Saturday 14 December 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Iran cancels Pakistan gas pipeline loan

Posted:

TEHRAN (AP) - Iran has canceled a planned $500 million loan to Pakistan to build part of a pipeline to bring natural gas from the Islamic Republic.Deputy Oil Minister Ali Majedi said Iran has no obligation to finance the Pakistani side of the project and also doesn't have the money.Iran has already invested over $2 billion to construct the Iranian side of the pipeline. But there are serious doubts about how Pakistan could finance the $2 billion needed to construct the pipeline on its territory. Iran's former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had pledged the loan.Pakistan has welcomed an Iranian offer to approach third parties, including European companies, to finance the project.Pakistani officials were told in recent talks that, given the sanctions, Iran is not able to finance construction of the pipeline (in Pakistan) and has no obligation to do so, he said. His comments were posted on the oil ministry's website, shana.ir, Saturday.Majedi complained that Pakistan has done little to construct its own section of the project. Under a valid contract, Pakistan is required to finish construction of the pipeline on its territory by the end of 2014.If a contractor is chosen today and pipeline construction begins today, it will take four years to complete it. Should Pakistan fail to take gas by the end of next year, Iran will demand compensation under the terms of the contract, he said.The Iran-Pakistan pipeline is designed to help Pakistan overcome its mushrooming energy needs. Pakistanis experience frequent blackouts.The U.S. has opposed the project but leaders of both Iran and Pakistan have vowed to implement what they refer to as the peace pipeline.

Karachi violence claims 8 lives

Posted:

KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, some unidentified persons riding on motorcycle opened fire and shot dead two people in Gulistan Jauhar.A man identified as Abdul Maalik was shot dead in Chakiwara area of Lyari while firing incident claimed life of another man in Gulshan Maymar. The deceased was identified as Ghulam Abbas.Police have also recovered a dead body from Malir Stream in Shah Faisal Colony while a mutilated body of a woman was recovered from Rahri Goth in Landhi area.In yet another incident of firing, a young girl was killed and her father received wound in Gulistan Jauhar Block-12 area while a dead body of a man was recovered from a private school near UP More in North Karachi.

Two target killers among seven held in Karachi

Posted:

KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, police arrested an alleged target killed, Ashiq Hussain, after an encounter from Defence Phash-II area.Police sources informed that Ashiq Hussain was involved in more than 40 cases of target killing.Police also arrested another target killer, Asghar Lashari from area near the Malir Court.On the other hand, police have arrested four dacoits after an alleged encounter in Mahmoodabad area. Police have also recovered 12 mobile phones, arms and a stolen motorcycle from their possession. Residents of Mahmoodabad also nabbed a dacoit from the area and handed him over to police after subjecting him to severe torture.Meanwhile, some unidentified persons hurled a cracker at the office of a private company at the Tippu Sultan Road while partially damaged the office building. No loss of life was reported in the incident.

D I Khan: By-election in PK-67 today

Posted:

DERA ISMAIL KHAN (Dunya News) - The by-election in PK-67-Kulachi will be held today. The voting will start at 8:00 am and will continue till 5:00 pm.Ikramullah Khan Gandapur of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Fateh Ullah Mian Khel (Independent) are in the run to win the seat.The seat fell vacant when PTI’s provincial minister Israrullah Khan Gandapur was killed in a suicide attack in November.At least 91 polling stations have been setup for 1,0800 registered voters in the constituency. Heavy contingent of police and FC will be deployed during the polling to maintain law and order situation.

City thrash Arsenal 6-3 to throw open title race

Posted:

MANCHESTER (AP) - Manchester City delivered another devastating attacking display to beat Premier League leader Arsenal 6-3 in a wild shootout on Saturday, leaving the chastened leaders in range of the chasing pack in the title race.After putting four goals past Manchester United and six past Tottenham at Etihad Stadium this season, City dismantled another of its main rivals for an eighth straight home win that showed just why Manuel Pellegrini's freescoring team is most pundits' favorites for the title.Arsenal, weary after a grueling Champions League defeat at Napoli on Wednesday, was breached by prolific strikers Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo in the first half and disintegrated after the break as Fernandinho (two), David Silva and Yaya Toure plundered more goals.Pellegrini's players are living up to their tag as the Premier League's entertainers they have scored 35 goals in eight matches at the Etihad and are now just three points off Arsenal.At times the tempo was frightening, City captain Vincent Kompany said. It is a real fortress here.Arsenal arrived in Manchester with the league's stingiest defense and left with its title credentials back under the microscope.Theo Walcott scored twice, to make it 1-1 and 3-2, with Per Mertesacker grabbing the Gunners' other goal in second-half stoppage time. But they were ripped apart by City's sparkling forward department, reviving memories of their 8-2 loss at Manchester United in August 2011.This was Arsenal's third high-intensity match in the space of seven days, having drawn 1-1 with Everton last weekend, and they have clearly taken their toll. Thankfully for the creaking leaders, they have a much-needed nine-day break before playing Chelsea next.Our strength until now was our defensive discipline and that went as the game went on, said Wenger, who refused to use the short turnaround from the Napoli game as an excuse.It was 6-3 but what hurts me more is that we had an opportunity to put Man City at nine points (behind). It's three tonight and that's difficult to swallow.City's confidence couldn't be higher at the moment even its second-choice team beat reigning champion Bayern Munich 3-2 in the Champions League in midweek. And goals are coming from all areas, with Brazilian defensive midfielder Fernandinho finding time to maraud forward and join the party here.For me, it's very important to be an entertaining team, City manager Manuel Pellegrini said. There are managers who prefer to score one goal, hold their team back and try to counter attack. Our philosophy is to continue trying to score more goals. That's the best way to win.With its away form slowly improving, City appears to be the team to beat in what is proving to be an open, exciting title race. The only negative was the sight of Aguero hobbling off with a right calf injury at the start of the second half. He will have a scan on Sunday.The omens weren't good for Arsenal from the very first minutes, with the visitors pinned back in their own half and City's overpowering midfield sharper both in possession and off the ball.Fernandinho delivered arguably his best performance since joining from Shakhtar Donetsk in the offseason and the return from injury of playmaker Silva added even more guile.The last thing Arsenal's tired backline needed was to deal with a sprightly Aguero and the Argentina striker continued his brilliant scoring run by volleying in expertly in the 14th minute after Samir Nasri's corner was flicked in at the near post by Martin Demichelis. It was Aguero's 19th goal in 20 matches in all competitions.Walcott equalized against the run of play in the 31st, meeting Mesut Ozil's cut-back with a sidefooted shot that took a slight deflection off Demichelis.Back came City, though, Negredo guided home a cross by the galloping Pablo Zabaleta in the 39th. Worse for Arsenal, key defender Laurent Koscielny sustained a deep laceration to his left knee as he attempted to cut out the cross and was carried off on a stretcher.Aguero hobbling off in the 48th didn't hamper City, with Fernandinho making it 3-1 within two minutes after Mathieu Flamini failed to collect Ozil's pass across the face of the area. The Brazilian seized on the mistake and curled in a fine finish from 25 yards for his first City goal.Walcott, making his first start since September, curled a brilliant shot past Costel Pantilimon from an angle in the 63rd minute but City wasn't to be denied as Jesus Navas set up fellow Spaniard Silva for the fourth in the 66th and Fernandinho made it 5-2 in the 88th.Mertesacker replied at the start of injury time with a header but Toure had the final say, sweeping home a penalty after James Milner was tripped by Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

Barca beat Villarreal, Madrid draw at Osasuna

Posted:

BARCELONA (AP) - Neymar scored twice to help Barcelona beat Villarreal 2-1 and take advantage of Real Madrid's slip as it opened up a five-point lead over its fierce rival at the top of the Spanish league.Third-place Madrid fell behind and settled for a 2-2 draw earlier at Osasuna in a match both sides finished with 10 men, and Barcelona didn't let the chance escape.Barcelona, still without the injured Lionel Messi, again turned to Neymar after his hat trick against Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday to convert a penalty on the half-hour mark and restore the lead in the 68th after Villarreal leveled.Barcelona's eighth win in as many league games at Camp Nou provisionally lifted it three points clear of Atletico Madrid before it hosts Valencia on Sunday.

One dead in Brazil stadium accident: officials

Posted:

RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - A man was killed Saturday in an accident at the Manaus Arena World Cup stadium in Brazil, officials said, the latest death to hit preparations for next years football extravaganza.The accident came barely two weeks after two people died at the World Cup stadium in Sao Paulo which is scheduled to host the events opening match in June.It was also the second fatal accident to hit the Manaus venue. Manaus is the capital of the Amazonia region, far north of Sao Paulo and Brasilia.Brazilian media said the dead man was a 22-year-old construction worker who died in the early hours of Saturday after falling 35 meters (115 feet) from the stadiums roof. The venue will host Englands opening match on June 15 against Italy.Saturdays tragedy is the fourth to hit preparations for Brazils first World Cup since 1950. The country is racing to be ready for the event. One fatality was recorded at a new stadium in Brasilia while in Sao Paulo two people died on November 27 after a crane dropped a piece of roofing on them.The Sao Paulo arena will not now be ready until mid-April -- less than two months before the June 12 kick-off between Brazil and Croatia.Construction firm Andrade Gutierrez said an investigation of Saturdays incident would immediately be opened.Only last Tuesday, Manaus coordinator Miguel Capobiango Neto had assured reporters the venue would be ready for December 20 in time for an inauguration on January 15.

Golf: Van der Walt wins Mandela Championship

Posted:

DURBAN (AFP) - South Africa's Dawie Van der Walt fired a four-under 66 during the third and final round to win the Nelson Mandela Championship by two shots at the rain affected EPGA event on Saturday. The 30-year-old finished the shortened tournament on 15 under par to finish ahead of Englishman Matthew Baldwin and Spaniard Jorge Campillo as he picked up his second European title at the saturated Mount Edgecombe golf club. The win comes on the eve of Mandela's funeral after the former president passed away at the age of 95 last week. It's obviously really special, making you part of history, Van der Walt said following his victory which follows his maiden European win last March at the Tshwane Open, also in South Africa. Winning the Nelson Mandela at this time, when it's sad for everyone, everyone is mourning and tomorrow's (Sunday) the big day, it means a lot and it's something I can keep close to my heart for ever. I haven't been in that good form, I've been struggling with an injury, so this is almost overwhelming. To win the last event of the year is going to make Christmas a lot more fun, he added. Frenchman Romain Wattel was alone in fourth three shots back, while South African Oliver Bekker was a further stroke back to complete the top five. Overnight leader Daniel Brooks of England blew a three-shot lead as he ballooned to a six-over score of 76 to slide down the leaderboard and a joint 11th-place finish. The tournament was reduced to 54 holes after heavy rain washed out the first day's play as the European Tour remains in South Africa and heads to the Durban Open which begins next Thursday.

Badminton: Lee close to record Superseries Finals title

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - World number one Lee Chong Wei on Saturday advanced to the last round of the BWF World Superseries Finals, closing in on winning the title for a record fourth time.The Malaysian, who won the mens singles crowns from 2008-2010, crushed Denmarks Jan O Jorgensen 21-14, 21-16 in 40 minutes to reach Sundays final on home turf.Lee jointly holds the record of three titles with womens pair Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang of China and Danish mens pair Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen.The two doubles pairs, however, were eliminated in Saturdays semi-finals, paving the way for Lee to rewrite the record books on his own.Wang and Yu, who won from 2010-2012, pulled out due to injury, while Boe and Mogensen lost 21-18, 21-18 to world champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia.It was a straightforward victory for Lee, whose court coverage and ability to retrieve every shuttlecock Jorgensen hit at him frustrated the Dane.Lee beat the French Open champion 23-21, 24-22 at the group stage on Friday.Today, I was ready for him. I was determined to beat him quickly and started the match on fire, the Olympic silver medallist said.The only downside to my victory was that I allowed him back into the match in the second game after taking a big lead.I have to cut this out as it is not good to give opponents a hint of a comeback.In the final, Lee will meet Indonesias Tommy Sugiarto, who beat Japans Kenichi Tago 21-14, 19-21, 21-5.In womens singles, Chinas Li Xuerui easily beat South Koreas Bae Yeon-Ju in two games, while Taiwans Tai Tzu Ying defeated Wang Shixian of China in three games.In the womens doubles, world champions Wang and Yu raised eyebrows when they conceded a walkover to compatriots Ma Jin and Tang Jinhua, after citing a hip injury to Yu.This is not the first time Chinese players have opted out of facing others from their country in international matches, and comes on the heels of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) introducing a random draw for the semi-finals in a bid to avoid game-throwing.The change was prompted by the scandal at last years Olympics, when Wang and Yu together with three other womens pairs were charged for not using their best efforts to win matches.In the finals, Ma and Tang will now take on Denmarks Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl, who defeated South Koreans Jang Ye-Na and Kim So-Young 21-12, 21-18 on Saturday.The Danish duo, who have a good track record in Malaysia, are hoping to become the first European winners of this category.In the mens doubles, Kim Ki-Jung and Kim Sa-Rang defeated fellow South Koreans Ko Sung-Hyun and Lee Yong-Dae 21-14, 19-21, 21-16.

Bombing and shootings kill 15 in Iraq

Posted:

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Attacks in Iraq, including two bombings in a market and a blast targeting people who give food and water to Shiite pilgrims, killed 15 people on Saturday, officials said.Violence has reached a level this year not seen since 2008, when Iraq was just emerging from a period of brutal sectarian killings, raising fears that the country is falling back into all-out conflict.In the deadliest attack, two bombs exploded in a market in Nahrawan, near Baghdad, killing at least five people and wounding at least 13, while a bomb in a restaurant in Husseiniyah, also close to the capital, killed two people and wounded six.In southern Baghdad, a car bomb targeted people who give food and water to Shiite pilgrims walking to the holy city of Karbala, killing at least four people and wounding at least 13.Other bombings and shootings in Iraq killed four people, among them a local anti-Al-Qaeda militia leader and a policeman, and wounded three police.More people died in violence in the first eight days of this month than in the whole of last December, and over 6,400 people have been killed since the beginning of the year, according to AFP figures based on security and medical sources.

Two UN troops dead in suicide attack in north Mali

Posted:

BAMAKO (AFP) - At least two UN troops were killed on Saturday in a suicide attack in Mali's northeastern rebel bastion of Kidal, which came a day before the country holds a second round of legislative polls, a UN source said.The soldiers -- whose nationalities were not given -- died when a suicide bomber ploughed his explosive-laden car into a bank that they were guarding.For the moment, we have at least two dead and several wounded among the MINUSMA African troops, the source said on condition of anonymity, referring to the UN mission in the country.The suicide bomber also died, a regional government source told AFP.There are also a number of wounded among Malian soldiers, the source added.A local Kidal official said Senegalese soldiers were among those who guarded the BMS bank.Early this morning, a booby-trapped car was run into the BMS, killing the bomber, said the official. He added that he saw an individual on fire but could not say if it was the bomber or a soldier.A MINUSMA military official said: The bomber came from the east of the city and went straight to the bank before blowing himself up.There was a huge bang that blew out the windows of some houses up to 500 metres (yards) from the bank.He called the attack well-prepared.Mali is battling to restore stability after Al-Qaeda-linked radicals seized control of its northern half, submitting it to a brutal form of Islamic law for nine months before a French-led military operation launched in January ousted the extremists.Saturday's attack came a day before Mali was to hold a second round of legislative elections, the fourth time that the former French colony in west Africa has gone to the polls in less than six months.The vote is the final stage in Mali's return to democracy after a March 2012 coup that threw it into turmoil and opened a power vacuum that enabled the Islamists to seize the north.

Gaza flooding drives 40,000 from their homes

Posted:

GAZA CITY (AP) - Flooding from heavy rains forced some 40,000 Gaza Strip residents from their homes, including thousands who were taken to safety in boats and military trucks, officials said Saturday.The downpour that began late Wednesday was part of a storm that covered parts of Israel and the West Bank with snow, paralyzed Jerusalem and left thousands in Israel without power. Israeli TV stations showed footage of armored personnel carriers rescuing motorists and said it was the most severe snow storm in decades.Even Gaza with its milder coastal climate saw some snow, though lower-lying areas were mainly hit by flooding.Rescue efforts were hampered by fuel shortages and rolling power cuts that have become more severe in recent months, since Egypt tightened a border blockade of the territory, ruled by the Islamic militant Hamas since 2007.Israel has also restricted access to Gaza since the Hamas takeover, though it sent diesel fuel for heating and four water pumps during the weekend storm.Once the storm is over, the world community needs to bring effective pressure to end the blockade of Gaza, said Chris Gunness, a spokesman for the main U.N aid agency in the territory. Gaza residents must be freed from these man-made constraints to deal with the impact of a natural calamity such as this, he added.In the low-lying areas of Gaza, water has been rising since heavy rains began late Wednesday, flooding streets and homes.One of the hardest hit areas was Nafak Street in Gaza City's Sheik Radwan neighborhood, close to a rainwater reservoir.Said Halawa, an area resident, said the reservoir overflowed Wednesday evening. By Thursday, water had poured into the ground floor of his two-story home where he and he and 41 other members of his extended family live, Halawa said.The family called for help and was evacuated by boat from the upper floor. Halawa said he and his family were taken to a makeshift shelter in a neighborhood school. We got some assistance, some blankets and some food, but I didn't save any of my belongings, said the 52-year-old taxi driver.At another neighbor school, 30 families found shelter. Children slept on desks and on mattresses on the floor. Some of those at the shelter huddled around wood fires in open-air walkways outside the classrooms to stay warm.In all, the flooding forced about 40,000 people from their homes, including more than 5,200 who were taken to safety in boats, military trucks or heavy construction vehicles, government officials said.Another hard-hit area was the refugee camp of Jebaliya in northern Gaza. The local Al Aqsa TV station, run by Hamas, showed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Interior Minister Fathi Hamad, both of Hamas, touring Jebaliya in a boat.Housing Minister Yousef Jhariz, who headed the government's crisis team, said the storm caused at least $64 million in damages. One man died from smoke inhalation after burning coal for warmth in his house, health officials said.By Saturday afternoon, teams were fixing downed power lines and piled up sandbags in some areas to protect homes from flooding.The storm hit Gaza at a time when it is buckling under the tightened border closure by Egypt. Over the summer, Egypt's military intensified its blockade after ousting Egypt's Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, a Hamas ally.Jerusalem and several West Bank towns, meanwhile, were crippled by snow for a third day Saturday. About 28,000 homes in Israel were still without electricity on Saturday, officials said.Soldiers moved from house to house in some areas of Jerusalem to check on residents. Highways in and out of Jerusalem remained closed to private cars and residents were advised to stay off the roads.The only way out of Jerusalem on Saturday was by train.Sietvanit Tzirnishki had boarded the train headed from Jerusalem to snow-free Tel Aviv, Israel's coastal metropolis.I've been stuck here in Jerusalem for two days at my sister's apartment that did not have electricity, she said. We have been going from one apartment to the other to get some heat and some food and I'm glad to get back to Tel Aviv now.Schools in Jerusalem and the West Bank were to remain closed Sunday, the start of the work week in the region.

Kerry in Vietnam on first visit as top US diplomat

Posted:

HO CHI MINH CITY (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry Saturday attended mass at a cathedral in Vietnam, where he served during the war, in a trip aimed at shoring up Southeast Asian ties amid myriad regional tensions.Kerry, a practicing Catholic whose experiences during the Vietnam War inspired his political activism, visited the French-colonial era Notre Dame Cathedral in southern Ho Chi Minh City as he began his first official visit to the nation as the top US diplomat.Washington is eager to underscore its commitment to Asia after its pivot policy was shaken earlier this year when the US government shutdown forced President Barak Obama to cancel a trip to the region, allowing China to occupy centre stage at key regional summits.The region is beset by political and territorial tensions, including bitter maritime disputes between an increasingly assertive Beijing and a number of its neighbours -- among them Vietnam -- that have raised concerns a minor incident in contested waters could escalate rapidly.Kerry is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi as part of his three-day visit, and is expected to highlight growing security and trade ties between Washington and Hanoi, which normalised relations two decades ago.He is also due to visit to the Mekong Delta where he was a wartime Swift Boat skipper on the dangerous gunboat missions patrolling the rivers in the area.Kerry served with the US Navy from 1966 to 1970 as a naval lieutenant. He was decorated with three Purple Hearts, awarded for any injury received during combat which requires medical treatment, a Bronze star and a Silver star.It was on his return after two tours of duty that Kerry became a fierce campaigner against the war, which ended in 1975.Kerry, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Wednesday, has voiced excitement over his trip, saying he has not gone to Vietnam since he joined president Bill Clinton on his landmark visit in 2000.Washington has sought to bolster its footprint in Asia as part of efforts to balance the growing might of China in the region. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have their own disputes with China over territory in the South China Sea, while Beijing has also locked horns with Tokyo over areas in the East Sea.Kerry's trip will also include a visit to the Philippines, a longstanding US ally, where he will tour the devastated city of Tacloban which was hit by a typhoon last month, as well as meeting Filipino leaders in Manila.It is a chance to tighten the slack left by Obama's absence at the APEC forum in Bali this year, said Jonathan London of the Department of Asian and International Studies at City University of Hong Kong.Kerry's visit is an opportunity for (Vietnam and the US) to more clearly define ways forward in the context of an East Asian diplomatic scene that has been destabilised by China's increasing aggressive regional posture, he told AFP.US lawmakers and New York-based Human Rights Watch have urged Kerry to press authoritarian Vietnam on human rights, saying he should link progress its participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership -- a vast trade agreement currently under negotiation.Kerry's cathedral visit comes as Vietnam has faced criticised for harassing and jailing Catholic activists, but US officials have recently hailed improvements in freedom of religion in the one-party state.

McCain meets opposition leaders in Ukraine

Posted:

KIEV (AFP) - Outspoken United States Senator John McCain met Ukraine opposition leaders including former heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko in the capital Kiev on Saturday ahead of a mass rally.McCain met Klitschko, the head of the UDAR party, as well as nationalist leader Oleg Tyagnybok and the leader of the party of jailed Yulia Tymoshenko, Arseniy Yatsenyuk.McCain, the 2008 Republican nominee who lost the White House race to Barack Obama, wrote on Twitter that they had a good conversation and dinner.Tymoshenko's party hinted that McCain would speak at a major opposition rally in Kiev on Sunday, writing in a statement that it would feature foreign guests, particularly American senators.Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who chairs the Senate's Europe subcommittee, accompanied McCain to Ukraine.McCain later viewed the central Independence Square where opposition supporters have set up camps and built barricades.Posting a photograph of tens of thousands filling the square Saturday evening for a concert dedicated to the protest movement by Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy, McCain called it an incredible show of patriotism.The US ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, later posted on Twitter a picture of McCain meeting the band's lead singer, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, who was one of the symbols of the 2004 Orange Revolution.McCain has strongly condemned the Ukrainian government over its handling of protests against President Viktor Yanukovych's rejection of a broad trade deal with the European Union in pursuit of closer ties with Russia.He criticised the Ukrainian authorities for using force after heavy-handed riot police attempted to disperse protesters on Independence Square on Wednesday.It is appalling that Ukrainian authorities have chosen to use violence and oppression against peaceful demonstrators, he said in a statement.The United States has made its solidarity with Ukraine's opposition clear, even threatening sanctions after Wednesday's failed police raid on protesters.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday accused Western countries of losing their sense of reality over Ukraine's crisis and using blackmail to cut the country off from Russia.

McCain meets opposition leaders in Ukraine

Posted:

KIEV (AFP) - Outspoken United States Senator John McCain met Ukraine opposition leaders including former heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko in the capital Kiev on Saturday ahead of a mass rally.McCain met Klitschko, the head of the UDAR party, as well as nationalist leader Oleg Tyagnybok and the leader of the party of jailed Yulia Tymoshenko, Arseniy Yatsenyuk.McCain, the 2008 Republican nominee who lost the White House race to Barack Obama, wrote on Twitter that they had a good conversation and dinner.Tymoshenko's party hinted that McCain would speak at a major opposition rally in Kiev on Sunday, writing in a statement that it would feature foreign guests, particularly American senators.Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who chairs the Senate's Europe subcommittee, accompanied McCain to Ukraine.McCain later viewed the central Independence Square where opposition supporters have set up camps and built barricades.Posting a photograph of tens of thousands filling the square Saturday evening for a concert dedicated to the protest movement by Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy, McCain called it an incredible show of patriotism.The US ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, later posted on Twitter a picture of McCain meeting the band's lead singer, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, who was one of the symbols of the 2004 Orange Revolution.McCain has strongly condemned the Ukrainian government over its handling of protests against President Viktor Yanukovych's rejection of a broad trade deal with the European Union in pursuit of closer ties with Russia.He criticised the Ukrainian authorities for using force after heavy-handed riot police attempted to disperse protesters on Independence Square on Wednesday.It is appalling that Ukrainian authorities have chosen to use violence and oppression against peaceful demonstrators, he said in a statement.The United States has made its solidarity with Ukraine's opposition clear, even threatening sanctions after Wednesday's failed police raid on protesters.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday accused Western countries of losing their sense of reality over Ukraine's crisis and using blackmail to cut the country off from Russia.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)