Monday 15 September 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Militants attack police check post in Swabi

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SWABI (Dunya News) – According to details, militants attacked a police check post in Darand area of Swabi on early Tuesday morning. Heavy arms were used in the attack.Police force present at the check post retaliated the attack while reinforcement also reached the spot upon which that attackers escaped from the scene. Police have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

Football: Bayern host familiar foes Man City

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MUNICH (AFP) - For the fifth time in four years, European giants Bayern Munich and Manchester City will play each other in the Champions League group stages.The opening game in Group E on Wednesday sees the German and English champions meet in Munichs Allianz Arena, where City came back from two goals down to win 3-2 in their final group game last December. While City went on to lose to Barcelona in the last 16, group winners Bayern were hammered 5-0 over two legs by eventual winners Real Madrid in the semi-finals.Bayern sit joint top of the Bundesliga after three matches but they have a lengthy injury list going into their first European match.Midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez and Thiago are all out with knee injuries and the Bavarians suffered another blow on Saturday when Holger Badstuber limped off with a thigh injury in the 2-0 win over VfB Stuttgart.Badstuber had recently returned from 20 months out with a double cruciate ligament injury and in his absence new signing Mehdi Benatia could make his debut on Wednesday in the home defence.One bright spot for Bayern at the weekend was the return of Franck Ribery following a knee problem. The French midfielder made his first appearance of the season against Stuttgart, coming off the bench in the second half to score Bayerns second goal with five minutes remaining.Were currently in a very difficult situation at the moment because we have a lot of players injured and players who are not yet fully fit, Ribery said.But were trying to make the best of it. Were doing everything we can so that we can still get results.Riberys decision to concentrate on club football was criticised last week by UEFA President Michel Platini, who suggested that the 31-year-old could be forced to serve a ban should he refuse a call-up to the France squad. Ribery, who scored in Bayerns 3-1 win over City in Manchester last October, has dismissed his fellow countrymans comments. It doesnt really interest me, Ribery said. Ive decided to retire and people have to accept that.Bayern captain Philipp Lahm also retired from international football this summer after leading Germany to World Cup glory. The 30-year-old is hungry for more success before his career ends though, particularly in the Champions League.I want to get my hands on the trophy again, whether its this season or in the three years that follow, he told Kicker.With the squad we have at the moment, we have a chance to win the title.Two-time Champions League winner Xabi Alonso is set to make his first appearance for Bayern in the competition since his move from Real Madrid.City ended Bayerns 10-game winning streak in the Champions League when they last met. But Alonso hopes his new club can get their revenge on Wednesday before facing other Group E opponents CSKA Moscow and Roma.Manchester City are among the 10 best teams in Europe, he said. But we want to get the points.Bayern manager Pep Guardiola and City boss Manuel Pellegrini know each other well from Spanish football. Ex-Barcelona coach Guardiola already faced the Chliean when he was in charge of Real Madrid, Villarreal and Malaga.Pellegrini will serve a touchline ban on Wednesday, while he will also be without Argentine full-back Pablo Zabaleta after he was sent off against Barcelona last season.Martin Demichelis, who scored Citys late equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Saturday, returns to his former club.It will be extremely emotional for me because Bayern were the club that gave me the chance to come to Europe and play the Argentine defender said.The Bayern defence should feature ex-City centre back Jerome Boateng.

US in first air strike near Baghdad on IS: officials

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States bombed the Islamic State near Baghdad, the first time the US has targeted the militants close to the Iraqi capital, US officials said Monday.A US defense official told AFP on condition of anonymity that American warplanes carried out one air strike near Baghdad and another near Mount Sinjar, in the north of Iraq, in the past 24 hours.The United States last month began a campaign of air strikes against IS positions in northern Iraq, but Mondays announcement that US warplanes had targeted the militants near Baghdad marks an escalation in the scope of the mission.US military forces continued to attack ISIL (IS) terrorists in Iraq, employing attack and fighter aircraft to conduct two airstrikes Sunday and Monday in support of Iraqi security forces near Sinjar and southwest of Baghdad, US Central Command said in a statement.The air strike southwest of Baghdad was the first strike taken as part of our expanded efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions to hit ISIL targets as Iraqi forces go on offense, as outlined in the presidents speech last Wednesday.The strikes destroyed six IS vehicles near Sinjar and an IS fighting position southwest of Baghdad that had been firing on Iraqi forces.All aircraft exited the strike areas safely, the statement added. These strikes were conducted under authority to protect US personnel and facilities, support humanitarian efforts, and help Iraqi forces on the offensive against ISIL terrorists.They bring the number of US air strikes across Iraq to 162.The news comes as the worlds top diplomats pledged to support Iraq in its fight against IS by any means necessary, including appropriate military assistance.The international community is scrambling to contain the IS jihadists, who have rampaged across Iraq and Syria and could number as many as 31,500 fighters, according to the CIA.

Iran rejects US-led coalition against jihadists

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TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran said Monday it rejected a US request for its cooperation against the jihadist Islamic State as part of an international coalition whose true aim Tehran sees as regime change in Syria.Seen from Tehran, which has helped both Damascus and Baghdad to confront IS advances, the coalition lacks credibility because some of its members had financed and armed the group as part of their campaign to bring down Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.Right from the start, the United States asked through its ambassador in Iraq whether we could cooperate against Daaesh, Irans supreme leader Ali Khamenei said in a statement on his official website, using the Arabic acronym for IS.I said no, because they have dirty hands, said Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state in the Islamic Republic.Secretary of State (John Kerry) personally asked (Iranian counterpart) Mohammad Javad Zarif and he rejected the request, said Khamenei, who was leaving hospital after what doctors said was successful prostate surgery.He accused Washington of seeking a pretext to do in Iraq and Syria what it already does in Pakistan -- bomb anywhere without authorisation.At the end of a Paris conference on coordinating the fight against IS, to which Iran and Syria were not invited, the United States said Monday it was opposed to military cooperation with Iran in Iraq but was open to further talks.We will not be coordinating with Iran, Kerry told reporters shortly after Khameneis statement. But as I said, we are open to have a conversation.For Khamenei, the Americans are lying when they say they refused to have Iran in the alliance because from the very start we declared our opposition to such a presence.Washington had appealed for help from all regional states against the jihadists, who spearheaded a lightning offensive through the Sunni Arab heartland north and west of Baghdad in June and then unleashed a wave of atrocities against ethnic and religious minorities.But last week Kerry ruled out cooperation with Tehran, citing the mainly Shiite countrys engagement in Syria and elsewhere.Tehran has been the main regional ally of the Damascus government throughout a three-and-a-half-year armed revolt against Assad.It strongly criticised President Barack Obamas announcement last Wednesday that he had authorised US air strikes against IS targets in Syria without the consent of Damascus.Khamenei predicted the US-led coalition against IS would prove as ineffective as the so-called Friends of Syria international conferences held as a show of solidarity with anti-Assad rebels.The alliance against Syria... didnt manage to do anything, and it will be the same thing in Iraq, said Irans leader.In Paris, the worlds top diplomats pledged to support Iraq in its fight against IS militants by any means necessary, including appropriate military assistance.Representatives from around 30 countries and international organisations, including the United States, Russia and China, took part.Iraqs Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari voiced regret in Paris that Iran had not been invited to the conference.We insisted that Iran be present. However, its not us that took the decision. We regret the absence of Iran at this conference, he told reporters.All countries are affected by the Daaesh problem and Iran is a neighbouring country that has several times given us its support, he said.British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, meanwhile, called for Iran to cooperate with the coalition even if it did not form part of the alliance.It was always unlikely that Iran would become a fully fledged member of the coalition but I think we should continue to hope that Iran will align itself broadly with the direction that the coalition is going, Hammond told reporters.He said he hoped Iran would be cooperative with the plans that the coalition is putting in place, if not actively a part of the coalition.

Unidentified jet hits Libya militia position: reports

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TRIPOLI (AFP) - An unidentified military jet launched an air strike on Monday against a military base in western Libya held by anti-government militias, Libyan media reported.The raid hit a munitions depot held by a militia in the town of Gharyan, southwest of the capital, state news agency LANA reported.Last month Forces belonging to the mostly Islamist Fajr Libya (Libya Dawn) alliance were targeted by warplanes near Tripoli airport before they defeated nationalist militia rivals at the site, with Washington saying the UAE and Egypt were behind the night raids.Mondays strike left a number of casualties LANA said without elaborating, while private television station Al-Nabaa said 11 people were wounded.Militias in Gharyan are members of the Fajr Libya alliance which rejects the legitimacy of the elected parliament because it allegedly supported the air raids against its fighters at the airport.The government, in turn, has accused Sudan and Qatar of supplying weapons to its Islamist opponents.Parliament and the internationally recognised government relocated to Tobruk 1,500 kilometres (1,000 miles) east of Tripoli to escape deadly violence rocking the capital as rival militias battled for control of the city.

Oil prices mixed amid weak US, China data

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Global oil prices finished mixed Monday after weak US and Chinese industrial data clouded the outlook for demand in the worlds largest economies.The US benchmark futures contract, West Texas Intermediate for delivery in October, rose 65 cents to finish at $92.92 a barrel, rebounding a bit from recent steep losses. On Friday WTI had closed at its lowest since January.In London on the final day of its October contract, Brent North Sea crude sank 46 cents to settle at $96.65 a barrel, its lowest level since late June 2012.The oil market on both sides of the Atlantic was under pressure earlier in the day after China reported over the weekend that industrial production stuttered in August, with growth dropping sharply to 6.9 percent, the slowest pace in more than five years.The data added to worries about weakening growth in the worlds number two economy even after the Chinese governments stimulus measures. Less-than-expected Chinese growth translates into lower demand for oil, said Andy Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates.The Chinese data was followed Monday by official data showing an unexpected fall in US industrial output in August after six months of gains.Lipow said the WTI rebound was not due to any particular factor but came amid historically high utilization of oil refineries for this time of the year, and that creates demand for oil.Meanwhile, traders mulled an OECD downgrade of economic growth forecasts for most of the major advanced economies, particularly highlighting the sluggish eurozone recovery as the most worrying feature of the projections.The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development slashed its 2014 growth forecast for the 18-nation eurozone to 0.8 percent from its May estimate of 1.2 percent.For Tim Evans of Citi Futures, the WTI uptick suggested that the market had reached levels where selling may be drying up, and bargain-hunting emerges.

Dollar higher ahead of Fed meeting

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar gained pace Monday ahead of a policy meeting of the Federal Reserve, though held back somewhat by a disappointing report on US industrial production in August.The Fed opens a two-day meeting on monetary policy in Washington Tuesday amid heightened discussion over whether it should move sooner to hike interest rates.Critics of its nearly six-year-old zero rate policy say it is feeding asset bubbles and possibly inflation.The Bank for International Settlements warned Sunday that loose monetary policies have created an illusion of permanent liquidity that is spurring investors to make risky bets and push up asset prices. Markets will not be liquid when that liquidity is needed most, said Claudio Borio, who heads the BISs monetary and economic unit.He urged sound prudential policies (and) extra prudence on the part of market participants themselves.US interest rates have edged up in recent weeks amid the calls for tighter policy, but still remain far below the levels of last December.Slow growth in Europe, fresh data from China indicating a deceleration, and the 0.1 percent fall in industrial output in the US last month could support dovish central bankers arguments for keeping rates down longer.Most eyes are watching to see if the Fed tweaks its message in a way that would allow for a rate hike before the mid-2015 forecast without actually moving that target. The ambiguity could give a boost to the dollar, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.The pound meanwhile was flat against the euro and slightly lower on the dollar ahead of Thursdays referendum on Scottish independence, which could be close though the no vote is expected to win.

Doosra not illegal, says inventor Saqlain

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KARACHI (AFP) - Retired spin king Saqlain Mushtaq on Monday defended the controversial doosra delivery he invented, which has come under renewed scrutiny since fellow Pakistani Saaed Ajmals chucking ban last week.The doosra, which means the second one in Urdu, turns from legside to offside -- the opposite direction to orthodox off breaks. It is bowled from the back of the hand with a lot of top-spin, though the bowlers wrist still moves in a clockwise direction, making it difficult for a batsman to pick.Saqlain is credited with its invention, adding to a list of Pakistani innovations in cricket including the batsmans reverse-sweep and reverse swing bowling.But the delivery has come to be regarded with deep suspicion by many, particularly in Australia and England, where critics charge that doosra bowlers bend their arm beyond the permissible 15 degree limit.Saqlain, who took 208 Test and 288 one-day wickets, told AFP from London the naysayers were wrong.Who says doosra is illegal? he asked. It can easily delivered within the allowed rules. It is not an easy delivery to bowl but if a bowler becomes expert he doesnt transgress limits.You need to have strong muscles to bowl a doosra, then fitness matters, also grip, rhythm and follow through. If just one of these things is missing then you get out of limits, he added.Saqlain, who comes from a humble background, recalled he discovered the delivery while playing cricket with a table tennis ball.I used to play with my brother and cousin at the roof of my house in Lahore and tried the doosra with a table tennis ball, he said. I got very excited when the ball turned the other way.I tried and tried and perfected it and when I used to go to play club matches I would baffle the batsmen with doosra, and on winning the matches I was rewarded with sumptuous lunches and dinners. And from there I broke into the Pakistan team.Saqlain will arrive in Lahore next week to start remedial work on Ajmals action, reported during the Galle Test against Sri Lanka last month.The ban was imposed by the International Cricket Council.Ajmals action was then assessed in a bio-mechanics lab in Brisbane, Australia which revealed he flexes his elbow up to 43 degrees for his off-spinner and 42 for his doosra.Saqlain said he hoped to alter Ajmals action, though some believe Ajmal may be too old to change his ways at 36.I am quite hopeful of helping him. I am not making any guarantees but will see his reports and footage and then try my best.Ajmal, for his part, told reporters Monday he was focused on his comeback as he began his remedial programme.I am sitting in front of you without any tension, whatever happened was disappointing but I am focused on staging a strong comeback, he said.Pakistan have considered off-spinners Atif Maqbool and Adnan Rasool to replace Ajmal in the short-term. Both are prolific performers at domestic level -- but both have suspect actions.

Chanderpaul thwarts Bangladesh once again

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GROS-ISLET (AFP) - Shivnarine Chanderpauls phenomenal run of form against Bangladesh continued with the veteran West Indies batsman unbeaten on 63 in guiding his team to 208 for four, an overall lead of 427, at stumps on the third day of the second and final Test at the Beausejour Stadium on Monday.After captain Denesh Ramdin declined to enforce the follow-on despite a first innings lead of 219 when the tourists were dismissed for 161 in the morning session, the home side slipped to 100 for four before an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 108 between Chanderpaul and Jermaine Blackwood (43 not out) killed off any prospect Bangladesh had of precipitating a complete batting collapse.Chanderpaul, now in his 21st year as an international cricketer, has yet to be dismissed in this series and has totalled 645 runs - with just one dismissal - in his last seven Test innings against Bangladesh, including the current effort, dating back to the 2012 series on the Indian sub-continent.This was his 66th half-century in Tests, and having been left unbeaten on 85 and 84 in his two previous innings in the series, the 40-year-old left-hander would appear to have considerable time on his side to get the 37 runs required for a 30th Test century going into the fourth day of the scheduled five-day match.Fast bowler Kemar Roach failed to add to his five-wicket tally from the previous afternoon and it was left to spinner Sulieman Benn, who claimed the last two wickets, to ensure that the West Indies had a huge advantage at the start of their second innings.Only Mahmudullah offered any significant resistance, the all-rounder being ninth out for 53, his second consecutive half-century and fourth score of over 50 in Tests against the West Indies. He was supported by Shafiul Islam in a 45-run eighth-wicket partnership that held up the home sides progress for an hour until the tailender edged a delivery from fast bowler Shannon Gabriel to Ramdin, one of five catches in the innings for the wicketkeeper.Building on that substantial platform, Kraigg Brathwaite and Leon Johnson put on 76 for the first wicket before the debutant was bowled driving at left-arm spinner Taijul Islam for 41. Having put on 143 in the first innings, they had come within 24 runs of being the first West Indies opening pair ever to compile century stands in both innings of a Test.Kirk Edwards and Darren Bravo fell cheaply and when Mahmudullah claimed his second wicket by having Brathwaite caught at slip for 45, West Indies were in need of some stability.Chanderpaul and Blackwood provided it to put the West Indies in complete command by the end of the day.

Scottish parliament gets more powers,if rejects independence

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ABERDEEN (AFP) - The leaders of the three main British parties on Tuesday issued a joint pledge to give the Scottish parliament more powers if voters reject independence, in a final drive to stop the United Kingdom splitting.The promise, which re-iterates previous commitments, appeared on the front page of leading Scottish newspaper the Daily Record under the headline The vow.Its appearance comes two days ahead of Scotlands independence referendum on Thursday.Printed to look like a yellowed scroll, the promise was signed by Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, opposition Labour party leader Ed Miliband, and Liberal Democrat deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.We agreed that: The Scottish Parliament is permanent and extensive new powers for the Parliament will be delivered, the text read.People want to see change. A No vote will deliver faster, safer and better change than separation.It re-affirmed a timetable for new powers announced by the three leaders last week, after polls showed a late surge in support for independence, putting the outcome on a knife edgeIts clear that project panic is willing to say anything in the last few days of the campaign to try to halt the Yes momentum, a spokesman for the pro-independence campaign said.The reality is that the only way to guarantee Scotland gets all the powers we need...is with a Yes vote on Thursday.- No going back -=================The pledge was published after a last minute trip to Scotland by Cameron to urge Scots to vote against independence or face dire consequences, in what could be his last visit to Scotland before the vote.Head, heart and soul, we want you to stay, Cameron said to applause from a mostly elderly audience of hundreds of people who were bussed in for the event in Aberdeen, a city that is a hub for Scotlands offshore oil and gas industry.Independence would not be a trial separation, it would be a painful divorce, he said, warning of a risk to pensions and the difficulties of a physical border.There is no going back from this, he said.Back in London, thousands rallied to plead with Scotland to stay in the union, waving union jack flags and holding signs such as Scotland we love you, dont go in a rally in central Trafalgar Square.We think that unity is better than division, and cooperation is better than competition, organiser Dan Snow, a broadcaster and historian, told the crowd.Three surveys published over the weekend put the pro-union campaign ahead by varying margins: 47 percent for No to 40.8 percent for Yes in a poll by Survation; 47.7 to 42.3 percent in an Opinium survey; and 47.1 to 46.1 percent in a Panelbase poll.An ICM online poll for The Sunday Telegraph newspaper however gave the Yes camp 49 percent, ahead of the pro-UK camp at 42 percent with 9.0 percent undecided, although pollsters warned the sample size could be too small to be representative.- Strong, robust and united -===============================With polls showing an extremely tight vote on Thursday, campaigners for and against keeping Scotland in the United Kingdom pulled out all the stops, with English football icon David Beckham declaring support for the Better Together camp.Ron Fowlie, a 73-year-old pro-independence activist who was handing out leaflets in Aberdeens city centre on Monday, dismissed the pressure to keep the United Kingdom together.He said he was confident of victory and stated: We would like to run our own country.Gilliam Wanterbberin, 39, who attended Camerons speech, was more sympathetic to the pro-unity stance. Hes done a good thing in coming here and not staying in London, he said.Economists disagree about the consequences of a split, with Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz describing warnings as fear-mongering but fellow Nobel laureate and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman cautioning of huge risks.In a meeting with business leaders who support independence, Scotlands pro-independence first minister, Alex Salmond, accused Cameron of orchestration in getting businesses to support a No vote.This is about creating a more prosperous Scotland but also about creating a fairer society, Salmond said.People have got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in three days time to put Scotlands future in Scotlands hands.

Eurozone economic growth forecast cut

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FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) A major international organization has cut its growth forecast for the countries that use the euro and says the troubled currency union needs even more stimulus from the central bank and governments.The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a think tank dealing with the worlds developed countries, cut its forecasts for the eurozone this year to 0.8 percent from 1.2 percent in its May assessment.The Paris-based OECD also cut its growth forecasts for the U.S. and several other large economies but said the global economy overall was continuing a moderate if uneven recovery. The outlook for the U.S. was cut to 2.1 percent from 2.6 percent and for Japan to 0.9 percent from 1.2 percent. Italy, one of the more troubled economies in Europe, was downgraded from 0.5 percent to minus 0.4 percent.The OECD singled out the 18-country eurozone for special attention, saying the European Central Bank needs to do more to help growth in the eurozone, including large-scale bond purchases, to expand the amount of money in the financial system - a move known as quantitative easing. It also called on governments to loosen spending within the flexibility afforded by European Union rules limiting deficits and debt.The ECB has already taken a number of steps aimed at supporting a weak recovery. It has cut its benchmark interest rate to a record low of 0.05 percent, offered long-term cheap loans to banks on condition they lend to companies, and said it will buy bonds made up of loans to companies as another way to boost credit to businesses.The OECD said growth remains weak in the euro area, which runs the risk of prolonged stagnation if further steps are not taken to boost demand and that further measures, including quantitative easing, are warranted.The U.S. Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan and Bank of England have all tried quantitative easing. The ECB has not ruled it out, but the step is more complicated in a currency union with 18 countries.The world economy continues to grow but forecasts are uneven across countries. China is expected to grow 7.4 percent his year but Brazil only 0.3 percent after falling into recession in the first half.The OECDs acting chief economist, Rintaro Tamaki, said labor markets in the developed world were only slowly improving, with far too many people still unable to find good jobs worldwide.

Documentary about US presidents

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NEW YORK (AP) Ken Burns new documentary about the Roosevelts presidents Theodore and Franklin, and Franklins wife Eleanor is bound to stir interest in some of the places connected to them. Heres a look at some major Roosevelt sites, including birthplaces, family homes, vacation retreats and national parks and monuments from Maine to North Dakota.THEODORE ROOSEVELT SITESTHEODORE ROOSEVELT BIRTHPLACE: Theodore Roosevelt lived at 28 E. 20th St. in Manhattan from his birth in 1858 until he was 14. The building was demolished in 1916, but later reconstructed and decorated with original and period furnishings. A free half-hour tour tells the story of Roosevelts family: He was descended from Dutch traders who made their fortune in New York (Roosevelt means rose field in Dutch, and is pronounced rose-velt), and he was Eleanor Roosevelts uncle and Franklin Roosevelts distant cousin. A sickly child, Teddy became fit using a gym on a terrace off his bedroom here. Museum artifacts include a shirt with a bullet hole; Roosevelt was shot on the campaign trail in Milwaukee but finished his speech before getting medical care; http://www.nps.gov/thrb/ .THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK: This park in the badlands of western North Dakota commemorates Theodore Roosevelts sojourn to the region in the 1880s, hunting bison and working on a ranch; http://www.nps.gov/thro/ .MOUNT RUSHMORE: Theodore Roosevelt is one of four presidents whose faces adorn Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, along with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. Roosevelts legacy includes his leadership in conservation, creating national parks and wilderness areas, and preserving antiquities. He was also seen as a fighter for the common man, taking on corporate monopolies; http://www.nps.gov/moru/ .SAGAMORE HILL: This was Teddy Roosevelts summer White House, where he vacationed with his family. The home, on the North Shore of Long Island near Oyster Bay, New York, is closed for renovation, though a nearby museum and grounds are open; http://www.nps.gov/sahi/ .FRANKLIN AND ELEANOR ROOSEVELT SITESFRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM: Through exhibits on Pearl Harbor, Fireside Chats, the New Deal and many other defining aspects of FDRs presidency, this site in Hyde Park, New York, brings to life his leadership during the Great Depression and World War II. But visitors will also learn about FDRs personal life, from his domineering mother, to his struggles with polio, to his relationships with Eleanor and other women. Nearby National Park Service sites include Springwood, where FDR was born and lived; Val-Kill, Eleanors retreat; and Top Cottage, FDRs private digs; http://www.nps.gov/hofr/ and http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/ .FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL: This evocative, unusual memorial in Washington, D.C., consists of a series of outdoor galleries with waterfalls, sculptures and famous FDR quotes such as The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Sculptures show FDR with his dog and FDR in a wheelchair; http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/presidents/fdr_memorial.html .WARM SPRINGS: Warm Springs, Georgia, was known for therapeutic swimming pools that offered relief from polio. FDR, who was partly paralyzed from polio, frequently visited, regaining some of his strength here and eventually building a home known as the Little White House. He died here in 1945 during his fourth presidential term. Visitors can see the home, pools and other sites related to polio history; http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/presidents/roosevelts_little_white_house.html .CAMPOBELLO: FDR had a 34-room summer home off the coast of Maine on Campobello Island, in New Brunswick, Canada, where his mothers family vacationed. It was here that he first experienced symptoms of polio in 1921. The home is open for tours from late May through Columbus Day (Oct. 13). The areas rocky shores, trails and driving roads can be visited year-round. A bridge connects Lubec, Maine, with Campobello, but you must have a passport to cross; http://www.nps.gov/roca/index.htm .FOUR FREEDOMS PARK: This park, located on Roosevelt Island in New York Citys East River, memorializes FDRs Four Freedoms speech, made in 1941, extolling freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. An excerpt is engraved on a granite monument near a bust of FDR. The park, designed by architect Louis I. Kahn, is considered a sleek Modernist masterpiece. Its tree-lined plazas, steps and other structures offer vantage points full of symmetry and angled views for seeing the Manhattan skyline. Reachable via subway or the Roosevelt Island tram; http://www.fdrfourfreedomspark.org/ .ROOSEVELT HOUSE PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE AT HUNTER COLLEGE: FDR and Eleanor received this six-story Manhattan town house as a gift in 1908 from FDRs mother Sara Delano Roosevelt. A single front door opened into two units one for the mother-in-law and one for FDR and his family. They lived here for decades; this is where FDR recovered from polio, ran for governor and president, and planned the New Deal. Its now owned and used by Hunter College for lectures and events, and can be toured Saturdays, 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.; 47-49 E. 65th St., New York City; http://www.roosevelthouse.hunter.cuny.edu/tours/ .

Flood ravage continues, Rajanpur on high alert

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Rajjanpur (Dunya News) – As water levels ascend in Sindh River, the flood, which originated from River Chenab, consumed Shujabad and Alipur. A flood warning has also been issued in the areas of Rajanpur and Rahim Yar Khan.After creating havoc in Punjab, the flood charges towards Sindh. The flood created destruction in Shujabad on a very large scale. Thousands of acres of land has been destroyed including the planted crops on these lands.Many people have been displaced fromt heir homes while enetire villages have been consumed by the floods, and these people have been forced to live in temporary abodes of refuge.Water levels have also been rising at the Tonsa barrage, which has resulted in migration from that area. In some villages, communication on ground has been halted due to the flood damage.According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), people and cattle have been shifted to secure places in order to avoid further damage. The Pakistan Army is also engaged in a flood relief operation within the flood-affected areas.ISPR further added that the civil leadership and the military are committed to the rehabilitation of the people belonging to the flood-affected areas.

US would hit back against Assad attack: Sources

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WASHINGTON (AP)The United States would retaliate against Syrian President Bashar Assads air defenses if he were to go after American planes launching airstrikes in his country, senior Obama administration officials said Monday.Officials said the U.S. has a good sense of where the Syrian air defenses, along with their command and control centers, are located. If Assad were to use those capabilities to threaten U.S. forces, it would put his air defenses at risk, according to the officials, who insisted on anonymity in order to discuss the administrations thinking on the matter.President Barack Obama has authorized U.S. airstrikes inside Syria as part of a broad campaign to root out the Islamic State militant group, though no strikes have yet been launched in the country.The mere discussion of launching strikes in Syria has highlighted the complexity of taking U.S. military action inside a country locked in an intractable civil war. The campaign against the Islamic State, for example, risks putting the U.S. on the same side as Assad, whose government forces have also been trying to oust the militant group.However, the U.S. has ruled out the prospect of coordinating with Assad as it launches airstrikes. And officials have acknowledged concerns about Assads own formidable air defenses.When asked Monday about the prospect of striking Assads regime if his forces were to target Americans, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said there will be rules of engagement that are related to any military orders the president directs.

Kerry: US open to talks with Iran on Islamic State

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PARIS (AP)As more than two dozen nations pledged Monday to help Iraq fight the Islamic State militants, the United States said it was open to talking to Iran about a role in resolving the crisis, despite Washingtons earlier opposition to Tehran even attending the conference.U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry ruled out any military coordination with Iran, which in the end was not invited to Paris.That doesnt mean that we are opposed to the idea of communicating to find out if they will come on board, or under what circumstances, or whether there is the possibility of a change, Kerry told a small group of reporters.France and Iraq see Shiite-powerhouse Iran as an interlocutor who could bring its influence to bear in the region against the Sunni extremists of the Islamic State group, but some Arab states, like Saudi Arabia, disagree.The U.S. opposed a place for Iran at the conference. But Tehran, which has political and military influence with its neighbor Iraq, still managed to be part of the conversation.The absence of Iran underscored the conflicting sensitivities and complex politics in the region as Western countries seek to battle the Islamic State group, which has taken control of large parts of Iraq and Syria.The meeting of foreign ministers from Asia, the Middle East and the West was a first step toward deciding who does what in a multilayered offensive against the Islamic State group. As envisioned by France and Iraq, the effort would include intensifying airstrikes, cutting off financing, and helping Baghdad cope through humanitarian aid and reconstruction. There would be no combat troops on the ground, however.As the conference began, two French jets took off over Iraq in Frances first reconnaissance missions over the country in a sign of the larger battle ahead. The United States has led airstrikes over Iraq since August.We are asking for airborne operations to be continued regularly against terrorist sites. We must not allow them to set up sanctuaries. We must pursue them wherever they are, Iraqi President Fouad Massoum said, an apparent reference to neighboring Syria.Syria, deep in a civil war waged in part by rival extremist groups, was the wellspring for the Islamic State group, with its fighters sweeping across the border into Iraq, overwhelming the military in Sunni-dominated Anbar province and capitalizing on grievances against the Shiite-led government in Baghdad.The fighters went on to conquer Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, with the U.S.-trained military crumbling, and seized tanks and other military equipment, then steamrolled across northern Iraq.The CIA estimates the group has access to between 20,000 and 31,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria including foreigners lured to the cause.The recent execution of three Western hostages British aid worker David Haines and two American journalists added new urgency to the task of creating a viable strategy to knock out the Islamic State group.We must cut off their financing. We must bring them to justice and we must stop the fighters in neighboring countries from joining them, Massoum said at the conference opening.The group brings in more than $3 million a day from oil smuggling, human trafficking, theft and extortion, according to U.S. intelligence officials and private experts.The Paris meeting was a coalition of strange bedfellows, some of whom have allegedly financed extremist groups in Syria and Iraq, and others, like Russia, which backs Syrias Bashar Assad who is also supported by Iran.Less than a week ago in Baghdad, Kerry was clear about the U.S. position regarding Iran, embroiled in a years-long dispute with the West over concern that Tehran wants nuclear weapons.The United States does not cooperate, militarily or otherwise, nor does it have any intention in this process of doing so, with Iran, he had said.France, stressing a pragmatic approach, felt Iran could be an ally against a common enemy if, as President Francois Hollande said, Tehran abides by principles permitting a sincere and useful conversation.On Monday, Kerry, in an apparent about face, said he wouldnt shut the door to talking to Iran about a common enemy.Were not coordinating with Iran, but as I said, were open to have a conversation at some point in time if theres a way to find something constructive, he said.Kerry spoke after Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the U.S. had in fact requested that Tehran join the fight against the Islamic State group but it rejected the overture because of Washingtons unclean intentions.Kerry did not respond directly to questions about that claim. He said there are often discussions on the sidelines of nuclear talks.Im never going to shut the door to something that could solve a problem if theres a way to do it, Kerry said.Back-door dealings are common in Middle East diplomacy, but it was unclear whether Iran would cooperate. Khamenei said Iran is proud not to be part of the U.S.-led coalition and warned it will suffer the same problems it suffered in the past should it enter Iraq and Syria without authorization.Massoum would have liked Iran at the talks.We have a nearly 1,000-kilometer (625-mile) border with them (Iran) and from the first day the Islamic State group made itself known ... Iran gave us humanitarian and military aid, Massoum told The Associated Press ahead of the conference.He conceded there are perhaps sensitivities between certain countries and Iran.There was never any question of adding Iran to the coalition planning airstrikes, but Tehran is closely linked to Iraq.There will be no success in Iraq without cooperation with Iran, said Francois Gere, of the French Institute of Strategic Analysis.Oponents of Iranian involvements cite Irans backing of Assad, mainly via the Hezbollah group it helped create decades ago and, as one diplomat said, all these dark zones about Iranian intentions.However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted Monday that Syria and Iran are natural allies in the fight against the extremists, and therefore must be engaged, according to Russian news agencies.The extremists are trying to use any disagreements in our positions to tear apart the united front of states acting against them, he said.Talks and possibilities to review options with Iran are not over. Discussions likely will continue informally at the U.N. General Assembly later this month, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal has said.___Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten, Sylvie Corbet, Angela Charlton and Lori Hinnant in Paris and Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran contributed to this report.
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