Saturday 8 February 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Altaf demands judicial inquiry into workers death

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KARACHI (Online): Chief, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Altaf Hussain has demanded a judicial inquiry into what he described as extra-judicial murder of his party workers in Karachi.In a press statement on Saturday, Altaf Hussain thanked traders, transporters, petrol pump owners and public for observing a day of mourning peacefully on the MQM’s call.He lamented that he himself tried to contact Sindh Chief Minister, Rangers chief and other top officials on phone to share the details of extra-judicial killings of workers, but none of them returned his calls.

Motorcycle riding banned in Peshawar for one day

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PESHAWAR (Online): Motorcycle riding will not be allowed in Peshawar on Sunday after local administration announced ban on it.Media reports said the decision of ban was made in the wake of second phase of Health Insaf programme as part of security arrangements.Deputy Commissioner Zaheerul Islam said section 144 had also been imposed with a ban on motorcycle for Sunday.

Olympics: Canadian sisters dethrone Kearney in moguls

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ROSA KHUTOR (AFP) - Justine Dufour-Lapointe edged out her sister Chloe as the Canadians ended the reign of American Hannah Kearney in the women's moguls at the Olympics on Saturday.The youngest of three sisters in the freestyle skiing moguls final, 19-year-old Justine scored 74.80 percent in the final run to claim victory.Middle sister Chloe, 22, scored 72.20 to take silver while Kearney, the champion in Vancouver four years ago, took bronze with 71.63 despite a couple of mistakes at the beginning of her final run.It just totally rocks. It is just really amazing, said the champion.Today I gave everything I had inside. I haven't eaten since 12 this morning.I really gave it my all. I felt the pressure, but I tried to just put that away and I said, 'You know what, I'm going to roar and people will see me and remember who the real Justine is'.Before stepping up to receive their medals, the two sisters held hands and then embraced.Holding the hand of Chloe meant that I wasn't alone, said Justine.I was there and couldn't imagine that I would step up on the first step of the podium.I was shocked, I saw Chloe and I felt calm again and took her hand, and (thought) Chloe, we'll live that moment together and it will feel more like home.Her beaten sister had no regrets at having come home second behind her younger sibling.It meant a lot to be on the podium with my sister, she said. It happened before at the World Cup but here it's the Olympics, it's the big game, the big world, you have all the pressure of the world on you.Kearney, a veteran at 27, felt she had just pushed too hard, which was why she made the mistakes that cost her victory.I really gave it away, thats what it felt like, said the American.It was mine to ski for and I did try my best. The only positive I can see is that I didn't lose because I was too conservative or being complacent and thinking: well they'll just give me the gold medal if I make it down. I pushed and that's what got me.The new champion paid tribute to the American.I haven't beaten someone, I just won, said Justine.That means that I gave the best run and it was me, and my run won. But she (Kearney) also gave an incredible show and gave it like all of us. She's an incredible lady and always will be.A third Dufour-Lapointe sister, Maxime, 24, finished 12th after an error strewn second round knocked her out of the final shoot-out.

Football: Hazard fires Chelsea top after Arsenal crash

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LONDON (AFP) - Eden Hazard scored a hat-trick as Chelsea capitalised on Arsenal's crushing defeat at Liverpool by beating Newcastle United 3-0 to claim top spot in the Premier League on Saturday.Arsenal's 5-1 demolition at Anfield earlier in the day handed their nearest rivals an opportunity to leapfrog them at the top of the table and Chelsea took full advantage at Stamford Bridge.Manchester City were unable to follow suit, however, drawing 0-0 at Norwich City and slipping to third place in the process.Chelsea had served notice of their title credentials with an impressive 1-0 win at City on Monday and they were quick to take control against Newcastle despite captain John Terry missing out with a muscular strain.Hazard broke the deadlock in the 27th minute with a first-time finish from a Branislav Ivanovic pass and the Belgian added a second seven minutes later following a neat back-heel by Samuel Eto'o.A foul on Eto'o by Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa presented Hazard with an opportunity to complete his first Chelsea hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 63rd minute and he duly obliged by sending Tim Krul the wrong way.I know today we are top of the league, but I look to fifth place, said Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.I look to Tottenham v Everton and Manchester United v Fulham tomorrow (Sunday) and I want to be far from fifth.When we are far from fifth and have a Champions League position under control, then it will be time to look at Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool and see where they are and see the distances.Victory took Chelsea a point above Arsenal and two points clear of City, who were unable to repeat their 7-0 annihilation of Norwich from earlier in the season.Manuel Pellegrini's side dominated proceedings at Carrow Road, but in the continued absence of top scorer Sergio Aguero they came no closer to scoring than a first-half Alvaro Negredo header that hit the crossbar.We are frustrated because we could not win, but we did all we could and in front of us there was a team who defended very well, said City manager Pellegrini.Every team will drop points, but we are still two points behind the leaders and we have 39 points to play for so we will continue exactly the same.Liverpool are now only six points off the summit after re-energising their title challenge with a clinical victory over Arsenal.Martin Skrtel scored twice in 10 minutes to spark the rout, before Luis Suarez crossed for Raheem Sterling to make it 3-0 and Philippe Coutinho released Daniel Sturridge to score Liverpool's fourth.Sterling completed his brace early in the second half, with Mikel Arteta replying from the penalty spot for Arsenal in the 69th minute after Steven Gerrard was penalised for felling Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.It was an incredible performance, said Liverpool manager Rodgers. It's not the first time we've been outstanding at home, but everything about us today was incredible. Everything was outstanding.The one-sided victory lifted fourth-place Liverpool to within five points of Arsenal, a week before the sides are due to meet again at the Emirates Stadium in the fifth round of the FA Cup.It was a very poor day, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told BT Sport. We have to bounce back from that, and as quickly as possible.Elsewhere, Swansea City overwhelmed local rivals Cardiff City 3-0 in the south Wales derby to begin life without Michael Laudrup in memorable style.Laudrup was sacked as manager on Tuesday and replaced by former captain Garry Monk, who saw Wayne Routledge, Nathan Dyer and Wilfried Bony plunder second-half goals that left Cardiff rooted in the bottom three.West Ham United leapt out of the relegation zone after captain Kevin Nolan took his tally of goals to four in two games with a brace in a 2-0 success at Aston Villa.West Bromwich Albion slid into the space vacated by West Ham after going down 3-1 at Crystal Palace.January signings Tom Ince and Joe Ledley marked their Palace debuts with goals, only for West Brom debutant Thievy Bifouma to hit back, but Marouane Chamakh sealed victory with a penalty mid-way through the second half.Sunderland had Wes Brown sent off after three minutes in a 2-0 loss at home to Hull City that saw them fall to within one place of the drop zone, while Stoke City twice came from behind to force a 2-2 draw at Southampton.

Tennis: Holders Italy grab 2-0 Fed Cup lead over USA

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CLEVELAND (AFP) - Defending champions Italy moved within one match of advancing past the United States to the Fed Cup semi-finals after victories by Karin Knapp and Camila Giorgi on Saturday.World number 40 Knapp beat 62nd-ranked Christina McHale 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the opener, which lasted two hours and 14 minutes.It's incredible, Knapp said. I'm really happy. I played a great match.Camila Giorgi, ranked 84th, then downed 37th-ranked US teen Madison Keys 6-2, 6-1, in only one hour in a matchup of Fed Cup debutantes.For sure my first time was really nice. It's much different but it's a lot of fun to be on the team, Giorgi said.I played good. Everything was going well. It's really nice to have these days.The Americans have never recovered from an 0-2 deficit to win in the current Fed Cup format.Keys, 18, is set to open Sunday's reverse singles against Knapp with the concluding doubles set to pit Italians Nastassia Burnett and Alice Matteucci against Americans Alison Riske and Lauren Davis.Knapp blasted 30 winners to only 12 for McHale, the only US Fed Cup player with prior experience in the event. Knapp had 57 unforced errors to 49 for McHale.The Americans were without injured stars Serena Williams and Sloane Stephens while Italy lacked top names Sara Errani and Flavia Pennetta.The Italians, who seek their fifth Fed Cup in nine years, beat the US women in the 2009 and 2010 Fed Cup finals and in last year's opening round.Although the Americans own a 9-3 edge in their overall rivalry, they have not beaten Italy since 2003. The winner will face either Spain of the Czech Republic in the semi-finals.

Tennis: Cilic, Haas meet in Zagreb final

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ZAGREB (AFP) - Croatia's Marin Cilic and top seed Tommy Haas of Germany won their respective semi-finals on Saturday to secure their places in the $420,000 ATP Zagreb Indoor Open final.The fifth-seeded Croat easily defeated Bjorn Phau of Germany 6-3, 6-4, while Haas experienced greater difficulty in dispatching Britain's Daniel Evans 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.Cilic is seeking his fourth title in Zagreb after wins in 2009, 2010 and 2013.It's true, so far I'm doing well. Not only did I not lost a match but not even one set, the 25-year-old said.I wouldn't mind if this streak continues on Sunday.In the first set Cilic had a break at 4-3 and in the second one he broke Phau's serve three times.At 5-3 he missed five match balls before winning in 1 hour and 24 minutes.

Football: Bale on target as Ronaldo-less Madrid beat Villarreal

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MADRID (AFP) - Gareth Bale compensated for the absence of the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo with a goal and an assist as Real Madrid went joint top of La Liga with a 4-2 win over Villarreal on Saturday.The Welshman took advantage of an error from Chechu Dorado to chip home the opener before setting up Karim Benzema to put Madrid on the road to victory.A wonder strike from Villarreal right-back Mario Gaspar gave Villarreal hope before half-time, but the in-form Jese Rodriguez made it 3-1 just after the hour mark with a lovely deft finish.Giovani Dos Santos free-kick halved the deficit once more before Benzemas second of the game sealed the points 15 minutes from time.Los Blancos are now level on points with Atletico Madrid at the top of the table, although Atletico can move clear of their local rivals once more when they face Almeria later on Saturday.Real boss Carlo Ancelotti hailed Bales contribution and believes Ronaldos absence forced the rest of the side to take more responsibility.The absence of Cristiano gives more motivation to everyone. He is an indispensible player so everyone else has to work harder, said the Italian.Bale played well, like the whole team did. It wasnt an easy game, after the effort we made against Atletico on Wednesday it wasnt easy to prepare for this match.He scored a good goal, made the second goal and general level of his overall performance was good.Bale had missed Reals previous three games due to a calf injury, but he announced his return in style just seven minutes in as he robbed Dorado before dinking the ball over Sergio Asenjo for his 11th goal of the season.The former Tottenham Hotspur man turned provider 14 minutes later with a right-footed cross that Benzema stabbed home at the near post.And he then tried his luck from distance moments later, but his sweetly struck shot was too close to Asenjo.Villarreal were back in the game three minutes before half-time in spectacular style as right-back Mario surged forward to unleash an unstoppable drive high into Diego Lopezs top right-hand corner.Angel di Maria nearly restored Madrids two-goal cushion just before the break with a dipping effort Asenjo was forced to turn over, whilst Dani Carvajal also came close when he shot just past the post 10 minutes after the restart from another Bale pass.Jese did finally get the third goal for the hosts when he nudged the ball past Asenjo with the outside of his right foot for his fourth goal in as many games from Di Marias through ball.Another stunning strike cut the deficit for Villarreal six minutes later when Dos Santos curled home a free-kick from 25 yards.However, Real definitively sewed the game up when a flowing counter-attack involved Sergio Ramos, Jese and Benzema ended with the Frenchman side-footing home his 15th goal of the season.

Steady India edge towards winning target

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AUCKLAND (AFP) - Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli were calmly nibbling into the imposing 407 India need to win the first Test against New Zealand as they reached 180-2 at lunch on the fourth day Sunday.India added 93 for the loss of one wicket in the morning session, with Dhawan not out 81 and closing in on his second Test century while Kohli was on 55.New Zealand wanted at least two wickets before lunch to feel they still had some control, but were denied by a stubborn partnership that has so far produced 84 runs.The one wicket to fall was Cheteshwar Pujara, who looked diligent for nine deliveries before being caught behind off Tim Southee for 23.Southee produced a testing opening spell, mixing his short and full-length deliveries. The ball that claimed Pujara landed short, reared up and swung away late to take an outside edge. But the rest of his morning was a series of fruitless appeals as Dhawan and Kohli kept the scoreboard ticking over at a comfortable rate. An attempt to trap Kohli with the placement of two short covers came to nothing when the right-hander deftly placed an uppish drive off Neil Wagner between them for four. Kohli was also harsh on Ish Sodhi -- after intently playing through a maiden when the leg spinner first came on he belted three boundaries in the next over.Southee has taken both Indian wickets to have figures of two for 29 off 12 overs.

Madinah hotel fire kills 12, injures 130

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MADINAH (Web Desk): At least twelve persons were killed and another hundred and thirty injured as fire erupted in Ishraq Al-Madinah Hotel in the holy city of Madinah on Saturday, according to a statement issued by Madinah Governorate. Over 130 people, mostly pilgrims, were injured, said the statement.Authorities evacuated the guests and closed off the street leading to the hotel, located on Sitteen Street.The hotel had over 700 guests at the time of the fire. Rescue machinery included helicopters to evacuate the trapped people.No reports about the ignition or probing into the incident are available as yet.

Taliban put forward 3 conditions for negotiations

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NORTH WAZIRISTAN (Dunya News): Banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has put forward three conditions to the negotiations committee to proceed with negotiations.The conditions include; holding negotiations within limits of Shariah, withdrawal of forces from conflicted areas and release of captured Taliban accomplices from Pakistani prisons.Taliban central Shura met at an undisclosed location in North Waziristan on Saturday under Taliban deputy chief Sheikh Khalid Haqqani. Professor Ibrahim, Maulana Yousaf and Maulana Haseeb had informed TTP about the demands of the government committee, following which, the TTP put forward its own set of demands.According to sources, negotiations between committee members and Taliban could last two to three phases.It is pertinent to mention here that members of Taliban negotiations committee Professor Ibrahim and Maulana Samiul Haq’s special representative Maulana Haseeb had reached Miranshah using helicopter provided by the government where they were briefed by political agent after which the three leaders proceeded ahead.The session wil continue for next two days and Maulana Samiul Haq is also expected to join the session. Talibans political Shura provided complete security to the committee members.

Maulana Yousaf, Ibrahim meet Taliban's Political Shura

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MIRANSHAH (Dunya News) - Member of the Taliban’s nominated committee Professor Ibrahim and coordinator Maulana Yousaf arrived in North Waziristan via helicopter to convey the demand of the government’s committee to the Taliban leadership.According to sources, Professor Ibrahim and Maulana Yousaf flanked by a political agent moved to an undisclosed location where they met the Taliban’s Political Shura.The sources said the committee tried to convince Taliban to hold talks within the constitutional parameters.The government provided the helicopter after Taliban demanded for a helicopter to hold talks with the TTP central leadership in North Waziristan, the sources added.Meanwhile, PM Nawaz Sharif said the committee setup to hold peace talks with Taliban had complete authority, adding that the dialogue process was moving in right direction.Addressing the media after attending the 37th Export Trophy Awards ceremony in Lahore, PM Sharif said both the committees were in contact and the peace talks were moving forward in right direction.Meanwhile, talking to newsmen in here on Saturday‚ the minister said speculative media reports and rhetoric among different sections may influence or affect the process.He said both the dialogue committees should be allowed to work independently.He said the government's aim is to establish peace and to put the country on the track of development and progress.To a question‚ the minister said Pakistan follows a policy of non-interference in the affairs of other countries and expects the same from others.He said that Pakistan had never interfered in the affairs of any other country and it was time to resolve its own issues.

Spain princess 'evasive' in fraud hearing: lawyer

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PALMA (AFP) - Spains princess Cristina tried to distance herself from unprecedented fraud accusations Saturday, telling a judge she had simply trusted her husband, one of the lawyers in the courtroom said.Spanish King Juan Carloss youngest daughter was evasive as she testified as a criminal suspect in the Palma de Majorca court, said Manuel Delgado, a lawyer for a civil party in the case, left-wing association Frente Civico.The first direct member of the Spanish royal family in history to face such a hearing, the 48-year-old blonde Cristina said she had great trust in her husband, the lawyer told reporters during a break in the proceedings.Long thought untouchable as a royal, Cristina finds herself at the centre of the scandal, accused of being complicit in the allegedly fraudulent business dealings of her husband, former Olympic handball player Inaki Urdangarin, who is also under investigation.Ninety-five percent of her answers are evasive. She is calm, relaxed and well prepared, the lawyer said.The judge is asking very rigorous questions, he added.She is exercising her right not to give answers that would compromise her. She is not diverging from the script we expected: she does not know, she does not answer and thats it.The princess is accused of tax fraud and laundering allegedly embezzled money -- claims that have plunged the monarchy into crisis.Earlier, she smiled as she stepped out of a dark car, wearing a white shirt and black jacket, and walked into the courtroom, nodding to television crews, photographers and reporters crowded near the door.Minutes after Cristinas arrival, investigating judge Jose Castro began questioning her in a courtroom overlooked by a portrait of her own father, Juan Carlos, 76.Neither Cristina nor her husband have been formally charged with any crime and both deny wrongdoing.Castro has spent more than two years investigating allegations that Urdangarin and a former business partner embezzled six million euros ($8 million) in public funds via a charitable foundation.Cristina was a member of the foundations board and with her husband jointly owned another company, Aizoon, which investigators suspect served as a front for laundering embezzled money.State prosecutors say there is no case to answer against Cristina but the judge has admitted suits brought by pressure groups.

Kazakhstan president mulls renaming the country

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ASTANA (Web Desk) - President Nursultan Nazarbayev has suggested changing the name of Kazakhstan to Kazak Yeli in a bid to differentiate the oil rich nation from its 'poorer' neighbours in central Asia.Nazarbayev said dropping the 'stan' and renaming the country Kazakh Eli, which stands for 'The Land of Kazakhs', will make it stand out and encourage investment in the mineral-rich nation.Nazarbayev's press service quoted him as saying: In our country's name, there is this 'stan' ending which other Central Asian nations have as well.But, for instance, foreigners show interest in Mongolia, whose population is just two million people, but whose name lacks the 'stan' ending.He added: Probably, we ought to consider with time the issue of adopting Kazakh Eli as the name of our country, but before that, we definitely need to discuss this with the people.This is not the first time Nazarbayev proposes a radical name change.In 1998, he moved the capital from Almaty in southeastern Kazakhstan to Akmola in the north. A year later, he decided the new capital should be named 'Astana' in a bid to end a dispute over the meaning of Akmola, which stands for both 'white tomb' and 'white plenty' in Kazakh.Nickname 'Papa' and 'Leader of the Nation', the 73-year old former steelworker has been in office since 1989 and enjoys vast powers in the country.Kazakhstan has a population of 17 million people and boasts the largest economy among the region's post-Soviet block, which also includes Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

No interference in dialogue committees' work: Pervaiz Rasheed

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LAHORE (Web Desk) - Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid has called for avoiding irresponsible statements about the ongoing talks between the government and Taliban dialogue committees.Talking to newsmen in here on Saturday‚ the minister said speculative media reports and rhetoric among different sections may influence or affect the process.He said both the dialogue committees should be allowed to work independently.He said the governments aim is to establish peace and to put the country on the track of development and progress.To a question‚ the minister said Pakistan follows a policy of non-interference in the affairs of other countries and expects the same from others.He said that Pakistan had never interfered in the affairs of any other country and it was time to resolve its own issues.Pervaiz said that enemies of law and the Constitution should never be spared and they should be taken to courts.Responding to another question about the issue of Big Three of cricket, he said that Pakistan’s stance was absolutely clear on the issue.

Three dead, 500 injured as heavy snow hit Japan

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TOKYO (AFP) - The heaviest snow in two decades struck Tokyo and other areas across Japan on Saturday, leaving three dead and nearly 500 others injured, reports said.More than 740 flights were grounded as the weather agency issued a severe storm warning for the capital, while more than 40,000 households lost power.As much as 22 centimetres (8.7 inches) of snow was recorded Saturday afternoon in Tokyo, topping 20 centimetres for the first time since 1994, the meteorological agency and news reports said.Two female passengers, aged 88 and 90, died on Saturday in a car accident on their way to a nursing home in Ishikawa, central Japan, NHK said. Police suspect one of the cars skidded on the icy road and caused the head-on clash.A man was also killed in Nagano as a train smashed into his car at a railroad crossing, the broadcaster said, adding that 3,200 other accidents occurred across the nation caused by vehicles skidding in the icy conditions.Public broadcaster NHK said at least 494 people were injured in snow-related accidents across the nation.Further snowfall is expected Saturday night and early Sunday in Tokyo, the weather agency said.The agency issued a heavy snow warning for the capital, the first such warning for the capital in 13 years, calling on residents not to go out unless necessary.The agency also warned of strong winds and high waves in eastern Japan as a rapidly developing low pressure front was heading toward eastern Japan, it said.Japanese airline companies have cancelled 742 flights on Saturday due to heavy snow, NHK said, adding that more cancellations are expected on Sunday.Airports in the western cities of Hiroshima and Kagawa were temporarily closed as operators were removing snow from the runways.Television footage showed hundreds of passengers queuing for reimbursement or a change of flights at Tokyos Haneda airport with departure boards indicating the cancellation of many flights.Employees were hurriedly removing snow from the pavement in front of their shops and restaurants in Tokyos bustling Ginza district.Railway operators temporarily suspended services of Shinkansen bullet trains in western Japan, affecting more than 100,000 passengers, news reports said.Some 43,800 households lost power in large areas of central and eastern Japan because of the heavy snow, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.Some sections of expressways mainly in central Japan were also closed due to the snow.In Tokyo, several universities delayed the starting times of their entrance examinations for the new academic year starting in April.
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