Sunday 18 August 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Egypt: 36 killed in prison truck escape attempt

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CAIRO (AP) - At least 36 people detained on suspicion of taking part in the street clashes roiling Egypt's capital were killed Sunday when security forces fired tear gas inside of the prison truck holding them, security officials said.Those killed were part of a prison truck convoy of some 600 detainees heading to Abu Zaabal prison in northern Egypt, the officials told The Associated Press. Detainees in one of the trucks rioted and managed to capture a police officer inside, the officials said.Security forces fired tear gas into the truck in hopes of freeing the badly beaten officer inside, the officials said. The officials said those killed died from suffocating on the gas.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists.However, the officials' version of events contradicted reports about the incident carried by state media. The official website of Egyptian state television reported that the deaths took place after security forces clashed with militants near the prison and detainees came under fire while trying to escape. The official MENA state news agency also said the trucks came under attack from gunmen.State media also said all those killed and the gunmen belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood, the organization that ousted President Mohammed Morsi hails from. The officials who spoke to AP said some of the detainees belonged to the Brotherhood, while others didn't.The differences in the accounts could not be immediately reconciled Sunday night.The officials who spoke to the AP said that the detainees were rounded up during the past two days of street violence around Cairo's Ramses square, clashes that killed scores of people.Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood group is leading mass rallies against the country's military over the July 3 coup that ousted Morsi. The Brotherhood, long banned in Egypt, rocketed to power in the country's first democratic elections held last year.

UK, German embassies reopen in Yemen

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SANAA (AP) - The United Kingdom and Germany have reopened their embassies in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, after being closed for about two weeks due to a terrorism threat.U.K. Ambassador Jane Marriott said in a statement Sunday that she and her team were glad to be back and working in Yemen after this brief hiatus. The German embassy posted a statement on its website Sunday saying it had reopened.The U.S. closed 19 of its diplomatic missions in the Middle East and Africa after it intercepted a message between al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri and Yemen's al-Qaida offshoot about plans for a major attack. The U.S. has reopened all the posts except its Sanaa embassy.

9/11 lawyer to challenge secret Guantanamo camp

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GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE (AP) - A defense lawyer who gained rare access to an ultra-secret section of the Guantanamo Bay prison said Sunday that the camp does not meet international standards under the Geneva Conventions, an allegation denied by the chief prosecutor for the U.S. military's war crimes tribunal.James Connell, a lawyer for one of the five Guantanamo prisoners charged in the Sept. 11 terror attack, plans to file a motion with the judge presiding over the tribunal challenging the conditions in the section known as Camp 7.Connell won approval from the judge to spend 12 hours with two experts inside Camp 7, which holds men deemed high-value detainees by the U.S. military and is so shrouded in secrecy that its location on the U.S. base in Cuba is classified. The lawyer said he was prevented from seeing how to get to Camp 7 and is not permitted to reveal exactly what he saw, but he said it amounts to pretrial punishment, which is prohibited under military regulations.The conditions of confinement do not meet the standards for preventative detention under the laws of war, Connell said.Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, the chief prosecutor, denied that Camp 7 fails to meet international standards. He said the security is designed to prevent the release of classified information by high-value detainees, who include all five men charged in the Sept. 11 attack.We take very seriously humane standards, he said.Camp 7 opened in 2006 to hold prisoners who were held in CIA prisons overseas and subjected to the harsh interrogations that critics say amounted to torture. The prisoners held there do not live in communal pods like most of the prisoners held at Guantanamo and they cannot make phone calls to their families.Lawyers for the other defendants in the Sept. 11 case are also expected to tour Camp 7 and will likely file similar challenges.Connell's comments came before the start on Monday of a weeklong pretrial hearing in the Sept. 11 case to deal with procedural issues that must be resolved before a trial that is at least a year away.

At least 30 inmates escape from Indonesian prison

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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - About 30 inmates have escaped after a riot broke out Sunday at an overcrowded prison in western Indonesia that was set ablaze, an official said.The riot at the Labuhan Ruku facility in North Sumatra district of Batubara began Sunday afternoon after a group of inmates who were transferred from other prisons staged a protest due to the overcrowding, said prison official Wibowo Jokoharjono.He said others joined in the protest before it turned violent, leading to the beating of a prison warden. Two guards were held captive by the inmates.Jokoharjono said initial reports said about 30 inmates had escaped by climbing a prison wall. The prison has a capacity to house 300 inmates but is now sheltering about 800.Ten fire trucks were needed to extinguish the fire while police and soldiers blocked roads around the prison, which is located 140 kilometers (90 miles) from the province capital of Medan.It was the second jailbreak in the province and the third in Indonesia this year.In July, about 240 prisoners, including convicted terrorists, escaped following a riot at a facility in Medan, the country's third-largest city, after they set fires and started a deadly riot that left five people dead. About 90 convicts remain at large.Days later, 12 inmates overpowered guards and escaped from another crowded prison in Bata, off Sumatra island.

C. African Republic: Rebel chief is new president

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BANGUI (AP) - The rebel leader whose fighters toppled the government of Central African Republic earlier this year has been officially sworn in as president.Michel Djotodia, head of the Seleka rebel coalition, now has 18 months to organize elections in the landlocked country of 4.6 million that aid organizations say is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe.In remarks during Sunday's swearing-in ceremony in Bangui, Djotodia called on the country's political class to observe a truce to allow a leader with unchallenged legitimacy to be voted into office.Djotodia declared himself president after longtime ruler Francois Bozize was ousted in March.Seleka fighters have been accused of widespread killings, rapes and looting since then. Human Rights Watch said Sunday that it continues to receive credible reports of killings in the provinces.

Nadal, Azarenka win 1st titles in Cincinnati

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CINCINNATI (AP) - Rafael Nadal extended his sizzling summer with his first Cincinnati title Sunday, while No. 1 Serena Williams wilted just one set away from a breakthrough of her own.Nadal took advantage of the few openings he got against John Isner, grinding out a 7-6 (8), 7-6 (3) win at the Western & Southern Open that added yet another title to his sensational summer.The 27-year-old Spaniard won the championship in Montreal a week ago and has back-to-back hard-court championships for the first time in his illustrious career. He'd never even reached the finals in Cincinnati.When his backhand down the line finished it off, Nadal flopped on his back and screamed.It means a lot winning two straight titles on hard (courts), Nadal said. It's just amazing for me. I never did something like this in my career.So it was an emotional moment.Williams had never won a Cincinnati title either. Like Nadal, she was trying for her second championship in two weeks, fresh off her championship in Toronto.She dominated the first set, then fell apart, giving No. 2 Victoria Azarenka a chance to rally for a 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) win that ended Williams' 14-match winning streak. It was reminiscent of their finals match at the U.S. Open last year, when Williams took the last four games to win 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.The week in Cincinnati provided a preview for the U.S. Open, with the men's bracket more jumbled at the top.Nadal's five Masters titles this season are a career best. He's tied with Novak Djokovic for most Masters titles in a season since 1990. He's won seven of the nine Masters events during his career.Nadal has dominated the tour after overcoming a knee injury that sidelined him for the last part of 2012. The win on Sunday gave him a career-best mark of 53-3 this season. He's reached the finals in 11 of his last 12 tournaments, underscoring his consistent excellence.He had one of his biggest challenges on Sunday Isner, who had the tournament's most powerful serve and the crowd at center court behind him.Nadal survived a pair of set points in the opener, sending it to a tiebreaker. The crowd chanted Let's go Isner during a changeover during the tiebreaker, which ended with Isner dumping a service return into the net and Nadal pumping his fist.Nadal survived the only break point of the second set, taking it to another tiebreaker. The crowd chanted Isner's name again, but it didn't help. He hit a backhand and a forehand into the net, allowing Nadal to go up 5-1 in the tiebreaker.Nadal finished it with a backhand passing shot from the baseline, then plopped on his back. He never got to a break point during the match, but won it by playing so well in the tiebreakers.I have to be patient and wait for my opportunities, Nadal said. And I waited.Even with the loss, it was quite a week for Isner.While Nadal spent last week winning the Rogers Cup, Isner was knocked out in the first round and fell to No. 22, the first time in the 40 years of ATP rankings that no American man was in the top 20. He'll move up to No. 14 next week after reaching the finals in Cincinnati on the strength of his serve.The 28-year-old American upset No. 1 Djokovic in the quarterfinals at Cincinnati, one of the best moments of his career. Since July, Isner has won 16 of his 20 matches, making him into a dangerous player heading into the U.S. Open.So I played a lot, and I've won a bunch of them, he said. And a lot of very, very encouraging results.On the women's side, Williams has dominated, going 60-4 this season. She has never done well in Cincinnati, and was eager to win on Sunday for a career-best ninth title of the season. All the statistics were in her favor a 12-2 career record against Azarenka, including that U.S. Open title last year.She won the first set in 26 minutes, dropping only 11 points. Then, she got sloppy in a second set that bogged down. The sixth game went to deuce 12 times before Williams held serve on the 30th point. Williams appeared to wear down and lost the set 6-2.Williams broke Azarenka and took the decisive set to a tiebreaker. She led 5-4, then lost the next two points off her serve, allowing Azarenka to finish it off in 2 hours, 29 minutes.

Wozniacki looking for more success in New Haven

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NEW HAVEN (AP) - Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki beat Kristina Mladenovic 7-5, 6-0 on Sunday to begin play at the New Haven Open.The match was the first in the main draw. The top seeded players take the court Monday and Tuesday.Lisicki, from Germany, never trailed against the Frenchwoman and won the first five games of the second set, which was interrupted by a brief rain delay.Just four of the top-10 players in the world are participating in the final warm-up before the U.S. Open.Top-seeded Sara Errani is joined by Angelique Kerber of Germany, defending champion Petra Kvitova, and Caroline Wozniacki, who is looking for her fifth New Haven title in six years.

Messi does it all in Barca romp on Neymar's debut

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BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Lionel Messi scored two goals and set up another Sunday to help mark the debut of Neymar and Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino in a 7-0 thrashing of Levante, ensuring the Spanish champions start their title defense in style.With signature signing Neymar watching from the bench, Messi almost single-handedly dismantled the overmatched Levante.After Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring, Messi claimed Barcelona's second goal, stole possession to create the third, and passed for Pedro Rodriguez to score the fourth.Messi scored his second goal from the penalty spot before Xavi Hernandez made it 6-0 against the demoralized visitors just before halftime.Neymar, who has been recovering from anemia since his €57 million move from Santos in the offseason, went on in the second half in time to see Pedro strike again and polish off the lopsided victory.The applause Neymar received when warming up grew to a standing ovation when he went on for Alexis in the 64th for his first official minutes in Barcelona's burgundy and blue.Those eager to see Neymar and Messi together were disappointed, however. The two were only on together for seven minutes before Martino sent Andres Iniesta on for Messi.The 21-year-old Neymar was active on the left flank but couldn't find his new teammates with crosses. Goalkeeper Keylor Navas saved his best chance before he was booked for tripping.Later, Carlo Ancelotti will take charge of a Real Madrid team embarking on a new era after three seasons under Jose Mourinho in a match against Real Betis. Also, Atletico Madrid visits Sevilla and Osasuna plays Granada.Martino was hired in a rush last month to replace Tito Vilanova after he announced he was stepping down to focus on his fight against a recurrent throat tumor. But despite a hectic preseason and little preparation time, Barcelona's talented squad made the Argentine manager's first game in Europe an easy stroll.Barcelona made a bright start by scoring in the third minute through one of its trademark passing combinations that turned the flatfooted Levante defense into onlookers.After Javier Mascherano recovered possession, Xavi used one touch to redirect Pedro's pass through the defense to Cesc Fabregas, who generously laid off for Alexis to tap into the open goalmouth.Messi netted the hosts' second goal in the 12th after Fabregas started the move with a nifty chested pass to free up Messi to work a one-two with Pedro before slotting the ball home.Messi's defense produced the third in the 24th. The four-time world player of the year chased down David Navarro and stole the ball near the corner flag to begin another weave of passes that ended with Dani Alves knocking in a rebound.Far from done, Messi showed off his passing skills two minutes later by serving a perfectly weighted long ball for Pedro to fire beyond Navas.Levante couldn't help but add to its own demise when Pedro Lopez fouled Adriano just inside the area, letting Messi drill in the spot kick in the 41st. Xavi poked in the sixth goal in the 45th.Barcelona appeared to be on course to break its record for a biggest win 10-1 over Gimnastic in 1949-50 but had to settle for seven with Fabregas squaring for Pedro to record his second goal of the night in the 73rd.

Marquez adds to American domination with Indy win

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Rookie Marc Marquez passed two-time world champion Jorge Lorenzo midway through Sunday's race and pulled away for a 3.495-second victory at the Indianapolis Grand Prix.Dani Pedrosa, Marquez's Repsol Honda teammate, was second. Lorenzo of Yamaha Factory Racing finished third.The 20-year-old Spanish rookie joined Lorenzo and Casey Stoner as the only MotoGP riders to win three races in one country in the same season.Lorenzo and Pedrosa beat the pole-winner into the first turn, forcing Marquez to play catch-up. Marquez passed Pedrosa with 17 laps to go and caught Lorenzo with a nifty inside move in the second turn of Lap 13. Marquez never trailed again.Marquez has won three straight, and his fourth win this season tied the series' rookie record set by Kenny Roberts in 1978.

Jamaica wins women's 4x100 relay at worlds

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MOSCOW (AP) - Jamaica won the women's 4x100-metre relay Sunday at the world championships, giving Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce her third gold medal of the competition.Carrie Russell, Kerron Stewart, Schillonie Calvert and Fraser-Pryce won in a championship record 41.29 seconds. Fraser-Pryce, who also won the 100 and 200, ran the anchor leg.The United States won silver in 42.75 after France was disqualified for exchanging the baton outside the zone.Because of the disqualification, Britain moved up to bronze in 42.87.

Creditors face deadline in Detroit bankruptcy case

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DETROIT (AP) - Banks, bond insurers, employee pension systems and others who believe they are owed money by Detroit are up against the clock to legally voice opposition to the largest municipal bankruptcy filing in US history.A federal judge set Monday as the eligibility objection deadline in the bankruptcy petition by Detroits state-appointed emergency manager Kevin Orr.Its one step in a process that could take months or years to complete if Detroit is approved for bankruptcy protection.The city has until Sept. 6 to file its responses. Orr listed thousands of creditors, including individuals, in his July 18 bankruptcy petition.Hes said Detroit is insolvent and unable to pay some of its bills, including at least $18 billion in long-term debt.Orr stopped payment on $2.5 billion in debt in June.

NY police faces prospect of 2 new watchdogs

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NEW YORK (AP) - After years of burnishing a reputation as one of the most potent police forces in the US, the New York Police Department appears poised to become one of the most closely monitored.A federal judge this week said the department made thousands of racially discriminatory street stops and appointed a monitor to direct changes.And city lawmakers are readying for a final vote Thursday on creating an inspector general for the NYPD and widening the legal path for pursuing claims of police bias.Its a one-two punch of outside tinkering that will muddy police work, a pair of complementary steps to protect civil rights or a rash of policymaking that may end up meaning little on the street, depending on who gets asked.But from any perspective, it would be the onset of a new era of oversight for the countrys biggest police department, though its impact would be defined by particulars and politics still in play.The federal ruling outlines but doesnt always detail reforms, and the city plans to appeal it.The City Council, if it succeeds in overriding a mayoral veto, would establish a monitor but not select the person or specify exactly what gets investigated. And a new mayor will take office next year, which could well mean new police leadership.The complexity, at this point, is that there are so many moving parts, said John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor Eugene ODonnell, who isnt involved in the litigation or legislation. And it doesnt help that it became very adversarial.Some other police forces, including the Los Angeles Police Department, also have had both court monitoring and an inspector general.The NYPD was under a 1980s federal consent decree that involved undercover and surveillance techniques, but this would be an unprecedented level of outside scrutiny for the agency.Advocates see distinct roles for each of the prospective new NYPD watchdogs, who would have different scopes and powers.hey wouldnt directly intersect, deriving their authority from different parts of government.The court-appointed monitor could compel changes, via the judge, but only concerning stop and frisk. If the ruling stands after the expected appeal, the monitor will flesh out details of U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlins calls for changes to officer training, supervision and discipline.The monitor also would keep tabs on specific initiatives Scheindlin required: revising forms that document stops and testing body-worn cameras for officers.The inspector general could look at many aspects of policing surveillance of Muslims or officers response to the mentally ill, for instance. But the inspector could issue only recommendations, not orders, though the mayor or council could make them mandatory.The courts monitoring would end when the judge saw no further need for it, while the inspector generals position would be permanent.Both are essential elements in creating transparency and accountability in the NYPD, said Chauniqua Young of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which brought the federal case and is among groups backing the city legislation.But Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly have bitterly resisted the push to impose more outside input on the NYPD, pressure that built amid anger over the departments heavy use of the stop and frisk tactic and concerns about extensive NYPD surveillance of Muslims. The spying was disclosed in stories by The Associated Press.The mayor and commissioner say police already get plenty of scrutiny from entities ranging from a 700-person internal investigations staff to a civilian complaint board.The new monitors would layer on confusing, overlapping oversight, the officials say.Bloomberg has raised the specter of the police force becoming so policed by watchdogs and lawsuits that officers might hesitate to defend themselves, with deadly consequences.Id like to see you go to the funeral and explain to the family, he snapped at a news conference Monday.Kelly decried the court ruling during news show appearances Sunday; the judge has indicted an entire police department based on what we believe is very flimsy information, he said on CBS Face the Nation.Kelly said on ABC News This Week with George Stephanopoulos that SchSupporters hope Scheindlins ruling will embolden lawmakers to back what could be an extremely close veto override vote Thursday; sponsors expect it to succeed.Bloomberg, meanwhile, suggested Scheindlins ruling should give lawmakers pause about adding more monitoring.The legislation also would make it easier to bring lawsuits claiming discriminatory policing cases like the one Scheindlin decided.She found police systematically and unjustly singled out black and Hispanic men for stop and frisks, about 90 percent of which dont result in arrests or tickets.

India completes 75% of work on Kishanganga Project

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - According to the reports and photographs received by Dunya News, India has completed the construction of 24 kilometers long tunnel to divert the flow of River Neelum.87 percent work on the headrace tunnel for throwing water in the powerhouse has also been completed.Water supply from River Neelum to Pakistan will decrease by 40 percent after the completion of the controversial Kishanganga Project.India is continuing the construction Kishanganga Project despite the fact that International Arbitration Court yet to declare its verdict on the controversial project.The Kishanganga Hydroelectric Plant is part of a run-of-the-river hydroelectric scheme that is designed to divert water from the Kishanganga River to a power plant in the Jhelum River basin.It is located 5 kilometres north of Bandipore in Jammu and Kashmir, India and will have an installed capacity of 330 MW.Construction on the project began in 2007 and is expected to be complete in 2016.Construction on the dam was halted though by the Hagues Permanent Court of Arbitration in October 2011 due to Pakistans protest of its effect on the flow of the Kishanganga River (called the Neelum River in Pakistan).In February 2013, the Hague ruled that India could divert a minimum amount of water for power generation.Pakistan is worried that the project will have adverse impacts on the flow of the river, which flows into their country and meets with the Jhelum River.Pakistan is constructing the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Plant downstream of the Kishanganga.The Kishanganga Hydroelectric Plant operates in a similar sense as the Neelum–Jhelum Hydropower Plant, using a dam to divert the Kishanganga (Neelum) River to a power station before it is discharged into Wular Lake which is fed by the Jhelum River.The Kishanganga Project will divert a portion of the Neelum River from Pakistan which will reduce power generation at the Neelum–Jhelum Hydropower Plant.

Guyana couple gets 5 years for trafficking 4 girls

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Couple lured 4 girls to a remote area and forced them to work as prostitutes in a mining camp.KINGSTON (AP) - A Guyana court has imposed the maximum sentence on a couple for luring four girls to a remote jungle area and forcing them to work as prostitutes in a mining camp.Wesley Hart and common-law wife Candace Anderson were each sentenced to five years for taking the girls to Guyanas Cuyuni region to work as prostitutes. The childrens exact ages were not immediately available.The girls were rescued by an association for women miners. Simona Broomes heads the association that travels to Guyanas mining camps to rescue underage girls working as prostitutes.Broomes said Sunday that her groups members were at court every day to give evidence in the case.The US State Department this year honored Broomes for her work in fighting human trafficking in the South American country.

China begins trial of Bo Xilai Thursday

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BEIJING (Reuters) - The trial of disgraced senior Chinese politician Bo Xilai will start on Thursday when he will face charges of bribery, corruption and abuse of power, Xinhua state news agency said, an early test of new President Xi Jinpings campaign against graft.The trial of Bo, 64, a princeling son of a late vice premier who is still popular with conservatives and the disaffected, is the countrys most divisive since the 1976 downfall of Mao Zedongs widow, Jiang Qing, and her Gang of Four at the end of the Cultural Revolution.Bos wife, Gu Kailai, and his estranged police chief, Wang Lijun, have both been jailed over the scandal stemming from the November 2011 murder of British businessman Neil Heywood in the southwestern city of Chongqing, where Bo was Communist Party chief.Bos trial will open at the Intermediate Peoples Court in Jinan, capital of the coastal province of Shandong, at 8:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) on Thursday, Xinhua said in a terse report on Sunday. It gave no further details.It is almost certain Bo will be convicted as Chinas prosecutors and judges are controlled by the ruling Communist Party.How Bos case is handled will be a test of the effectiveness of Xis battle against corruption and also show how he has been able to stamp his authority on the party, which he leads.Xi has vowed to fight both tigers and flies - in other words people at every level of the party - as he combats a pervasive graft, so serious he has warned it threatens the partys very survival.However, his campaign has so far netted precious few tigers, and in any case the Bo scandal pre-dates Xis time as national leader.Bo, a former commerce minister, used his post as party boss of Chongqing to cast the sprawling, haze-covered municipality into a showcase for his mix of populist policies and bold spending plans that won support from leftists yearning for a charismatic leader.Bos former police chief, Wang, had spearheaded a controversial drive against organised crime, a prominent plank in Bos barely concealed campaign to join the top ranks of the party.
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