Monday 23 December 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Chehlum of Hazrat Imam Hussain today

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Processions will be taken out and majalis will be held in every nook and corner of the country to mark the 40th day to the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (R.A) today (Tuesday).Foolproof security arrangements have been made for the main Chehlum procession in Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi and other cities of the country. Ban on pillion riding has been imposed in Sindh, Punjab and also in Peshawar for one day.According to sources, the ban on pillion riding has been imposed to counter possible security threats on the occasion of Chehlum.On the other hand, more than 10,000 army officials will be deployed in different parts of the country. Moreover police officials have also been deployed at sensitive areas in all major cities.Meanwhile, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said on Monday that mobile networks will be shut down on account of Chehlum on Tuesday.Mobile networks are reported to go down starting 8am on Tuesday, December 24.Cellular services will be ceased in 31 cities throughout the country, PTA said in a statement.

Special court to hear Musharraf treason case today

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Earlier, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday rejected all three pleas by former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf against the special court constituted to try him for treason.Musharraf had raised objections over the authority of the special court, appointment of judges and prosecutor.Former army chief, Pervez Musharraf, is due to appear before the special court today (Tuesday) to face treason charges under Article 6 for suspending, subverting and abrogating the Constitution, imposing an emergency in the country in November 2007 and detaining judges of the superior courts.The special court comprises Sindh High Court’s Justice Faisal Arab, Justice Tahira Safdar of the Balochistan High Court and Justice Yawar Ali of the Lahore High Court.Musharraf's counsel Barrister Anwar, while challenging the authority of the special court, stated that his client was the army chief when he introduced the 2007 emergency and a military court alone could examine his actions.He also stated that the special court was to be set up by the government but instead former Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad CH was consulted which shows biased intensions.Barrister Anwar also termed the judges of the special court as biased and said that Justice Faisal Arab in 2007 refused to take oath under PCO and when Musharraf filed a plea in Karachi for participating in general elections it was the same judge who unilaterally refused and declared him disqualified. He said that this proves that Judge has already made up his mind about Musharraf thus he cannot fulfil the requirements of justice.Barrister Anwar said that father of second judge Justice Tahira Safdar died during the lawyers movement while her two brothers were also very active in the movement. Thus she also cannot do justice with his client.Similarly, the counsel said, the third judge Justice Yawar Ali is a close associate of former SC judge Justice (retd) Khalil Ramday and Judge Ramday had always been against Pervez Musharraf thus Justice Yawar Ali can come under his influence as well and not do justice.Regarding his objection over prosecutor Akram Sheikh Musharraf’s counsel said that it is obvious that Akram Sheikh is against Musharraf and he himself met PM Nawaz Sharif and requested that he should be made special prosecutor. He has also voiced his opposition to Musharraf in several interviews which does not suit the stature of special prosecutor.Judge of IHC Justice Riaz Ahmad Khan after hearing the arguments of Barrister Anwar reserved his judgment and about one hour recess giving his one line judgment declared the requests inadmissible.

Pakistan India DGMOs to meet today

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of Pakistan and India will meet today (Tuesday) at the Wagah border at 11:00 AM to discuss ways to ensure ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC).According to sources, Pakistan’s DGMO Major General Amir Riaz had invited his Indian counterpart Lieutenant General Wanood Bahitia for a meeting which was accepted by the Indian DGMO.The purpose of the meeting is to curtail tension along the Line of Control (LoC).Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said the two commanders will also discuss firing incidents on the working boundary.

Pillion riding banned in Punjab, Sindh for one day

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - The government has imposed ban on pillion riding for one day on the occasion of Chehlum Hazrat Imam Hussain (R.A) in Punjab and Sindh provinces and also in Peshawar.The ban will be effective from 12:00 midnight today (Tuesday) till 12:00 midnight on Wednesday for 24 hours.

Car bomb at police HQ in Egypt city kills 14

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CAIRO (AFP) - A powerful car bomb tore through a police headquarters in the Egyptian city of Mansoura early Tuesday, killing at least 14 people, mostly policemen, medics and officials said.The bombing comes just weeks before Egypt holds a referendum on a new constitution that is billed by the country's military-installed authorities as the first step towards democratic rule after the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July.Egyptian security sources said the explosion in the city, north of Cairo, was massive and a part of the building had caved in.Medics said the bombing wounded more than 100 people.The majority of the casualties are from the police. The explosion was caused by a car bomb, Omar al-Shawatsi, the governor of Daqahleya, of which Mansoura is the capital, told state media.The impact of the explosion was felt around 20 kilometres (12 miles) away and shattered windows of nearby buildings, the security sources said.The head of the security for Daqahleya, Sami El-Mihi, was wounded in the blast and two of his aides were killed, security sources said.Islamist militants have stepped up attacks on Egyptian security forces since the ouster of Morsi.More than 100 members of the security forces have been killed across the country since Morsi's ouster.

10 soldiers die in Turkey boat accident

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ISTANBUL (AFP) - At least 10 soldiers drowned on Monday after a tugboat capsized at a military shipyard off western Turkey, Turkish army said. Ten of our military personnel died and 17 others were injured when our tugboat TGC Degirmendere capsized, the army said in a statement.Several others including civilians were missing following the accident in the Aegean province of Izmir, which occurred around midday, it said, without elaborating on the cause of the accident.Six soldiers saved themselves by jumping into the sea, while divers were still searching for the missing, according to the Hurriyet newspaper. The crew was reportedly attempting to launch the tugboat into the water before it tilted to one side and then capsized.

Ban wants 5,500 more soldiers for UN mission in S. Sudan

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Monday recommended to the Security Council that 5,500 more soldiers and 423 extra police be sent to violence-wracked South Sudan to reinforce the UN mission there.The UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) currently has nearly 7,000 soldiers, so the new deployment would bring the total figure to about 12,000. It also currently has nearly 700 police and 2,000 civilian employees.Reinforcements would be drawn from other UN missions in Africa, according to a letter from Ban to the Council, a copy of which was seen by AFP.The Security Council launched emergency consultations on Monday on the situation in South Sudan to study Ban's requests. The 15-member Council was expected to announce a decision on Tuesday, said French envoy Gerard Araud, who currently presides over the body.Ban recommended that five infantry units, three attack helicopters, three transport helicopters and one C-130 military transport plane be transferred to South Sudan, gripped by violence for more than a week.Fighting erupted after President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar, who was fired from the government in July, of attempting a coup in the world's youngest nation.Three police units with a total of 423 men, and human rights experts would also be sent to South Sudan, under Ban's plan.In light of the deteriorating security situation in South Sudan, I have taken steps to urgently strengthen the protection capabilities of UNMISS, Ban said in his letter.I would be grateful if the Security Council would approve the transfer of the relevant personnel and assets to UNMISS on an urgent basis in order to help ensure the protection of civilians and the protection of United Nations personnel and assets.

300 dead in 8 days of air raids on Syria's Aleppo: NGO

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Syrian warplanes have killed more than 300 people, including 87 children, in an eight-day bombing campaign against rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo, a monitor said Monday.From December 15 to 22, 301 people have been killed, including 87 children, 30 women and 30 rebels, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists and witnesses on the ground to track the civil war.Opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accuse his forces of dropping explosives-filled barrels on rebel-held areas in an effort to demoralise their supporters and turn them against the insurgents.A security source told AFP on Monday that the army had adopted the tactic because of a lack of ground forces, and argued the heavy civilian toll was because the rebels were in residential areas.Aleppo has been split between opposition and government forces since a massive rebel assault in the summer of 2012.Human Rights Watch has accused government forces of using weapons and tactics that fail to distinguish between civilians and combatants, making such attacks unlawful.On Sunday the main opposition National Coalition called on Western states to impose a no-fly zone to halt such attacks.Until Assad's warplanes are stopped, the humanitarian disaster, regional instability, and the rise of extremism will only continue to get worse, Munzer Aqbiq, an adviser to the Coalition's president, said in a statement.

High winds, rain lash Europe leaving two dead, one missing at sea

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PARIS (AFP) - High winds and heavy rain battered parts of Europe on Monday, leaving at least two people dead and one man lost at sea off France, and disrupting travel two days from Christmas.In Britain a man was found in a swollen river in northwest England where the water was fast flowing, and a lot more water than normal, said Inspector Chis Wright of the Cumbria police, adding: Its fair to say that the weather contributed to the problem.The other victim was a woman swept away in a river in north Wales, police said.Rescue teams late Monday were searching the sea off the northwest French coast about 220 kilometres (135 miles) from Brest where officials say a Russian man fell overboard from a damaged cargo ship.The Atlantic maritime authorities said the man fell into the sea as winds packed nearly 120 kilometres per hour, and swells reached up to seven metres (25 feet).Across Brittany nearly 18,000 homes were without electricity, the French utility ERDF said, and air and rail traffic was disrupted there as well as in neighbouring Normandy.The Met Office, Britains national forecaster, issued amber warnings for rain -- the second most severe level -- for much of the southern half of England and Wales.In all the French weather service has put 23 departments on orange alert -- its second highest level -- for high winds and waves.Around 30 flights from Londons Heathrow airport were cancelled, most of them short-haul routes to Europe.Britains train companies reduced or cancelled some services, with some of the busiest lines, such as the one linking London and Birmingham in central England, forced to operate under speed restrictions because of the conditions.But Eurostar train services linking Britain with France and Belgium were unaffected.However, ferry services across the Channel from France to Britain were cancelled after an alert that gale-force winds would batter the region,The Met Office also warned that flooding was possible in southwest England as heavy rain fell on already saturated ground.In Cornwall, 3,000 homes and businesses were without power after high winds brought down overhead power lines.Rain and winds also battered Ireland, where more than 5,000 telephone landlines were out of order over the weekend due to high winds.The weather was also putting a bit of a damper on some holiday activities ahead of Christmas on Wednesday.Local French officials were advising the organisers of events like Christmas markets and fairgrounds to reinforce any of their temporary installations.In London, Winter Wonderland -- a miniature theme park and Christmas market in Hyde Park -- was forced to close for the day for safety reasons.

Flu vaccine more effective for women than men: study

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The flu vaccine is generally less effective for men than for women, scientists said in a study Monday, tracing the effect to higher levels of testosterone that curb the immune response.It has long been known that men are more vulnerable than women to bacterial, viral and parasitic infections, but scientists have never been able to clearly explain why.It was also known that men dont respond as strongly as women to vaccines against yellow fever, measles and hepatitis, said the authors of the study, which appears in this weeks Proceedings of the American Academy of Sciences.The new research, using samples from 34 men and 53 women, suggested that the cause could be traced to testosterone: only men with higher levels of the sex hormone demonstrated the lower antibody response to the flu vaccine.Among men with lower levels of testosterone, the immune response was more or less equivalent to that of women, said a statement from Stanford University, whose researchers collaborated with others at the French governmental research organization INSERM for the study.Previous studies on animals and in cell-culture experiments had previously suggested a link between testosterone and immune response, which creates inflammation as it battles the invasion of a pathogen.This latest study doesnt indicate a direct link between testosterone and the lowered immune response. Instead, the immune systems reaction was reduced by the activation of a group of genes that are also linked to a higher level of testosterone, explained Mark Davis, immunology professor at Stanford University.The researchers also considered an apparent evolutionary paradox -- wondering how natural selection could favor a hormone responsible both for characteristics such as strength and a taste for taking risks, and for weakening the immune system.They speculated that in prehistoric times, mens roles as hunters and warriors tended to expose them to more wounds and resulting infections.A decent immune response to these infections is an evolutionary advantage, but an overly abundant one -- which can occur in certain diseases including some virulent forms of the flu -- could prove more dangerous than the pathogen itself, they said.Thus, perhaps men with less aggressive immune responses tended to be better able to survive, the researchers said.

Tennis: Spain's Olaso handed five-year match fixing ban

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LONDON (AFP) - Spain's world number 236 Guillermo Olaso was banned for five years and fined $25,000 on Monday after being found guilty of match-fixing.The 25-year-old from Bilbao, who plays on the lower level Challenger and Futures circuits, was sanctioned on three charges under the Uniform Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (UTACP).A spokesman for the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) said that all the offences took place in 2010.The final 18 months of the five-year period of ineligibility will be suspended providing that the player has attended authorised anti-corruption education and rehabilitation programs, that the $25,000 fine has been paid in full by that time and that he commits no further breaches of the UTACP, said a TIU spokesman.The five-year ban applies with immediate effect and means that Mr Olaso is not eligible to participate in any tournament or competition organised or sanctioned by the governing bodies of professional tennis from the date of this statement.Olaso has won 10 titles on the Futures tour but has played only three times on the main ATP Tour.His prize money from his eight-year career is just under $250,000.Olaso is the latest player to fall foul of the sport's corruption rules.In September, Italian teenager Claudia Coppola, who was world number 869 in the women's game at the time, was banned for six months and fined $4,000 on match-fixing charges.In June, Dutchman Yannick Ebbinghaus was suspended for six months for betting illegally on matches while just a few days earlier Russian Sergei Krotiuk was given a life ban for match-fixing.Krotiuk was the third man in two years to receive a life ban for match-fixing following Serbia's David Savic and Austria's Daniel Koellerer who once made 55 in the world rankings.

Football: Arsenal frustrated by Chelsea in goalless stalemate

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LONDON (AFP) - Arsenal missed their chance to return to the top of the Premier League after being held to a bruising 0-0 draw by title rivals Chelsea in a spiteful London derby on Monday.This was the final English top-flight fixture before Christmas, but there was little festive cheer on display at the Emirates Stadium as Chelsea battered Arsenal with a series of bruising challenges.John Obi Mikel was fortunate to avoid a red card after the Chelsea midfielder crunched into Mikel Arteta, while Arsenal also complained they should have had a penalty for Willian's challenge on Theo Walcott.It was a frustrating night for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who failed to secure his first win over Jose Mourinho at the 10th attempt and as a result saw his side waste an opportunity to climb back above leaders Liverpool.Instead, second placed Arsenal go into the Christmas programme level on points with Liverpool but behind the Anfield outfit on goal difference.Chelsea, who moved up to fourth and are two points behind Liverpool, finished the more satisfied side after stifling Arsenal with ease and creating the better of the few chances on offer.We controlled the game defensively. It was a tactical match, a match where neither side wanted to lose, Mourinho said.We want creative players who use the ball and kill opponents. But there are some matches where we have to take one step backwards and play with a different philosophy.Wenger had admitted Arsenal had a point to prove after last weekend's 6-3 thrashing at Manchester City prompted many pundits to question his team's chances of lasting the pace in the title race, but this spluttering performance will hardly silence the doubters.Mourinho sent Chelsea out in a 4-5-1 formation, with Fernando Torres as the lone striker, and that cautious approach worked impressively as Arsenal struggled to find any rhythm.It didn't help that torrential rain and gale-force winds lashed the Emirates throughout the match, making passing something of a lottery.Frank Lampard made a typically intelligent run to meet Cesar Azpilicueta's cross in the early stages, but for once the Chelsea midfielder's clinical finishing deserted him and he scuffed a mistimed effort well wide.Mourinho's men finally cast off their defensive shackles just before the break and almost took the lead when Lampard met Eden Hazard's pass with volley against the crossbar.The ball rebounded to safety, but Arsenal were under the cosh again moments later when Torres tested Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny with a snap-shot on the turn.Wenger was growing increasingly vexed on the touchline and he was furious when referee Mike Dean refused to even book Mikel for his aggressive lunge on Arteta.Mikel's eyes were on the ball when he went into the tackle and Arteta slid in with equal intent, but it was the Chelsea midfielder whose follow-through contained more menace and could easily have left the Spaniard nursing a serious injury.Arsenal's anger increased when they appealed in vain for a penalty after Willian's challenge caught Walcott on the foot without making contact with the ball.Willian squandered a golden opportunity to add to Arsenal's angst when he shot straight at Szczesny after a rapid break caught the hosts out-numbered.Arteta was the victim of another crunching tackle from Ramires, but the Brazilian escaped with just a booking.By now Walcott, usually so mild mannered, had had enough and the winger responded by chopping down Azpilicueta, earning a yellow card of his own.The tone of an already fiery match became ever more combustible after Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic caught Mesut Ozil and then started a bout of shoving with an incensed Kieran Gibbs.Arsenal's Tomas Rosicky sought retribution and went into the book for a crude foul on Ivanovic.It was Arsenal who finished the stronger, with Giroud firing into the side-netting and then forcing Cech to block at his near post.Bacary Sagna's header was cleared off the line by Azpilicueta, but neither side deserved to take the points on an ugly night.

Football: France to play three pre-World Cup friendlies

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PARIS (AFP) - France will play three friendly matches on home soil before departing for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, it was confirmed on Monday.The French Football Federation said that Les Bleus will play games at the Stade de France on May 27, in Nice on June 1 and in Lille on June 8.The names of their opponents will be revealed early in the New Year.Didier Deschamps's squad will get together on May 19 at the national team training centre in Clairefontaine near Paris as they prepare to face Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras in Group E.Their opening game in Brazil will be against Honduras in the southern city of Porto Alegre on June 15.

Football: Iniesta signs with Barca until 2018

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BARCELONA (AFP) - Barcelona's emblematic midfielder Andres Iniesta signed a three-year contract extension with the La Liga leaders Monday, keeping him with the club until at least 2018.Andres Iniesta signed his new contract with FC Barcelona at midday, the club said in a statement.The 29-year-old Spanish international's previous contract was due to run out next year and delays in announcing a new deal had sparked speculation about his future in the club. But Iniesta is now tied to Barcelona until June 2018. After that date, his contract is automatically extended annually if he has played a certain number of matches in the previous season, the club said.Winner of three Champions League trophies with Barcelona in 2006, 2009 and 2011, Iniesta was also key to Spain taking the World Cup in 2010 and being crowned European champions in 2008 and 2012.

Football: Tottenham appoint Sherwood as head coach

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LONDON (AFP) - Tim Sherwood was on Monday appointed head coach of Tottenham with a contract to the end of the 2014-2015 season, the Premier League club announced.Sherwood had been named as interim coach after Andre Villas-Boas was sacked earlier in December following a 5-0 defeat to Liverpool.The 44-year-old Sherwood had overseen a 3-2 over Southampton on Sunday.We were extremely reluctant to make a change mid-season, but felt we had to do so in the club's best interests, said Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.We have a great squad and we owe them a head coach who will bring out the best in them and allow them to flourish and enjoy a strong, exciting finish to the season.We are in the fortunate position of having within our club a talented coach in Tim Sherwood.We believe Tim has both the knowledge and the drive to take the squad forward.
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