Thursday 31 July 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

CGames: Amos stuns Rudisha, Okagbare in sprint double

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GLASGOW (AFP) - Olympic champion and world record holder David Rudisha was beaten by Nijel Amos in the Commonwealth Games 800m final on Thursday while Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare claimed a women's sprint double.Rasheed Dwyer led a Jamaican clean sweep of the men's 200m to emulate teammate Kemar Bailey-Cole's victory in the 100m, the two sprint golds going some way to make up for the absence of Usain Bolt, who will only compete in the 4x100m relay.Kenya's Rudisha, who set a blistering world record when winning Olympic gold in London, had finished ahead of silver medallist Amos in the British capital in 2012.But there was revenge in the wet Glasgow air, Amos producing a sublime, fast-paced finish to outdo his Kenyan nemesis, clocking 1min 45.18, with Rudisha at 0.30sec. South African Andre Olivier took bronze in 1:46.03.The race was good but the last 100m was difficult. I didn't have good preparations, Rudisha said in reference to a calf injury that only saw him make his track comeback in May.Botswana'a Amos was quick to heap praise on Rudisha, saying: This gentleman will always be the hero of the 800m.Okagbare kept her bid for a Commonwealth treble on course as she added the 200m crown to her 100m title, the US-based 25-year-old still to run in the 4x100m relay.She timed 22.25sec for gold, beating unrelated English duo Jodie Williams (22.50) and Bianca Williams (22.58) to top the podium.In the men's 200m, Dwyer outshone world silver medallist Warren Weir, the only sprinter in Glasgow to have clocked a sub-20sec 200m, timing 20.14sec for victory ahead of Weir (20.26) and Jason Livermore (20.32).South African Cornel Fredericks won the men's 400m hurdles while Jamaica's Kaliese Spencer claimed the women's event.Vikas Shive Gowda won the discus with 63.64m to end India's 56-year gold medal drought in men's athletics at the Games, the last winner being Milkha Singh over 440 yards at the 1958 edition in Cardiff.Australia's Olympic champion Sally Pearson showed no fall-out from the suspension of head coach Eric Hollingsworth for his outspoken criticism of the star hurdler for missing a pre-Games team training camp.Pearson scorched into Friday's final of the 100m hurdles with a time of 12.69sec, tellingly punching the air as she came through the line.Alex Dowsett, second to David Millar four years ago in the men's road cycling time trial, claimed Commonwealth gold for England in a closely-contested race through the streets and suburbs of Glasgow.He timed 47 minutes 41.78 with Australian rider Rohan Dennis crossing the line nine seconds slower to take silver and Geraint Thomas grabbing third to claim the bronze for Wales.Millar, in his final season, was eighth.It was England's first gold medal in road cycling in 28 years and the winner said that being dumped by his team for the Tour de France was extra motivation.The Commonwealth Games was a big target for me anyway, but it suddenly became a huge target because I really wanted to do something big after the disappointment of the Tour de France, he said.New Zealand's Linda Villumsen, also a silver medallist in New Delhi, produced a storming finish to clock 42 minutes 25.46 seconds and pip England's Emma Pooley in the women's race.Pooley, who is to retire after the Games, had to settle for silver while Australia's Katrin Garfoot took the bronze.Canada moved up into third place in the medals table with two golds in wrestling, courtesy of Danielle Lappage in the women's -63kg division and Tamerlan Tagziev in men's -86kg.George Kobaladze won the final weightlifting gold for Canada by taking the 105kg title with a new Games record combined weight of 400kg in the snatch and the clean and jerk.In gymnastics, England won three of the five golds on offer through Max Whitlock in the men's floor event, Claudia Fragapane in women's vault -- her third title of the Games -- and Rebecca Downie on the uneven bars.At just 22, Downie still ranks as the oldest gold medallist in the event.India took two wrestling golds thanks to Babita Kumari in the women's -55kg and Yogeshwar Dutt in the men's -65kg.Canada were the most successful wrestling nation with seven golds while India won five.

Golf: Leishman leads WGC Bridgestone, Woods four adrift

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AKRON (AFP) - Australias Marc Leishman fired a six-under par 64 on Thursday to seize a one-stroke lead in the Bridgestone Invitational with defending champion Tiger Woods four shots back.Leishman had eight birdies and two bogeys at Firestone Country Club and was one stroke in front of Englands Justin Rose, South African Charl Schwartzel and American Ryan Moore.Rose, the 2013 US Open champion who turned 34 on Wednesday, had five birdies in his five-under 65. Moore also notched five birdies without a bogey while former Masters champion Schwartzel had six birdies and one bogey for his share of second.Im really happy with that number because it wasnt the most in-control round of golf, Rose said. I kept the scorecard clean with a really good mix of some good iron play and good scrambling when I missed and thats what you have to do around here.It was a further two strokes back to Americans Patrick Reed and Rickie Fowler, Canadian Graham DeLaet and Italys Francesco Molinari on 67.Former world number one Woods, an eight-time winner at Firestone, headed a group on 68 after a roller-coaster round featuring six birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey.Woods, playing just his third event since back surgery on March 31, three-putted the first from eight feet.He then hit his drive on the second so far left that it found the short rough to the right of the third hole.The 14-time major winner recovered with a fairway wood onto the green and two-putted from 50 feet for birdie.He bounced back from a bogey at the fourth with birdies at the fifth, sixth and eighth.An errant drive cost Woods a double-bogey six on the ninth but he had two birdies with no bogeys coming in.Rory McIlroy, making his first start since claiming the third major title of his career at the British Open, headlined a group on one-under 69.The 25-year-old teed off on 10 and had three birdies in his first 11 holes.He three-putted the third hole -- his 12th -- for a bogey and made a double bogey six on the par-four eighth.McIlroy responded with a closing birdie at the ninth, where he sank a two-footer to end on a good note.I didnt want any sort of let down and not just these two weeks, but basically the rest of the season, said McIlroy, who could have a chance to overtake Australian Adam Scott atop the world rankings with a win here.Scott also opened with a 69 that featured three birdies and two bogeys, while reigning Masters champion Bubba Watson was also in the group of 14 players sharing 14th place at one-under.

Tennis: Li Na to sit out US Open with knee injury

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PARIS (AFP) - World number two Li Na of China announced on Thursday that she will miss next month's US Open as she struggles with a knee injury.I wanted to let all of my great fans know that unfortunately I am going to have to withdraw from the upcoming WTA events in Montreal and Cincinnati, as well as the US Open, Li said in a statement on her Facebook page. Since March, I have been struggling with my knee and it is just not where I need it to be in order to play at the highest level.The 32-year-old, who won the Australian Open earlier this year, her second Grand Slam after winning Roland Garros in 2011, has targeted a return to the court on home soil in late September.My medical team has advised me that I need to take some time off to rest my knee so it heels, she said.I look forward to getting back on the court this fall in Wuhan and Beijing.Li was eliminated from this year's French Open in the first round before bowing out of Wimbledon in the third round.

Tennis star Wozniacki to run NYC Marathon

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NEW YORK (AP) - Caroline Wozniacki always feels confident she can outrun her opponent on the tennis court.The former world No. 1 believes that with a bit more training, she can cover 26.2 miles (42 kilometers).Wozniacki plans to play a full tournament schedule this autumn while fitting in time to train for the New York City Marathon. She typically runs for 30-40 minutes a day as part of workouts for tennis, and hopes that one longer session per week of an hour or more can get her through the Nov. 2 race.And, no, she's not seeking this challenge in an attempt to distract herself from her personal life, Wozniacki insisted. Golfer Rory McIlroy broke off their engagement in late May, less than a month before Wozniacki decided to run a marathon.Tennis helped me just get through the tough times, Wozniacki said in Manhattan on Thursday. Now I'm just feeling happy and I wanted to do something good for others. I think that this had nothing really to do with my personal life. It was something I was passionate about.She had long wanted to run a marathon, and looking at the tournament schedule, she determined it was doable.About a week before Wimbledon, she asked her manager to look up charities she could raise money for. Wozniacki will represent Team for Kids, which helps fund NYC Marathon organizer New York Road Runners' youth programs.People ask me, 'Why don't you just run a 5K or 10K?' I'm like, 'Well, I do that all the time, so it wouldn't really be a challenge,' she said. This is really something I need to put my mind to.She's never entered a road race, and the longest distance she's ever run is 18 kilometers, which is a bit less than a half-marathon.Wozniacki hopes to qualify for the WTA Finals, which run from Oct. 20-26 in Singapore, ending just a week before the marathon. She's 17th in the standings, though, with only the top eight players taking part.

Ebola death toll rises to 729: WHO

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GENEVA (AFP) - The deaths of 57 more people from Ebola in west Africa have pushed the overall fatality toll from the epidemic to 729, the World Health Organization said Thursday.The 57 deaths were recorded between Thursday and Sunday last week in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, the UN health agency said in a statement. It said 122 new cases were detected over those four days, taking the total number of confirmed and likely infected cases from the outbreak so far to 1,323.WHO said the trend in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone remains precarious with ongoing... transmission of infection.Guinea is suffering the worst from the disease, which causes often fatal bleeding and has no vaccine. The country's authorities reported 20 more deaths apparently from Ebola in the last four days of last week, taking its national fatility figure to 339.Liberia saw 27 more deaths, for a total national death toll of 156.Sierra Leone reported nine more deaths for a total 233 dead.Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, reported its first death from Ebola in that period.WHO said the medical sample taken from the patient who died in Nigeria shortly after arriving by air had still not been analysed by its regional lab because courier companies were refusing to transport it.The UN agency added that it does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions be applied to Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, or Sierra Leone at this time. The WHO's statement was available at: http://www.who.int/csr/don/2014_07_31_ebola/en/.

US oil prices at four-month low amid refinery outages

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices in New York Thursday tumbled to their lowest level since mid-March helped by unplanned refinery shutdowns in the US midwest.The benchmark West Texas Intermediate for September delivery fell $2.10 to $98.17 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.In London, European benchmark Brent oil for September delivery declined 49 cents to $106.02 a barrel.Andy Lipow, head of Houston consultancy Lipow Oil Associates, said news that a number of midwest oil refineries were experiencing outages put a signficant amount of pressure on the WTI today.The concern is that crude inventories will build at the closely-watched Cushing, Oklahoma oil-trading hub where WTI is priced. Lipow said traders are also looking ahead to planned maintenance in September at many refineries as the summer travel season ends.Analysts said oil likely garnered extra selling pressure from Thursday's rout in US equities. While the US oil contract plummeted, Thursday's declines were modest in Brent, which is more leveraged to the international oil market. Key questions include the effect of new sanctions on Russian oil production and the impact of continued violence in Libya on the North African country's output.Eurasia Group predicted Brent would continue to trade in the $105-$110 a-barrel range in the third quarter.Concerns about geopolitical risk will continue to be supportive, particularly in relation to the perceived fragility of the partial recovery in Libyan production and a renewal of concerns about risks related to Iran, the consultancy said in a note.

Dollar little changed ahead of July US jobs report

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar took a breather Thursday, avoiding large moves against other major currencies ahead of the July US labor market report.Thursdays trade followed Wednesdays report on second-quarter economic growth and came ahead of Fridays jobs report for July, making the session an eye of the storm type day, as DailyFX analyst Christopher Vecchio put it.On Wednesday, the dollar reached an eight-month high against the euro after second-quarter US growth came in at surprisingly robust 4.0 percent. Analysts said the report bolstered confidence the Fed will raise interest rates in 2015.While no one expects the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates this year, market expectations for the Fed Funds rate increased significantly over the past 48 hours and this shift has been extremely positive for the greenback, said Kathy Lien, managing director at BK Asset Management.Lien highlighted the possibility of a muted reaction in currency markets to Fridays jobs report given expectations that there will be a drop-off from the 288,000 jobs added in June.A relatively weak report would imply a lengthy period between the Feds decision to scale down stimulus this fall and a move to hike benchmark interest rates, weighing on the US dollar, said Ilya Spivak, currency strategist at DailyFX.The euro, for its part, was pulled in opposite directions by data Thursday. July inflation dropped to 0.4 percent, reviving concerns about deflation.At the same time, the jobless rate in the 18-nation eurozone fell to 11.5 percent in June from 11.6 percent in May, hitting the lowest level since September 2012.

Anderson included in unchanged England squad

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SOUTHAMPTON (AFP) - James Anderson was included in an unchanged 13-man England squad announced Thursday for the fourth Test with India at the Lancashire seamers Old Trafford home ground starting on August 7.The squad was made public just hours after England wrapped up a crushing 266-run in the third Test to level the five-match series at 1-1.Anderson was named man-of-the-match after finishing with figures of seven wickets for 77 runs.But he could miss both the fourth Test at his Lancashire home ground and the series finale at The Oval if an International Cricket Council disciplinary hearing on Friday regarding his dust-up with India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the drawn first Test at Trent Bridge finds against him.Well have to wait and see, said Anderson at the post-match presentation ceremony after a return that left him with 371 Test wickets -- 12 shy of equalling Ian Bothams England record of 383.Once Im out on the field the one thing on my mind is to take wickets, and I did that, he added after a victory that ended Englands run of 10 successive Tests without a win.England do have pace bowling cover for Anderson in the squad with both Yorkshire fast bowler Liam Plunkett and Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes, both of whom didnt play at Southampton, keeping their places in the 13-man party.Squad: Alastair Cook (Essex, capt), Sam Robson (Middlesex), Gary Ballance (Yorkshire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire, wkt), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham).

England beat India in 3rd test to square series

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SOUTHAMPTON (AP) - England's Moeen Ali took six wickets to lead the hosts to an emphatic 266-run win over India in the third test on Thursday, squaring the series and ending almost a year without a test victory.England's triumph at the Rose Bowl ties the series 1-1 with two tests remaining.We played to our potential for a long period of time, England captain Alastair Cook said after his side secured its first test match win since August 2013 against Australia. The scoreboard pressure talked, we had as good a game as you can have.We have to back up that consistency and performance. We will take it on to Old Trafford (for the fourth test) because that is the standard we can set ourselves as a team.India resumed at its overnight 112-4, chasing an unlikely 445 for victory and needing its remaining batsmen to put together big scores to bat out the day, but the visitors lost early wickets and the cause was quickly lost.James Anderson removed Rohit Sharma (6) with his third ball of the day before India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (6) edged an out-swinging delivery. Both catches were taken by Jos Buttler.Anderson's double-strike saw him become the leading wicket taker in the series, with 16. He overtook India's Bhuvneshwar Kumar (15).Moeen was then introduced in place of Stuart Broad to the bowling attack, and mercilessly cleaned up the rest of India's batting order.He bowled out Ravindra Jadeja (15), before having Kumar caught by Anderson in the same over for a duck. He then bowled Mohammed Shami, also for a duck.Ajiknya Rahane made his 50 with four off Chris Woakes, and finished unbeaten on a defiant 54, before Pankaj Singh (9) was bowled by Moeen, who finished with figures of 6-67.His level of improvement as a bowler, I haven't seen in such a short space of time, Cook said of Moeen. To adjust from bowling county cricket to a holding role at international cricket with the lengths you have to bowl, the lines, the speed, he has learnt really well. When he got on a wicket that spun a bit, he proved he is an attacking option as well.India captain Dhoni was frustrated that a team usually so adept at playing spinners was so poor against Moeen.We let Moeen bowl his line and length, Dhoni said. There was a considerable amount of wear and tear which meant if you keep playing him, one odd ball will turn and with so many catching fielders around, you will lose your wicket.Anderson's attention now turns to Friday's disciplinary hearing for a physical confrontation with Jadeja during the first test.If convicted of pushing and abusing Jadeja, he could be banned for four test matches. Anderson admitted he has tried to forget about it while playing for England since.The ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) have done a great job in trying to keep everything separate, Anderson said. When we get to the ground, it is all about the cricket.Anderson said he has no idea if he will be playing the fourth test at Old Trafford, starting Aug. 7

Study traces dinosaur evolution into early birds

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Scientists have mapped how a group of fearsome, massive dinosaurs evolved and shrank to become the first birds.The surprisingly steady shrinking and elegant evolution of the dinosaurs over 50 million years is described in the journal Science.Scientists focused on a family of two-legged, meat-eating dinosaurs called theropods. That suborder of dinos survives to this day as birds, however unrecognizable and improbable it sounds.Theropods have been considered the ancestors of birds for a couple decades. But the new work gives the best picture of how they were transformed over time into the earliest versions of birds.

See-through mice reveal details of inner anatomy

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NEW YORK (AP) -- Researchers have found a way to make see-through mice, but you won't find these critters scampering in your kitchen.The transparent rodents aren't alive and they're for research only, to help scientists study fine details of anatomy.Before they are treated with chemicals, the animals are euthanized and their skin removed. Researchers made their inner organs transparent, but not their bones.The results look like a rodent-shaped block of gelatin with the organs held in place by connective tissue and a gel used in the procedure.Mice are mainstays of biomedical research because much of their basic biology is similar to ours and they can be altered in ways that simulate human diseases.Scientists have been able to make tissues transparent to some degree for a century, and in recent years several new methods have been developed. Last year, for example, a technique that produced see-through mouse brains made headlines. Such treatments reveal far more detail than X-rays or MRI exams could deliver.The new work is the first to make an entire transparent mouse, experts said.It should be useful for projects like mapping the details of the nervous system or the spread of cancer within lab animals, said Vivian Gradinaru of the California Institute of Technology, senior author of a paper describing the work. It was released Thursday by the journal Cell.It might also help doctors analyze biopsy samples from people someday, she said.The see-through technique involves pumping a series of chemicals through blood vessels, as well as other passages in the brain and spinal cord. Some chemicals form a mesh to hold tissue in place. Others wash out the fats that make tissue block light. It takes about a week to create a transparent mouse, Gradinaru said. The researchers have also made transparent rats, which take about two weeks, she said.Scientists can use stains to highlight anatomical details like the locations of active genes.

Palestinians facing 'precipice', UN Council told

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GAZA (AFP) - Palestinians are facing a precipice in Gaza, the top UN refugee official there told the Security Council on Thursday in a strongly-worded appeal for action.With more than 220,000 Palestinians already sheltering in UN facilities -- four times the number from the last Gaza conflict in 2008-2009 -- Philippe Krahenbuhl said he had reached breaking point.I believe the population is facing a precipice and appeal to the international community to take the steps necessary to address this extreme situation, the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA told the 15-member council.We have exceeded the tolerable limit that we can accommodate, Krahenbuhl said, adding that he was alarmed by the latest Israeli instructions to civilians to evacuate two areas in Gaza targeted for more attacks.It is past time for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire as called for by the council, he said.Krahenbuhl spoke to the council by audiolink from Gaza after Israel vowed to press on with its military campaign to destroy a network of tunnels used by Hamas militants for attacks.International alarm has grown over the civilian death toll from 24 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza strip, with the Security Council calling for a humanitarian truce in a statement issued early Monday.In her address to the council, UN humanitarian aid chief Valerie Amos called for more humanitarian pauses to allow relief workers to reach those in need.Pauses must be daily, predictable, and adequate in length so that humanitarian staff can dispatch relief to those in need, rescue the injured, recover the dead and allow civilians some reprieve so that they can restock and resupply their homes, she said.Amos said finding shelter from Israeli strikes was becoming increasingly difficult for the 1.8 million people of Gaza.The reality of Gaza today is that no place is safe, she said.More than 1,300 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting, along with 58 Israelis, most of them soldiers.The appeal to the council came a day after an attack on a UN-run school hosting refugees left 19 dead, drawing outrage from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who lashed out: Nothing is more shameful than attacking sleeping children.UN officials have said they believe an Israeli artillery strike hit the school and have called for a full investigation.

Security around MH17 site still 'very unstable': Dutch Police

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KIEV (AFP) - Dutch police heading up the international probe into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 said Thursday that the situation around the crash site remains perilous despite a small team managing to access the scene.The security situation is still very unstable, Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg, head of the mission to repatriate the remains of the victims, told journalists in Kiev.We are not absolutely sure if we can reach the crash site with the whole team of experts in the near future, but we are more hopeful than we were yesterday, he said.Aalbersberg said that investigators would try to get to the site Friday to carry out limited searches at a few locations.A scouting team made up of police experts from the Netherlands and Australia, as well as monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, managed to reach the location of the downed jet on Thursday.They were forced to make a 500-kilometre round-trip following the announcement of a one-day ceasefire across the region by Ukrainian forces.The visit was the first time in nearly a week that international investigators had managed to make it to the site after being repeatedly thwarted by clashes between the Ukrainian army and rebel fighters.An AFP crew following just a few minutes behind the international team heard bursts of shelling and saw black smoke rising from areas close to the crash site.

PM expresses grief over Karachi Sea View tragedy

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday expressed grief over Karachi Sea View tragedy that resulted in drowning of as many as twenty three people who had come to the Sea View for recreational purposes on Eid, Dunya News reported.According to the details, Prime Minister directed the authorities to fully cooperate with the grieving families of the deceased.As many as twenty three people had drowned whose bodies could be recovered. The search and rescue mission is still underway.The ban to bath in Karachi sea could not be enforced on the occasion of Eid, resulting in thousands arriving to the Clifton and Hawke’s Bay for recreational purpose.The divers along with other rescue workers successfully retrieved the dead bodies and handed them over to the families.The administration had imposed ban under Section 144 on entering or bathing in the sea. However, violating the ban, thousands of people rushed towards the city beaches on the second of Eid resulting in the unfortunate incident of drowning.According to the early reports, the Eid celebration turned into mourning but the city administration got itself off the hook by merely placing ‘awareness banners’ at the site.Thousands of visitors take to the Sea View area every year in Eid for leisure and a little carelessness can prove fatal. Sea waves drowned nine people who had come at the site for leisure as part of Eid celebration.Rescue officials arrived at the site but it was too late already. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Clifton Doctor Asad said that banners cautioning the tourists to take safety measure have been placed at Sea View but the tourists often ignore it.Among the dead is also 14-year-old Mazhar whose uncle said that he had gone to the sea along with friends for leisure.

Ishratul Ibad, Altaf Hussain express grief over Karachi Sea View tragedy

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain have expressed grief over the Karachi Sea View tragedy that left as many as 23 people drowned, Dunya News reported.According to the details, Governor directed concerned authorities to take prompt actions to recover the bodies.Altaf Hussain urged the government to take effective steps to protect citizens’ lives and properties.MQM chief expressed grief over drowning of 12 citizens. In a statement issued from London, he said that the government should take every step to protect citizens’ lives and properties, adding that the security arrangements must be ensured.Altaf Hussain condoled with the families of the deceased and said MQM members are with the families in the time of sorrow and sadness.
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