Sunday 18 May 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Over 30 children killed in Colombian bus fire

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FUNDACION (Web Desk) - At least 32 children were killed after a bus taking them home from a church event caught fire in northern Colombia on Sunday afternoon.The preliminary death toll is 32 children, said local police chief general Rodrigo Gonzales, according to El Comercio.Earlier, authorities in the northern town of Fundacion said that 26 minors were killed in the fire.Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos lamented the tragic death of the children, expressing sympathies to their families. The country is in mourning, he said on Twitter.The mayor of Fundacion, Luz Stella Duran, said that 40 to 50 children were on the bus, accompanied only by the driver, as it traveled from Fundacion to the town of Bosconia. Around 10 children are receiving medical help, she added.An investigation is underway into the cause of the fire. However there are speculations that contraband gasoline could have been behind the accident, El Tiempo newspaper reported.Adan Leon, chief of Magdalena Police Department, said the tragedy occurred Sunday afternoon as the children were returning home from a church mass.Pictures on local media and Twitter showed graphic images of charred bodies in a completely burnt vehicle.

Gunmen loyal to ex-general storm Libyan parliament, demand suspension

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TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Heavily armed gunmen loyal to a renegade Libyan general stormed parliament on Sunday demanding its suspension and a handover of power to purge the North African country of Islamist militants.Smoke rose over the General National Congress (GNC) after gunmen attacked and kidnapped ten staffers before withdrawing. Gunfire erupted across Tripoli, where rival militias clashed in some of the worst violence in the city since the end the 2011 war against Muammar Gaddafi.Details of who was involved Sunday's chaotic attack were unclear, but loyalists of retired General Khalifa Haftar said his forces and militia allies had planned the parliament assault in a campaign to rid Libya of Islamist hardliners.We announce the freezing of the GNC, said Colonel Mukhtar Fernana, a former military police officer from the Zintan region, reading out on al-Ahrar TV a statement on behalf of Haftar's self-declared Libyan National Army.He said their movement was not a coup, but said the parliament has no legitimacy and should hand over power to a 60-member body that was recently elected to rewrite Libya's constitution.It was not immediately clear how much backing Haftar's men had within Libya's nascent regular armed forces and the country's powerful brigades of former rebels or whether the parliament was fully under government control after the attack.The attackers kidnapped about 10 employees from the GNC, an official said. At least two people were killed and another 55 wounded in the violence, officials said.Haftar, once a Gaddafi ally who turned against him over a 1980s war in Chad, fueled rumors a coup in February when he appeared on television in uniform calling for a caretaker government to end Libya's crisis.Any alliance of militias challenging Islamist groups threatens to deepen chaos in the OPEC oil producer where a fragile government struggles to gain legitimacy and control brigades of former fighters who refuse to disarm.Since the end of Gaddafi's one-man rule, the main rival militias of ex-rebels have become de-facto powerbrokers in the vacuum of Libya's political chaos, carving out fiefdoms and exercising their military muscle to make demands on the state.But the most powerful, heavily armed brigades - the Zintans and the Misratans - are loosely allied with competing political factions determined to define what kind of state Libya should become three years after Gaddafi's fall.The central government made no official comment on Sunday's attack, but Justice Minister Saleh al-Mergani called during a news conference on all parties to lay down their weapons and start dialogue.Witnesses said armed local residents were blocking roads to the parliament building after the attack but their identities and affiliation were not clear.Gunfire and explosions could still be heard until late at night on the airport road which is controlled by a brigade from Zintan, a staunchly anti-Islamist force.Libyan news websites said forces from Zintan had initially stormed the parliament and then retreated to the airport road, but there was no confirmation from Zintan or the anti-Islamist Qaaqaa brigade about their involvement.FRAGILE DEMOCRACYAfter Gaddafi, Libya's fragile democracy has hobbled from crisis to crisis with the country on its third prime minister since March, its new constitution unwritten and its parliament caught up in constant infighting.Libya's transitional parliament has been paralyzed by rivalries between the Islamist tied to Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and a nationalist movement, leaving many Libya's frustrated over lack of progress since the war.Haftar had already sent his fighters into Benghazi on Friday against Islamist militants based there, claiming Libya's government had failed to halt violence in the eastern city.At least 40 people were killed in those clashes, which involved some air force helicopters.Benghazi, the cradle of the uprising against Gaddafi, authorities have struggled to curb violence and stem attacks blamed on Ansar al-Sharia, an Islamist group that Washington labels as a terrorist organization.Many former rebel fighters have been put on the government payroll to provide security to ministries and offices, but they often remain more loyal to commanders, political allies or their regional tribes than the state.Former rebel commanders and protesters have also taken over key oil ports and pipelines, cutting Libya's oil output to 200,000 barrels per day from 1.4 million bpd to demand more autonomy and a greater share of oil wealth.

Britain's Prince Harry visits WWII battlefield

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ROME (AFP) - Britains Prince Harry visited an Italian World War II battlefield on Sunday where tens of thousands of soldiers died 70 years ago and unveiled the design of Britains pavilion for the Milan Expo.Army captain Harry, 29, attended ceremonies with veterans for Polish and New Zealand war dead in the Battle of Monte Cassino and will honour Britains fallen soldiers on Monday.At the New Zealand event, Harry performed his first Maori hongi greeting in which noses and foreheads are pressed together and a group of Maori warriors led the procession.Wearing his dress uniform with a white jacket, the prince laid a wreath at the Polish War Cemetery near the Abbey of Monte Cassino in a ceremony with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.It was a fight for our freedom and all the successive generations throughout the world, Tusk said.We were able to prove to the whole world there is no hill that cannot be attained, he said.The battle in and around the town of Cassino, some 140 kilometres (90 miles) southeast of Rome, eventually led to the liberation of the Italian capital.The battle actually consisted of four major assaults by Allied troops on German lines over a period of four months starting in February 1944.During the fighting, the hilltop mediaeval monastery overlooking Cassino was destroyed by US bomber planes because the Allies believed that German troops were using it as a fortress.The monastery has since been rebuilt brick by brick.Allied troops finally managed to break through German lines in May 1944.Some 55,000 troops were officially reported dead on the Allied side and 20,000 among German forces.Later on Sunday, Harry travelled to Rome for the unveiling at the MAXXI contemporary art museum of a winning bid to construct Britains Expo pavilion for the Milan Expo, which will be based around the theme of nutrition.The winning entry was a design by artist Wolfgang Buttress inspired by beehives.A crowd of well-wishers gathered outside the Rome museum to cheer the prince, who has been in the headlines recently over his reported split last month with society beauty Cressida Bonas.At the event, the fourth in line to the throne said the themes of the Expo -- sustainability and development -- were close to my heart.I, like many of you here today, feel hugely responsible for the next generation, Harry said.

Nuclear deal with world powers still possible: Iranian FM

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TEHRAN (AFP) - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Sunday that clinching a final nuclear deal with world powers was still possible, despite a tough latest round of talks in Vienna.Agreement is possible. But illusions need to go. Opportunity shouldnt be missed again like in 2005, Zarif wrote on Twitter, referring to Irans long-stalled dispute with world powers over its nuclear programme.Iran and six world powers ended a fourth round of nuclear talks in the Austrian capital on Friday with no tangible progress.Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany -- known as the P51 group -- want Iran to radically scale back its nuclear activities, making any dash for an atomic bomb virtually impossible and easily detectable.The parties want to clinch an accord by July 20, the expiration date of a November interim deal under which Iran froze certain activities in return for limited relief from crippling Western sanctions.In return for further concessions, the Islamic republic, which denies seeking an atomic weapon, wants the lifting of all UN and Western sanctions, which have badly damaged its economy.The latest round of talks with the P51 ended with both sides complaining major gaps remained ahead of the July deadline.Huge gaps remain, there is really more realism needed on the other side, a Western diplomat said. We had expected a little more flexibility on their side.A senior inspector from the UN atomic energy is due in Iran on Monday to discuss the issue.The International Atomic Energy Agencys chief inspector Tero Verjonata and several other officials are to begin talks in Tehran on Tuesday.The visit is aimed at tackling the remaining concerns and clarifying some ambiguities, Irans atomic agency spokesman told the ISNA news agency.- Optimism -On Sunday, Irans English-language Press TV cited the countrys deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, as saying that the next round of talks are to be held in Vienna on June 16-20.Araqchi emphasised to MPs that talks had not failed, state news agency IRNA quoted lawmaker Hojatollah Soori as saying.As we further go ahead with the negotiations, it gets tougher, but we hope to reach an agreement by July 20, Araqchi said.According to Soori, Araqchi also said it would be possible to hold informal meetings before the June talks.Ali Akbar Velayati, foreign policy adviser to Irans supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was also upbeat.There is hope for a positive outcome in the talks, as long as other parties show their goodwill like Iran, he said, quoted by reformist daily Sharq.Saeed Laylaz, a leading Iranian political analyst, also expressed optimism.It is normal for a dispute that surfaced a decade ago not to be completely resolved in just a few months, he told Etemad newspaper.An agreement that is difficult to reach would be more sustainable than an easy one.The failure of the latest round of talks was welcomed by hardliners in Iran, however.Kayhan newspaper ran a headline reading the talks fortunately ended fruitless.Its editorial criticised the West over the interim agreement it said deceived President Hassan Rouhani into accepting too many concessions for too little gain.Failure to reach an accord by July 20 could potentially spark a conflict -- neither Israel nor Washington rules out military action -- and create a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.Negotiators, however, can in theory extend the deadline, although both US President Barack Obama and Rouhani could struggle to keep hardliners on their domestic fronts at bay.

Sewol ferry disaster: S. Korea president says responsibility 'lies with me'

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SEOUL (AFP) - South Korean President Park Geun-Hye took tearful responsibility Monday for the mishandling of last months Sewol ferry disaster, admitting that many lives were lost through incompetence and a lack of preparedness.The ultimate responsibility of the poor response to this accident lies with me, Park said in an address to the nation, during which she openly wept and twice bowed deeply before the television cameras in a display of contrition.Parks popularity ratings have been hammered by the April 16 disaster that claimed around 300 lives, most of them schoolchildren.She has voiced regret several times, but Mondays address was the first time she has explicitly accepted direct responsibility for what has become a defining moment of her presidency.As the president responsible for the lives and safety of South Koreans, I offer my sincere apology for all the suffering, she said.Towards the end of her 30-minute address, Parks voice choked with emotion and tears ran down her cheeks as she described the heroic actions of some of the victims who died trying to save others.Her comments highlighted the failure of the coastguards immediate response to the tragedy, and acknowledged the complaints of the victims relatives that many more lives might have been saved.I have decided to dismantle the coastguard, she said, adding that its investigative activities would be taken up by the police and its maritime patrol operations will be handed over to a newly created ministry of national safety.The 6,825-tonne Sewol was carrying 476 people when it capsized and sank off the southern coast on April 16.The confirmed death toll stood at 286 on Monday, with 18 still unaccounted for.Of those on board, 325 were children from a high school on an organised trip to the southern resort island of Jeju.- Ferry crew vilified -The victims families have been extremely critical of nearly every aspect of the governments handling of the disaster.Many relatives believe some children may have survived for hours or even days inside air pockets in the capsized ferry, but died because rescuers took too long to access the submerged vessel.Most of the ferry crew members escaped the vessel before it sank, and they have been vilified for abandoning hundreds of trapped passengers.The Sewols captain and three crew members were charged last week with manslaughter arising from gross negligence.The irresponsible acts of the captain and crew members who abandoned hundreds of people are practically an act of murder, Park said, adding that existing legislation would be amended to provide harsher penalties for officials found responsible for such accidents.The Sewol tragedy has triggered a bout of intense national soul-searching in a country that had, until now, taken enormous pride in its extraordinarily rapid transformation from a war-torn, impoverished backwater to Asias fourth-largest economyInvestigations into the disaster have suggested it was almost wholly man-made: the result of cut corners, regulatory violations, poor safety training and a woeful lack of oversight -- all, or nearly all, attributable to a desire to maximise profits.It is our duty to reform and transform the country so that these lives were not lost for nothing, Park said, pledging to address the corrupt culture of collusion between regulators and business.Now is the time to leave frustration behind and move forward. We have to set the country upright and transform it.I will stake my political life on correcting the wrong practices that have plagued our country for so long and to create a new republic of Korea, she said.

Punjab govt announces Rs 5b Razmzan package

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LAHORE (Web Desk) - Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has announced a Rs 5 billion Razmzan package.Shahbaz Sharif said that 360 Ramzan bazaars and 334 fair price shops would be setup throughout the province during the Holy month of Ramzan where items would be sold at whole sale rates.At least 2,000 Sehr and Iftar stalls would also be set up to facilitate the fasting citizens in the province.Items of daily necessity would be sold to the public at cheaper rates in special markets set up under the Ramzan package.

French goalkeeper Steve Mandanda out of World Cup

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PARIS (AFP) - Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda has been withdrawn from Frances 23-man World Cup squad due to an injury suffered playing for his club, the French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed on Sunday.Mandanda, 29, who has won 16 caps and is habitually Frances second-choice goalkeeper, has been replaced by Saint-Etiennes Stephane Ruffier.Ruffier, whose only cap to date came in a friendly against Norway in August 2010, had been placed on a seven-man standby list by France coach Didier Deschamps last week.Mandanda suffered a cracked vertebra in his neck following a collision with Guingamp striker Mustapha Yatabare in Saturdays final Ligue 1 match of the season.The Marseille medical staff had said earlier on Sunday he faced six weeks on the sidelines and Democratic of Congo-born Mandanda admitted there was no way he could be fit in time for Frances opening World Cup group game against Honduras on June 15.It is with sadness that I announce that unfortunately I will not be able to go to the World Cup, he announced on his Twitter account.

Swiss turns down world's highest minimum wage

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GENEVA (AFP) - Swiss voters on Sunday rejected a proposal to introduce the worlds highest minimum wage, which would have guaranteed every worker in one of the worlds priciest nations at least $25 an hour.A proposal to introduce a minimum wage so high it could pass for mid-management pay elsewhere, was rejected by 76,3 percent of Swiss voters.A series of referendums in Switzerland also saw voters nix a multi-billion-dollar deal to buy fighter jets from Sweden and massively support a lifelong ban on convicted paedophiles working with children.The massive rejection of the Decent Salary initiative was widely seen as a slap in the face to its union backers, who insist at least 22 Swiss francs ($25, 18 euros) an hour, or 4,000 francs ($4,515, 3,280 euros) a month, is needed to get by in Switzerland.If it had passed, Switzerland would have gone from having no national minimum wage to boasting the worlds highest, far above the $7.25 in the United States and 9.43 euros in France.- Threat to businesses -But the initiative flopped as voters heeded warnings from government and other opponents that it would deal a death blow to many businesses and would weaken Switzerlands healthy economy.Swiss Economy Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann hailed the result, insisting the country had dodged a bullet.Introducing the minimum wage, he told reporters, would have led to layoffs and made it more difficult for people with few qualifications to find a job.Farmers, small business owners and employer organisations also welcomed the results.While disappointed, Alessandro Pelizzari of the Unia unions Geneva chapter insisted the campaign itself had had a very positive effect.We have never before seen in Switzerland so many companies raising employee salaries to 4,000 Swiss francs as over the past months, he told AFP, listing the Aldi and Lidle supermarket chains, as well as fashion giants H&M and Bata.Supporters of the minimum wage said it would have boosted the purchasing power of some 330,000 people.I really have trouble living on my salary, said Portuguese hotel maid Alcina Esteves de Almeida, whose gross monthly salary is 3,400 francs.I have to give up a lot, and I often cant eat properly, the 52-year-old, who works at a luxury Geneva hotel, told AFP.- Fighter jet deal shot down -Sundays vote also sent a 3.1-billion-Swiss-franc (2.5-billion-euro, $3.5-billion) deal to buy 22 Gripen E fighter jets from Swedish defence firm Saab into a death spiral.A total of 53.4 percent of voters balked at releasing the funds needed to go forward with the deal, bringing years of negotiations and evaluations to an abrupt halt.Critics argue Switzerland does not need new fighter jets and warn they could end up costing far more than the country has bargained for.The government meanwhile has for months been stressing the importance of the new planes for Swiss security.This decision will create a security gap, warned Swiss Defence Minister Ueli Maurer, the deals biggest champion.He told reporters an in depth analysis of the new situation was needed, but acknowledged: We dont have a Plan B.Swedens Saab also voiced disappointment, but not surprise.When you do business with Switzerland, you know exactly what you have in store, company spokesman Peter Larsson told the TT news agency.You have to respect their decision making model, and I think the company management included that in its calculations, he said.Swiss voters also overwhelmingly voted in favour of harsh laws against convicted paedophiles, with 63.5 percent supporting a lifelong ban on them working with children, regardless of the gravity or nature of their crime.The government had objected to the initiative saying it was too stringent, arguing that a 20-year-old man could potentially face the ban if convicted of having a relationship with a girl just under the 16-year legal age of sexual consent.

Army Chief to visit Afghanistan tomorrow

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif is due to visit Afghanistan on official visit tomorrow (Monday), Dunya News reported.According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), General Sharif will visit Kabul on one-day official trip to Afghanistan. During his stay in Kabul, important meetings with Afghan military officials are expected.

Football: Japan, Australia book Women's World Cup sports

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HO CHI MINH CITY (AFP) - World champions Japan and Asian title-holders Australia booked their spots at next years Womens World Cup with victories at the Asian Cup in Vietnam on Sunday.Japans Nadeshiko hammered seven unanswered goals past Jordan to reach the semi-finals alongside Australia, who beat hosts Vietnam 2-0 to also qualify from Group A.Five World Cup spots are up for grabs in the Asian tournament. In Group B, South Korea and eight-time Asian champions China have also booked their places by reaching the semi-finals.Any doubts harboured by Japan were settled by Kira Chinatsus opener on 26 minutes, and the 2012 Olympic silver-medallists pressed their advantage against outclassed Jordan.Mizuho Sakaguchi, deputising as captain for the rested Aya Miyama, Chinatsu and Emi Nakajima all finished with two goals each, and Japan also benefited from Enshirah Alhyasats own goal.It was just the latest big score in the tournament after South Korea poured on 12 without conceding against minnows Myanmar and Chinas Steel Roses also beat Thailand 7-0 earlier in the week.In Sundays other game, Vietnams captain Le Thi Thuong gifted Australia an own goal close to half-time and Katrina Gorry got the second on 90 minutes as they kept their title defence on track.But there was consolation for Vietnam, who finished third in Group A and will now go into a play-off against the third team in Group B for the fifth and final World Cup spot.Thailand and Myanmar, both on zero points in Group B behind South Korea and China, face each other in their final pool game on Monday with a place in the play-off at stake.

Iran urges Iraq extradite exiled dissidents

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TEHRAN (AFP) - Irans judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani has called on his Iraqi counterpart to extradite exiled Iranian opposition members so that they could stand a fair trial in Tehran, media reported Sunday.Iraq hosts an estimated 3,000 members of the Peoples Mujahedeen Organisation of Iran (PMOI) who are living in exile in Iraq and based in a former military camp near Baghdad airport.Considering that PMOI members are criminals who have assassinated more than 17,000 Iranians, one of our requests to Iraqs justice chief is to extradite them to Iran, so that they could be held accountable for their crimes, Larijani said, according to Fars news agency.Most of these people have confessed to their crimes and we expect our friend and brother country to extradite them within the legal framework, so that they would be tried fairly, Larijani added.He was speaking at the end of a meeting with the visiting Iraqi chief justice, Medhat al-Mahmud, media said.In March, Irans ambassador to Iraq, Hassan Danaeifar, was quoted as told the Mehr news agency that Tehran was ready to pardon 423 PMOI members, after investigation showed they are not guilty of any crimes.The leftwing PMOI was founded in the 1960s to oppose the shah of Iran.After the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the shah it took up arms against Irans clerical rulers and Tehran holds it responsible for murdering thousands of Iranian civilians and officials.The group set up camp in Iraq during Saddam Husseins war with Iran in the 1980s, but was disarmed after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 toppled Saddam.Todays Shiite-majority and Iran-friendly government in Baghdad is eager to see it move elsewhere.In April Iranian Justice Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi travelled to Iraq to sign several memoranda of understanding, including the extradition of criminals.In 2012, the United State removed the PMOI group from its terror blacklist, in a move strongly condemned by Iran.Scores of PMOI members have been killed in attacks since US troops withdrew from Iraq at the end of 2011.

US offers condolences after a Lao military plane crash

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States offered its condolences Sunday after a Lao military plane crash that killed five senior officials on board, including the defense minister of the secretive communist nation.The group was believed to be traveling to an official ceremony in the northeastern province of Xiangkhouang on an air force jet manufactured by Ukraines Antonov.We are deeply saddened to hear the news of a plane crash in Laos, which claimed the lives of Lao government officials and others on board the flight, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.We extend our deepest condolences to the government of Laos, she added.Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and with all the people of Laos at this difficult time.Lao Defense Minister Douangchay Phichit was among five senior officials killed in the crash, the permanent secretary of the Thai defense ministry, Nipat Thonglek, told AFP.The foreign ministry in Bangkok said about 20 people were on board.Official Lao news agency KPL said authorities were trying to rescue survivors.The cause of accident is under the investigation, it said.

Athletics: Felix wavers, Lavillenie win in Shanghai

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SHANGHAI (AFP) - Olympic gold medallist Allyson Felix failed to recapture her previous magic at the Shanghai Diamond Meet Sunday, finishing a disappointing fifth in the 400m, her first race of the season.But it was a night to remember for Nigerian Blessing Okagbare, who claimed victory in the 200m and the long jump, and for Frances indoor world record pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie, who won his event with a jump of 5.92 metres.Felix, a four-time Olympic gold winner, had vowed to return to form this season after winning only two Diamond races in 2013 before crashing out of the Moscow world championships 200m with a hamstring injury.Her race was won by Novlene Williams-Mills, who showed serious grit at the London 2012 Olympics when she took a 4x400m relay bronze medal having been diagnosed with breast cancer shortly before the Games.She subsequently had four operations, including a double mastectomy in January 2013.Okagbare won the womens 200m with a time of 22.36 seconds, a race which also saw Veronica Campbell-Brown return to the Diamond League circuit after her doping controversy.The Jamaican former Olympic champion spent 10 months on the sidelines before having a two-year ban overturned in February.Campbell-Brown finished the race in fifth, while Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was a late withdrawal.Okagbare had earlier won the long jump event, with a 6.86-metre leap.In the mens disciplines, Justin Gatlin ran the 100m under 10 seconds for the first time this year, claiming victory in 9.92 seconds after leading from the blocks.The US sprinter, who came back from a four-year doping ban in 2010, said: I just wanted to put a good race together. I know I did a good time, but was not thinking 9.92.Olympic silver medallist Michael Tinsley stormed to victory in the 400m hurdles after he summoned extra strength at the climax of the race to edge to the front of a pack of four.Lavillenie, meanwhile, told AFP that he was feeling stronger after breaking the world record in February but injuring his foot on the same event, leaving him out for five weeks.Three months ago I was not even able to put my foot on the ground because of my injuries, he told AFP.For me it is a big improvement. I think it (recovering from injury) has made me stronger than I was before.

IK, TuQ should wait for next elections: Sharjeel Memon

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Sindh Provincial Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said on Sunday that governments should be allowed to complete their tenure, adding that Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri should wait for the next elections instead of making hasty decisions, Dunya News reported.In a statement, he said that Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri want to create an anarchy-type situation in the country and that Imran Khan walking the wrong path in quest for shortcut to power.He said that the governments should be allowed the chance to complete their tenure.Memon said that Taliban and other outlawed organizations have become a cancer for Pakistan. He said that travel restrictions on Pakistanis have been imposed due to Taliban’s aggression, adding that Taliban are the biggest obstacle in the way of curbing polio.Memon said that Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) government seems to be a victim of confusion, adding that they should adopt a clear policy.He said that Taliban’s advocates are also answerable to the people.

Journalistic orgs should protect journalism: Pervaiz Rasheed

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed said on Sunday that the journalistic organizations should protect freedom of press and that the media houses should use the freedom with responsibility, Dunya News reported.Addressing media in Islamabad, he said that it is government’s duty to protect the freedom of press. He said that no one can be given the authority to assume the responsibilities of both a judge and an advocate.He said that the trend of street justice should be abolished. Rasheed said that cable operators are taking the law in their own hands.Information minister said that he keeps meeting with all media houses from time to time. He said that he also met with Jang/Geo management in Dubai, adding that he is fulfilling his responsibilities as per the law.He said he is not doing anything in the hiding and that every one of his actions is public.He said those who are creating scandals will achieve nothing. He said that the media houses should not use freedom of press like ‘monkey’s trimmer’.
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