Sunday 12 October 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Typhoon Vongfong makes landfall in southern Japan

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Tokyo (AFP) - Powerful typhoon Vongfong made landfall on Japans southern main island of Kyushu Monday morning, an official said, after strong winds and heavy rain reportedly left 44 injured.The centre of the typhoon landed on Makurazaki, Kyushu island, at around 8:30 am (2330 GMT), an official of the meteorological agency told AFP.

Latin America universities fail to make grade

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Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Nobel prize week can prompt uncomfortable soul-searching at universities in Latin America, which has produced relatively few winners in the sciences -- a symptom, experts say, of the regions struggles in higher education.Latin Americas universities are often overcrowded, underfunded institutions where most professors do not have doctoral degrees and many students end up dropping out.After increasing investment in higher education over the past two decades, the region has more than doubled enrollment and increased its production of scientific papers more than six-fold, to 4.3 percent of world output.But the bad news is that the quantity has not necessarily been accompanied by quality, said Jorge Balan, an Argentine sociologist and higher education specialist at Columbia University in New York.We have more scientists than in the past, more full-time university faculty, faculty which is better prepared, and their production has increased. But the quality of research is not as good in international terms.Latin Americas universities are largely absent from world rankings, and those that do make the cut come in far from the top.In the most recent Times Higher Education rankings, no Latin American university made the top 200.The best ranked, the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, made the top 225 but came in behind institutions in other emerging markets like Russia, South Africa and Turkey.And few Latin American researchers have gained international recognition at the highest levels.Latin Americans have won the Nobel peace and literature prizes 14 times, but just seven times in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine and economics -- a drought that has continued at this years Nobels, which wrap up Monday with the awarding of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.The brain drain also remains a problem for universities, with much of the best talent moving to Europe and the United States.Across the region, fewer than one in 10 university professors has a PhD.In most of Latin America the academic profession is not a full-time profession. Most of these folks are part-timers who get paid very little and who have other jobs to be able to make a living, said Philip Altbach, director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College.You cant build a top-flight university on the basis of part-time faculty. Thats kind of an iron law. You cant get around that.- Darwinian system -Students also face daunting obstacles to get their degrees.In countries like Argentina and Mexico, tertiary education is built around public universities that aim to provide free or low-cost education to anyone who can meet basic requirements.The University of Buenos Aires and National Autonomous University of Mexico are sprawling institutions with hundreds of thousands of students, most of whom never graduate -- a system Altbach called Darwinian.Just 25 percent of admitted students graduate in Argentina. In Mexico, the figure is 30 percent.High dropout rates mean resources devoted to higher education are being used inefficiently, said Liz Reisberg, an independent education consultant who has studied Latin America for 30 years.Theres been massive investment in improving higher education, but the priority has been to focus on access -- building more institutions, creating more access for more people, she said.As the region fights to reverse deeply entrenched inequality, what it needs, she argued, is a diversified system with more private institutions, technical training and community colleges for students who may not want or need traditional university degrees.That, and more research funding -- particularly from the private sector.- First Fields Medal -There are bright spots, however.In Sao Paulo state, the richest in Brazil, one percent of income taxes goes directly to a foundation that supports university research, funding world-class science programs.Rio de Janeiro also has highly regarded institutions, including the National Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics -- one of whose researchers, 35-year-old Artur Avila, last month became the first Latin American to win the Fields Medal, the most prestigious prize in mathematics.That is a good sign for Brazilian universities, said Marcelo Knobel, a professor at Campinas State University in Sao Paulo who has written extensively on higher education.The problem now, he said, is making sure lower- and middle-class Brazilian children are getting better education in public primary and secondary schools.We dont have enough good students reaching university. They dont even know basic operations in mathematics. We cant produce more engineers because we dont have enough students, he said.We should really focus now on basic education.

First US Ebola infection sparks fears about safety protocols

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Washington (AFP) - A Texas health care worker has become the first person to contract Ebola on American soil, authorities confirmed Sunday, sparking jitters that safety precautions taken by medical staff could be insufficient.Top US health officials have said a breach of protocol was to blame for the new Ebola patient -- the second person infected outside Africa and the second diagnosed in the United States.The news deals a blow to global efforts to stem the epidemic, which has already claimed more than 4,000 lives, most of them in the hard-hit West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.This development is understandably disturbing news for the patient, the patients family and colleagues and the greater Dallas community, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.But the CDC insisted that any further spread into the community surrounding the Dallas hospital can be prevented with proper public health measures.Earlier, the agencys chief Thomas Frieden said it was clear that at some point there was a breach in protocol and that breach in protocol resulted in this infection.The CDC has launched a probe, as well as a hunt for more health care workers who may have been exposed to the dangerous virus.US President Barack Obama said that federal authorities should take immediate additional steps to make sure hospitals were ready to follow protocols designed for Ebola patients, according to the White House.- Breach in protocol -The unidentified female caregiver at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas tested positive for Ebola on Saturday in a preliminary test and is currently in the hospital, in isolation and in stable condition.This is not news that should bring about panic, said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.But Dan Varga, the chief clinical officer for Texas Health Resources, said the woman was following full CDC precautions -- protective gear that would have included a mask, gown and gloves.Frieden said the woman had extensive contact with Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian man who was diagnosed with Ebola in the United States last month and died in Texas on Wednesday.We are evaluating other potential health care worker exposures, said Frieden. It is possible that other individuals were exposed.Duncan was believed to have been infected before he left Liberia and boarded a plane to visit family in Texas.Meanwhile in Nebraska, a 33-year-old American photojournalist who became infected with Ebola while working in Liberia was continuing to show improvements, doctors said.- Far ahead of us -The latest case underlines United Nations fears and growing concerns in the United States about Ebola, for which there is no vaccine or widely available treatment.The virus is far ahead of us and every day the situation gets worse, the head of the United Nations emergency Ebola mission, Anthony Banbury, told UN leaders after a tour of the three hard-hit West African countries.New Yorks JFK airport on Saturday became the first in the country to launch health screenings for travelers from epidemic-hit West Africa.Other nations have instituted similar checks.Passengers from West Africa arriving at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York and other major US hubs in Atlanta, Chicago, Newark and Washington will have their temperatures taken, be screened for signs of illness and answer questions about possible exposure.Exit screening might not find every person with Ebola; however, it does not have to be perfect to help reduce the spread of Ebola, the CDC said in a statement.- Nurses condition improves -In Spain, attention remained focused on 44-year-old Teresa Romero, the Madrid nurse who became the first person infected with the hemorrhagic fever outside of Africa.The Spanish crisis cell set up after she fell sick said there was reason to hope she could recover.It seems the viral charge has been brought under control and is diminishing, said Fernando Simon, head of the team set up within the health ministry.Simon added, however: We must be highly cautious since this is someone infected with Ebola whose situation remains critical and it is possible that other organs are affected.Romero is thought to have contracted the disease in late September in a Madrid hospital while caring for a Spanish missionary infected with Ebola in Africa who later died.Romero has said she thought she might have developed Ebola after brushing her face with a glove -- pointing to possible gaps in the safety protocols in hospitals treating Ebola patients.Fifteen other people, mostly hospital staff as well as Romeros husband, are under observation at the Carlos III hospital where Romero is being treated.- Rising toll -The World Health Organization reported 4,033 people have died from Ebola as of October 8 out of a total of 8,399 registered cases in seven countries.Ebola causes fever, diarrhea, vomiting and in some cases internal and external bleeding. It is spread by contact with bodily fluids or exposure to contaminated objects such as needles.The United Nations says aid pledges to fight the epidemic have fallen well short of the $1 billion needed.

Kurds thwart IS in Syria town

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Mursitpinar (Turkey) (AFP) - Attacking Islamic State jihadists met firm Kurdish resistance Sunday in the Syrian battleground town of Kobane, but in Iraq they put government forces under strong pressure.A roadside bomb killed the police chief in Anbar province, between Baghdad and the Syrian border, and Pentagon officials have voiced concern about the governments vulnerability to a renewed jihadist offensive.Farther north, around Iraqs key oil refinery town of Baiji, the army and Sunni Arab tribal allies came under fresh IS attack, prompting a first resupply operation by coalition aircraft.In Kobane, a pall of black smoke hung over the strategic town as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported heavy jihadist losses.IS poured in reinforcements and later fired at least 11 rocket-propelled grenades into the town centre, said the Britain-based monitoring group.The Kurds managed to advance 50 metres (yards) towards their headquarters, two days after the jihadists captured it, but failed to deliver a knockout blow.They (IS) are sending fighters without much combat experience, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.They are attacking on multiple fronts but they keep being repulsed, then countering and being pushed back again.IS has earned worldwide infamy for committing atrocities -- often videotaped and posted on the Internet -- since it seized swathes of Iraq and Syria in lightning offensives earlier this year.But it has also gained prestige among Islamist extremists that has helped it recruit thousands of foreign fighters, a reputation now on the line.- A decisive battle -Its a decisive battle for them, said Abdel Rahman.If they dont pull it off, it will damage their image among jihadists around the world.In Cairo, UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged action to prevent a massacre in Kobane.The UN has warned that hundreds of mainly elderly civilians in the centre and thousands more on the outskirts all risk massacre if the jihadists sever the sole escape route to the border.The US military said it and its Saudi and Emirati allies conducted four air strikes in Syria Sunday, all but one in Kobane.Despite such raids, Pentagon officials have said there is a limit to what they can do without ground forces they can work with.But the top US officer said American military advisers were likely to take a more direct role once Iraqi forces are ready to fight to retake the countrys second city Mosul, which IS overran in June.My instinct at this point is that will require a different kind of advising and assisting because of the complexity of that fight, General Martin Dempsey said on ABCs This Week.Despite deep concern about the plight of Kobane in Syria, Washington has vowed to stick to its overall strategy of prioritising the Iraq campaign.Speaking in Cairo at a Gaza donors reconstruction conference, US Secretary of State John Kerry called the IS offensive on Kobane a tragedy, but it does not define the strategy of the coalition with respect to Daesh, the Arabic acronym for IS.Kerry also said the Iraqis themselves will have to win back their country.- Police chief killed -Over time we believe that the strategy will build, the capacity will build, Daesh will become more isolated, he said.But ultimately it is Iraqis who will have to take back Iraq. It is Iraqis in Anbar who will have to fight for Anbar.Anbar provinces police chief Major General Ahmed Saddag was killed by a roadside bomb on Sunday.He had been en route to a battleground town near provincial capital Ramadi, one of few remaining government-held areas of Anbar.Washingtons strategy has seen it and its partners launch hundreds of air strikes in Iraq in support of Kurdish forces in the north and embattled federal government troops farther south.Coalition aircraft launched five strikes against IS in Iraq on Saturday and Sunday, the US military said.Pro-government forces have come under particularly heavy pressure around the key oil refinery at Baiji, south of Mosul.With the surrounding territory in IS hands, the coalition airdropped ammunition, food and water to its besieged defenders on Friday and Saturday in the first such resupply operation to Iraqi forces, the Pentagon said.US defence officials have expressed mounting concern about the tenuous position of government troops, particularly in the Sunni Arab heartland north and west of Baghdad.With federal troops on the back foot, Washington and its allies have relied heavily on Iraqi Kurdish forces in the fightback, but they too have come under pressure.Three suicide car bombings in a Kurdish-controlled town north of Baghdad killed at least 40 people Sunday, mostly Kurdish forces veterans volunteering to re-enlist.IS said on Twitter the bombers were German, Saudi and Turkish.

Donor states pledge $5.4 bn to Gaza, urge peace talks

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Cairo (AFP) - International donors pledged about $5.4 billion in aid to the devastated Gaza Strip on Sunday and urged Israel and the Palestinians to renew peace efforts.The conference in Cairo aimed at financing the reconstruction of swathes of Gaza destroyed in a 50-day July-August war between Israel and Hamas.The participants pledged approximately $5.4 billion (4.3 billion euros), said Norwegian Foreign Minister Boerge Brende, reading out a closing statement at the conference which Norway co-hosted.Gas-rich Qatar led the way with a promise of $1 billion in aid to the coastal enclave.US Secretary of State John Kerry said Gaza was facing an enormous challenge.The people of Gaza do need our help, desperately, not tomorrow, not next week, they need it now, Kerry told the gathering of some 30 global envoys.Kerry, who failed to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians earlier this year, urged peace talks to prevent renewed violence in the enclave and said the two sides needed to make tough choices.Arab and European envoys echoed his call.The crowded coastal enclave, ruled by the Islamist militant Hamas movement since 2007, remained a tinderbox, UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned, announcing plans to visit Gaza on Tuesday.The Palestinians asked for up to $4 billion in international aid to rebuild Gaza.Washington pledged $212 million and European Union member states 450 million euros, while the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait pledged $200 million each on Sunday.- Gaza remains a tinderbox -There is widespread concern that -- after three destructive conflicts in the past six years -- any help to the enclave would eventually be lost in more violence.Ban expressed the fears of many when he told the conference the situation in Gaza remained potentially explosive.Gaza remains a tinderbox, the people desperately need to see results in their daily lives, Ban said.This must be the last time. There is clearly some fatigue, he later told reporters.The Palestinian government unveiled a 76-page reconstruction plan ahead of the conference, with the lions share of assistance to build housing.Gaza has suffered three wars in six years. Entire neighbourhoods have been destroyed, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas told the conference.Kerry said the new aid brought Washingtons contribution to helping Gaza to more than $400 million over the last year alone.He was due later to meet Abbas to press for further peace efforts and was expected to try to dissuade him from seeking further recognition of the Palestinians at the United Nations, a move vehemently opposed by Israel.Make no mistake. What was compelling about a two-state solution a year ago is even more compelling today, Kerry said.Kerrys dogged pursuit of an agreement to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel collapsed in acrimony in April after a difficult nine-month process, and there is little prospect of fresh talks any time soon.Israel and Hamas militants have yet to even translate their open-ended August ceasefire into a long-term truce.- Unprecedented financial needs -This summers conflict killed nearly 2,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, while attacks by Gaza militants killed 73 on the Israeli side, mostly soldiers.It also left the enclave in ruins, displacing more than a quarter of Gazas population of 1.7 million and leaving 100,000 people homeless.The UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA has described Gazas financial needs as unprecedented.The United Nations already has plans for $2.1 billion of the funds, with $1.6 billion going to UNRWA and the rest to other agencies including childrens organisation UNICEF and development arm UNDP.One crucial question will be how the aid is delivered, especially given Israels strict blockade of the territory since 2006.Brende said half of the money raised would go on reconstruction, while the rest would go on budget support for the Palestinian Authority (PA) and development projects in the West Bank.Israel was not invited to the conference, but Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said any effort would need his governments consent.Gaza cannot be rebuilt without the cooperation and participation of Israel, Lieberman told news website Ynet, though he added that Israel would be receptive to plans for the reconstruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza.Internal divisions among the Palestinians are also a matter of widespread concern and they strived to present a united front in advance of the conference.On Thursday, a new unity government held its first cabinet meeting in Gaza, months after a reconciliation deal between rivals Fatah, which dominates the West Bank-based PA, and Hamas, which is in de facto control of Gaza.

Li Keqiang arrives in Russia for talks with Valdimir Putin

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Moscow (AFP) - Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang on Sunday arrived in Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin as Russia is struggling with its most pronounced isolation since the end of the Cold War.It is a major event in the bilateral relations, Chinese Vice Minister Cheng Guoping said ahead of Lis visit.He said both sides would sign a joint communique and about 50 agreements. We are confident it will be a success, he said.Deputy foreign minister Igor Morgulov in Moscow said the two countries would sign a host of deals including on nuclear energy, natural gas, financing and banking.I am convinced that the Chinese Prime Ministers visit will allow us to make substantial progress in key areas of practical cooperation, he said in comments released by the foreign ministry on Sunday.Lis first visit to Russia as premier comes at a sensitive time as the Kremlin is grappling with the consequences of its support for separatists in Ukraine during a six-month conflict in the east of the ex-Soviet country.Besides meeting Putin on Tuesday, Li will also meet with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev and attend a forum on innovations during the three-day visit.Lis Russias trip is part of a week-long visit to Europe.-China against sanctions-Ahead of his Moscow visit, Li travelled to Germany for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel. He will also participate in a summit in Milan next week.Merkel, a fluent Russian speaker, has been seen as one of the European Unions top negotiators on the Ukraine crisis.She has held regular talks with Putin but has also thrown her weight behind EU sanctions against Russia in a bid to make Putin drop support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.Saddled with several rounds of Western sanctions and the Russian economy in tatters, the Kremlin appears keen to see an easing of punitive measures from the West.Putin late Saturday ordered a pullback of troops from the border with Ukraine and will hold key talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on the sidelines of an Asia-Europe meeting in Milan next week.China has spoken out against Western sanctions against Russia.China always opposes the wilful use of sanctions or the threat of sanctions, said Cheng.We welcome the moves by various parties to encourage the momentum of a political settlement of the Ukrainian issue.China and Russia often work in lockstep at the UN Security Council, using their veto power as permanent council members to counter the West on issues such as the Syria crisis.Russias showdown with the West over Ukraine has given Kremlin a new impetus to court Beijing.Resource-hungry China is seeking to diversify its sources of energy amid booming domestic consumption, while Russia is seeking to tap fast-developing Asian markets.After a decade of tough negotiations China and Russia inked a 30-year, $400-billion agreement in May that will eventually involve 38 billion cubic metres of gas annually.Critics however disparaged the terms of the deal, saying Putin, in his bid to spite the West, signed an agreement that was more beneficial to China than Russia.

Former UBS high-flier set for US tax fraud trial

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New York (AFP) - A former top-level UBS banker will stand trial in the United States this week accused of helping rich Americans evade millions of dollars in taxes.Five years after being charged with conspiracy to commit tax fraud, Raoul Weil, 54, the former head of the Swiss banking giants global wealth management business, plans to plead not guilty at the federal trial that opens Tuesday in Florida.If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a hefty fine.He is not guilty, his lawyer Aaron Marcu told AFP. The same people at UBS who were doing bad things and helping clients hiding assets are the same who are going to testify against him.The Weil case is a high-profile part of the massive US crackdown on offshore tax dodging, particularly in Switzerland, renowned for its vault-like banking secrecy.According to the indictment, between 2002 and 2007, as Zurich-based Weil supervised the banks overseas activities that serviced some 20,000 customers, he and his co-conspirators helped US customers conceal around $20 billion in assets from tax authorities.The Swiss national was declared a fugitive by the US.Fired by UBS in April 2009, Weil joined the wealth management firm Reuss Private Group in 2010 as a consultant, then became head of the company in early 2013.That career came to an end when he was arrested in October 2013 after using his real name to check into a luxury hotel in Bologna, Italy and he was extradited to the United States.Weil has been living in New Jersey under the supervision of authorities after being freed on bail of $10.5 million last December. He was ordered to surrender his passport and wear a GPS tracking monitor.His trial initially was set for February 18 but Weil obtained a delay to examine millions of documents provided by the plaintiff, the Department of Justice.- Star witness -Weils line of defense for the trial in Fort Lauderdale is that he was victimized by his colleagues who had concealed their activities helping US clients dodge taxes.The conspiracy was brought to light by a whistleblower, the former UBS banker Bradley Birkenfeld, who served time in prison for participating in the illegal scheme.After his release, Birkenfeld was given a $104 million reward by the Internal Revenue Service for providing the insider information that exposed the vast tax evasion conspiracy.UBS has been cooperating with US authorities in the crackdown on tax evasion under a landmark agreement reached in February 2009. UBS paid $780 million to settle the tax fraud case.The trial, which looks set to pit current and former UBS employees against each other, was expected to last up to a month.For the prosecution, the star witness undoubtedly will be Martin Liechti, the former head of UBSs wealth management operations in the Americas.Arrested in 2008 by US authorities, Liechti struck a deal with them to avoid criminal punishment in exchange for providing detailed information about Weils alleged illegal activities, according to legal documents.The defense team is expected to present fewer than 10 witnesses, including two or three who will testify by video conference from London. According to Marcu, a number of people who were asked to testify on behalf of Weil have declined because they fear arrest if they enter the US.There appears little chance that the two sides will strike a settlement deal before the trial opens, say people close to the matter.

England labour to victory, Costa ends Spain wait

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Paris (AFP) - Wayne Rooney scored his 43rd international goal as England beat Estonia 1-0 to preserve their perfect Euro 2016 qualifying record on Sunday while Chelsea striker Diego Costa finally opened his Spain account.Even after Estonia captain Ragnar Klavan was sent off for a second booking early in the second half in Tallinn, Roy Hodgsons England still laboured to see off the Baltic minnows.But they finally made the breakthrough thanks to Manchester United striker Rooney, who curled home a free-kick with 17 minutes remaining to maintain Englands 100 percent record after three Group E matches.Rooney is now within one goal of Jimmy Greaves and only six behind England record holder Bobby Charltons tally of 49.Equally pleasing for Hodgson was seeing his rock-solid defence achieve a fifth successive clean sheet for the first time in eight years.It was hard work. We played well in the first half without taking our chances and that meant there was an air of frustration setting in, Hodgson told ITV.Everyone was aware that when you have played well you have to take at least one chance. Luckily we did that in the second half.It was a good free-kick from Wayne and its four wins in a row, which is not to be sniffed at.Slovenia moved into second place behind England thanks to a 2-0 win against Lithuania.Defending champions Spain, who lost 2-1 in Slovakia last time out for their first qualifying defeat in eight years, got their campaign back on track with a 4-0 win in Luxembourg in Group C.David Silva and Paco Alcacer scored in the first half, with Costa snatching the third on 69 minutes for his first international goal in his seventh appearance.Substitute Juan Bernat made it 4-0 with a debut goal on 87 minutes.Eyebrows were raised before tha game when Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque dropped veteran goalkeeper Iker Casillas in favour of Manchester United stopper David de Gea.Slovakias 3-1 away win at Belarus -- secured by a brace from Napoli striker Marek Hamsik and a late goal from Stanislav Sestak -- left them top of the group with nine points from three games.Diego wanted to pay us back with goals for the support weve given him. He feels good in the group, but I told him at half-time he was thinking too much about it (getting a first goal) so I just told him to keep calm, said Del Bosque.Ukraine are in third place after Serhiy Sydorchuk struck on the stroke of half-time to earn a 1-0 win over Macedonia in Lviv.It was Ukraines second win in four days having also beaten Belarus by the same scoreline on Thursday.Sundays win could have been more impressive had Andriy Yarmolenko not smashed a 47th-minute penalty against the crossbar.In Group G, Austria went top with seven points from three games after edging Montenegro 1-0 in Vienna thanks to a first-half goal from Rubin Okotie, who converted a 24th-minute pass from Marko Arnutovic.Montenegro star striker Mirko Vucinic saw two good chances well-saved by Robert Almer in the Austria goal.Previous leaders Russia were held to a second successive 1-1 draw and have five points from three games.Russia, coached by Fabio Capello, drew 1-1 with Sweden on Thursday and 72 hours later they were pegged back again when Moldova skipper Alexandru Epureanu scored in the 74th minute to cancel out Artem Dzyubas opener from the penalty spot just a minute earlier.Sweden are third, also on five points, after a 2-0 win over Liechtenstein in Solna.

India launches new football league

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Kolkata (AFP) - Indias new football league kicked off Sunday with a spirited clash and a glitzy pyrotechnic opening ceremony that organisers hope will ignite the countrys passion for the beautiful game.Atletico de Kolkata trounced Mumbai City 3-0 in the first match of the Indian Super League (ISL), that has lured former international stars such as Spains Luis Garcia and Frances Nicolas Anelka out of retirement.Cricketing hero Sourav Ganguly said the league was the beginning of something great, arguing there was room for football in the cricket-obsessed country of 1.25 billion people.It may not be cricket but it will be the next biggest sport, Ganguly, co-owner of Kolkata, told AFP just ahead of kick-off in the eastern city.Everybody will be pleasantly surprised as the tournament goes on, the former national captain said.He conceded the international veterans fronting the eight teams are not the current stars of football, but predicted the league would eventually attract the best in the game.Obviously they are not the current stars, that will happen over time. Its the beginning of something.Former Ethiopian captain Fikru Lemessa, 28, scored in the first half, while 33-year-old Spaniard Borja Fernandez hit the net in the second, sending the home crowd at Salt Lake stadium into raptures.Spains Arnal Carbo sealed the win with a goal in stoppage time.It was incredible. A lot of people and so many of them pushed, pushed us, Fernandez said of the crowd.Organisers hope the city-based franchises, each with a famous -- if ageing -- frontman and modelled on crickets glamorous Indian Premier League, will bolster popularity for the sport during the 10-week competition.Cricketing greats such as Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood A-listers are co-owners of the teams along with Spanish La Liga side Atletico Madrid.Rupert Murdochs Star TV is showing the tournament, which is being backed by sports management giant IMG.- Bollywood, fireworks -The opening ceremony included throbbing Bollywood music, dancers and a large fireworks display, watched by celebrities, politicians and sports stars.Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal of which Kolkata is the capital, was front row, chatting to Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani who is bankrolling the league, and Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan.Some 70,000 tickets were sold for the match, according to organisers, but pockets of the stadium were empty.S.Bardhan, a soldier stationed at Kolkata airport, said he loved football although this was the first time he had ever seen a match live.I watch (international leagues) all the time on TV, said Bardhan, whose wife and two-year-old son also came along.The crowd roared with approval during the ceremony as Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra introduced Tendulkar.The two coaches had pledged to deliver the goods for the opener even though Mumbai were missing their star players.Ex-Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg of Sweden, the 37-year-old poster boy for Mumbai, was ruled out with a calf injury.Mumbai were also missing Anelka, 35, as he serves a ban for a controversial quenelle goal celebration in late 2013, which also got him the sack from West Bromwich Albion. He has denied the gesture was racist.Mumbai manager Peter Reid said he had no excuses for the loss, saying the better team won on the day.We didnt deserve it, it happens in football, the former Sunderland and Manchester City boss said.On a visit to India in 2007, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said India was the sleeping giant of world football.But its national side languishes at 158 in the world rankings, which experts blame on sports authorities failure to develop training grounds and young players.Reid, however, was optimistic about the future.Theres room enough for two brilliant sports in this sports-mad country, he said ahead of the match.

Australia sweeps ODI series against Pakistan

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ABU DHABI: (Web Desk) – Austraila won the toss and gave a target of 232 after choosing to bat first. First wicket of Pakistan fell at the score of 56, and then as it goes.Pakistani batsman, Sarfarz performed well and his batting was commendable. Pakistani team captain Shahid Afridi made only 6 runs. Umer Amin tried to bring home the victory for Pakistan but failed to do so, at a runrate of 19 only.Pakistan lost the match from 1 run. Performance by the Pakistani batsmen during the last over of the match was miserable, and this epic failure was largely responsible for the defeat of Pakistan.Previously: Pakistan needed 232 for a face-saving win, whereas Smith (77) and Warner (56) helped Aussies score 231.Australia has scored 231 in the allotted 50 overs during the 3rd One-Day International (ODI) of the series. Although Australia has already won the series yet Pakistan may attain a face-saving by pulling out a consolation victory in the third match of this lost cause.Earlier today, Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. Finch and Warner gave their side a good start and Smith followed their lead but just after completing 100 runs on the board, Aussies suddenly lost 2 wickets, allowing Pakistan to pull things back a little.Pakistani bowlers continued to take wickets after regular intervals and Maxwell (20), Hughes (5) and Haddin (2) had all been sent back to the pavilion by the end f 37th over and the Kangaroos eventually found themselves struggling at 159 for the loss of 6 wickets. However, Smith and Faulkner carried on with the fight and an all important 40 runs partnership took Australia to 199 for 7. Faulkner struck 1 boundary and 1 six for his 33 while Smith took 105 balls for his 77 with the help of 3 boundaries before he was bowled out by Sohail Tanvir in the 46th over. Starc was run out for 5 while Faulkner was the last Australian batsman to get out.Sohail Tanvir got 3 wickets, skipper Shahid Afridi got 2, Anwar Ali and Irfan got 1 each while 2 of the batsmen (Haddin and Starc) were run out.

7 killed in various incidents of violence in Karachi

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – At least seven people were killed and five others were injured in various incidents of violence in Karachi on Sunday, Dunya News reported.The police and Rangers killed five gang war suspects in encounters.According to the details, a man identified as Siraj was shot dead in Orangi Town. In another incident, a man identified as Muhammad Iqbal was killed while another was injured in Landhi area. The police believed that the victim was killed for not paying the extortion money.A man identified as Waleed was gunned down at Khamosh Colony area of Gulbahar police station.Two individuals were shot dead at Qasba area of Orangi Town. One of the victims was identified as Amanullah.In another incident, a dead body was found at a flat in Gulistan-e-Johar Block Bara area. The victim was identified as Kashif and according to the police, he had committed suicide.

Whole nation saw Imran Khan's running away after stampede: Pervaiz Rasheed

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MIANWALI (Dunya News) – Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rasheed on Sunday said that the whole nation saw how Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan ran away after the stampede, Dunya News reported.He asked how can those who broke parliament’s gate talk about the locks on the stadium’s gates where Multan rally took place.Addressing the media in Mianwali, Pervaiz Rasheed said that Imran Khan will cry rigging even in the elections in 2018, adding that Khan believes he can battle his way into the government.“Imran Khan should tell what the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government did in fourteen months?” he said.He said Imran Khan and the current government both will be accountable of their performances to the people.Responding to Indian aggression on the Line of Control (LoC), Pervaiz Rasheed said that Indian aggression will be responded to on the international fronts as well. He said that the terrorism and energy crisis had taken away soul from the body of the economy.He said the circumstances of country’s economy improved because of the steps taken by the government.

Anti-army govt can't look Indian PM in eye and talk: Pervaiz Elahi

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FAISALABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PMLQ) leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Sunday said that the politics of ‘relatives and clock tower’ will not work anymore, adding that the government that talks against own army cannot look Indian Prime Minister in the eye and talk, Dunya News reported.Addressing the participants of the Faisalabad rally, Elahi said that the people of Faisalabad have given the verdict against the government.He said the democracy of relations and clock tower can no longer work in the country.

Not resolving Kashmir conflict is UN's failure: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday said that not resolving Kashmir dispute in 66 years is a failure on part of the United Nations (UN) organization, Dunya News reported.Bilawal said that the dream of global peace would have been materialized by now had the world listened to the Pakistan’s point of view.Addressing students of various colleges and universities at Sindh Assembly’s old building, Bilawal said that the people of Kashmir await the 66 year old promise of the right to self determination.Bilawal said that the new generation wants a peaceful, democratic and prosper Pakistan and not the guns, ammunition and missiles.He said PPP doesn’t want to attain the reputation by distributing laptops or arranging concerts.

Woman in Ohio burned in fire-breathing act

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COLUMBUS, Ohio, United States (AP) — An Ohio woman was hospitalized in critical condition after she was burned while performing a fire-breathing act at a Halloween-themed running event.The Columbus Dispatch reports the 23-year-old woman was performing around 7 p.m. Saturday near Nationwide Arena at the Blood Run 5K, a benefit for people with blood disorders, when paramedics were called.Social media posts showed the woman blowing a cloud of flame above her head then someone wrote, The fire breather just caught on fire.Scanner traffic indicated she was burned on her face, neck and top half of her body and transported to Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University.Ashley Keach of Columbus identified herself on Facebook as the fire-breather. She said her injuries were minor and she would be just fine.
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