Friday 20 September 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Altaf terms case against Gabol as political victimization

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain has termed registration of Zafar Baloch murder case against MQM MAN Nabeel Gabol as political victimization.Altaf Hussain in a statement issued form London further said that a few days ago a similar case was registered against MQM's former MPA Nadeem Hashmi and now Gabol is implicated in a false case.He demanded that the case against Nabeel Gabol be withdrawn immediately.

'Qaeda' attacks in Yemen kill 56 police, troops

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SANAA (AFP) - Suspected Al Qaeda militants launched dawn attacks in Yemen on Friday killing at least 56 security personnel in the deadliest assault on troops since the army retook jihadist strongholds last year.Two of the three attacks in Shabwa, a southern province where Al Qaeda has long been active, involved vehicle bombs, military officials said.Eight of the militants, among them two suicide bombers were also killed.The deadliest single attack was at an army camp responsible for ensuring security at oilfields in the region, where 38 soldiers were killed, the sources said.Troops clashed with gunmen at the camp entrance, before a suicide attacker in a bomb-laden vehicle forced his way into the camp where his car exploded, killing 38 soldiers, said a government official in Ataq, capital of Shabwa.Military sources confirmed the toll.Simultaneously, a suicide bomber in a car blew himself up before reaching his target -- an army checkpoint in the nearby Al-Nushaima area, a military official said, adding that 10 soldiers were killed in that blast.Soldiers were captured in Al-Nushaima as others fled, witnesses told AFP by phone.Around 15 kilometres (nine miles) away, suspected Al Qaeda gunmen targeted a special forces camp at Maifaa, killing eight police, military sources said.The authorities blamed the bloody dawn attacks on Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), described by Washington as the jihadist networks deadliest franchise.Thea attacks were the deadliest since May 21, 2012 when some 100 soldiers were killed and hundreds more wounded in a suicide bombing in the capital. AQAP claimed that attack in a statement posted on jihadist Internet forums.But in June 2012, the army recaptured large swathes of the south which Al Qaeda had held for nearly a year, taking advantage of the weakness of central authority during the 2011 uprising that forced out veteran president Ali Abdullah Saleh.Since then, AQAP has carried out mainly hit-and-run attacks as its militants have come under mounting attack by US drones.President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi said a wave of drone strikes on Al Qaeda targets during the past two weeks killed 40 militants, including some ringleaders in the Sanaa region.

Obama to meet Abbas on Tuesday: White House

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama will hold talks with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the White House said.Obama is due to address the annual assembly of world leaders on Tuesday and will also find time to meet one-on-one with Abbas, Nigerias President Goodluck Jonathan and Lebanons Michel Sleiman, spokesman Ben Rhodes said.The meeting with Abbas comes six days before the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House amid ongoing Israel-Palestinian peace negotiations.This is the Presidents first opportunity to meet personally and at length with President Abbas since the launch of direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, Rhodes said.The President will have an opportunity to hear firsthand from President Abbas about the progress of those negotiations, he added.This is an important opportunity for him to reinforce the support of the United States for the progress that is under way for the Middle East peace, and to welcome the courageous steps that have been taken by both leaders and reinforcing the need to continue to make progress given the opportunity that is presented through these negotiations.Obamas meeting with Lebanese leader Sleiman will focus on the refugee crisis triggered by the war in neighboring Syria.This will give him an opportunity to discuss the extraordinary refugee challenge confronted by Lebanon as they have to take onboard many hundreds of thousands of Syrians who crossed the border, Rhodes said.The US has provided support for Lebanon in dealing with that challenge, and the leaders will be able to discuss the refugee situation as well as the broader situation in Syria.

Ankara police headquarters attacked by rocket fire: minister

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ANKARA (AFP) - Turkeys police headquarters came under attack from rocket fire in the capital Ankara on Friday evening, but no one was hurt, the interior minister said.Two rockets hit the building in the Dikmen suburb, Muammer Guler said, adding that another device that did not explode was found in a neighbouring garden.Police have set up roadblocks in a bid to intercept those responsible, the Dogan agency reported.Guler gave no indication of who might be behind the attacks, but media reports pointed the finger of blame at the Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), a far-left armed group.Last March, the DHKP-C claimed similar rocket and grenade attacks on the justice ministry and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).The group also claimed a suicide bomb attack on the US embassy in Ankara that killed a Turkish security agent on February 1.The NTV television station reported that the police headquarters and an adjacent building housing police social services had each been hit by the rockets.The station reported that police were tracking one suspect who had fled after the attack.Local media said both Guler and police chief Mehmet Kiliclar had gone to the scene of the incident.

Iraq Sunni mosque blasts kill 18

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SAMARRA (AFP) - Two bombs tore through worshippers gathering for prayers at a Sunni mosque in Iraq on Friday, killing 18 people, while seven died in other attacks, officials said.Militants have carried out numerous attacks on both Sunni and Shiite mosques this year, raising fears of a return to the all-out sectarian conflict that peaked in 2006-2007 and killed thousands of people.The bombs, which hit the Musab bin Omair mosque near Samarra, north of Baghdad, also wounded 21 people, police and a doctor said.A huge explosion happened, and everything around us was thrown in the air, Zaid Abdulwahid, a 26-year-old who was wounded in the blasts, told AFP at the main hospital in Samarra.Questions for Abdulwahid had to be shouted, as his hearing was damaged by the explosions.We never expected that the mosque would be targeted, said Othman Ahmed, 23, another of the wounded.He said he initially could not see anything after the blasts, but then noticed he was surrounded by dead and wounded people.The February 2006 bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra itself sparked the wave of brutal sectarian violence that plagued Iraq in past years.The blasts came a day after the bodies of 10 young men who had been shot dead were found in Baghdad, another reminder of the sectarian conflict, during which militants frequently carried out summary executions.Other violence struck the Samarra area on Friday, with a mortar round killing a mother and her young daughter and wounding her husband near the mosque that was bombed.And another young girl was killed and two of her family members wounded by a mortar attack west of the city.In the northern province of Kirkuk, gunmen kidnapped and killed a soldier, while a roadside bomb north of the city of Baquba killed one person and wounded three.And a doctor was killed in an attack in Baghdad, while a bombing against a police colonels convoy in the northern city of Mosul killed a woman and wounded 12 people, including the officer.The United Nations deputy special representative for Iraq, Gyorgy Busztin, expressed extreme concern this week about sectarian-based displacement of Sunnis and members of the small Shabak minority, and the killing of Sunnis in the countrys south.The use of violence and intimidation against communities by illegal armed groups forcing them to flee their homes is unacceptable and a clear violation of basic human rights, Busztin said.Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who heads Iraqs Shiite-majority government, condemned the trend as he met with displaced Sunni families this week.He said members of the Sunni Al-Saadun clan had been driven out of Nasiriyah, Basra and Kut, all Shiite-majority areas.A Western diplomat said ethnic cleansing is taking place each day. There are more and more attacks aimed at widening the rift between Iraqi communities.In the port city of Basra, gunmen have shot dead 15 Sunnis since the start of the month, including a cleric and mosque employees, according to Abdulkarim al-Khazraji, a representative of the local Sunni community.Messages have been left in envelopes at night near Sunni mosques telling Sunnis to leave Basra or face revenge attacks for violence against Shiites in the northern city of Mosul.An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, the messages warned, according to Khazraji, a religious leader.He said some families had fled, despite assurances of protection by the authorities, and all prayer services in Sunni mosques had been suspended.Violence in Iraq has reached a level not seen since 2008, killing more than 4,200 people since the beginning of the year, according to an AFP toll based on security and medical sources.

Tsonga and Simon reach Open de Moselle semifinals

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METZ (AP) - Top-seeded Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga stayed on course for his third straight Open de Moselle title by beating Germanys Tobias Kamke 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 Friday to reach the semifinals.Tsonga has won 10 career titles but only one this year at the Open 13 in Marseille in February. This is Tsongas first tournament since a knee injury forced him to drop out of his second-round match at Wimbledon.The 80th-ranked Kamke has never won an ATP tournament and it was only his second quarterfinal of the season. He saved eight break points in the first set and converted his first against Tsonga to move ahead.Tsonga then broke Kamke once in the second and third sets and next faces eighth-seeded Florian Mayer of Germany, who rallied to beat Argentinas Carlos Berlocq 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 to reach his second semi this season.Saturdays other semi is an all-French match between Gilles Simon and Nicolas Mahut.Simon beat sixth-seeded Sam Querrey 6-4, 7-6 (1) and Simon did not face a single break point in a Simon, who did not face a single break point, next plays countryman Nicolas Mahut after he beat Germanys Benjamin Becker 6-2, 6-4.Simon took control of the tiebreaker by hitting a forehand passer down the line to open up a 3-1 lead.He then forced an error at the net from Querrey, who swiped his racket in frustration after losing the next point. Simon opened his shoulders to hit a crisp forehand winner that set up five match points and he converted the first when Querreys awkward shot sank into the net.The 31-year-old Mahut is blossoming late in his career and won his first two singles titles this summer.Simon, the 2010 champion, is chasing his first title of the season after reaching his fifth semifinal of the year.

Vettel fastest in 2nd practice for Singapore GP

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SINGAPORE (AP) - Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel again stamped himself the man to beat by setting the fastest time in Fridays practice for the Singapore Grand Prix.Chasing his third straight win in Formula Ones annual night race and seemingly headed for a fourth successive drivers championship, Vettel set a time of 1 minute, 44.249 seconds on the Marina Bay circuit; six tenths of a second clear of teammate Mark Webber.Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were the nearest rivals, but third-placed Rosberg was more than a second slower than Vettel.Lotus driver Sebastian Grosjean had technical problems in both sessions but was still fifth quickest, outperforming his more experienced teammate Kimi Raikkonen in eighth.Ferraris Fernando Alonso who was the subject of fresh speculation on Friday linking him to a move to McLaren was sixth, ahead of McLarens Jenson Button. Force Indias Adrian Sutil and McLarens Sergio Perez were ninth and 10th.There were few incidents over the two 90-minute sessions. Williams Pastor Maldonado went nose-first into one of the concrete barriers that hem the street circuit but the car had only minor front-wing damage.The lack of problems was a testament to both the track surface, which has more grip this year after resurfacing, and the concentration of drivers who must go through 78 gear changes per lap on the twisty circuit, while dealing with the intense heat of driving under floodlights in the tropical climate.Vettels performance was dispiriting for his rivals, who need a dip in the Germans imperious form if they are to reel in the already-comfortable 53-point lead he holds in the championship.Should he top the times in Saturdays qualifying, that lead is likely to be extended further as Vettel has converted his past three pole positions this season into race wins.About the only bad news for Vettel on Thursday was a 200-euro fine for speeding in the pit lane in the first practice session.

Football: El Salvador bans 14 internationals for life

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SAN SALVADOR (AFP) - Fourteen El Salvador international players were banned for life on Friday after being implicated in a match-fixing scandal, the countrys football federation chief announced.The disciplinary commission of the El Salvador Football Federation has decided to ban from all football-related activities 14 internationals, said Carlos Mendez, president of Fesfut.The 14 are among the 22 players who were provisionally suspended at the end of August.Of the eight others, seven were suspended for between 20 days and 18 months while one was cleared.The players involved have 15 days to launch appeals.The matches at the centre of the investigation were the friendly against the United States on February 24, 2010, which the US won 2-1, and DC Uniteds 1-0 friendly win on June 19, 2010.The Gold Cup encounter against Mexico which El Salvador lost 5-0 on June 5, 2011, and the 4-1 friendly loss to Paraguay on February 6 this year were also probed.

France to play Lithuania in Eurobasket final

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LJUBLJANA (AP) - France ended Spains reign as European basketball champion Friday with a 75-72 overtime victory behind 32 points from Tony Parker to set up a final against Lithuania.Two-time defending champion Spain led by 14 points at halftime but Parker made a 3-pointer to give France its first lead of the second half, 64-43, with 2 minutes left.After Marc Gasol made a jumper, Alexis Ajinca made a free throw for France with 40 seconds left to tie it up, and both teams missed chances to win in regulation. Parker and Antoine Diot then scored Frances last 8 points from the line in OT to keep their team in front and Gasol missed a desperation 3 at the buzzer.Diot was the only other French player in double figures with 10 points, while Gasol led Spain with 19 points and nine rebounds and Rudy Fernandez scored 17. Point guard Ricky Rubio was largely ineffective, with 2 points, one assist and four turnovers.Lithuania earlier reached its first final since winning the title 10 years ago by beating Croatia 77-62.Jonas Maciulis led Lithuania with 23 points, Linas Kleiza added 22 and Mantas Kalnietis had 18 as the three of them combined to outscore Croatia.Lithuania center Jonas Valanciunas provided some big defensive plays with five blocks, while Bojan Bogdanovic led Croatia with 15 points.It was a difficult game mentally because we knew how important it was, Maciulis said. Both teams came out shot-shy and we were the first to take the lead.Lithuania went on an 18-3 run to start the third quarter that decided the game. Maciulis scored two consecutive 3-pointers and made a jump shot during that run, while Kalnietis added seven points. Lithuania also used a big third quarter to beat Italy in Thursdays quarterfinal.They came out in the second half and took a great advantage, we could not catch up, Croatia forward Damjan Rudez said.Lithuania won the European title in 2003 and was bronze medalist at the 2010 worlds but has not made the podium in Europe since taking bronze in 2007 and lost in the quarterfinals at home two years ago.It was an important win for our generation, to show that we can play well and win a medal. We are trying to prove to people who thought we were not a good team that we can win, Maciulis said.Croatia coach Jasmin Repesa said Lithuania played much better than his team, which will play for the bronze medal.They are bigger, faster, more athletic, Repesa said.Earlier, Pooh Jeter scored 10 of his game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter to lead Ukraine to a 66-58 victory over Italy and earn a spot at next years World Cup. It will be Ukraines first trip to competition.

Mullah Baradar secretly released on Friday

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - According to sources, Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was released on early Friday morning but his release was kept secret due to security concern.The sources said that news of Mullah Baradar will be released today (Saturday) as authorities wanted to make it sure that the Taliban commander reach a safe location.His release bring to 34 the number of Taliban detainees that Pakistan has freed since last year, in what Afghan officials hope will encourage peace talks with Taliban insurgents.Baradar was arrested from Karachi, reportedly in a secret raid by CIA and Pakistani agents, an operation that was described as a huge blow to the Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan until a US-led invasion in 2001.At the time of his arrest Baradar was reported to have been the Talibans second-in-command, the right hand man of the Afghan Talibans supreme commander Mullah Omar.He was the most senior member of the Taliban held after US-led troops invaded Afghanistan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, bringing down the Islamist regime.A mid-level Afghan Taliban official told AFP that Baradars release will not have any effect on current Afghan situation.Baradars (release) wont change anything: he will be just a simple guy with no position in the Taliban network, he said.

Met Office forecast hot, dry weather

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Thursday forecast mainly hot and dry weather for most parts of the country during the nex 24 hours.According to Met Office sources, day temperatures would rise up to two or three degrees celsius in most parts of the country and weather would remain hot and dry during the next few days.

PM desires polio-free Pakistan

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ISLAMABAD (APP) - Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Friday said that it was his earnest desire to make Pakistan a country where no parents see their child crippled by polio.The Prime Minister said this while chairing a high level meeting on Polio Task Force at the Prime Minister’s office. The meeting was attended by Governor KPK Engineer Shaukatullah, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Chief Minister KPK Pervez Khattak and Prime Minister AJK Chaudhry Abdul Majeed.“I am aware of the challenges that face us today and also cognizant of diversity of these challenges from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Sindh”, said the Prime Minister.He noted the importance for demonstrating mutual resolve and collective will to achieve the cherished goal of complete eradication of polio from the country.The Prime Minister stressed that the success of the National Emergency Action Plan, developed in consultation with all stakeholders, depends on its proper implementation.He added that civil-military coordination mechanism will help a great deal in eradicating polio from FATA.Assuring complete support from the federal government, the Premier expressed the hope that the provincial governments will further enhance their efforts and target the specified areas for optimal results.He asked for nominating senior government officials as provincial polio focal persons and establishing Provincial Monitoring Control Rooms in CM or CS offices.Saira Afzal Tarar, MoS for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination briefed the meeting on strategies evolved for polio eradication from the country.She said in 1994, there were 2600 reported cases of polio in Pakistan while the figure for 2013 stands at 28, showing a sharp decline in polio cases in the country.She proposed that the Task Force must meet on quarterly basis to overview the progress made.Dr. Ala Alwan, Regional Director, WHO appreciated the decline in polio cases in Pakistan and stressed that coordinated efforts must continue till the complete eradication of polio from the country.He urged that combined endeavors by political and religious leadership and the local administration would substantially help in achieving the shared goal.Earlier, Regional Director of WHO, Dr Ala Alwan, the called on Prime Minister at the PM’s office.The Prime Minister said that Pakistan values the support extended by WHO in different areas of health sector including Polio Eradication.Parliamentarians and senior government officials were present in the meeting.

Oil falls as another US budget battle looms

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NEW YORK (AP) - Oil fell more than 1 percent Friday as fears of a disruption to Middle East supplies eased while concerns about a shutdown of the U.S. government grew stronger.Benchmark oil for October delivery dropped $1.72, or 1.4 percent, to close at $104.67 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. For the week, oil dropped $3.54, or 3.3 percent. That's despite a 2.5 percent increase on Wednesday, when the U.S. Federal Reserve announced it would keep its stimulus policy in place.Progress in reaching a deal to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons helped put downward pressure on oil prices. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on the U.N. Security Council to back the U.S-Russia deal, which has reduced the threat of a U.S. military strike.Fears of instability in the oil-rich Middle East were further allayed after reports signaled a return of more Libyan crude oil to the market. Production and exports have been sharply interrupted in the chaos following the overthrow of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.Finally, another budget battle loomed in Washington. Lawmakers need to agree to raise the debt ceiling by Oct. 1 to avoid a government shutdown, and a potential default on payments, including debt, later in the month.Concerns about a stalemate between Republicans and the White House also contributed to a down day on Wall Street, where the Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 1 percent.Until this situation is better defined, most institutions will be reluctant to press too hard on the buy side of anything, wrote Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consultancy Ritterbusch and Associates, in a note to clients.Meanwhile, the average price for a gallon of gasoline held steady at $3.49, down 10 cents from where it started the month and down 36 cents from the same time last year.Brent crude, the benchmark for international crudes used by many U.S. refineries, gained 46 cents to $109.22 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

Dollar mixed as Fed tamper talk persists

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NEW YORK CITY (AFP) - The dollar was mixed against other major currencies Friday as markets continued to digest the Federal Reserve's surprise decision to delay tapering stimulus.The euro, meanwhile, was under pressure ahead of Sunday's general election in Germany, the eurozone's economic powerhouse.The euro bought $1.3524 around 2200 GMT, down from $1.3531 late Thursday.The euro also weakened against the Japanese currency, trading at 134.36 yen compared with 134.57 yen the prior day.The dollar dropped to 99.35 yen from 99.45 yen. The dollar found some support in comments by a senior Federal Reserve official opening the possibility of a stimulus cut in October, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.Speaking two days after the Federal Open Market Committee shocked markets by not reducing its $85 billion a month bond buying, FOMC member James Bullard said the beginning of the taper could still come this year.It's possible you get some data that changes the complexion of the outlook and makes the committee comfortable with a small taper in October, he told Bloomberg television.Bullard added the FOMC decision to keep stimulus unchanged had been a borderline call.Thanks to Bullard we don't have to wait for the Fed minutes to get a better sense of how tough the decision to maintain asset purchases this week really was, Lien said.She said markets will be looking at next week's packed calendar of speeches by Fed policy makers for more taper clues.But she also said it was the euro's turn in the spotlight in the coming week because the lack of US economic data puts the focus on a busy eurozone calendar.German Chancellor Angela Merkel is widely expected to win a third term but there is little chance that her party will secure enough seats to avoid forming a coalition, Lien said.The dollar rose against the British pound, which bought $1.6004 compared with $1.6030 Thursday.The greenback held steady at 0.9102 Swiss franc.

Misbah leads Wolves to consolation win

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MOHALI (Agencies) - Faisalabad Wolves rode on its captain Misbah-ul-Haq’s heroic innings to beat Kandurata Maroons by 10 runs in its last qualifying match of the Champions League T20 at the PCA Stadium here on Friday.Misbah, asked to bat first, again bailed out his team from a precarious situation, four down for 56 in the 10th over, to post a decent total of 146 for six. His bowlers struck at regular intervals to limit Maroons to 136 for seven and register a face-saving win.Maroons, also out of the tournament, finished with three defeats.As wickets kept tumbling at the other end, Misbah, dropped on one off Milinda Siriwardana, kept his composure and attacked the Maroons bowlers on every possible opportunity. His entertaining second consecutive half-century included seven fours all over the park and five sixes slotted down the ground.Misbah forged a 74-run partnership with Mohammad Salman for the fifth wicket which helped Wolves record its highest total in the tournament.Even without any significant contribution from most of his partners, Kumar Sangakkara, let off twice, scored a 36-ball 44 to keep Maroons in the hunt.Ehsan Adil accounted for three Maroons batsmen and Imran Khalid claimed two as Wolves maintained the pressure till the end.The contest came down to 24 off six balls. But Adil thwarted a late charge by Siriwardana in the final over.
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