Tuesday 5 August 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Nawaz phones Zardari to exchange views on political situation

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday phoned former president Asif Ali Zardari and discussed the ongoing political situation, Dunya News reported.According to Zardari’s spokesperson Farhatullah Babar, Prime Minister phoned Zardari and both leaders discussed the ongoing political situation.Sources said that Nawaz Sharif praised Zardari’s role to ‘strengthen democracy’.Prime Minister said that the democracy was attained as result of several sacrifices and that the issues should be resolved amicably.Prime Minister said that the democracy, constitution and the supremacy of the parliament will be defended in any case.

MQM accepts invitation to meet PM

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Muttahida Qaumi Movement ‎‎(MQM) accepted the invitation to meet Prime Minister (PM) ‎Nawaz Sharif on Monday afternoon to discuss current ‎political crisis.‎The top leadership ofthefederal government contacted MQM, ‎and MQM will send its delegate to meet with PM in ‎Islamabad.‎In the groundwork of this meeting, MQM has summoned an ‎emergency session of MQM Rabta Committee to discuss ‎the current political scenario on Wednesday, which will be attended by all ‎key members as well as senators.‎

Football: Williamson confirmed new Kenya coach

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NAIROBI (AFP) - Bobby Williamson has been named as the new Kenya national football coach to take over from Adel Amrouche who was fired at the weekend along with his technical staff.The 52-year-old Scot joins Harambee Stars from national league champions, Gor Mahia, where he has served as team coach since February 2013.Football Kenya Federation (FKF) chairman Sam Nyamweya said they have settled on Williamson due to his long experience in African football as coach of Uganda for five years between 2008 and 2013.We need a coach who understands our game and Williamson fits the bill. He handled Gor Mahia to win the national league title last season after 18 years, he said.The Scot will be assisted by former internationals, Musa Otieno and Simeon Mulama as they try to reconstruct a new winning outfit after Kenya was eliminated from the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tournament by Lesotho.The South Africans held Kenya to a goalless draw on Sunday to advance on a 1-0 goal aggregate.The 2015 African Cup of Nations finals will be held in Morocco in January and February.

Sri Lanka wary of 'unpredictable' Pakistan

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GALLE (AFP) - Rusty Pakistan and overworked Sri Lanka are set for an enthralling contest when they open a two-Test series in Galle on Wednesday, the last for the retiring Mahela Jayawardene.The former Sri Lankan captain, whose elegant batting has seen him rise to sixth place in the all-time scorers' list with 11,671 runs in 147 Tests, is due to quit the longer format after the series.But rival captains Misbah-ul Haq of Pakistan and Angelo Mathews of Sri Lanka will look to put aside the emotions of a farewell series as they find themselves battling contrasting worries.While Pakistan may be under-prepared for their first Test series since January, Mathews said his team were drained mentally and physically due to a surfeit of international cricket.Sri Lanka have been on the road since the start of the year, touring the United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh and England for Test and limited-overs cricket before last month's home series against South Africa.Mathews rued the absence of a cooling-off period as he announced on Tuesday that seamer Suranga Lakmal would miss the series due to an ankle injury sustained against South Africa.Pakistan have had a good rest whereas we have been playing continuous cricket, the Sri Lankan captain said. It's always good to get some rest to refresh your minds and bodies.That is the challenge we are facing as players. When you are playing constantly, you get drained mentally and physically. But the challenge for us is to try and be consistent.It works both ways. They (Pakistan) can be a bit rusty, but you never know. They are very unpredictable. They come out all guns blazing. They are a very formidable team when it comes to Tests.Pakistan fought back to play out a 1-1 draw in their last Test series against Sri Lanka in the UAE in January, but have not won a series since beating England in 2012.Misbah said his team were determined to win their first series in Sri Lanka since 2006.We have tried our best to get ready for this, the Pakistan captain said. We had a good training camp before we came here. We worked hard on our fitness. Everybody is excited about the series.We know what to expect in Sri Lanka, who are a very strong side at home, he said. So you need to play hard, disciplined cricket to come good against them.Misbah said his team would target the retiring Jayawardene in the two matches since he could be the danger man for Sri Lanka.He is one of the best batsmen in the world. We don't want him to score runs, because if he gets runs it will be difficult for us to raise our game, he said.We will be really focusing on that and try our best to get him out early.

CAfrica govt steps down as violence erupts despite peace deal

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PARIS (AFP) - The government of the strife-torn Central African Republic resigned on Tuesday as part of a peace deal reached last month with Christian and Muslim rebel factions, interim president Catherine Samba-Panza said.The deal, signed in Brazzaville after weeks of talks, is the first part of a wider peace agreement to end violence in which thousands have died and nearly a quarter of the population have been driven from their homes since a March 2013 coup.The head of the interim government appointed in January, prime minister Andre Nzapayeke, 62, is a technocrat and former banker.Despite the peace accord, tensions remain high in the country where several Seleka militiamen were killed on Tuesday in a clash with French peacekeepers in the north.Last week, at least 22 died in fighting between the ex-rebel Seleka and mainly-Christian anti-balaka fighters.

We will know who calls the shots on Aug 15: Pervaiz Elahi

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) leader Pervaiz Elahi while in ‎conversation with the media at a funeral categorically said that they will get to know everything on ‎August 15, adding that the government itself has caused this current political crisis by political in-‎fighting.‎PML-Q chief said that the rulers are giving the impression that everything is fine, claiming that they are ‎fully aware of their ‘not-so-bright future’ as the plot unfolds. He added that police should have learnt ‎their lesson from the Model Town tragedy and should not repeat their mistakes.‎Elahi warned the government about using the police as their shield because that would lead to unrest.‎PML-Q leaders further said that Punjab Chief Minister Shabaz Sharif should resign from his post ‎otherwise the family of the affected people of the Model Town tragedy would never be able to get ‎justice. ‎

Hungary forint plunges to 30-month-low against euro

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BUDAPEST (AFP) - Hungary's national currency sank to a 30-month-low on Tuesday, a drop analysts said was due to traders selling up after central bank moves to tighten the secondary bond market.The forint slumped to 315.50 against the euro, its weakest point for 2.5 years after breaking what some traders called a psychological barrier of 315.0.Analysts said traders were trying to leave the secondary bond market after Hungary's Central Bank (MNB) imposed a bar on buying two-week bonds this month in a bid to prompt traders to buy longer-term government debt.Several of EU member Hungary's neighbours have seen their currencies lose value in recent weeks as investors have fled so-called riskier investments because of concerns over the Ukrainian-Russian conflict and the Middle East.But business website portfolio.hu said the forint's performance has been particularly poor, the second worst-performing of nearly 30 emerging market currencies against the euro over the past three months.In that time the Hungarian currency has lost 2.1 percent against the European single currency, behind only Ukraine's hryvnia, which has dropped 4.7 percent amid the violence in the east of the country, portfolio.hu said. Last month the forint dropped sharply after the government announced a radical plan to ease household debt as well as a warning from Brussels over rising public debt.

Congolese in Kabila coup plot plead not guilty in South Africa

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PRETORIA (AFP) - Twenty Congolese nationals who went on trial in South Africa on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to charges of plotting to assassinate Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila and topple his government.A Pretoria court formally indicted the men with mercenary activities and conspiracy to murder, 18 months after their arrest in South Africa.State prosecutor Shaun Abrahams listed the firearms and ammunition which he said the accused collected for a training camp in the north of South Africa. He said they had planned to target high-profile Congolese officials including President Kabila and his interior minister.After hearing the charges against them, the men stood up one by one and entered pleas of not guilty.My client said that he has never recruited or trained anybody to commit a crime. He didnt even know all the accused, said Portia Phahlani, defence lawyer for the groups alleged leader Etienne Kabila, who claims to be Kabilas brother.The trial got underway a day late after the accused applied Monday to have their charges overturned. The judge dismissed the application.The court will hear new objections to the charges in the next few days, after which prosecutors will start calling witnesses, including undercover policemen whose work led to their arrest.Officers arrested the suspects on February 5 last year, six months after an agent infiltrated their group. He filmed several meetings and exchanged emails in the alleged preparation of the coup.If convicted, the suspects face several years in prison.The DRC, which is almost as big as western Europe, has been shattered by decades of strife, particularly in its mineral-rich east.Kabila took power in 2001 at the height of a devastating conflict that became known as Africas Great War.International envoys have expressed concern he could run for a third term in office, flouting constitutional term-limits.

Iran jails activist turned journalist for six years

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TEHRAN (AFP) - A former Iranian student leader and reformist turned journalist has been jailed for six years for undermining national security and spreading propaganda, less than 12 months after he returned home.The sentence handed down to Serajeddine Mirdamadi is the latest in a series of convictions of academics, activists and reporters for crimes officially deemed as damaging to the Islamic republic.Mirdamadi was sentenced to five years for acts against national security and one year for spreading propaganda against the regime, Ghiti Pourfazel, his lawyer, told official IRNA news agency.We will definitely appeal, she added.IRNA did not disclose any details of specific acts that led to the charges and conviction.Mirdamadi was active in student politics and worked in the interior ministry during the first term (1997-2001) of reformist president Mohammad Khatami.He later left Iran and only returned from France last year after the election of President Hassan Rouhani, who is seen as a moderate and who won power having pledged to push for reform.While abroad, Mirdamadi wrote political commentaries for Amsterdam-based Radio Zamaneh and gave interviews to the BBCs Persian service.His sentencing comes two days after reports that pro-reform activist Hashem Aghajari, a university professor, was jailed for one year for spreading anti-regime propaganda.Aghajari had been convicted of apostasy and given a death sentence in 2003 for declaring that Muslims were not monkeys who should blindly follow their religious leaders.That sentence was commuted to five years imprisonment in 2004, but he was eventually cleared of all charges the following year.Other reform-minded activists have been jailed in recent months in Iran for crimes against national security, raising concern about a push from the judiciary to clamp down on dissent.Rouhani took office last August and has since led moves to re-engage with the West, principally by seeking a deal with world powers over the Islamic republics disputed nuclear programme.However, his moves toward detente have faced heavy opposition from hardline conservatives and critics in the countrys judiciary.As well as political activists, several journalists have recently been convicted or placed in custody. Marzieh Rasouli, a respected writer on arts and culture for reformist media outlets, was jailed for two years and sentenced to 50 lashes for publishing anti-regime propaganda.And on July 22, the Washington Posts Iran reporter Jason Rezaian, his wife Yeganeh Salehi, also a journalist, and a photographer for the US newspaper were detained and placed under investigation.Two weeks later little is known about the circumstances of their arrests and no details have been released about what they are accused of, though Iran confirmed that a probe is under way.Rezaian and the photographer are dual US-Iranian citizens, while Salehi is Iranian. A man arrested at the same time as the three journalists has since been released on bail.

Pentagon confirms US general killed in Kabul attack

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Pentagon on Tuesday confirmed that a US general was killed in an attack in Afghanistan -- the highest-ranking American fatality since the September 11, 2001 attacks.The US Defense Department also identified the assailant, who was wearing a uniform, as an Afghan soldier and said that he was killed after he opened fire on coalition forces, his supposed allies.I can... confirm among the casualties was an American general officer who was killed, the Pentagon spokesman, Rear Admiral John Kirby, told reporters.Kirby said that he would not identify the general further pending next of kin.But he said that the fatality was the highest-ranking US officer since the September 11, 2001 attacks when Lieutenant General Timothy Joseph Maude was killed by a hijacked airliner that crashed into the Pentagon.No US general has been killed in combat since the Vietnam War, with top-ranking service members spared during the Iraq war and, until now, the Afghanistan conflict.Kirby said that up to 15 people were injured in the attack but said that they were not all Americans. Separately, the German army said that one of its generals was wounded.The Pentagon spokesman said that the assailant was killed, although he did not have more detail on how the incident unfolded.We believe that the assailant was an Afghan soldier, Kirby said.

Computer games may ease elderly depression: study

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PARIS (AFP) - Brain-boosting computer games may be as effective as drugs in treating severe depression in some elderly people -- perhaps even better, according to trial results published on Tuesday.A group of 60-to-89-year-olds, for whom anti-depressants had not worked, perked up after four weeks of playing computer games that had been developed to improve brain fitness, scientists wrote in the journal Nature Communications.The programmes were developed to test a theory that the ageing brain can be regenerated through intense practice -- regaining lost learning and memory function and improving decision-making, which can in turn alleviate depression.Previous research had shown that impairment in certain intellectual functions also led to a poor response to anti-depressants.Despite significant developments, conventional anti-depressant treatments leave many older adults depressed and suffering, said the study.Drugs were often slow to work, and the results were unstable, with remission occurring in only about a third of people.A team of specialists from the United States and China put 11 people through a four-week computer training programme, and tested them for improvements in depression levels and in brain function.They compared the results to those of a group of 33 elderly people in a separate study who had been given the anti-depressant escitalopram, branded as Lexapro or Cipralex, instead of computer therapy.The results suggested the brain-flexing computer exercises were just as effective at reducing symptoms of depression as escitalopram but (do) so in four weeks instead of 12, the study authors wrote.In fact, 72 percent of them had a full remission of depression, co-author Sarah Morimoto of the Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry in New York told AFP.The computer training, in addition, improves measures of executive (brain) function more than the escitalopram, according to the study.Study limitations included a small sample size and the absence of a concurrently-studied comparison group, according to the scientists, who said their work required follow-up research.

Yahoo, comScore to join on online ad measurement

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Yahoo and the online metrics firm comScore announced plans Tuesday to work together to better measure audience reach for ads on Yahoo websites.The move, which comes as Yahoo loses ground to rivals in online advertising, will use comScore's verification platform to provide better data to marketers.Brands are reaching their audiences through multiple channels and need a consistent way to measure results across their campaigns, said Eric Lange of Yahoo.Lange added that the new service provides advertisers with one place to buy, measure and analyze campaigns against all available data. That's something advertisers can't get anywhere else today.While online advertising is surging, Yahoo has failed to keep pace with juggernauts such as Google and Facebook, according to analysts.The research firm eMarketer said last month that Yahoo ad revenues fell 2.1 percent in 2013, and will grow a modest 2.7 percent this year.But the report said Yahoo will be overtaken by Microsoft for third place in online ad revenues, behind market leader Google and second-place Facebook.

ICC to review Anderson-Jadeja decision

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LONDON (AFP) - The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced it is considering whether to appeal against the decision to clear England's James Anderson and India's Ravindra Jadeja over their recent spat.World cricket's governing body said it has received and is considering the written decision of judicial commissioner Gordon Lewis, who found the pair not guilty of breaching the ICC's code of conduct following a disciplinary hearing in Southampton on Friday.The ICC added: As per Section 8.3.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct, ICC chief executive David Richardson has seven days -- until Sunday, 10 August -- to consider whether to lodge an appeal against the decision.The ICC will make no further comment on this matter until the decision has been made.India charged fast bowler Anderson and England counter-charged all-rounder Jadeja regarding an incident that took place on the second day of the drawn first Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on July 10.Anderson and Jadeja, batting at the time, were seen exchanging words as the players left the field during the lunch break.It was alleged that this had escalated into a more serious disagreement, beyond public view, when the players reached the privacy of the pavilion.But Lewis, a retired Australian judge, found Anderson not guilty of a Level Three offence of abusing and pushing Jadeja, who had his 50 percent match-fee fine for a less serious Level One offence rescinded.- BCCI 'not happy' -====================Anderson could have been banned for up to four Tests if he had been found guilty and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has expressed disappointment with the decision to clear him.BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel told the Indian Express: Yesterday (Monday) night, we have written a letter to the ICC. We told them that we are not happy with the decision.We have written about the flaws which we find in the process, and also about why there is a need to appeal against this order.BCCI has no right to appeal on the Jadeja-Anderson case now. But, ICC, who are the prosecutor, still have the right.However, ahead of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Anderson's England team-mate Ian Bell has played down the incident, suggesting it got blown out of proportion.From Jimmy's point of view, and the players who were involved in it (the hearing), they'll do what they've done over the past couple of weeks: put that aside and concentrate on the cricket, he said on Tuesday.The way Jimmy handled everything, to get man of the match at Southampton with everything around the corner afterwards, was an incredible effort. I'm sure he'll do exactly the same here (Manchester), as will all the players.I'm sure we're desperate to get everyone talking about the cricket and a good series, rather than one incident that maybe got blown out of proportion.The ICC has confirmed that its decision to review the case will not prevent Anderson from appearing in the fourth Test, which begins in Manchester on Thursday. The five-match series is currently tied at 1-1.

Imran Khan will continue to 'cry rigging' until he gets premiership: Rana Mashhood

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Punjab Law Minister Rana Mashhood said on Tuesday that Imran Khan will continue to ‘cry rigging’ until he becomes the Prime Minister, alleging that all political parties except Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) want to see a stable democracy, Dunya News reported.In a statement, Mashhood said that Imran Khan is self-obsessed, adding that PTI only secured one seat in 2002 elections and none in 1997 elections.He said people would never allow sabotaging of the democratic system by force.“People would soon know upon whose directions Imran Khan is creating anarchy”, he said.Mashhood said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) got millions of additional votes owing to the performance during their previous tenure in Punjab province.“Why doesn’t Imran Khan admit defeat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government?” he asked.He said the revolution of development and prosperity will take ‘tsunami’ and ‘molvi’s revolution’ by storm.

Golf: McIlroy not ready to launch 'Rory era' just yet

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LOUISVILLE (AFP) - World number one Rory McIlroy has become golf's most dominant player thanks to longer drives and more accurate wedges, but he's not calling this the Rory Era just yet.The 25-year-old from Northern Ireland has eight top-eight finishes this season, won his fourth major title at last month's British Open, captured his first World Golf Championships victory last week at Akron, overtaking Adam Scott for the top of the rankings in the process.McIlroy goes for another major crown starting Thursday at Valhalla in the 96th PGA Championship.I've had a great run and I've played well over the past few months, McIlroy said Tuesday.It's just nice to be able to win a few tournaments and get back to where I feel I should be, which is near the top of the world rankings, competing in majors and winning tournaments.So I'm not necessarily sure you can call that an era, or the start of an era, but I'm really just happy with where my golf game is at the minute and I just want to try to continue that for as long as possible.McIlroy said he does not read what is written about him, especially the hype this week as the favorite at a course he is seeing in person for the first time.If you read everything that's being written, I would turn up at the first tee on Thursday thinking I had already won the tournament, McIlroy said.Sometimes I feel that people are too quick to jump to conclusions and jump on the bandwagon and jump on certain things.People this week are talking about how the ball jumped off McIlroy's driver.McIlroy averaged a PGA season-best 334 yards off the tee at Akron and ranked 12th in driving accuracy while leading in greens reached in regulation as well.McIlroy has his weight at a personal high of 160 pounds (72.5kg) and that extra muscle has helped him power the ball down the fairway with impressive results.Definitely over the past couple of weeks it's the best I've driven the ball and hopefully I can continue to do that, McIlroy said.I'm definitely hitting it longer. I've started to work harder in the gym and I've gotten stronger in certain areas of my body which I needed to.I've always had the speed and the power but I haven't maybe had the strength or the stability to hold onto it my whole way through the swing. Working on a couple different things in the gym has definitely helped.Is there more to come? Maybe. It's not like I'm going to get much bigger. I've put on three kilograms of muscle in the last eight weeks so that definitely helps. I'm the heaviest I've ever been.- McIlroy works on wedges -===========================Even McIlroy sees that he might not need more distance once he consistently outdrives all the competition.I don't feel like I need to put on any more distance, he said. If I can hit it over 300 yards and in the fairway most of the time I'm happy enough with that. That gives me plenty of opportunities to hit it close to flags.McIlroy has worked on that as well by stressing work on wedge shots into greens and putting.I wasn't being efficient enough, he said. I wasn't taking advantage of some of the drives I was hitting so my wedge play had to get better.I discovered a little thing with my putting after the Masters so I've been working on that and it seems to have worked well, McIlroy said. I figured out something with my alignment.McIlroy took a day off Monday to make sure his mind is as ready as his body for the challenges Valhalla poses.I needed just to recharge a little bit, McIlroy said. Emotionally and mentally it's more fatiguing after you win tournaments than physically. So just to give your brain a rest is a good thing.People can talk about my driving or how I'm swinging the club but mentally I just feel like I'm in a really good place and that's what I'm really happy about.
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