Tuesday 12 November 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

One miscreant killed in Bannu police post attack

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BANNU (Dunya News) - At least one insurgent was killed when dozens of militants stormed an outpost in remote Shaikh Landak.According to police, the attackers fired at least 12-15 rockets on the check post. Police retaliated immediately and killed one militant, while others managed to flee.DPO Iqbal said that heavy backup had been called in to fight off the assailants as the cops deployed at the post did not have enough firepower to hold the insurgents for long.

Sindh, Balochistan seeks mobile service closure on Yaum-e-Ashur

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The provincial governments of Sindh and Balochistan wrote letters to the federal government, requesting to close mobile phone services in Quetta and five cities of Sindh on Yaum-e-Ashur.The Sindh regime has mailed requests for closure of mobile phone service on 9th and 10th days of Muharram-ul-Harram in Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana, Khairpur, and Sukkur.The Balochistan government requested the federal regime, via mail on Friday, to close the mobile phone service in Quetta on 10th Muharram-ul-Haram from morning till evening.The Interior Ministry has not responded on these requests of the home departments of Balochistan and Sindh yet.

Caroline Kennedy sworn in as ambassador to Japan

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Caroline Kennedy, the new U.S. ambassador to Japan and daughter of slain President John F. Kennedy, leaves for Japan on Thursday to begin her work to strengthen the critical bond between the U.S. and the Asian nation.Kennedy, who was confirmed by the Senate last month, was nominated for the ambassadors job by President Barack Obama after playing a role in his re-election campaign. Secretary of State John Kerry hosted a swearing-in ceremony for Kennedy on Tuesday afternoon at the State Department.We just had a tea ceremony which was a wonderful introduction to the Japanese culture, Kennedy said at a reception later at the Japanese ambassadors residence.My husband and I and my children are so excited to be going to Japan, she said in brief remarks to reporters. We look forward to meeting as many people as we can, to making new friends, visiting and studying the history and culture of this beautiful country that is such a strong partner to the United States in so many important efforts.At the reception, Kerry noted that Kennedys father battled Japanese forces as a Navy officer in World War II.The daughter of a heroic lieutenant in World War II will be the first woman, in the next generation after the war, to represent our country in a relationship that symbolizes so much more than just a normal diplomatic relationship, Kerry said. This is a symbol of reconciliation, symbol of possibilities, a symbol of people who know how to move past ... look to the future and build a future together.He said he reminded Kennedy earlier in the day that the first time he met her was when she was a child in the 1960s, getting ready to ride her pony named Macaroni, and he backed into her and stepped on her foot. He said she broke into tears.So I am really excited, as the president is, that Caroline is going to be heading over there to represent this relationship at a critical time with the rebalance to Asia, global marketplace and competition therein, the efforts to deal with North Korea ... challenges of the South China Sea, challenges of climate change.Kennedy, 55, an attorney and best-selling book editor, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a September confirmation hearing that she would work to strengthen the crucial bond between the United States and its Asian ally on trade, the military and student exchanges.Japan is the United States fourth-largest trading partner and home to the Navys 7th Fleet and 50,000 American troops.Her predecessors include the late Sen. Mike Mansfield, former Sens. Walter Mondale and Howard Baker and the late House Speaker Tom Foley. She replaced John Roos, a wealthy former Silicon Valley lawyer and top Obama campaign fundraiser.Kennedys confirmation to the post brought a third generation of her family into the U.S. diplomatic corps. Her grandfather Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. was President Franklin D. Roosevelts ambassador to Britain and her aunt Jean Kennedy Smith was ambassador to Ireland under President Bill Clinton.Kennedy was five days shy of her sixth birthday when her father was assassinated, and she lived most of the rest of her life in New York City. She earned a bachelors degree from Harvard University, got a law degree from Columbia University, married exhibit designer Edwin Schlossberg and had three children.

Irans Arak reactor: a second rout to nuclear bomb?

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VIENNA (AFP) - Irans nuclear reactor being built at Arak figured highly in recent failed talks between Tehran and six world powers in Geneva, with France in particular wanting want work there stopped.The so-called heavy water reactor is of concern because, in theory, it could provide the Islamic republic with plutonium -- an alternative to highly enriched uranium used for a nuclear bomb.Once completed, Iran could extract from Araks spent fuel between five and 10 kilogrammes (10-20 pounds) of weapons-grade plutonium a year, enough for one nuclear weapon, experts estimate.Iran denies wanting to do any such thing, saying the reactor in western Iran, known as the IR-40, will be used to produce medical isotopes and for research.Israel, widely believed to have nuclear weapons itself, has refused to rule out bombing Arak, as it is assumed to have done to an Iraqi reactor in 1981 and to a Syrian facility in 2007.But experts say that the reactor, plagued by delays in construction, is a long way from being even close to as much concern as uranium enrichment.Iran has almost enough uranium enriched to purities of 20 percent -- close to weapons-grade -- for a bombs worth, if it chose to further enrich to this level.At present, such a break out would be detected by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN watchdog.But with the uranium stockpile growing and Iran installing more and more centrifuges, some more modern and faster, the worry is that one day it could do this so quickly that the IAEA would not notice in time.Living with ArakThe IAEA, which monitors Arak, said in August that a planned start-up in the first quarter of 2014 was no longer achievable, and it remains unclear when it will come into operation.Once it is, it needs to run for 12-18 months to produce spent fuel that could be used to extract plutonium, said Shannon Kile from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).Moreover, Iran does not have a declared reprocessing facility to extract the plutonium, and a secret one would quickly be detected.Reprocessing facilities are large and produce radionuclide gaseous products which can be detected by environmental sampling, and thats true whether you have (IAEA) inspectors on the ground or not -- it can be done by airborne means for example, Kile told AFP.Many analysts believe therefore that world powers at the next meeting in Geneva on November 20 should tolerate Iran completing and operating the IR-40 -- provided there are additional agreements.These could include an undertaking by Iran to remove spent fuel from Arak to a third country or converting it to a less alarming light water reactor.The powers, including France and Israel and everyone else, could live with Iran completing and operating the reactor, if such safeguards are in place, Mark Hibbs from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told AFP.Arak represents a long-term proliferation risk, not a near-term risk, and it can be addressed in the final phase of negotiations between Iran and the six world powers, said Daryl Kimball from the Arms Control Association.France and the other P51 powers would be making a mistake if they hold up an interim deal that addresses more urgent proliferation risks over the final arrangements regarding Arak, he said.

WTO talks hit entre crunch stage as Bali summit looms

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GENEVA (AFP) - Negotiators are under mounting pressure to finalise a deal ahead of a WTO summit seen as a make or break moment for the body that oversees the rules of global commerce.Roberto Azevedo, who took over as WTO director general in September, has vowed to spare no effort during last-ditch talks at its Geneva base, as diplomats struggle to craft a draft accord to ease barriers to global commerce.The World Trade Organizations 159 member economies are locked in what officials dub a meat-grinder, striving to bridge differences between rich countries, emerging powers and the worlds poorest nations over the concessions needed to yield a deal for a ministerial summit on December 3-6 on the Indonesian island of Bali.It is all or nothing now. We must tie the package up once and for all in the next few days, Azevedo, Brazils former WTO envoy, told negotiators on Tuesday.The WTOs ruling body, the General Council, is scheduled on November 21 to decide whether it can put a deal on the table in Bali.Trade sources said there is little prospect for real negotiation in Bali itself to seal a deal.The summit is seen as perhaps the last chance to revive the WTOs so-called Doha Round of talks, launched in 2001 in Qatar.The rounds goal is to craft a wide-ranging global accord on opening markets and removing trade barriers, in order to harness international commerce to develop poorer economies.WTO rules require such deals to be unanimous, but bitter differences over the necessary give and take have sparked clashes notably between China, the European Union, India and the United States, leaving the talks stalled for years and leading many countries to shift focus to bilateral and regional deals.I think the risk of failure is still present, warned Azevedo, whose predecessor, Frenchman and former EU trade chief Pascal Lamy, was unable to secure a deal during eight years in charge of the WTO.No results in Bali would mean no serious WTO negotiations for a long time, trade sources said, underlining that regional deals tend to involve rich countries or emerging powers, sidelining the poorest nations.

Arab countries economies hit by spring: IMF

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DUBAI (AFP) - The economies of Arab countries rocked by the uprisings that swept the region two years ago, remain sluggish because of unfinished political transitions, a top IMF official told AFP.Others are suffering from the financial and social burdens imposed on them by a huge influx of refugees from the civil war in Syria, International Monetary Fund director for the Middle East and Central Asia Masood Ahmed said in an interview.And overall, the difficulties are exacerbated by still weak global economic performance.The situation in Arab Spring nations has become more challenging over the past year, Ahmed said.The economies of Tunisia and Egypt have seen weak growth since the uprisings that ousted their longtime leaders in 2011.Libya, the third country to overthrow its dictator, has seen its economy on a rollercoaster due to sharp fluctuations in oil production.The continued weak international environment, including virtually no growth in Europe, which is a major trading partner for some of these countries is another factor, Ahmed said.He said that the prolonged and difficult political transitions have added to uncertainty and led the private sector to continue with the wait-and-see attitude.The net result of this is that the private sector-led recovery which we were expecting to see this year has been delayed by another year, he said.An average growth rate of around three percent now is not enough to reverse unemployment, with some 1.5 million people joining the mass of jobless people over the past few years, he said.It is also too low to respond to the aspiration of an increasingly impatient population, he said.Ahmed was speaking in conjunction with publication of the IMF Regional Economic Outlook.Tunisias gross domestic product grew by 3.6 percent in 2012 but is expected to slow down to 3 percent this year, before picking up to 3.7 percent in 2014, the outlook said.The country has been struggling for months to form a technocratic government to take over from the Islamist-led cabinet, which has been widely blamed for the countrys persistent economic problems.Growth in Egypt is also expected to slow, to 1.8 percent this year from the already weak rate of 2.2 percent in 2012, before picking up by 2.8 percent next year.Egypt is heavily dependent on tourism, which has never fully recovered from the slump that befell it during the uprising against former president Hosni Mubarak at the beginning of 2011.Oil-dependent Libya is now expected to experience a contraction of 5.1 percent this year due to disruption in oil production before returning to sharp growth of 25.5 percent in 2014.That follows a whopping growth of 104.5 percent registered last year, more than compensating for the 62.1 percent plunge in 2011, the year veteran dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled.Since this past summer, blockades of oil facilities by protesters demanding jobs and a redistribution of resources have brought oil production down to 250,000 barrels per day, from an expected 1.5 million bpd.As for Syria, the IMF has stopped providing figures on the war-torn country.Regional conflicts and spillovers from them -- particularly from Syria -- are major factors affecting economies, said Ahmed.Lebanon and Jordan, both hosts to Syria refugees, are seeing modest rates of economic growth, as the two economies reel under the impact of hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria.Lebanons growth is seen at 1.5 percent this year and next, after an identical figure in 2012.And Jordan is forecast to grow 3.3 percent this year and 3.5 percent in 2014, after a more modest 2.8 percent in 2012.In addition to the huge refugees bill, there have been losses incurred in transit trade and tourism, Ahmed said.In all of these countries, what you are seeing is very modest rates of increase in economic activity which is effectively stagnating incomes and rising unemployment, he said.Governments are having to manage a difficult set of pressures -- social pressures as well as economic pressures at the time that their (fiscal) buffers are being depleted, he said.Ahmed said that governments in the Arab world and the rest of the world need to find a way to arrest this situation with its downside risks and try to find ways to boost jobs and growth in the short term and lay the foundation for a private sector-led recovery.

Obama's popularity all time low: survey

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obamas popularity has slumped to an all-time low, with a majority of Americans for the first time believing him to be dishonest and untrustworthy, a new survey showed Tuesday.The respected Quinnipiac University Poll found that Obamas approval rating had nosedived to the level of unpopularity faced by Republican predecessor George W. Bush at the same stage of his presidency.Overall, the poll said 54 percent disapproved of the job Obama was doing against 39 percent who approved.The findings mark a significant downturn from an October 1 survey which put Obamas disapproval rating at 49 percent to 45 percent approval.It caps a turbulent few weeks for Obama, whose administration has come under heavy fire for the chaotic roll-out of his signature health care legislation, the Affordable Care Act.American voters had also reacted strongly against Obamas misstated pledge to allow voters to keep the health care plans they already had, the survey revealed.Like all new presidents, President Barack Obama had a honeymoon with American voters, with approval ratings in the high 50s, said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.As the marriage wore on, he kept his job approval scores in the respectable, though not overwhelming 40s. Today for the first time it appears that 40 percent floor is cracking.Malloy said the plunging approval amongst women voters was also a concern for Obama. Only 41 percent of women approved of the job he was doing against 51 percent who disapproved.The survey indicated that most Americans remain deeply pessimistic about the effect the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as it has become known, will have on their health care choices.Only 19 percent of voters expect the quality of care to improve in the next year as a result of the legislation, 43 percent expect it to get worse and 33 percent say it will make no difference.Obamas image had also taken a battering after hs esaid people could keep their existing health insurance plans if they wished.President Obamas misstatement, If you like your health plan you can keep it, left a bad taste with a lot of people, Malloy said. Nearly half of the voters, 46 percent, think he knowingly deceived them.The poll was conducted amongst 2,545 registered voters nationwide between November 6-11, with a margin of error of plus-minus 1.9 percentage points.

Texas executes inmate for abduction, slaying

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HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) - A man convicted of abducting a young Houston couple, raping the woman and fatally stabbing the man in 1991 was put to death Tuesday evening.Jamie McCoskey, 49, already was on a form of probation when he was arrested for the slaying of 21-year-old Michael Dwyer, who had been stabbed nearly two dozen times, and the rape of Dwyers pregnant fiance. The couple had been abducted from their apartment.Asked if he had any final statement, McCoskey replied: The best time in my life is during this period. ... I have been touched by an angels wings.He said that if he could, he would change Dwyers parents suffering, because I know they are.During his brief comments, and as a tear ran down the side of his face just above a tattoo teardrop and below his right eye, McCoskey said he wanted to say some things so bad.He said he appreciated people who had helped him, then turned his gaze toward Dwyers mother and stepfather, saying, And if this takes the pain away, so be it.After telling the warden he was ready to go, McCoskey turned his head back toward the warden in the seconds before the lethal dose of pentobarbital began taking effect and said loudly: Better not be no mix-up here. I dont want no stay.McCoskey let out a loud laugh, then began taking deep breaths that became several snores. He was pronounced dead at 6:44 p.m. CST, 19 minutes after the lethal drug began to be administered.Dwyers mother and stepfather declined to speak with reporters afterward.McCoskey became the 15th convicted killer executed this year in Texas, which carries out the death penalty more than any other state.The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year refused to review McCoskeys case, and his attorneys filed no last-day appeals in the courts.Evidence showed the couple had left the door of their apartment open while they were bringing home groceries and were confronted by the knife-wielding McCoskey exactly 22 years ago Wednesday.He ordered them to their car, handcuffed Dwyer, drove around Houston and stopped at an abandoned ramshackle house where he raped the woman. She fled to a nearby home to seek help when she realized sounds she was hearing were of Dwyer being stabbed repeatedly.Their car was found at an apartment complex where McCoskey once lived. Based on a description of the attacker, residents there identified McCoskey.His mother testified at his trial that McCoskey had an abusive childhood that led to behavioral problems. After stints in juvenile facilities, his offenses escalated as he reached adulthood.Before reaching death row, he had a kidnapping conviction in Austin, assaults while in prison, marijuana possession busts and a jail term where records show he used a chisel to crack the skull of a fellow Harris County inmate.My only wish for Jamie is godspeed, Jim Peacock, his lead defense lawyer, said. And I hope whatever there is for him after this point is kinder to him than his past has been.At least seven other Texas prisoners are set to die in the coming months, including one next month.

1 World Trade Center named tallest US building

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NEW YORK (AP) - They set out to build the tallest skyscraper in the world, a giant that would rise a symbolic 1,776 feet from the ashes of ground zero.Those aspirations of global supremacy fell by the wayside long ago, but New York won a consolation prize Tuesday when an international architectural panel said it would recognize One World Trade Center, at 541 meters high, as the tallest skyscraper in the United States.The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, considered a world authority on supersized skyscrapers, announced its decision at simultaneous news conferences in New York and Chicago, home to the 1,451-foot (442.26-meter) Willis Tower, which is being dethroned as the nations tallest building.Measuring the height of a building would seem to be a simple thing, but in the case of the new World Trade Center tower it is complicated by the 408-foot (124.36-meter)-tall needle atop the skyscrapers roof.The councils verdict rested on a conclusion that the needle should be counted as part of the buildings total height.Without it, the tower would be just 1,368 feet (416.97 meters) tall, the same height as the original World Trade Center.That would make it smaller than not only the Willis, but also a 1,397-foot (425.81-meter) apartment building being built a short subway ride away near Central Park.Speaking at his office in New York, council chairman Timothy Johnson, an architect at the global design firm NBBJ, said the decision by the 25-member height committee had more tense moments than usual, given the skyscrapers importance as a patriotic symbol.I was here on 9/11. I saw the buildings come down, he said.Over the past few months, the council had hinted that it might be open to changing its standards for measuring ultra-tall buildings, given a trend toward developers adding vanity height to towers with huge, decorative spires.But the council also has a history of disallowing antennas in height calculations. The Empire State Buildings landmark 204-foot (62.18-meter) needle isnt counted in its height measurement. Neither are the two TV antennas atop the Willis Tower, which had been the countrys tallest building since it was completed and named the Sears Tower, in 1974.But in the end, there was unanimity on the committee that One World Trade Centers reach for 1,776 feet, a number that echoes the founding year of the United States, was an artistic architectural expression.This was a quest to put something meaningful and symbolic on that site because of the horrible history of what happened on that site, said Antony Wood, the councils executive director.Tourists photographing the skyscraper Tuesday mostly agreed that when it comes to height measurements, this spire should count.For any other building, no. But for this one, yes, said Cary Bass of Florida, as he waited to enter the National Sept. 11 Memorial at the new skyscrapers feet. Those people deserve it, he said, referring to the attack victims. Its a special building, said Paul Schlagel, visiting from Longmont, Colorado.When architect Daniel Libeskind won a public design competition for the World Trade Center master plan in 2003, his original vision was for a twisting, angular spire filled with hanging gardens.Height was part of the appeal. At the time, his design of 1,776 feet would have made the so-called Freedom Tower the tallest skyscraper in the world.Libeskinds drawings were always meant to be conceptual, though, and the real-world designs produced by architect David Childs and the towers owner, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, reduced that glass spire to a more conventional cable-stayed mast, which would support broadcast equipment and a rotating beacon, visible for 50 miles (80 kilometers).That change, along with another that removed a layer of decorative cladding, had created some doubt about how the council might rule.If they were to stand side by side, the Willis Tower would probably appear to be the larger building to most bystanders. In fact, someone standing in the Willis Towers observation deck would have to look down to see One World Trade Centers roof.This marks the second time that the Willis Tower has lost a tallest title in a disputed decision.Back in 1996, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat sparked controversy when it declared the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia taller than the Willis. That decision, like the one involving One World Trade Center, also rested on whether to count slender, decorative spires in the total height measurement.Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel made light of Tuesdays decision.I would just say to all the experts gathered in one room: If it looks like an antenna, acts like an antenna, then guess what? It is an antenna, he told reporters.Bella Engstrom, a tourist from Sweden visiting the World Trade Center site, said she thought any measurement of the building should stop at the highest point a person can stand in the tower.I think its as high as you can go. You stop there, she said.Kevin Corrigan, a union carpenter working at the Trade Center site Tuesday dismissed the height debate as an issue for academics, not workers on the job.Getting it built. Thats what we care about, he said.In a joint statement, the Port Authority, its marketing partner, the Durst Organization, and Childs architectural firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, said the buildings creators had long celebrated the height of 1,776 feet as an unwavering principal of its design.This iconic building represents the resilience of America and todays decision recognizes One World Trade Centers rightful place in history, they said.The new World Trade Center tower remains under construction and is expected to open next year.When it does, it will be the worlds third-largest skyscraper, behind the 2,717-foot (828.14-meter) Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the 1,972-foot (601.07-meter) Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Even that distinction may not last: Six even taller towers are under construction in Asia.

Ships head to Philippines amid devastation

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LONDON (Web Desk) - The US has deployed an aircraft carrier and navy ships, while the UK is sending a naval destroyer.At least 10,000 people are feared to have been killed and thousands of survivors desperately require aid - but reports say little is getting through.Philippine President Benigno Aquino has declared a state of national calamity.In a statement, he said the two worst affected provinces, Leyte and Samar, had suffered massive destruction and loss of life.He authorised the release of emergency relief funds and deployed troops to affected areas.A huge international relief effort is also under way, but journalists and rescue workers at the scene say reaching areas affected by the storm is difficult.Bernard Kerblat, who is overseeing the UNHCR response to the crisis, said some aircraft had landed in Cebu but distributing aid was difficult because of bad weather and damaged infrastructure.The rain is further complicating the effort for light vehicles, including trucks, to penetrate in areas wherever theres still a bridge left intact.The other bad news is that within the next 72 hours, we should see the arrival of yet another typhoon.The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 1,774 people had been reported dead, 2,487 were reported injured and 82 were missing.The death toll is expected to rise significantly in coming days.More than 580,000 people had been displaced and 41,000 houses had been damaged, the NDRRMC added.UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon described images of the impact of the storm as heartbreaking.The UN would launch a large-scale humanitarian plan and allocate $25m (£15.5m) to fund critical relief efforts, he said.Many thousands of people are reported to have died and almost 10 million people have been affected... Let us all show our solidarity with the people of the Philippines at this time of need, he added.On Tuesday, heavy thunderstorms struck Tacloban, one of the areas worst-hit by the typhoon. Correspondents say driving rain has added to the misery of tens of thousands of people living amid the wreckage of their homes.One of the most powerful storms on record to make landfall, Haiyan - named Yolanda by Philippine authorities - struck the coastal provinces of Leyte and Samar on Friday.It then headed west, sweeping through six central Philippine islands.Auntie, we need help Please We are okay but the house is destroyed”Air Force Capt Antonio Tamayo told AP news agency the scene in Tacloban, one of the worst-hit areas, was overwhelming.We need more medicine. We cannot give anti-tetanus vaccine shots because we have none.Officials said looting was widespread and order was proving difficult to enforce. Correspondents say many ordinary people are simply scavenging for the food and water needed to survive.The government says it has deployed armoured vehicles to Tacloban to deter looters.We are circulating [the vehicles] in the city to show the people, especially those with bad intentions, that the authorities have returned, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas told DZMM radio.Alison Wallace, chief executive of disaster relief charity Shelterbox, told the BBC that delivering aid safely would be a major concern.Security is going to be a big part of the operation, she said.We have to make sure that when the aid is delivered that we dont actually make the situation worse by creating difficult scenes for people - the aid has to be delivered fairly [and] with as much safety as possible.

Egypt announces end of state of emergency

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CAIRO (AP) - The Cabinet spokesman says Egypts 3-month-old state of emergency is ending Tuesday after a court ruling.A Cairo court ruled earlier in the day that the state of emergency expires Tuesday, Nov. 12, two days earlier than the interior minister said it would end.The discrepancy came because while the state of emergency began on Aug. 14, it was renewed for two months on Sept. 12. TThe court said that means it ends on Nov. 12, not Nov. 14.The end of the state of emergency would mean the end of a curfew also in place.The Cabinet spokesman says the government will abide by the ruling, but is waiting for the court to issue the decision in writing. It was not clear how long that would take.

Pakistan Sunni Tehreek holds protest rallies against Munawar Hassan

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Pakistan Sunni Tehreek Tuesday took out rallies in different cities against Jamaat-e-Islami chief Syed Munawar Hassan for his controversial remarks about the martyrdom of Pakistani troops in war against terrorism.According to detalis, PST supporters staged rallies in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala and Hyderabad and demanded JI chief Munawar Hassan over his controversial remarks.In Multan, dozens of PST supporters gathered at Lodhi Colony and chanted slogans in support of Pakistan Army. Carrying banners and party flags, demonstrators demanded of JI Ameer to take back his statement.A protest rally was held in Gujranwala. Participants of the protest called for ban on Munawar Hassan.The PST supporters also staged a protest in front of press club in Hyderabad.

Iran rejects blame for N-talks failure

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TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran, backed by Russia on Tuesday, blamed friction among Western powers for the failure of Geneva talks that came tantalisingly close to a landmark deal on its nuclear programme.Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed claims by US Secretary of State John Kerry that Iran had baulked at the deal on offer from the six powers in last weeks talks.He said it was French objections to the draft thrashed out by Tehran and Washington that had scuppered an agreement, echoing criticism of French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in the Iranian media.Mr Secretary, was it Iran that gutted over half of US draft Thursday night? And publicly commented against it Friday morning? Zarif asked on Twitter.Zarif spent nearly seven hours with Kerry in Geneva as both sides worked on the draft text of an agreement.Fabius joined the talks on Friday and immediately cast doubt on a deal. The following day he was even less upbeat.There are some points on which we are not satisfied, Fabius told France Inter radio on Saturday morning, citing concerns about the heavy water reactor Iran is building at Arak and its stockpiles of 20 percent enriched uranium.Western governments fear that the 20 percent level marks a key stepping stone towards the 90 percent plus level required for a nuclear warhead.The Arak reactor is also of concern because, if completed, it would produce plutonium as a by-product, potentially offering another route to an atomic weapon.Kerry denied that differences between the Western powers had led to the talks between Iran and the P51 -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany -- ending inconclusively early on Sunday.The P51 was unified on Saturday when we presented our proposal to the Iranians... But Iran couldnt take it, Kerry said in Abu Dhabi on Monday.Russia backed Iran, however, saying it was not to blame for the failure to reach agreement.The draft joint document suited the Iranian side. But since decisions at negotiations are taken by consensus, it was not possible to make a final deal, a foreign ministry source said in comments carried by Russian news agencies.And this was not the fault of the Iranians, the source said.Such an interpretation simplifies to an extreme and even distorts what happened in Geneva.Diplomats insist that they remain close to a deal, however, and the talks are to resume in Geneva on November 20 at the lower level of political directors.Late Monday, Zarif cautioned Kerry that putting a spin on the reality... does not help generate trust in the negotiation process.He suggested Kerrys remarks in the United Arab Emirates capital were intended to allay the concerns of the hosting country, referring to fears among Gulf Arab states of a rapprochement between Washington and their regional rival.Zarif tried to ease Gulf Arab concerns, insisting that the negotiations were focused solely on the nuclear issue, and not on diplomatic relations between Tehran and Washington, which have been broken for more than three decades.He said that Iranian envoys had been instructed to garner the support of our brothers in the Persian Gulf for a nuclear deal, which he said was still within reach.Israels newly reappointed Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, meanwhile, pledged to work to mend relations with Washington after its own, very public, spat with its US ally over the nuclear talks.Regarding our recent differences with the United States, its now time to calm things down, Lieberman said at a ceremony marking his return to the foreign ministry after being cleared of corruption charges.He said he had met US ambassador Dan Shapiro in his first work meeting on Tuesday morning, and stressed that relations with the US are crucial.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had furiously denounced the deal under discussion in Geneva, describing it as dangerous and the deal of the century for Iran.

Harry Potter 'invisibility cloak' invented by scientists

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LONDON (Web Desk) - Scientists have designed an invisibility device which can hide objects at a wide range of light frequencies.But, unfortunately for Harry Potter fans, they are still a long way off making objects disappear completely.In fact, they admitted that certain frequencies make the objects more visible in their study, published in the journal Physical Review X.But the group has invented what they believe to be the next best thing - a broadband cloak, based on an electronic system, which they describe in Physical Review Letters.Professor Andrea Alu, from the University of Texas at Austin, told the BBC: Our active cloak is a completely new concept and design, aimed at beating the limits of [current cloaks] and we show that it indeed does.He added: If you want to make an object transparent at all angles and over broad bandwidths, this is a good solution.We are looking into realising this technology at the moment, but we are still at the early stages.And much more than just a childhood dream, this invention could have huge uses in microscopy, military technology and biomedical sensing, according to the study.But while the object may be invisible at one point in the light spectrum, it acts as a sort of beacon at another point - so it can never be completely invisible.The scientific study concluded that a fully functioning invisibility cloak is impossible.Professor Alu told the BBC: If you suppress scattering in one range, you need to pay the price, with interest, in some other range.He added: For example, you might make a cloak that makes an object invisible to red light. But if you were illuminated by white light (containing all colours) you would actually look bright blue, and therefore stand out more.Professor David Smith of Duke University made the first cloak in 2006, which bent microwaves around a small copper cylinder.He told the BBC: Its an interesting implementation but as presented is probably a bit limited to certain types of objects.

Pill to get you drunk without hangover

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LONDON (Web Desk) - A former government drugs adviser is inventing a pill that will supposedly make you feel drunk - but not leave you with an awful hangover.Imagine being able to get tipsy before an interview or meeting - and then immediately take an antidote to reverse the effect before you walk in?Professor David Nutt says it can be possible and, if he is successful, he believes it will lead to a health revolution.But the scientist still needs funding to complete the invention.Professor Nutt, a neuro-psychopharmacologist, studies how drugs effect the mind and believes the pill will save the NHS millions.He recently called on the Government to support the drug and encourage investment, according to The Telegraph.If invented, it would give you the pleasurable feeling of being drunk, and then an antidote would immediately block the sensations, he claims.Professor Nutt told Dragon’s Den presenter Evan Davis on Radio 4s Today programme on Monday he didnt expect funding from anyone in the drinks industry.He said he had done the prototype experiments himself and added: “I’ve been inebriated and then it’s been reversed by the antagonist.“That’s what really gave us the idea. There’s no question that you can produce a whole range of effects like alcohol by manipulating the brain.”Professor Nutt, who was the Governments chief drugs adviser, was sacked in 2009 after he renewed criticism against the decision to toughen the law on cannabis.He said the effects of alcohol can be fatal, and his new pill could cut those fatalities down dramatically.Pill to get you drunk without hangoverProfessor David Nutt claims the pill could save NHS millions by cutting down on alcohol abuse.LONDON (Web Desk) - A former government drugs adviser is inventing a pill that will supposedly make you feel drunk - but not leave you with an awful hangover.Imagine being able to get tipsy before an interview or meeting - and then immediately take an antidote to reverse the effect before you walk in?Professor David Nutt says it can be possible and, if he is successful, he believes it will lead to a health revolution.But the scientist still needs funding to complete the invention.Professor Nutt, a neuro-psychopharmacologist, studies how drugs effect the mind and believes the pill will save the NHS millions.He recently called on the Government to support the drug and encourage investment, according to The Telegraph.If invented, it would give you the pleasurable feeling of being drunk, and then an antidote would immediately block the sensations, he claims.Professor Nutt told Dragon’s Den presenter Evan Davis on Radio 4s Today programme on Monday he didnt expect funding from anyone in the drinks industry.He said he had done the prototype experiments himself and added: “I’ve been inebriated and then it’s been reversed by the antagonist.“That’s what really gave us the idea. There’s no question that you can produce a whole range of effects like alcohol by manipulating the brain.”Professor Nutt, who was the Governments chief drugs adviser, was sacked in 2009 after he renewed criticism against the decision to toughen the law on cannabis.He said the effects of alcohol can be fatal, and his new pill could cut those fatalities down dramatically.
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