Friday 25 July 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Euro falls on weak German business confidence

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The euro Friday declined against other major currencies following a gloomy report on German business confidence. The single currency hit a new eight-month low after the Ifo economic institute's closely watched business climate index for Germany fell sharply to 108.0 points in July from 109.7 points in June. It was the third monthly drop in a row and took the measure of sentiment in Europe's biggest economy to its lowest level since October 2013.The institute cited geopolitical tensions as a drag on the German economy given ongoing fighting in Ukraine and the Middle East.The data came a day after the eurozone economy showed signs of a rebound in July after several months of sluggish activity, while its second-biggest economic power, France, lagged behind.Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst at Western Union Business Solutions, said worries about the euro are heightened in light of potentially tougher European Union sanctions on Russia, a major eurozone trading partner.The weight of the negative factors driving the euro has the potential to push it further southward over the short run, Manimbo said.Kathy Lien, analyst at BK Asset Management, said the Ifo report capped an extremely difficult week for the euro.The single currency could fall further if a trove of economic data from the region next week is disappointing, Lien said. But more likely these economic reports will be mixed, providing support to the single currency, she said.

England seek self-respect against India

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SOUTHAMPTON (AFP) - England won't just be looking to end a sequence of 10 Tests without a win when they face India in the third Test at Southampton on Sunday, they will be aiming to restore their pride.Monday's 95-run defeat in the second Test at Lord's, a result that put the tourists 1-0 up in the five-match series, came after England had won the toss on a pitch that might have been made to captain Alastair Cook's specific instructions and against an India side who had not won away from home in 16 previous Tests.Whether it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowling like a classic seamer or opener Murali Vijay's invaluable second-innings 95, India excelled in disciplines that were once common to every county, let alone England, team.And then compounding the 'role reversal' was the way the match ended, when several England batsmen succumbed to a bouncer-trap baited by Ishant Sharma who promptly took seven for 74 as India won only their sixth Test in England.It was somehow typical of England's present plight the only player who was actually dropped from the squad for the third Test was left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan, who didn't play at Lord's.By then, experienced wicketkeeper Matt Prior had withdrawn, citing quad, Achilles and right hand injuries, to be replaced by 23-year-old Jos Buttler, uncapped at Test level but already England's limited overs gloveman.Given England's extensive backroom staff, how was it that Prior, who dropped six catches of varying difficulty this season, had been selected to be behind the stumps for four straight Tests -- with only one Championship match as a keeper behind him this season -- when he was so clearly unfit?His inclusion revived accusations the England set-up was a 'cosy club' where even basic fitness issues could be overlooked.Significantly, the only player who was told there was no way back at international level after England's 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia was Kevin Pietersen, England's all-time leading international run-scorer.But if bringing back Pietersen won't be a cure-all for England's ills, what the preceding 1-0 series defeat at home to Sri Lanka and the ongoing campaign with India have both demonstrated is that he is not the sole source of their woes.Cook and Ian Bell, the two senior batsmen in an otherwise inexperienced top-order are both in the middle of a run-drought.Left-handed opener Cook has gone 27 innings without adding to his England record of 25 Test hundreds, while it is 19 innings since Bell last reached three figures at this level.Cook, for all that several ex-England skippers have told him to resign the captaincy, is determined to carry on.I haven't had any tougher times in my career than at the moment, said Cook. It gets harder and harder the longer it goes on.But I don't think walking away from it would be the way to go, he said.Meanwhile new-ball duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad have both looked physically and mentally tired, with Anderson not helped by a row with India's Ravindra Jadeja during the drawn first Test in Nottingham.Friday saw Jadeja fined but not banned for his part in the alleged incident by the International Cricket Council, while Anderson could yet miss the final two Tests of this series if a separate August 1 hearing finds against him.Yet the man most likely to be dropped from the team is Ben Stokes, one of the infamous 'happy hookers' at Lord's, who has six ducks in his last 10 international innings. Fellow all-rounders Chris Jordan and Chris Woakes will be eyeing Stokes' spot.For India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the unexpected but welcome problem is how to guard against complacency.We don't have too many experienced players but it is important to seize our chances and put the opposition away, said Dhoni. Being humble in cricket is very important.

Senior journalist Majid Nizami passes away

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - Senior journalist and editor-in-chief of the Nawa-i-Waqt Group Majid Nizami breathed his last in Lahore on early Saturday morning.Majid Nizami was suffering from a heart ailment and was under treatment at a private hospital in Lahore.His funeral prayers will be offered at Bagh-i-Jinnah (Lawrence Gardens), Lahore at 9:00am today.

Dr Vaidik responds to allegations regarding his Kashmir proposal

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Dr Ved Pratap Vaidik – who recently met and spoke to Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed in Lahore – slammed Indian media’s allegations regarding his interview with a Pakistani TV channel on Kashmir dispute.Dr Vaidik defended his proposal about resolving Kashmir dispute through a column that appeared on Friday’s Roznama Dunya.Talking about the context, Dr Vaidik mentions his interview with journalist Iftikhar Shirazi of a private Pakistani TV channel where he talked about what he thought was the best solution for the decades-long Kashmir dispute.Dr Vaidik goes on to say in the column that his proposal was widely misunderstood by Indian media section who equated to proposed solution to annexing Kashmir from both India and Pakistan in order to make it an independent state. Dr Vaidik says he never proposed such a thing.He says the said interview spanned over half an hour and covered various topics including a possible union of South Asian countries, Kashmir, Narendra Modi, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its chief Mohan Bhagwat.Urging the readers to watch the said interview, Dr Vaidik said that it is up to the viewers to decide if he is a patriot or a traitor; or if the solution he proposed poses any threats to either India or Pakistan.He said if he said anything that remotely resembles to proposing annexing of Kashmir from both India and Pakistan, he is ready to be executed by hanging.Dr Vaidik asked if any Prime Minister of India, foreign minister or ambassador can take such a strong stance while in Pakistan – the kind of opposition he has done for the idea of making Kashmir an independent state.He said he is known by the courage he expresses on TV, asking if any representative of India ever dared to do so. He said he is known by people in neighbor countries of being the man who wants the countries of South Asia to unite and to make a strong alliance akin to the European Union (EU).Dr Vaidik’s full article that appeared in Roznama Dunya can be read by following this link.

Four die in various incidents of firing in Karachi

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – At least four people were killed in various incidents of firing here on Friday, Dunya News reported.A man identified as Rehmat was gunned down by unknown killers in Landhi area of Karachi.Another man was killed as a result of firing by pillion riders at FC area. In another incident, a dead body of a man was found from Marripur area.In a separate incident, another body was recovered from Gulistan Johar drain. Police said the victim was killed after firing.

Electricity outage in Karachi surpasses 15 continuous hours

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – The energy crisis that erupted in the morning in the ‘city of lights’ Karachi remains unresolved even after fifteen continuous hours, forcing fasting individuals to suffer even during Iftar time, Dunya News reported.The electricity outage began in the morning as national grid tripped resulting in black-out of the whole city. The suspension could not be fixed even after fifteen hours, forcing residents to face difficulties akin to the torture.According to the officials of K Electric, the power cutt off has occurred due to a technical fault in the National Grid.New Karachi, North Nazimabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Johar, Defence Society, Malir, Landhi, Korangi, Federal B. Area, Liaquatabad, and various other areas of the metropolis are deprived of electricity.On the other hand, power breakdown affected water supply to the city. According to the officials of Water Board, due to the absence of electricity from the past 15 hours the locals would have to face shortage of around 5.6 Million Gallon of water supply. Furthermore, Phase Four pumps and two K3 pumps are not operative due to no electricity.

Russia accuses US of 'smear campaign' over Ukraine

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MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia on Friday called the latest US accusations of Moscows involvement in the Ukrainian conflict a baseless smear campaign and said Washington bears responsibility for the bloodshed.Due to the smear campaign against us that the US Administration has begun... we reject the unfounded public insinuations that US deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf is spreading on a daily basis, a statement by the Russian foreign ministry said.Harf on Thursday said that latest evidence suggests that Russian troops are firing artillery from within Russia on Ukrainian military across the border, while defence officials suggested that Moscow is supplying the pro-Russian rebels with equipment like rocket launchers.The foreign ministry said that Harf has used a basketful of these anti-Russian cliches to sway public opinion against Russia.There are no facts or specifics about these falsehoods, the statement said, accusing Washington of essentially trying to shield their Kiev wards and themselves by obscuring the real reasons for events in Ukraine.Moscow has denounced the protests in Kiev which led to former president Viktor Yanukovychs ouster as a US-sponsored regime change and alleged that the current leadership wants to eliminate the Russian-speaking population in eastern Ukraine, where Ukraines army has been fighting an insurgency since April.The foreign ministry accused the United States of supporting the coup in Ukraine and pushing it toward cruel reprisals against the Russian-speaking population.Washington fully shares the responsibility for the bloodshed. The US Administration should not lay the blame on somebody else. It would be more honest and responsible to keep quiet if recognising the truth is difficult.

'Brain-Eating' Amoeba causes death in United States

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KANSAS: (Web Desk - Dunya News) -Nine-year-old kid named Hally Yust died in Kansas earlier this month of a rare disease in which Amoeba eats up the brain of the infected person. The youngster caught the Amoeba from water while he was swimming near his home.The Amoeba organism that caused the death is named as ‘Naegleria fowleri’ which is normally found in warm waters. However, community swimming pools are generally considered free from it because water is generally clean in such pools but they are highly likely to dwell in lakes and rivers or any impure water reservoir.97 out of every 100 who get this infection die as a result because there is hardly any cure of the disease if it does not get caught immediately. However, in most cases people do not consult doctors because initial symptoms of the infection are general sort of diseases including vomiting, nausea, headache and stiff-neck. Neck stiffness, however, is quite particular with this infection as the area around spinal cord gets swelling and muscles get stiffed due to this swelling around the spinal cord.Disease gets into human body through nose and then moves up to the brainmaking its way through Olfactory Nerve that connects the nose with the brain. A very small amount of liquid can carry the disease. Later the Naegleria moves further into the brain eating up the brain tissue. This may cause delirium, seizures and hallucinations because the brain starts to get infected with the disease. Olfactory Nerve is taken next by the infection which makes the infected person lose his power to plan or systematize anything.But after this stage there is no pattern or method in the madness as any and every part of the brain can get infected by the disease afterwards. As the inflammation continues, brain sends the immune cells to cope with the infection but that inflames the surrounding area. It is this inflammation that causes the death of the patient for it creates immense pressure on the skull causing swelling in the brain. The pressure is created due to this immune system’s fight with the infection. Finally the brain goes on to meet the spinal cord due to extreme pressure in the skull and most patients die due to this reason. The infection takes less than two weeks to kill an infected body.The disease is rare but the number is increasing in the United States for the last few years. Most cases surfaced in Texas, Florida and other Southern states which are generally warmer but now a few have occurred even in northern state of Minnesota making the doctors ponder about the speed at which the disease is making itself habitable in colder waters as well. Though only 34 cases have been reported during the last ten years in the United States, the rising number can speed further up in the days to come, if not coped with in an effective manner.

Hamas allies Turkey, Qatar huddle as Gaza truce calls mount

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DOHA (AFP) - Turkeys foreign minister flew to Doha on Friday for talks with his Qatari counterpart on how to use their influence with Palestinian movement Hamas to end the bloodshed around Gaza.Talks between Ahmet Davutoglu and Qatars Khaled al-Attiyah were interspersed with telephone discussions with US Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been spearheading Western efforts to end the Palestinian territorys deadliest violence since 2008-9.I am in Qatar for Gaza ceasefire negotiations that have intensified for a couple of days and uninterrupted in the last 24 hours, Davutoglu wrote on his official Twitter account.I will hold detailed meetings with our Qatari friends, who have been making great efforts together with us to stop the bloodshed in Gaza.The two men discussed efforts to bring about an end to the Israeli aggression and to help the Palestinians in Gaza, the QNA official news agency reported.They also called Ban Ki-moon in order to inform him about their talks aimed at bringing about a just agreement to protect the Palestinian people.Davutoglu had scrapped a scheduled visit to France to hold the crisis talks with Turkeys key partner in efforts to back Hamas in its refusal to accept a ceasefire without concessions from Israel.Hamas has been demanding Israeli commitment to easing the eight-year-old Israeli blockade of Gaza and the release of re-arrested Palestinian prisoners as a condition for a ceasefire.Turkish media said that while in Qatar, Davutoglu would meet Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, who is based in its capital Doha and who reiterated the Islamist movements truce conditions late on Wednesday.We are doing our best for a ceasefire but I dont know if we will get any result, a Turkish official said.On Twitter, Davutoglu said without elaborating that he would hold talks with Palestinian parties with an aim to ensure that merciless attacks targeting our Palestinian brothers come to an immediate end.Turkey, a staunch critic of the Israeli assaults in Gaza, is pressing for involvement of Hamas in any negotiations for a ceasefire.Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who presents himself as a rare global Muslim leader who stands up for Palestinian rights, has accused Israel of carrying out a genocide in Gaza.Turkish and Qatari criticism of Egyptian-led efforts for a truce have seriously complicated US efforts to broker an end to the violence that has killed more than 800 Gazans, many of them civilians, sparking a mounting world outcry.

Misbah-ul Haq looks to spinners for Sri Lanka tour

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LAHORE (AFP) - Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq said Friday spin would be a key factor in his side's upcoming tour of Sri Lanka as he looked to Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman to beat the islanders.The last time the two teams met was in January at the neutral venue of Dubai with Pakistan edging the one-dayers 3-2 but tying the Tests one apiece.Pakistan fly out to Sri Lanka on August 2 and start the first Test at Galle four days later.In Sri Lanka spin plays an important role, the moment third, fourth and fifth day arrives spin has a major role, I think we have lots of chances and if we play to our potential we have lots of chances to win, Haq said.Pakistan's last tour of the island nation finished in a 1-0 defeat in two Tests and 3-1 in five one-day matches, with one match rained off.Batting has been Pakistan's major worry over the past few years especially after the retirement of greats Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf.But Haq, who has won 12 of the 27 Tests he has captained, said he was more confident than in the past thanks to the appointment of new batting coach Grant Flower of Zimbabwe.Whenever a coach comes in, he helps you out, he tries his best, but in the end you have to perform as a player as a batsman, as a batting unit we should be more responsible and should apply those things which he is giving in training, he said.The two-Test three one-day series in Sri Lanka is the start of a busy period for Pakistan, who are set to host Australia and New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates from October to December.Haq said the hectic schedule was ideal preparation for next year's World Cup.We are trying to play maximum international cricket so that's good that before World Cup we will be playing against Australia and it will benefit the team, he told reporters on the last day of a training camp.

India tennis star Mirza cries over Pakistan taunt

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NEW DELHI (AFP) - Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, a Muslim wed to a Pakistani cricketer, broke down in tears Friday after being described by a Hindu nationalist politician as Pakistan's daughter-in-law and unfit to be an Indian representative.Mirza, 27, who is married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, wiped away tears as she told India's NDTV network she was tired of continually being forced to defend her Indian-ness.I am a very patriotic person that is why I am so emotional right now, Mirza, who wed Malik in 2010, said in the interview aired on television.In comments reported earlier this week by local media, K. Laxman, a regional legislator belonging to the national ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), questioned the credentials of Mirza to be brand ambassador for the country's newest state Telengana in southern India.Laxman was quoted as saying Mirza's marriage to Malik made her a daughter-in-law of Pakistan, India's Muslim neighbour and nuclear-armed rival with which the mainly Hindu but officially secular country has fought three wars.Telangana, carved this year out of the state of Andhra Pradesh is proud of Sania, said in appointing her brand ambassador for the region.Mirza grew up in the city of Hyderabad in what is now Telangana.Fans across the country don't think her Indianness has gotten mysteriously diluted, because of her wedding to Malik, the Times of India said in an opinion-page piece.Mirza, who has played for India at all major-level sporting events, has been defended by leaders across the political spectrum, including BJP members who said its party member's comment did not reflect its official stance.Mirza earlier this month achieved a career-best rank of number five in the world when the new World Tennis Association doubles chart was released.After winning medals for India after I got married, (I) don't know why I have to keep justifying that I am Indian, Mirza told NDTV.The latest incident is seen as potentially further fanning concern among Muslims and other religious minorities over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP government.The controversy has erupted just days after some MPs from the Hindu right-wing Shiv Sena tried to forcibly feed a chapati -- an Indian flatbread -- to a Muslim restaurant manager fasting for Ramadan because they were unhappy about food at a government canteen.The lawmakers belonging to Shiv Sena, a BJP ally, said they had not known the canteen supervisor was Muslim and they were complaining because the bread was so hard it didn't even break.

Imran Khan should protest without taking law in own hands: Governor Punjab

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar said on Friday that Imran Khan is an informed man, adding that Khan is free to protest but must not take law in his own hands, Dunya News reported.As many as seven trucks of relief goods containing flour, sugar, tea, beans, milk and water among other consumer items for North Waziristan affectees were dispatched from Lahore.Talking on the occasion, Sarwar said that Eid should be celebrated with simplicity, adding that the brothers and sisters of North Waziristan affected by the ongoing operation Zarb-e-Azb against terrorist should be remembered.Governor Punjab condemned the ongoing Israeli barbarity in Palestine and said that he wishes to see Palestine and Kashmir free.

Punishing Musharraf alone will be of no use: Altaf Hussain

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain said on Friday that the constitution was not broken by just a single person, adding that punishing Musharraf will not benefit anyone, Dunya News reported.Addressing a ceremony held by Khidmat-e-Khalq foundation, he said that a landlord chopped off arms of an innocent child in Punjab, adding that if MQM was the ruling party then the arms of the man who chopped off a child’s arms would have been chopped off by now.He said the abolishment of feudal system must be announced if Pakistan is to be saved.Hussain said that the target killing is at its peak in Karachi, demanding that the target killers be given exemplary punishment.MQM chief said that Pakistan is surrounded by various issues including the ongoing operation against the terrorists while the Prime Minister is abroad. He said that it takes more than just one single person to violate constitution, and that it won’t do any good if Musharraf alone is punished.Altaf Hussain said that those who struggled for reinstatement of PCO judges didn’t feel any shame.MQM chief demanded that administrative units should be established to save the country.He prayed that may God make Pakistan the Pakistan of Quaid-e-Azam again and bless the country with a leader like Mustafa Kamal Attaturk.

Wikipedia blocks 'disruptive' edits from US Congress

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Wikipedia has blocked editing rights from some computers at the US House of Representatives for disruptive revisions on the online encyclopedia.A 10-day ban imposed Thursday blocked any editing from an IP address at the US Capitol, which is shared among a number of computers.You have been blocked from editing for a period of 10 days for persistent disruptive editing, a Wikipedia posting said.The move came after unusual revisions were pointed out by Twitter account @congressedits, which describes itself as a bot that tweets anonymous Wikipedia edits that are made from IP addresses in the US Congress.The account was created by a software developer named Ed Summers.Some of the changes, which were later undone, said that John F. Kennedys assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted on behalf of Fidel Castro, and that the news blog Mediaite was sexist and transphobic.While Wikipedia allows users to contribute and edit entries, it also monitors for unverified or unsubstantiated comments.A notice posted on one of the anonymous entries from Congress said, Please refrain from making unconstructive edits to Wikipedia... Your edits appear to constitute vandalism and have been reverted or removed. If you would like to experiment, please use the sandbox.Administrators have the ability to block users from editing if they repeatedly engage in vandalism.

Securing MH17 site a 'dangerous tightrope act': experts

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THE HAGUE (AFP) - Sending Western forces to secure the MH17 crash site in rebel-held Ukraine and protect investigators will be a perilous balancing act involving unpredictable separatists and Russian pride, experts said Friday.Its going to be a dangerous tightrope act, defence analyst Justin Bronk told AFP, referring to a Dutch and Australian push to put troops on the ground where the Malaysian passenger jet was shot down on July 17.Both countries, whose citizens accounted for three-quarters of the 298 people on board, say they are sending police to the site and seeking a legal mandate to also deploy troops.They want to use as few lightly equipped troops as possible to avoid provoking the Russians, said Bronk, an analyst with the Royal United Services Institute in London.Bear in mind, part of the reason that this whole conflict started is over Russias view that the West, in the guise of both NATO and the EU, are coming ever further eastwards, he said.At the same time, to ensure their protection they will want to send them with quite heavy equipment, given the equipment both sides are firing at each other in the region.US experts believe the Malaysia Airlines jet was mistakenly shot down by the pro-Russian separatists with a sophisticated surface-to-air missile provided by Russia.International investigators from eight countries, including Russia, have yet to gain access to the vast crash site amid security concerns.- No extraction capacity -If the situation suddenly deteriorates, we have no extraction capacity, Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands, which lost 193 people in the disaster, told parliament on Friday.We have no soldiers on the ground.The UN Security Council, including Russia, on Monday passed a resolution backing an independent investigation of the disaster, and the Netherlands and Australia are reportedly drafting a new resolution to send an armed force to secure the crash site.Australia, which had 28 citizens on board, is sending around 200 police and an unspecified number of troops on a humanitarian mission to secure the crash site, Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced on Friday.The Netherlands is sending 40 unarmed military police on Friday to help remove remaining bodies.An unspecified number of Dutch troops have been consigned to barracks ahead of a possible deployment, the defence ministry told AFP, declining to elaborate further.If we go over there with a big military presence, the situation could become more unstable than stable, Rutte said.Despite a fragile ceasefire in the immediate vicinity, fighting between Ukrainian and pro-Russian forces is actually intensifying in the broader region beyond the crash zone.And experts say debris from the planes explosion, at 10,000 metres (33,000 feet), is likely scattered over a vast area of perhaps 100 square kilometres (around 40 square miles).There may be rebels over there who have every interest in light not being shed on the facts, Ko Colijn, director and defence expert at the Netherlands Clingendael Institute, told AFP.- Small-scale war -In order to properly secure the crash site, thousands of troops would have to be deployed, says military historian Christ Klep of the University of Amsterdam.You need radar, reconnaissance, commandos, anti-tank weapons, attack helicopters... Well, thats starting to look like a small-scale war, Klep told Dutch broadcaster NOS.Colijn said that world powers will seek to make good on Russian President Vladimir Putins promises to help with the investigation.This may appear odd but I think they will try to get Russia involved as much as possible in any mission. It would be a kind of guarantee, said Colijn.Russias role is crucial, agreed Christophe Paulussen, international law expert at the Asser Institute in The Hague.If Russia does indeed have influence over the separatists, a UN Security Council resolution supported by Russia would apparently be respected by the separatists, he told AFP.But you shouldnt forget that the separatists are themselves divided.The biggest danger is the unpredictability of the different groups, former Dutch military chief of staff Dick Berlijn told state broadcaster NOS.They are not a cohesive whole, said Bronk. They have different leaderships, they have, potentially, different views and agendas.It is almost impossible to guarantee that a mission like this one will not come under fire at some point.
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