Wednesday 18 December 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Taliban warn Imran against supporting polio campaign

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Pakistani Taliban on Wednesday said they will turn their guns on Imran Khan for pledging his support to polio campaign.Imran Khan had earlier on Wednesday appealed to the Pakistani Taliban and others not to attack polio workers and pledged to spearhead the vaccination campaign in the restive northwest that continues to be in the grip of the crippling disease.He said attacks on polio workers must end.Those who are attacking polio workers are doing injustice to our province, our country and the whole of humanity, Khan told reporters.If we run a full-fledged campaign against polio in the coming three months we can eradicate polio from the country and I will personally lead this campaign, Imran said.

Dense fog covers most parts of Punjab, KPK

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - The intensity of cold weather has increased as dense fog has engulfed several areas of Punjab and Khyber Paktunkhwa.Allama Iqbal International Airport has been closed for all national and international flights due to dense fog whereas M1 Motorway from Peshawar to Swabi has also been closed.The thick fog in Lahore badly disrupted the schedule of national and private airlines after which the airport had been closed. All departing flights were delayed and the incoming flights were diverted to other airports.Meanwhile, M2 Motorway from Lahore to Islamabad has been closed for heavy traffic due to low visibility. The Motorway Police have advised the drivers to drive at a low speed and keep the fog lights on.

LB polls: ECP bans postings, transfers in Sindh

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ISLAMABAD (Online): Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has imposed ban on transfers and postings in Sindh ahead of Local Bodies (LB) elections.Besides imposing ban on the transfers and postings in the province, the ECP has also issued code of conduct for the LB polls in Sindh.Earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan has announced the schedule of local bodies elections in Sindh.As per the schedule issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan, the nomination papers of the candidates would be received from December 26 to December 29.The verification of nomination papers would be conducted from January 1 to January 5.Appeals against the nomination would be filed on 6th and 7th January while decisions on the appeals would be announced from January 8 to 11.The final list of the candidates would be issued on January 13 and polling would be held on January 18.

Suicide bomber attacks Shiites as Iraq unrest kills 9

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BAQUBA (AFP) - A suicide bomber detonated an explosives belt among Shiite pilgrims walking northeast of the Iraqi capital, one of several attacks that killed a total of nine people Wednesday, officials said.The bomber struck in the Khales area, killing five people and wounding 10, a police colonel and a doctor said.The colonel said one of the dead was a policeman tasked with guarding the pilgrims, who embraced the bomber just before the attack in an effort to shield others from the blast.It was the latest in a series of attacks on Shiite pilgrims in recent days, including two in Baghdad province that killed at least eight pilgrims on Tuesday, and two car bombs targeting pilgrims that left at least 24 dead the day before.Hundreds of thousands of people, many of them on foot, make pilgrimages to the holy city of Karbala during the 40 days after the annual commemoration marking the death of the Prophet Mohammeds grandson, known to Shiites as Imam Hussein.The 40th day, known as Arbaeen, falls on December 23 this year.Sunni militants, including those linked to Al-Qaeda, frequently target members of Iraqs Shiite majority, whom they consider to be apostates.Also on Wednesday, a roadside bomb in the northern city of Mosul killed two people and wounded two others, while gunmen killed two soldiers and wounded two more in an attack on a checkpoint, police and a morgue official said.Violence in Iraq has reached a level this year not seen since 2008, when the country was just emerging from a period of brutal sectarian killings.More people died in violence in the first eight days of this month than in the whole of last December, and over 6,550 people have been killed since the beginning of 2013, according to AFP figures based on security and medical sources.

Syria barrel bomb raids on Aleppo kill 135: monitor

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Regime warplanes pounded Syrias second city Aleppo for a fourth straight day Wednesday in air raids that have killed at least 135 people, many of them children, a monitor said.The attacks focused on rebel-held areas of eastern and northern Aleppo, once the countrys commercial hub, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.Sundays first day of the raids produced the highest daily toll with 76 dead in six neighbourhoods, among them 28 children, the Britain-based watchdog said.Monday saw 20 dead including four children, and eight children were among 39 killed on Tuesday, said the Observatory which relies on a network of sources on the ground for its information.It did not say whether or not any of those killed included rebels battling the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.Many of the fatalities were caused by so-called barrel bombs packed with explosives and dropped from both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.An estimated 126,000 people have been killed in Syrias civil war, which erupted after a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests first held in March 2011.Doctors without Borders (MSF) reported more than 100 people killed by barrel bombs from helicopters, and already stretched hospitals overflowing with wounded.Activists and the Observatory accuse Assads forces of using barrels stuffed with concrete and TNT to cause the maximum number of casualties and damage.A Syrian security source has denied that barrel bombs are used against what the regime calls terrorists.But another has said the military prefers such weapons instead of missiles because they are cheaper.Most of the areas being targeted are in the east of the city and near regime-controlled parts of Aleppo province, one of the front lines in the conflict.The opposition National Coalition has said the systematic raids on Aleppo demonstrate the regimes rejection of a political solution.A UN-backed peace conference dubbed Geneva 2 is due to be held in the Swiss city of Montreux on January 22.

Israeli army shoots Palestinian dead in Jenin clash

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JERUSALEM (AFP) - The Israeli army said it shot dead a Palestinian man and wounded others Wednesday in clashes that erupted following military activity in the northern West Bank.Earlier this evening during a counter terrorism activity in Jenin, Palestinians opened fire and threw improvised grenades and explosive devices at security forces, a statement said.The Israelis retaliated towards the perpetrators in self defence. Several Palestinians were wounded in the exchange of fire and taken by the army to an Israeli hospital.One casualty died of his wounds on the way to the hospital.Following the incident approximately 100 Palestinians violently attacked the security forces by hurling rocks, the army continued. Riot dispersal means were used to contain the disturbances.Army spokesman Peter Lerner said the initial activity in the West Bank city was an arrest mission, without specifying the target or his affiliation. Such activities were aimed at preventing the terrorists from reaching our towns, he said in a statement.The way the terrorists attacked our forces en-route to arrest a suspect underlines operational access importance and due to the risk, the forces acted in self defence, the spokesman added.Wednesdays death brought to 27 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of this year, the great majority in the occupied West Bank, according to an AFP tally.On December 7, troops shot dead a 15-year-old Palestinian during a clash in Jalazoun refugee camp near the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Nearly 1,000 killed by ex-rebels in C. Africa capital: Amnesty

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BANGUI (AFP) - The Central African Republics mostly Muslim ex-rebels killed nearly 1,000 people in the capital Bangui two weeks ago in a rampage avenging deadly Christian militia attacks, Amnesty International said in a report Thursday.The death toll was significantly higher than earlier estimates by the United Nations, which spoke of 450 killed in Bangui and another 150 elsewhere in the country.The two-day spasm of violence by fighters from the former Seleka rebel group came after Christian militias known as anti-balaka (anti-machete) went door-to-door in some districts in the capital and killed approximately 60 Muslim men, Amnesty said in a statement.The de facto government forces, known as ex-Seleka, retaliated on a larger scale against Christians in the wake of the attack, killing nearly 1,000 men over a two-day period and systematically looting civilian homes. A small number of women and children were also killed.Its report was based on a two-week fact-finding mission to the Central African Republic, which has been mired in chaos since March, when Seleka took power and ousted the previous government.The information gathered has left no room for doubt that war crimes and crimes against humanity are being committed by all parties to the conflict, said Christian Mukosa, Amnesty Internationals Central Africa expert.France sent 1,600 soldiers to the Central African Republic in the wake of the bloodletting to bolster African troops there and try to restore calm. The UN Security Council gave authorisation for the French-led mission amid fears of a Rwanda-like explosion of communal violence.Despite the foreign intervention, civilians are being wilfully killed on a daily basis, with at least 90 additional people killed since 8 December, Amnesty said.

Tennis: Djokovic hires Becker as head coach

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BELGRADE (AFP) - Novak Djokovic has hired German tennis legend Boris Becker as his head coach ahead of the Australian open in January, the Serbian player announced on his website Wednesday.I am really excited to have the opportunity to work with Boris, Djokovic said.He is a true legend, someone who has great tennis knowledge and his experience will help me win new trophies from the grand slams and other tournaments, the world number two said.Six-time Grand Slam champion, 46-year old Becker said he was proud Novak invited me to become his head coach.I will do my best to help him reach his goals, and I am sure we can achieve great things together, he said.Becker will join Djokovics coaches Marian Vajda, Miljan Amanovic and Gebhard Phil-Gritsch, the website said.Vajda, who has worked with Djokovic for almost eight years, welcomed Becker into the team, saying it was a good solution to choose the German player.I realised that Novak needed a new head coach in order for him to continue improving certain parts of his game, Vajda said.Becker will link up with Djokovic and his team for the years first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open, which starts in Melbourne on January 13.Boris brings a new and fresh approach, and together with Vajda he will make a winning combination, 26-year old Djokovic said.He said his goal for 2014 is to play my best tennis and to get in shape for the Grand Slams and Masters.These tournaments have the most weight in our sport, and I want to prove my worth at them. The team is now strengthened and we hope for maximum results, he said.Djokovic won the Australian Open in January for the third year in a row, but he was defeated in the semi-finals of the French Open by Rafael Nadal and lost in the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open to Andy Murray and Nadal.The Spaniard also took back the world number one spot from the Serb before Djokovic produced a superb finish to the year winning the World Tour Championship in London.Becker won 64 ATP titles in his career, including six Grand Slam singles titles.The move to hire a tennis legend like Becker mirrors Murrays successful linkup with Ivan Lendl, which resulted in the Scot winning the 2012 US Open and this years Wimbledon.

Football: Manchester giants kept apart in League Cup

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LONDON (AFP) - This seasons English League Cup final could be an all-Manchester affair after cross-town rivals Manchester United and Manchester City avoided each other in Wednesdays semi-final draw.Four-time winners United, who beat Stoke City 2-0 in the quarter-finals, will play Sunderland, who shocked Chelsea 2-1 on Tuesday.Its a cup game. It shows you how well Sunderland played -- they beat Chelsea last night and they played well to get that result, said United manager David Moyes after his sides victory over Stoke.Theyve got a new manager (Gus Poyet) as well, so a lot of things can happen between now and then, but obviously were just really pleased that we got ourselves into the semi-final.City, meanwhile, were drawn against West Ham United, having booked their place in the last four on Tuesday when they defeated second-tier Leicester City 3-1.First legs to be played during the week commencing January 6; second legs during week commencing January 20

Football: Man United reach semis, new-look Spurs out

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LONDON (AFP) - Manchester United beat Stoke City 2-0 to reach the League Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, while the post-Andre Villas-Boas era at Tottenham Hotspur began with defeat by West Ham United.After a first-half hailstorm briefly forced the teams off the pitch at the Britannia Stadium, United prevailed through fine strikes from Ashley Young and Patrice Evra.Their reward was a semi-final tie against Sunderland, 2-1 victors over Chelsea on Tuesday, while West Ham will play Manchester City, with the first legs of both ties due to be played in the week beginning January 6.The first goal tonight, whoever got it was going to make a big difference, United manager David Moyes told Sky Sports.It was a tight game. We had some good play at times. We hadnt created too many chances, but I didnt think Stoke City created too many chances either.On the prospect of facing Sunderland, he added: Its a cup game. It shows you how well Sunderland played -- they beat Chelsea last night and they played well to get that result.Theyve got a new manager (Gus Poyet) as well, so a lot of things can happen between now and then, but obviously were just really pleased that we got ourselves into the semi-final.With Wayne Rooney absent due to an unspecified injury, Moyes deployed Danny Welbeck as a lone striker, while Chris Smalling, Anderson and Young were all brought into the team.Young was given an early sight of goal when a square pass from Welbeck found him in space on the edge of the box, but he could only find the side-netting with his rising shot.The hail arrived in the 28th minute, sending players and match officials scurrying for the cover of the changing rooms, before play resumed following a 10-minute delay.Jonny Evans might have put United ahead shortly before half-time but he could not get a shot away after latching onto Smallings near-post flick-on.Moyes introduced Javier Hernandez with just over half an hour remaining and moments later Young made the breakthrough in stunning fashion.The former Aston Villa winger played a pass forward to Hernandez and when the ball came back to him on the edge of the box, he met it with a first-time drive of searing power that Thomas Sorensen got his gloves to but could not stop.Stoke rallied, briefly, but United put the game to bed in the 78th minute when Evra exchanged passes with Young before curling a fine shot inside the right-hand post with his seldom-used right foot.Playing for the first time since Villas-Boas was sacked on Monday, Spurs let a 1-0 lead slip in a 2-1 loss at home to London rivals West Ham.Villas-Boass departure appeared to have caught the producers of the Tottenham match-day programme by surprise, with the Portuguese still listed as Head Coach on its back page.Interim coach Tim Sherwood picked an adventurous team, giving Emmanuel Adebayor his first start of the season alongside Jermain Defoe up front, and the pair combined to give Spurs the lead in the 67th minute.Defoe crossed from the left and Adebayor slid in to slam home an emphatic volley via the underside of the crossbar.However, there was a blow for Spurs when Andros Townsend was forced off with an apparent hamstring injury and in the 80th minute West Ham levelled when Matt Taylor teed up Matt Jarvis to beat Hugo Lloris at his near post.Modibo Maiga completed West Hams comeback five minutes later, heading in from a Mohamed Diame cross to give Sam Allardyces side a second consecutive win at White Hart Lane following a 3-0 league success in October.Maiga almost made it 3-1 in stoppage time but his drive from 20 yards came back off the bar.

Swansea, Hull fined for on-pitch melee

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LONDON (AFP) - Swansea City and Hull City have each been fined 20,000 pounds ($32,800, 23,800 euros) over an on-pitch fracas during their Premier League encounter last week, the Football Association announced on Tuesday.The clubs both admitted to a charge of failing to ensure that their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during their 1-1 draw at Swanseas Liberty Stadium on December 9.The charge related to a confrontation late in the game between Hull pair Tom Huddlestone and Yannick Sagbo and Swansea centre-backs Ashley Williams and Chico Flores.Sagbo and Williams were both booked, while Swansea midfielder Jonjo Shelvey was also cautioned in the aftermath of the incident.Swansea City and Hull City have both been fined 20,000 pounds following a mass confrontation between the two sides, read a statement on the FA website.The clubs each admitted a charge of failing to ensure that its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion.

Boxing: Klitschko eager to win WBC belt for the family

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PARIS (AFP) - Undisputed world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has vowed to win the WBC belt for the family after elder brother Vitali relinquished it on Monday.Of course, it is my goal to bring the WBC title back into the Klitschko family, the 37-year-old Wladimir, the current WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion, told German daily Bild.Should Wladimir Klitschko win the WBC belt, it would make him the first fighter to hold all the major world heavyweight titles since Britains Lennox Lewis in 1999.With the WBC title now vacant, mandatory challenger Canadas Bermane Stiverne could now face US fighters Chris Arreola or Deontay Wilder for the belt and Wladimir Klitschko would be a future opponent.On Monday, Vitali Klitschko gave up the WBC heavyweight belt, which he won in September 2008 and defended nine times, so he can focus on his political career in Ukraine.The World Boxing Council had given Vitali the opportunity of returning to the ring by making him their Champion Emeritus.However, the Ukrainian has all but ruled out that option as he intends to play a leading role in trying to oust present Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovychin next years presidential election.My brother will take care of any further sporting success, said Vitali Klitschko.The offer of the WBC gives me the theoretical possibility to return to the boxing ring which I cannot imagine at all in the current state.Vitali Klitschkos last bout was a technical knock-out against Manuel Charr in Moscow in September 2012 and his achievement of being a world champion three times is a feat matched only by the greats Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis.

Windies make cautious start to third Test

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HAMILTON (AFP) - The West Indies made a cautious start to the third Test against New Zealand in Hamilton on Thursday, putting the onus on occupying the crease rather than scoring quickly as they look to level the series.The tourists reached lunch at 71-1 after 29 overs, with Kraigg Brathwaite not out 41 and Kirk Edwards unbeaten on three.The West Indies went into the match without the suspended Shane Shillingford, who was replaced by spinner Sunil Narine, and are without first Test double-centurion Darren Bravo, who was injured during net practice on Wednesday.Bravo was replaced by Brathwaite, who, in his first Test of the series, was dropped on 13 when he drove Neil Wagner through the hands of Tim Southee at short cover point.New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum won the toss and put the West Indies in to bat but new-ball pair Southee and Trent Boult received little assistance despite the overhead cloud cover.The few nicks they generated fell short of the slips cordon and it took medium left-armer Wagner to make the breakthrough in the second hour of play.He dropped one short to Kieran Powell that found the edge of the bat to be caught behind by BJ Watling for 26.Wagner had figures of one for 10 off seven overs.New Zealand lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning the second Test in Wellington last week by an innings and 73 runs.

Oil prices rise on inventories, Fed decision

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices rallied Wednesday after a bullish US oil inventory report and a decision by the US Federal Reserve to scale back an aggressive bond-buying program. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for January delivery rose 58 cents to $97.80 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.European benchmark Brent oil for February delivery jumped $1.19 to $109.63 a barrel in London.The gains came after the US Energy Information Administration reported that US oil inventories fell by 2.9 million barrels, above the 2.7 million projected by analysts according to a Wall Street Journal survey.The numbers were bullish, said Andy Lebow, senior vice president at Jefferies Bache.Lebow said the data also demonstrated that petroleum products demand rose 4 percent in the four-week period ending December 13 compared with the year-ago figures.Demand is truly good -- it's improving, Lebow said.The Fed also scaled back its bond-buying program by $10 billion to $75 billion per month. The Fed sees the improvement in economic activity and labor market conditions over that period as consistent with growing underlying strength in the broader economy, it said in a communique following a meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee.The much-anticipated decision initially sent oil prices slightly lower shortly after the 1900 GMT announcement. But the commodity soon moved back into positive territory.It appears, looking at the data, that the US economy is improving, Lebow said.

Dollar rises as US Fed tapers bond-buying programme

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar Wednesday rallied against the euro and the yen after the US Federal Reserve announced plans to scale back its bond-buying program in January. At 2200 GMT, the euro bought $1.3680, down from $1.3765 Tuesday.The dollar advanced to 104.20 yen from 102.63, while the euro also rose against the Japanese currency, to 142.56 yen from 141.28.The Fed said it would scale back its bond-buying program from $85 billion to $75 billion starting in January due to conditions consistent with growing underlying strength in the broader economy, according to a statement by the Fed's Federal Open Market Committee.But the move to taper the purchases was accompanied by a decision to extend the likely period of ultra-low interest ratesOmer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange, said the Fed's overall cautious statement... has largely limited the greenback's ability to rally.Still, the fact that the US central bank has begun a process toward monetary policy normalization stands in contrast to the stances of central banks in Europe and Japan and should be positive for the dollar, Esiner said.Nick Bennenbroek, head of currency strategy at Wells Fargo Securities, said the currency market's reaction was tempered somewhat by the Fed's pledge to keep interest rates very low for longer.Nonetheless, we think today's announcement highlights the growing divergence between the outlook for US monetary policy and some of the other major central banks and, as a result, we believe it is consistent with US dollar strength, Bennenbroek said.The pound rose against the dollar, advancing to $1.6381 from $1.6264 Tuesday.The dollar rose to 0.8938 Swiss franc from 0.8847.
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