Tuesday 15 July 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Khursheed Shah tells Imran Khan to be patient, to let democracy function

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Opposition leader in National Assembly Khursheed Shah said on Tuesday that Imran Khan should be patient and let the democracy function, adding that the country cannot afford the politics of conflict, Dunya News reported.Talking to the media, he said that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) also had objections over the election results yet accepted the results only for the sake of country’s situation.Khursheed Shah said that the country cannot afford the politics of conflict. He said the midterm elections never took place in the country, adding that he always tried to explain it to the government over and over again that he wants strengthening of democracy.Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan demanded while addressing a press conference on Tuesday the auditing of the entire general elections, adding that the government is trying to sabotage the ‘Azaadi march’.He alleged that the current government has no legitimate mandate, adding that jump from 70 lakh to 1.5 crore votes is not possible without rigging. He said that those who came into power through rigging don’t care for people, adding that all parties are now demanding the voters’ verification.He said that army’s parade will take place in the morning whereas PTI’s ‘Azaadi march’ will reach the federal capital in the evening.PTI chief said that load shedding has worsened in Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) tenure, adding that the performance of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) led government was better than this one. He said the government fooled the people, claiming that not a single percent of electricity has been added into the system.“Why didn’t Abid Sher Ali resign following the failure of Nandipur Power Project?” he asked, adding that the project cost Rs 4 billion and was shut down after four days.He reiterated his question for Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif asking why he didn’t resign following the Model Town tragedy.Slamming the government’s response about the internally displaced persons (IDPs), he said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif must resign. Imran Khan claimed that Prime Minister had assured him during his visit to Khan’s house that PTI will be taken into confidence if government decides for the military operation.Khan said he’s happy that PPP co-chairman termed the current regime monarchy.He said his party and supporters will take to streets for the real change on August 14, adding that the evidence of alleged rigging in election will be put forward in front of the people.He asked Election Commission upon whose orders was PTI made to lose.“The government will be destroyed if it stopped PTI from peaceful protest,” he warned, while claiming that the current government wasn’t formed through the legitimate mandate.

Party supports Zardari's statement: Yousaf Raza Gilani

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) stands by its co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari ‘s statement regarding votes recounting in four constituencies, adding that establishment did not let PPP-led government function when it was in power, Dunya News reported.Gilani claimed that there was General (retd) Pasha and General (retd) Kayani were on one hand and Nawaz Sharif went to court while wearing black blazer on the other hand.Talking to the media on an Iftar party, former Prime Minister said that the parliament is very weak at this time whereas other institutions are very powerful. He said Prime Minister should do his part to strengthen the institutions, adding that the country cannot afford any clashes.He said the party is with Zardari over his statement regarding four constituencies against whom Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has been demanding a vote recount.He claimed that the establishment did not let the party function when it was in power.He said PPP-led government also had to face former president Pervez Musharraf and former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.Gilani said his party took Hussain Haqqani’s resignation over the memogate issue within three days. He said Nawaz Sharif went to the court even when the memogate issue had been resolved.

Cricket: England's Anderson facing ICC charge

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LONDON (AFP) - England seamer James Anderson has been charged by the International Cricket Council over an alleged confrontation with India's Ravindra Jadeja during the drawn first Test at Nottingham's Trent Bridge last week, it was announced Tuesday.The ICC said Anderson was charged with allegedly abusing and pushing Jadeja after they left the field for lunch on Thursday's second day when the Indian was batting.Their statement added that Anderson faced a Level Three charge under the ICC's code of conduct.Players found guilty of a Level Three offence can be banned for between two to four Tests or four to eight one-day internationals for a first offence.The ICC said a disciplinary hearing under a judicial commissioner would be held as soon as reasonably practicable.However, Anderson is unlikely to miss either the second Test at Lord's, which starts on Thursday, or indeed the third of the five-match series in Southampton because any hearing will probably not take place before then.The England and Wales Cricket Board pre-empted the ICC's statement with one of their own shortly before the charges against Anderson were confirmed.ECB chiefs insisted the incident under review was minor and that Anderson had their full backing.They also said they would lay charges of their own against Jadeja were the ICC to take, as they now have, the case against England's spearhead seamer further.The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has today (Tuesday) reacted with surprise that the India team has made allegations against James Anderson under Level 3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for a minor incident involving Ravindra Jadeja during the first Investec Test match at Trent Bridge.In the light of this the ECB has notified the ICC of its intention to lodge code of conduct breaches against Jadeja.James Anderson categorically denies the accusations made against him and the ECB have pledged their total support for the player should he be charged by the ICC.When the alleged incident is said to have taken place, Jadeja and India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni were involved in a sixth-wicket first innings stand.Under the ICC code, Level three offences include threat of assault on another player and behaviour deemed contrary to the spirit of the game ... or (which) brings the game into disrepute.The allegations concerning Anderson were reported to the ICC by India team manager Sunil Dev.In the ICC's statement, the global governing body said: Anderson has been charged for allegedly abusing and pushing Ravindra Jadeja immediately after they left the field for lunch on Thursday.It is alleged that this was a continuation of a verbal altercation between Anderson and Jadeja as they were walking from the field.

Football: Germany printed commemorative tickets before final

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BERLIN (Web Desk) – World champions Germany had already printed the 50 lakhs commemorative tickets of World Cup final before the match, according to foreign news agency.This decision was taken by the Finance Minister of Germany Wolfgang Schäuble.While talking to media, Germany’s FM Wolfgang Schäuble said he was pretty sure that his team will win the World Cup and that is the reason he printed 5 million commemorative tickets.“If Germany lost the final then the tickets of 0.60 Euros would have gone wasted”, he added.He further said that he is very happy that his team fulfills his dream.Wolfgang Schäuble expressed hope that these tickets will prove the reason of nostalgia for his nation in future.The commemorative tickets sales will begin on Thursday and before the sales it will be given to Germany’s coach and players.The commemorative tickets will be given to the German coach and players before making them available for public on Thursday.Commemorative ticket’s graphics designer Letaz Menray told local news agency that the purpose of these tickets is to pay tribute to national heroes.He further said that normally it takes six months for the designing of these types of tickets but he did this in just one month.

US delays sentencing of wine dealer for third time

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The US sentencing of convicted wine dealer Rudy Kurniawan, who manufactured and sold fake vintages from his California kitchen, has been delayed a third time, court papers showed Tuesday.Judge Richard Berman has set sentencing for July 24 in a Manhattan court. It was initially set for April, but was then delayed until May, July 17 and now July 24.Prosecutors requested the more recent delay after Berman asked for supplementary information last week on Kurniawans victims.It took a New York jury less than two hours in December to convict the Indonesian-born 37-year-old, once considered one of the top five wine collectors in the exclusive world of fine vintage wine.Prosecutors want him jailed for 11 to 14 years and fined $175,000.The defense has requested a sentence of time served -- the 28 months he has been held in custody since his arrest on March 8, 2012 and a fine limited to $12,500.Prosecutors branded him a prolific wine counterfeiter and an arch liar motivated by greed, a man who made millions of dollars selling bogus vintages blended in his kitchen laboratory.The defense portrayed an outsider who desperately wanted to fit into the richer, older world of rare wine collectors.Kurniawan sold collectors more than 1,000 fake bottles blended in the kitchen of the home he shared with his Chinese mother on the outskirts of Los Angeles.His success was built in part on his exceptional palate, capable of identifying and memorizing the worlds finest wines so popular with some of the richest people on the planet.

Indian court convicts teenagers over Mumbai gang-rapes

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MUMBAI (AFP) - A Mumbai court convicted two teenage boys Tuesday over separate gang-rapes that shocked the city in a verdict that came days after an Indian minister said juvenile suspects should be treated as adults in rape cases.Two 17-year-olds were found guilty -- one over the gang-rape of a photographer and another over the gang-rape of a telephone operator in the same abandoned mill compound in the city last year, public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told AFP.He said the pair, who cannot be named for legal reasons, would be sent to a reform institution in Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, for three years.They should keep good behaviour and vocational guidance will be given to them, Nikam added.Three men were in April ordered to hang for their involvement in both the gang-rape cases, the first death sentences to be handed down for multiple sex attacks since the law was toughened last year.Maneka Gandhi, Minister for Women and Child Development in Narendra Modis new right-wing government, said on Sunday that juveniles accused of rape should be treated on a par with adults.For premeditated murder, rape, if we bring them into the purview of the adult world, then it will scare them, she told reporters in the southern city of Chennai.A series of mass protests over the levels of sexual violence in India, sparked by the fatal gang-rape of a student in New Delhi late in 2012, prompted the government to amend the law and allow the death penalty for repeat rape offenders.In the Delhi gang-rape case, the role played by a 17-year-old sparked a debate about whether under-18s convicted of serious crimes should be subject to harsher punishments.A fourth man has been jailed for life over the telephone operators rape and a fifth over the photographers, which shook Mumbai as a city that had long been considered safer for women than the capital.The 22-year-old photographer was attacked while on assignment with a male colleague in the overgrown mill compound, close to an upscale neighbourhood as well as slums from which most of the rapists hailed.The phone operator, attacked in the same place, came forward after reading about the photographers ordeal.

Volkswagen plans $250 million investment for India

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NEW DELHI (AFP) - Europes biggest automaker Volkswagen said Tuesday it would invest $250 million in India over the next six years to capture a larger slice of local sales, in the face of challenging conditions in developed markets.The German powerhouse has been striving to make inroads in India and other emerging economies as markets in developed countries become saturated.India is a strategic market for us, Volkswagen India president Mahesh Kodumudi said in New Delhi, adding that over the next five to six years the company would invest 15 billion rupees ($250 million) in the country.Volkswagen, which holds just over two percent of the Indian car market, will pour funds into localising production in a bid to cut costs and better compete with rivals.The announcement came as Volkswagen, which entered India in 2001 with the Skoda brand, said in a statement it was launching a newer version of its premium Polo hatchback, priced starting at 499,000 rupees ($8,300).Volkswagen makes the Polo at its plant in Pune in western India, giving it a niche in the countrys crucial small car segment, which accounts for some 70 percent of total domestic sales.The company also is pushing other increasingly popular lines in India, such as sports utility vehicles and compact sedans.Volkswagen wants to be the worlds top carmaker by 2018, surpassing Toyota and General Motors.Carmakers have been grappling with a fall in Indian car sales triggered by a sharp slowdown in domestic economic growth and high interest rates.But analysts say India holds huge promise longer term as the country of 1.25 billion people has one of the worlds least-penetrated car markets.A new right-wing government came to power in India in May, promising a return to higher economic growth. Volkswagens announcement was one of the first big foreign investment decisions since the election.Analysts say a young population, rising incomes and a resurgence in economic expansion will accelerate growth in the Indian car market.Last month, in what analysts said could be a portent of better times ahead, new Indian car sales made their biggest gains in 10 months, rising 15 percent from a year earlier to 160,232 units, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers said.Volkswagen said it may make engines in India, adding the western state of Maharashtra would be its first preference for setting up an engine plant, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency.

11 terrorists killed during Ground Operation in Mir Ali on Tuesday

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LAHORE: (Dunya News) In an official statement, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asim Bajwa has stated that 11 terrorists were killed today (Tuesday) during the Ground Operation in Mir Ali. While the hot pursuit of the terrorists continues, 5 soldiers laid their lives for the nation while 2 got injured in armed engagements with the terrorists today.In latest development, DG ISPR has confirmed that terrorists opened fire on Army in Mir Ali late in the day which caused two soldiers to lose their lives and two got injured. A total of 5 soldiers and 1 captain laid their lives today in the operation. Captain Aakash Rabbani was among the martyrs.DG ISPR has said that Miranshah has now been completely cleared and ground operation in Mir Ali area has been started now. DG ISPR further said that Afghan soil is being used for carrying out attacks on Pakistan Army. He said that the government has raised this matter at the highest level and if these attacks continue in future then Pakistan Army has all its options open.He was talking to media at Fortress Stadium Lahore today. Major General Asim Bajwa said that the Operation Zarb-e-Azb is continuing with success and the Army is gaining more ground every new day. While dispatching the relief goods’ trucks for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), DG ISPR stated that Pakistan Army stands firm with the IDPs and will not leave them alone in this hour of need.He said that scrutiny of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) is being done and so far five NGOs have been declared clear for carrying out relief operations for the IDPs. He told the media that goods weighing 1202 tons have been collected so far for the IDPs and more contributions are still required.Moreover, he said that Army has recovered more than 23 tons of ammunition and arms from the recovered areas so far. The number of suicide jackets found in these areas exceeds 2500.DG ISPR reiterated that Pakistan Army is making sacrifices for the survival of the country.Earlier today, it was reported that seven terrorists were killed by the Pakistani Armed Forces in a clash with the Taliban. Three soldiers were also martyred during the armed engagement. According to ISPR, the dead bodies of the terrorists have been taken into custody by the Army.

Fed could hike rate sooner than expected: Yellen

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Federal Reserve could raise its interest rate sooner than expected as the jobs market improves, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said Tuesday, adding the Fed was closely watching for risks.Yellen, in testimony to Congress, said the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) was closely following developments in the economy to determine the future path of interest rates.If the labor market continues to improve more quickly than anticipated by the committee, resulting in faster convergence toward our dual objectives, then increases in the federal funds rate target likely would occur sooner and be more rapid than currently envisioned, Yellen told the Senate Banking Committee.But, she said, the future path of interest rates likely would be more accommodative than currently anticipated if economic performance is disappointing.Yellen said the economy was continuing to make headway toward the Feds dual goals of maximum employment and price stability of around 2.0 percent inflation.But, she noted, there was considerable uncertainty surrounding the Feds projections for economic growth, unemployment, and inflation.FOMC participants currently judge these risks to be nearly balanced but to warrant monitoring in the months ahead.

Football: Ribery returns after injury, salutes Germany squad

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BERLIN (AFP) - France winger Franck Ribery, who missed the World Cup through injury, returned to training with Bayern Munich on Tuesday and paid tribute to his German teammates crowned world champions in Brazil.I feel good and I'm pleased to be here again, Ribery said in a statement on the Bundesliga champions' website.The 31-year-old was ruled out of the finals in Brazil with a lower back problem but was back in training on Tuesday as he was put through his paces on an individually-tailored programme. He is expected to rejoin full team training sessions soon.Ribery was also full of praise for Germany's World Cup winning squad, which featured seven Bayern players, saying he was so, so happy for my teammates and for the whole German team.The freshly crowned world champions were greeted by more than 250,000 jubilant fans in Berlin on Tuesday upon returning home from Rio de Janeiro.The moment when (Germany captain) Philipp (Lahm) lifted the trophy was super, added Ribery.

Germany throws giant homecoming party for World Cup heroes

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BERLIN (AFP) - Hundreds of thousands of jubilant fans massed at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate Tuesday to cheer the World Cup winners and new national heroes bringing home football's top prize for the first time to a reunified Germany.The flag-waving crowd, which began gathering before dawn, erupted in applause under warm summer sunshine when the triumphant players arrived from Rio de Janeiro.Germany coach Joachim Loew told more than 250,000 supporters at the so-called Fan Mile stretching behind the Gate, the symbol of national unity, that they shared the title with his players.We are all world champions, he said. Of course we are all overjoyed now to be with the fans.Captain Philipp Lahm hoisted the World Cup trophy to a giant roar from the crowd.I've been dreaming about this since I was a child, Lahm said as he passed the golden statuette to his fellow players.Team members wearing black shirts emblazoned with the number one took the stage in groups to greet ecstatic supporters, many of whom travelled from across the country and skipped work to join the party.They carried a long banner reading Obrigado Fans, thank you in Portuguese in a nod to tournament hosts Brazil, and the fourth title is ours.Mario Goetze, who scored the only goal in Sunday's nail-biter final against Argentina, called the Mannschaft's win a dream.We played an amazing tournament, he said to chants of Super Mario. It's an incredible feeling.Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger appeared with the black, red and gold German flag draped from his shoulders, with a bandage still affixed below his eye from a cut he suffered in a clash during the final.Now we finally have the damn thing, he said, clutching the trophy.The players jumped and danced together in a raucous circle on stage, singing this is how the Germans win, this is how the Germans win.'Historic event'================The team touched down in the late morning at Berlin's Tegel airport on a Lufthansa jet re-branded Fanhansa and Victors' Plane, as thousands of supporters waited on a viewing platform.This is a historic event, said 34-year-old bus driver Bernd Hesse, who followed all the matches in Brazil on the radio when he was behind the wheel.He noted that Germans had waited 24 years to bask in the glory of a World Cup victory, the first since the reunification of the country in 1990 following three wins by the former West Germany.It's not every day that you get to see something like this, he said.Lydia Lampa, a 28-year-old advertising executive, stopped by the airport with a friend on her way to work.Wearing a Germany jersey adorned with the coveted fourth star for the latest World Cup win and a Hawaiian-style garland of plastic flowers in the national colours, she said she had watched every World Cup match featuring the Mannschaft.This is my way of saying thank you, she said.All the games were exciting and I wanted to see the players at least once live.- Germany's unity team -========================Fans had lined the team's route as black buses ferried the players to central Berlin from the airport, while construction workers waved from scaffoldings and dozens of cyclists followed the motorcade, their bicycles draped with Germany banners.Players tweeted photos of the fans, with Mesut Oezil writing What a crowd UnbelievableSupporters on the Fan Mile sang this is what victors look like under a sea of German flags, which rarely make an appearance outside major sporting events in the country in deference to its militaristic past.Ulrich Felgentreff said he was born in 1954, the first year West Germany won the World Cup -- just nine years after the horrors of World War II, as the country was gradually rejoining the community of nations.Everyone has an immense feeling of pride, he said, decked out with his family in black, red and gold. And that pride grows title by title.By contrast, 18-year-old fan Sven Engel was not even born the last time West Germany won.Germany deserves this title, they were much stronger than the other teams, Engel said.But the Brazil match was still the best, he said, referring to the jaw-dropping 7-1 thrashing of the hosts during the semi-final.The championship has bolstered an already upbeat national mood, with the German economy humming and popular Chancellor Angela Merkel at the helm of a stable government.The German media ran banner headlines celebrating the young, talented and multicultural champions.Even normally staid business daily Handelsblatt joined in the celebration.The German team embodies many of the qualities that typify Germany today: commitment, discipline, technical skill and tactical know-how, it quoted the head of Germany's top bank Deutsche Bank Juergen Fitschen as saying.

Sri Lanka plan memorable farewell for Jayawardene

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GALLE (AFP) - Sri Lanka are planning to give star batsman Mahela Jayawardene a fitting farewell by winning his remaining matches, captain Angelo Mathews said ahead of the first Test against South Africa starting Wednesday.On Monday, Jayawardene announced he will retire from the longest format of the game in August, after the two-Test rubber against South Africa followed by two matches against Pakistan (Aug 6-18).The 37-year-old right hander will only be available for one-day internationals, having also retired from Twenty20 cricket in April this year.We need a player like him in the team, but he (Jayawardene) has decided to say goodbye, Mathews said at a pre-match press conference in Galle on Tuesday.If we can send him off by winning all four Tests it will be great.Jayawardene has been the batting mainstay for Sri Lanka since his debut against India in 1997 and has amassed 11,493 Test runs over a career spanning 145 Tests.With 33 hundreds and 48 fifties in his kitty, he is the joint sixth-highest run-getter in Test cricket along with teammate Kumar Sangakkara (11,493).Mathews conceded it would be tough for his team to fill the shoes of Jayawardene.He's been tremendous for us in the past 15 years or so, scoring so many runs. His contribution to the team has been unbelievable. So it's difficult to replace him.But that is the challenge we face in the future... new players should accept this challenge and play well, the all-rounder said.The immediate task at hand for the home team is to get the better of South Africa who won the recent one-day series 2-1 with an emphatic 82-run win in the decider last Saturday at Hambantota.It was the first one-day series victory for South Africa on the island.The visitors have a new skipper in Hashim Amla, who is set to become South Africa's first non-white player to lead the side permanently as it goes through a rebuilding phase after the retirements of Test greats Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis.Mathews said South Africa had the players who could make the absence of stalwarts count for little.They've still got these very good players in the team and they are a very strong team to beat whether you play them at home or away as they showed us in the one-day series, he said.They are a very balanced team and we have to be at our best to beat them, it's a huge challenge, said Mathews who has been in top form since being named the captain last February.The second and final Test will be played in Colombo from July 24-28.

Anderson and Jadeja in disciplinary row

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LONDON (AFP) - England paceman James Anderson has been the subject of an official complaint by India, it was announced Tuesday -- just two days before the teams meet for the second Test at Lords on Thursday.It is alleged Anderson broke the International Cricket Council (ICC) code of conduct during an incident involving India left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja during the drawn first Test at Nottinghams Trent Bridge last week.It will be down to the ICC to decide what, if any, disciplinary procedure should now ensue.The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), in a brief statement, said it had reacted with surprise to Anderson being referred for a Level Three breach of the code in what it said was a minor incident and promised to cite Jadeja for breaches of the code were action to be taken against their spearhead seamer.James Anderson categorically denies the accusations made against him and the ECB have pledged their total support for the player should he be charged by ICC, the statement said.The ECB added that under the Code it could not comment further and that any more enquiries should be directed to the ICC at the global governing bodys Dubai headquarters.Offences under Level Three, deemed to be the second-most serious under the four section code, include threat of assault on a player, team official, or spectator and using language or gestures that offends race, religion, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin.Players found guilty of a Level Three offence can be banned for between two to three Tests or four to eight one-day internationals.

Iraq parliament elects speaker as Tikrit push falters

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BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqs sharply divided parliament elected a speaker Tuesday, in a step towards the delayed formation of a new government, as a new bid to recapture Tikrit from militants ended in retreat.World powers and Iraqs top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, had piled pressure on MPs to set aside their differences in the face of a jihadist-led offensive that has overrun swathes of territory north and west of Baghdad.After two fruitless sessions earlier this month, MPs elected Salim al-Juburi as speaker, a post traditionally held by a Sunni Arab that must be filled before the process of forming a government can go ahead.It was not immediately clear if his election was part of a package deal also involving the posts of president and prime minister, but Tuesdays progress suggested some type of agreement has been reached.Lawmakers must now elect a president, who will then give the biggest bloc the first chance to form a government.But in a sign of possible divisions within Prime Minister Nuri al-Malikis dominant Shiite bloc, two rival candidates stood for first deputy speaker. - Tikrit withdrawal -Earlier on Tuesday, security forces launched an attack on Tikrit, hometown of executed dictator Saddam Hussein, aiming to revitalise a counter-offensive that began more than two weeks ago but became bogged down south of the city.They initially gained control of the southern part of the city, but later pulled back south of Tikrit after heavy fighting, officers and witnesses said.A senior army officer attributed the withdrawal to the danger of fighting at night, saying that Iraqi forces withdrew at the beginning of the night so that they would not be exposed to losses, but would return later.However, any gains made in the city are likely to be offset by militants moving back in.Tribesmen and security forces also battled militants in Dhuluiyah, just 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Baghdad.One fighter, Omar al-Juburi, said the army was spearheading the fighting in the north of the town while police and tribal militia were tackling militants in the south.Jessica Lewis, a former US army intelligence officer who is now research director at the Institute for the Study of War, said holding Dhuluiyah could allow militants to isolate Samarra, a key city to the northwest.The town could also be used as a staging area for attacks on major military bases, the neutralisation of which would compromise the strategic defence of Baghdad from the north.Violence also struck other areas on Tuesday, with bombings south of Baghdad killing nine people, while blasts north of the capital left 10 more dead.The fighting and bombings came a day after the Pentagon said US military teams sent to Iraq last month had completed their assessment of Iraqi security forces.The details were not publicly released, but The New York Times reported that one conclusion was that only roughly half of Iraqs units are capable enough to be advised by US personnel, if the decision is taken to do so.- Deep divisions -Though parliament has finally made progress, deep divisions remain over key appointments and other issues.Ties between the Baghdad government and Iraqs autonomous Kurdish region have hit a new low, and Maliki has pledged to seek a third term despite some lawmakers demanding he step aside.Kurdish leaders have taken advantage of the collapse of federal security forces across northern and north-central Iraq to take control of a swathe of historically Kurdish majority territory outside the former boundaries of their autonomous region in the north.Kurdish regional president Massud Barzani has called for a referendum on independence for the expanded region.Maliki has accused the Kurds of harbouring Sunni Arab militants, while the Kurds say Baghdad is unfairly withholding their share of oil revenues and have called for him to step down.Maliki, a Shiite Arab viewed by opponents as a divisive and sectarian leader, has refused to quit, despite eroding political support and thinly veiled calls for change from Washington.

Malaysian airline AirAsia X intends to buy 50 Airbus A330-900neo planes

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FARNBOROUGH (AFP) - Malaysian airline AirAsia X on Tuesday signed an outline agreement to buy 50 long-haul A330-900-neo passenger planes from Airbus, the European planemaker said.The deal is worth $13.75 billion (10.11 billion euros) at catalogue prices and deliveries are due to start in 2018, Airbus said on the second day of the Farnborough airshow near London.Plans for the neo, a new version of the long-standing A330 with upgraded Rolls-Royce engines, were launched by Airbus at the key industry event on Monday.AirAsia X, the long-haul affiliate of Asias largest low-cost airline (Air Asia), has signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus for 50 A330-900neo aircraft, said a statement.The agreement sees the airline become a launch customer for the latest version of the best-selling widebody. AirAsia X will also be one of the first operators of the aircraft, Airbus added.
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