Sunday 23 March 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

A million children a year develop TB: study

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PARIS (AFP) - About a million children, double the previous estimate, fall ill with tuberculosis every year, said a study Monday that also gave the first tally of drug-resistant TB among the young.Many cases of tuberculosis and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis disease are not being detected in children, it said.The team's computer model, based on population data and previous studies, suggests 999,800 people aged under 15 fell sick with TB in 2010.Around 40 percent of the cases were in Southeast Asia and 28 percent in Africa.Our estimate of the total number of new cases of childhood TB is twice that estimated by the WHO (World Health Organisation) in 2011, and three times the number of child TB cases notified globally each year, said Ted Cohen from the Harvard School of Public Health.The research, published in The Lancet, coincides with World TB Day, which places the spotlight on a disease that claims some 1.3 million lives each year.The team estimated that nearly 32,000 children in 2010 had multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB), meaning the strain was impervious to frontline drugs isoniazid and rifampin and was thus harder and costlier to treat.This is the first estimate of MDR-TB among children under 15, who constitute a quarter of the global population.Children are at a higher risk of disease and death from MDR-TB, but react well to medication. They are harder to diagnose, partly because smaller children cannot cough up sputum samples needed for laboratory tests.Reliable estimates are necessary for health authorities to assign resources for diagnosing and treating the infectious lung disease.Commenting on the study, Ben Marais of the Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity in Sydney, Australia, described it as the most rigorous effort to date to assess TB and MDR-TB incidence in children.Every effort should be made to reduce the massive case-detection gap and address the vast unmet need for diagnosis and treatment, he said.The WHO says about 450,000 people developed MDR-TB in 2012 and 170,000 died from it. Less than 20 percent of MDR patients received appropriate treatment, which promotes further spread of the disease.Nearly 10 percent of MDR cases are thought to be of the even deadlier XDR (extensively drug resistant) variety which does not respond to a yet wider range of drugs.

Tennis: Federer, Murray cruise through Miami sweatshop

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MIAMI (AFP) - Two-time winner Roger Federer and defending champion Andy Murray eased into the fourth round of the ATP and WTA Miami Masters, producing efficient wins in heat and humidity Sunday.Fifth-ranked Federer pounded Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker 6-3, 6-3 in just over an hour while British sixth seed Murray downed practice partner Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-1.Ivan Lendl, the coach from whom Murray recently parted, was sitting in the player box to watch his former protege's triumph.Federer, 32, broke for victory in the final game, with de Bakker saving a pair of match points but also double-faulting at a crucial moment.Federer secured his 21st match win of the season when a backhand from the Dutchman floated long.I'm feeling really good with my game, said Federer, who next faces French ninth seed Richard Gasquet. My confidence is high and I'm moving well. I'm excited about how I've been playing.Federer said he will need to gather information on Gasquet, whom he last played in November at the season-ending event in London.We've played many times and I'm not sure how he's playing right now, he said. I have to find out a little bit.Murray polished his record to 9-0 over Lopez in only 73 minutes. The Scotsman, who does much of his off-season training in Miami, improved to 21-6 in the US city.I don't know how hot it was, but when we came over at like 9:30 it was already 80 Fahrenheit (23 Celsius) and it was extremely humid. They are not easy conditions, said Murray.He now faces French 11th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who outlasted Marcos Baghdatis 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-5.Murray has won eight of their nine ATP meetings, the most recent last year on grass at Queen's.Tsonga trailed a set and was down 5-1 in the second-set tiebreaker when he suddenly found some much-needed form, rallying to win after two and a half hours.The Frenchman fired 16 aces and needed only one break of serve to make the winning difference.It seemed like a very tough match, Murray said of Tsonga's win. A lot of tight games towards the end. He did well to come back.Also advancing was Chinese world number two Li Na, the reigning Australian Open champion who dispatched American Madison Keys 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.Li spent nearly an hour surviving the first set, saving two set points on the serve of 38th-ranked Keys.The American committed a backhand error on her first chance and double-faulted on the second before Li got the break for 5-4 in a set which eventually went into a tiebreaker.Li won the decider on the first of four set points to seize the momentum. She then saved a pair of break points in the final game and won after one hour, 41 minutes.It was a pretty tough match, Li said. She played well, big serve, big forehand, especially when she was 3-1 down and then come back 5-3 up and served for the first set.During that time I didn't think about too much. I say, 'OK, try to hit the ball, try to do what you have to do, and I think saving the set points at least kept me in the first set.This changed the match a little bit, because after that I was feeling her level drop.Li won despite seven double faults, 26 unforced errors and just 11 winners.She will next tackle either Carla Suarez Navarro or Kaia Kanepi.Polish third seed Agnieszka Radwanska, last week's Indian Wells runner-up, beat Russia's Elena Vesnina 7-5, 6-3 and next meets highly-rated 19-year-old Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.

Tennis: Li masters Keys to reach Miami fourth round

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MIAMI (AFP) - China's Li Na reached the fourth round of the ATP and WTA Miami Masters, dispatching American Madison Keys 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 after a difficult opening set Sunday.The Australian Open champion and world number two spent nearly an hour surviving the first set, saving two set points on the serve of 38th-ranked Keys.Keys committed a backhand error on her first chance and double-faulted on the second before Li got the break for 5-4 in a set which eventually went into a tiebreaker.Li won the decider on the first of four set points to seize the match momentum in front of a sparse crowd.The Chinese number one recovered from an early break in the second set, eventually reaching 5-2.Li then saved a pair of break points in the final game thanks to Keys' unforced errors and took victory after one hour, 41 minutes as her opponent again misfired.It was a pretty tough match, Li said. She played well, big serve, big forehand, especially when she was 3-1 down and then come back 5-3 up and served for the first set.During that time I didn't think about too much. I say, 'OK, try to hit the ball, try to do what you have to do, and I think saving the set points at least kept me in the first set.This changed the match a little bit, because after that I was feeling her level drop.Li won despite seven double faults, 26 unforced errors and just 11 winners. She broke on five of 10 chances against an opponent whom she has now beaten on two of three occasions.Li is playing in Miami for the eighth time, reaching four quarter-finals. She owns titles in 2014 from Shenzhen and Melbourne.

Football: Barcelona beat Real Madrid 4-3 in El Clasico

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MADRID (AFP) - Barcelona moved to within a point of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga as they twice came from behind thanks to a Lionel Messi hat-trick to edge a thrilling El Clasico 4-3 at the Santiago Bernabeu.The sides went in level 2-2 at half-time as a record 19th goal against Madrid from Messi cancelled out Karim Benzema's double after Andres Iniesta had put Barca in front.Cristiano Ronaldo then put Madrid back in front from the penalty spot, but the hosts were reduced to 10-men when Sergio Ramos pulled down Neymar inside the box 10 minutes later and Messi levelled once more from the spot.And the Argentine won the game with another penalty seven minutes from time after Iniesta had been felled by Xabi Alonso.A first defeat for Real in 32 games means Atletico Madrid remain top of the table thanks to their better head-to-head record against Los Blancos with Barca still in third.The league starts a new now, said Barca boss Gerardo Martino.More than the mathematical distance we were behind, the impression was people wrote us off. Atletico Madrid were always in the fight and I think that after this result we are too.We knew if we didn't win tonight it was over for us. We still don't have matters in our own hands, but we'll now fight till the end.Real coach Carlo Ancelotti, meanwhile, lamented Ramos' game-changing red card when Madrid had just gotten themselves back in front.I haven't seen it again and it is difficult for me to comment on the decisions of the referee because there were many.However, it was the key moment. We were winning 3-2 and controlling the game well, but it is much more difficult to control the game with a player less.The game got off to a blistering start as after Neymar and Benzema had early efforts easily saved, Barca opened the scoring when Messi played in Iniesta behind the Real defence and the Spanish international smashed the ball in off the underside of the bar.Benzema had a great chance to equalise five minutes later when he spooned Angel Di Maria's cut-back over after a great a jinking run from the Argentine had taken him past three Barca defenders.Messi could then have made it 2-0 when he fired wide with the type of opening he is normally deadly with as he raced onto Cesc Fabregas' fine through ball.Benzema made amends for his earlier miss 20 minutes in when Victor Valdes just failed to keep out his header from Di Maria's cross.The Frenchman then completed a rapid turnaround for the hosts as Javier Mascherano misjudged another Di Maria centre from the left and Benzema took a touch before firing past the helpless Valdes.Gerard Pique had to make a vital clearance off the line to prevent a hat-trick of Di Maria assists for Benzema.Barca responded before half-time and were level when Messi controlled a loose ball inside the area and slotted home at Diego Lopez's near post.Benzema could still have put Madrid in front at the break as his looping header from Dani Carvajal's cross crept inches past the post.The first opportunity of the second period also fell to Benzema after a terrific run and pass from Gareth Bale, but this time Valdes managed to make the save low to his right.Carlo Ancelotti's men did retake the lead on 55 minutes when referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco controversially awarded a penalty for a trip on Ronaldo by Alves despite the contact appearing to take place outside the area.Ronaldo was unmoved, though, as he got up to take hammer the resulting spot-kick low past Valdes' outstretched right hand.However, the game turned again 25 minutes from time when Messi released Neymar and he was brought down by Ramos.Real's captain for the evening was shown his 19th red card for Los Blancos for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity and Messi converted from the spot to make it 3-3.Alves then struck the inside of the post from 25 yards as Barca went in search of the goal that would salvage their title chances.And they got it when Mallenco awarded a third penalty of the evening as Iniesta tumbled inside the area and Messi again dispatched it perfectly high past Lopez.

Golf: Scott blows bid for title, top spot as Every wins

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MIAMI (AFP) - Adam Scott stumbled with a chance to all-but ensure himself of becoming world number one, leaving Matt Every to claim his first PGA title Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.Reigning Masters champion Scott, who led by a record seven strokes through 36 holes and by three when the day began, struggled to a final-round four-over par 76 and settled for third.Scott, the first Australian to win the Masters green jacket, would likely have dethroned Tiger Woods atop the rankings days before he defended his first major crown next month at Augusta National.Instead, tearful Every secured his first-ever berth at the Masters with an emotional comeback triumph by firing a final-round 70.It's hard. It's tough, Every said as he wiped away tears. You never know if it's going to happen. It's nice to get it done.It's really cool. I've been really close. I've had a ton of looks. I still can't believe I won.Every, whose middle name of King is the same as Palmer's nickname, won in his 93rd US PGA start, his best prior finishes being runner-up efforts in 2012 at the Texas Open and Children's Miracle network Classic.The 30-year-old from nearby Daytona Beach, whose father brought him to Bay Hill for years in his youth, took a $1 million top prize that was more than he had earned in any prior career season.A week that saw 14-time major champion Woods withdraw due to a back injury ended with an emotional final charge.Every led Scott by three strokes with three holes to play but found a cart path to the right off the 16th tee and hit a tree with his second shot on the way to a bogey.As quickly as the door opened, Scott missed a 19-foot eagle putt and pulled a four-foot comeback birdie putt left of the cup at the par-5 16th while Every rescued par from a bunker at the par-3 17th, staying two ahead of Scott.Scott missed a seven-foot par putt at 17 and even though Every closed with a bogey by missing a five-foot par putt, Scott's par was not enough.Keegan Bradley, Scott's playing partner, missed a 30-foot birdie putt at 18 to force a playoff and Every had his long-sought win.(Missing) the last putt was a bummer but I'll take it, Every said.Scott, at Bay Hill for the first time since missing the cut in 2009, matched the course record with a 62 Thursday and equaled the 36-hole mark with a 68 Friday but saw his record seven-shot lead trimmed to three entering Sunday.The Aussie found bunkers with his first two shots and missed a five-foot par putt at the first, dropping his lead to two shots.Scott found water left off the third tee on his way to another bogey that trimmed his edge to one shot over Every.Scott answered with a birdie of his own at the fourth to reach 14-under and lead by two, but he found a bunker off the tee at the par-3 eighth and took a bogey, slicing his lead back to one.When Every sank a 20-foot birdie putt at the 10th and added an eight-foot birdie at the par-5 12th to reach 14-under, the seven-stroke edge Scott enjoyed on Saturday morning had totally vanished.Scott, dumped from the top of the leaderboard for the first time since Thursday morning, fell two adrift when Every followed with a 13-foot birdie putt at 13 to reach 15-under.When Scott took a bogey at the par-3 14th, missing a seven-foot par putt, Every's advantage grew to three shots and the Aussie's chance at the top spot, seemingly so near when the weekend began, faded from his grasp.

Motorcycling: Marquez edges Rossi to win Qatar Grand Prix

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DOHA (AFP) - World champion Marc Marquez won the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday just a month after breaking his leg.The Honda rider fought off a thrilling, wheel-to-wheel challenge from nine-time champion Valentino Rossi on a Yamaha to win by just 0.259sec.Dani Pedrosa, on the second factory Honda, took third.Marquez, who broke his right leg in a dirt-bike accident in his native Spain at the end of February, came into the new season having become the youngest ever world champion in 2013.I enjoyed the race a lot, I did not expect the result but yesterday I had a good feeling fighting with Valentino, said 21-year-old Marquez.Rossi, seeking what would have been his 81st win in the elite MotoGP class, said he could take a lot out of the race, having been written off last season as a spent force.At the beginning I was a little not clear in my mind, do I attack? Then I said I go, I try, but after Marc was stronger.I had the potential to try at the end but unfortunately he was a little too far. But anyway its a great result and I hope to continue like this.In a thrilling race beneath the Losail circuit floodlights, 2010 and 2012 world champion Jorge Lorenzo was done and dusted inside the first lap.The Spaniard, the runner-up to Marquez in the 2013 world championship, had started in fifth place but snatched the lead on the first bend.However, he suffered a dramatic race-ending crash at the end of the opening lap on his factory Yamaha which must have been painful for a man who twice broke his collarbone last year.It was a high speed crash but not on the dangerous side, said Lorenzo.I made the mistake of a junior. The tyres are different from last year and the temperatures are colder than they were in qualifying. I didnt take these things into account.Germanys Stefan Bradl, on a Honda, soon found himself in the front but his evening also ended prematurely when he came off the track on the ninth lap.Rossi, who had started in 10th place on the grid, then took the lead from Marquez and held it for five laps as the 35-year-old Italian sensed a first win since Assen last year.However, Marquez, on the faster Honda, slipped by him on the 13th lap.They swapped the lead twice in a nail-biting penultimate lap, but Marquez had too much power for the Italian great.Pedrosa was happy to finish in third at a track he dislikes.All the time we had tyre issues, the track is very slippery and I felt like the grip wasnt there, he said. I dont like this track so I am happy with third.Australias Jack Miller, riding a KTM, won the Moto3 race to capture his maiden career triumph.Spanish duo Alex Marquez, the younger brother of MotoGP world champion Marc, and Efren Vasquez, both on Hondas, took second and third respectively.The 19-year-old Miller, who was seventh in the world championship in 2013, duelled with Marquez over the course of the 18-lap race and made the most of a late error by the Spaniard on the last lap.In a thrilling conclusion, the top six riders were covered by just 0.586sec.In Moto2, Spains Esteve Rabat saw off fellow Kalex riders, Japans Takaaki Nakagami and Finlands Mika Kallio for victory.Rabat, who was third in the 2013 championship, claimed a fourth career win after a race which saw four riders -- Josh Herrin, Johann Zarco, Alex De Angelis and Xavier Simeon -- involved in a spectacular crash on the first lap.The MotoGP championship now moves on to Austin, Texas for the Grand Prix of the Americas on April 13.

Broad fined for 'distinctly average' umpires blast

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HITTAGONG (AFP) - England captain Stuart Broad was fined on Sunday after blasting umpires as distinctly average who put players in danger when lightning hit his team's World Twenty20 clash with New Zealand.New Zealand were declared winners by nine runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method after the umpires called off the Group One match due to persistent rain in Chittagong on Saturday.Broad had sought guidance on when the weather should stop play after on-field umpires Aleem Dar of Pakistan and Paul Rieffel of Australia failed to stop the game despite thunder and lightning when New Zealand were chasing a 173-run target.The umpires waited until heavy rain fell. Even after a 25-minute delay the match could not be resumed. At 52-1 after 5.2 overs -- nine runs ahead of what they needed under the Duckworth-Lewis method, New Zealand were declared the winners.Broad, who was fined 15% of his match fee, felt aggrieved because had play been stopped before the end of the fifth over it would not have counted as a complete match, resulting in one point for each team.He said the umpires' decision cost his team the match.To be as polite as I possibly can be, I think it was distinctly average decision-making, keeping us on after the first lightning strike at the start of the fifth over, keeping us on throughout that, Broad said after the match.Ironically, it was Broad who was hit for 16 runs by his counterpart, Brendon McCullum, which lifted New Zealand well clear of the required target.That over has obviously given us a loss, said Broad, whose team next face Sri Lanka on Thursday.Broad pleaded guilty to a Level One charge of publicly criticising match officials.Umpires are the final judges of the fitness of the ground, weather or light for play. Weather decisions are the most difficult to make, but the umpires make the best decision possible, taking all factors into account, said ICC match referee Javagal Srinath.Such public criticism is not good for the spirit of the game. Mutual respect between players, match officials and administrators is paramount to the game of cricket.Broad had called for clarity on the decision from the ICC.I think you should have an umpire in here for some clarity, to be honest, he said. There are some questions that need asking to the ICC.I mean it's all very well wanting to finish a game so you can tick a box, etc, but players' health and safety and actually crowd safety is very important and that to me felt like very threatening lightning.Broad said the umpires denied they had seen the lightning.I asked the umpires for a bit of clarity on the decision-making at the end of the game, and they said they didn't see the lightning and didn't think it was a threat. You can guarantee from our team we felt like it was a threat, and with a batsman pulling away from a delivery after 4.2 overs I think the batsman saw it as well, said Broad of McCullum pulling away after the first lightning strike.At the end of the day it's a game of cricket so I wouldn't be putting the crowd and players' safety under threat.It's not sour grapes because I think both sides were uncomfortable being out there in such heavy lightning being around, added Broad.But New Zealand paceman Kyle Mills backed the umpires' decision. If Stuart was on the other end of it, he would be more than happy with the decision, said Mills. In cricket you win some and you lose some. The umpires are trying to make the decisions to the best of their ability. They want to get a full game of cricket on, a judgement call as they see it, and it just so happened that we got another over in the game.New Zealand next meet South Africa in Chittagong on Monday.

Ziaur replaces injured Rubel in Bangladesh squad

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DHAKA (AFP) - Hosts Bangladesh suffered an injury blow when paceman Rubel Hossain was ruled out of the World Twenty20 tournament due to a finger injury, it was announced Sunday.The International Cricket Council said in a statement its event technical committee had allowed a replacement for Hossain, who dislocated a finger during Bangladeshs last game against Hong Kong.The 24-year-old paceman was replaced by all-rounder Ziaur Rahman.Rahman, 27, is a right-hander who has played in 11 T20s, scoring 108 runs and taking two wickets.Bangladesh face defending champions the West Indies in their opening Super-10 stage match in Mirpur on Tuesday.

Weather turns pleasant as Lahore rains

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – A recent spell of rain continues in Lahore and adjacent areas. Met office forecasted the continuance of the rain spell throughout the night, Dunya News reported.Spring rain also turned natural sights of Islamabad pleasant while reducing the temperature.Bhutgram also witnessed hailstorm along with usual rain. Snowfall and land sliding in several areas of Bagh resulted in closure of highways.Dark clouds kept playing hide and seek in Lahore until it finally rained towards the evening and continued through to the night.Wind reduced level of heat in Lahore turning the weather pleasant.

Rawalpindi Metrobus project's foundation stone laid

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News / Web Desk) -- Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif laid foundation stone of Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus project on Sunday. He said the country is facing multiple challenges including target killing, terrorism and illiteracy, vowing the government will take steps to rid the country out of those challenges.Addressing the foundation stone laying ceremony of Rawalpindi-Islamabad metro bus project, the Prime Minister appreciated the performance of Shahbaz Sharif for completing projects speedily; saying that Shahbaz Sharif had quite an expertise in completing projects in a record period. Nawaz said that Shahbaz Sharif emulated the example of motorway project which was completed by the federal government in shortest period of time whereas during that period PML-N government was removed. “Hence after coming into power again, despite loss of time, we did not delay this project”. While replying to the appeal made by Chief Minister for reviewing the fifty-fifty formula of funds for metro bus project by federal and Punjab government, Nawaz Sharif said that the performance of Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif as Chief Minister has been exemplary. He said that during previous five years' tenure of Shahbaz Sharif, he completed development projects including Lahore metro bus in a record period of time, while now in the start of next five years' tenure, he is ushering a revolution in the province by launching projects like Rawalpindi Islamabad metro bus. Earlier during his speech, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, while addressing Prime Minister said that the metro bus project had been wrongly evaluated as the first portion of metro bus service up to Faizabad interchange was elevated, hence costing more than estimated, while Islamabad’s metro bus section being on ground level would cost less.Shahbaz Sharif requested that the proposed funds of fifty-fifty formula should be revisited, since more land will be acquired in Rawalpindi and its payments should be made at market value.Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif assured the Punjab CM that he would not be disappointed, as the formula regarding provision of funds will be reviewed.

Apple shares to be fueled by new iPhone: Barron's

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(Reuters) - Apple Inc shares could rise by 20 percent over the next year, fueled by sales of a new version of its iPhone smartphone that is expected to have a bigger screen, according to an article in the March 24 edition of Barrons.The iPhone 6, expected in late summer or fall, is certain to have a bigger screen than earlier versions, which could give iPhone users a major reason to upgrade or win back people who switched to other devices, according to the article.The article notes that Apple shares currently trade at a deep discount to the market.

Friendship with India means animosity with Kashmir: JI Chief

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Jamaat Islami (JI) Chief Syed Munawar Hasan said on Sunday that people didn’t give mandate to Nawaz Sharif to enhance ‘friendship’ with India, claiming that friendship with India is akin to animosity with Kashmir, Dunya News reported.Addressing Pakistan Day convention at Nishtar Park here in Karachi, he said that military operation is not a solution to any problem and that peace cannot be imposed at gunpoint.Addressing the convention, JI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leader and member Taliban committee Professor Ibrahim said that all political and religious parties resolved to give dialogue a chance during the sessions of All Parties Conference (APC).He further said that talking about military operation at this point is inappropriate.Convention also passed resolutions to change privatization policy, end inflation, and to stop revengeful activities as per Pakistan Protection Ordinance.Earlier, Jamat ud Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed said India will never be given Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status.

Climate: UN scientists see grim future if no action

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PARIS (AFP) - UN scientists are set to deliver their darkest report yet on the impacts of climate change, pointing to a future stalked by floods, drought, conflict and economic damage if carbon emissions go untamed.A draft of their report, seen by AFP, is part of a massive overview by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), likely to shape policies and climate talks for years to come.Scientists and government representatives will meet in Yokohama, Japan, from Tuesday to hammer out a 29-page summary. It will be unveiled with the full report on March 31.We have a lot clearer picture of impacts and their consequences... including the implications for security, said Chris Field of the United States Carnegie Institution, who headed the probe.The work comes six months after the first volume in the long-awaited Fifth Assessment Report declared scientists were more certain than ever that humans caused global warming.It predicted global temperatures would rise 0.3-4.8 degrees Celsius (0.5-8.6 degrees Fahrenheit) this century, adding to roughly 0.7 C since the Industrial Revolution. Seas will creep up by 26-82 centimetres (10.4-32.8 inches) by 2100.The draft warns costs will spiral with each additional degree, although it is hard to forecast by how much.Warming of 2.5 C over pre-industrial times -- 0.5 C more than the UNs target -- may cost 0.2-2.0 percent of global annual income, a figure that could amount to hundreds of billions of dollars each year.The assessments that we can do at the moment probably still underestimate the actual impacts of future climate change, said Jacob Schewe of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany, who was not involved in the IPCC drafting.Many scientists concurred, he said, that recent heatwaves and floods were evidence of climate change already on the march -- and a harbinger of a future in which once-freakish weather events become much less rare.Among the perils listed in the draft are these:-- FLOODING: Rising greenhouse-gas emissions will significantly boost the risk of floods, with Europe and Asia particularly exposed. In the highest warming scenarios of untamed greenhouse gas emissions, three times as many people will be exposed to severe river flooding as with lower warming.- DROUGHT: For every 1 C (1.8 F) rise in temperature, another seven percent of the worlds population will see renewable water resources decline by a fifth.- RISING SEAS: If no measures are taken, hundreds of millions of coastal dwellers will be displaced by 2100. Small-island states and East, Southeast and South Asia will be the biggest land-losers.- HUNGER: Average yields of wheat, rice and corn may fall by two percent per decade, while demand for crops is likely to rise by up to 14 percent by 2050 as Earths population grows. The crunch will hit poor, tropical countries worst.- SPECIES LOSS: A large fraction of land and freshwater species may risk extinction, their habitat destroyed by climate change.- Security threat -Poverty, migration and hunger are invisible drivers of turbulence and war, as they sharpen competition for dwindling resources, the report warns.Climate change over the 21st century will lead to new challenges to states and will increasingly shape national security policies, its draft summary says.Small-island states and other states highly vulnerable to sea-level rise face major challenges to their territorial integrity.Some transboundary impacts of climate change, such as changes in sea ice, shared water resources and migration of fish stocks, have the potential to increase rivalry among states. The presence of robust institutions can manage many of these rivalries to reduce conflict risk.By reducing carbon emissions over the next few decades, the world can stave off many of the worst climate consequences by centurys end, says the report.The IPCC will issue a third volume, on strategies for tackling carbon emissions, in Berlin on April 13.The panel has issued four previous assessment reports in its quarter-century history.Each has sounded a louder drumbeat of warning about the gigatonnes of carbon dioxide spewed by traffic, power stations and other fossil-fuel burners and methane from deforestation and farming.The Yokohama volume goes further than its predecessors in forecasting regional impacts in greater detail and emphasising the risk of conflict and rising seas.The IPCCs last big report in 2007 helped unleash political momentum leading to the 2009 UN climate summit in Copenhagen. But its reputation was dented by several mistakes, seized upon by climate skeptics as proof of bias.

Pakistan Day celebrated across the country

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ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) -- The Nation celebrated Pakistan Day on Sunday with a traditional patriotism and renewed pledges to work for the development of the country as founding fathers envisioned it.The day began with 31-gun salute in the Federal Capital and 21 gun salute in all four provincial capitals. Special prayers were offered for the progress, prosperity and peace in the country. Dunya News aired thematic programming along with round the clock news coverage on the occasion.Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Shahbaz Sharif paid a visit to Mazar-e-Iqbal and prayed for the development of the country.A ceremony in connection with Pakistan Day was also held in Peshawar. Corps Commander Peshawar Lieutenant General Khalid Rabbani inspected different arms stalls. Para-gliders and parachute jumpers of Pakistan Army demonstrated free fall jumping on the occasionThe Day was also observed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.Pakistan Day was also celebrated at various Pakistani embassies and missions abroad.In Kabul, Ambassador Syed Abrar Hussain highlighted immense sacrifices rendered by our forefathers in pursuit of their struggle for a separate homeland.Pakistan's Ambassador to China Masood Khalid highlighted the historical significance of Pakistan Day and spoke about the evolution of Pakistan-China all-weather and time-tested friendship.High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Qasim Qureshi said brotherly and time tested relationship between Pakistan and Sri Lanka is based on trust and mutual respect.Consul General of Pakistan in Hong Kong Ghufran Memon pledged to make Pakistan a stable state.High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit highlighted the determination of the Pakistani nation to realize its desire for peace, progress and prosperity. He also reiterated to forge friendly and cooperative relations with all its neighbours including India.Pakistan Embassy in Ankara also commemorated Pakistan National Day at a ceremony.Pakistan's Ambassador to Turkey Muhammad Haroon Shaukat in his brief speech said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is keen to boost relations with Turkey in all fields.The Ambassador will host a Pakistan Day reception tomorrow (Monday) which will be attended by the Turkish leadership, parliamentarians, civil society, media and members of Pakistani community.Similar functions were held in Jakarta, Tehran, Madrid, Dubai and Copenhagen among others.Chinese President Xi Jinping has warmly felicitated President Mamnoon Hussain on the occasion of Pakistan Day. The Chinese President, in his letter said China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners.The Chinese President said Pakistan is playing an important role in the region and the world.

Gunmen kill two in attack on Kenya church: police

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NAIROBI (AFP) - Attackers shot dead four worshippers on Sunday when they burst into a church service near the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, spraying the congregation with bullets, police said.The attack, which also left about 17 people wounded, came amid heightened warnings of a threat of Islamist violence in Kenya and despite boosted security in major cities including Mombasa.They were shot by gunmen who shot indiscriminately at worshippers and then fled, said local police chief Robert Mureithi, from the Likoni district just south of Mombasa.Two people were killed instantly, while two more later died of their injuries, the Red Cross said, adding that 17 people had been taken to hospital.Kenyas National Disaster Operation Centre said there had been mass casualties in the attack on an evangelical church.There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Kenya has been hit by a series of attacks since sending troops into southern Somalia in October 2011 to battle the Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents.Kenyan troops, which have since joined the African Union force in Somalia, are taking part in a fresh offensive launched this month against Shebab bases.- Six months since Westgate -Kenya and Uganda, another key contributor of troops to the AU force, have both warned of the threat of fresh Shebab attacks in their own countries.The attack on the church comes six months after Shebab commandos carried out the September massacre in Nairobis Westgate mall in which at least 67 people were killed.The group said the carnage was retribution for Kenyas military role in Somalia.The latest attack also comes just days after police arrested two men with a vehicle stashed full of large quantities of powerful explosives prepared in pipe bombs, which experts said would have been strong enough to bring down a major building.Kenyas top security chiefs warned last month of increased threats of radicalisation among homegrown Islamists.Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku on Saturday said security had been beefed up in Mombasa, as well as in the capital Nairobi and other towns.Our officers are out there, they are doing everything possible to fight crime and terrorism, he said in a statement.But tensions are high between the security forces and radical Muslim youths.Last month police raided a mosque accused of encouraging extremism in Mombasa, detaining scores of suspects whom they accused of attending a radicalisation meeting.Several senior Muslim leaders have been gunned down on the coast, with their supporters accusing the police of state-sponsored assassinations -- claims the security forces deny.Homegrown groups including the Islamist Al-Hijra group, a radical organisation formerly known as the Muslim Youth Center, operate on Kenyas coast and have been linked to the Shebab.
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