Saturday 10 May 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Islamabad braces for PTIs protest rally today

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – All set for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest rally at Islamabad’s D-Chowk today.Islamabad red zone area has been sealed off by using containers while Rangers and police personnel will be deployed for security.All roads leading to the red zone area of Islamabad have been sealed using containers with a wall of containers erected at the D-Chowk area which is the venue for PTI’s rally.There will be a complete ban on entering the red zone area. The rally will be monitored through CCTV cameras, while two helicopters are part of security equipment for aerial monitoring.Participants entering the 700 meter wide venue will have to enter through walk through gates and a separate gate has been installed for women participants.Rangers and police personnel will be deployed keep red zone area secured. Security contingents have also been summoned from other provinces.According to sources, force will be used against those trying to forcefully enter the red zone area.Prominent trading center Blue Area and business activities in the red zone area will remain suspended for two days.Meanwhile, PTI’s high level committee’s session took place under Imran Khan’s supervision at his residence in Bani Gala on Saturday.The eight-member committee reviewed the charter of demand. PTI’s committee approved the charter of demands comprising nine points after thorough consultations. Some of the demands are:- Election Commission should be reformed- Reforms in electoral process- Rid Election Commission of political affiliations- Transparent and depoliticized appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and four members- Next elections should be held using biometric system- Thumb verification of votes in 4 constituenciesImran Khan will initiate the movement for implementation on charter of demands, according to which weekly demonstrations will take place in other parts of the country.

Violence including Fallujah shelling kills 20 in Iraq

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BAGHDAD (AFP) - Violence in Iraq, including the shelling of a militant-held city, a suicide bombing and shootings, killed 20 people on Saturday as officials tallied votes from last month's parliamentary election.The bloodshed is part of the worst protracted surge in unrest since a brutal Sunni-Shiite sectarian war killed tens of thousands in 2006 and 2007, sparking fears Iraq may be slipping back into all-out conflict.Shelling in Fallujah, which has been held by anti-government fighters for more than four months, killed 11 people and wounded 20, according to Dr Ahmed Shami of the city's main hospital.The source of the fire was not immediately clear.The casualties come a day after Iraqi forces launched an operation to retake areas near Fallujah, which lies just a short drive west of Baghdad, in preparation for an eventual assault.Security forces claimed to have killed 50 militants in a series of operations around Fallujah Saturday, according to interior ministry spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan, who added that they had also destroyed several insurgent hideouts.For months, the authorities have trumpeted wide-ranging anti-militant operations, insisting they are making an impact, and have been quick to blame external factors such as the civil war in neighbouring Syria for the rise in bloodshed.But analysts and diplomats say the Shiite-led government must also do more to reach out to the disaffected Sunni minority in order to undermine support for militancy.And while officials have mooted an assault on Fallujah, such an operation is unlikely to occur soon, as security forces have struggled all year to regain territory in Anbar province, of which Fallujah is a part, from militants.And they would face a major challenge to recapture the city without causing civilian casualties and significant damage to infrastructure.The crisis in the desert province of Anbar, which shares a long border with Syria, erupted in late December when security forces dismantled a longstanding protest camp maintained by the province's mainly Sunni Arab population to vent their grievances against the government.Militants subsequently seized parts of provincial capital Ramadi and all of Fallujah, the first time anti-government forces have exercised such open control in major cities since the peak of the deadly violence that followed the US-led invasion of 2003.Elsewhere Saturday, a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle at a checkpoint in the town of Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad, killing at seven people and wounding at least 20.And separate shootings in the northern province of Nineveh killed two others.

Egypt to try 200 alleged jihadists for 'terrorism': sources

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CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt's prosecutor general Saturday referred to trial 200 alleged members of the Al Qaeda-inspired Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, accusing them of terrorism for launching deadly attacks against security forces, judicial sources said.It would be the first mass trial of jihadists in Egypt since the military deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July last year.The Sinai-based Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or the Partisans of Jerusalem, has claimed responsibility for some of the bloodiest attacks against Egypt's security forces since Morsi's overthrow.The date for the trial has yet to be fixed, but of the 200 accused, 102 are in custody and the rest are on the run, the sources said.Those who face trial are accused of belonging to a terrorist group, espionage on behalf of (the Palestinian movement) Hamas, criminal attacks, and terrorism, including deadly bombings targeting police headquarters in Cairo, Mansoura in the Nile Delta and South Sinai.They are also accused of killing three high-ranking police officials, among them an aide to interior minister Mohamed Ibrahim who himself was targeted by a suicide car bomb in September last year.The attacks allegedly carried out by the accused, who include some operational leaders, resulted in the deaths of 40 policemen and 14 civilians, the sources said, adding another 348 were wounded.According to the charges, investigators also found the accused had been in touch with Morsi during his presidency, the sources said.The military-installed authorities have previously accused Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood of having links to Ansar Beit al-Maqdis.Egypt has been rocked by a wave of militant attacks since Morsi's overthrow, with Ansar Beit al-Maqdis carrying out bombings and shootings in the Sinai Peninsula, Cairo and the Nile Delta.The group had also claimed the killing of five soldiers when it shot down a military helicopter in the restive Sinai on January 24, a day before the third anniversary of the revolt against long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak.Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has been declared as a terrorist group by Egypt, the United States and Britain.

Michelle Obama calls Nigeria girls abductions 'unconscionable act'

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LAGOS (AFP) - US First Lady Michelle Obama on Saturday denounced as an unconscionable act the kidnapping of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls by Islamic militants as a mobilised international community helped with the search effort.For the first time standing in for President Barack Obama on his weekly Saturday morning address, she said they were both outraged and heartbroken over the mass abduction from a school dormitory in a remote corner of northern Nigeria last month.Their sentiments were shared by millions of people across the globe, she said. This violence was not an isolated incident... it's a story we see every day as girls around the world risk their lives to pursue their ambitions, Michelle Obama said.This unconscionable act was committed by a terrorist group determined to keep these girls from getting an education - grown men attempting to snuff out the aspirations of young girls.On April 14, 276 schoolgirls were abducted in the northeastern Nigerian town of Chibok, with eight more seized from Warabe on May 5. Three weeks later 223 girls are still missing.The Islamist militant group Boko Haram claimed responsibility, and threatened to sell the girls into slavery. The abductions have sparked offers of help from the United States, France, Britain and China.Seven military officials from the US Africa regional command AFRICOM along with a State Department expert arrived in Nigeria on Friday. Seven more, including FBI personnel, were expected on Saturday.They'll be providing technical and investigatory assistance, helping with hostage negotiations, advising on military planning and operations and assisting with intelligence and information, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.Among the help on offer would be intelligence-sharing as the teams work to track down the girls, who range in age from 16 to 18.Sources close to French President Francois Hollande told AFP on Saturday that the French team of experts were now on the ground. The French mission including experts, human and technical information specialists as well as observation and image analysis equipment arrived in Nigeria today, said the source. If necessary we will reinforce it.Britain said Wednesday it would send a small team to Nigeria to concentrate on planning, coordination and advice to local authorities rather than operations on the ground to look for the girls.China has promised to supply any useful information acquired by its satellites and intelligence services to Nigeria.Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, whose long silence after the abductions was sharply criticised, said Friday that a search team was already at work in Sambisa forest, near Chibok, with remote sensors trying to locate the kidnappers and their victims. The United States and officials in Chibok voiced concern that the girls might have been moved to neighbouring Chad and Cameroon to be sold.But Jonathan said Friday that he believes the girls were still in Nigeria, possibly in the Sambisa forest. The abductions have also led to a growing social media campaign with the hashtag BringBackOurGirls joined by public figures and celebrities.The Financial Times on Saturday published an open letter signed by 50 leading personalities, including former world leaders as well as the singer Bono, Bill and Melinda Gates and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus who have called on the international community to do everything to ensure the return of the pupils.We urge all local, national and regional governments, with the full support of the international community, to dedicate their expertise and resources ...to BringBackOurGirls, it read. Other signatories of the letter were the former presidents of Brazil, Mexico, Mozambique, Mauritius, Tanzania, Botswana, Liberia, Cape Verde, and Ireland along with CNN founder Ted Turner, Virgin founder Richard Branson, Unilever CEO Paul Polman and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu.Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala also signed the letter, as have numerous United Nations officials.The UN Security Council said Friday the mass kidnappings may amount to crimes against humanity under international law, but made no explicit reference to charges in the International Criminal Court.The 15 members of the council said they would follow the situation and consider appropriate measures to take against Boko Haram.The statement urged their immediate release, without conditions.

Dubai bus crash kills 15 Asian workers

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DUBAI (AFP) - A bus overturned and hit a lorry parked on the hard shoulder of a motorway outside Dubai on Saturday, killing 15 Asian workers on board, state media said.The crash happened on Emirates Road, a busy route that connects the capital Abu Dhabi to the north of the United Arab Emirates, bypassing Dubai itself.Police did not immediately specify the nationalities of the dead in the accident in the Dubai suburb of Ruwayyah.Expatriates, many of them Asian, make up the great majority of Dubai's 2.2 million population.

Strong 6.3-magnitude quake shakes Mexico: official

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MEXICO CITY (AFP) - A strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook southern Mexico and the nation's capital early Saturday, prompting people to flee into the streets in the dead of night two days after a similar temblor.There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries following the quake, which struck as people slept at 2:36 am (0736 GMT).The US Geological Survey, which monitors earthquakes worldwide, said the epicenter was seven kilometers (four miles) west of Tecpan de Galeana in the southern state of Guerrero, with a depth of 35 kilometers.Mexico's National Seismology Service had measured it at 6.3 and later revised it down to 5.9, closer to the USGS's assessment.The states of Guerrero, Morelos, Oaxaca and the Federal District (Mexico City) have not reported any damage, said national civil protection coordinator Luis Felipe Puente.The earthquake rattled people out of their sleep and tormented those awake at bars.The bed's movement woke me up. I grabbed the kids and we got out running, said Rosalia Leyva, a 49-year-old lawyers who fled her Mexico City apartment.Adriana Mendoza, 21, was outside a bar in downtown Mexico City when it happened.It felt horrible. I almost fell and I haven't even had much to drink, she said.Puente said the earthquake was the 22nd aftershock following a 6.4-magnitude temblor that hit the country on Thursday.Thursday's earthquake was centered 15 kilometers from Tecpan de Galeana, causing a bridge to collapse in Guerrero but sparing the country from major damage or injuries.The new temblor came three weeks after a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake shook the capital and the Pacific resort of Acapulco on April 18, causing panic but no major damage.Mexico City is sensitive to distant earthquakes because it was built over soft soil from a drained lake that magnifies their effect.In 1985, thousands of people were killed in the capital when buildings collapsed after an 8.1-magnitude temblor struck the Pacific coast.

Tennis: Nadal to face Nishikori in Madrid Masters final

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MADRID (AFP) - World number one Rafael Nadal will face Japan's Kei Nishikori in Sunday's Madrid Masters final after he romped past fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday.Tenth seed Nishikori had a much sterner test as he needed 10 match points to finally overcome David Ferrer 7-6, (7/5), 5-7, 6-3 in nearly three hours to record his 14th straight win.Nadal has now won 12 sets in a row in the Spanish capital as he looks for his first title of the European clay court season after suffering shock defeats in the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open.After a great match yesterday to have the confirmation today that the improvement is real is a very good news and important for me, said the 13-time Grand Slam champion.I think for moments I played great tennis against an opponent that is playing really well and improving a lot.To be in a final here in a difficult tournament at home after losing two weeks in a row in the quarter-finals means a lot to me.Nadal has said consistently throughout the week that his game has been improving slowly on the clay from a poor start in Monte Carlo and underlined the importance of using his forehand to dictate the rallies more than he was in recent weeks.I'm playing my logical game again that I've always done on clay. I think I'm playing well with my forehand and defending very well. Especially when I have a short balls my forehand is dangerous again.After breaking the Bautista Agut serve in the opening game, Nadal was pegged back after a sloppy service game of his own to allow the world number 45 to level at 3-3.However, the three-time champion in Madrid suddenly upped his intensity to take the next seven games to close out the first set and move a double break up in the second.Bautista Agut showed some resistence to stave off two more break points to get himself on the board before breaking to close to within a game of Nadal at 4-3.Nadal, though, upped his level again to take the final two games to round off victory in an hour and 43 minutes.Nishikori has already secured his place as the first Japanese man to make the top 10 when the latest rankings are released next week and continued his rapid rise with a gutsy performance against the world number five.However, just like in his quarter-final win over Feliciano Lopez, Nishikori needed extensive treatment on a back injury that could hamper his chances against Nadal.I don't know how I'll feel tomorrow, I'll have to see how I wake up, he said.These two days have not been great. I cannot say too much, but hopefully I'll be able to play another good match tomorrow.Nishikori has never beaten Nadal in six meetings, but the 24-year-old believes he can take inspiration from his narrow three-set defeat to the Spaniard at the Australian Open.I'm feeling more comfortable than before about playing Rafa, but it's going to be a different situation on clay court. I lost to him pretty bad at the French Open last year.But I learned a lot of stuff from the Australian Open. I kind of know how to play to beat him.After a break apiece in the first set, Ferrer had led 5-2 in the tie-break before Nishikori reeled off five points in a row to take the set.And he looked on course for victory in the second set as he had his first match point at 4-5 on the Ferrer serve, but the Spaniard saved it with an ace and went on to break and save two break points on his own serve to see out the set.Nishikori then had to had to take an injury timeout, but he didn't seem overly troubled as he moved 5-2 in front in the decider.However, he needed another nine match points in a incredible final game which lasted nearly 15 minutes to finally claim a place in his first ever Masters Series final.

Tennis: Sharapova faces Halep in Madrid Open final

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MADRID (AFP) - Maria Sharapova secured her place in the final of the Madrid Open for the second consecutive year with a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 win over Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska on Saturday.The four-time Grand Slam champion will face Romanian Simona Halep in Sunday's final as she ground out a hard-fought 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-2 victory over fifth seed Petra Kvitova.I don't think we've played for a really long time. She's had such a great year and obviously she is the player to beat in the final, said Sharapova.I'm looking forward to that matchup. No matter who I'm facing the toughest match is always the last one. You've just got to give everything you have out there.It's great to be back in the final and give myself another opportunity.Sharapova has slowly begun to hit form in recent weeks on her return to clay conditions after a difficult start to the year and she stormed through the opening set for the loss of just 11 points.I really challenged myself to improve on clay courts because that was never my favourite surface in the beginning of my career, added Sharapova.I've done a really good job of transitioning from the hard to the clay and really improving physically and recovering well from match to match.I've played a lot of matches in the last few weeks, but that's what I want. I missed four or five months of the season last year and I wanted to come in to this year and play as many matches as I can.That's been my goal and that's what I'm here for, so if I'm a little bit tired, that's normal. If you're feeling fresh then something is wrong because you're probably not in the finals of the tournaments.Sharapova was dominant again at the start of the second as she raced into a 3-0 lead, but Radwanska battled back to take four straight games and lead 4-3 with a break.Unfortunately for the third seed, though, she gifted the break straight back and Sharapova also took the next two games to round off victory in little over an hour.Earlier, Halep booked her place in her first ever final of a mandatory event after outlasting Kvitova after over two-and-a-half hours on court.It was a very tough match today. I couldn't believe that I came from behind again. She played really well and she was fighting the whole match, said Halep.I'm very excited that I can play in my biggest final tomorrow. I hope that I can control my emotions and just play.I just have to enjoy it. I'm really happy that I can play the final here in Madrid.However, the 22-year-old is aware of the size of the task that awaits her in Sharapova having lost in their only two meetings to date.Tomorrow I expect a very tough match. Maria is a champion and she knows how to manage the finals.After just one break apiece it was Kvitova who edged a first set tie-break and the Czech looked on her way to her first final of the season when she led 3-1 early in the second.Halep responded by taking the next seven games to level at one set all and go an early break ahead in the decider.The fourth seed then broke the Kvitova serve once more to move ahead 5-2 and served the match out in the next game.I knew it was going to be a tough match, said Kvitova.She beat me in the New Haven final, so I was looking forward to revenge. It was a long match and was a good fight throughout. She was just better in the end, but it was still a good match for me.

Football: Inter return to Europe in Zanetti's send-off

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MILAN (AFP) - Inter Milan handed club veteran Javier Zanetti a memorable send-off with a 4-1 win over Lazio which secured their place in next season's Europa League.Zanetti, who has spent 19 seasons with Inter, was playing in his final official game before taking up a director's post with the Serie A giants.Despite Zanetti's San Siro farewell drawing a near capacity crowd, Inter coach Walter Mazzarri left the 40-year-old Argentinian on the bench until he replaced Jonathan in the 52nd minute.Zanetti's finale was also marked by a solitary fan running onto the pitch in the 90th minute to salute the man who has come to be simply known as 'Il Capitano'.But there was drama before then as Lazio, one of several teams fighting for the Europa league, stunned the stadium into silence when Bruno Pereirinha's cross was knocked down by Lorik Cana for unmarked Giuseppe Biava to bundle past Samir Handanovic in the Inter net. Any thoughts Zanetti's night would be spoiled were dispelled by the half-time interval, however.Inter were back on level terms five minutes later thanks to Rodrigo Palacio, took the lead through Mauro Icardi on 34 minutes and then put the match virtually beyond all reach when Palacio completed his brace three minutes later.Brazilian international midfielder Hernanes, who joined the club from Lazio in January, completed the all-south American rout on 79 minutes.Inter now have a six-point lead on both Parma and Milan and, even if they finish on the same points as both or either club, have a better differential than both using the league's qualifying criteria for the Europa League.This season, the sixth-placed finisher in Serie A will also qualify for Europa via the Italian Cup, won by Napoli over Fiorentina last week.Earlier, Verona's Europa hopes suffered a huge dent when Ghanaian substitute Emmanuel Badu hit an injury-time equaliser for Udinese in a 2-2 draw.Verona had provisionally sneaked into the Europa zone after goals by Luca Toni, from the spot, and Emil Hallfredsson had given them a 2-1 lead by the 54th minute.Veteran striker Antonio Di Natale reduced the arrears for the northeners on 56 minutes amid what was a pulsating and balanced game at the Bentegodi stadium.But barely five minutes after replacing defensive midfielder Allan in the 87th minute, Badu brought Andrea Mandolini's men back down to earth by firing a daisycutter past Verona 'keeper Rafael in the first minute of injury time.Instead of moving up to sixth, Verona remain ninth on 54 points, the same as Milan, who are eighth, and seventh-placed Parma, ahead of their respective matches away to Atalanta and Torino.Juventus secured their third consecutive scudetto last weekend and are away to Roma, second and 11 points adrift, on Sunday.A win would see Antonio Conte's visitors amass 99 points and thus beat Inter's Serie A record of 97 for their title-winning 2007 season, with one game in the season remaining.Roma are assured of the second automatic Champions League qualifying spot while Napoli, away to Sampdoria on Sunday, will play in next season's competition if they successfully negotiate the qualifying stages.Fiorentina, in fourth, have secured the first Europa League spot but are away to a Livorno side on Sunday fighting for its top-flight survival.

Formula One: Hamilton on pole for Spanish Grand Prix

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BARCELONA (AFP) - A supremely-relaxed Lewis Hamilton delivered when it mattered on Saturday by producing a lap of searing speed to claim his fourth pole position of the season as Mercedes swept the front row for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.In the final seconds of a closely-fought qualifying session, the 2008 world champion clocked a majestic fastest lap in one minute and 25.232 seconds to outpace team-mate Nico Rosberg by 0.168 seconds.Rosberg had been fastest in the morning's final free practice session and led the way through both Q1 and Q2 before Hamilton found the extra pace required.It was his first pole in Spain and the 35th of his career. Only Vettel on 45 poles, Ayrton Senna on 65 and Michael Schumacher on 68 have claimed more.It's been a tough day, said Hamilton. Nico has been driving really well through P3 and qualifying, so I didn't know if I could get it. At the end, I had to eke out everything and more from the car.Coming here this weekend, I didn't know where everyone would be, but I see the development, and work that has gone on, to get the car ready and it inspires me. A big thank you to the team.To have the kind of performance we have, I have never really known that before. I'm overwhelmed -- so happy.His friend and team-mate Nico Rosberg did nothing to hide his feelings. Yes, for me, it's very disappointing, he said.I don't particularly enjoy coming second to Lewis. In the end, it was a good lap. Lewis just did a better job, but it's still all to play for tomorrow.Second is only a little away from optimum. All it takes is a good start tomorrow and I'm in the lead again and it's still all to play for.On a track where eight of the last 10 races have been won from pole and 21 of the last 23 from the front row, Hamilton's success made him favourite to extend his winning streak to four in a row and take over as championship leader from Rosberg. It was the second Mercedes one-two of the season and a reversal of the positions for last year's race.Australian Daniel Ricciardo took third on the grid for Red Bull after his team-mate and defending four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel qualified only 10th after suffering a drive failure early in the final session.Vettel was subsequently penalised five places after his team announced they had to change his car's gearbox.Red Bull posted on their Twitter page: We can confirm that Sebastian's gearbox will be changed for tomorrow's race. SpanishGPDespite his good showing Ricciardo was disappointed. I think we did OK today, but it's not quite good enough. We're a second off -- I expected a closer gap than that, he said.We've made improvements this weekend, but so have Mercedes. We're a clear third today and that's not bad, but we want to be closer to the top two.Vettel explained why he retired without recording a time in Q3. I left the garage and lost second gear, he said.It was clear there was a problem, but I still had third gear and above so I thought I'd try without second gear. But by Turn One, I'd lost all the other gears.It was a tricky day today. The track is very slippery out there. It's very close after Mercedes, I think, but I needed more and more laps.I was getting in a rhythm and I thought I could be shooting for P3. I think we have that in the car, but we never got that far.Valtteri Bottas qualified fourth for a resurgent Williams team ahead of Romain Grosjean of Lotus and Kimi Raikkonen in the leading Ferrari.Fernando Alonso was seventh in the second Ferrari, Jenson Button was eighth for McLaren and Felipe Massa ninth in the second Williams.

Athletics: Gatlin ready to battle Gay after comeback

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TOKYO (AFP) - Former Olympic 100-metres champion Justin Gatlin on Saturday said he would give Tyson Gay a run for his money when the fellow US sprinter re-enters competition after a one-year doping ban.Last week Gay, the triple 2007 world champion, said he would run again this year after his suspension for testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid in two random out-of-competition tests expires on June 23.The United States Anti-Doping Agency reduced the ban from two years to one following Gay's cooperation in doping investigations.Gatlin, 32, himself made a successful comeback in 2010 after a four-year ban following drug tests that showed higher than normal levels of testosterone in his body.Asked what he felt about the reduced suspension, Gatlin said details of Gay's case were yet to be made public. I kind of reserve my comments until everything has unfolded.But until then, I'll just try to stay focused on my race and if he comes back I'd be ready to compete against him, said the American who was due to compete on Sunday in Tokyo's Seiko Golden Grand Prix, the third leg of the World Challenge, a 15-leg second-tier International Association of Athletics Federations series.Gatlin, the 2004 Athens Olympic gold medallist, has returned to form after his suspension, grabbing the 100-metre bronze at the 2012 London Olympics when he set his personal best time of 9.79 secondsHe also finished second behind world record holder Usain Bolt of Jamaica at the world championships in Moscow last year.Asked what kind of advice he may give Gay about his comeback, Gatlin said: I'll just tell him 'watch out' because we are here and really want to run.He knows what it takes to be a true competitor. We're not gonna let up... We are not really worried about what's going on off the track. We're focused on what's going on on the track and we are ready to win.Gatlin said he had always improved himself as he aged. He beat Bolt at the Golden Gala meet in Rome in June last year and clocked 9.85 at the worlds.My goal of the year is to beat the previous Justin, he said, when asked if he could improve his personal record, adding he wanted to be faster in 2014 than the 2013 Justin.I'm not worried about other athletes, how they train, what times they run.His concern is how to better myself, he said. I think I'll be just fine going into every competition if I go out with a mindset to beat myself.

IMF says Pakistan economy on track but inflation looms

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ISLAMABAD (AFP) - The International Monetary Fund said Saturday that Pakistan's economic reform programme remained broadly on track, but warned over rising inflation.Pakistan received a $6.7 billion IMF bailout package last year to help the country achieve economic reforms, particularly in its troubled energy sector.The IMF is encouraged by the overall progress made in pushing ahead with policies to strengthen macroeconomic stability and reviving investment and growth, Jeffrey Franks, the fund's mission chief for Pakistan, said in a statement in Islamabad.The IMF's Pakistan staff mission visited Dubai from May 1-9 to conduct discussions on the third review of the bailout package, which was approved by the fund's executive board last September. The mission met senior officials from the finance ministry and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), weeks ahead of a scheduled $550 million fourth loan tranche that Pakistan is set to receive.Economic indicators are generally improving, with growth gaining momentum, external finance improving, and credit to the private sector rising, Franks said, but added that core and headline inflation were also rising.The inflation rate currently stands at 9.2 percent but the IMF wants Pakistan to target an additional reduction in inflation towards their medium-term goal of 6-7 percent in the next fiscal year, which starts on July 1.Led by large-scale manufacturing and service sectors, GDP will expand by about 3.3 percent in financial year 2013-14, accelerating further to reach four percent next year, he said. The mission also noted an improvement in the balance of payments situation and efforts being made by Pakistan to build up SBP reserves and stabilise sentiment in the foreign exchange market.The authorities' reform program remains broadly on track, Franks said, describing as strong the fiscal performance of the government during the first nine months of the current financial year 2013-14.At a joint press conference with Franks on Saturday, Pakistan's Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said the country's foreign exchange reserves had soared following the bailout package.I also have a good news to share -- the country's foreign exchange reserves have jumped to $12.9 billion, he said, adding they will rise to $15 billion by the end of September. The reserves stood at $7.8 billion before the bailout last year.A report on the third review has been tentatively scheduled for consideration by the IMF Executive Board in late June, Franks said.If approved, it would make about $550 million available to Pakistan, he added.Cash-strapped Pakistan, plagued by a bloody homegrown Taliban insurgency, is battling to get its shaky economy back on track and solve a chronic energy crisis that cripples industry. As well as the Taliban threat, Pakistan is also facing a rising tide of sectarian bloodshed mainly targeting minority Shiite Muslims, and rampant criminal violence in the economic capital Karachi.

I'm well and going through dialysis: Edhi

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Prominent philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi said on Saturday that he is alive, well and is going through dialysis for the past 11 months. Surgeon Dr Adib Rizwi said that transplant will be done as soon as a donor is found, Dunya News reported.Abdul Sattar Edhi and Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation’s Chief Dr Adib Rizwi addressed a joint press conference here on Saturday.Edhi said that doctors have recommended him of kidney transplantation. Rizwi said that dialysis is performed on Edhi twice a week.He said that if anyone donates kidney posthumously, a transplant surgery will be performed on the prominent philanthropist.The press conference quashed rumors pertaining Abdul Sattar Edhi’s health on social media.

Govt, Taliban willing to continue dialogue: Samiul Haq

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Sami (JUI-S) Chief Maulana Samiul Haq said on Saturday that government and Taliban are willing to continue the negotiation process, adding that some elements want to sabotage the process. Taliban committee member Professor Ibrahim said that if both parties agree on a mutual meeting place, talks can resume, Dunya News reported.Samiul Haq said that Taliban have disagreements that are causing internal disputes among themselves. He further said that government and army are on same page with regards to the negotiation process but some elements are trying to sabotage the process.Professor Ibrahim said that it is unfortunate that a mutually agreed upon venue hasn’t been decided yet. He said that the distances between Taliban and government increased in the past decade adding that the only solution is still the dialogue.Professor Ibrahim appealed government and Taliban to observe ceasefire in respect of the Islamic month Rajab.It merits mentioning here that news reports on Friday suggested that government and armed forces are now gearing up for a military operation against Taliban following the failure of the dialogue process. The report suggested that dialogue failed due to Taliban’s continuous stubbornness and refusal to act on government’s demand of prisoners’ release.

Dozens injured in China incinerator protest

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BEIJING (AFP) - At least 39 people were injured on Saturday during a protest against plans to build a waste incinerator in eastern China, state media reported.The clashes, which erupted at a rally in Hangzhou city in Zhejiang province, left at least 10 protesters and 29 policemen injured, said the official Xinhua news agency.One demonstrator and a policeman suffered severe injuries when the demonstration turned violent.More than 30 cars were overturned. The protestors set two police cars on fire and smashed another four, the news agency reported.Tens of thousands of protests are thought to occur across China every year, but they are tightly controlled by the ruling Communist party, which is wary of any social unrest.There have been an increasing number of large-scale environmental protests in recent years, especially in urban areas.Xinhua said the site of the incinerator scheduled to be built in Hangzhou was made public in April and that local residents feared the impact of the plant on their health.Last month, state media reported that Chinese police detained 18 people over large rallies opposing a chemical plant in Maoming after thousands of demonstrators took to the streets for days of protests in the southern province of Guangdong.
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