Wednesday 16 October 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

South Africa 72-4 at close in first Test

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ABU DHABI (AFP) - Pakistans lethal mixture of pace and spin caught world number one Test team South Africa napping on the third day of the first Test in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.South Africa lost four top-order batsmen against a spirited Pakistan and they now need another 121 runs to avoid an innings defeat and concede the lead in the two-Test series.AB de Villiers was unbeaten on 11 and with him nightwatchman Dale Steyn on nought on a day when Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq scored his fourth Test hundred and then sent his rivals into submission.Pakistan removed Alviro Petersen (17), Graeme Smith (32) and Jacques Kallis (nought) by the 19th over and then first innings centurion Hashim Amla for ten to move closer to a big victory when bad light curtailed play seven overs early.Paceman Mohammad Irfan started aggressively, trapping Smith in front off the very first ball of the innings but Pakistans referral was unsuccessful after the umpire initially ruled it not out.But Irfan struck in his sixth over when a rising delivery caught Petersen by surprise, the batsman failing to keep his glove out of the way before Adnan Akmal held the catch cleanly.Smith looked confident during his 61-ball knock but missed one delivery from Saeed Ajmal and was stumped on the second attempt by Akmal, leaving South Africa at 57-2.With Smiths scalp, Ajmal completed his 150 wickets in 29 Tests -- the joint fourth fastest to reach the milestone and second Pakistani behind paceman Waqar Younis, who completed the tally in 27 Tests.A run later Kallis was trapped in front of the wicket by fast bowler Junaid Khan for a five-ball duck, spoiling South Africas most reliable batsmans comeback and 38th birthday.Amal, who hit 118 in the first innings, fell caught behind off left-armer Zulfiqar Babars first delivery in the innings to leave South Africa tottering at 72-4.South African paceman Vernon Philander admitted it will be tough work to save the match.We need to be in a positive frame of mind, its going to be hard work tomorrow because Pakistans spinners have been good but we need to try and get some partnerships going, said Philander.Pakistan opener Khurram Manzoor said his team was in a strong position.We are in a strong position and taking four wickets before the day ended was very good. I think the spinners will have a big role to play (tomorrow), said Manzoor.Earlier Misbah ensured Pakistan increased their lead after opener Manzoor departed for 146, adding an invaluable 82 for the fifth wicket with Asad Shafiq, who made 54.At 39 years and 141 days, Misbah became the oldest Pakistani batsman to score a Test hundred. He is also the oldest to notch a Test hundred since Englands Graham Gooch reached the three-figure mark against New Zealand at Nottingham in 1994 at the age of 40 years 314 days.Englands Jack Hobbs holds the record for oldest Test centurion at 46 years and 82 days when he scored a hundred against Australia in 1929.Manzoor, who resumed on 131, bettered Pakistans highest individual Test score against South Africa, held by all-rounder Azhar Mahmood who scored 137 in Johannesburg in 1998.But Philander gave South Africa a much-needed breakthrough by dismissing Manzoor, caught off a slash in the slip by Jacques Kallis.Manzoor hit 15 boundaries and batted solidly throughout his 388-minute knock. He added 112 for the fourth wicket with his skipper to strengthen Pakistans position.Misbah reached his hundred with a single off Jean-Paul Duminy, his first after 16 Tests, off 185 balls, raising his arms and bat in acknowledgement. In all he batted for 298 minutes, hitting eight boundaries.Steyn trapped Misbah leg before for 100 to finish with 3-88 after his first 23 overs went wicketless.Duminy, who took 2-68, proved better than regular spinner Robin Peterson who was wicketless in 27 overs, conceding 111 runs.The second and final Test will be played in Dubai from October 23. The teams will also play five one-day and two Twenty20 internationals.

Earliest nervous system shows split in species' tree

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PARIS (AFP) - Palaeontologists on Wednesday said they had uncovered the earliest known complete nervous system, found in an unusual fossilised creature that lived 520 million years ago.Measuring just three centimetres (slightly over an inch) long, the animal belongs to the megacheirans, a group of clawed marine animals that lived during the Cambrian, a time of riotous biodiversity.Found in the Chengjiang formation, a treasure trove of fossils in southwestern Chinas Yunnan province, the museum specimen shows the spine, eyes, brain and ganglia in exquisite detail, the scientists said.The find was imaged in 3D with a computed tomography (CT) scanner -- better known for its use in medicine -- to help other researchers compare it against modern and ancient species.The creature had an elongated, segmented body, attached to which were appendages that enabled it to swim or crawl.The head had a long, scissor-like claw, which was probably used for grasping or sensing.The find provides dating for when the ancestors of todays spiders, scorpions and other members of a family called chelicerates branched off from other arthropods, including crustaceans and millipedes.We now know that the megacheirans had central nervous systems very similar to todays horseshoe crabs and scorpions, said lead researcher Nicholas Strausfeld, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Arizona.This means the ancestors of spiders and their kin lived side by side with the ancestors of crustaceans in the Lower Cambrian.The study appears in the journal Nature.

Romario launches another attack against FIFA

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SAO PAULO (AP) - Brazilian congressman and former football great Romario has launched another attack against FIFA, calling president Sepp Blatter a thief and secretary general Jerome Valcke a blackmailer.The comments from the former Brazil striker came at congressional hearing promoted by a tourism and sports commission on Tuesday.He continued his attack against Valcke with a post published on his website on Wednesday, saying the FIFA official isnt the best person to do business with Brazil ahead of the 2014 World Cup.Romario also criticized the Brazilian football confederation, saying it is corrupt.It was some of the harsher words yet used by Romario, who has been loudly criticizing FIFA and local football officials since he took office in 2010.We cant expect anything from FIFA, where we have a blackmailer called Valcke and a thief called Blatter, Romario said while replying to a comment from a colleague who said FIFA should do more to make sure the World Cup will leave a legacy for Brazil. They really dont represent world football, much less Brazilian football.FIFA didnt immediately answer a request for comment on Wednesday.In his post, Romario said its his role as a legislator to protect Brazils interests and make sure the people know more about the FIFA representative negotiating World Cup deals in Brazil.Brazilian authorities shouldnt trust (Valcke) when signing any deal related to the World Cup, Romario said. It is with lack of trust that I see his presence in Brazil negotiating with the money of the Brazilian people. Rest assured that Ill always keep an eye on what is being spent on the World Cup with public funds.Romario said he published the post in response to Valckes claim that the former Brazilian great has many times overstepped the boundaries of decency in his attacks, according to the congressman.For a long time Romario has been outspoken against FIFAs influence in Brazil and the costs of hosting the World Cup. He has focused his complaints on the secretary general.I wouldnt trust (Valcke) if I had to give him 10 reals (about $5) to buy me bread and milk, Romario said in his post.Romario said his mistrust was in part linked to FIFAs past problems with the now-defunct market agency ISL and the controversial replacement of the Mastercard sponsorship by Visa, a move spearheaded by Valcke.Tuesdays congressional hearing was aimed at discussing the financial situation of Brazilian clubs, and Romario took the opportunity to again criticize the local football federation, known as the CBF.CBF is a corrupt entity, said the 47-year-old Romario, who won the 1994 World Cup with Brazil.Romario has led the calls for a congressional investigation into the Brazilian federation after president Jose Maria Marin took over from Ricardo Teixeira, who quit last year citing medical reasons amid widespread allegations of corruption and irregularities in his administration.

EU revives airline carbon tax proposal

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BRUSSELS (AFP) - The European Unions executive branch on Wednesday proposed taxing airlines for emissions made while crossing European airspace, revising a controversial plan the EU had to back down from last year.Under the new European Commission proposal, airlines using EU airspace could be subject to a tax for air-polluting carbon emissions on the portion of a flight that crosses the European Economic Area (EEA).The European Union has reduced greenhouse gas emissions considerably, and all the economic sectors are contributing to these efforts. The aviation sector also has to contribute, as aviation emission are increasing fast -- doubling since 1990, said EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard in a statement.The new proposal is an amended version of the EUs ill-fated CO2 Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for intercontinental flights, which the EU suspended last year after a flurry of protests from emerging countries, airlines and aircraft builders that raised fears of a trade war.Under the former scheme, flights through EU airspace, wherever they originated, were required to buy pollution credits to cover 15 percent of their CO2 emissions for the entire flight, wherever it originated.In the new proposal, the tax would apply only to the part of the flight crossing the EEA -- the 28 EU member states plus Norway and Iceland.The announcement of the amended plan comes after the UNs International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) agreed earlier this month to regulate the industrys greenhouse gas emissions but gave itself until 2020 to work out the details.The EUs new plan would apply from the beginning of 2014 until the ICAO regulations take effect, the European Commission said.With this proposal, Europe is taking the responsibility to reduce emissions within its own airspace until the global measure begins, said Hedegaard.The plan, which has to receive the backing of the EUs member states and the European Parliament, risks reigniting the standoff between the EU and countries such as China, India and Russia that do not want the tax imposed on their airlines.Asked if the proposal risked raising an outcry after the Montreal deal, Hedegaard replied: Every country that respects the rule of law will recognise that we have the right to take the measures we want in our airspace.Flights to and from developing countries that generate less than one percent of global aviation emissions would receive a full exemption.

Wife to get husband's lottery win despite separation

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KARLSRUHE (AFP) - A woman whose husband won the lottery seven years after they had separated is entitled to half of his winnings, or a quarter of a million euros, a German court ruled Wednesday.The German Federal Court of Justice said the woman, who was on jobless benefits, should still receive about 250,000 euros ($338,000) from her former husband because they were technically still married when he bought the winning ticket.The man, a pensioner, was living with his new partner when the pair won and shared around 956,000 euros in the lottery in 2008. Two months after the win, he divorced his wife and mother of his three children.The Federal Court ruled that assets generated during a marriage must be split equally between the two partners in a divorce, regardless of a separation.It said that lottery winnings were no exception.

Oil rises above $102 on US Senate debt deal

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NEW YORK (AP) - The price of oil rose more than 1 percent Wednesday as the U.S. Senate announced a deal that would avoid a potentially catastrophic default on its debt and reopen the government.Around midday, U.S. benchmark crude for November delivery was up $1.18, or 1.2 percent, to $102.39 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.Democratic leader Harry Reid said Senate leaders reached a bipartisan deal to avoid default and end the government shutdown, now in its 16th day. The deal would reopen the government through Jan. 15 and increase the nations borrowing authority through Feb. 7.Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who forced the government shutdown, said he wont delay a vote on the budget deal. That was a key concession that signaled a strong possibility that both houses could act by days end.The price of oil has swung back and forth for two weeks as lawmakers attempted to resolve an impasse that has left the government partially closed and the markets worried about the U.S. defaulting on its debt for the first time.Government agencies including the Energy Information Administration, which keeps track of U.S. crude and fuel supplies, have stopped many services. The agency didnt issue its weekly report on supplies Wednesday.The report gives an indication about the strength of demand and often pushes the oil price up or down.Brent crudes December contract, the benchmark used to set prices for international crudes used by many U.S. refineries, gained 97 cents at $110.93 on the ICE Futures exchange in London.In other energy futures trading on Nymex:Wholesale gasoline rose 5 cent to $2.71 a gallon.Natural gas added 4 cents to $3.83 per 1,000 cubic feet.Heating oil gained 3 cents to $3.04 a gallon.

European stocks turn higher on US debt deal talk

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LONDON (AFP) - European stock markets broke into gains on Wednesday, on expectations that US lawmakers would avoid a disastrous default just hours ahead of a deadline.Sentiment was rattled early in the session as ratings agency Fitch placed the United States on warning for a downgrade from its top-level AAA assessment.But at close in Europe, Frankfurts DAX 30 climbed 0.47 percent to set a new record close at 8,846.0 points.Londons benchmark FTSE 100 index added 0.34 percent to 6,571.59 points, while the CAC 40 in Paris rose 0.29 percent to 4,243.72 points.Europes markets moved sharply from losses to gains, gyrating wildly on news flow from Capitol Hill as the 17th October deadline edges into view, said Michael Hewson, Senior Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK.The United States on Wednesday stood hours from a fateful fiscal deadline, with a chaotic political standoff threatening to trigger a debt default and rock the global economy.But late in the trading session, it appeared Republican and Democratic leaders in the US Senate had struck an agreement.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the senate, led the negotiations to avert a default after an earlier bid collapsed in a bitterly divided House of Representatives.Wall Street soared on talk of the deal with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 1.27 percent in midday trade and the Nasdaq gaining 1.10 percentBut Senate approval of the deal still would have to be ratified by the Republican-controlled House, where a core Tea Party faction has until now vehemently resisted compromise.The fast-moving developments in Washington sent the European single currency tumbling, falling to $1.3488, compared with $1.3525 late in New York on Tuesday.Hours earlier, Asian equities closed mixed when doubts were still strong that Congress would eventually reach an agreement.Hong Kong stocks fell 0.46 percent, Shanghai dipped 1.81 percent and Seoul lost 0.31 percent, while Sydney closed flat and Tokyo rose 0.18 percent.

US Senate reaches deal to avoid default, end shutdown

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WASHINGTON (AP) Senate leaders announced a bipartisan deal Wednesday to avert a threatened U.S. default and reopen the federal government after a 16-day closure, a move intended to end a prolonged fiscal crisis that gripped Washington, battered Republican approval ratings and threatened the global economy with a new recession. Congress was gearing up to pass the measure before the day was out.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced a plan that would fund the government through Jan. 15 and allow the Treasury to increase the nations borrowing authority through Feb. 7. Both the Democrat-controlled Senate and Republican-controlled House of Representatives must approve the plan, which President Barack Obama would then sign before Thursdays deadline for Congress to increase the federal debt limit.Obama applauded the Senate compromise and hoped to sign it into law, White House Jay Carney spokesman said.US stock indexes jumped by more than 1 percent in early afternoon trading on news of a deal.Reid, leader of Senate Democrats, thanked McConnell for working with him to end what had become one of the nastiest partisan battles in recent Washington history.This is a time for reconciliation, said Reid.A long line of polls charted a steep decline in public approval for Republicans in the course of what Republican Sen.John McCain pronounced a shameful episode in U.S. history. Republicans were left with little to show for their fight in political terms, the final agreement was almost entirely along lines Obama had set when the impasse began last month.The deal would end the bitter standoff for now, giving both parties time to cool off and come up with a broader budget plan or risk repeating the damaging cycle again in the new year.The crisis began on Oct. 1 with a partial shutdown of the federal government after House Republicans refused to accept a temporary funding measure unless Obama agreed to defund or delay his health care law, known as Obamacare.It escalated when House Republicans also refused to move on needed approval for raising the amount of money the Treasury can borrow to pay U.S. bills, raising the specter of a catastrophic default. Obama vowed repeatedly not to pay a ransom in order to get Congress to pass normally routine legislation.The hard-right tea party faction of House Republicans, urged on by conservative Texas Republican Ted Cruz in the Senate, had seen both deadlines as weapons that could be used to gut Obamas Affordable Care Act, designed to provide tens of millions of uninsured Americans with coverage.The Democrats remained united against any Republican threat to Obamas signature program, and Republicans in the House could not muster enough votes to pass their own plan to end the impasse.Cruz said after the deal was announced that he would not block a vote. That was a key concession that signaled a strong possibility that both houses could act by days end. That, in turn, would allow Obama to sign the bill into law ahead of the Thursday deadline that Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew had set for action to raise the $16.7 trillion debt limit.McConnell said the time had come to back away for now from Republican efforts to undermine Obamacare. But the feisty minority boss said Republicans had not given up on erasing it from the legislative books.While the emerging deal could well meet resistance from conservatives in the Republican-controlled House, the Democratic Leader, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, signaled she will support the plan and her members were expected to vote for it in overwhelming numbers.That means Republican House Speaker John Boehner would put the measure to a vote and depend heavily on minority Democrats to support it. The risky move was seen as imperiling the House leadership, but Boehner was apparently ready to do it and end the crisis that has badly damaged Republican approval among voters.Boehner and the House Republican leadership met in a different part of the Capitol to plan their next move. A spokesman, Michael Steel, said afterward that no decision had been made about how or when a potential Senate agreement could be voted on in the House.Looking forward, lawmakers were also concerned voters would punish them in next years congressional elections. Polls show the public more inclined to blame Republicans.Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said the party had hurt its cause through the long and dangerous standoff.This package is just a joke compared to what we could have gotten if we had a more reasonable approach, he told NBC.Investors have been nervous. The Fitch rating agency in New York warned Tuesday that it was reviewing the governments AAA credit rating for a possible downgrade, though no action was near. The firm, one of the three leading U.S. credit-ratings agencies, said that the political brinkmanship and reduced financing flexibility could increase the risk of a U.S. default.The Senate deal sets a mid-December deadline for bipartisan budget negotiators to report on efforts to reach compromise on longer-term issues like spending cuts.And it likely would require the Obama administration to certify it can verify the income of people who qualify for federal subsidies for medical insurance under the 2010 health care law, which launched its online exchanges on Oct. 1.The Senate pact had been put on hold Tuesday, an extraordinary day that highlighted how unruly rank-and-file House Republicans can be and how influential outside conservative groups have become.Facing solid Democratic opposition, Boehner tried in vain to write legislation that would satisfy Republican lawmakers, especially hardcore conservatives in the tea party-aligned caucus.Boehner had crafted two versions of the bill, but neither made it to a House vote because both faced certain defeat. Working against him was word during the day from the influential conservative group Heritage Action for America that his legislation was not conservative enougha worrisome threat for many Republican lawmakers whose biggest electoral fears are of primary election challenges from the right. Primary votes determine which party candidate makes it to the ballot for general elections.Republicans in the Senate, who must be elected on a statewide basis rather than in smaller congressional districts drawn up to secure a partisan advantage, were eager to end the partial shutdown of the government and avoid an even greater crisis if it were to default.The shutdown, the first in 17 years, has furloughed more than 400,000 federal workers.

Actress Anjuman's husband shot dead in Lahore

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - Former Pakistani film star Anjuman’s husband Mubeen Malik was shot dead in Defence area on Wednesday.According to details, some unknown persons opened firing on the vehicle of Mubeen Malik who along with his 22-year-old daughter and driver sustained critical injuries.All three were rushed to hospital where Mubeen Malik succumbed to his injuries. Later, his driver Rajab Ali also died in the hospital while Mubeens daughter Iman Fatima was reportedly in critical condition.Police have launched investigation into the incident.It is worth mentioning here that Mubeen Malik was a Grade-21 officer and chairman of CBR Housing Society.

Former Hungarian communist leader charged with war crimes

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BUDAPEST (AFP) - Hungarian prosecutors filed war crimes charges Wednesday against Bela Biszku, a former communist leader, for his conduct in the aftermath of the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising in Budapest.The 92-year-old is accused of active involvement in the decisions to order security forces to open fire on crowds in two incidents in December 1956 during which about 50 people were killed.Arrested in September last year and under house arrest since then, he is the first of the 1956 communist leaders to face a criminal inquiry.A member of the narrowest circle of party leadership, his actions constituted war crimes -- as an abettor -- and homicide against more than one person, the prosecutors office said in a statement.Biszku, a prominent communist party leader who went on to become interior minister in 1957, has also been charged with complicity in criminal acts for covering up reprisals after the Soviet Union crushed the uprising.He has denied the charges, for which he could face a life sentence, said Budapests chief prosecutor, Tibor Ibolya.In 2011, the conservative government led by Viktor Orban modified a law to enable people suspected of involvement in the 1956 reprisals to be tried in court.The uprising began after a student demonstration on October 23, 1956. By November 4, however, it had been bloodily crushed by tanks sent by Moscow.More than 2,000 civilians were killed during the fighting, while around 200,000 people fled the country.About 300 people were executed, and more than 20,000 jailed in the aftermath of the uprising.

Russian court suspends top opposition leaders jail sentence

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KIROV, (AP) - A Russian court on Wednesday suspended a five-year prison sentence for a top opposition leader but upheld his conviction for theft that will prevent him from running in future elections.Alexei Navalny was convicted on embezzlement charges and sentenced to five years in prison on July 18, but was released the next day in what some considered a ploy to make the Moscow mayoral race, where he was registered as a candidate, look as competitive as possible.Navalny garnered an unexpected 27 percent of the vote against the Kremlin-backed incumbent. His growing public profile has made it increasingly risky for the Kremlin to put him behind bars.Regardless of his own inability to hold office, Navalny, a charismatic speaker with a popular blog, could still prove a vital political force in Russia.He has vowed to wage an active campaign, even if not a candidate himself, in elections for the Moscow city government in September 2014. His run for Moscow mayor attracted thousands of young volunteers in an unprecedented grassroots campaign effort, and that network could prove a key organizing force in the 2014 race.On Wednesday, a judge in the court in Kirov, 760 kilometers (460 miles) east of Moscow, read out the decision. According to current Russian law, even a suspended sentence would eliminate Navalny from political office for life.Navalny lambasted the trial, saying the original sentence had been handed down on instructions from Moscow and that the political motivation of this case is absolutely clear.The charges against Navalny date back a few years to when he worked as an unpaid adviser to the provincial governor in Kirov. Prosecutors said he was part of a group that in 2009 embezzled 16 million rubles ($500,000) worth of timber from the state-owned company Kirovles. He has denied the charges.The defense said that a company run by Pyotr Ofitserov Navalnys co-defendant who was also given a suspended sentence of five years as well in the appeal bought the timber for 14 million rubles and sold it for 16 million rubles in a regular commercial deal.Navalny, who spent much of the court session tweeting, was characteristically sarcastic and upbeat.After the judge read out the sentence, Navalny told journalists he had no doubts the decision had been made personally by Vladimir Putin, and said that the authorities are doing their utmost to pull me out of the political fight.The sentence eliminates Navalny for running in any elections in the future, according to a 2012 law that bans anyone with a criminal conviction for serious crimes, even if the sentence is suspended, from political office for life.That law has been controversial in a country where, according to a 2011 survey by the Moscow-based Center for Legal and Economic Studies, one in six business people have faced criminal charges. About 120,000 people are serving prison sentences in Russia for economic crimes.Last week Russias highest court ruled that parts of the law were unconstitutional, and asked the legislature to amend it so that only those convicted to life sentences would be banned from political office for life.Those changes, however, would still keep Navalny out of office for the five years of his suspended sentence. He also currently has several other criminal investigations opened against him, laying the groundwork for the Kremlin to put him behind bars in the future if the political necessity arises.Navalnys lawyers told journalists after the trial that they would continue to fight to have the verdict overturned.Navalnys rise to prominence started with his blog, where he posted investigations into corrupt state-owned companies accompanied by incisive, witty invectives on prominent Russian officials.When evidence of massive fraud in the 2011 parliamentary elections triggered protests, Navalny a speaker with a knack for catchy slogans became the driving force behind the movement, leading hundreds of thousands through Moscow with chants of We are the power

Poland mosque hit by arson attack on Eid holiday

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WARSAW (AFP) - Arsonists attacked a mosque in Poland Wednesday during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday amid tensions over a nationwide ban on halal animal slaughter and protests by animal rights activists.It was definitely arson, Grazyna Wawryniuk, spokeswoman for regional prosecuters in the Baltic port city of Gdansk where the mosque is located, told AFP.We have launched an investigation to determine the motives and identify the perpetrators, she said.The fire damaged a door and part of the mosques interior, she said.The imam for Gdansk, Hani Hraish, told local media the attack in the early hours of Wednesday was a very rare act of violence in his community.Yesterday we celebrated Eid here normally. It was beautiful, joyous, we had a huge crowd and we didnt notice anything strange, he said.Its very unpleasant for us, very harmful. The fire didnt just burn our mosque but our heart and souls too, he added.Polands small Muslim and Jewish communities have come under pressure this Eid holiday to respect a January 1 ban on ritual halal and kosher slaughter after the Constitutional Court deemed it incompatible with animal rights legislation.Animal sacrifice is part of the traditional Eid feast.A day earlier, the countrys top Muslim leader, Mufti Tomasz Miskiewicz, said his community was suffering a witch hunt as animal rights activists protested against halal slaughter near a small wooden mosque in the Muslim Tatar village of Bohoniki, eastern Poland.For the first time in hundreds of years, Muslim faithful there did not perform the ritual slaughter of sheep for the annual Eid feast, under pressure from protesters to respect the ban.Jews and Muslims in overwhelmingly Catholic Poland say the ban violates their religious freedoms and is therefore unconstitutional. The Jewish community has asked Polands top court to rule on the matter.Muslims also say the ban, which has spurred intense debate both at home and abroad, is invalid under European law.European Union rules on livestock slaughter are designed to minimise animal suffering, but religious groups are exempted from a requirement that animals be stunned before death.Under age-old kosher and halal rules, animals are killed by slitting their throats without first being stunned.The Jewish and Muslim communities each number around 20,000 to 30,000 in Poland, an EU member state of some 38 million people.

Kenya to microchip all rhinos' horns to beat poachers

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NAIROBI (AFP) - Kenya will place microchips in the horn of every rhino in the country in a bid to stamp out a surge in poaching the threatened animals, wildlife officials said Wednesday.Poachers are getting more sophisticated in their approach, Paul Udoto, spokesman for the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), told AFP.So it is vital that conservation efforts also follow and embrace the use of more sophisticated technology to counter the killing of wildlife.Kenya has just over 1,000 rhino, and the tiny chips will be inserted and hidden in the horn, which is made of keratin, the same material as fingernails or hardened hair.The World Wildlife Fund donated the chips as well as five scanners at a cost of $15,000 (11,000 euros), although tracking the rhino to dart them and fit the device will cost considerably more.However, it will boost the ability of police to prosecute poachers or traffickers, allowing for all animals to be traced and providing potential vital information on poaching and smuggling chains.Investigators will be able to link any poaching case to a recovered or confiscated horn, and this forms crucial evidence in court, contributing towards the prosecutions ability to push for sentencing of a suspected rhino criminal, KWS said in a statement.Poaching has risen sharply in Africa in recent years. Rhinos are not the only animals targeted; whole elephant herds have been massacred for their ivory.The lucrative Asian black market for rhino horn has driven a boom in poaching across Africa.Asian consumers falsely believe the horns have powerful healing properties.In August, poachers shot dead a white rhino in Nairobis national park, a brazen raid in one of the best guarded sites in Kenya.Simply chopping the horn off the rhino has limited impact, Udoto explained.The horn grows back... and weve so sadly found that poachers can kill a rhino at first sight and only then find that its horn has been removed, he said.

French court upholds conviction of Scientologists

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PARIS (AP) - Frances highest appeals court has upheld the 2009 fraud conviction of the Church of Scientologys French branch, its bookstore and five of its leaders.The Scientologists were accused of pressuring members into paying large sums for questionable services and materials and using commercial harassment against recruits. The group and bookstore were fined 600,000 euros ($814,000).The Scientologists appeals of their convictions claimed infringement on their religious freedom.While Scientology is recognized as a religion in the U.S., Sweden and Spain, it is not considered one under French law.The Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology, founded in 1954 by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, teaches that technology can expand the mind and help solve problems. It claims 10 million members worldwide, including celebrity devotees Tom Cruise and John Travolta.

Giant chunk of meteor raised from the lake in Russia

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MOSCOW (AP) - Russian scientists have recovered a giant chunk of the Chelyabinsk meteor from the bottom of the lake it crashed into.A meteor that blazed across southern Urals in February was the largest recorded meteor strike in more than a century. More than 1,600 people were injured by the shock wave from the explosion, estimated to be as strong as 20 Hiroshima atomic bombs, as it landed near the city of Chelyabinsk.Scientists on Wednesday recovered what could be the largest part of this meteor from Chebarkul Lake outside the city.They weighed it using a giant steelyard balance, which displayed 570 kilograms (1,256 pounds) before it broke.Sergei Zamozdra, an associate professor at Chelyabinsk State University, told Russian television that the excavated fragment was definitely a chunk of the meteor.
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