Wednesday 21 August 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Sargodha: 7 labourers shot dead

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SARGODHA (Dunya News) – According to details, some unidentified gunmen opened fire in Bhagtanwala village near Sargodha and shot dead seven labourers who were working in the fields of a local landlord.The hires of the deceased first staged protest at the hospital during autopsy of the victims and then blocked the Lahore-Sargodha Road by burning tyres. The protesters ended their demonstration after five hours after successful negotiation with police.

Zardari to host farewell dinner for foreign diplomats today

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – It would be Asif Ali Zardari’s last reception in honour of foreign diplomats as president.Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has also been invited for the dinner. A one-to-one meeting between President and the Prime Minister is expected on the occasion during which over all security situations in the country would be discussed.

By-polls in 41 constituencies to be held today

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News): By-elections on forty-one seats of National and Provincial Assemblies across the country will be held today (Thursday).Seven thousand six hundred and six polling stations have been established for the by-elections. Of these‚ 3‚080 have been declared normal‚ 2‚686 sensitive and 1‚840 highly sensitive.Troops will be deployed inside and outside of highly sensitive polling stations.Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has completed arrangements to conduct the polls in free and fair manner.The election campaign ended last night and no candidate can hold election rally. However‚ they can visit door-to-door for canvassing.Meanwhile‚ Pakistan Army troops have been deployed all over Sindh in the constituencies where bye-elections will be held on Tuesday.According to ISPR the deployment of troops at Karachi‚ Mirpurkhas and Shikarpur has been completed.The commission has directed the Returning Officers to send unofficial results via fax immediately after the vote count and official results by using the computerized result management system.On the other hand, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has also readied a security plan in connection with the by-elections with public holiday announced for August 22 in 33 districts.

Egypt to put ex-leader Mubarak under house arrest

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CAIRO (AP) - Egypts prime minister ordered Wednesday that deposed autocrat Hosni Mubarak be placed under house arrest after hes released from prison following more than two years in detention.The announcement came hours after a court ordered Mubarak be released for the first time since he was first detained in April 2011, a move threatening to further stoke tension in a deeply divided Egypt. Many feared Mubaraks release would amplify Islamist allegations that last months military coup was a step toward restoring the old regime.Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi said in a statement that he ordered Mubarak be put under house arrest as part of the emergency measures put in place this month. The decision appeared designed to ease some of the criticism over Mubarak being freed from prison and ensure he appears in court next week for a separate trial.Prison officials said Mubarak may be released as early as Thursday. It is not clear where Mubarak will be held under house arrest, whether in one of his residences or in a hospital considering his frail health. Since his ouster, Mubaraks supporters have released conflicting details about his health, including that the 85 year old suffered a stroke, a heart attack and at times went into a coma. His critics called these an attempt to gain public sympathy and court leniency.His wife, Suzanne, has been living in Cairo and keeping a low-profile, occasionally visiting Mubarak and their two sons in prison. But security officials said Mubarak was more likely to be moved to a military hospital because of his ailing health.The order for Mubaraks release followed an appeal by his lawyers in one of his corruption cases. He is also on trial on charges of complicity in the killing of protesters in the 2011 uprising against him that could put him back behind bars. He faces investigation into at least two other corruption cases as well.The prospect of Mubarak being freed, even if only temporarily, would feed into the larger crisis bedeviling Egypt: the violent fallout from the July 3 coup that unseated President Mohammed Morsi, an Islamist who became Egypts first freely elected president following Mubaraks ouster.Mubaraks release will cause chaos, said human rights lawyer Nasser Amin. It will be used by Islamists as proof of the return of the old regime ... and can lead to new alliances between revolutionary groups and political Islam.El-Beblawis decision followed an appeal from the youth campaign that spearheaded the petition and protests against Morsi to the interim authorities to use the emergency measures in place earlier this month to keep the former president behind bars.The group Tamarod blamed Morsis government for Mubaraks coming release because they said it failed to admit new evidence in the case against the autocrat.In a statement, Tamarod warned against releasing Mubarak, saying it would be a threat to national security. The group said revolutionary groups will not stand idle seeing the killers of martyrs get acquitted.If it is acquittal for Mubarak today, it will be acquittal for Morsi tomorrow, the group said, vowing to hold a public show trial for Mubarak. We will not remain silent about freedom for any killer of the Egyptian people.The three judges who ordered Mubarak be freed met in Tora prison, where he has been held for most of his detention since April 2011. But even before they ruled, human rights advocates have argued for a new system of justice to make up for a shoddy prosecution and a judiciary divided between loyalists of the old regime, Islamists and independents.Egypts prosecutor Hesham Barakat told local media that the Wednesday decision was final and his office has no plans to appeal it. A senior prison official, Mostafa Baz, told the private CBC television station that his office will ask the prosecutors on Thursday whether Mubarak is wanted in other cases. If hes not, Baz said the former leader would be freed.The possibility of Mubaraks release came in the midst of the post-coup crackdown that has left more than 1,000 people dead and hundreds in detention.The pro-Islamist camp was waning as its leadership and Morsi himself were arrested. Other high-level officials have been arrested. Despite the crackdown, the pro-Morsi groups vowed to hold massive rallies on Friday.On the streets of Cairo, interviews about Mubarak highlighted the deep polarization in Egypt, which doesnt always clearly fall into pro-Morsi or pro-military camps.This is an absurd charade by the judiciary, the army, and the police in order to reinstate Mubarak and his corrupt regime and to rob the people of their revolution, said Ibrahim Mohammed.Another Cairo resident, Ahmad Kamal, said it was time Mubarak was set free.He should have been released a long time ago. God forgive them for what they have done and the judiciary has ordered this so that should be enough. I have complete faith in the Egyptian judiciary, Kamal said.Since his overthrow in February 2011, Mubarak has been on a roller coaster ride through the courts during which he has been convicted, only for another court to overturn the ruling, grant him a retrial and order him released. Still, he was kept behind bars pending his retrial and on other charges.For his first trial, on charges of corruption and conspiracy in the deadly shooting of nearly 900 protesters during the uprising against him, he was on a gurney behind prison cage bars and denied the charges. The first Arab leader to face trial by his own people, Mubarak was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.In January, a court overturned his life sentence on the grounds that the prosecution lacked concrete evidence and failed to prove the protesters were killed by the police. His trial on charges of alleged complicity in the killing of protesters resumes Aug. 25.Lawyer Ahmed Ragheb, who was part of a commission appointed by Morsi to find new evidence for the trial of Mubarak and associates, said the decision to release Mubarak was no surprise. He said the prosecution was poor and the evidence was collected by police who were largely loyal to Mubarak and his security chiefs.This goes to show that the main problem (of prosecuting Mubarak) is in the judiciary ... and the failure to institute a transitional justice process, he said. The judiciary, including the prosecution, the police and the courts, go back to the Mubarak era.

UN holds emergency meeting on Syria attack

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UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. Security Council called Wednesday for a thorough, impartial and prompt investigation of the latest allegation of chemical weapons use in Syria.The council backed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moons determination to ensure a thorough investigation of the alleged attack on the eastern suburbs of Damascus that killed at least 100 people.U.N. deputy spokesman Eduardo del Buey said earlier that the secretary-general was shocked at Wednesdays alleged use of chemical weapons and wants all reported incidents investigated.During a two-hour closed-door meeting, diplomats said Russia and China, which support the Syrian government, blocked a stronger press statement supported by Britain, France, the United States and others.But Russia and China agreed that the council president could sum up the session with press elements close to the weakest response from the U.N.s most powerful body, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private.Argentinas U.N. Ambassador Maria Cristina Perceval, the current council president, told reporters that there was strong concern about the latest allegations of alleged chemical weapons use and a general sense that there must be clarity on what happened.Syrian anti-government activists accused President Bashar Assads regime of carrying out a toxic gas attack that killed at least 100 people, including many children as they slept. The government denied using chemical weapons.Perceval said council members welcomed the determination of the secretary-general to ensure a thorough, impartial and prompt investigation.All council members agreed that any use of chemical weapons by any side under any circumstances is a violation of international law, she said.There was also an agreement for a strong call for a cessation of hostilities and a cease-fire ... (and) the need for immediate humanitarian assistance to the victims.The attack coincided with the visit to Syria by a 20-member U.N. chemical weapons team which only has a mandate to investigate three previous allegations of chemical weapons use.Before the council meeting, a letter drafted by Britain and France was sent to the secretary-general requesting that the team launch an urgent investigation ... as expeditiously as possible into Wednesdays incident as well.Britains deputy U.N. ambassador Philip Parham said about 35 countries signed the letter, including the United States.The letter, obtained by The Associated Press, cited credible reports of the use of chemical weapons and urged the secretary-general to do all you can to ensure that the mission has urgent access to all relevant sites and sources of information.U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, who briefed the council, expressed hope that the Syrian government will give the team access to the site as soon as possible, though he cautioned that the security situation right now does not allow such access.This represents, no matter what conclusions are, a serious escalation with grave humanitarian consequences and human consequences, Eliasson stressed.He called for a cessation of hostilities not only in the area of the alleged attack but throughout Syria, where the U.N. says more than 100,000 people have been killed in the 2 1/2 year conflict.What this incident has shown is, of course, that we must contain this conflict, Eliasson said. We have already seen effects on the regional implications, and now, the possibility of the use of chemical weapons which is to be investigated.A White House spokesman said the U.S. supported a U.N. investigation and a Security Council debate.Under the terms of an agreement between the U.N. and the Syrian government, the U.N. team will investigate an alleged chemical weapons attack on March 19 on the village of Khan al Assal outside the city of Aleppo, which was captured by the rebels last month. It will investigate two other sites of alleged attacks, which are being kept secret for security reasons.Chemical weapons experts have raised doubts about whether the chemical weapons experts will find anything at the three sites because the alleged attacks took place months ago.But if chemical weapons were used Wednesday, a prompt investigation would be much more likely to produce evidence.Del Buey said the head of the U.N. team, Swedish professor Ake Sellstrom, is in discussions with the Syrian government on all issues pertaining to the alleged use of chemical weapons, including this most recent reported incident.He said the secretary-general was aware that a number of member states, the Arab League and the European Union have expressed grave concern about the latest alleged attack.The secretary-general reaffirms his determination to ensure a thorough investigation of the reported alleged incidents that are brought to his attention by member states, del Buey said.Diplomats cautioned that the mandate for the current investigation is limited.The U.N. team will report on whether chemical weapons were used, and if so which ones, but it will not determine the responsibility for an attack. This has led some commentators to question the value of the investigation.On June 13, the United States said it had conclusive evidence that Assads regime had used chemical weapons against opposition forces. That crossed what President Barack Obama had called a red line and prompted a U.S. decision to send arms and ammunition to the opposition, though reports say none have arrived yet.

Death toll in Mexico ammonia leak rises to 7

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MEXICO CITY (AP) - The death toll from an ammonia leak in southern Mexico has risen to seven after four more people died of their injuries.The state-owned oil company Pemex said Wednesday at least three other people are still being treated for injuries suffered in the blast. Forty others suffered from inhaling ammonia.The government of the southern state of Oaxaca said the leak occurred after construction machinery operated by a private company hit a pipeline that carries ammonia to a petrochemical plant.The pipeline rupture Tuesday caused an explosion. The victims appear to have been construction workers employed on a highway expansion project.About 1,200 people were evacuated from nearby houses.

Militants kill Yemen intelligence official, son

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SANAA (AP) - Security officials say three suspected Al Qaeda militants have killed a top intelligence official and his son in Yemen.The officials said Col. Ali el-Hadi was shot to death in his car Wednesday in the southern Yemeni city of Aden. The officials said el-Hadis son, who was shot with him in the car, died of his wounds at a hospital.The officials, who spoke anonymously in line with regulations, said el-Hadi was in charge of intelligence gathering in Aden.It is the latest killing of a Yemeni security official in the country on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. The Yemeni military, backed by U.S. support and drone strikes, has tried to crush the operations of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula there.

12 dead in violence in C. African Republic capital

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BANGUI (AP) - A Red Cross official says at least 12 people are dead following clashes in the capital of volatile Central African Republic.Paul Nassenmo, a local leader with the countrys Red Cross, said Wednesday that the fighting had taken place in the Boy Rabe neighborhood of Bangui.The area is believed to be home to loyalists of ousted President Francois Bozize and has been the scene of frequent gunfire in recent weeks.Thousands of armed rebels invaded the capital in March and overthrew the government.National radio reported that rebel leader-turned-president Michel Djotodia called for an urgent meeting Wednesday afternoon with local leaders following the latest violence.The United Nations and others have expressed growing concern about the deteriorating security situation across the country in the months since the coup.

Ivanovic heads Chelsea to 2-1 victory over Villa

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LONDON (AP) - Branislav Ivanovics second-half header gave Chelsea a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa moments after he avoided a red card in a fiery second match of the Premier League season on Wednesday.The right back was only booked for elbowing Christian Benteke in the head, and then sent Frank Lampards free kick into the net in the 73rd minute.This is English football, for some reason the world loves it more than any other league one thing is (because of) a real aggression I would call it, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said. Another thing is duels that are handled in a certain way and I think the referee did very well.From minute 1 to minute 95 there was a real fight a football fight between Benteke and Ivanovic.Chelsea fortuitously went in front after seven minutes when the ball inadvertently bounced off Antonio Luna into his own net.Although Chelsea faded, allowing Benteke to level in first-half stoppage time, Villa couldnt find the net again and replicate its surprise victory at Arsenal on Saturday.Instead, Ivanovic ensured Mourinhos second spell at Stamford Bridge has started with back-to-back league wins.A draw wouldnt have been an unfair result they fought a lot, Mourinho said. They created great difficulties.The victory gives Chelsea an early edge over its title rivals, with this game moved forward by almost two weeks due to the Europa League winners Supercup match against Champions League winner Bayern Munich.After scoring eight past Villa in this fixture last season, Chelsea did not find it as easy going this season even after going in front so early.A fine pass from Oscar set up Eden Hazard on the left of the penalty area and the Belgium midfielders resulting shot was pushed by goalkeeper Brad Guzan onto Luna and the ball bounced off him into his net.Just like in Sundays 2-0 victory over Hull, Chelsea was overwhelming the opposition, with its incisive and superior football initially at least.But after failing to extend its lead Oscar struck wide and Demba Ba forced Guzan into a low save Chelsea conceded for the first time this season.In the third minute of stoppage time, Gabriel Agbonlahor cut down the left and crossed low to Benteke, who controlled the ball with his first touch and then curled the shot around Petr Cechs near post.Villa came close to taking the lead in the second half, with Agbonlahor curling over and Andreas Weimann only denied at close range by Cech.As Villa came close to bursting Mourinhos early-season joy, the newly self-styled Happy One looked more like the combative manager of the 2004-07 spell at Chelsea as he raged at the referee.But Kevin Friend then delighted Mourinho by only booking Ivanovic for his foul on Benteke, ensuring he was still on the pitch to meet Lampards free kick with a free header.He clearly elbowed Christian Benteke, it was a sending off, Villa manager Paul Lambert said.Cechs reflexes were required to deny Weimann again in the 86th, using his legs to block the shot.And Lamberts fury boiled over in stoppage time when his side was denied a penalty after Chelsea captain John Terrys raised arm blocked Bentekes header.The penalty was a penalty, everybody saw that, Lambert said. He missed two huge moments. How can you miss that magnitude of a decision? It is beyond me.Mourinho dismissed Lamberts protests.(Lambert) reminds myself of 10 years ago when I was complaining of every decision ... he complains about every decision, Mourinho said.

Arsenal hammers Fenerbahce 3-0 in Champs League

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GENEVA (AP) - Arsenal answered its early-season critics with a high-class 3-0 win at Fenerbahce in a Champions League playoff first-leg match on Wednesday.Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud scored in the second half to face down a noisy crowd in Istanbul, plus hostile media and Gunners fans at home after an offseason of failed transfer deals for the cash-rich club.Under-fire manager Arsene Wenger will surely lead his team into the Champions League group stage for the 16th straight season after the return match next Tuesday.Away teams dominated Wednesday, as Swiss champion Basel won 4-2 in Bulgaria against Ludogorets Razgrad and Austria Vienna won 2-0 at Dinamo Zagreb.Schalke drew 1-1 at home to PAOK Thessaloniki and it was also 1-1 between Steaua Bucharest and Legia Warsaw.

Al Shabab, Kashiwa draw in Asian Champions League

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KASHIWA (AP) - Fernando Menegazzo scored late in the first half Wednesday as Saudi club Al Shabab earned a 1-1 draw with Japanese side Kashiwa Reysol in the Asian Champions League quarterfinals.Japan international Masato Kudo put Reysol in front midway through the first half when he picked up a loose ball and scored from close range for his sixth goal of the competition.Al Shabab equalized a minute before the break when Menegazzo volleyed into the top corner from 12 meters (yards).The Saudis came close to sealing the win when Macnelly Torres hit the crossbar in the final minutes.Id like to praise our players because they did a great job in our first official game of the season, Al Shabab coach Michel PreudHomme said. We didnt start well, but after we gave away the goal we responded very well and we created lots of chances, probably more than Kashiwa so in that sense we could have won the game.Al Shabab hosts the second leg in Riyadh on Sept. 18.In Guangzhou, Dario Conca and Elkeson scored second-half goals to lead Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande to a 2-0 win over Qatari side Lekhwiya.With 18 minutes remaining, Conca calmly beat goalkeeper Claude Amine from the penalty spot after the Argentine had been upended inside the area.Elkeson, making his ACL debut, beat Amine four minutes later with a low strike. The Brazilian scored 20 goals in 21 Chinese Super League appearances this season.The second leg is in Doha on Sept. 18.

Top seed Sara Errani falls at New Haven Open

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NEW HAVEN (AP) - Top-seeded Sara Errani fell to Russias Ekaterina Makarova 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday at the New Haven Open.Errani, ranked No. 5 in the world, becomes the fifth of the tournaments eight seeds to lose in the first two rounds of the final WTA tuneup before next weeks U.S. Open.Errani had trouble with her slow, spinning serves all afternoon and was broken four times by the 25-year-old Russian.Makarova will play Romanian Simona Halep in the quarterfinals.Halep dropped her first set Wednesday but bounced back for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain.The three remaining seeds defending champion Petra Kvitova, four-time New Haven champion Caroline Wozniacki and American Sloane Stephens each had second-round matches scheduled later Wednesday.

Querrey edges Nieminen in Winston-Salem Open

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WINSTON-SALEM (AP) - American Sam Querrey edged Jarkko Nieminen of Finland, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (12) Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Winston-Salem Open.Querrey overcame losing the first set and five match points in the third-set tiebreaker.The 29th-ranked Querrey will face unseeded Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania, who advanced with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Roberto Bautista Agut.Querrey is one of two American players remaining in the Winston-Salem Open, the final hard-court tournament before the U.S. Open next week.Qualifier Steve Johnson, who upset second-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy on Tuesday, will face Chinese Taipeis Yen-Hsun Lu later Wednesday.No. 22 Tommy Robredo and No. 27 Benoit Paire also will play later.

Study: MERS virus match seen in Saudi Arabian bat

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ATLANTA (AP) - Scientists have found the mysterious MERS virus in a bat in Saudi Arabia.An international research team said the bat virus is an exact match to the first known human case of Middle East respiratory syndrome. The sample was collected from within a few miles of that patients home.The discovery reported Wednesday is considered an important development in the search for the origin of MERS, a deadly respiratory illness that is worrying health officials around the world.But its likely that something else perhaps another animal is spreading the virus directly to humans, said Dr. Ziad Memish, Saudi Arabias Deputy Minister of Health and lead author of the report.Since it was identified last September, the respiratory illness has sickened nearly 100 people, most of them in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. About half of them died.No cases have been reported in the United States.Bats have been a suspected carrier of the virus for some time because they are known to carry viruses similar to MERS. They also harbor other deadly viruses, including rabies and SARS.Still, discovery of a genetic match doesnt mean bats are the direct culprit.There is no evidence of direct exposure to bats in the majority of human cases of MERS, Memish said in a statement.Signs of MERS-like viruses have been reported in other animals, including camels. The researchers are investigating other species, said Dr. W. Ian Lipkin of Columbia University, another study author.This is but the first chapter in the global teams investigation, Lipkin said in a statement.The researchers collected more than 1,000 samples from seven bat species in Saudi Arabia. The exact match was seen in a fecal sample from an Egyptian Tomb Bat.The journal Emerging Infectious Diseases released the study online Wednesday.

Rare polio virus spreads to Israel's north

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JERUSALEM (AP) - Israels president is urging the countrys children to get polio boosters after a rare appearance of the virus spread to the north of the country.President Shimon Peres met with children getting vaccinations at a Jerusalem clinic on Wednesday together with the Health Minister, Yael German.German said new lab results show the virus is migrating north and spreading.Peres detailed the suffering his family endured when one of his children was stricken by polio as an infant.Israel this week began a nationwide campaign to inoculate children with booster drops after a rare discovery of the virus in the south of the country.Israel already immunizes its children against the disease. The campaign gives a second boost of protection.There have been no clinical cases of the virus.
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