Sunday 8 December 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Chuck Hagel to reach Islamabad today

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ISLAMABAD (Agencies) - US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will reach Islamabad today (Monday) for talks as Washington seeks to defuse tensions over controversial US drone strikes and Islamabads role in Afghanistan.In the first visit by a US defence secretary in nearly four years, Hagel will fly from Kabul to Islamabad to meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other top officials, including the countrys new army chief.Ties between Washington and Islamabad have been seriously strained over US drone strikes in Pakistans tribal belt.Secretary Hagel met with Prime Minister Sharif on his visit to Washington earlier this year and looks forward to continuing candid and productive conversations, Pentagon spokesman Carl Woog told reporters on Sunday.The visit was announced as Hagels deputies said NATO shipments out of Afghanistan through Pakistan would resume after the end of anti-drone protests.Hagels spokesman said the defence secretary looked forward to discussing with his counterparts the United States and Pakistans common interest in a stable Afghanistan.Pakistan is seen as crucial to peace in neighbouring Afghanistan as it was a key backer of the hardline 1996-2001 Taliban regime in Kabul and is believed to shelter some of the movements leaders.Hagel was headed to Pakistan after two days in Afghanistan, where he urged the countrys president, Hamid Karzai, to sign a long-delayed security agreement that will allow NATO-led forces to stay in the country after 2014.

SC to resume missing persons case today

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The Supreme Court (SC) will resume the hearing of missing persons case today (Monday).The apex court had ordered Defense Ministry to produce 19 missing persons in the court on Monday.A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will hear the Missing Persons case.During previous hearing, fourteen missing persons were produced before the court.The court will also hear contempt of court notice IG FC today.

Australia win 2nd Ashes test by 218 runs

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ADELAIDE (AFP) - Australia wrapped up a comprehensive 218-run victory over England on Monday to take a 2-0 series lead, leaving them on the brink of reclaiming the Ashes from their fierce rivals.The home team claimed the four remaining wickets in just under an hour on the final morning in Adelaide and are now just one victory away from winning back the famous urn after three consecutive series defeats.It was a second emphatic defeat for England after they lost the first Test in Brisbane by 381 runs and the tourists must regroup before the third match of the series, which starts in Perth on Friday. England have only won once in 12 Tests on the traditionally pacy WACA pitch.I think that something that is most pleasing is we are finally getting some results, said Australian skipper Michael Clarke.But he added: I think we have to be realistic. Thats our second Test win in the past 12 months -- certainly not a record were proud of.Theres a lot of work for us to do to get back to being the number one team in the world and thats our goal.England captain Alastair Cook admitted his side lost the game on the first day when they were guilty of several dropped catches, allowing Australia to pile up an imposing 570 for nine declared.On that first day we had an opportunity to a put a bit of pressure on Australia. We let a few chances go, and they really made us pay for that, he said.Cook said Englands first innings total of 172 was not good enough.You dont get too many chances on good wickets and we had the opportunity then and we didnt take it. I thought that was the main difference.Australia took their chances very well, he said.Its been a tough five days and weve got to look at ourselves, look at our performance and come back stronger, Cook added.Under overcast skies, wicketkeeper Matt Prior showed defiance with 69 off 102 balls, before he became the ninth batsman to go.Peter Siddle finished the best of Australias bowlers with four for 57.Stuart Broad fell to the fifth ball of the final day after losing his battle of wills with Siddle.Broad defiantly pulled Siddles fourth ball for six and then repeated the shot on the next ball only to find Nathan Lyon at deep square leg and fell for 29.Englands Barmy Army supporters attempted to get under Mitchell Johnsons skin, but the paceman, named man of the match for his decisive seven wickets in the first innings, ignored them and instead peppered Prior with a couple of short-pitched deliveries.Prior saw off Johnson and was looking to reprise his fighting unbeaten 110 off 182 balls to bat England to a draw in the third Test against New Zealand in March.The wicketkeeper reached his 27th Test half-century off 88 balls with a pulled shot to the boundary off Siddle and he was severe with Johnson.Graeme Swann was caught at second slip off Ryan Harris for six with the England spinner swinging his bat angrily at the stumps for playing at a ball he should have let go.And Priors resistance ended when he fell hooking Siddle to Lyon on the boundary rope.Monty Panesar was the last England wicket to fall, hitting to Chris Rogers at short extra cover to give Harris his third scalp of the innings.

Karachi: Alleged target killer arrested

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, an alleged target killer has been arrested after a police encounter in Sohrab Goth area.According to SSP Malir, Imran Shoukat, police have also recovered a 30 bore pistol from the accused. He further informed that the accused was also wanted in a case of firing on police in 2011 and other heinous crimes.

Bombings kill 39 in and around Iraqi capital

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BAGHDAD (AP) - At least 11 explosions tore through predominantly Shiite Muslim areas in and around the Iraqi capital on Sunday, killing at least 39 people at crowded market places, commercial districts and car repair shops, officials said.The attacks are part of a wave of violence that has washed across Iraq since a deadly security crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in April. Since then, the bloodshed has reached heights unseen since the country teetered on the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Sundays attacks, but insurgent groups frequently target civilians in cafes and public areas of Shiite neighborhoods in an attempt to undermine confidence in the Shiite-led government and stir up Iraqs already simmering sectarian tensions.The deadliest attack took place in the mostly Shiite neighborhood of Baiyaa, where a car bomb exploded inside an auto shop, killing seven people and wounding 14 others, police said.Another car bomb in a commercial street in downtown Baghdad killed four more people, while in the eastern Ghadeer district another car bomb near a government tax office killed six people and wounded 22, authorities said.In the Husseiniyah neighborhood, a car bombing near a restaurant killed three people and wounded 13. Another car bomb near a small market in Baghdads Shiite slum of Sadr City killed two, while a blast in a crowded marketplace in the primarily Shiite neighborhood of Amil killed five more. And in the Shiiite district of al-Ameen, a car bomb in a commercial street killed two and wounding five.Another bomber struck the Sunni neighborhood of Radhwaniya, hitting a row of shops and killing two people and wounding eight, police said. In the Taji area just north of the capital, a car bomb near an auto repair shop killed three more people, said police.Police said four people were killed and 11 others were wounded when a car bomb went off near a line of shops in the Shiite village of Sabaa al-Bour, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Baghdad.Also, an off-duty army officer was killed when a sticky bomb attached to his car exploded as he was driving near his house in Madain town, just south of Baghdad, police said.Saad Maan Ibrahim, an Interior Ministry spokesman said todays attacks bear the hallmark of al-Qaidas Iraqi branch.Al-Qaida terrorists have been attacking soft targets because they are not able to confront our security forces, Ibrahim said. They want to send a message that they are still strong.Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures for all attacks. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.At least 127 people have died in attacks in Iraq so far this month, according to an Associated Press count.

At least 53 world leaders to attend Mandela funeral

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JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Fifty-three heads of state and government have so far confirmed attendance at upcoming memorial events for peace icon Nelson Mandela, South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said Sunday.The dignitaries will include US President Barack Obama, along with three former American presidents, Brazilian leader Dilma Rousseff, French President Francois Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron.There has been unprecedented interest to attend the statesmans funeral week after he died Thursday night, Nkoana-Mashabane told a news conference in Johannesburg.Many leaders will attend a memorial service Tuesday at the Soccer City stadium, where Mandela made his last major public appearance during the 2010 football World Cup.A smaller group would travel to the Nobel peace laureates rural childhood village Qunu for his funeral service and burial next Sunday.Scores of dignitaries are also expected to attend, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Kofi Annan, Martti Ahtisaari, Lakhdar Brahimi, Mary Robinson.Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey and singer-activist Bono, as well as Richard Branson and Peter Gabriel are expected to be among the celebrity mourners.Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and Britains Prince Charles, representing Queen Elizabeth II, will also attend.

Iran nuclear talks in Vienna today

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TEHRAN (AFP) - Experts from Iran and the six major powers overseeing a landmark interim nuclear agreement will meet Monday in Vienna to discuss its implementation with UN inspectors, an Iranian negotiator said.On Monday, we will have another expert-level meeting with the six countries and (EU foreign policy chief Catherine) Ashtons team, Irans lead negotiator Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying Sunday by the ISNA news agency.Representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is supervising the implementation of the agreement, will also be present, he said.In November, Iran and the so-called P51 -- the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany -- reached a historic agreement in which Tehran is to curb its controversial nuclear activities in exchange for limited sanctions relief.The accord was aimed at buying time for a comprehensive agreement to reassure Western nations that Irans nuclear programme is not aimed at developing atomic weapons. Tehran has always insisted its programme is entirely peaceful.The IAEA does not have a permanent presence in Iran but regularly inspects several sensitive nuclear sites.Araqchi said Iranian banking and sanctions experts would also be present at the meeting, adding that several such meetings will be held over the next six months so that the Geneva deal can hopefully achieve its objectives.Under the six-month interim deal, Iran agreed to limit its uranium enrichment to the five percent level required for civilian power plants.It also agreed to dilute or oxidise its entire supply of 20 percent enriched uranium, which is a major source of concern in the West because it is much closer to the more than 90 percent level required for a weapon.In return, the P51 agreed to some $7 billion of temporary and reversible sanctions relief, while leaving the bulk of sanctions -- including crippling limits on Irans oil and banking sector -- in place.

Ukraine protesters topple Lenin statue in Kiev: police

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KIEV (AFP) - Ukrainians protesting against the governments rejection of a key pact with the European Union on Sunday toppled the statue of Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin in central Kiev, police said.People in masks toppled the statue of Lenin, a police spokeswoman told AFP, saying they brandished the flag of Ukraines nationalist Freedom Party and threw flares. Lenin, the founder of the Soviet state, is a figure of hate for Ukrainian nationalists.Television pictures showed the empty plinth of the Lenin statue on Bessarabia Square surrounded by jubilant protesters who hacked away with axes at the remnants of the monument lying flat on the ground. Reports said the statues head had already been decapitated.Parts of the statue were then brought to the main demonstration on Independence Square where speakers triumphantly brandished a massive hand of the Lenin figure.The red granite, 3.45 metre (11 feet) high statue had first been erected in December 1946 just after World War II ended.Leading opposition lawmaker Andriy Shevchenko said that the toppling of the statue had not been an initiative of the opposition leaders on Independence Square. We can say that people organised themselves, he said.

Football: Arsenal face Spurs in FA Cup third round

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LONDON (AFP) - Premier League leaders Arsenal will face arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the pick of next months FA Cup third round ties after the north London duo were drawn against one another on Sunday.Between them the clubs have won the FA Cup 18 times, although Arsenal havent lifted the trophy since 2005 -- their last major piece of silverware -- while the last of Spurs eight Cup final wins was in 1991.Weve not had enough tough games, so they gave us another one, joked Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger when discussing the draw following the Gunners 1-1 league draw with Everton at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.So far this season the capital clubs have met just once, with Arsenal enjoying a 1-0 Premier League win over Spurs at the Emirates in September thanks to a goal from French striker Olivier Giroud.Manchester United, the only side to have won the FA Cup more times than the London duo, are also involved in all Premier League tie at home to Swansea.United have won the FA Cup 11 times but the last was back in 2004 and Saturdays Premier League defeat by Newcastle meant theyd lost five times in 15 matches under new manager David Moyes.The other all Premier League ties pit Norwich against Fulham, with Newcastle at home to Cardiff and West Brom welcoming Crystal Palace to the Hawthorns.FA Cup holders Wigan, now in the second-tier Championship following relegation last season, begin their defence against MK Dons while Manchester City, last seasons beaten finalists, travel to nearby Blackburn Rovers.Liverpool, who went second in the Premier League after a 4-1 win over West Ham on Saturday, could face Oldham -- the team that knocked them out of the Cup last season -- if the Latics overcome Mansfield in their second round replay.Meanwhile the top three teams in the second-tier Championship have all been drawn way to Premier League opponents, with leaders Burnley at Southampton, second-placed QPR travelling to Everton and Leicester, currently third, facing Stoke.Derby, fourth in the Championship, face a daunting home tie against a Chelsea side looking to win the FA Cup for the fifth time in eight seasons.In other ties involving Premier League clubs, West Ham are away to Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa face Sheffield United, Middlesbrough meet Hull and bottom-of-the-table Sunderland are at home to Carlisle.Another notable tie sees Bolton Wanderers at home to Blackpool, a repeat of the Matthews final of 1953 where Blackpools 4-3 victory at Wembley gave English football great Stanley Matthews his lone FA Cup winners medal.Ties will be played on the weekend of January 4-5.

Fulham beat Aston Villa 2-0 in Premier League

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LONDON (AP) - Relegation-threatened Fulham ended a seven-game losing streak as Steve Sidwell and Dimitar Berbatov scored first-half goals in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.After a minutes applause at Craven Cottage for former South African President Nelson Mandela who died Thursday, Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan pushed Berbatovs header onto the bar but was powerless when Sidwell flicked the ball from a tight angle to open the scoring in the 21st minute.Berbatov then calmly scored from the penalty spot for his second league goal this season after Alexander Kacaniklic was fouled by Leandro Bacuna in the box.It was Fulhams first win since new manager Rene Meulensteen was appointed as a replacement for the sacked Martin Jol.

Tennis: Sharapova happy with 'baby step' return

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BOGOTA (AFP) - Maria Sharapova described her comeback after a four-month injury absence as a baby step forward in her recovery.The four-time major winner took on 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic in an exhibition match in Bogota as she tests the injured shoulder which forced her to call time on her 2013 season after a first round loss in Cincinnati in August.After months of not competing, tonight was a baby step forward I missed this so muchThank you Colombia for such a warm welcome. imback, tweeted the Russian superstar on Sunday.Sharapova lost the match 6-1, 1-6, 12-10 to the Serb.The right shoulder injury forced the 26-year-old world number four to miss the US Open as well as the season-ending WTA Championships.Sharapova is due to make her competitive return at the Brisbane International from December 30.

Golf: Johnson beats Woods in World Challenge playoff

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THOUSAND OAKS (AFP) - Zach Johnson salvaged a stunning par at the 72nd hole then beat world number one Tiger Woods at the first playoff hole of the $3.5 million World Challenge on Sunday.Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion, denied the world number one a sixth victory in the unofficial tournament he hosts for the benefit of his charitable foundation.After appearing to drown his chances by hitting his second shot into the water at the final hole of regulation, Johnson holed his shot from the drop area 65 yards out to make par and complete a four-under 68.Woods parred the 72nd hole from a greenside bunker to cap a two-under 70 that left him tied with Johnson on 13-under 275.Johnson parred the first playoff hole as Woods -- in the bunker again -- missed a five-footer to extend the playoff.Woods started the day with a two-shot lead over Johnson and led by four after Johnson bogeyed the 10th.Johnson bounced back with birdies at 11 and 12, and when Woods bogeyed 14 the lead was down to one.After both birdied 16, Johnson birdied 17 to send them to the 18th tee tied for the lead.Johnson was safely in the fairway as Woods was in the rough off the tee. From a difficult hillside lie he found a bunker below the elevated green.Johnson, however, then hit into the water. He could only laugh when his shot from the drop area took a couple of small hops and spun into the cup.

Jesse Owens Olympic gold medal sells for $1.4M

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LAGUNA NIGUEL (AP) - An Olympic gold medal won by Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Games has sold for a record $1.4 million in an online auction.SCP Auctions said Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle paid $1,466,574, the highest price for a piece of Olympic memorabilia. The online auction ended Sunday.We just hope that its purchased by an institution where the public could have access to it, a museum or something like that, Owens daughter, Marlene Owens Rankin of Chicago, told The Associated Press before the sale.The auction house said Burkle, who also owns William Faulkners 1949 Nobel Prize for literature medal, has plans for an educational tour of the historic pieces. He wasnt available for comment Sunday.The Los Angeles billionaire investors holdings include retail, food and entertainment companies, including the National Hockey League team.Owens won gold in the 100- and 200-meters, 400 relay and long jump at the games attended by Adolf Hitler, who used the Olympics to showcase his ideas of Aryan racial supremacy only to watch African-American athletes dominate the track and field events.According to the auction house based in Laguna Niguel, California, the medal is unidentifiable to a specific event. It said Owens gave the medal to his friend, dancer and movie star Bill Bojangles Robinson, as thanks for helping Owens find work in entertainment after he returned from Berlin.The medal was sold by the estate of Robinsons late widow, Elaine Plaines-Robinson. SCP Auctions Vice President Dan Imler said the Owens family confirmed the medal is original; the whereabouts of the other three is unknown.A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the medal will be donated to the Jesse Owens Foundation. The Robinson family had declined to comment on the auction, but Imler said they also plan to use the proceeds to pay college tuition.Last month, IOC President Thomas Bach told the AP that the Owens medal is a part of world heritage.(It has) an importance far beyond the sporting achievements of Jesse Owens, which is part of world history, Bach said. To put this up for an auction is for me a very difficult decision (to accept).The record price for the Owens medal surpassed that of a silver cup awarded to the winner of the first modern-day Olympic marathon in 1896 that sold for $865,000 in April 2012. It also topped the highest price paid for a U.S. Olympic item the Miracle on Ice jersey worn by ice hockey team captain Mike Eruzione in 1980 that sold for $657,250 last February.We are honored to have handled what we consider to be among the most inspiring sports artifacts ever offered at auction, Imler said. The worldwide attention garnered by the auction of Jesse Owens 1936 gold medal and the extraordinary auction result proves that Owens triumphant legacy continues to endure.The auction, including more than 1,000 sports memorabilia items, brought in a total of nearly $4.5 million.Other top lots included Jackie Robinsons game-used bats from his historic 1949 National League Most Valuable Player season and the 1955 World Series, which sold for $183,500 and $128,617, respectively; and a Jackie Robinson single-signed baseball attracted a record bid of $104,765.Robinson became the first black player in U.S. Major League Baseball when made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

Saudi, China scientists decode date-palm tree DNA

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RIYADH (AFP) - Scientists from Saudi Arabia and China said on Sunday they have completed mapping the genome of the date-palm tree, whose fruit is a staple food in many regions.Scientists from Riyadhs King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology and Chinas Shenzhen-based BGI have been working on the project since 2008.The sequencing could help increase productivity as well as prevent and help in the treatment of diseases affecting date palms, Saudi research institute head Mohammed al-Suwail told reporters.The palm is widely cultivated in the Middle East and North Africa.Saudi Arabia has 450 varieties of the 2,000 species known worldwide, according to scientists.There are about 100 million date palms in the world, of which 10 percent are in Saudi Arabia, which contributes 14 percent of the world production of dates.In 2010, 20 scientists from both centres decoded the entire genetic makeup of the single-humped camel, camelus dromedarius, the omnipresent native of the Arabian peninsula.Unlocking the genetics underpinning the camels immune system could lead to potential medical discoveries, and the genome data can also help scientists understand better how the mammal produces its highly nutritious and medically valuable milk.

Windies pull team out of Bangladesh after bomb blast

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ST. JOHNS (AFP) - West Indies on Sunday withdrew their Under-19 national cricket team from a tour of Bangladesh after a bomb explosion in the port city of Chittagong sparked fears over the squads safety and security.Police said a small device went off during a nationwide strike on Saturday evening outside Hotel Agrabad in Bangladeshs second largest city where the visiting team were staying.Although there were no injuries in the incident, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) decided to withdraw their squad after considering a report from their security manager Paul Slowe, a statement said.The report emphasized that the current security environment in Bangladesh is not conducive to the playing of cricket in light of the 72 hours nationwide blockade and calls for countrywide dawn to dusk protest, said the WICB.The State Department of the United States of America has also issued a travel alert to its citizens living in and travelling to Bangladesh.Travel arrangements are being made to allow for the teams return to the Caribbean as quickly as possible. The team will remain safely accommodated at the team hotel under adequate security protection until departure from Bangladesh.Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials had held a series of meetings with the visitors Sunday morning in an effort to reassure their visitors.Weve assured them of stepped-up security and they are now convinced, BCB director Akram Khan told AFP earlier in the day in Dhaka.The explosion came during a nationwide transport blockade called by the countrys 18-party opposition alliance, which is demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and polls under a neutral government.At least 70 people have died in the violence triggered by the protests since late October. They include several people hit by small bombs.Crippling blockade and strikes have paralysed much of the country, forcing suspension of bus, lorry, ferry and train services.Bangladesh is due to host the 2014 World Twenty20 championship in March and April next year with Chittagong, Dhaka and Sylhet all scheduled to host matches.
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