Wednesday 7 August 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Obama on threats: 'We don't get terrorized'

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CAMP PENDLETON (AP) - President Barack Obama says security threats will never lead the U.S. to retreat from the world. He says Americans don't get terrorized.Obama was responding Wednesday to new threats from Al Qaeda that led the U.S. to close 19 diplomatic outposts and evacuate the U.S. Embassy in Yemen.Obama said it's a complicated time for the U.S. military. He said there have been big changes, especially in the Middle East and in North Africa.Obama said the U.S. will remain, in his words, the greatest force for freedom the world has ever known. He said the military is an integral part of that mission. But he said the U.S. must also lead with its ideals and values.Obama was speaking to troops and their families at Camp Pendleton, California.

Bombings kill 6 in Iraq, including 3 police

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BAGHDAD (AP) - Officials say bombings in north and central Iraq have killed six people, including three policemen.Police officials said the first attack occurred Wednesday morning when a roadside bomb struck a police patrol in the northern city of Mosul, killing three policemen and wounding two others.Another bomb in Mosul missed a police convoy but killed one civilian passer-by and wounded two others.Later, a bomb attached to a car killed two people in Musayyib, a town about 60 kilometers (40 miles) south of Baghdad.Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to talk to media.Violence has spiked in Iraq in recent months. This year's holy month of Ramadan, which is coming to an end, has been the bloodiest since 2007.

Suspected US drone kills 7 in southern Yemen

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SANAA (AP) - A suspected U.S. drone strike killed seven alleged Al Qaeda militants Wednesday in southern Yemen, security officials and residents said, as the Arab nation remained on high alert following threats of a terror attack targeting Western of government interests.It was the fifth strike in less than two weeks in Yemen, which has emerged as the focus of fears of an attack that has led the United States to temporarily shut down 19 diplomatic posts in the Middle East and Africa, and to evacuate staff from the embassy in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.The U.S. has dramatically stepped up its use of drone strikes in Yemen in its covert fight against Al Qaeda's branch there, which is considered one of the most active of the terror network. Washington also has been backing a Yemeni military campaign to uproot Al Qaeda militants and their radical allies who had taken over a string of southern cities and towns. The militants have largely been driven into the mountains and countryside, and Yemeni intelligence officials say the current threat may be retaliation for that offensive.A U.S. intelligence official and a Mideast diplomat told The Associated Press that the closures were triggered by the interception of a secret message between Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahri and Nasser al-Wahishi, the leader of the Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, about plans for a major terror attack.The drone strike killed the militants in Shabwa province, setting two vehicles on fire, security officials said. All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.Residents in the province's Markha area, who also declined to be identified, fearing retaliation, said they saw several bodies on fire in two burning cars.Meanwhile, an Associated Press reporter in Sanaa said a drone has been buzzing overhead for most of the day. Authorities have set up checkpoints across Sanaa, searching cars and individuals. Top government officials, along with military and security commanders, were told to stay vigilant and limit their movements.While the United States acknowledges its drone program in Yemen, it does not confirm individual strikes or release information on how many have been carried out.The Yemeni army has surrounded foreign installations, government offices and the airport with tanks and troops in Sanaa as well as the strategic Bab al-Mandeb straits at the entrance to the Red Sea in the southern Arabian Peninsula.The terror network's Yemeni offshoot, known as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, has been bolstering its operations in Yemen over the past few years after key Saudi operatives fled there following a major crackdown in their homeland.The group overran entire towns and villages in 2011, taking advantage of a security lapse during nationwide protests that eventually ousted Yemen's longtime ruler, Ali Abdullah Saleh. Backed by the U.S. military, Yemen's army was able to regain control of the southern region, but Al Qaeda militants continue to launch deadly attacks on security forces.

Murray, Nadal win in Montreal

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MONTREAL (AP) - Andy Murray made a successful return in his first match since winning at Wimbledon, beating Spains Marcel Granollers 6-4, 7-6 (2) on Wednesday in the second round of the Rogers Cup.The second-seeded Murray, a two-time Rogers Cup champion, won his 13th straight match, including his victories at London and Wimbledon, where the Scot became the first male British champion in 77 years.I was pretty nervous beforehand that was a good sign, Murray said. Im pretty ready to move forward and not think too much about Wimbledon and concentrate on the U.S. Open.I think in some ways, its nice. Ill probably never feel that same pressure again. Thats why I was nervous today. Thats why Im really happy. It wasnt my best tennis, but the nerves were there and thats a good sign.Murray will face Latvias Ernests Gulbis, a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 winner over Italys Fabio Fognini.Rafael Nadal also opened with a victory, routing Canadas Jesse Levine 6-2, 6-0. Also a two-time Rogers Cup winner, the fourth-seeded Spanish star was playing for the first time since a first-round loss at Wimbledon.Also, fifth-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic beat Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 6-4; Frances Benoit Paire topped eighth-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-2, 7-6 (2); and Marinko Matosevic had a 5-0 lead with 10th-seeded Tommy Haas of Germany retired.In women’s event, American Sloane Stephens advanced to the third round of the Rogers Cup on Wednesday, beating Germanys Mona Barthel 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.Also, fourth-seeded Li Na of China topped Russias Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 6-4; seventh-seeded Marion Bartoli of France routed American qualifier Lauren Davis 6-0, 6-3; and Frances Alize Cornet of France beat 11th-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia 7-5, 7-5.Top-seeded Serena Williams faced Italys Francesca Schiavone in the night session.

Chong Wei, Lin Dan reach 3rd round at worlds

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GUANGZHOU (AP) - Top-seeded Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia and second-seeded Chen Long of China made it through to the third round of the Badminton world championships on Wednesday.Chong Wei rallied for a 14-21, 21-18, 21-11 second-round victory over Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka of Indonesia, while Chen beat Sho Sasaki of Japan 21-15, 21-12.Also, former top-ranked player and defending world champion Lin Dan of China beat Eric Pang of the Netherlands 21-14, 21-17.Lin, now ranked 100th because of injuries following his second straight Olympic gold medal last year, is on course for a quarterfinal match with Chen.In the womens section, third-seeded Saina Nehwal of India beat Olga Golovanova of Russia 21-5, 21-4, while eighth-seeded Minatsu Mitani of Japan and Thailand players Sapsiree Taerattanachai and Busanan Ongbumrungpan lost.

UEFA suspends 2 Armenian referees in fixing case

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NYON (AP) - UEFA says it has suspended two football referees from Armenia while it prosecutes them for match-fixing.The European football body says referee Andranik Arsenyan and assistant Hovhannes Avagyan, who admitted to corrupting a Europa League match for a betting scam, have been suspended until their cases are heard on Aug. 22.Both officials, who were banned by the Armenian football association on Tuesday, have been approved by FIFA for international matches since January 2012.UEFA says it detected suspicious betting patterns around Vikingurs 1-0 win at Inter Turku in Finalnd on July 11.Arsenyan awarded two penalties late in the scoreless match, reportedly to help ensure both teams scored.Vikingur, a team from the Faeroe Islands, scored its penalty in the 78th minute and Turku missed two minutes later.

After 51 hours, man finishes swim hauling bricks

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DETROIT (AP) - Nearly 51 hours after jumping into a lake near the Michigan-Canada border, a long-distance swimmer who calls himself The Shark finished his 22-mile (35.4-kilometre) journey to Detroit while hauling more than a half-ton of bricks.Jim Dreyer had been pulling two dinghies bearing 334 bricks weighing more than 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) behind him when he departed Monday for the swim across Lake St. Clair. But by Wednesday morning, after moving more slowly than expected, he was only hauling one during the swims final stretch.It is so good to be in Detroit, he said after landing on the beach and kneeling. Sorry Im late.Dreyers swim near the Michigan-Canada border was to raise money for Habitat for Humanity, but he said it had other symbolic meaning given the situation in Detroit, which has filed for bankruptcy protection.What I really wanted to show is that even though theres a lot of financial pain in the state of Michigan and nobodys felt more pain than the city of Detroit we dont have to sink with the weight of our burdens, he said.Dreyer ended his swim at Detroits Belle Isle, located on the Detroit River across from Canada. He had expected to finish Tuesday after about 30 hours, but he said waves along the way 2-3 feet (up to a metre) during the day and 3-4 feet (more than a metre) at night slowed him down.When youre pulling a ton of bricks into the whitecaps thats a big wave, Dreyer said.Dreyer said he had a number of hallucinations, including one at night that he described as a vision of Jesus.I saw a guy in a white robe standing on the water, Dreyer said. I swam up to him and he disappeared. I was thinking he was the Big J.C.

Oil down slightly on US supply data

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NEW YORK (AP) - The price of oil bounced around Wednesday after the U.S. government reported a smaller than expected decline in oil supplies and a rise in gasoline inventories.Benchmark crude for September delivery was down 5 cents to $105.25 a barrel in morning trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell to $104.67 immediately after the release of the supply data.The U.S. governments Energy Information Agency said crude oil supplies fell 1.3 million barrels last week. Analysts were expecting a drop of 2 million barrels, according to Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill. In addition, gasoline supplies rose by 100,000 barrels, while analysts had forecast a 1 million barrel decline.Brent crude, traded on the ICE Futures exchange in London, was down 72 cents at $107.46 a barrel.

Study ties higher blood sugar to dementia risk

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NEW YORK (AP) - Higher blood-sugar levels, even those well short of diabetes, seem to raise the risk of developing dementia, a major new study finds. Researchers say it suggests a novel way to try to prevent Alzheimers disease by keeping glucose at a healthy level.Alzheimers is by far the most common form of dementia and its long been known that diabetes makes it more likely. The new study tracked blood sugar over time in all sorts of people with and without diabetes to see how it affects risk for the mind-robbing 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.Its a nice, clean pattern risk rises as blood sugar does, said 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.About 35 million people worldwide have dementia; in the United States, about 5 million have Alzheimers disease. What causes it isnt known. Current treatments just temporarily ease symptoms. 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.Eating well, exercising and controlling weight all help to keep blood sugar in line.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.At 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.

Scientists plan controversial lab-made bird flu

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Scientists who sparked an outcry by creating easier-to-spread versions of the bird flu for research purposes want to try such experiments again using a worrisome new strain. This time around, the U.S. government is promising extra scrutiny of such high-stakes research up front.Since it broke out in China in March, the H7N9 bird flu has infected more than 130 people and killed 43. Some of the world's leading flu researchers argue that genetically altering that virus in high-security labs is key to studying how it might mutate in the wild to become a bigger threat to people, maybe even the next pandemic.We cannot prevent epidemics or pandemics, but we can accumulate critical knowledge ahead of time to help countries better prepare and respond, Ron Fouchier of Erasmus University in the Netherlands told The Associated Press.In letters published Wednesday in the journals Science and Nature, Fouchier and colleagues from a dozen research centers in the U.S., Hong Kong and Britain outlined plans for what's called gain-of-function research creating potentially stronger strains, including ones that might spread easily through the air between lab animals. They say the work could highlight the most important mutations for public health officials to watch for as they monitor the virus' natural spread or determine how to manufacture vaccines.The announcement is an attempt to head off the kind of international controversy that erupted in 2011 when Fouchier and Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, created easier-to-spread strains of another deadly kind of bird flu, the better-known H5N1. The concerns: How to guard against laboratory accidents with the man-made strains, and whether publishing findings from the research could offer a blueprint for would-be bioterrorists. The H5N1 work eventually was published.Now the researchers aim to explain to the public ahead of time why they want to do more of this scary-sounding research, and how they'll manage the risks.The Obama administration already had tightened oversight of research involving dangerous germs. Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced an extra step: In addition to scientific review, researchers who propose creating easier-to-spread strains of the new H7N9 will have to pass a special review by a panel of experts who will weigh the risks and potential benefits of the work.There are strong arguments to do the science, but it has to be done properly or not at all, said Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, which will refer such projects to the special experts' panel.It's not a rubber stamp, Fauci said. If the risk is felt to be too high by this outside review, they will recommend it won't be done and we won't fund it.The extra oversight is for federally funded researchers; there is no way to know what privately funded research may be in the works.The steps do not satisfy critics.The findings from the earlier man-made H5N1 strains haven't changed how health authorities are monitoring that virus in the wild, said University of Minnesota professor Michael Osterholm, who was on the federal advisory board that first sounded the alarm over the issue. Nor is there scientific evidence that the mutations that seem most dangerous in the lab really could predict an impending pandemic.H5N1 surveillance is as haphazard today as it was two years ago, said Osterholm, who said Wednesday's announcement overstated the potential benefits of such research and minimized the risks. Should we do the work if it's not actually going to make a difference?Scientists have anxiously monitored bird flu for years, but so far the deadliest strains of concern only occasionally sicken people, mostly after close contact with infected poultry. The H5N1 strain has sickened more than 600 people and caused 377 deaths, mostly in Asia, since the late 1990s.Infections by its newly emerged cousin, the H7N9 virus, appear to have stalled since Chinese authorities cracked down on live animal markets. But scientists fear the virus will re-emerge in the winter, when influenza is most active. Chinese scientists announced this week that two of the earlier deaths included a woman who apparently caught the virus while caring for her ill father, the strongest evidence yet that it occasionally can spread among people.

Bird in 12-man Australia squad for 4th test

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DURHAM (AP) - Fast bowler Jackson Bird has been included in a 12-man Australia squad for the fourth Ashes test beginning Friday at Chester-le-Street.Returning from injury, Bird is the only addition to the team which drew the third test at Old Trafford in Manchester after rain washed out the final day with Australia in a strong position.The draw allowed England to retain the Ashes after the hosts won the first two tests.Bird returned home early from the tour of India with stress fractures in his back and has not played since.Australia will decide on its starting XI before the toss Friday.Australia squad: David Warner, Chris Rogers, Usman Khawaja, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke (captain), Steve Smith, Brad Haddin, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Ryan Harris, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird.

Dalmiya: India will accept DRS when it's foolproof

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NEW DELHI (AP) - India will accept the Decision Review System only when it becomes foolproof, the Board of Control for Cricket in Indias interim president said in an interview published Wednesday.India was part of the first-ever test series featuring the DRS in Sri Lanka five years ago but has opposed the system of referrals to the television umpire, maintaining that its not convinced about its accuracy.We will accept DRS when technology is foolproof, Jagmohan Dalmiya told The Indian Express newspaper. Theres nothing in between.Dalmiya said he was not sure when the system would become perfect.Let them come up with a system which is 100 per cent correct. They couldnt fix the Duckworth-Lewis problem in 15 years, what guarantee do we have about an error-free DRS? The Duckworth-Lewis method is beyond most of the players and administrators, let alone the common fans, he said about the prevalent system of revising targets in case of rain interruptions during limited-overs games.Im still trying to figure out how a team total is increased on the basis of projection. The whole process is very complicated and confusing. And rather than solving the riddle, DRS creates more confusion in its present form, said Dalmiya, a former chairman of the International Cricket Council.Dalmiya said India was not isolated on DRS at the ICC annual conference this year.Before going to the ICC meeting I was a bit iffy as I was told by some quarters that India would be completely isolated on the DRS issue. But after I was done with my presentation on that day, there was not a single voice of protest, he added.The DRS has been under scrutiny with some contentious decisions during the past few seasons, including in the ongoing Ashes test series in England.

Dravid says only law can deter fixing in cricket

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NEW DELHI (AP) - Effective law enforcement is the key to controlling spot-fixing, former India captain Rahul Dravid said in an interview published Wednesday.I dont think only education can work, (we have to) police it and have the right laws and ensure that people, when they indulge in these kind of activities are actually punished, Dravid told the Crincinfo website.Dravid is the captain of the Rajasthan Royals team, three of whose players test cricketer Shantakumaran Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan were arrested for allegedly spot-fixing during this years Indian Premier League and are now out on bail.Two team officials, Chennai Super Kings team principal Gurunath Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra, have also faced investigations. Meiyappan spent nearly two weeks in jail after he was accused of spot-fixing, while Kundra admitted only to betting and was never arrested.In some ways its only the police who can do that (investigate cases), because they are the only ones who have the power, Dravid said. For example, the only way you can prove this is if you secretly tape people, if you follow people, and I dont think any administrator (could); we would never give that power to administrators of any sporting body in our country and we shouldnt.Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan were arrested by Delhi police, who said they had proof that the three conceded a fixed minimum number of runs per over in exchange for up to 6 million rupees ($100,000) from illegal bookmakers for every over.The 40-year-old Dravid is counted among the best modern-day batsmen, scoring 13,288 runs in 164 test matches and 10,889 in 344 one-day internationals.He said spot-fixing is hard to control because if someone decides tomorrow to get out or an individual decides to bowl a no-ball or a wide or give a certain number of runs an over, theres very little you can do and very little somebody else can do around it.Dravid, who retired from international cricket last year, said administrators need to worry about the credibility of the game.Administrators are there because of the fans and the cricketers, to run this game. So I think that credibility of game in the eyes of the public is extremely important, he added.

Eid in KSA, Gulf today, two Eids expected in UK

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LAHORE (Web Desk) – Saudi Arabia has officially announced that Shawal moon has been sighted in the kingdom and Eid will be celebrated Thursday.Muslims in USA, UK and Europe seem to be divided over the issue as in certain cities Eid will be celebrated Thursday, following Saudi Arabia.On the other hand, Muslims in Bradford Birmingham and Manchester have decided to celebrate Eid on Friday.In Pakistan Met Office has said that there were 99% chances of Shawal moon sighting on Thursday, in which case Eid will be celebrated on Friday.It also possible that in some areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and FATA the local clerics may decide to follow Saudi Arabia practice and celebrate Eid-ul- Fitr on Thursday.However, the administration of Qasim Masjid Peshawar Thursday night declared that Shawal moon had not been sighted on Wednesday.

Minor league team faked rejected marriage proposal

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NEW BRITAIN(AP) - In a video posted online, the woman being proposed to on the field replies, Im sorry, I cant, Im sorry and then flees.The video has been viewed more than 600,000 times on YouTube and was the subject of several news stories.The Double-A Rock Cats, an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins based in in New Britain, Connecticut, issued a statement Wednesday acknowledging the club staged the event with two employees standing in for the unhappy couple.Mike Abramson, the teams vice president of marketing, says the team hoped the video would go viral and is pleased with the outcome.The team is apologizing to anyone who might have been offended.
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