Wednesday 23 October 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Pakistan secretly endorsed drone strikes: report

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Pakistan for years secretly approved of US drone attacks on its territory despite public denunciations, The Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing secret documents.The purported evidence of Islamabad's involvement came as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited the White House and urged an end to the attacks, which are widely unpopular with the Pakistani public.Pakistani support for drone attacks has long been widely suspected, although strikes reported by the Post involved several years up to 2011 -- before a slowdown in strikes and Sharif's election in May.The newspaper said that top-secret documents and Pakistani diplomatic memos showed that the Central Intelligence Agency had drafted documents to share information on drone attacks with Pakistan.At least 65 drone strikes were marked for discussion with Pakistan, including through briefings at its embassy in Washington and in materials sent physically to senior officials in Islamabad.In one case in 2010, a document describes hitting a location at the request of your government. Another file referred to a joint effort at picking targets.The article -- co-written by Bob Woodward, one of the two journalists who broke the Watergate scandal in the 1970s -- said that the documents also showed that the United States raised concerns that extremists were linked to Pakistan's powerful intelligence service.In one incident, then secretary of state Hillary Clinton confronted Pakistan about cell phones and written materials from dead bodies of militants that showed links to the Inter-Services Intelligence agency.In turn, a Pakistani memo gave the names of 36 US citizens believed to be CIA agents and urged the embassy in Washington not to issue visas to them, the newspaper said.The report came a day after Amnesty International said that the United States may have broken international law by killing civilians with drones.It pointed to an October 2012 attack that killed a 68-year-old grandmother as she picked vegetables.For the first six months of 2011, 152 combatants were killed, according to a table cited by the Post that did not list any civilian casualties.The Obama administration has defended drone strikes as a better way to avoid civilian casualties, saying that it carefully selects Al-Qaeda-linked extremists in lawless parts of Pakistan.

United Nations Day being observed today

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NEWYORK (Web Desk) - UN Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories‚ including the five permanent members of the Security Council‚ the United Nations officially came into being.In 1971‚ the United Nations General Assembly recommended that the day be observed by member states as a public holiday.UN secretary-general's message for 2013:Dear friends‚United Nations Day is a chance to recognize how much this invaluable Organization contributes to peace and common progress. It is a time to reflect on what more we can do to realize our vision for a better world. The fighting in Syria is our biggest security challenge. Millions of people depend on UN humanitarian personnel for life-saving assistance.UN experts are working hand-in-hand with the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to destroy Syria's stockpiles. And we are pushing for a diplomatic solution to end suffering that has gone on far too long. Our most urgent development challenge is to make sustainability a reality.The Millennium Development Goals have cut poverty in half. Now we must maintain the momentum‚ craft an equally inspiring post-2015 development agenda and reach an agreement on climate change. This year again‚ we saw the United Nations come together on armed conflict‚ human rights‚ the environment and many other issues. We continue to show what collective action can do. We can do even more.In a world that is more connected‚ we must be more united. On United Nations Day‚ let us pledge to live up to our founding ideals and work together for peace‚ development and human rights.

Obama to push Congress to act on immigration

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WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama will use the bully pulpit on Thursday to insist that Congress pass legislation overhauling the nation's immigration system.The White House says Obama will call on Congress to act when he speaks in the East Room of the White House.As the government shutdown was ending last week, Obama said he was making immigration a priority and that he wanted Congress to finish it this year. House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday expressed optimism about House action by year's end.But it's not certain that Republicans will support the comprehensive approach that Obama favors. The Senate passed a wide-ranging bill in June with bipartisan support, but the measure has languished in the House. Most House Republicans prefer a piece-by-piece approach.

Obama reassures Pakistan on Afghanistan, not drones

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama on Wednesday promised to consider Pakistan's concerns in post-war Afghanistan, but stayed mum on a call by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to end drone strikes.Obama welcomed Sharif to the White House after releasing $1.6 billion in aid -- mostly for the military -- that had been blocked amid high tensions over the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden.With US forces preparing to pull out of Afghanistan next year, Obama pledged to brief Sharif fully and to work toward an Afghanistan that is stable and secure, its sovereignty respected.I'm confident that, working together, we can achieve a goal that is good for Afghanistan, but also helps to protect Pakistan over the long term, Obama told reporters at the Oval Office.Many Afghans view Pakistan suspiciously due to its past support for the Taliban regime, which was toppled in the US-led invasion that followed the September 11, 2001 attacks.In a joint statement, the two leaders came together to urge the Taliban to join the political process and enter into dialogue with the Afghan government.But on a discordant note, Sharif urged an end to the US campaign of drone strikes against extremists which have infuriated many Pakistanis who see them as a violation of the country's sovereignty.Calling for greater counter-terrorism cooperation with Washington, Sharif said: I also brought up the issue of drones in our meeting, emphasizing the need for an end to such strikes.Obama did not mention drones and the two leaders did not take questions. In their statement, Obama and Sharif stressed that our enduring partnership is based on the principles of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.Amnesty International in a report Tuesday said that the United States may have violated international law by killing civilians. It pointed to an attack in October 2012 in which it said that a 68-year-old grandmother was blown to pieces as she picked vegetables.The rights group charged that Pakistan, despite its routine public protests, likely has given a quiet green light to the attacks in its remote areas.The White House responded by defending drone strikes, saying that it takes great care to avoid civilian deaths and that the remote-controlled attacks are more precise than other methods to target extremists.A 'very wise' path on IndiaPakistan has in the past voiced alarm at the impending US withdrawal of its more than 50,000 troops from Afghanistan, resenting the growing influence of its historic rival India since the fall of the Taliban regime.But Sharif, who has won over skeptics in Washington since he swept back to power in May, steered clear of usual Pakistani criticisms of India or blaming of outside interference for his country's ills.Sharif told Obama that terrorism constitutes a common threat for Pakistan and India, which has urged Islamabad to do more to rein in extremists.We need to ally our respective concerns through serious and sincere efforts without indulging in any blame game, Sharif said.Obama hailed Sharif's recent statements that India and Pakistan -- nuclear-armed powers that have fought three full-fledged wars -- have wasted money through their arms race that could have contributed toward development.I think he is taking a very wise path in exploring how decades of tension between India and Pakistan can be reduced, Obama said of Sharif.Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Sharif last month but linked any further reconciliation to progress on concerns. In particular, India wants action against militants involved in the deadly 2008 siege of Mumbai, some of whom live virtually in the open in Pakistan.Obama pledged that the United States would help Sharif as he embarks on a bold agenda and praised his economic reforms, which include efforts to increase Pakistan's miniscule tax revenue.Not all of them are easy, but they promise to put Pakistan's finances and economy on a more stable footing, he said.Daniel Markey, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that Sharif has shown himself to be adept since taking office but that the United States was also waiting to assess the next chief of the military, long a main power center in Pakistan.The assessment here is that Nawaz Sharif is politically shrewd, but as a statesman he has yet to prove himself, Markey said.

Norway to destroy Syria chemical weapons on US request

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OSLO (AFP) - Norway is considering a US request to destroy part of Syrias chemical weapons arsenal on Norwegian soil, Foreign Minister Boerge Brende said Wednesday.Norway has set up a group of experts to study the proposal, which came last month after a UN resolution compelling Syria to dismantle its chemical arsenal by mid-2014.We are taking this request from the US very seriously, Brende said during a meeting with foreign correspondents in Oslo, barely a week after taking office.Those chemical weapons which are armed and ready to use would most likely be destroyed in Syria but chemical components still not assembled could be taken out of the country and destroyed elsewhere.Norway has been asked to destroy between 300 and 500 tonnes of sarin and up to 50 tonnes of mustard gas, according to UN sources cited by Norwegian public service broadcaster NRK.Brende refused to comment on the figures as he said UN weapons inspectors still have to complete their assessment.The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which won this years Nobel Peace Prize, has been inspecting chemical weapons production and storage sites in Syria since the beginning of October.We do not have the expertise in this field (of destroying chemical components) and we do not have the equipment, Brende said, pointing at the need for another country, like the US, to provide it.One of the conditions cited by Oslo for a positive response is that the waste created by the process would be sent to another country, since Norway does not have storage facilities for toxic organic waste.I do not think that is a major obstacle, he said pointing to other more important issues such as the low temperatures in Norway, which can freeze the water needed in the destruction process.Brende said Norway will respond as soon as possible once it has gathered all relevant information.

Freedom fight underway in Afghanistan: Javed Hashmi

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MULTAN (Online): President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Makhdoom Javed Hashmi has said that freedom fight is underway in Afghanistan and Taliban will gain power in future.Talking to media persons here on Wednesday, he suggested the government to normalize relations with Taliban, adding dialogue with Taliban should be processed without any pressure.The PTI President said if PM doesn’t accept US pressure over drone attacks and Pakistan-Iran Gas Pipeline then the tour might be successful.Talking about war on terror, Hashmi reiterated that the US imposed war on Pakistan and 40,000 Pakistanis have been killed so far, adding the US is responsible for Pakistan’s destruction.“America should stop mayhem across the world, Pakistani people suffered a lot due to NATO supply and drone strikes,” he said.

Pak batsmen brought their own downfall: coach

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DUBAI (AFP) - Frustrated Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore blamed his batsmen for bringing about their own downfall in the second and final Test against South Africa in Dubai on Wednesday.Pakistan were shot out for 99 on the opening day on a dry but flat pitch in a match which their rivals need to win to level the two-Test series.At the close, South Africa reached 128-3, leading by 29 runs on a day when leg-spinner Imran Tahir grabbed a career-best 5-32.Whatmore showed his anger over the batting slump by the same unit which put on 442 in their seven-wicket win in the first Test in Abu Dhabi last week.Its very frustrating, said the 59-year-old former Austrlian batsman. It wasnt certainly according to the plan, we expected the opposition to come back strong at us, but I dont think they did, we orchestrated most of our dismissals ourselves which was a real disappointing thing.Whatmore, who took over in March last year, had already seen Pakistan slump to their lowest Test score of 49 in South Africa in February.And the coach appeared helpless to explain the latest collapse.I am trying to get a reason for that, whether its complacency, whether they thought they can still continue on from 400 runs from the previous game I am not sure but certainly wasnt a very good effort.So dismal was Pakistans top-order that they were 60 for six by lunch, leaving the number nine batsman Zulfiqar Babar to score 25 not out, the top score of the innings.Opener Shan Masood chipped in with 21 but senior batsmen Younis Khan made only 10 and skipper Misbah-ul Haq fell for two.Whatmore said some of the batsmen played bad shots.I am pretty angry. You cant spend time and get a foundation and then get out the way they did, so thats a bit naughty, and then there werent enough others to actually dig in and get a start themselves.All of a sudden when you are 6-60 its very difficult to set up a decent total in the first innings, said Whatmore, famous for guiding Sri Lanka to World Cup glory in 1996.Whatmore praised Tahir, born and brought up in Pakistan before migrating to South Africa and qualified to play for them in 2011.He bowled pretty well, his first wicket was lucky and then he went on from there, his confidence grew, we didnt handle him well at all and we have to improve second time around, said Whatmore.We really need to pull things up and get back into this match, were not out of it, no question about that, said the coach.

Gilani slams Nawaz for not taking parties into confidence before US visit

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MULTAN (Dunya News): Former prime minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that it was better if the prime minister should take all parties into confidence before leaving for United States.Speaking to media persons here on Wednesday, he said that Nawaz Sharif during his meeting with US leadership should express the interest of Pakistan.To a question, he said that militants occupied Afghanistan after Russia’s withdrawal in 1989.Talking about Afghan refugees, Gilani said that at present at least 2,000,000 Afghan refugees are still residing in Pakistan. Pakistan and Afghanistan are friendly countries, he added.The former PM said that Nawaz Sharif should talk on security of the country besides drone strikes. He added that Nawaz should also talk on civil nuclear technology.On Pak-Iran gas pipeline project, he said the project has immense significance.About his abducted son Ali Haider Gilani, the former PM said: “Taliban demand release of their men who are in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, which is not in my hand.”

Bribery allegation: Court orders Berlusconi to stand trial

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ROME (AFP) - An Italian judge on Wednesday ordered Silvio Berlusconi to stand trial for allegedly bribing a senator to join his partys ranks, in the latest legal woe for the former prime minister.Berlusconi was formally charged along with his former associate, Valter Lavitola, who is accused by prosecutors of acting as an intermediary in the 3.0-million euro ($4.0-million) bribe.The senator, Sergio De Gregorio, himself helped investigators and was granted a 20-month sentence under a plea bargain by the hearing in Naples.The trial will start on February 11, Italian media reported, citing the judge at the hearing.Lavitola told the hearing that even if he had handled the money there is no proof that I could have known that it was money for a bribe, I would have been simply a conduit.The case goes back to parliamentary elections in 2006 which were won by a centre-left coalition led by Romano Prodi by just a handful of votes.A few months later, De Gregorio crossed the aisle and joined the Berlusconi opposition in a move that helped bring down Prodi in 2008.The next elections were won handily by Berlusconi.The investigation has been handled by prosecutors in the southern city of Naples since that was De Gregorios seat and the trial will also be there.The scandal-tainted Berlusconi, 77, has often been accused by his opponents of buying votes, but this is the first time he has officially been charged for allegedly corrupting a politician.The three-time former prime minister was convicted definitively of tax fraud in August in a ruling that could end up ejecting him from a parliamentary seat for the first time since he burst onto the political scene in 1994.Berlusconi is also appealing convictions for having sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of prime ministerial powers, as well as for leaking a confidential police wiretap in one of his newspapers to damage a political opponent.The billionaire tycoon regularly protests his innocence and says he is the victim of vindictive left-wing judges who want to eliminate him politically.

Tuberculosis claimed 1.3 million lives last year

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GENEVA (AFP) - Tuberculosis claimed 1.3 million lives last year with drug-resistant forms of the infectious disease -- the deadliest after AIDS -- a huge global concern, the WHO warned Wedesday.Worldwide efforts to rein in the killer airborne disease helped drive the toll down 100,000 from the previous year, the World Health Organization said in its annual report on the fight against TB.But the toll remains the worlds second-highest for an infectious disease, after HIV/AIDS.An estimated 8.6 million people caught tuberculosis in 2012, with India alone accounting for 26 percent of cases, and China, 12 percent.According to the WHO, close to one-third of TB cases were in Southeast Asia, just over a quarter in Africa and around one-fifth on the Western Pacific region.Looking at the longer-term picture, the number of infections fell by nearly half from 1990 to 2012.But experts reckon only two-thirds of last years 8.6 million new cases were actually diagnosed, leaving an estimated three million people unaware they had the disease.Those most at risk are typically among the worst-off groups of the population, the report said.To find the three million TB cases means we need to reach beyond the current health services, we need to look at where these cases are, WHO expert Karin Meyer told reporters.These are often vulnerable populations, displaced populations, migrant population, quite difficult to reach, she added.Global health experts also warned of the growing threat posed by a strain of TB that resists drugs used to fight the classic form.Multidrug-resistant TB, or MDR-TB, which emerged due to erratic treatment of the regular strain or excessive use of anti-TB medication, claimed 170,000 lives last year, the WHO said.Some 94,000 people were diagnosed with MDR-TB last year, twice the figure in 2011.But the true number of cases is thought to be around five times higher, the WHO added.A real public health crisisThe highest density of MDR-TB cases is found in the former communist countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.Those are places where TB programmes have long been in place, but where failings in health services have allowed drug-resistance to build up, officials said.In contrast, Africa has seen lower levels of MDR-TB, in part because of weaker access to standard TB treatment in the past.Other countries hit hard by MDR-TB include China and India.The unmet demand for a full-scale and quality response to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is a real public health crisis, said Mario Raviglione, head of the WHOs TB programme.The standard drugs used to treat TB are isoniazid and rifampicin. Vaccines are in development, but are not expected to hit the market before 2025, the WHO said.MDR-TB is able to ward off both isoniazid and rifampicin.It can be treated with bedaquilin, which came onto the market at the end of last year and is the first new TB drug in four decades.But bedaquilin is costly, the WHO stressed, with a $30,000 (22,000-euro) price tag for a six-month course of treatment in developed countries, and some $1,000 in the developing world.Since the WHO launched a major anti-TB drive in 1995, a total of 56 million people have been treated and 22 million lives saved, the agency said.Quality TB care for millions worldwide has driven down TB deaths, said Raviglione.But far too many people are still missing out on such care and are suffering as a result. They are not diagnosed, or not treated, or information on the quality of care they receive is unknown, he added.The agency also warned funding for its anti-TB campaign was falling short of its target.A conventional two-year course of TB treatment costs between $4,000 and $10,000 in developing countries.The WHO said it needed to bridge a $2 billion annual gap in order to meet its overall requirement of up to $8 billion a year to fight the disease in low and middle-income countries.

Vatican dismisses German bishop over luxury living

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VATICAN CITY (AFP) - The Vatican on Wednesday suspended indefinitely a German Catholic cleric dubbed the bling bishop for his luxury lifestyle, despite multiple calls in Germany for the prelate to be dismissed.The Holy See deems it appropriate to authorise a period of leave from the diocese for Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, the Vatican said in a statement.The Holy Father has been continuously and objectively informed of the situation, it said.A situation has been created in which the bishop can no longer exercise his episcopal duties.It did not specify how long the bishop would have to stay away but added that this would depend on an analysis of the finances of his Limburg diocese and the responsibilities for its high costs.The Central Committee of German Catholics, which brings together all the Catholic lay associations in the country, said it was satisfied with the decision to suspend the bishop.Pope Francis decision offers a chance at a new beginning in the diocese of Limburg where the situation has become heavy in recent weeks both for believers there and for the Church in Germany as a whole, its president Alois Glueck said.The bishop flew to Rome last week with low-cost airline Ryanair to explain himself to Francis -- following accusations he took an expensive ticket on a trip to India and squandered money.His private quarters in a new diocesan building are reported to have cost some 2.9 million euros ($3.9 million) and included a 63-square-metre dining room and a 15,000 euro bathtub -- using the revenue from a religious tax in Germany.The reports have caused a scandal in Germany and sparked calls for greater transparency in Catholic Church finances -- a reform aim of the new pope who has called for a poor Church for the poor.The pope has already shown he can act energetically, said Marco Politi, a Vatican expert writing for the Italian weekly LEspresso, giving the example of two Slovenian archbishops sacked for their poor financial management.Good management of money is essential for him... He has said that priests, even when they are buying a car, should think about children going hungry in the Third World, Politi told AFP.Asked for a reaction after Wednesdays news, government spokesman Georg Streiter said: There is no comment from the German government. This is an internal matter for the Church.The 53-year-old bishop is under fire over the ostentatious building project in the ancient town of Limburg, which includes a museum, conference halls, a chapel and private apartments.The project was approved by his predecessor and was initially valued at 5.5 million euros but the final bill ballooned to 31 million euros, including a 783,000-euro garden.Tebartz-van Elst is also accused of giving false statements in court about an expensive flight he took to India to visit poor communities.Prosecutors say the bishop gave false statements under oath in a Hamburg court battle against news weekly Der Spiegel about the flights.Anger that taxes paid to the Church by ordinary Germans are apparently being squandered has led to demonstrations outside his residence.German Chancellor Angela Merkel, daughter of a Protestant pastor, said earlier via her spokesman Steffen Seibert that I can express the hope that there will be an answer for believers, for peoples confidence in their Church.The embattled Tebartz-van Elst has defended the project, saying the centuries-old cathedral complex adjacent to the modernist new structure is heritage protected, complicating the development.Critics within and outside the church have contrasted the premium architectural project with the more humble style of Pope Francis and asked how much good the money could do if used as aid in poverty-stricken African countries.Pope Francis has made several key gestures of a more humble style since coming to office in March and has condemned big-spending clerics.The pontiff has refused to move into the lavish papal palace in the Vatican, staying instead in the Casa Santa Marta, a residence for visitors.He has repeatedly called for the Catholic Church and its faithful to rid themselves of earthly concerns like his name-sake, St Francis of Assisi, warning that worldliness is a murderer because it kills souls, kills people, kills the Church.

Nobel laureates call for end to nuclear weapons

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WARSAW (AP) - Nobel Peace Prize laureates are calling on world leaders to negotiate the universal, legal and verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons.The statement, which came Wednesday at the end of an annual gathering of the peace prize winners, also called for negotiations to end armed conflicts in Syria and elsewhere.The winners met in Warsaw this year to mark 30 years since Lech Walesa won the prize for leading the Solidarity movement, which helped topple communism in Poland.A special guest was actress Sharon Stone, who was honored for her work to fight HIV and AIDS.The meetings were initiated by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 2000.Gorbachev did not attend this year due to medical treatment, but notable attendees included laureates Shirin Ebadi of Iran and the Dalai Lama.

Bradman to captain all-time Test World XI

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LONDON (AFP) - Australia great Don Bradman was named captain Wednesday of an all-time Test World XI to mark the 150th anniversary of Wisden Cricketers Almanack.Although Bradman played his last Test in 1948, no batsman before or since has come anywhere near his staggering Test batting average of 99.94.Also included is his compatriot Shane Warne, who during the 1990s established himself as arguably the greatest leg-spinner cricket has known.Given that it is a UK-based publication built around the events of the previous English season, albeit one now encompassing the whole of senior international cricket, it is perhaps unsurprising there are four England players in the side.W.G. Grace, the 19th century star who invented the fundamentals of batting, opening great Jack Hobbs, wicketkeeper Alan Knott, a mainstay of England teams of the 1970s and Sydney Barnes, a master of both swing and spin and reckoned by many to have been Englands greatest bowler of all time, make it into the side.West Indies provide three players in Vivian Richards, widely regarded as the best batsman of his generation, Garfield Sobers, frequently referred to as the greatest all-rounder cricket has known and Malcolm Marshall, viewed as arguably the best in a long line of top-class Caribbean fast bowlers.India provide one player in the soon-to-retire Sachin Tendulkar, Test crickets leading run scorer of all-time, with the team completed by Pakistans Wasim Akram, long esteemed as the best left-arm fast bowler cricket has known.Hobbs, Bradman, Richards, Sobers and Warne were named as Wisdens five players of the 20th Century in 2000.Wisden World XI1. Jack Hobbs (England, Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1909) 61 Tests, 5,410 runs at 56.942. W. G. Grace (England, CY 1896) 22 Tests, 1,098 runs at 32.293. Don Bradman (Australia, CY 1931, capt) 52 Tests, 6,996 runs at 99.94)4. Sachin Tendulkar (India, CY 1997) 198 Tests, 15,837 runs at 53.865. Vivian Richards (West Indies, CY 1977) 121 Tests, 8,540 runs at 50.236. Garry Sobers (West Indies, CY 1964) 93 Tests, 8,032 runs at 57.78, 235 wickets at 34.037. Alan Knott (England, CY 1970, wkt) 95 Tests, 4,389 runs at 32.75, 250 catches, 19 stumpings8. Wasim Akram (Pakistan, CY 1993) 104 Tests, 414 wickets at 23.629. Shane Warne (Australia, CY 1994) 145 Tests, 708 wickets at 25.4110. Malcolm Marshall (West Indies, CY 1983) 81 Tests, 376 wickets at 20.9411. Sydney Barnes (England, CY 1910) 27 Tests, 189 wickets at 16.43

Russia without top players vs Italy in Fed Cup

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MOSCOW (AP)Maria Kirilenko, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Elena Vesnina, who led Russia to its sixth final in 10 years earlier this season, have all qualified for the WTA Tournament of Champions opening next Tuesday.Two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova refused to play due to personal reasons, while Russias top player Maria Sharapova had ruled herself out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.Russia captain Shamil Tarpischev picked the 186th-ranked Alisa Kleybanova and three newcomers in Alexandra Panova, Irina Khromacheva and Margarita Gasparian to face Italy on clay in Cagliari, Sardinia, on Nov. 2-3.Italy has won the title three times. Russia is a four-time champion and beat Italy in the final in 2007.

Death toll in South Sudan clash rises to 79

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JUBA (AP) Leaders in South Sudan say the civilian death toll from a weekend attack in a remote part of the country has risen from 41 to 79.Officials say the Sunday attack was carried out by rebels loyal to militia leader David Yau Yau, who has denied his forces were involved.Twic East County Commissioner Dau Akoi Jurkuch said Wednesday that the death toll has risen to 79 and the number of wounded stands at 87. Diing Akol, a top Jonglei official, said dead bodies of rebels confirm Yau Yau fighters were involved.South Sudan accuses Khartoum of supporting Yau Yau in order to sabotage plans to build an oil pipeline through Ethiopia to the Port of Djibouti and block plans to explore for oil in Jonglei state.
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