Friday 2 May 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Pakistan to overcome power, gas crises within few years: PM

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LONDON (Dunya News) - Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Friday said that the Pakistan would completely overcome power and gas crises within few years as all-out efforts were underway in this regard.This he stated while addressing a reception at a hotel in London on Friday. Nawaz Sharif said that said the government is striving hard to grapple with the energy problems. He informed that at least 9000 Megawatts of electricity will be available after the construction of new dams.The PM further said that 9000 Megawatts electricity will be generated from Diamer and Dasu dams. He said that first such project will be inaugurated in Karachi on May 6.

Progress in dialogue not possible in tense atmosphere: Nisar

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday said dialogue process with Taliban could not move ahead in an intensive atmosphere and contradictory statements.Speaking during a ceremony held at Nadra headquarters, he again dispelled the notion of a deadlock in peace talks with the Tehreeki Taliban Pakistan (TTP).“Those who were supposed to support the dialogue process are busy in hurling allegations at the government through needless rhetoric… they have made a road show out of it,” said the minister without naming anyone.“Continuation of peace talks would be difficult under these circumstances,” he added.Chaudhry Nisar said that delay in the next direct meeting with Taliban Shura was due to an internal rift within the militant outfit’s ranks rather than the government.He expressed annoyance over attempts to create an impression of a rift between the civil-military relations, saying the government’s ties with the Pakistan Army were good before and will remain that way in the future also.

More than 30 killed in Odessa blaze as Ukraine violence spreads

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SLAVYANSK (AFP) - More than 30 people were killed in a criminal blaze in Ukraine's southern city of Odessa, as violence spread across the country on Friday during the bloodiest day since Kiev's Western-backed government took power.Ukraine's interior ministry said at least 31 people had died in the fire with local media reporting that pro-Russian militants were believed to have been in the building at the time.Most of those who were killed died from smoke inhalation, while others perished trying to escape by jumping out of windows.News of the deaths came after a day of violent clashes between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian militants, with reports of renewed fighting in Slavyansk late on Friday leading to the death of two more Ukrainian soldiers, meaning at least nine people had been killed in clashes in the flashpoint town throughout the day.The diplomatic war of words also intensified as the United States threatened to hit Russia with new sanctions within three weeks over what Washington called its continued destabilisation of Ukraine.President Barack Obama threatened to expand punitive sanctions to broad sections of the Russian economy if Moscow continued to foment chaos in the former Soviet republic ahead of planned May 25 presidential elections.If in fact we see the disruptions and the destabilisation continuing so severely that it impedes elections on May 25, we will not have a choice but to move forward with additional... severe sanctions, Obama said at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.If Russia continues on its current course, we have a range of tools at our disposal, including sanctions that would target certain sectors of the Russian economy, Obama said.Previously the administration has said such measures would only come into force if Russia sent its estimated 40,000 troops on the border into Ukraine.US Secretary of State John Kerry also on Friday evening announced the postponement of a phone call with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as tensions mounted.While Obama was speaking, an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council took place at Russia's request, to complain about the Ukrainian army's assault on the flashpoint town of Slavyansk.The Kremlin said the raid was leading Ukraine towards catastrophe and pronounced dead a peace deal struck in Geneva last month to ease the worst East-West confrontation since the Cold War.Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev urged the Western-backed leaders in Kiev to stop killing their citizens, saying the raid was a sign of criminal helplessness.Ukraine's interim president Oleksandr Turchynov said many rebels had been killed in the military's pre-dawn raid on the eastern town of Slavyansk and confirmed the loss of two servicemen after insurgents shot down two helicopter gunships.Rebels later said three of their number and two citizens were killed in what they said was a full-scale attack. They vowed to defend the town, which has become the epicentre of tensions in increasingly volatile eastern Ukraine.Kiev said its military overran nine rebel checkpoints and scores of soldiers, backed by armoured vehicles and helicopters, appeared to entrench their positions, tightening their encirclement of the flashpoint town.The attack seemed to dash hopes of a quick release of seven European monitors being held in Slavyansk, with one senior rebel leader saying it would result in a delay.Rebels parked two previously captured armoured vehicles in front of the town hall where they are holding the seven OSCE observers they seized on April 25.Deepening the day's violence, three other people were also killed in the port city of Odessa, where pro-Russian militants clashed with 1,500 people holding a rally for Ukrainian unity.Turchynov has reintroduced conscription in Ukraine and ordered his military on full combat alert amid fears of a Russian invasion.

Obama, Merkel warn Putin of direct economic sanctions

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States and Germany delivered a firm warning to Russia on Friday that it would face direct and painful economic sanctions if Ukrainian elections later this month are disrupted.US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivered the statement after talks at the White House appeared to bring the prospect of sectoral economic sanctions closer than ever before.The joint declaration effectively amounted to a new standard for imposing sectoral sanctions on Russia's economy. Previously, the Obama administration has said such measures would only come into force in response to a provocation on the order of Russia invading Ukraine.If, in fact, we see the disruptions and the destabilization continuing so severely that it impedes elections on May 25, we will not have a choice but to move forward with additional... severe sanctions, Obama said.If Russia continues on its current course, we have a range of tools at our disposal, including sanctions that would target certain sectors of the Russian economy.Such measures, already being worked on by experts in the United States and Europe, would likely target economic activity including in the financial, energy and mining sectors that are vital to the Russian economy.Merkel, facing severe political pressure from German business groups wary that new sanctions could damage their close ties with Russian industry, also warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine's election day was a very crucial date.The 25th of May is not all that far away. Should that not be possible to stabilize the situation further, sanctions will be unavoidable, Merkel said.It's very much up to the Russians which road we will embark on, but we are firmly resolved to continue to travel down that road.Even though both sides now agree that sectoral sanctions may be necessary, the definition and exact targeting of those measures will be crucial and could be broad. Europe's measures will be closely watched from the United States to see if they appease influential business interests at the expense of effectiveness.But Merkel said later in a speech at the US Chamber of Commerce that she believed she could deliver German big business.The German business community, should we have sanctions, will abide by it, she said.The talks at the White House took place as fresh instability and violence rocked eastern Ukraine and Moscow warned that Kiev must halt an operation against pro-Kremlin groups.

Tennis: Berdych battles through as Raonic exits in Portugal

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OEIRAS (AFP) - Top seed Tomas Berdych toughed out a battling 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over qualifier Leonardo Mayer while second seed Milos Raonic was eliminated from his quarter-final at the ATP-WTA Portugal Open on Friday.Berdych, who only took a wild card to get more clay matches with the French Open just three weeks away, almost found himself on the sidelines as he dropped the first set to his 88th-ranked Argentine opponent.The sixth-ranked Czech survived a roller-coaster final set and will Saturday face Romania's Victor Hanescu who beat home hope Gastao Elias 6-1, 7-5.I have to be ready for tough battles like this, said Berdych. He hit the ball hard and played well at times, but he was also up and down.I bought my best tennis in the last three or four games and got through, that was the most important thing today. I need to find a better rhythm on clay.Raonic again disappointed on clay, bundled out in just under 90 minutes 7-5, 6-4 by Argentine Carlos Berlocq. The Canadian was limited to six aces and the same number of double-faults in defeat as he lost serve four times.At the end of the day, I want to do much better this season on clay than I have in the past, he said. I'm putting a lot of attention on Madrid (next week) and Paris (French Open).On clay, training doesn't mean a lot. You need confidence that only comes through wins.Number 62 ranked Berlocq next plays 98th-ranked Daniel Gimeno-Traver, after the Spaniard upset third-seeded compatriot Marcel Granollers 6-1, 6-2.In the women's event Svetlana Kuznetsova reached her first final in more than three years with a 6-3, 6-1 win over fellow Russian Elena Vesnina to set up a clash with Carla Suarez Navarro.The Russian seventh-seed, who owns Grand Slam titles from 2004 in Paris and 2009 in New York, will take on the Spanish top seed competing in her third straight final in Portugal but without a career trophy of any kind.Suarez Navarro overcame Romanian qualifier Irina Begu 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 in one and three-quarter hours.I've been playing well the last two weeks, and I'm happy to be in the final. I never really expected this, especially on clay, said Kuznetsova, whose last clay final was at Roland Garros five years ago.This means a lot to me. I'm far from my top level but my tennis can still get me into this final. I have a chance to beat a lot of top players and I'm gaining confidence.Suarez Navarro, who cruised through her early rounds with barely a challenge, was made to work in the semi-final by Begu, ranked 117.The challenger kept the first set competitive before getting discouraged over line calls and fading in the second.As a result of her success, Suarez Navarro became the season singles win leader with 25 victories.I'm feeling good on the court and I'm very comfortable here. I want to go out and play my best tennis in the final and we will see what happens, said the Spaniard.The 28-year-old Kuznetsova last played a final in February, 2011 in Dubai, where she lost to Caroline Wozniacki. The Russian's last trophy was earned at 2010 San Diego.She began last year ranked 71 and has now fought back to 29th on the WTA list.

Tennis: Veteran Haas battles into Munich semi-finals

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BERLIN (AFP) - Title-holder Tommy Haas was made to work before defeating Italian Andreas Seppi 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 on Friday to qualify for the Munich ATP tournament semi-finals.The 36-year-old second seed spent almost two hours on court before finally seeing off the world number 33 in their quarter-final tie on the German clay.The world number 16 will next face Slovakia's Martin Klizan, who despatched Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-1.I'm delighted to have won the key points in the important moments, said Haas, who was playing only his second match since a six-week break due to a shoulder injury.Haas produced a brilliant sequence of backhand, forehand and then winning volley to earn the decisive break in the first set before his form deserted him in the second as his unforced error count crept up.But after an exchange of breaks, Haas broke for the fourth time in the match to lead 5-3 in the deciding set and then sealed the win with his first match-point.The native of Hamburg admitted afterwards, though, that his shoulder was still causing him problems.It will be another difficult match against Klizan who is feeling confident after winning six matches here, said Haas, a former world number two.His only previous clash with Klizan, who came though qualifying in Munich, was a two-set victory in Hamburg in 2012.The other semi-final will see top seeded Italian Fabio Fognini facing German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff.Fognini eased past Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci 6-2, 6-2 while Struff defeated 'lucky loser' Ricardis Berankis of Lithuania, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Athletics: Gay gets one-year doping ban, returns Olympic medal

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COLORADO SPRINGS (AFP) - US sprint star Tyson Gay has received a one-year doping ban from the US Anti-Doping Association (USADA) and returned a 2012 London Olympics silver medal to the US Olympic Committee.USADA announced Friday that the 31-year-old American track star tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid in two random out-of-competition tests and one event doping test in urine samples taken by both USADA and the world governing body IAAF.Gay accepted a one-year period of ineligibility that began on June 23 of last year, the day his sample was collected at the US Outdoor Track and Field Championships.Because the random test positives were collected near the date of the meet, they were treated as one violation.Gay accepted a one-year doping ban and the disqualification of all results dating to July 15, 2012 -- the date he first used a product that contained a banned substance -- and forfeited all prizes obtained from that date, which included voiding his effort on the US Olympic mens 4x100m relay runner-up squad.USADA said Gay has already handed over his silver medal to USOC officials.After learning of his violation, Gay removed himself from all competition ahead of last years World Championships and has not competed since.He also agreed to assist USADA in investigating the circumstances behind his positive test, providing assistance and all products he was using at the time he tested positive.We appreciate Tyson doing the right thing by immediately withdrawing from competition once he was notified, accepting responsibility for his decisions, and fully and truthfully cooperating with us in our ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding his case, USADA chief executive Travis T. Tygart said.Providing assistance allowed Gay to receive up to a 75 percent reduction in the usual two-year ban under USADA regulations, setting the stage for the imposing of a one-year ban.That suspension length is subject to appeal by the IAAF and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Snooker: O'Sullivan cruises into world final

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LONDON (AFP) - Defending champion Ronnie OSullivan eased into this years World Championship final with a 17-7 win over Barry Hawkins on Friday.Such was the scale of victory achieved by OSullivan, aiming for a third successive world title and sixth in all, he gave himself a day off at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, northern England.OSullivan, in a repeat of last years final, led 5-2 overnight and the Rocket stretched his advantage over his fellow Englishman to 11-5 by the close of Fridays opening session.And when the semi-final match resumed later Friday, he made breaks of 76, 55, 103 and 84 to reach his sixth world final.In the second semi-final, Mark Selby, who was 5-3 up overnight against Australias Neil Robertson, the world number one and 2010 world champion, remained two frames in front at 9-7.The Englishman had a chance to go 10-6 in front in the final frame of Fridays play but a mistake on the black allowed Robertson, who came from 5-1 down to beat Selby in the UK Championship final in December, back in and his clearance to the pink ensured the match remained finely balanced.Their match resumes at 10.00am local time (0900GMT) Saturday and will be played to a finish later in the day.

Motorcycling: Espargaro edges Marquez as Yamaha find pace

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JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA (AFP) - Aleix Espargaro and Jorge Lorenzo, who is about to ride his 200th race, breathed life into Yamaha's flagging season on Friday when they dominated practice for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.World champion Marc Marquez, who has won all three grand prix this season, was fastest on his Honda in the afternoon's second session, but he couldn't beat Espargaro's morning performance and ended the day third overall.Marquez, who is participating in his 100th grand prix, clocked 1min 39.757sec, though neither he nor his rivals were able to match Espargaro's 1min 39.357sec set just before track temperatures nudged the 50-degree mark.Lorenzo, the 2010 and 2012 world champion, was second fastest overall at 0.357sec behind his Spanish compatriot. Marquez was 0.400sec behind while fellow Honda factory rider Dani Pedrosa made it an all-Spanish top four at 0.503sec off the lead.Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso was fifth and nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi, who has six elite class wins in Jerez, was sixth on his Yamaha, 0.768sec off the lead.The track changed so much from the morning to the afternoon, it was much more slippery and we had to try the different rear tyre, said Lorenzo, who has won the MotoGP race in Spain on two occasions. Like in Qatar, it gave us the same problems with less grip and the bike then feels nervous. We are much closer than before though and I think we can close the gap.Lorenzo made his debut in the 125cc world championship at the Spanish Grand Prix in 2002, when he became the youngest ever rider to compete in a grand prix race just one day after his 15th birthday. But he was not allowed to take part in the first day of practice because he had still not attained the minimum age of 15.Lorenzo will celebrate his 27th birthday on Sunday, and is scheduled to become the youngest rider to reach the milestone of 200 Grand Prix starts.His career record reads 52 wins in all classes with 113 podium finishes.

Oil prices rebound on Ukraine tensions, US jobs data

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Escalating Ukraine tensions and a strong US jobs report boosted oil prices Friday, traders said, pushing aside concerns about the mounting US crude stockpile.New York's benchmark, West Texas Intermediate for delivery in June, climbed 34 cents to $99.76 a barrel.In London, Brent North Sea crude for June added 83 cents to close at $108.59 a barrel.Moscow's warning to Kiev over its attack on pro-Russia secessionists in Ukraine's east raised more worries over a Russian intervention, which could further strain relations with the West.Ukraine on Friday launched a military assault on the flashpoint town of Slavyansk, but insurgents shot down two army helicopters, killing two servicemen, including a pilot.The crisis also spread to the southern city of Odessa, where 38 people died in an arson attack against a trade union building after a day of violent clashes between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian militants.The escalating conflict in east Ukraine is allowing oil prices to recover after finding themselves under pressure, said Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch.Ukraine, a major conduit for Russian natural gas exports to Western Europe, is monitored closely by investors who are concerned that a full-scale armed conflict will disrupt supplies and send energy prices soaring.A robust US job report for April, with the jobless rate sharply falling to 6.3 percent, signaled a stronger economy, also helping to boost crude prices.Some support to the market is coming from the better-than-expected job report this morning, showing a significant number of jobs that will translate into demand for petroleum products, said Andy Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates.

Dollar stable after mixed US job report

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar held steady against the euro Friday after a mixed US labor report showing robust job growth but a steep fall in unemployment due to a shrinking work force.The dollar briefly spiked higher immediately after the Labor Department released its April data. The US economy added 288,000 jobs, the highest pace of growth in more than two years and well above expectations.The unemployment rate plunged to 6.3 percent from 6.7 percent in March, the lowest level since September 2008. But the cause was a sharp fall in the size of the active labor force rather than new hiring.Steep declines in the unemployment rate and underemployment rate are only considered positive developments if it is due to quality job gains, not an exodus from the labor force, said Jay Morelock of FTN Financial.As investors digested the mixed data, the dollar fell back to close to where it started, finishing the day at $1.3869.US bond yields fell, making the dollar a more attractive funding currency, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.All of this has investors thinking that if the dollar can't rise after the increase in payrolls, nothing will be able to drive it higher in the near term, she said.

US has first case of Middle East respiratory virus

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States announced Friday its first case of a dangerous respiratory virus that originated in the Middle East and has a high death rate.The person infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a health care provider who was in Riyadh for work, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.The name, gender and location of the patient were not disclosed.New diseases can be just a plane ride away, Anne Schuchat, director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters.While centered in the Arabian peninsula, MERS is now in our heartland. The patient is being cared for in an Indiana hospital and is isolated in stable condition, said Schuchat, adding that lab tests confirmed the infection Friday.There is no cure for MERS-CoV and no vaccine against it.According to the CDC, 401 people in 12 countries have been confirmed to have MERS-CoV, including the US patient.The latest death toll announced by Saudi health authorities is 107.Some cases have spread in a hospital setting, but sustained transmission among the general public is rare, the CDC said.Officials are trying to track down people who were near the patient, who on April 24 flew by plane from Riyadh to London, and then flew to Chicago, Illinois, where the patient boarded a public bus to Indiana.However, the CDC declined to make public the name of the airline or any other details about the person's trip, and said that the Department of Homeland Security was working on locating people who traveled near the patient.It was on April 27 that the patient began to experience shortness of breath, coughing and fever. The person was hospitalized a day later.Officials declined to say how the patient became infected, or how many people came in contact with the patient.It was also not known whether the patient had direct contact with camels during the Saudi trip. Some research has suggested that camels are a likely source of the virus.Schuchat said there was a low risk of MERS spreading to the general public, but added that the situation was considered fluid.She said the CDC is not currently recommending that people change their travel plans.Public concern over the spread of MERS mounted earlier this month after the resignation of at least four doctors at Jeddah's King Fahd Hospital who refused to treat patients for fear of infection. MERS is considered a deadlier but less-transmissible cousin of the SARS virus that erupted in Asia in 2003 and infected 8,273 people, nine percent of whom died.

Curbing bad habits can stop 37 mn premature deaths: study

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PARIS (AFP) - Curbing smoking and drinking, salt intake, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and obesity can prevent more than 37 million premature deaths by 2025, according to an analysis published on Saturday.If globally-adopted targets for reducing these risk factors are met, the risk of dying prematurely from heart or lung disease, stroke, cancer or diabetes will fall by 22 percent in men and 19 percent for women in 2025, compared with 2010, a team of researchers wrote in The Lancet medical journal.Worldwide, this improvement is equivalent to delaying or preventing at least 16 million deaths in people aged 30-70 years and 21 million in those aged 70 years or older over 15 years, they said.The targets are to reduce tobacco use by 30 percent, alcohol consumption by 10 percent, salt intake by 30 percent, high blood pressure by 25 percent, and to halt the rise in the prevalence of obesity and diabetes.A more ambitious 50-percent reduction in smoking by 2025 would reduce the risk by more than 24 percent in men and by 20 percent in women, wrote the team.They used national population data and epidemiological models for their calculations.Most of the benefits will be seen in low-income and middle-income countries where as many as 31 million deaths could be prevented, said co-author Majid Ezzati from Imperial College London.Not reaching the targets would result in 38.8 million premature deaths in 2025 alone -- 10.5 million more than in 2010, the team said.Premature mortality is defined for the purposes of the study as the probability of dying between the ages of 30 and 70.The United Nations is targeting a 25-percent reduction in premature death from non-communicable diseases from 2010 to 2025.This group of diseases is caused in large part by unhealthy lifestyles, including tobacco use, physical inactivity, the harmful use of alcohol and unhealthy diets.

DI Khan: 8-year-old girl, 10 labourers drown in contaminated water

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DERA ISMAIL KHAN (Dunya News) – As many as ten labourers drowned in contaminated water here on Friday while another fifteen were rushed to the hospital in unconscious state, Dunya News reported.An eight-year-old girl fell into contaminated water discharged from a local factory. At least 10 labourers jumped in to save her life but could not survive the contamination.Those deceased include women and children. Police and rescue teams rushed to the site. 15 persons were rushed to the hospital in unconscious state.

At least 350 dead as landslides swamp Afghan village

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MAZAR-I-SHARIF (AFP) - Landslides buried a village in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least 350 people and leaving hundreds missing, as a major rescue operation was launched to find survivors trapped under the mud.The first emergency teams on the scene in Badakhshan province used shovels to dig through rocks and dirt, with local authorities, the United Nations and the NATO military force racing to assess the damage and provide help.Two successive landslides within one hour hit Aab Bareek village today, Gul Mohammad Baidaar, deputy governor of Badakhshan, told AFP.A hill collapsed on the village. We talked to local people and, according to them, around 400 people are under piles of mud.Most of those missing had gathered in two mosques to offer Friday prayers. The second landslide hit locals who came to help.Badakhshan is a remote, mountainous province in northeast Afghanistan bordering Tajikistan, China and Pakistan.The number of deceased has increased to 350, the UN mission in Afghanistan said in a statement.A response is being mobilised for those who survived but were displaced, with some partners already on the ground.(NATOs) Regional Command in the north (is) in contact with the Afghan National Army in regards to search and rescue efforts.President Hamid Karzai said immediate action was being taken, with rescuing survivors the priority for emergency efforts, which continued as darkness fell.Local officials said that the landslides occurred at about midday (0730 GMT) in the Argo district after days of heavy rain.Between 350 and 400 houses were destroyed, they said.It is a disaster. The landslide has affected around 1,000 families, Sayed Abdullah Homayun Dehqan, provincial director of the Afghan National Disaster Management Authority, told AFP.Around 300 families are missing, that could involve around 2,000 people. People are working to remove the rocks, so far three bodies have been recovered.Around 700 families were rescued, we have sent in some basic assistance such as tents and blankets.US President Barack Obama also expressed his condolences over the disaster, saying our thoughts are with the people of Afghanistan who have experienced an awful tragedy.We stand ready to help our Afghan partners as they respond to this disaster, Obama said at a joint press conference in Washington with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.The UN said that it was helping to coordinate local authorities to rescue survivors, but that road access to the area could not take heavy machinery.- Severe flooding -The disaster follows recent severe flooding in other parts of northern Afghanistan, with 150 people dead and 67,000 people affected by floods in Jowzjan, Faryab and Sar-e-Pul provinces.Nearly 3,500 houses were damaged and destroyed by the floods, creating an urgent need for shelter, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Thursday.It said clean water, medical supplies, food and shelter were needed immediately as relief efforts were stepped up.The floodwaters swept through villages, engulfing thousands of homes and leaving many people seeking safety on the roofs of their mud-brick houses.The floods destroyed farmland and also killed livestock across the remote region.Flooding and landslides often occur during the spring rainy season in northern Afghanistan, with flimsy mud houses offering little protection against rising water levels and torrents of mud.In the last major flooding in Afghanistan, 40 people died in August in flash floods in eastern and southeastern provinces and some districts of the capital Kabul.Neighbouring Pakistan suffered the worst floods in its history in 2010, when almost 1,800 people died and 21 million people were affected.Afghanistan is in the middle of presidential elections, with former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani due to compete in a head-to-head vote on June 7.Preliminary results from the first round of elections on April 5, in which eight candidates ran, showed none gained the 50 percent needed for a decisive victory.
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