Friday 31 January 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Dense fog blankets several cities of Punjab

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - Dense fog Thursday continued to blanket different cities of Punjab including Lahore, Gujranwala and affected schedule of several international and domestic flights.The thick fog badly disrupted the schedule of national and private airlines after which the Allama Iqbal Airport had been closed. All departing flights were delayed and the incoming flights were diverted to other airports.Fog has also affected road traffic as the visibility level lowered. Motorway from Lahore to Pindi Bhatian has been closed for all kind of traffic due to low visibility. The Motorway Police have advised the drivers to drive at a low speed and keep the fog lights on.According to Met Office, the foggy spell is likely to continue for the next few days.

Peace Committee gets open mandate for talks with Taliban

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ISLAMABAD (APP): Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif here on Friday gave “open mandate” to the four member peace committee for starting negotiations with Tehrik- e- Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Advisor to Prime Minister on National Affairs Irfan Siddiqui who is coordinator of the committee said during a press conference here that the committee was expecting that Taliban Shura would meet soon and announce a negotiation team for holding peace talks with it. “We are seriously waiting for start of a meaningful and result oriented dialogue, ”he added. The committee held its first formal 45 minute long meeting with the Prime Minister early Friday Monday. The Prime Minister set up the committee while speaking in National Assembly last Wednesday.The committee comprises PM’s Advisor on National Affairs Irfan Siddiqui, Major (Retd) Aamir, renowned journalist Rahimullah Yousafzai and Rustam Shah Mohmand, former Ambassador to Afghanistan and expert on Afghanistan affairs. Irfan Siddiqui told reporters that the committee would now look for a response from Taliban and is ready to meet their representatives at any place which is decided.“We do not want to waste time and want to listen to the Taliban’s stance and have them listen to ours.”Irfan Siddiqui said the Prime Minister told the committee about the efforts made by him for holding talks with Taliban to restore peace and end terrorism which has negative impact on economy and society. The Prime Minister said he would be available for meeting the committee any time. Federal Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was also present during the meeting.Later, the committee held its second meeting at Prime Minister House during which the Interior Minister informed it in detail about the efforts made by the government at different stages to begin negotiations with Taliban.The meeting then held its third meeting in the office of Advisor to Prime Minister Iran Siddiqui and took some decisions.Siddiqui said the committee is enjoying confidence of all parties in the parliament, media and all segments of the public opinion.To a question, he said he was expecting that the committee’s work will span over weeks and months and it would not take years.Expressing optimism about the prospects of talks, he said outcome of talks will rest on what the Taliban say and what is their agenda.He said the talks with Taliban would not be based on any conditions, however members of the committee understood what the Prime Minister, government and parties had been saying.Taliban have also so far did not objected over the committee or its members, he noted.In a written statement, the committee appealed to the government ministers, officials and Taliban to avoid making statements which have a negative effect on the negotiation process.Irfan Siddiqui said the committee has decided that whenever it will feel the need it will seek help of influential people from different walks of life in an effort to make the negotiation process successful.He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was fully onboard on the issue of formation of committee and Rustam Shah Mohmand had been nominated by it as its representative.He told that Governor KP also talked to him on phone and assured of his full cooperation to the committee.

UN sets sights on fresh Syria talks from February 10

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GENEVA (AFP) - The UN aims to bring Syria's warring sides back to the negotiating table from February 10, mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said Friday, despite a regime vow not to give any ground.I suggested we resume, on the basis of an agreed agenda, on February 10, Brahimi told reporters after a week of closed-door negotiations wrapped up.The delegation of the opposition agreed to this date. That of the government said they needed to consult with Damascus first.Getting the rival camps to sit down for the first time in almost three years of fighting has been seen as a triumph in itself for Brahimi, a veteran peacemakers.Progress is very slow indeed, but the sides have engaged in an acceptable manner, Brahimi said. This is a very modest beginning, but it is a beginning on which we can build.The gaps between the sides remain wide. There is no use pretending otherwise. Nevertheless, during our discussions, I observed a little bit of common ground, perhaps more than the two sides realise or recognise.As the foes sought to breach the gaping chasm between them, nearly 1,900 people perished since the start of the talks, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday in a stark reminder of the situation on the ground.The Syrian regime kept a combative tone as the talks with the opposition National Coalition drew to a close.Neither in this round, nor in the next will they obtain any concessions from the Syrian delegation, Information Minister Omran al-Zohbi told pro-regime demonstrators outside the UN's European headquarters in Geneva where the talks were held.They will not get through politics what they couldn't get through force, Zohbi insisted, as the applauding 250-strong crowd waved a huge Syrian flag and brandished pictures of President Bashar al-Assad.Zohbi said his no surrender message was not only for the rebels, whom he accused of terrorism, but also for their allies in Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and anti-Assad groups in Lebanon.Asked about Zohbi's remarks, the 80-year-old Brahimi quipped: I hope he'll change his mindThe Algerian veteran mediator has suggested the talks resume on February 10.

Kerry warns Syria of consequences on chemical weapons

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BERLIN (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad he could face consequences for failing to live up to international agreements on removing his chemical weapons stockpile.Kerry told reporters ahead of talks in Berlin with Chancellor Angela Merkel that Damascus was not complying with a US-Russian agreed timetable for shipping out the arsenal.We now know that the Assad regime is not moving as rapidly as it promised to move the chemical weapons out of Syria, he said.I would remind Bashar al-Assad that the agreement that we reached in New York with the (UN) Security Council makes it clear that if there are issues of non-compliance, they will be referred to the Security Council for Chapter 7 compliance purposes.The United States and Russia agreed a deal last September to eliminate Syrias chemical weapons.The accord included a commitment to imposing measures under Chapter 7 within the UN Security Council, referring to a UN article which sets out possible sanctions including the threat of military force.The agreement was brokered as a way to avert US missile strikes that Washington threatened after a chemical attack near Damascus that the US and other Western governments blamed on the regime.Kerry said Syria must respect a global, legal, international obligation it made.Our hope is that Syria will move rapidly to live up to its obligations, Kerry said.He said the civil war in the country was destabilising the entire region.The world is witnessing human catastrophe unfolding in front of our eyes every single day, he said.The worlds chemical watchdog said Wednesday that Damascus had handed over less than five percent of the most dangerous chemicals in its armoury.The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons based in The Hague called Friday for Syria to pick up the pace in shipping out the stockpile.Just two small shipments of chemicals have so far left the Syrian port of Latakia, accounting for less than four percent of the countrys declared arsenal of most dangerous chemicals, the US government said this week.Around 700 tonnes of chemicals were supposed to have left Syria by December 31, putting the ambitious disarmament project weeks behind schedule.

Formula One: Alonso fastest as Mercedes pile on the miles

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JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA (AFP) - Ferraris Fernando Alonso gave the home fans something to cheer about on Friday as he was fastest on the fourth and final morning of pre-season testing in Jerez, southern Spain.In wet conditions following heavy overnight rain, the Spaniard posted a best time of 1min 35.334secs from 55 laps.Germanys Nico Rosberg was second fastest as he continued to give the Mercedes W05 a thorough workout, completing 91 laps in little over three hours to take the teams overall count past 250 for the week.McLarens Kevin Magnussen also built on his impressive start as, after going fastest on his first run with the team on Thursday afternoon, he was down in third after getting another 43 laps under his belt.However, there was no end in sight to reigning double world champions Red Bulls issues as Australian Daniel Ricciardo could only manage seven laps early in the day to take their tally to the week to just 21.The problems at Red Bull have been reflected across all the teams using Renault engines as Toro Rosso and Caterham have also struggled this week, whilst Lotus didnt even make it to Jerez due to delays in delivering their car for the new season.Japanese driver Kamui Kobyashi did, though, manage to get through 42 laps in his first experience of driving the Caterham as he returns to the sport after a year out in 2013.

Golf: McIlroy holds on to lead in Dubai

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DUBAI (AFP) - Rory McIlroy endured a frustrating day on the greens at the Dubai Desert Classic on Friday, but he still reached the tournaments halfway stage with a one-stroke lead.The Ulsterman struggled off the tees early on in his second round, but by the turn he had briefly eased three strokes clear of the field, only for his putting woes and a charge by rising US star Brooks Koepka to keep him in check.McIlroy had a 70 to stand at 11-under 133, with Koepka, a year younger than McIlroy at 23, equalling the days best round of 65 to get to 10 under.It was a round that could have been much better. Still, shooting a couple under par and finishing with a nice birdie the way I did.Im leading the golf tournament. Ive been in this position before and Ive gone on to win, McIlroy said.Three strokes off the pace on eight under came Damien McGrane (70) of Ireland, Englishman Danny Willett (65) and Julien Quesne of France (70).Defending champion Stephen Gallacher of Scotland (71) and European number one Henrik Stenson of Sweden (67) were among those on seven under.It was another disappointing day for Tiger Woods, who struggled with the putter all the way en route to a 73, which left him eight shots adrift of playing partner McIlroy and well down the field.Looking to make it two wins and a second place in his last three tournaments, McIlroy had the luxury of taking the morning off watching to see whether anyone could overhaul him after his stunning nine-under 63 on Thursday.Several challengers came and went, especially McGrane, Willett and Italian Ryder Cup star Edoardo Molinari.But no-one was able to dislodge McIlroy from the lead.For a brief moment it looked like he would do that all by himself as he started his second round with three wayward drives.He dropped one at the first, but scrambled to save par at the second, and a superb bunker shot at the par-five third gave him a birdie as he got back to nine under.Watched by wife-to-be, tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, McIlroy then birdied the fifth and the seventh to increase his lead at the top to three shots.But just when it looked like he was about to clamp a serious stranglehold on a tournament which was his first triumph as a professional in 2009, McIlroy let it briefly slip - missing a two-footer for par at the 13th and erring off the tee at the 16th.Koepka, who opted to play on the European Tour Challenger circuit after graduating from his US college in May, 2012, was flawless with seven bogeys in his 65.It reminds me a lot of American courses, the Floridian said. Its weird, its a course set up for a drawer and I fade the ball. So its a little tougher for me, but Ive been playing well so I cant complain.Woods, playing in his second tournament of the year after missing the final cut at Torrey Pines last week, never looked like getting fully into his stride, despite an encouraging birdie at the third.Bogeys at six and nine set him back and from there on in he was unable to get any momentum going in a tournament he has twice won.I just didnt hit it close enough. Didnt hit it well. Struggled with it and had a bad warm-up as well, and just one of those days, he said.World number three Stenson moved ominously up the leaderboard as he recovered from a horror start to Thursdays opening round when he was three over after just five holes.The big Swede had five birdies in his 67 that hoisted him up the leaderboard at seven under on a course he knows as well as anyone.Ive played a lot of golf around here and you know where to go and where not to. Theres not too many courses I know better that the Majlis, he said.Three-time former winner Ernie Els was also in better nick with a 70, but at level par for the tournament, the South African was just outside the projected cut mark.

Oil prices drop after US-inspired rally

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LONDON (AFP) - Oil prices fell Friday on profit-taking, after hitting the highest levels of the year on data showing the US economy grew more than expected in the fourth quarter.New Yorks main contract West Texas Intermediate for delivery in March fell 35 cents to $97.88 a barrel.Brent North Sea crude for March stood at $107.22 a barrel in London morning trade, down 73 cents from Thursdays closing level.Trade was light with most Asian markets closed for the Lunar New Year holiday.Prices had jumped on Thursday after the US Commerce Department said the worlds number one economy -- and biggest crude consumer -- expanded 3.2 percent in October-December.That was much better than the 3.0 percent predicted by analysts.Adding to the upbeat data was a 3.3-percent rise in consumer spending, which is a crucial driver of growth in the United States, suggesting demand for crude could pick up.Akio Shibata, president of Japans National Resource Research Institute, said oil prices will likely remain at relatively high levels for some time to come as demand will grow on the backdrop of a strong US economy.

Government withdraws appeal against PCB chief

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ISLAMABAD (AFP) - The legal saga dogging Pakistani cricket administration took a fresh turn on Friday as the government withdrew its challenge to the reinstatement of the games ousted chief.Earlier this month an appeal court restored Zaka Ashraf as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, eight months after another court had thrown him out over election irregularities.The government challenged his reinstatement in the Supreme Court but withdrew its appeal on Friday.Irfanullah Khan, a government lawyer, said Fridays move came after judges indicated the government had the power to replace Ashraf if they wished, without the need for a court ruling.We have withdrawn our appeal against Ashrafs reinstatement, Khan told AFP.As per law the government can exercise its powers (to appoint a new chairman) without prejudicing the orders of the Islamabad high court.Ashrafs suspension in May last year triggered a slew of legal hearings and appeals.Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed veteran journalist Najam Sethi as PCB chairman but he too fell foul of the courts, with another judgment severely curtailing his powers.Critics said the turmoil was damaging the game at a time when Pakistani cricket needs strong leadership as it tries to persuade foreign teams to tour again after a long hiatus over security fears.Ashrafs lawyer Karim Kundi, however, ruled out his clients removal.Under the PCB constitution, the patron can only remove Ashraf on three counts: one that there are financial irregularities in the board, two that the PCB has become dysfunctional and third that there are sufficient evidence to back the first two causes, Kundi told AFP.The PCB has suffered regular bouts of institutional uproar since its inception in 1948.

Cricket: Australia too strong for England to take T20 series

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MELBOURNE (AFP) - Australia continued Englands miserable tour with an emphatic eight-wicket victory to claim the Twenty20 series with a match to spare at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.England only posted 130 for nine after winning the toss and the home side coasted to victory with 5.1 overs left at 131 for two.Skipper George Bailey clubbed an unbeaten 60 off just 28 balls with three sixes and seven fours, while opener Cameron White continued his magnificent series with 57 not out off 45 balls.England will finish their troubled tour of Australia in Sydney on Sunday in the final dead rubber T20 game after losing the Ashes 5-0 and the one-day series 4-1.Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was named man-of-the-match with career-best T20 figures of four for 30 in Englands innings, including two wickets with his last two balls.Australia outplayed us fantastically today. They held length pretty well and we didnt react to that and the two needless run-outs hurt us in the middle which cost us getting a decent score, England skipper Stuart Broad said.We need to get some momentum from somewhere. Its been a long tour, its been a long 100 days in Australia and it would be nice to finish with a win.We have not (win) a series over here which is heart-breaking for Team England, but we can finish on a high before we fly two hours later.Australian captain Bailey said his sides bowlers had set up the win.Bailey paid credit to Hazlewood and also 20-year-old leg-spinner James Muirhead (1-17 off 4 overs).James Muirhead bowled absolutely beautifully, Bailey said.White posted his second successive half-century in his first T20 International series since October 2012 in a follow-up to his 75 in Wednesdays opening T20 match in Hobart.England won the toss and batted but struggled on a slow-paced pitch, with wicketkeeper Jos Buttler topscoring with 22 off 27 balls.Opener Michael Lumb was out for 18 in the fourth over, caught at mid-on, and Luke Wright fell for a duck in the following over after recalled veteran Brad Hodge took a great catch at cover.Left-arm paceman Mitchell Starc held a difficult chance at third man to remove Alex Hales for 16, as Hazlewood claimed his second victim.England lost four wickets in four overs when the 39-year-old Hodge threw the stumps down from cover to beat the dive of Eoin Morgan (six).Australias fielding was at its athletic best when Glenn Maxwell at mid-wicket threw to the bowlers end to run out Joe Root for 18 at 63 for five.Muirhead enticed Ravi Bopara (six) to slog/sweep a catch to the leg-side boundary, and Nathan Coulter-Nile trapped Buttler leg before wicket 96 for seven.Muirhead and Starc (1-19), in his first international game for the summer, were economical.Tailenders Tim Bresnan (18) and Broad (18 not out) added a 34-run partnership for the eighth wicket.Hazlewood bowled Bresnan and James Tredwell (0) with the last two deliveries of the innings.

Cricket: India fail again against Black Caps

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WELLINGTON (AFP) - A Ross Taylor-inspired New Zealand crushed India by 87 runs in the fifth and final one-day international in Wellington on Friday to extend the tourists' miserable run against the Black Caps.India could manage only 216 in reply to New Zealand's 303 for five, slumping to a 4-0 series loss despite a battling 82 from Virat Kohli.Veteran batsman Taylor blazed his second successive century to set India the imposing run chase before seamer Matt Henry skittled the world champions' top order in a dream debut, claiming four for 38.The result completes New Zealand's best one-day winning streak against India in 33 years and provides a huge psychological boost ahead of a two-Test series next month.Meanwhile, India's failure to perform against modest opposition has seen them ousted from top spot in the one-day rankings by Australia, and will raise questions about their form away from home ahead of next year's World Cup.Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the result was disappointing but showed opposition teams were targeting India because of their recent success.It's a phase that we're going through but what will be crucial is what kind of solutions we have got, how we plan to get out of it, he said, adding that he was determined to stay positive despite the defeat.Taylor, fresh from an unbeaten 112 in the fourth match, laid the foundations for victory with a commanding 102, receiving able support from Kane Williamson (88), who has posted a half-century in every match of the series.Dhoni urged his pacemen to use their brains after losing the fourth match on Tuesday, and the new-ball pair of Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar initially responded to the challenge.Shami began with two maidens, while Kumar showed improved accuracy as the New Zealanders were restricted to just 10 runs in the first five overs.The hard work paid off when Jesse Ryder (17) snicked an outside edge from Kumar to Ajinkya Rahane at gully and Martin Guptill was out for 16 after hitting the ball straight to Shami, who took the chance after a nervous juggle.That brought the in-form partnership of Williamson and Taylor together and they immediately lifted the glacial run rate, scoring more boundaries in their first three overs at the crease than New Zealand managed in the previous 12.They brought up their third century partnership of the series in 108 balls, with Williamson reaching his fifth consecutive 50 in the 30th over.Taylor notched his own half century a few balls later as the pressure India had painstakingly built early in the innings dissipated.Williamson departed on 88 when he sliced a Varun Aaron delivery to Rahane at point and was replaced by Brendon McCullum, who provided a useful 23 off 18 balls before he was caught at cover trying to drive Kohli.Taylor brought up his 10th ODI century after 105 balls with a boundary hit through mid-wicket, but was out next ball attempting to belt Shami over the boundary.Jimmy Neesham contributed an unbeaten 34 off 19 balls to take New Zealand past 300, a mark that India's batsmen reached only once in the series.India's top order again threw away their wickets cheaply, with Rohit Sharma dismissed for four by Kyle Mills and Henry coaxing an edge from Shikhar Dhawan (9) in his second over of international cricket.The Canterbury seamer then followed up by trapping Rahane lbw for two and had Ambati Rayudu caught at gully for 20.India's run chase effectively ended when Kohli holed out charging Nathan McCullum in the 37th over, with skipper Dhoni (47) the only other batsman to fire.

Judge spares Spanish princess a walk to fraud hearing

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MADRID (AFP) - A Spanish judge ruled Friday that King Juan Carlos youngest daughter Cristina may drive to court for a fraud hearing, rather than endure a walk under the gaze of the worlds media.It is not clear, however, if the 48-year-old Cristina will take advantage of the ruling, issued strictly on security grounds, when she heads to the Palma de Mallorca court on the morning of February 8.Judge Juan Castros decision, which is in line with police advice, allows the princess to drive all the way to the court rather than walking the last steps from the main street to the door of the court.Cristina will be the first direct member of the Spanish royal family in modern times to face court as a suspect when she answers the summons in a scandal that has plunged the royals into crisis.Lawyers defending the princess, known as the Infanta, insist she is innocent of accusations of tax fraud and money-laundering.The case is linked to the business affairs of Cristinas husband, former Olympic handball player Inaki Urdangarin, who is himself under investigation for alleged embezzlement of public funds.Cristina has been made a formal suspect in the case, but neither she nor Urdangarin have so far been charged with any crime.Urdangarin has testified twice at the court in the past two years. Despite a court ruling allowing him to drive to the entrance, he chose each time to walk the final steps, in the same way as any other suspect.The fraud scandal has been a major blow to the royal familys prestige.King Juan Carlos, 76, had long been respected for helping guide Spain to democracy after the death in 1975 of General Francisco Franco.But the fraud case, as well as outrage over a luxury African elephant hunting safari he took in 2012 as his subjects suffered in a recession, have damaged his reputation.

Lahore Basant: Kite-flying ban reinstated

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LAHORE: (Dunya News) – Punjab government has resolved to again place a ban on flying kites in Lahore owing to the reports of usage of chemical threads. Other activities of Basant Festival will take place as announced at Changa Manga forest in Lahore.Earlier this month, Punjab government had announced to hold Basant festival at Changa Manga forest in Lahore from February 21 till March 5; formal notification in this regard had already been issued.Punjab government had also assigned the task to make necessary arrangements in this regard to DCO Kasur, directing him to submit a report after making an observation of the arrangements afterwards.Authorities had been directed not to allow kite flying activities anywhere else. The government source also warned of the strict action against the culprits violating the law.Notification said that other cultural festivals will also take place during those dates.Muslim League(N) leader Hamza Shahbaz had hinted the lifting of ban on Basant during the inauguration of Punjab Youth Festival last month. Week before that, Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto had announced revival of Basant and kite flying through ‘Sindh Festival’.Kite flying has been banned in the province for the past four years; the ban was mainly the result of accidents linked to the thread used for flying kites. Hundreds have died in Basant related accidents in the past decade, in the years when kite flying was allowed.

Sollecito picked up near Italy border after murder verdict

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FLORENCE (AFP) - Raffaele Sollecito, convicted with former lover Amanda Knox of the grizzly murder of a British student, has been picked up by police near the Italian border and has surrendered his passport.Police tracked him to a hotel in Venzone, a town in northeast Italy near the Austrian and Slovenian borders, just hours after an appeal court in Florence sentenced him to 25 years in prison, a source at the police station in the nearby city of Udine told AFP.Police went to find him in his hotel and he followed them willingly back to the police station, the source said.He is still there now. He is not under arrest. He has to hand over his passport, which can be a lengthy process, he added.Sollecito was reportedly staying with his girlfriend Greta Menegaldo, who comes from the city of Treviso according to Italian media reports -- over 150 kilometres from Venzone.The 29-year-old had been ordered to surrender his passport and driving license by the court, which said it considered him a flight risk after upholding his conviction on Thursday evening for the murder of Meredith Kercher, stabbed to death in 2007.Dressed in a blue sailor jacket and wearing sepia-coloured aviator sunglasses, Sollecito had attended a court hearing earlier on Thursday, but was not present for the verdict and was reported to have already left Florence.Knox and Sollecito were first convicted of the murder in 2009, then acquitted in 2011 on appeal.The supreme court last year ordered a re-trial, leading to the guilty verdicts issued on Thursday.

Twitter buys patents, seals licensing pact with IBM

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(Reuters) - Twitter Inc has bought 900 patents and signed a cross-licensing agreement with IBM, making peace with Big Blue and bulking up on its intellectual property portfolio as it takes on larger rivals Google and Facebook.The agreement announced on Friday comes after International Business Machines Corp accused Twitter in November - on the eve of its high-profile initial public offering - of infringing three of its patents. At the time, it underscored how few patents the six-year-old social media company possessed in relation to more established rivals.A cross-licensing agreement will help safeguard Twitter against similar claims in the future.IBM is one of the industrys largest research spenders and stockpilers of intellectual property, a consistent leader in U.S. patent filings and the owner of some 41,000 patents.Twitter is following on the heels of Facebook, which itself faced similar claims before its own 2012 IPO. The worlds largest social network has since gone on a patent-buying spree, acquiring intellectual property from tech bellwethers, including Microsoft Corp and IBM.This acquisition of patents from IBM and licensing agreement provide us with greater intellectual property protection and give us freedom of action to innovate on behalf of all those who use our service, Ben Lee, Twitters legal director, said in a joint statement with IBM on Friday.

Google's strength in advertising to drive growth: analysts

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(Reuters) - Google Inc looks set to extend its leadership in online advertising as it sharpens its focus on its core business, analysts said after strong ad sales helped the No. 1 search company report stronger-than-expected quarterly revenue.Googles shares, which closed at $1,135 ahead of the results announcement on Thursday, opened about 3 percent higher after at least 12 brokerages raised their price targets on the stock to as much as $1,400.Broker Canaccord Genuity raised its target price by $370 to $1,370, noting that Googles website revenue growth accelerated to 22.1 percent in the fourth quarter, the third consecutive quarter of faster growth.Canaccord and others also said the sale of Googles loss-making Motorola handset unit to Chinas Lenovo Group Ltd would help it focus on its core internet business and boost margins.Citi Investment Research, which raised its target price to $1,350 from $1,190 and maintained a buy rating, said Googles report demonstrated the companys continued business momentum.Goldman Sachs noted that the quarter was the second out of the last nine that net ad revenue had beaten the average estimate. Goldman raised its price target to $1,200 from $1,125.Google, whose shares were trading at $750 this time last year, said it benefited from strong demand from brand marketers and retailers in the quarter.In coming quarters, we expect improvement in cost-per-click (CPC) trends as Product Listing Ads and AdWords Enhanced Campaigns lift CPCs, UBS Securities analyst Eric Sheridan, who raised his target by $50 to $1,350, wrote in a note to clients.CPC refers to the price advertisers pay Google each time a user clicks on their ad.In the past year, Google has changed the way advertisers run campaigns on its website, offering the same ads simultaneously on PCs and mobile devices.RBC Capital Markets analyst Mark Mahaney, who raised his price target to $1,400 from $1,300, said Google had positioned itself well to take advantage of most of the major trends in consumer internet through organic investments and acquisitions.Googles recent acquisitions include artificial intelligence company DeepMind Technologies and smart thermostat and smoke alarm-maker Nest Labs.Google also bought a stake in Taiwan displaymaker Himax Technologies, bringing it closer to producing a commercial version of its Google Glass eyewear.Google shares were up 1.8 percent at $1,158 in early trading on the Nasdaq.
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Thursday 30 January 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

PM to chair first meeting of peace talks committee today

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ISLAMABAD (Online): The first meeting of a four-member committee constituted to hold talks with the Taliban will meet at the Prime Minister House on today (Friday), the PM’s assistant on national affairs Irfan Siddiqui said.Siddiqui who is also a member of the committee said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would chair the meeting.The meeting would deliberate upon the scope and mandate of the committee, sources said.During his National Assembly address on Wednesday, Prime Minister Sharif said peace should be given another chance as he announced the formation of a four-member committee to carry out the dialogue process with the Taliban.The committee comprises Irfan Siddique (PM’s Advisor on National Affairs), Major (retd) Aamir, Rahimullah Yousafzai (journalist) and Rustam Shah Mohmand (former Ambassador to Afghanistan).

Dense fog: four killed, 27 injured in Punjab road accidents

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Dence fog has virtually paralysed life in parts of Punjab. Poor visibility due to fog resulted in various accidents in Gujranwala region during night between Thursday and Friday, killing at least four people.At least 27 people also sustained injuries in traffic accidents in different parts of the province.According to Motorway officials, Motorway from Lahore to Pindi Bhattian has been closed as visibility was down to zero due to dense fog.The flight operations at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore were also suspended due to dense fog at the airport. All departing flights were delayed and the incoming flights were diverted to other airports.According to police, four people were killed and 20 others sustained injuries in traffic accidents in Gujranwala.The Motorway police have appealed the drivers to use GT Road for travel. The Motorway police have urged the drivers to drive slowly and switch on fog lights. They also requested people to stay home and avoid unnecessary travelling.

India win toss, bowl first against New Zealand

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WELLINGTON (AFP) - India won the toss and sent New Zealand in to bat in the fifth and final one-day international in Wellington on Friday.The tourists have already lost the series 3-0 and will be looking to save face in the final one-dayer ahead of a two-Test series against the Black Caps next month.India made just one change, with opener Shikhar Dhawan replacing Stuart Binny, and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his team needed to forge the big partnerships that have eluded them so far this series.Its important now to build pressure so its important that we get off to a good start, he said.New Zealand made two changes, dropping Tim Southee and Hamish Bennett from the bowling attack in favour of Mitchell McClenaghan and debutant Matt Henry.

11 dead in Syria barrel bomb attacks: NGO

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BEIRUT (AFP) - At least 11 people, including three children, were killed on Thursday by explosive-packed barrels dropped from Syrian army helicopters over the town of Daraya, a monitoring group said.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said two women were also among the dead, and others were injured in the attacks on the town in Damascus province.In northern Aleppo province meanwhile, at least eight people were killed in regime air raids on the Aleppo city district of Qadi Askar, the Observatory said.And the group reported at least six regime forces were killed when an Islamist rebel brigade blew up a building in the Karam al-Turab district, in southeastern Aleppo city.Another 10 regime forces were killed in a blast targeting a second building in a village on the outskirts of the town of Khanaser in Aleppo province overnight, the NGO said.Meanwhile, in central Homs province, the Observatory said at least 16 regime troops were killed in an overnight attack on an army checkpoint by Islamist rebels in an area west of Homs city.Fierce clashes raged overnight pitting regime troops backed by pro-regime militants and fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah and the jihadist Al-Nusra Front and Islamist rebels in the area around Qusayr, the group said.In Lebanon, a security source said two Syrians were wounded by gunfire from the Syrian side of the border in the town of Wadi Khaled.The Red Cross and the Lebanese army worked to retrieve the two men, one of whom died of his wounds, the source said.Gun and rocket fire from the Syrian side of the border regularly spills over into Lebanon, killing and injuring Lebanese and Syrians in the area.

US admiral nominated to be next NSA chief

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Barack Obama has nominated a US Navy officer, Vice Admiral Michael Rogers, to take over as head of the embattled National Security Agency.Rogers, 53, would take the helm at a fraught moment for the spy agency, which is under unprecedented pressure after leaks from ex-intelligence contractor Edward Snowden revealed the extent of its electronic spying.This is a critical time for the NSA, and Vice Admiral Rogers would bring extraordinary and unique qualifications to this position as the agency continues its vital mission and implements President Obamas reforms, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who recommended Rogers for the post, said in a statement Thursday.If confirmed by lawmakers, Rogers would also take over as head of the militarys cyber warfare command.In response to the furor triggered by the Snowden media leaks, Obama has proposed reforms to rein in the NSAs spying authority in some areas.Rogers, who trained as an intelligence cryptologist, would succeed General Keith Alexander, who has served in the top job since 2005.He currently heads the US Fleet Cyber Command, overseeing the navys cyber warfare specialists, and over a 30-year career has worked in cryptology and eavesdropping, or signals intelligence.Although well-versed in code-breaking and digital warfare, Rogers will be confronted with civil liberties and privacy questions under an intense public spotlight.His confirmation hearings in the Senate are likely to be dominated by the ongoing debate about the NSAs espionage, and whether its sifting through Internet traffic and phone records violates privacy rights and democratic values.Hagel said he was confident that Admiral Rogers has the wisdom to help balance the demands of security, privacy and liberty in our digital age.Like Alexander, the naval officer would not only run the powerful NSA but would also serve as chief of the US militarys Cyber Command.Obama has decided to keep the dual-hatted arrangement, even though some top officials recommended splitting up the two jobs.The president also rejected suggestions to name a civilian as NSA director.The Pentagon announced that the new NSA deputy director would be Richard Leggett, making him the agencys senior ranking civilian, acting as a chief operating officer.Leggett has managed the NSAs media leaks task force, which evaluated the effect of Snowdens disclosures of reams of classified information.In a December interview with CBS televisions 60 Minutes, Leggett said he would be open to having a conversation with Snowden about a possible amnesty in return for a full accounting of what the ex-contractor took and where the files are now.I would need assurances that the remainder of the data could be secured, and my bar for those assurances would be very high, he said.Snowden faces an array of espionage charges in the United States and has been granted asylum in Russia.Describing himself as a whistleblower, Snowden has said in media interviews that he feels vindicated by the public debate over the NSAs role that has followed his leaks.

Tennis: Ailing Kvitova pulls out of Paris

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PARIS (AFP) - Second seed Petra Kvitova pulled out of the Paris WTA Open on Thursday citing respiratory problems, with organisers giving her place to a lucky loser.Kvitova of the Czech Republic withdrew ahead of her second round date with France's Alize Cornet.Cornet went on to defeat Kvitova's compatriot, Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, 74th in the WTA rankings, 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3.I was absolutely intent on playing today but I had to see my doctor as I wasn't feeling well, Kvitova said.I've got a sore throat and after practising this morning I realised that after 10 minutes I wasn't able to breathe so unfortunately I was forced to withdraw.Kvitova, ranked sixth in the world, won the Paris Open in 2011.Cornet needed four match points to see off her Czech opponent who had originally lost in qualifying.She will next play Germany's world number 39, Andrea Petkovic who put out France's 62nd-ranked Kristina Mladenovic, 6-4, 6-2.Mladenovic had only returned to Paris on Monday after winning the Australian Open mixed doubles title with Canada's Daniel Nestor.After putting in a fine performance to knock out world number 10, Simona Halep on Wednesday, she ran out of steam in the second round.After travelling for 30 hours,I came straight to training and my neck problems returned on Thursday, she said.At the start of the match,I couldn't serve and the injury limited my movement.Meanwhile, Belgian eighth seed Kirsten Flipkens beat Austria's Yvonne Meusburger, 6-1, 6-3 and will face top seed Maria Sharapova in Friday's quarter-finals.Ukraine's Elina Svitolina put out Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan, 6-1, 6-2.She will next face Italian third seed Sara Errani who saw off compatriot Karin Knapp, 6-4, 6-3.Friday's fourth quarter-final sees Germany's Angelique Kerber face Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Football: FIFA demands Qatar working conditions update

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ZURICH (AFP) - Qatar's 2022 World Cup organisers have been told to update world football chiefs on measures being taken to improve the working conditions of thousands of expatriate workers employed on the project.In a report last year, Amnesty International said migrant workers were being treated like animals while this week the Nepalese embassy in the Qatari capital of Doha revealed that almost 200 labourers from the Asian country had died in 2013, many from heart failure.The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy in Qatar shall provide FIFA by February 12, 2014, with a detailed report on the improvement of working conditions in Qatar, said a FIFA statement.The report will then be used to prepare for the hearing at the European Parliament on February 13, which will be attended by Dr Theo Zwanziger as the FIFA representative mandated to deal with the matter.Dr Zwanziger has held various meetings with human rights and labour organisations in recent weeks, including Amnesty International and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), in order to strengthen the dialogue between various interest groups and to reach a sanctioned approach, added the statement.We are currently in the middle of an intensive process, which is exclusively aimed at improving the situation of workers in Qatar, said Dr Zwanziger. Ultimately, what we need are clear rules and steps that will build trust and ensure that the situation, which is unacceptable at the moment, improves in a sustainable manner.After the hearing at the European Parliament, a report will be delivered to the FIFA Executive Committee on March 20 and 21.The Nepal embassy in Doha said it registered 191 deaths last year compared with 169 the year before.Harikanta Paudel, a senior embassy official, told AFP by telephone that the highest number of deaths occurred in July when 32 workers died.A Kathmandu-based foreign ministry official said that a third of the deaths recorded were due to unnatural heart failure.More than one million Nepali migrant workers work in the Gulf region and Southeast Asia. Qatar alone hosts around 400,000 Nepalis as part of its two million strong migrant workforce.

Formula One: Rookie Magnussen fastest on third day of testing

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JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA (AFP) - Denmarks Kevin Magnussen stole the show on his first outing as a Formula One driver in the McLaren MP4-29 as he was fastest, whilst reigning world champions Red Bulls struggles continued on day three of pre-season testing in Jerez, southern Spain.Magnussen took over from teammate Jenson Button, who had gone fastest in the morning, for the afternoon session and bettered the Britons mark with an effort of 1min 23.276 secs.Williams Felipe Massa was second fastest with Lewis Hamilton in third as the Mercedes continued to pile on the miles.The Englishman didnt match teammate Nico Rosbergs mammoth 97 lap effort from Wednesday, but was the busiest man on the track as he went around 62 times.By contrast, it was another frustrating day for Red Bull and their new driver Daniel Ricciardo as the Australian only managed three laps before the Austrian team called off their efforts early for a second consecutive day.Red Bull have only completed 14 laps over the opening three days and seem well behind their title rivals with only nine more days testing to come before the season gets underway for real in Australia in March.Another former champion Fernando Alonso also made his first appearance of the season in the Ferrari F14-T.The Spaniards arrival drew a much larger crowd than in the previous two sessions and Ferrari enjoyed another satisfactory day as Alonso finished fifth fastest after completing 58 laps.

Obesity among US kids starts early: study

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Obesity among US children is largely established by kindergarten, a study said Wednesday, adding that nearly half of those obese at 14 already had the problem at age five.The study published in the New England Journal of Medicine also showed that over 14 percent of children enter kindergarten overweight and are four times more likely than normal weight children to become obese by the eighth grade.Although trends in the prevalence of obesity are well documented, there is surprisingly little known about new cases of childhood obesity, wrote lead researcher Solveig Cunningham, assistant professor in the Hubert Department of Global Health at Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Georgia.The researchers used data from children who took part in a study of kindergartens in 1998 and 1999.With appropriate adjustments the data sample was representative of all of the estimate 3.8 million S children in kindergarten during that time.Examining incidence may provide insight into the nature of the epidemic, the critically vulnerable ages, and the groups who are at greater risk for obesity, Cunningham wrote.The study showed that 14.9 percent of kids entering kindergarten are overweight. The researchers used body mass index charts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The rate of obesity rises to 20.8 percent when kids reach age 14.Incidence of obesity at age 14 was highest among black children (17 percent), followed by Hispanics (14 percent). The rate was 10 percent among whites and children of other races.Children from the richest 20 percent of families had the lowest rates of obesity in kindergarten than those of all other socio- economic groups, the study said.At all ages between five and 14, the rate of obesity was highest (25.8 percent) among the poorest children.We have evidence that certain factors established before birth and during the first five years are important. Obesity-prevention efforts focused on children who are overweight by five-years-old may be a way to target children susceptible to becoming obese later in life, Cunningham wrote.

Oil prices rise on GDP data, heating demand

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NEW YORK (AFP) - US oil prices Thursday rose to their highest level of 2014 on solid US economic growth data and higher demand for heating oil due to cold weather.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for March delivery jumped 87 cents to $98.23 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.European benchmark Brent oil for March delivery gained 10 cents to $107.95 a barrel in London.Thursday's rise came after data showed US gross domestic product grew 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter, above the 3.0 percent expected by analysts.Analysts were especially cheered by a 3.3 percent rise in consumer spending, the sharpest quarterly growth in three years.US GDP figures boosted demand expectations of the world's biggest oil consumer, said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at traders CMC Markets UK.Matt Smith, a commodity analyst at Schneider Electric, also pointed to the ongoing polar conditions in the US as a bullish factor for oil.Smith noted that home heating oil prices rose 1.1 percent Thursday, lending support to crude. You're seeing US markets rally today, not only on GDP data, but on the potential for ongoing higher demand for heating oil, Smith said.

Dollar gains on strong US growth numbers, Fed taper

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar gained against the euro and other major currencies Thursday after the US reported strong fourth-quarter growth and the Federal Reserve decided to pare back its stimulus.At 2200 GMT the euro traded at $1.3554, down from $1.3662 late Wednesday.The dollar rose to 102.71 yen from 102.25 yen, while the euro slipped to 139.21 yen from 139.71.The British pound dipped to $1.6489 from $1.6560 while the dollar gained to 0.9023 Swiss franc from 0.8943.The dollar's gains came after official data showed US economic growth at 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter, above the 3.0 percent expected by analysts.The report followed Wednesday's decision by the Federal Reserve to cut back its stimulus by another $10 billion a month, the same size and the cut announced in December, to bring the bond buying program down to $65 billion a month and on track to expire by the end of the year.The prospect of faster growth and less easy money sent US bond yields higher and made the dollar more attractive to buyers.David Song of DailyFX suggested the Fed move puts it on an opposite path to the European Central Bank, and predicted more downward pressure on the euro.The single currency may weaken further in February should the European Central Bank show a greater willingness to further embark on its easing cycle, he said.

Cricket: Hughes replaces Marsh on South Africa tour

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SYDNEY (AFP) - Injured batsman Shaun Marsh has been ruled out of Australia's tour of South Africa, with Phil Hughes handed another chance to prove himself at Test level.Marsh has been struggling with a calf strain and stayed back in Perth for intensive treatment.As Shaun Marsh's calf injury has not improved as much as required over the past four days he has been withdrawn from the Test Squad for the tour of South Africa, National Selector John Inverarity said in a statement late Thursday.Phillip Hughes had been placed on standby and now comes into the Test squad as a replacement for Shaun. Phillip will head to South Africa as soon as possible.Hughes has played 26 Tests since his debut in 2009, but has never been able to hold down a regular place in the side. On Thursday, fast bowler Jackson Bird was declared fit and was due to fly out to join the rest of the squad in South Africa on Friday after being cleared of a back injury.Australia play their only warm-up match in Potchefstroom from February 5 ahead of three Tests, with the first in Centurion on February 12.

Cricket: Kenya loses ODI status after loss to Scotland

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NAIROBI (AFP) - Kenyan cricket suffered a double blow on Thursday following the national teams three-wicket loss to Scotland in their World Cup qualifier in New Zealand by losing their one-day international status.Kenya, once regarded as one of the strongest associate members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) needed to win the final Super Six game to avoid losing its ODI status after failing to secure a place in the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.It is sad for Kenya cricket but there is nothing we can do about the situation. We have to wait for the team to come back on Sunday before deciding the way forward, a top Cricket Kenya official told AFP.Kenya was awarded the one-day ranking in 1997 following their impressive World Cup debut the previous year.But a series of administrative malpractices, coupled with internal strife among the national team players have led to a sharp decline over the last decade.Three older players including former team captain Steve Tikolo were called out of retirement to play in the New Zealand tournament and help Kenya to their sixth successive World Cup appearance.Kenya is also set to lose out being part of the ICC High Performance Programme, launched in 2001 to assist in the funding of the development programmes within the leading ICC Associate member countries.

Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan condemns Bangladesh court decision

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LAHORE (Online) - Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan chief Syed Munawar Hasan has strongly condemned a Bangladesh court decision awarding death sentences to the JI, Bangladesh chief and a former minister, Muti ur Rahman Nizami, and thirteen others, and termed it political vendetta.He has appealed to the Pakistan government and all other Muslim rulers to play their role in preventing this tyranny and pressurize BD Prime Minister Haseena Wajid to stop political victimization of her opponents.In a press statement here on Thursday, he said that the false case made out against the Bangladesh JI chief had fully exposed India which had a hand behind all political victimization in Bangladesh.He said that a false case had been made out against Muti ur Rahman Nizami for smuggling arms and ammunition to secessionists in India.He pointed out that Muti ur Rahman Nizami was not named at the initial stage of the case and his name was included much later, as such the very foundation of the case was false. Besides, he said, that no sane person could accuse a person like Muti ur Rahman Nizami of arms smuggling.Syed Munawar Hasan said that the people of Bangladesh had already rejected the court decision and there was deep concern among the BD people over India’s increasing hold on their country.

Media trial being orchestrated against MQM, says Coordination Committee

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Coordination Committee has said that the party and its chief are being subjected to media trial.Addressing a press conference here at Nine Zero, the Coordination Committee said that international conspiracies are being hatched against the party and its chief Altaf Hussain.The committee strongly condemned British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report regarding Dr Imran Farooq’s murder case. The report is slanderous. It has been mischievously manipulated to soil MQMs image, said MQM leader Kahaliq Maqbool Siddiqui.Siddiqui, who was flanked by other MQM Coordination Committee members, also accused BBC of rigging the report to distort the facts so that it could be given an anti-MQM slant.A statement issued by the Coordination Committee of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Thursday said that life of Altaf Hussain is in a serious danger.A message of the party chief has also been issued by the Coordination Committee.In his message, Altaf Hussain said that false allegations were being leveled against him on international level and a conspiracy had been hatched to file baseless cases against him.The MQM chief said that he continued his mission despite the hardships and imprisonment in past but never bowed before any pressure and will never bow before any foreign pressure.Altaf Hussain directed the MQM’s Coordination Committee, elected representatives and workers to take his message seriously. He urged the party workers to continue his mission and follow his true ideology in case of any harm to his life.It is worth mentioning here that UK prosecutors have asked Pakistan to trace two suspects believed to have been involved in the 2010 murder of Imran Farooq, a senior leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).He was stabbed outside his home in Edgware, London, close to the Pakistani political party’s international HQ.Documents obtained by BBC Newsnight name the suspects as Mohsin Ali Syed and Mohammed Kashif Khan Kamran.They are believed to be in Pakistani custody but not under formal arrest.The investigation into Mr Farooq’s murder has seen more than 4,000 people interviewed, but so far the only person arrested in the case has been Iftikhar Hussain, the nephew of MQM’s London-based leader Altaf Hussain.Iftikhar Hussain was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, but is now on police bail. It is an arrest the party says was based on wrong information.MQM senator Farogh Naseem has described Iftikhar Hussain as not a person who is really with himself mentally. He said Iftikhar Hussain had suffered at the hands of the Pakistani authorities.In November 2011 - 14 months after the murder - Metropolitan Police chief Bernard Hogan-Howe said his force was liaising with Pakistani authorities over two arrests believed to have been made in Karachi.Since then, however, the force has refused to confirm or deny that it is seeking Pakistani assistance.The Pakistani government has denied anyone has been arrested and officials have failed to respond to questions about the request from the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service.The documents, obtained by Newsnight from official sources in Pakistan, suggest Mohsin Ali Syed and Mohammed Kashif Khan Kamran secured UK visas on the basis of being granted admission to the London Academy of Management Sciences (LAMS), in east London.The documents name two other men. One is Karachi-based businessman Muazzam Ali Khan, of Comnet Enterprises, who is believed to have endorsed the suspects’ UK visa applications and was in regular contact with Iftikhar Hussain throughout 2010.The other is Atif Siddique, an educational consultant in Karachi, who is believed to have processed them.Atif Siddique said he was not the agent of LAMS and did not know the two suspects.Mr Ali Khan has not responded to e-mails and phone calls offering him the chance to respond.A director of the college, Asif Siddique - Atif Siddique’s brother - has confirmed the two students were meant to study there. One of them registered, but failed to attend.LAMS is designated as a highly trusted partner of the UK Border Agency, which means it is supposed to report the non-attendance of students within 10 days of the 10th missed student encounter with staff. Asif Siddique said the college had reported one of the student’s non-attendance to the UK authorities in May 2012.The Home Office has refused to say whether or not it believes LAMS broke the rules for reporting non-attendance, but has said it is not currently investigating the college.Mohsin Ali Syed, in his late 20s, arrived in the UK in February 2010. He moved between a number of London addresses, including bedsits in Tooting, in south London, and Whitchurch Lane, in Edgware.Mohammed Kashif Khan Kamran arrived in the UK in early September 2010. Phone records indicate the two moved around together and it is believed they kept Mr Farooq under surveillance.The murder weapons were left at the scene of the crime and the documents seen by Newsnight state that the British authorities are seeking DNA samples as evidence that could be used in a British court.Records show that both men left the UK on 16 September 2010, a few hours after the murder had happened, and flew to Sri Lanka, and then on to Karachi on the 19 September.According to immigration officials in Pakistan, security officials picked them up on the tarmac before they left Karachi airport. Pakistani security sources deny that the men were picked up as a result of a British tip-off.
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Wednesday 29 January 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Series of blasts rock Karachi, 15 injured

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KARACHI (Dunyna News) – According to details, the blasts occurred outside the residents of ANP leader Muhammad Ali in Qasba Colony in Katti Pahari area on early Thursday morning, injuring at least 15 people.The injured were rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospita, where condition of three injured is stated to be critical.Police and rescue teams have reached the spot and started rescue operation.

UK seeks Pakistan help to trace suspects in Imran Farooq case

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LONDON (Agencies) - UK prosecutors have asked Pakistan to trace two suspects believed to have been involved in the 2010 murder of Imran Farooq, a senior leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).He was stabbed outside his home in Edgware, London, close to the Pakistani political partys international HQ.Documents obtained by BBC Newsnight name the suspects as Mohsin Ali Syed and Mohammed Kashif Khan Kamran.They are believed to be in Pakistani custody but not under formal arrest.The investigation into Mr Farooqs murder has seen more than 4,000 people interviewed, but so far the only person arrested in the case has been Iftikhar Hussain, the nephew of MQMs London-based leader Altaf Hussain.Iftikhar Hussain was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, but is now on police bail. It is an arrest the party says was based on wrong information.MQM senator Farogh Naseem has described Iftikhar Hussain as not a person who is really with himself mentally. He said Iftikhar Hussain had suffered at the hands of the Pakistani authorities.In November 2011 - 14 months after the murder - Metropolitan Police chief Bernard Hogan-Howe said his force was liaising with Pakistani authorities over two arrests believed to have been made in Karachi.Since then, however, the force has refused to confirm or deny that it is seeking Pakistani assistance.The Pakistani government has denied anyone has been arrested and officials have failed to respond to questions about the request from the UKs Crown Prosecution Service.The documents, obtained by Newsnight from official sources in Pakistan, suggest Mohsin Ali Syed and Mohammed Kashif Khan Kamran secured UK visas on the basis of being granted admission to the London Academy of Management Sciences (LAMS), in east London.The documents name two other men. One is Karachi-based businessman Muazzam Ali Khan, of Comnet Enterprises, who is believed to have endorsed the suspects UK visa applications and was in regular contact with Iftikhar Hussain throughout 2010.The other is Atif Siddique, an educational consultant in Karachi, who is believed to have processed them.Atif Siddique said he was not the agent of LAMS and did not know the two suspects.Mr Ali Khan has not responded to e-mails and phone calls offering him the chance to respond.A director of the college, Asif Siddique - Atif Siddiques brother - has confirmed the two students were meant to study there. One of them registered, but failed to attend.LAMS is designated as a highly trusted partner of the UK Border Agency, which means it is supposed to report the non-attendance of students within 10 days of the 10th missed student encounter with staff. Asif Siddique said the college had reported one of the students non-attendance to the UK authorities in May 2012.The Home Office has refused to say whether or not it believes LAMS broke the rules for reporting non-attendance, but has said it is not currently investigating the college.Mohsin Ali Syed, in his late 20s, arrived in the UK in February 2010. He moved between a number of London addresses, including bedsits in Tooting, in south London, and Whitchurch Lane, in Edgware.Mohammed Kashif Khan Kamran arrived in the UK in early September 2010. Phone records indicate the two moved around together and it is believed they kept Mr Farooq under surveillance.The murder weapons were left at the scene of the crime and the documents seen by Newsnight state that the British authorities are seeking DNA samples as evidence that could be used in a British court.Records show that both men left the UK on 16 September 2010, a few hours after the murder had happened, and flew to Sri Lanka, and then on to Karachi on the 19 September.According to immigration officials in Pakistan, security officials picked them up on the tarmac before they left Karachi airport. Pakistani security sources deny that the men were picked up as a result of a British tip-off.

'Ice is breaking' in Syria talks: UN mediator

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GENEVA (AFP) - The ice is slowly breaking in peace talks between Syria's warring sides, UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said Wednesday, warning though that no substantive results were expected during this round. The ice is breaking, slowly, but it is breaking, Brahimi told reporters after a fifth day of talks in Geneva, which both sides described as positive.He acknowledged he did not expect anything substantive to come out of the initial round, which is set to conclude Friday.But he stressed that simply getting the parties talking for the first time since the conflict erupted in March 2011 was an important step forward.These people have not sat together for three years. They do not expect that there'll be a magic wand, Brahimi said, insisting he was not disappointed.The delegations from President Bashar al-Assad's regime and the opposition National Coalition are set to determine Friday when they will return to Geneva, likely after a week, Brahimi said.I hope that the second session will be more structured and hopefully more productive than the first session, he said.Opposition delegation spokesman Louay Safi told reporters the future talks would need to show substantial progress.We're not going to stay here month after month just talking without progress, he said. Yet after days of total deadlock, both sides voiced a grain of optimism Wednesday, saying the talks had been positive.The discussions had finally focused on the Geneva I communique -- the never-implemented roadmap to peace put out by global powers during talks here in 2012 -- but the two sides disagree sharply on what part of the text the talks should focus on.Today we had a positive step forward because for the first time now we are talking about the transitional governing body, Safi said.The opposition says creating the transitional government called for in the Geneva I communique must be the first step towards a political solution, and insists this will require Assad to leave power.The regime denies the text requires Assad to step down and says his role is not up for debate at this conference.Regime delegation member Buthaina Shaaban also said talks Wednesday had been positive, but said this was because they spoke about (fighting) terrorism. She stressed that the first item in the Geneva text was related to ending the violence in Syria, something the regime largely equates to rooting out the terrorism it claims the opposition and its foreign backers are supporting.We want to discuss Geneva I item by item, starting from the first item, she said, accusing the opposition of focusing on the transitional government in a bid to grab power.

Rain likely in various parts of country: Met Office

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ISLAMABAD (APP): Pakistan Meteorological Deartment (PMD) on Wednesday indicated chances of rain with snowfall over the hills at isolated places in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Malakand, Hazara divisions and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan during next 24 hours. According to the synoptic situation, a westerly wave is affecting upper parts of the country and likely to persist during next 18 hours. The weather would remain cold and dry in most parts of Sindh and Balochistan during the next 24 hours.The lowest minimum temperatures recorded during the last 24 hours were Gupis, Kalat, Parachinar -07 C, Skardu -06 C, Astore, Kalam -04 C, Hunza, Drosh, Quetta -03 C.The minimum temperatures recorded in the other cities were Islamabad 05 C, Lahore 08 C, Karachi 11 C, Peshawar 05 C, Quetta -03 C, Murree 01 C, Muzaffarabad 04 C, Gilgit 02 C, Faisalabad 07 C, Multan 08 C and Hyderabad 12 C. The rainfall recorded during last 24 hours was Sialkot 23 mm, Gujrat 13, Rawalakot 12, Garidupatta 09, Mangla and Muzaffarabad 07, Gujranwala 06, Murree and Kotli 05. The snowfall recorded was Astore 06 and Skardu 03 inches.

Dense fog blankets Lahore

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LAHORE Dunya News) - According to Motorway officials, entry to Motorway from Kala Shah Kaku and Kot Abdul Malik has been shut down as visibility was down to zero due to dense fog.The flight operations at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore were also suspended due to dense fog at the airport.The Motorway police have appealed the drivers to use GT Road for travel. The Motorway police have urged the drivers to drive slowly and switch on fog lights. They also requested people to stay home and avoid unnecessary traveling.

Tennis: Sharapova cruises into Paris quarter-finals

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PARIS (AFP) - Russian top seed Maria Sharapova dished out a 6-0, 6-1 defeat to Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova in the second round to cruise into the WTA Paris Open quarter-finals on Wednesday.A shock fourth-round loser at the season-opening Grand Slam the Australian Open in Melbourne earlier this month Sharapova regained the winning thread at the Stade Coubertin, serving 10 aces with just two double faults.Sharapova's Melbourne campaign was just her second event since a shoulder injury ended the 26-year-old world number five's 2013 season in August, a setback which also ruled her out of the US Open.However, Sharapova, the 2012 French Open champion, said that her early exit from the Australian Open -- beaten by Hantuchova's compatriot Dominika Cibulkova who went on to lose in the final to China's Li Na -- had had its positive side to it with regard to the indoor tournament.It's quite an adjustment coming here, she said.I lost quite early in Australia, so it gave me a little bit more time to get ready for this event, to catch up on jet lag and get through that.I've had some good practices on centre court here. It's a pretty small venue so you want to get as much centre court time as you can, and just take it a step at a time and focus on each match.I like playing on all types of different surfaces though, and a smaller venue is a bit more intimate too. I have enjoyed playing on these types of courts in the past.Hantuchova had a disastrous start, picking up just one point in the first two games, then none in the fourth and fifth games to trail 5-0 after a mere 15 minutes.She failed to convert her first three set points, clinching it on the fourth attempt to claim the opening set after 25 minutes.It was more of the same in the second set with Sharapova racing to a 2-0 lead before, after 39 minutes play and to the delight of the crowd Hantuchova claimed her one and only game.I had a tough first opponent who can play extremely good tennis, said Sharapova, who was taken to three sets by Hantuchova in the 2011 Stanford WTA tournament the last time they played each other.I wanted to start the match off well. It was extremely important to put that pressure on her from the beginning.I think I did that really well today.Sharapova next faces the winner of the second round clash between Austria's Yvonne Meusburger and Kirsten Flipkens, the eighth-seeded Belgian who knocked out defending champion Mona Barthel in three sets in the first round.Sharapova's chances of winning the title got a boostlater on Wednesday as fifth seed Simona Halep of Romania went down to a shock defeat at the hands of France's Kristina Mladenovic.Mladenovic, who is fresh from winning the Australian Open mixed doubles title with Canada's Daniel Nestor, progressed to the second round with a 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 triumph over Halep, ranked 10th in the world.Halep is one of the hottest players at the moment (Halep was beaten in the Australian Open quarter-finals by Cibulkova), said Mladenovic, who is just coming to terms with the professional circuit after being a top junior player.This is a huge performance by me. I only got back from Australia on Monday and I am suffering from jetlag, added the 20-year-old, who is ranked 65 in the world.

Football: Man City go top, West Ham frustrate Chelsea

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LONDON (AFP) - Free-scoring Manchester City swept to the Premier League summit with a 5-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, but Chelsea lost momentum after being held by West Ham United.Arsenal's 2-2 draw at Southampton on Tuesday had given their two closest rivals a glimpse of top spot, but while City seized the opportunity, Chelsea were left in third place after a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge.City had crushed Tottenham 6-0 in the reverse fixture in November and they wasted little time asserting themselves again amid pouring rain at White Hart Lane.Having already struck the post, Sergio Aguero broke the deadlock in the 15th minute when he scuttled onto David Silva's pass and slipped a delicate shot past goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.Michael Dawson thought he had equalised in the 36th minute when he volleyed home from Christian Eriksen's fierce free-kick, only to be adjudged offside.City lost Aguero to an apparent hamstring injury on the stroke of half-time, but they extended their lead in the 51st minute when Yaya Toure tucked away a penalty after Danny Rose was sent off for sliding in on Edin Dzeko.Dzeko made it 3-0 six minutes later, slamming a shot into the roof of the net after Silva's shot came back off the post, before Etienne Capoue reduced the arrears from a corner.It gave the hosts a flicker of hope, but Stevan Jovetic, Aguero's replacement, made the game safe in the 78th minute with his first Premier League goal before captain Vincent Kompany added a fifth at the death.It was an eighth successive league win for Manuel Pellegrini's side, who lead Arsenal by a point and Chelsea by three after Jose Mourinho's team were unable to break down Sam Allardyce's obdurate West Ham.Brazilian playmaker Oscar came closest to scoring in the first half for Chelsea, who visit City on Monday, with a shot that was touched onto the crossbar by West Ham goalkeeper Adrian.Adrian also saved well from John Terry and Samuel Eto'o, while Demba Ba hit the post deep into stoppage time as Chelsea laid siege to the visitors' goal in vain.Aston Villa edged an extraordinary Midlands derby against West Bromwich Albion, coming from two goals down to win 4-3 in a madcap encounter at Villa Park.A 25-yard Chris Brunt half-volley and a Fabian Delph own goal put West Brom 2-0 up inside only nine minutes, but, just as they did in the reverse fixture, Villa fought back to level.Goals from Andreas Weimann and Leandro Bacuna gave Paul Lambert's side parity and Delph then atoned for his earlier error by putting the hosts ahead with a vicious rising shot in the 37th minute.Youssouf Mulumbu equalised for West Brom just before the interval, but Christian Benteke secured victory for Villa in the 64th minute when he converted a penalty after being brought down by Diego Lugano.Elsewhere, Adam Johnson scored his sixth goal in six games as Sunderland climbed out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win at home to Stoke City, who had Steven Nzonzi sent off for two bookable offences.

Football: Ghana, Libya through to CHAN final

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BLOEMFONTEIN (AFP) - Ghana and Libya reached the final of the African Nations Championship on Wednesday by winning their respective semi-finals on penalties when their matches ended 0-0 after extra-time.The Ghanaians will seek to go one better tha the 2009 tournament where they lost in the final to the Democratic Republic of Congo.The Black Stars stunned Nigeria as their players held their nerve better than their opponents to win the penalty shootout 4-1.The Ghanaians had done well to hold the Nigerians scoreless as they pounded Ghana's goal.Nigeria's star player Christantus Ejike scored his side's solitary penalty, despite suffering from concussion after crashing into Kwabena Adusei early in the first half.Ghana hope to have better luck than the last final, when they lost 0-2 against the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2009 in Ivory Coast.Libya booked their spot for Saturday's match by beating Zimbabwe 5-4 in penalties.Libya keeper Mohamed Abdaula was the hero for his side, saving Zimbabwe's final penalty before converting a spot kick of his own in the shootout, which saw 16 penalties taken.

Football: Brazil prosecutors probe Neymar transfer details

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RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - Brazil's state prosecution service said Wednesday it has called on tax authorities to probe the controversial transfer of star striker Neymar to Barcelona.The details surrounding the deal have already led to the resignation of former Barca chairman Sandro Rosell and sparked a judicial wrangle in Spain.The transfer cost an initial reported 57.1 million euros ($78million), plus a 2-million-euro bonus if the 21-year-old star makes the finals of the FIFA World Player of Year award.But various add-ons take the deal to a total 86 million euros -- including a reported 40 million for N&N, Neymar's family firm run by his father.Neymar senior on Tuesday denied signing a pre-contract with Barcelona until his son had left Santos for the Liga giants-- but did admit to receiving 10 million euros in 2011 to guarantee a move by 2014.In the event, the player moved a year early, joining the Catalan club in the Spanish close-season.The Brazilian authorities are now putting the case under the microscope.Following new information on the true value of the sale of the player, the prosecution service has asked for elements from the treasury, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.It added it was also studying the possibility of requesting information from the Spanish judicial system after the Spaniards began an investigation of their own.Brazilian prosecutors want to ascertain if potential tax fraud may have taken place. Barca last week unveiled details of the deal after a member of the club made a legal complaint and Spanish lawyers are now poring over the terms of the agreement.According to the Spanish court submission released last week, Barca paid 40 million euros to N&N for breaking an initial agreement to sign Neymar in 2014 and sign him a year earlier.Barcelona said the entire deal cost 86.2 million euros: 57.1 million euros for the transfer -- including 10 for N&N in 2011 and 30 million more last May -- 10 million euros in a signing bonus, 2.7 million euros in commissions, 4.0 million in marketing, 2.5 million for Neymar's foundation and 9.9 million euros in scouting and collaborative deals.Brazil's prosecution service said a first investigation into N&N's tax affairs had proved inconclusive but had shown up undetermined fiscal debts.

Golf: Harrington seeks to end title drought in 2014

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PHOENIX (AFP) - Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington is optimistic that 2014 could see him end a lengthy victory drought, preferably in time to secure his Masters berth.Win, win, win, Harrington said of his aims for his first outing of the season, the US PGA Tours Phoenix Open that starts on Thursday. Thats pretty straight forward for me.Harrington, 42, hasnt won on the US tour since his PGA Championship triumph in 2008, and his last victory worldwide was the 2010 Iskander Johor Open in Asia.The five-year exemption to the Masters that he earned with two major titles in 2008 has expired, and he must climb from his current 130th in the world into the top 50 or win a tournament to gain an invitation to Augusta National in April.Its a longshot, you know, to get into the Masters, he admitted, but even so he was feeling the enthusiasm of tackling a new season.First tournament of the year is always a great tournament, he said. You never know what youre going to get. Its always nice your first week out.Harrington acknowledged that hes had difficulty adapting to the rules on club face grooves that went into effect in 2010, which made it harder for him to put spin on the ball.Hes hoping a new, softer Titleist ball will help him with that issue this season.Id be happy if I hit the golf ball like I did last year and putting it and chipping it a little better, he said. And I seem to be doing that.Im in a good place, no doubt about it -- but I do need results.Harrington made his Phoenix debut last year and finished equal ninth at 17-under par.He says he likes the raucous atmosphere of the tournament, epitomized by the massive galleries that cheer like football fans at the par-three 16th.Its nice to see something different, he said. I really do enjoy that ... golf should be more fun, and this week they certainly do fun in a big way.He said he hadnt so far offered any advice to fellow European and Phoenix newcomer Lee Westwood on coping with the 16th -- where thousands of fans fill grandstands surrounding the hole and pay little heed to traditions of reserved golf-fan etiquette.I dont think you can describe it to people, Harrington said. And I do believe that every person reacts a little bit different to it ... For golf, there is nothing like it.

US oil prices edge lower on higher supplies

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NEW YORK (AFP) - US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in March fell five cents to close at $97.36 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.European benchmark Brent oil for March delivery rose 44 cents to $107.85 a barrel in London.The US Department of Energy said US crude inventories rose by 6.4 million barrels in the week ending January 24. Analysts consensus forecast had been for an increase of 2.2 million barrels.Analysts were surprised by a big increase in crude imports to the US and increased supplies at the closely watched Cushing, Oklahoma trading hub.But John Kilduff, founding partner at Again Capital, noted that distillate stocks, which include heating oil and diesel, fell by 4.6 million barrels, more than the 2.6 million projected by analysts.Consumers are using more heating oil due to a bout of cold wintry weather affecting much of the United States.Kilduff said the cold weather will set a floor price under oil.Distillate inventories are going to stay under pressure, which is going to give support to the whole petroleum complex, Kilduff said.Traders were also eyeing news out of the US Federal Reserve, which trimmed its bond-buying stimulus program by $10 billion, as expected, to $65 billion. It was the second month in a row the Fed has reduced the asset purchases by $10 billion as it sees continued improvement in the worlds largest economy.

Using peanuts to cure allergy

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PARIS (AFP) - Doctors said Thursday they could treat peanut allergy by feeding children the very thing their bodies reject, so building tolerance that could save a life in case of accidential ingestion.Small doses of peanut powder taken over several months seemed to induce tolerance in children with the potentially deadly allergy, a research team wrote Wednesday in The Lancet medical journal.After six months of treatment, dubbed oral immunotherapy or OIT, 84-91 percent of the children in a trial could safely tolerate daily doses of 800 mg (0.03 ounces) of peanut powder -- the equivalent of about five peanuts, wrote the team.This was 25 times the amount they could tolerate before the therapy, and much larger than any accidental dose is likely to ever be.The treatment allowed children with all severities of peanut allergy to eat large quantities of peanuts, well above the levels found in contaminated snacks and meals, freeing them and their parents from the fear of a potentially life threatening allergic reaction, said study leader Andrew Clark from Cambridge University Hospitals.The families involved in this study say that it has changed their lives dramatically.The trial involved 99 allergic children aged seven to sixteen.One in five of the kids receiving OIT reported adverse events -- mostly mild itching of the mouth, the authors said.They stressed that people should not try the treatment at home as more research was needed.Peanut allergy affects about one in fifty children and is the most common cause of fatal food allergy reactions, said a press statement. About 10 million people around the world are allergic to peanuts.Symptoms vary from mild to severe, from swollen lips or shortness of breath to anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal.While exceptionally promising, the method remains experimental, Matthew Greenhawt from the University of Michigan Food Allergy Center wrote in a comment also carried by The Lancet.It is unknown if OIT can produce lasting tolerance, he wrote.

Australian assistant coach Rixon departs

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SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian head coach Darren Lehmann has ended the tenure of assistant coach Steve Rixon, saying he no longer fits into his plans for the team.Lehmann is keen to use more specialist consultants, with Shane Warne last week named as spin coach ahead of Australias World Twenty20 campaign in Bangladesh.Ive taken the opportunity to look at our current coaching structure and the levels of support I feel we need moving into the future, Lehmann said in a statement late Wednesday.Ive mentioned previously that I believe our players can really benefit from more dedicated skill-based training, which means more regular support from technical experts to help work on specific areas of performance.Lehmann, who took over as coach for the Ashes series in England last year, said he wants various specialist coaches and experts working with the team when needed.In recent times, thats included people like Mike Young to work on fielding while Shane Warne is going to work with our spinners in a short-term capacity ahead of the ICC World Twenty 20, he said.These changes to how we support our players means it is no longer necessary to have a full-time assistant coach travelling with the team.Steve has made an outstanding contribution to Australian cricket over a long period of time and played an important role with the national team since 2011.Former wicket-keeper Rixon, who played 13 Tests for Australia and later coached New Zealand, said the plan was always for him to depart after the World Twenty20, which takes place in March-April.The 59-year-old told The Australian newspaper he was keen to take on a new role with a national Twenty20 side, possibly the West Indies or Sri Lanka.

Kohistan Video Case: All five girls murdered, claims rights activist

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News): Human Rights activist Farzana Bari has claimed that five girls shown in a leaked dancing video have been murdered.Bari demanded the Chief Justice of Pakistan to reopen the case.It is to mention here that the top court had taken up the case following reports that five girls were killed in Kohistan for dancing at a marriage ceremony. It was ruled that girls were alive and that the case will be reopened if anything changed.In the video, five girls were allegedly shown dancing at a wedding and reports of the murder of the women had surfaced.

PML-N's Umer Ayub wins NA-19 in Haripur after re-polling: unofficial results

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HARIPUR (Web Desk) – Omer Ayub of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won after re-polling in seven polling stations of NA-19 Wednesday.According to unofficial results, Umar Ayub of PML-N got 2829 votes while his opponent candidate Raja Amir Zaman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) received 2263 votes.The overall ratio of votes cast in the constituency remained 117588 and 116 996 respectively.It is worth mentioning here that NA 19 Haripur seat was won Raja Amir Zaman of PTI on May 11 2013, by a thin margin of less than two thousand votes against PML-N candidate Umar Ayub Khan. Raja Amir Zaman bagged 116979 votes while Umar Ayub Khan had got 114807 votes.PML-N candidate Umar Ayub Khan challenged the victory of PTI candidate and accused him of rigging in the election.Later, the election tribunal ordered re-polling in seven polling stations of the constituency. Raja Amir Zaman challenged tribunal decision in the court but his petition got rejected.After the announcement of results, supporters of PML-N shouted slogans and celebrated victory of their candidate with aerial firing.
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