha Kishore Kumar (Varsha), and their three children Nija, Simran, and Keerthi, visiting the Amrithanandamayi Math at Amrithapuri in India.Ansar Burney said that, reportedly the Pakistani family did not possess valid documents and hadn’t sought permission from the authorities according to Registration of Foreigners Act, and only possessed permission to travel upto Thane in Maharashtra to visit Sangeetha’s brother Sumit, a resident of Ullas Nagar.It was from here that they along with Sumit travelled to Kollam without proper documents but voluntarily went to concerned authorities to inform and include the route into their traveling documents.
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