Friday 6 June 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Suicide bombers, clashes kill 36 in northern Iraq

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MOSUL (AFP) - Suicide bombings and fighting between security forces and militants killed 36 people in north Iraq on Friday, and the prime minister said militants targeted a revered Shiite shrine.The violence came as the United Nations said that close to 480,000 people have been displaced during a crisis in Anbar province, where security forces have been battling anti-government fighters for months.The two suicide bombers blew up vehicles in the Shabak village of Al-Muwaffaqiyah, located east of Nineveh provincial capital Mosul, killing four people and wounding 45, police and medical officials said.Iraq's 30,000 Shabaks largely follow a blend of Shiite Islam and local beliefs viewed as heretical by Sunni extremists, and have been periodically targeted in attacks.In west Mosul, four police, three soldiers and 16 militants were killed in clashes, while a mortar round killed a civilian, officials said.Three more soldiers were killed in fighting with militants in east Mosul, and security forces shot dead five would-be suicide bombers in the Hamam al-Alil area, south of the city.The violence came a day after militants launched a major attack on the city of Samarra, north of Baghdad, occupying multiple neighbourhoods.Soldiers, police and tribal fighters backed by helicopters eventually regained control, a senior army officer said, but only after heavy fighting that officials said killed 12 police and dozens of militants.Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said in a statement on Friday that the Samarra assault was aimed at the Al-Askari Shiite shrine in the centre of the city, terming it another failed attempt to provoke sectarian strife.The areas occupied by militants were however located in eastern Samarra, and they would have had to advance significantly farther to threaten the shrine, which was bombed by extremists in 2006, setting off a bloody Sunni-Shiite sectarian conflict.The allegation itself that the revered shrine was the target has the potential to increase the already-significant sectarian tensions plaguing the country.On Friday, spokesman Adrian Edwards said the UN refugee agency believes close to 480,000 people have fled their homes in Anbar province, west of Baghdad, where security forces and anti-government fighters have battled for control for over five months.They join some 1.1 million others displaced during past years of violence in Iraq.The crisis in Anbar, which shares a long border with civil war-hit Syria, erupted in late December when security forces dismantled a longstanding Sunni Arab protest camp near provincial capital Ramadi.Anti-government fighters subsequently seized all of the city of Fallujah, just a short drive from Baghdad, and parts of Ramadi.Despite months of clashes, shelling and missile strikes, no resolution is in sight.Violence is running at its highest levels since 2006-2007, when tens of thousands were killed in sectarian conflict between Iraq's Shiite majority and Sunni Arab minority.More than 900 people were killed last month, according to figures separately compiled by the United Nations and the government.So far this year, more than 4,300 people have been killed, according to AFP figures.Officials blame external factors for the rise in bloodshed, particularly the Syrian conflict, but analysts say widespread Sunni Arab anger with the Shiite-led government has also been a major factor.

UN chief presses Israel over hunger-strike Palestinians

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - UN chief Ban Ki-moon expressed concern Friday about the deteriorating health of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike, calling on Israel to charge or release them without delay.Around 125 Palestinian prisoners have been on hunger strike for more than six weeks, most of them administrative detainees protesting against being held indefinitely without trial.The secretary general is concerned about reports regarding the deteriorating health of Palestinian administrative detainees who have been on hunger strike for over a month, Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement Friday.He reiterates his long-standing position that administrative detainees should be charged or released without delay.The UN High commissioner for human rights has also expressed concern regarding a bill before Israel's parliament that would permit force-feeding and medical treatment of prisoners on hunger strike, against their will under certain conditions, in contravention of international standards, the spokesman added.Among those refusing food are six parliamentarians from the Palestinian Legislative Council, all of whom are administrative detainees, according to Israeli and Palestinian rights groups.Overall 290 Palestinians are refusing food, including 70 being treated in hospital, the Israel Prisons Service said Sunday.About 5,000 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons, nearly 200 of them under administrative detention orders, which allow suspects to be jailed without trial for up to six months.Such orders can be renewed indefinitely by a military court.

Putin says talks with Western leaders 'positive'

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MOSCOW (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday his meetings with Western leaders in France this week were positive and described talks with his US counterpart Barack Obama as substantial.I think the exchange of views was very positive, Putin said in remarks broadcast by Russian television from France, where he attended ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of D-Day alongside US, British, French and German leaders.He added that he spoke on two occasions with Obama, in a rather substantial manner.Putin was also positive about Ukraine president-elect Petro Poroshenko.I cannot but welcome the position of Poroshenko on the necessity to end the bloodletting immediately in the east of Ukraine, he said.I cannot say for sure how that can be implemented in practical terms, but overall it seemed to be to be the right approach, he said.He has a plan, which -- it's probably better to ask him. He explained it quickly to me, he added.Ukraine must demonstrate its good will. The repressive operation must be stopped.I hope that will happen, and if that happens, the conditions would be there for the development of our relations in other areas, including economic.Putin in particular raised the issue of Russian gas deliveries to Ukraine, saying that the two parties were close to a deal.No, I did not discuss gas prices with Poroshenko, but I know that Gazprom and its Ukrainian counterpart are close to a definitive deal, he said.We do not exclude making a gesture to the Ukrainians, by lending them some support in the case that they repay their debt, he said.Ukraine's third gas war with Russia in less than a decade erupted when Moscow nearly doubled the price it charges its neighbour for the fuel.Kiev accused Moscow of economic aggression and refused to cover a bill that Russia puts at $5.17 billion (3.79 billion euros).Russian gas transiting through Ukraine supplies about 15 percent of European needs.

Tennis: Nadal, Djokovic set-up French Open final blockbuster

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PARIS (AFP) - Eight-time champion Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who needs a Roland Garros title to complete a career Grand Slam, will clash in Sunday's French Open final after racking up convincing semi-final wins on Friday.World number one Nadal cruised to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 win against Wimbledon champion and seventh seed Andy Murray to register his 65th win on the red clay of Paris against just one defeat as he moved one victory away from becoming the first man to win five successive French Opens.Sunday will be the 28-year-old Spaniard's 20th Grand Slam final.Djokovic, the world number two and runner-up to Nadal in the 2012 championship match, went through to his 13th major final thanks to a 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over Latvian giantkiller Ernests Gulbis Of Latvia.Nadal could wrap up a 14th Grand Slam title which would put him level at second best on the all-time list with Pete Sampras and three behind Roger Federer while Djokovic will be chasing his seventh major.Murray failed in his bid to become the first British player to contest the French Open final since Bunny Austin 77 years ago and will now turn his attention to defending his Wimbledon crown.It was his worst loss to Nadal in nine Grand Slam match-ups between the two, surpassing the nine games he managed in the 2008 Wimbledon quarter-finals.I think that today I played my best tennis at Roland Garros this year, said Nadal.After 10 years of coming here and to be back in the final for the ninth time - it's something I never believed would happen in my life.Ahead of his 42nd meeting with Djokovic, he added: He is an unbelievable opponent. He is always a big challenge and I need to play at my very best.Nadal had dropped the first set to Murray in the semi-finals in Rome last month before winning through, but Friday was brutally one-sided in sweltering heat in Paris with the Spaniard winning almost half the points played.Djokovic, 27, will become only the eighth man in history to complete the career Grand Slam if he wins on Sunday.He defeated Nadal in the Rome final and has won their last four encounters. However, Nadal leads 13-4 overall on clay as well as 22-19 on all surfaces.The first two sets went well. I thought I played well, very solid, putting a lot of returns back in the court, serving at the high percentage, said Djokovic.Then suddenly midway through the third set I started to feel physically fatigued a little bit, and you could feel that. You could see that both me and him, we struggled on the court.He added: I am always motivated to play well at Roland Garros. I need to push my body to the maximum as it's hard to predict what will happen.Playing in his 22nd semi-final at a major compared to a debut appearance for Gulbis, the Serb was hardly troubled in the first two sets.But Gulbis, the 18th seed who defeated 17-time major winner Roger Federer and sixth seed Tomas Berdych to get to his first Grand Slam semi-final, rallied in the third to briefly breathe life into the contest.In the end, however, Gulbis's 44 unforced errors to Djokovic's 25, as well as his ability to convert just two of his seven break points proved crucial.The difference was I'm not used to playing these kind of big matches, said the 25-year-old from Riga.It's just normal I felt extra nervous and extra tense. I can take one positive side out of the match -- that I could still win a third set feeling that nervous and that extra tired.

Police, strikers clash in Brazil World Cup host city

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SAO PAULO (AFP) - Police clashed with striking subway workers in Sao Paulo on Friday while 3,000 people protested government policies, causing traffic chaos six days before Brazil's mega-city hosts the first World Cup game.The separate demonstrations raised fears of more unrest when Brazil and Croatia play the first game in the business hub of 20 million people next Thursday.Police fired tear gas and swung batons to beat back the picketing strikers after commuters tried to enter a major metro station, with torrential rain adding to the traffic misery.Across town, police officers at the scene estimated that 3,000 people demonstrated peacefully in front of the Central Bank in a protest organized by the Force Union, blocking the street before dispersing.The protests came as Brazil's national team prepared to play their last friendly Friday night against Serbia in Sao Paulo's Morumbi stadium.But the first World Cup game will be played in the city's new Corinthians Arena, which has yet to receive safety clearance to operate at full capacity, highlighting Brazil's struggle to be ready for the World Cup.Officials are hard-pressed to resolve the metro strike because the subway will be the main link to the arena for legions of fans.Workers went on strike early Thursday after negotiations on a salary increase fell through. They rejected an offer of 8.7 percent, insisting on at least 10 percent.The traffic mayhem has stranded the 4.5 million passengers who use the subway system daily in the sprawling city, while bumper-to-bumper traffic stretched for up to 250 kilometers (155 miles).I'm going to have to return home. I can't get to work like this. The metro is not going there and with this traffic, it's impossible to go by bus, said Pedro Henrique Rodrigues, a 28-year-old pastry factory worker who stood in a massive line of people waiting for buses.It was the latest strike to hit Brazil, where bus drivers, teachers and police have staged walk-outs in other cities in recent months to demand better wages.The chaos in Sao Paulo is the sort of incident that Brazilian officials and world football body FIFA want to avoid following the violent protests that marred last year's Confederations Cup, a World Cup dress rehearsal.It was in Sao Paulo that mass protests erupted exactly a year ago as citizens took to the streets to voice anger at rising public transport fares.The unrest ballooned into nationwide demonstrations against the more than $11 billion being spent on the World Cup, with more than one million people taking to the streets to demand money for hospitals and schools.The protest movement has lost momentum since last June, but the transportation chaos risks rekindling anger in the countdown to the opening ceremony.President Dilma Rousseff has defended the government's preparations, insisting the money spent will leave a legacy of airports and transport infrastructure that will benefit Brazil for years to come.But much of the other promised infrastructure has been shelved, from roadworks and a high-speed train to subway and monorail lines.Eight workers died in construction accidents at the stadiums, including three in Sao Paulo. Several of the 12 stadiums have yet to be finished.Rousseff's popularity has taken a hit, with an opinion poll Friday showing that her support for October elections dropped to 34 percent in June from 37 percent in April.She still led the pack of candidates, however, with her main rival, social democrat Aecio Neves, falling by one point to 19 percent.

Football: Klose becomes Germany's top scorer

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MAINZ (AFP) - Veteran striker Miroslav Klose became Germany's all-time top-scorer on Friday when he netted his 69th goal in his 132nd appearance in their 6-1 friendly romp against Armenia.The hot-shot, who turns 36 on Monday, came off the bench to head Germany's fourth goal as they scored five goals in the final 17 minutes in their last World Cup warm-up match.Klose bettered the previous record set by Gerd Mueller, who scored the winner in the 1974 World Cup final to claim his 68th goal in 62 appearances for West Germany.Of course, the goal record means a lot to me, but it was more important for us to be in form, said Klose, who has endured an injury-ravaged season for Lazio.When we play as well as we did in the second-half, then we create plenty of chances and I'll score goals.It was important that we had more pressure in the penalty area and had more movement in the box.I want to play and I know I can help the team, added Klose, as he now looks ahead to his fourth World Cup.As the only recognised striker in the Germany squad, Klose can claim more records in Brazil where he is just one short of Ronaldo's record of 15 goals in World Cup finals.Germany open their Group G campaign against Portugal in Salvador on June 16 and also face Ghana and the USA in the first round.

Formula One: Hamilton on top after second practice

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MONTREAL (AFP) - A beaming Lewis Hamilton put his sulky behavior in Monaco firmly behind him on Friday when he topped the times in free practice for Sunday's Canada Grand Prix.Hamilton, who was embroiled in a series of acrimonious incidents in Monte Carlo, topped the times at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with a best lap of one minute and 16.118 seconds.His lap was almost two-tenths of a second faster than that of his team-mate Nico Rosberg, the championship leader, and ensured he had the advantage at the end of a first day dominated by the Mercedes team.That was a great day, he said.A great day for me and for the team - and Nico. Now we know what we have to work on with the set up, but I must say what a great job the team have done for this back at the factory.I am quite sure that there is a lot more to come for us both. Nico showed he has a lot of pace here so we are in a good place for Friday even if the car is not exactly perfect, as we would like.Rosberg was also full of praise for the team and their day's work.A great day, yes, for all of us, he said. It was a pleasure to drive the car and now we have to work the right way and make sure we have the right strategy for the tyre-degradation.In an oblique reference to the controversies at Monaco, he added: Qualifying is going to be crucial again.The 29-year-old Briton, who lost the leadership in the title race at the Monaco Grand Prix where Rosberg ended his run of four straight wins, was in dominant form on a sunny afternoon at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.He clocked a fastest lap in one minute and 16.118 seconds to outpace his rival by nearly two-tenths of a second.Defending four-time champion Sebastian Vettel was third fastest in the leading Red Bull, his revived form pointing to an improvement by his team's engine suppliers Renault as they bid to close the performance gap.Finn Kimi Raikkonen was fourth ahead of his Ferrari team-mate two-time champion Fernando Alonso, who had been the fastest man in the morning's overcast opening free practice session.Brazilian Felipe Massa was sixth ahead of his Williams team-mate Valtteri Bottas and the top ten was completed by the two McLarens of Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen and his team-mate Jenson Button with Jean-Eric Vergne clocking the 10th best time for Toro Rosso.

Golf: Sweden's Lundberg leads in Austria

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ATZENBRUGG (AFP) - Mikael Lundberg took sole control of the Austrian Open on Friday, the Swede adding a second round 68 to his opening 67 for a nine under par total of 135.Lundberg, targeting a first European Tour title in six years, had shared the overnight lead with England's Adam Gee, who carded a 73 to slip to sixth, five shots off the pace.Lee Slattery is lying second, one shot off the top, with Fabrizio Zanotti a further shot away in third.Lundberg, targeting his third title, said: I hit a lot of good shots early on and managed to make some putts, so that got my confidence up.I've been doing some great work with my new coach, Neil Jordan, over the last few weeks, and my game is feeling a lot more solid as a result. So whilst I didn't maybe expect to play this well here, it's not a complete shock to me either.The 40-year-old's previous wins came in the Russian Open in 2005 and 2008 but he hasn't had a top ten finish in nearly two years.Slattery carded an eagle, five birdies and one bogey in his impressive 66.It was great, said Slattery, whose only European Tour win came in Spain three years ago.I got off to a decent start again today, and I was off and running. I made some good up and downs at important times, which kept the momentum going. It's a tricky course, there are potential disasters on every hole so you definitely can't afford to get ahead of yourself. It's quite old school golf where you've got to control your ball and put it in the right places. That suits me, so I'm enjoying it.The best recovery came from Australian Brett Rumford, who played his first four holes in five over par but the remaining 14 in seven under to return a second round of 70 and finish one under par.

Oil futures little changed after US jobs report

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NEW YORK (AP) - Benchmark U.S. oil for July delivery rose 18 cents to close at $102.66 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil traded in a narrow range all week and ended with a decline of 15 cents.Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, slid 18 cents to $108.61 a barrel.The U.S. Labor Department said employers added 217,000 jobs to their payrolls in May, in the range of what economists had expected. The unemployment rate stayed put at 6.3 percent.Heading into the weekend, U.S. drivers are paying an average of $3.66 a gallon at the gas pump. That's down 1 cent from a month ago, but 3 cents higher that at this time last year.

Dollar edges higher after upbeat US jobs data

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar rallied slightly against the euro and other major currencies Friday after a solid May US jobs report pointed to growth in the worlds largest economy.US employers created more than 200,000 jobs for the fourth straight month in May, the Labor Department said. A net 217,000 positions were added, nearly all by the private sector.Though a hair below expectations, the report generally showed the recovery in the labor market was steadily improving. The unemployment rate held steady at 6.3 percent after dropping from 6.7 percent to that level in April.Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management said the jobs report showed the ailing labor market was improving but not strongly enough to push the Federal Reserve to reconsider its current monetary policies, including the measured reduction of its asset-purchase program.The data only reinforces the central banks cautious approach to unwinding stimulus. While there was enough improvement for the Fed to continue tapering it will be some time before the central bank considers raising interest rates, Lien said.FT Advisors economists said the solid jobs report reinforced their expectations of continued Plow Horse gains in the coming months that will push the jobless rate below 6.0 percent later this year.In turn, this will help put pressure on the Federal Reserve to move up short-term interest rates in the first half of 2015, they said in a research note.

Sri Lanka in the wickets in final warm-up

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NORTHAMPTON (AFP) - Sri Lanka's bowlers were in the wickets on Friday ahead of next week's first Test against England at Lord's.The tourists reduced Northamptonshire to 146 for five at stumps on the second day of four in reply to Sri Lanka's 558 for eight declared -- a deficit of 412 and with the hosts needing 263 more runs to avoid the follow-on.Rob Keogh was 26 not out and Matthew Spriegel 11 not out.Earlier, acting Sri Lanka captain Lahiru Thirimanne called a halt to a first innings where he top-scored with a career-best 156 and opener Kaushal Silva made 152 not out before retiring at a sun-drenched Northampton.Northamptonshire, struggling at the foot of the First Division of the County Championship table with five defeats from six matches, had been blasted by their own chief executive after collapsing to a 271-run defeat by Yorkshire last time out.Their innings began badly when opener James Kettleborough's first-class debut saw him lbw for a golden duck to Chanaka Welegedara.The impressive Nuwan Pradeep then took his 100th first-class wicket when he had Northamptonshire captain Stephen Peters caught behind with a lifting delivery to leave the hosts 32 for two.Welegedara, Pradeep and Dhammika Prasad were potentially involved in a three-way bowl off for a place at Lord's, with Sri Lanka set to recall captain Angelo Mathews, a seam-bowling all-rounder, Shaminda Eranga and spinner Rangana Herath to their side for the first Test.South Africa's Richard Levi -- currently on a contract just to play county limited overs matches for Northamptonshire -- kept Sri Lanka at bay with a dashing fifty off 40 balls.Meanwhile Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer cover-drove Prasad for four and uppercut him for six over third man off successive deliveries.But to the very next ball Coetzer (27), chipped a return catch which Prasad held at the third attempt.Levi, who at least offered belligerent resistance, then pulled Prasad straight to Pradeep at deep square leg on 64.And when wicketkeeper Ben Duckett was bowled by trying to whip a turning delivery from off-spinner Dilruwan Perera to the legside, Northamptonshire had slumped from 97 for two to 113 for five.Sri Lanka were 358 for three overnight against a Northamptonshire side showing six changes from the team that played Yorkshire.Among those missing were former South Africa all-rounder Andrew Hall, Pakistani seamer Mohammad Azharullah, New Zealand paceman Ian Butler, and fast bowler Maurice Chambers.Silva, before play resumed Friday, retired undefeated on 152 with what Sri Lanka's manager said was a stomach illness.He batted for just over six hours, facing 260 balls with 21 fours and two sixes.Left-hander Thirimanne resumed on 120 not out, having been dropped off his first ball Thursday by Duckett.He had just surpassed his previous first-class best of 155 not out, made in a Test against Bangladesh last year, when he was bowled trying to slog-sweep left-arm spinner Spriegel.Thirimanne's near five-hour innings saw him face 221 balls including 14 fours and two sixes.Spriegel then had a personal return of two for none in eight balls when he bowled Dinesh Chandimal on the sweep for 47.But Perera went to a 63-ball fifty with a six, four and a six off three successive deliveries from part-time spinner Keogh before he holed out off Steven Crook.

Pietersen flops on return to action in England

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LONDON (AFP) - Kevin Pietersen suffered a disappointing return to action in English cricket as he scored just five runs for Surrey in their five-wicket defeat against Essex on Friday.Pietersens flop came in a domestic Twenty20 clash at the Oval, where the controversial batsman was playing for the first time on home soil since his acrimonious removal from the England team in the aftermath of the dismal Ashes whitewash in Australia.To add insult to injury for the South Africa-born star, who was reportedly axed by England due to the breakdown of his relationship with several senior players, he had been teased by former England team-mate Ravi Bopara on Twitter earlier on Friday, with the Essex all-rounder telling him; Dont let me get you out.That was exactly what happened as Pietersen tried to smash Bopara over the long-on rope but only found the hands of Ryan ten Doeschate for five.Pietersen walked out to the middle to loud cheers, his seasonal debut having been delayed because of a finger injury suffered playing for Delhi, but was soon heading back to the dressing room.He nudged his way along to five before trying to go big to Bopara and Ten Doeschate took a great catch on the fly.Pietersens failure left Surrey struggling to a total of 151 for six and Essex made comfortable work of the chase, thanks largely to a thrilling base laid down by Jesse Ryder.The New Zealander walloped a 16-ball 31 before perishing to Kevin OBrien.Ryder hit the first ball for four, the second for six and accounted for all of Essexs first 25 runs.Mark Pettini was a junior partner to Ryder and went not long after, run out for 12, but that just allowed Tom Westley (44) and Ten Doeschate (43 not out) to get the job done.

Altaf Hussain released on bail

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LONDON (Dunya News) - Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain has been released on bail from a police station in London on early Saturday morning.Altaf Hussain was interviewed at the police station after being discharged from Wellington Hospital. The interview lasted for nine hours after which Altaf Hussain’s lawyers filed bail application which was accepted and he was released from police staion.Earlier, Altaf Hussain was transferred to the police station on Friday after discharging from the hospital.According to reports, doctors had termed Altaf Hussain’s angiography reports satisfactory, following which, the Scotland Yard decided to move MQM chief to the station again.MQM chief Altaf Hussain was taken into custody on Tuesday on suspicion of money laundering and was transferred to Wellington Hospital after his health unsettled. Hussain has been receiving treatment at the hospital for the past three days.Metropolitan Police of London had started money laundering probe against Altaf Hussain after they recovered some 250,000 pound sterling from his house, whose source could not be ascertained. The raid was conducted during the investigation of Imran Farooq murder case.

Swiss sentence Guatemalan ex-police chief to life over prisoner killings

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GENEVA (AFP) - Guatemalas former police chief Erwin Sperisen on Friday received a life sentence in Switzerland for seven murders committed in the Central American country.Reading out the verdict in a packed Geneva court, chief judge Isabelle Cuendet said Sperisen had been found jointly responsible for six murders and was directly responsible for one more.One of Sperisens lawyers said the ruling was shocking and announced that his client would appeal.Sperisen, 43, holds Swiss and Guatemalan citizenship and, having left his homeland for Geneva, could not be extradited to stand trial for killing prisoners in the mid-2000s.But Swiss citizens can be tried at home for crimes committed abroad. The case was launched after a lawsuit filed by the mother of one of Sperisens victims, and the trial opened on May 15.Sperisen, who insisted he was innocent, was charged over the summary execution and subsequent cover-up of the murder of seven inmates in Guatemalas Pavon jail in September 2006.He personally shot one of the prisoners dead, the court ruled.But it rejected separate charges of involvement in the summary execution of three prisoners who had escaped from the Infiernito jail in 2005.Cuendet said that Sperisens motives were egotistical and particularly disgusting, noting that his behaviour showed a total lack of scruples.She also said he had displayed no empathy towards his victims, and that simply bolstered the need to hand down a life sentence.Sperisen, who is nicknamed The Viking due to his hefty build and ginger beard, remained calm as the verdict was read out, but several relatives in the public gallery gasped and began crying.Appointed police chief in 2004, he left Guatemala in 2007 amid a scandal that saw him and the countrys interior minister Carlos Vielmann resign that March.Sperisens paternal grandfather was a Swiss immigrant to Guatemala, giving him the right to Swiss citizenship.His father is Guatemalas ambassador to the World Trade Organization, which is based in Geneva, and Sperisen was arrested in the Swiss city in August 2012.He has been in jail since then, with Geneva justice authorities arguing that there was too great a risk that he would flee Switzerland if he was released on bail.Sperisens former right-hand man, Javier Figueroa, was called as a witness in the case.Figueroa was prosecuted by Austrian justice authorities on similar charges, and acquitted in 2013.Former interior minister Vielmann, who holds dual Guatemalan and Spanish citizenship, now lives in Spain and is due to be tried by a court there over the prisoner killings.

Syria vote proves no solution without Assad: Hezbollah

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assads re-election this week proves that any solution to the countrys conflict begins and ends with the embattled leader, Lebanons Hezbollah chief said on Friday.The elections proved that a political solution in Syria begins and ends with President Bashar al-Assad, Hassan Nasrallah, a key ally of Assads regime, said in a televised address.Assad won a new seven-year term in the countrys first multi-candidate presidential vote on June 3, taking nearly 90 percent in an election dismissed by the opposition and its international backers as a farce.The opposition says Assads departure from office is a condition for any peace agreement, but Nasrallah dismissed that as a possibility.There is president who has been elected by millions for a new seven-year term, he said.Those who want to work for a political solution must talk to him, negotiate with him and reach a solution with him.Nasrallah, who has sent Hezbollah fighters to Syria to battle alongside Assads regime, called for an end to bloodshed and new negotiations.We call on combatants ... to move towards reconciliation and dialogue, looking for political exits to stop the bloodshed, he said.This fighting will only increase destruction in your country and add to the bloodshed, he said, addressing the opposition.Everyone should recognise and acknowledge that war in Syria will not lead to others taking control of it.
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