Tuesday 9 September 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Hope for Guantanamo detainees

Posted:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - After more than a decade held without charge, dozens of Guantanamo detainees ought to have sight of freedom, but hard-won deals for their release are languishing awaiting a final Pentagon signature.Some 79 of the 149 prisoners still incarcerated at the US military base in Guantanamo Bay, southern Cuba, have been approved for transfer after being assessed as posing no security risk to the United States.Most of them were told as long ago as 2009 or 2010 that they would face no charges and were now eligible to be either sent home or to a third host nation.Yet they are still waiting.In recent months US officials have nailed down deals which could see the fairly swift release of a couple of dozen detainees from different countries, administration sources confirmed to AFP, declining to go into any detail.In June, a senior official had predicted there would be substantial progress this year towards President Barack Obamas avowed aim of closing the costly and politically toxic operation.But so far this year only one prisoner approved for release has been freed, and there is a growing sense of frustration.Continued delay on closing Guantanamo is unacceptable, whether it is from roadblocks put up by some in Congress or from some in the administration, Senator Dianne Feinstein told AFP.Videos of the beheading of two American journalists, forced by their jihadist captors to wear orange jumpsuits like those used in US jails, are a grim reminder that Guantanamo remains a hated symbol of the Bush-era war of terror launched in the wake of the 2001 attacks.- Taliban swap fallout -======================== Yet what should have been relatively straight-forward transfers have become bogged down, in part due to the political uproar in June over the swap of five top Taliban officials -- who had been due to remain behind bars -- for captured American soldier Bowe Bergdahl.Administration sources, who requested anonymity because the dossier is so sensitive, said many of the new transfer deals had won a green light from five of the six government agencies involved.Under law, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has to give final approval to every transfer.Pentagon sources denied he was dragging his feet, saying every case needed proper and thorough review to ensure the right conditions are in place.And there have been reports some former Guantanamo detainees have returned to the Islamist extremist cause.But, said Andrea Prasow, deputy Washington director at Human Rights Watch, This is a problem weve had from three successive secretaries of defense.Congress created the structure, making the secretary of defense personally responsible for whatever happens -- and the secretaries have been understandably reluctant to sign up for personal responsibility for anything that might happen.- Time running out -====================Among those waiting to step back into lives frozen for over a decade are four Afghans and a Mauritanian national.Lawyers for 44-year-old Mauritanian Ahmed Abdel Aziz say he was swept up in a US bounty, arrested by Pakistani authorities in June 2002 when, he alleges, money exchanged hands for his capture.Aziz has denied being an Al-Qaeda member and is eager to be reunited with his wife, who was pregnant when he was detained, and the young son he has never met.There are only so many formative years left and he wants to spend those years with his son, said his lawyer Anna Holland Edwards.He often talks not about living in Guantanamo, but of living in a grave.Apart from his wife and son, there is an apartment, a job and a social network awaiting Aziz whenever he finally flies back to Mauritania.Waiting for a signature is part of it, confirmed Holland Edwards, adding her client had never faced any charges.There is of course pressure to make sure no mistakes are made at the expense of progress. But I have the sense there are many dedicated people working very hard now in the government to change that right now.- Ugly stain -==============A separate move to transfer six men to Uruguay, reported to include four Syrians, a Tunisian and a Palestinian, has been given the go-ahead by all six US agencies, and is expected to be concluded later this year.Pentagon officials would not discuss individual cases, but said they are working diligently to transfer detainees. We take a look before you leap approach to each detainee transfer and focus on ensuring security and assuring human rights with our partner nations, said Lieutenant Colonel Myles Caggins, Defense Department spokesman for detainee policy.His assurances were echoed at the State Department by Ian Moss, spokesman for the special envoy to Guantanamo, Cliff Sloan.The US is absolutely committed to the jails closure, Moss said, adding we are actively working to transfer each of the 79 detainees approved for transfer.But Feinstein said: It is far past time to close Guantanamo, an ugly stain on the history of the United States.Every day it is open, we weaken our national security by emboldening extremists, we isolate ourselves internationally and we waste taxpayer money.

Lahore mosque rescue operation complete, 24 killed, 10 injured

Posted:

LAHORE (Dunya News) – Rescue operation has been completed at the Daroghawala Mosque in ‎Lahore. The incident killed at least 24 people and 10 people were injured, Dunya News reported.‎Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Shahbaz Sharif has announced a sum of Rs. 0.5 million for the ‎families of the victims, reportedly. After reviewing the flood-struck areas, CM Punjab directed ‎the relevant authorities to provide finest medical care facilities to the injured victims after taking ‎notice of the tragic incident.‎It all started as worshippers entered the mosque to offer the Zohar prayer. As soon as the call for ‎prayer was announced, worshippers had just begun congregational prayer, the roof of the mosque ‎started trembling, and it collapsed instantaneously with a loud bang. The high-pitched collapse ‎alarmed the residents of the area, and relief efforts on a self-help basis began almost immediately.‎Government authorities joined the relief efforts a short while after the roof had collapsed. A ‎large number of senior officials arrived at the scene to oversee the rescue operation. During the ‎relief process, injured people and dead bodies were recovered subsequently from the debris. ‎Heavy machinery for the navigation of the mosque ruins could not enter the area due to ‎emaciated streets. Those people who were trapped in the remains of the mosque were evacuated ‎with the aid of roof cutters.‎During this crisis, the families of the victims and the people present at the scene were grieving ‎profusely, as the government authorities struggled to recover the lives of those trapped inside the ‎mosque debris.President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement ‎‎(MQM) chief Altaf Hussain expressed grief over the incident.‎

Canada locates British explorer ship lost in 1846

Posted:

MONTREAL (AFP) - Canada has located the remains of one of two British explorer ships lost in the Arctic in 1846, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Tuesday, hailing the find as historic.The search for the ill-fated HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, headed by British explorer Sir John Franklin, involved six major expeditions since 2008 that scoured the seabed in the far-flung and frigid region.Finally, on Sunday, a remotely operated underwater vehicle confirmed the discovery, Harper said in a statement.This is truly a historic moment for Canada, Harper said. Franklins ships are an important part of Canadian history given that his expeditions, which took place nearly 200 years ago, laid the foundations of Canadas Arctic sovereignty.While enough information exists to confirm the authenticity of the find, it remains unclear which of the two doomed ships was actually detected.Harper -- saying one of Canadas greatest mysteries has been solved -- was optimistic that the second ship will now also be uncovered.Finding the first vessel will no doubt provide the momentum -- or wind in our sails -- necessary to locate its sister ship and find out even more about what happened to the Franklin Expeditions crew.At the time, the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror were the jewels of the British Navy.Under the command of Franklin and Captain Francis Crozier, the two vessels, with a combined crew of 134, left the shores of England on May 19, 1845, to discover the Northwest Passage that links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.The last Europeans to have contact with the ships were crew members of two whaling boats that passed them in Baffin Bay in August 1845.But as the explorers pushed into the Arctic archipelago, they soon ran into problems. And no one, aside from the occasional indigenous Inuit, ever saw them again alive.- Cold, hunger, cannibalism -The circumstances surrounding the fate of the Franklin Expedition didnt become clearer until 1859, when a vessel chartered by Franklins widow, Lady Jane Franklin, came across a somber message on King William Island.It turns out the sailors became trapped in ice for a year and half, and eventually ran out of supplies.The message revealed that Franklin and 23 crew members died on June 11, 1847, in unspecified circumstances.On April 22, 1848, 105 survivors left the ships in an attempt to reach solid ground on foot, but none of them survived.In the 1980s, Canadian researchers said the remains of expedition members found on Beechey Island indicated they had died of cold, hunger and lead poisoning from canned food.Bones discovered also showed signs of cannibalism.The two vessels were ultimately engulfed by ice.The wreck was found in Victoria Strait off King William Island, not far from the Inuit village of Cambridge Bay.

PTI, PAT sit-ins cost Pakistan 1000 billion: Ahsan Iqbal

Posted:

ISLAMABAD: (Dunya News) – Federal Minister for Planning and Development Chaudhry Ahsan Iqbal has said that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) sit-ins have cost Pakistan losses of Rs. 1000 billion so far. He warned that Chairman PTI Imran Khan is sowing seeds of civil war in Pakistan by doing malicious propaganda about Baluchistan.Holding a press conference today (Tuesday) in Islamabad, Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart from Narowal said that Imran Khan’s statements about Chief Minister Baluchistan Abdul Malik Baloch and Jamiat Ulema Islam – Fazal (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazalur Rehman were similar to inviting civil war in Pakistan. He said that Imran Khan has made it a habit to malign everyone. “Imran Khan is risking Pakistan’s interests for his personal politics”, said Ahsan Iqbal.Ahsan said that Chinese President was going to bring 34 billion dollars’ investment in Pakistan but his visit was halted by these sit-ins. He expressed hope that Chinese President will visit Pakistan after end of political crisis.Responding to Imran Khan’s allegations on him, Ahsan Iqbal said, “I will send a legal notice to Imran Khan for alleging me of evading tax. Imran Khan calls everyone a tax-evader including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif whereas 11 MNAs of his own party have not paid even a single rupee in terms of tax”.Disclosing details of the losses faced by Pakistan due to the sit-ins, Ahsan Iqbal told that Pakistan has faced Rs. 1000 billion out of which 250 billion rupees loss was faced due to depreciation in the value of rupee, 350 billion rupee loss was faced due to stock market crash, 225 billion rupee loss was faced because of inflation while 150 billion rupee loss was faced because of rise in the import bills of petroleum products.On a question, Ahsan Iqbal said that all institutions including Army have learnt lessons from the past. He said that Army and government share good relations and both are on the same page.

Victory nearing, protesters will celebrate Eid-ul-Adha in their homes: Tahirul Qadri

Posted:

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief on Tuesday said that the ‘victory’ is near and that every participant of the ‘Azadi March’ will celebrate the Eid-ul-Adha in their own homes, implying the matter will be resolved in PAT’s favour before the Eid which will be early next month, Dunya News reported.Addressing the ‘Inqilab March’ participants, Qadri said that the regime of ‘those sitting in parliament’ will end soon.He said that no one can stop the ‘torrent of revolution’, adding that the movement will be successful soon.He expressed hope that the participants will be able to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha in their respective homes.

Apple unveils two big screen iPhones

Posted:

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Apple on Tuesday unveiled two new versions of the iPhone, boosting the screen size of the iconic smartphone to 4.7 and 5.5 inches.Unveiling the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple chief Tim Cook said the company was launching the biggest advancement in the history of iPhones.Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller, speaking in Cupertino, California, said the new iPhones were simply stunning with polarized glass displays and bodies that are thinner than ever before.These are the best phones ever made, Schiller said, as he described the new devices at a major set-piece event streamed live online.The new iPhone 6 will start at the same price of existing iPhones at $199 for US customers while the iPhone 6 Plus will be at $299 with a two-year contract.Schiller said the devices would be available in at least 115 countries by the end of the year.Apple will cut the price of existing iPhone 5S and 5C with the launch.Apples move, expanding the latest iPhone with a four-inch screen, comes as consumers are switching to handsets with bigger displays to watch videos and browse the Internet.Observers say the timing is right for Apple to introduce a generation of iPhone 6 models with screen sizes stretched to tap into users love for phablets that combine the features of smartphones and tablets.

Polish PM Tusk steps down as Brussels calls

Posted:

WARSAW (AFP) - Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk resigned Tuesday, paving the way for him to take over as European Council president in December.Ive handed over my papers, thats right, Tusk told reporters in Warsaw when asked whether he had tendered his resignation to the president.He is likely to be replaced by Ewa Kopacz, dubbed his loyal Iron Lady by Polish analysts.Brusselss choice of Tusk to succeed Herman Van Rompuy in the key EU job is seen in Poland as not only a nod to him, but also a sign of the countrys growing political and economic importance within the European fold.And his governing centre-right Civic Platform (PO) is seeing the first knock-on effects of his presidency, with opinion polls showing it surging ahead of conservative rivals, the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party.But it still remains to be seen whether the Tusk effect will rub off on the party in legislative elections scheduled for the autumn of 2015.Tusk, 57, earned the distinction of steering Poland through the global financial crisis as the only European Union member to maintain growth.As prime minister he also fostered cosy ties with Polands neighbour, EU powerhouse Germany, in the wake of a frosty earlier episode under a PiS administration.Tusk has also succeeded in acquiring significant EU subsidies, but critics say that under pressure from various lobby groups he has put off long promised reforms, including a flat tax and slashing bureaucracy.Once President Bronislaw Komorowski accepts the resignation, he will have two weeks to designate a successor before a September 25 deadline but the president could select a candidate before he makes a trip to Netherlands and the US starting on September 20.- Stable government -The governing coalition -- an alliance between Tusks PO and the agrarian Polish Peoples Party (PSL) -- has already nominated Kopacz, the current parliamentary speaker and an unwavering Tusk ally.Komorowski said he wanted to maintain the stability of government and came out in favour of Kopacz for prime minister. Once he approves her candidature, she will have two weeks to present parliament with a new government and subject it to a vote of confidence.She is highly likely to get the green light from parliament, given the extent of her backing there.The one unknown remains the makeup of the new cabinet. There could be a pretty significant reshuffle, according to Agriculture Minister Marek Sawicki.But it would only affect the PO ministers, as it appears PSL will keep its three portfolios -- economy, agriculture and labour.Several key postings, including that of the defence and foreign ministers, should remain unchanged, according to media speculation.But one of the outgoing cabinets stars, Regional Development Minister Elzbieta Bienkowska, will likely swap her position for that of a European commissioner.Also widely believed to be on his way out is Interior Minister Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz, who was caught up in a high-profile bugging scandal over the summer.

Nation will not succeed until it stands up against oppression: Imran Khan

Posted:

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Urging Pakistanis to take to streets to demand Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan said that the nation of Pakistan will not succeed until it stands up to oppression.Addressing ‘Azadi March’ participants, he said “God will not rid us of oppression until we stand up against oppression… God has obligated Jihad against oppression.”Talking about Pakistan’s economic advancement in the past, Khan said PIA was 2nd best airline 45 years ago.Imran Khan challenged the political opponent Maulana Fazlur Rehman of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) by saying that PTI would not object if Maulana wants a vote recount in Dera Ismail Khan’s by-poll.“Hold re-election if you have doubts over the DI Khan by-poll”, Khan said while challenging Fazlur Rehman.He said the Pakistani nation has awakened and that no force can stop the ‘change’ now.“We will no longer accept the occupation group, no one can defeat someone who doesn’t accept defeat”, he said.Emphasizing the need to learn from the past, Khan said “I was kicked out of the cricket team initially but I learnt from my mistakes for three years and applied again…I trained along with continuing my regular studies”.PTI chief claimed he is the “first politician who didn’t come out of army’s nursery”, adding that he achieved the political success on his own.He said he is a national leader and that he has been to the remotest of areas in the country.“I have been to remotest of Balochistan, KP, FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan, interior Sindh, the poverty I saw in interior Sindh, I never saw anywhere else in the world”, he said.“Britain treats its animals better than we treat humans here”He said that God will not rid the nation of oppression until it stands up against it and that God has obligated Jihad against oppression on Muslims.“British are prosperous because they stand up against oppression and injustice”, he said while comparing the government system of Britain and Pakistan.Urging people to continue supporting him, he said all Pakistanis should be on streets until “we take resignation of corrupt Prime Minister”.PTI chief said the Prime Minister is not alone and that he has alliances with both the left wing and the right wing parties. He said the alliance worries their shops will be closed if PTI succeeds.Mentioning the development and ‘good governance’ led by his party in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Khan said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has depoliticized the police.“We have depoliticized police and eliminated the corruption in KP”, he claimed.“The largest budget was spent on education was in KP… we have appointed 15,000 teachers so far, no political hiring was made, everyone qualified through the National Testing Service (NTS).”Imran Khan said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will surpass rest of Pakistan in terms of progress if continued with the same pace.He told that the KP government has opened schools dedicated to women.“70% of newly opened schools will be for girls”, he said.Lamenting at rival politician Ayaz Sadiq, Imran Khan asked “Why are you hiding behind the stay order Ayaz Sadiq if you won?”Imran Khan reaches flood-hit areas in Sialkot, claims govt’s lack of precaution caused lossSIALKOT (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Tuesday reached the flood-hit areas of Sialkot on a visit.“Had the government taken enough precautionary measures, this much loss could have been prevented”, Khan claimed.PTI chief expressed determination to support the flood affectees in every possible way.Imran Khan is due to visit several adjacent areas including Sambryal, Majran Kalan, Mota Kalan, Mahiwal, Kothiyala, Kolo, Dobarjee, Chanda Singh, Habibpur, Randhir, Bagharrian, Chak Ikhtiar, Bikhray wali, Kapurwali and Godhpur Chowk.

Newborn Killer Whale Spotted in Washington Waters

Posted:

SEATTLE: (AP) - Whale researchers are celebrating the newest member of a population of endangered killer whales that frequent Puget Sound in Washington state.The baby orca spotted over the weekend in waters off San Juan is the populations first calf born since 2012. A researcher saw it swimming between two adult females, most likely the orcas mom and aunt, said Ken Balcomb with the Center for Whale Research, which keeps a census of the whales.The orca is probably less than a week old, he said. Researchers dont know yet whether its a boy or a girl.The baby is a member of the L pod, one of three extended families of whales that are closely tracked and photographed by researchers.Its birth is reason to celebrate, Balcomb said. But he cautioned that orcas are still struggling to recover because of pollution, lack of food and other reasons.The newborn orca brings the number of killer whales in the Puget Sound population to 79, Balcomb said. Two whales were confirmed missing and presumed dead this year.The unique population, known as southern resident killer whales, numbered more than 140 animals decades ago but declined to a low of 71 in the 1970s when dozens of the mammals were captured live to be displayed at marine parks and aquariums across the country.Orcas were listed as endangered in 2005, after local and regional efforts began in the 2000s to conserve them.The resident orcas that eat salmon are declining because the salmon population is also endangered, Balcomb said Monday. What we have to do is get really serious about wild salmon restoration and recovery, which is the food supply for these guys.He said billions of dollars have spent on salmon recovery, but orcas are still in decline. Whats the issue here? Overharvests? Dams? Military exercises? What? We have to figure it out, he added.The striking black and white whales have come to symbolize the Pacific Northwest. Individual whales are identified by slight variations in the shape of their dorsal fins and distinctive whitish-gray patch of pigment behind the dorsal fin, called a saddle patch.The whales are given designations based on whether they belong to J, K or L pod. The newest member is L-120.Dave Ellifrit, a researcher with the center, came across the newborn Saturday while doing routine photo identification of whales, Balcomb said.Killer whales can be found in many oceans, but the distinct Puget Sound population can be found most summer months and fall in Washington state waters.They primarily eat fish, rather than other marine mammals. They travel in three families, or the J, K and L pods. Whales from the same pod tend to spend most of their time together, often grouping around older females

US court convicts ex-nurse of assisting suicide

Posted:

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - An ex-nurse who admitted going online and encouraging people to kill themselves was convicted Tuesday assisting the suicide of an English man and attempting to assist on the suicide of a Canadian woman, following a legal battle that has spanned more than four years and led to the reversal of part of a Minnesota state law that outlaws the practice.Rice County District Judge Thomas Neuville ruled that the state proved that William Melchert-Dinkel, 52, of Faribault, assisted in the suicide of Mark Drybrough, 32, of Coventry, England. He said the state failed to prove Melchert-Dinkel s assistance was a direct cause of the suicide of Nadia Kajouji, 18, of Brampton, Ontario, but found him guilty on a lesser charge of attempting to help her take her life.Neuville scheduled a sentencing hearing for Oct. 15. The same judge had also convicted Melchert-Dinkel in 2011 of encouraging the two suicides but put his 360-day jail sentence on hold pending appeals.The Minnesota Supreme Court reversed Melchert-Dinkel s conviction in March, saying part of a state law that made it illegal to advise or encourage suicides was an unconstitutionally broad restriction on free speech. However, the justices upheld a part of the law that makes it a crime to assist in someones suicide. The ruling said speech alone can be used to assist or enable a suicide if it is narrowly targeted to one person and provides that person with what is needed to carry out the act.The state Supreme Court sent the case back to the lower court for further proceedings because the judge did not rule at the time on whether Melchert-Dinkel actually assisted in the two suicides. Kajouji jumped into a frozen river in 2008, and Drybrough hanged himself in 2005.Evidence in the case showed Melchert-Dinkel was obsessed with suicide and sought out depressed people online. He posed as a suicidal female nurse, feigning compassion and offering step-by-step instructions on how they could kill themselves. He acknowledged participating in online chats about suicide with up to 20 people and entering into fake suicide pacts with about 10, five of whom he believed killed themselves.At a hearing last month, Assistant Rice County Attorney Terence Swihart said Melchert-Dinkel provided Kajouji and Drybrough with specific information on methods for killing themselves, going beyond merely expressing opinions.But defense attorney Terry Watkins said there was no evidence to prove that Melchert-Dinkels advice led directly to their deaths.

Sleepwalking Man Walks Off Cliff

Posted:

SLADE, Ky. (AP) -- Rescue crews say an Ohio man who was camping with friends in central Kentucky s Red River Gorge is recovering after falling from a cliff while sleepwalking.Powell County Emergency Management told WKYT-TV that the group had set up camp near Grey s Arch Trail and the man s friends called for help after realizing that he was missing in the middle of the night.Wolfe County rope technician John May told the station the Cincinnati man, whose name wasn t released, fell about 60 feet early Thursday and landed in an area with several large boulders.He called it a miracle that the man survived. May said the camper suffered a head injury, a dislocated shoulder and a fractured leg, but he s expected to make a full recovery.

Cricket: West Indies overcome sloppy catching to defeat Bangladesh

Posted:

KINGSTOWN (AFP) - West Indies overcame their own atrocious catching and a defiant hundred by Mushfiqur Rahim to defeat Bangladesh by ten wickets before lunch on the fifth and final day of the first Test at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St Vincent on Tuesday.After missing a succession of chances on the fourth day, the home sides fielders continued with their sloppy work before Musfiqur was last out for 116.The tourists captain was the prime beneficiary of the butter-fingered Caribbean cricketers in lifting his side to a second innings total of 314.Needing just 13 runs for victory and a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, Chris Gayle and Kraigg Brathwaite, the Man of the Match for his first innings 212, knocked off the runs 40 minutes before the scheduled lunch interval.Fast bowler Kemar Roach finished with four for 64, making the critical breakthrough on the final morning when Nasir Hossain spooned a catch to Shannon Gabriel running in from mid-on after he and his captain resumed with the total on 256 for five, still needing 46 runs to avoid an innings defeat.That was effectively the end of the lower-order resistance with Roach trapping Shuvagata Hom leg-before and Gabriel dismissing Taijul Islam and Rubel Hossain for ducks in the space of three deliveries.However Mushfiqur was able to reach his third Test century, a straight six off Roach taking him to the coveted landmark and an edged boundary between the wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin and first slip Gayle allowing the visitors to avoid the humiliation of yet another innings defeat.The catching is a cause for concern because we could have finished the game yesterday if we had taken all our chances, said West Indies captain Ramdin in reflecting on his teams overall effort.Slip catching has been hampering us in the last two series and we need to correct that ahead of the next Test.Bangladeshs skipper, who was dropped twice off straightforward chances on the fourth day, was also missed at slip by Gayle and an even simpler opportunity to Jerome Taylor at mid-on before Taylor himself ended the innings when Mushfiqur swung to deep-midwicket where Darren Bravo held his sixth catch of the match.This was our first Test match for quite a while and we looked a bid ragged in the first innings, but we showed some character the second time around so that is a positive sign, said Mushfiqur after the match.There is the possibility that he may play in the second and final Test starting on Saturday in St Lucia purely as a frontline batsman as the finger injury he sustained while batting on the fourth day may prevent him from doing the job of wicketkeeper.

Ban Ki-moon calls on Afghan candidates to form government

Posted:

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Afghanistans feuding presidential candidates on Tuesday to reach a deal on a unity government amid growing fears of post-election turmoil.The appeal came after Abdullah Abdullah declared himself the winner over rival Ashraf Ghani, dimming hopes of a power-sharing deal.Under a US-brokered agreement,the rival candidates had agreed to a UN-supervised audit of all eight million votes, and to form a national unity government, whoever emerged as winner.The secretary general urges Afghanistans two presidential candidates, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai to conclude an agreement on a government of national unity in accordance with the commitments they reached on July 12, said a statement from Bans spokesman.This is a pivotal moment for Afghanistan, and (...) genuine partnership will be required in tackling Afghanistans many challenges.Given the scale of the challenges, this can only be done jointly, he added.Final results from the UN audit, which was completed on September 4, are due to be released shortly, Ban said.There are fears that street protests could spill into violence, with Abdullah drawing support from Tajiks and other northern Afghan groups, while Ghani is backed by Pashtun tribes of the south and east.

Former Formula One champion Schumacher moved home from hospital

Posted:

GENEVA (AFP) - Former Formula One champion Michael Schumacher has left a Swiss hospital and will continue his treatment at home after a devastating ski accident in December, his family said in a statement Tuesday.In a surprise announcement, a spokeswoman for the family of the retired German racing star said he was being moved from a top-notch hospital in the Swiss city of Lausanne to his home in nearby Gland.Henceforth Michaels rehabilitation will take place at his home, Sabine Kehm said, stressing that considering the severe injuries he suffered, progress has been made in the past weeks and months.There is still, however, a long and difficult road ahead, she cautioned, providing no further details on Schumachers health status.The 45-year-old slammed his head on a rock while skiing with his son and friends in the French Alps in December.The seven-time world champion underwent two operations to remove life-threatening blood clots after the freak accident that shocked the world, before being plunged into a medically induced coma.He emerged from the coma in June and was transferred from a French hospital to the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), renowned for it neurology experts.We would like extend our gratitude to the entire team at CHUV Lausanne for their thorough and competent work, Tuesdays statement said.We ask that the privacy of Michaels family continue to be respected, and that speculations about his state of health are avoided, it added.Known as the Red Baron in reference to an ace World War I German fighter pilot, Schumacher made his debut in 1991 and dominated Formula One not long after.A ruthless and at times controversial competitor, the German won an unprecedented 91 races, and seven world titles including five in a row with Ferrari from 2000 to 2004.He first retired aged 37 but was unable to resist the lure of the track. In 2010, he came out of retirement but failed to re-enact his previous performances, and he quit for good in 2012.Retirement did not dull his relish for adrenaline, however, and he kept pursuing thrill-seeking hobbies as the holder of a pilots licence, an accomplished motorbike rider, parachutist, skier and mountain climber.He survived a motorbike accident in Spain in 2009, during which he suffered head and neck injuries but was released from hospital after just five hours.

BoE chief signals rate rise in early 2015

Posted:

LIVERPOOL (AFP) - Bank of England governor Mark Carney hinted on Tuesday that the bank could raise its main interest rate from a record-low level in early 2015, citing the countrys solid economic recovery.You can expect interest rates to begin to increase, Carney said in a speech on the economy to union leaders in the city of Liverpool, northwest England, adding that the BoEs forecasts tallied with market expectations for a rate rise in the spring.Our latest forecasts show that, if interest rates were to follow the path expected by markets -- that is, beginning to increase by the spring and thereafter rising very gradually -- inflation would settle at around two percent by the end of the forecast and a further 1.2 million jobs would have been created.In other words, we would achieve our mandate, Carney added in an address to the annual conference of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the umbrella group for British unions representing 6.2 million workers.The BoE voted last week to hold its key interest rate at half a percent, in its first meeting since divisions emerged over when to tighten policy.The central banks nine-strong monetary policy committee opted also to keep the level of cash stimulus, or quantitative easing (QE), at $622 billion, 473 billion euros.In contrast, the European Central Bank has cut its key interest rate to a historic low of 0.05 percent from 0.15 percent as it battles the threat of deflation, or falling prices.Both the British and eurozone central banks are worried about unduly low inflation -- but the ECBs outlook is compounded by sluggish economic growth.British borrowing costs have meanwhile stood at the record-low level since March 2009, when the BoE launched also its QE asset purchase scheme to aid recovery following the global financial crisis.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)