Monday 24 February 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

30 militants killed in North Waziristan airstrikes

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MIRANSHAH (Dunya News) - Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jets bombed suspected Taliban hideouts in Miranshah area of North Waziristan early Tuesday, killing at least 30 alleged militants.The attacks focused on the towns of Miranshah and Darpa Khel and surrounding areas.Peace talks between the Taliban and the government, announced on January 29, stalled last week due to a recent surge in insurgent attacks and a claim by a Taliban faction that it had killed 23 kidnapped soldiers.

Pillion riding ban lifted in Karachi

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - The provincial Home Department has announced to end amonth-long ban on pillion riding in Karachi.Talking to media on Monday, Sindh minister for information, Sharjeel Memon said that the provincial government has decided not to extend pillion riding ban keeping in view the problems faced by the public at large.Pillion-riding ban was imposed on January 26 for a month over security concerns.

Governor survives blasts as Iraq violence kills 32

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MOSUL (AFP) - Provincial governor Atheel al-Nujaifi, a brother of Iraq's parliament speaker, on Monday survived the third attempt on his life this month, as violence killed 32 people, officials said.Iraq is suffering its worst unrest in years and authorities have so far failed to check daily violence targeting both civilians and security forces.There have now been at least six attempts to kill Nujaifi in less than a year, showing that even the most senior official in the northern province of Nineveh -- one of the most dangerous in Iraq -- is vulnerable to attack.Two roadside bombs exploded near Nujaifi's convoy in Nineveh's capital Mosul, wounding two provincial councillors but leaving the governor unharmed, a police major and a hospital employee said.Nujaifi, brother of parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, is in his second term as governor of Nineveh, where Sunni militants have a major presence and carry out near-daily attacks.Militants are also said to extort money from business owners in Mosul, helping to fund their activities in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.Attacks killed three civilians and two army officers in Nineveh on Monday, while 11 militants died during an assault on an army position in the province.Gunmen shot dead a woman near her home in Baghdad, while one person was killed by a magnetic sticky bomb on a vehicle in Taji, north of the capital.And in Ramadi, a city west of Baghdad where militants have controlled territory since early last month, shelling killed a policeman and wounded three people.Anti-government fighters also control all of Fallujah, east of Ramadi and just a short drive from Baghdad.The defence ministry said that security forces killed 13 militants on Monday in Anbar province, where both Ramadi and Fallujah are located.Iraq has been hit by a year-long surge in violence that has reached levels not seen since 2008, driven by widespread discontent among the Sunni Arab minority and the civil war in Syria.More than 640 people have been killed in attacks and clashes since the beginning of the month, and over 1,600 since January 1, according to AFP figures based on security and medical sources.And violence has killed 10 or more people on all but three days so far this month.

Egypt government resigns ahead of presidential poll

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CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt's military-installed government resigned en masse Monday in a surprise move ahead of a presidential poll likely to bring defence minister and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to power.A limited reshuffle to allow Sisi to step down as defence minister and enter elections had been expected, but the across-the-board resignations led by the increasingly unpopular prime minister Hazem al-Beblawi surprised even some in the cabinet.Appointed in July after the military ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, Beblawi's government came under pressure to step aside amid a worsening economy and a spate of militant attacks and labour strikes.The resignations might lead to a new cabinet without the baggage of Beblawi's government ahead of Sisi's expected run in the presidential election this spring.Sisi, who emerged as the country's most popular political figure after ending Morsi's divisive one-year rule, has not yet announced his candidacy, but aides say he has already decided to run and will make the announcement soon.The field marshal, who is the defence minister and first deputy prime minister in the outgoing cabinet, has to resign from the government and the army before he can officially announce his candidacy.Beblawi defended the government's performance in an address announcing the resignations.The government assumed its responsibilities and duties... the government did not spare any efforts to get Egypt out of a bad phase, Beblawi said.This is not the time for personal interests. The nation is above everybody.The cabinet said in a statement it resigned in light of the current situation that the country is going through.The mass resignations could have been triggered by the pressure on Beblawi himself to step down.If the prime minister resigns, then the whole cabinet resigns, Mustapha Kamel al-Sayyid, a political science professor at Cairo University, said.The resignations could work in Sisi's favour, he added.If Field Marshal Sisi decides to run, he would like to run with a government that has a good reputation and can help him by resolving some of the urgent problems faced by the people.Later on Monday, interim president Adly Mansour praised Beblawi for accepting the prime minister's responsibility at a critical and difficult time following the glorious June 30th revolution.He assumed this role at a time when the burden of the nation's problems, which had accumulated over decades, was immense, both in terms of economic deterioration and marginalisation of a number of different segments of society, Mansour said in a statement as he accepted the government's resignation.

Israel bombs Hezbollah target on Lebanon-Syria border

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BAALBEK (AFP) - Israel bombarded a Hezbollah position on the Lebanon-Syria border on Monday, a Lebanese security source and a Syrian NGO said.Two Israeli raids hit a Hezbollah target on the border of Lebanon and Syria, the source said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the target was a Hezbollah missile base.Residents of Nabi Chit, on the Lebanese side of the border, told AFP they saw flare bombs light up the sky ahead of the raids, which shook their houses.Residents in neighbouring areas said they heard planes flying low before the raids.Nabi Chit is a bastion of Hezbollah, which is helping the Syrian regime battle insurgents. The Shiite group has a suspected weapons store and training camp there.The Hezbollah television station Al-Manar said there had been no raid on Lebanese territory, reporting only the strong presence of enemy planes over the area north of Bekaa in eastern Lebanon.Israel did not immediately confirm or deny responsibility for the raids.

Tennis: Federer serves up hot starter

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DUBAI (AFP) - Grand Slam record-holder Roger Federer began the second phase of what he hopes will be a revival of his fortunes by racing into the second round of the Dubai Open.In the process, he displayed some care-free hitting, lively footwork, and an air of authority which evoked his greatest days.Beating Benjamin Becker, the German once ranked in the a top 40, 6-1, 6-4, was some way from suggesting these might return, but Federer did look pleasingly upbeat and confident as he dispatched a competent middle-range opponent in only 62 minutes.The 32-year-old Swiss legend, now ranked only eight, wants to do well in Dubai to show his Australian open semi-final last month represented a step forward and not backwards, and that his game still has the potential to reach its former levels.I'm playing top tennis right now, so I don't need to top that stuff, Federer claimed for his Melbourne efforts, which saw him beat Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and former Australian Open finalist Tomas Berdych.For me it's a matter of staying healthy now, staying consistent, and getting to semi-finals and finals consistently and giving myself opportunities really. I feel I am in good enough shape as in a year at least now.Certainly Federer has never made a more eye-catching start to this tournament.He made several effective forays to the net and found an extra gear with his ground strokes when he had chances to break serve, which he did twice in the first set and once in the second.He also managed one moment of pure theatre. Forced by a Becker lob to make a hasty retreat from the net, Federer not only managed that but responded with a hot dog - a shot between the legs - which parabola-ed into a perfect counter-lob, and set up an unanswerable drop shot.It's rare to hit a lob with a hot dog, and I'm happy he got the ball back, said Federer, probably wishing not to humiliate Becker, though the rapture with which the winning two-shot combo was received must have been disconcerting.Federer's only faltering moments came while he was closing the match out at 5-4. He failed to convert two match points, made three unforced errors in a row and went break point down when he volleyed wide.But afterwards he seemed satisfied with his work.You have to be a little bit confident to play attacking tennis, he said. Thank god I served well, which you have to in the quicker conditions here in Dubai. Then if you hit well you have an opportunity to come in. It had been, he suggested really good fun out there. Relaxation was at the root of his confidence, and days of practice on these Dubai courts was how he engendered the confidence.Really I've been preparing for this like for a really big tournament. I've been here since Saturday now, or Friday, Federer said.I've had over a week's preparation with not much to do other than practise, so it's been a really good preparation. I hope it's going to pay off.If he wins the title back he will prevent Novak Djokovic from equalling his record of five titles here. He next plays the winner between Radek Stepanek, the gifted former top ten Czech, and Michael Russell, the 106th ranked American, and is seeded to play Djokovic in the semis.Djokovic begins his campaign on Tuesday against Denis Istomin, the world number 54 from Uzbekistan.

Tennis: Serena tops WTA world ranking

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PARIS (AFP) - Germany's Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep of Romania both moved up two places in the WTA world top 10 rankings, with Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic slipping down three spots.Serena Williams continues to dominate the rankings and is nearly a massive 6,000 points clear of second ranked Li Na of China despite going out in the semi-finals in Dubai last week to Alize Cornet of France.Sister Venus, who won the title in Dubai, her first tournament triumph in 16 months, gained 15 places to stand at 29th.

Football: Barca pays out 13.5m euros over Neymar transfer

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MADRID (AFP) - Spanish football champions Barcelona said Monday it would make a voluntary tax payment of 13.5 million euros over the clubs signing of Brazilian star striker Neymar but denied tax fraud.Judge Pablo Ruz at Madrids National Court indicted the Catalan giants on Thursday after seeing sufficient evidence to investigate a possible crime against the public treasury over the 86-million-euro ($118-million) transfer of Neymar from Brazilian club Santos.He sought to establish whether or not Neymar, who joined Barcelona in May 2013, was counted as a taxpayer in Spain or his native Brazil that year.Barcelona, currently trailing Real Madrid in La Liga by three points, said the club would still present a legal defence in the case opened against it and assured fans it has always acted within the law.The payment was made to cover any potential interpretation made concerning the contracts signed in the transfer process for Neymar, the club stressed.Nevertheless, they strongly denied any wrongdoing, insisting: We remain convinced that the original tax payment was in line with our fiscal obligations.State prosecutors have alleged that Barcelona owe the taxman nine million euros.Including the potential fine, this brought the total to the paid-out 13.5 million euros.

Oil prices rise on political turmoil, US cold

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices climbed Monday, finding support from political turmoil in Ukraine and some oil-producing countries and the return of cold weather in large parts of the United States.New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in April, closed at $102.82 a barrel, a gain of 62 cents from Friday.In London trade, Brent North Sea crude for April added 79 cents, settling at $110.64 a barrel.The WTI contract was benefiting from expectations of stronger demand for heating oil as another winter cold front was expected to grip much of the United States this week, analysts said.Bob Yawger of Mizuho Securities USA highlighted that crude oil supplies at the Cushing, Oklahoma terminal, which serve as a price reference for WTI, totaled 35.9 million barrels last week according to official data, roughly 14.8 million barrels below the year-ago level.Traders are expecting the Department of Energy to report another drawdown at Cushing on Wednesday.Crude-oil prices also were being supported by geopolitical factors heating up around the globe, said Phil Flynn of Price Futures Group, who cited Libya, Venezuela and South Sudan, with the most dramatic events taking place in the Ukraine.Ukraine issued an arrest warrant Monday for its ousted pro-Russian president over mass murder and appealed for $35 billion in Western aid as Moscow denounced Kiev's new reformist team as illegitimate.The threat and uncertainty surrounding Ukraine has Europe slowing exports of oil and products as they fear they may need them if they have to use them to offset the loss of Russian gas, Flynn said.John Kilduff of Again Capital said that anytime there is political turmoil, oil is becoming a safe place to bet on.There are some energy implications in Ukraine's situation, he said, but we'd really have to see some significant move from Russia to have a real effect, to move the needle one way or the other.

Dollar little-changed as markets wait for data signals

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The US dollar moved little in trade Monday as investors waited for fresh data on the US economy after severe winter weather skewed the numbers for December and January.Markets showed little impact from the turmoil in the Ukraine, or from the commitment announced by Group of 20 finance chiefs over the weekend to stoke growth in the fragile global economy.At 2200 GMT the euro was at $1.3734, barely lower from late Friday's $1.3738.The dollar was at 102.48 Japanese yen, compared with 102.45 yen last week, while the euro slipped to 140.76 yen from 140.86 yen.The British pound did move a bit, rising to $1.6653 from $1.6612. The dollar bought 0.8888 Swiss franc compared with 0.8875 on Friday.The market was quiet ahead of several key US data releases this week, with analysts waiting to see whether the sluggish numbers of the past months would continue or the winter weather effect would disappear.US February consumer confidence figures are due out on Tuesday, followed by durable goods orders on Thursday and an updated estimate for fourth-quarter US economic growth on Friday.The upheaval in Ukraine did not appear to have much influence on the major currencies, amid behind-the-scenes discussions over how the European Union and the International Monetary Fund might muster emergency financial support for the new leadership.The only skirmish that is making any global markets slightly nervous is the one in Venezuela, and that nervousness is miniscule indeed, said Neil Gilbert of Forex.com.In fact, markets are so unfazed that the S&P 500 rose to all-time highs before closing slightly under those highs.China's yuan meanwhile headed lower for the fifth straight session, falling back to 6.10 to the dollar, where it stood in early November, after rising as high as 6.04 to the dollar in January.

Selection posers for victorious South Africa

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CAPE TOWN (AFP) - South Africa face a selection dilemma ahead of the decisive third Test against Australia, starting at Newlands Saturday, despite a convincing 231-run second Test win in Port Elizabeth,At least two changes seem likely, and the uncertainty of the selectors about their final eleven was indicated by their naming of a 16-man squad for Cape Town.The groin injury suffered by left-arm fast-medium bowler Wayne Parnell will reopen the debate about whether to pick an all-rounder or a specialist bowler.Ryan McLaren, ruled out of the Port Elizabeth Test after suffering concussion in the first Test loss at Centurion, was Monday named in the squad for Newlands.Also called up was swing bowler Kyle Abbott, the leading bowler in South Africa's domestic first-class competition.Abbott made a sensational debut as a late replacement for injured players when he took seven for 29 against Pakistan at Centurion last season and had match figures of nine for 68.But if past policy is followed, preference will probably be given to Rory Kleinveldt, who has been in the squad for all three Tests, if South Africa decide to again pick four specialist seam bowlers.Left-arm spinner Robin Peterson, who did not play in Port Elizabeth, is also in the squad if a specialist spinner is required.Dean Elgar, who made 83 as an opening batsman in the first innings of the second Test, will probably make way for Alviro Petersen, who missed the game because of illness.Petersen scored two and one at Centurion.Elgar could still play, but as a lower-order batsman in place of Quinton de Kock, who was a late inclusion in Port Elizabeth after Petersen's illness.Squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Alviro Petersen, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (wkt), JP Duminy, Dean Elgar, Ryan McLaren, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Quinton de Kock, Rory Kleinveldt, Kyle Abbott, Thami Tsolekile.

Tayyip Erdogan among thousands targeted in phone-tapping: report

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ANKARA (AFP) - Turkish police have eavesdropped on thousands of people including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as cabinet ministers, the countrys spy chief and journalists, local newspapers reported on Monday.Associates of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen in the police and the judiciary have tapped the phones of Erdogan as well as politicians and businessmen for three years, pro-government dailies Yenisafak and Star claimed.This a sad and shocking event. The public is following this closely, said government spokesman Bulent Arinc.Erdogan has accused rivals in the influential Gulen group of acting as a state within a state seeking to topple his government by instigating a high-level corruption investigation against close allies.Classified documents revealing the surveillance were discovered by new prosecutors appointed after a mass purge of the police and prosecution service in the wake of the corruption probe launched in December, the press reports said.When pressed on the allegations by local press, one of the former prosecutors denied that anything illegal had taken place.These allegations are entirely without foundation. Not a single illegal operation was authorised, Adnan Cimen told newspaper Milliyet.The Star reported that so-called Gulenists had wiretapped more than 7,000 people, as well as the headquarters of the opposition Republic Peoples Party (RPP), since 2011 on the pretext of trying to uncover terrorism plots.Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said that he had been wiretapped, adding: This is no longer a problem just for the (ruling) AK Party.Intelligence chief Hakan Fidan and one of his close allies were also among those targeted, along with many business people, activists and journalists, according to the newspaper reports.Faruk Logoglu, a vice-president of the RPP who was reportedly one of those targeted, dismissed the claims as an attempt by Erdogan to support his rhetoric about a parallel state that he uses against the Gulen movement.The corruption scandal has thrown up one of the most serious challenges to Erdogans 11 years in power ahead of key local elections in March.The mass eavesdropping reports come as parliament began debating a new bill aimed at giving the intelligence agency a free hand in carrying out undercover missions and surveillance at home and abroad -- without the need for a court order.Erdogan has come under fire for what critics see as increasingly authoritarian policies, including curbs on the judiciary and the Internet.

France urges Russia to continue aid to Ukraine

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BEIJING (AFP) - French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Monday urged Russia to continue to offer financial assistance to Ukraine, telling reporters in Beijing there is no time to lose for the crisis-hit country.What we know is that Ukraines financial situation is very bad, thats for certain, Fabius said, as the global community discussed support for Ukraine, which has appealed for $35 billion in western aid.Fears that Ukraines debt-laden economy is facing default have sparked panic on markets, with bond yields rising sharply and the hryvnia currency losing a tenth of its value in the span of a few weeks.Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Monday questioned the legitimacy of Ukraines new leadership, casting doubt over financial assistance offered by Moscow, including a $15 billion bailout secured by now-ousted President Viktor Yanukovych late last year.In terms of aid for Ukraine, that is yet to be determined, Fabius told reporters at the French Embassy as he rounded off a trip to China.There is what Russia has promised, and it is to be hoped that our Russian friends and partners can carry on with their support.There is no time to lose, that has been confirmed...the treasury is empty.Ukraine owes nearly $13 billion in debt payments this year -- money it cannot drum up on financial markets because of prohibitively expensive borrowing costs.Medvedev said that Russia was unable to accept the new authorities in Kiev as a partner for talks and could not negotiate with rebels carrying Kalashnikovs.He said Russia was prepared to honour its obligations to Ukraine if and when legitimate authorities appeared. The EU is also discussing a wide-ranging political and trade pact, which would bring the Ukraine closer to the West.

Taliban reject Nisar's cricket match offer

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MIRANSHAH (AFP) - The Pakistani Taliban on Monday rejected an offer to swap their guns for cricket bats and play a match for peace, saying the sport was responsible for turning youth away from jihad.The militant group were responding to a call made earlier in the day by a top Pakistani minister who offered to host a match with the militants to revive stalled peace talks in comments which provoked derision on social media.Pakistans government entered into a formal dialogue with the Taliban earlier this month, but the process faltered after the militants executed 23 kidnapped soldiers.The military has retaliated with a series of air strikes in the tribal areas that border Afghanistan and are home to the Talibans top leadership, killing dozens.With talks on a sticky wicket, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said Monday that cricket could offer hope.I have information that the Taliban keep an interest in cricket. So if this message can go through to them, we can have a cricket match with them which can have a better result, he told reporters in Islamabad following an exhibition game.The Taliban follow the Pakistan cricket team with keen interest so this can be a platform.But speaking to AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location, Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said his group would refuse to play ball.These secular people want to distance our youth from jihad and Islamic teachings through cricket. We are strongly against cricket and dislike it, he said.We are ready to open the deadlock in peace talks created by the government. The government is not sincere in peace talks, but Taliban are ready for it.Reaction to the ministers suggestion that the Taliban could be tempted into talks through cricket was also overwhelmingly negative on Twitter, which is used mainly by the countrys English-speaking elite.In a reference to bloody toll inflicted by the Taliban on Pakistans forces over the years, one user called @MidhatZ, said: Cricket on a red pitch and may be they could bowl with our soldiers heads?Another user, @kursed, termed the minister a bloody lunatic and said he should invite the families of those beheaded by the Taliban to the match.Cricket is Pakistans main pastime and is sometimes termed the countrys second religion after Islam.Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is a diehard fan. And former cricketer Imran Khan now leads Pakistans third largest political party.Cricket diplomacy has helped thaw ties between Pakistan and rival India in the past, with a visit by military ruler General Zia Ul Haq to Jaipur in 1987 to watch a Test match seen as key in cooling raised tensions.

Pakistani found dead in Indian jail laid to rest in Pasrur

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SIALKOT (Web Desk) - Dead body of Pakistan prisoner Shaukat Ali, found dead in Indian jail, was laid to rest in Pasrur.Indian authorities have shifted the body on Wagah border crossing and handed over to Pakistani officials on Monday morning.Sources said, dead body was brought Lahore hospital for autopsy and then shifted to Pasrur.Autopsy report would reveal real cause of death as Indian authorities have claimed that Shaukat Ali had committed suicide in the jail.Shaukat was arrested from Jammu and Kashmir in February 2011.
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