Tuesday 14 October 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Facebook, Apple pay for egg freezing, sperm donors

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NEW YORK (AP) Free lunches, dry cleaning, massages frozen eggs?Silicon Valleys biggest companies have long offered cushy perks to attract top talent and keep workers happy logging scores of hours on the job. But beyond day-to-day luxuries, Facebook and Apple will now give up to $20,000 in benefits to help employees pay for infertility treatments, sperm donors and even to freeze their eggs.The move comes amid stiff competition for skilled engineers, and as many of the biggest firms try to diversify their male-dominated ranks to include and appeal to more women.Anything that gives women more control over the timing of fertility is going to be helpful to professional women, said Shelley Correll, a sociology professor and director of the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University. It potentially addresses the conflicts between the biological clock and the clockwork of womens careers:The time thats most important in work, for getting your career established, often coincides with normal fertility time for women. This can potentially help resolve that by pushing womens fertility into the future.Facebook this year started offering to reimburse workers for up to $20,000 worth of reproductive-related costs, over the course of employment. Apples similar perks will start next year. The companies egg-freezing benefits were first reported by NBCNews.com on Tuesday.Freezing eggs involves removing a womans eggs and cooling them to subzero temperatures to preserve them for future use and stop the egg from changing and developing. Generally speaking, the viability of a womans eggs can decline a bit at age 27 before taking a steeper drop around age 34 or 35. The rate of women who had their first child between 40 and 44 has more than doubled in the past 20 years, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As more women wait longer to have their first child, the number of women choosing to freeze their eggs has grown exponentially, said Dr. Alan Copperman, a fertility specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital.They are also doing it at a younger age, which means healthier and more viable eggs.Freezing their eggs gives women an option to focus on their career or education first, the leaning in that Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg champions. But the procedure can cost upward of $10,000, plus storage costs of several hundred dollars a year. Later it costs another several thousand to thaw and fertilize the eggs and implant them in the womb.The number of egg freezing patients at the New York University Fertility Center rose to about 400 this year from just five in 2005, said Dr. Nicole Noyes, a fertility specialist at the center. She said some big banks also are covering the procedure, and expects law firms to do the same if they want to keep good female employees.Copperman thinks Apple and Facebook are ahead of the game in offering to cover the procedure, both as a recruitment and retention tool and from a public health perspective. He expects other companies to follow suit, because its the right thing to do and its going to send a signal that womens health should be a priority.Its telling women they have the opportunity to put off child bearing and focus on their careers, he said. (And) not make decisions based on certain reproductive limits women have.Apples and Facebooks reproductive benefits policies could also appeal to gay and lesbian couples who want to use a surrogate or a sperm donor to have a baby, or heterosexual couples who incur in vitro fertilization costs not covered by insurance. Apple also reimburses adoption costs.Coverage of infertility treatments is becoming more common among big employers, according to the benefits consultant Mercer. Sixty-five percent of companies with 500 or more workers covered the beginning step of an evaluation by a fertility specialist last year, according to Mercers annual benefits survey. Thats up from 54 percent in 2008. IVF coverage rose too. Slightly less than a third of companies offered no infertility treatment benefits, down from 41 percent.But coverage of egg freezing is rare. Corey Whelan, of the American Fertility Association, said shes never heard of an insurer or employer covering the procedure for women who want to delay pregnancy for non-medical reasons like school or a career.Insurers will sometimes cover egg freezing for cancer patients, but its by no means guaranteed, said Whelan, the nonprofits program director.While the technology is growing more popular, experts stress that egg freezing is not foolproof.Its really, really important for women to know its not a guarantee of motherhood, Whelan said. Some women consider it an iron-clad insurance policy. Its not.

Gignac stars as France beat Armenia

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Yerevan (AFP) - Andre-Pierre Gignac marked his first start for France in more than four years with a goal and two assists as the Euro 2016 hosts eased to a 3-0 friendly win in Armenia on Wednesday.Gignac set up goals for Loic Remy and substitute Antoine Griezmann either side of converting a second-half penalty in Yerevan as Didier Deschamps side followed up their 2-1 friendly win over Portugal at the weekend with a comfortable victory.Deschamps made eight changes to his starting line-up from that win on Saturday, with goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, Raphael Varane and Blaise Matuidi the only players to keep their places.Karim Benzema, who had picked up a knock against Portugal, was dropped to the bench to allow Marseille striker Gignac, the leading scorer in Ligue 1, to start for Les Bleus for the first time since the 2-1 defeat to South Africa in the last match of their disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign.And on the occasion of his 19th cap, Gignac did not disappoint, ensuring that he should remain part of Deschamps future plans, although the player himself refused to get carried away.The competition for places in attack is ferocious. I dont think I scored any points tonight particularly, he said.But compared to my last call-up (for a World Cup qualifier in Georgia last year), where I was too timid, I showed greater responsibility. I had told myself this was maybe my last chance.Gignac needed just eight minutes to make his presence felt, controlling a long diagonal ball from Jeremy Mathieu and crossing from the right side of the box for Chelsea forward Remy to tap in at the back post.The 28-year-old almost got his name on the scoresheet eight minutes before the interval when he was left with just the keeper to beat six yards from goal, but the veteran Roman Berezovski got down well to save.Nevertheless, against an Armenia side deprived of Borussia Dortmunds Henrikh Mkhitaryan and several other leading players due to injury, the chances kept coming for the visitors in the second half.When substitute Paul Pogbas weaving run into the area was ended unceremoniously by Varazdat Haroyan, Gignac stepped up to send Berezovski the wrong way from the spot and score his first international goal in exactly five years since netting in a 3-1 defeat of Austria.Remy and Gignac both had opportunities to add to the lead before the latters long through ball was picked up by Griezmann, who rounded replacement keeper Gevorg Kasparov to complete the win.France are next in friendly action in November, when they entertain Albania and Sweden, while Armenia, who are yet to win in Euro 2016 qualifying Group I, go to Portugal next month.

Cold-hit Neymar puts four past Japan

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Singapore (AFP) - Star forward Neymar plundered four goals for the first time in a Brazil shirt despite suffering from a cold as the Selecao hammered Asian champions Japan 4-0 in Singapore on Tuesday.The 22-year-old recorded one of his best performances for Brazil as he moved to 40 goals in just 58 appearances and underlined his fine form after a difficult World Cup.Neymars strikes in the 18th, 48th, 77th and 81st minutes -- with both feet as well as his head -- handed new coach Dunga a fourth straight win with no goals conceded.The friendly victory in front of a sell-out crowd also capped a successful Asian mini-tour for resurgent Brazil after Saturdays 2-0 win over arch-rivals Argentina in Beijing.Afterwards, Dunga said Neymar was revelling in his new role as national captain -- and revealed that his sublime display came even though he picked up a cold in China.After the China match Neymar got a cold and I thought it was good to leave him more free to play only for goals, said Dunga.Now hes captain, its a new position for him and hes really enjoying playing. He has a good time when he plays, added the coach.Its like hes playing with his friends -- he has the same enthusiasm and keenness. And we really want to give him the chance to improve even more.Japan coach Javier Aguirre said Neymar, who did not speak to journalists as he left in his trademark baseball cap and earrings, had hit top form.Hes in great form, hes in a really splendid moment right now, Aguirre said.- Neymar tormenting defence -Neymar looked dangerous from the off and he had a penalty shot waved away and grazed the side-netting with a free-kick in an ominous start.He put Brazil ahead on 18 minutes when he ran on to Diego Tardellis penetrating through-ball, scampered around goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima and finished with aplomb.Japan were not prepared to roll over and Yu Kobayashi flashed a volley over the crossbar before Bundesliga top-scorer Shinji Okazaki almost found the target with a glancing header.But their hopes receded three minutes after the break when half-time substitute Philippe Coutinho won possession in midfield and prodded the ball forward for Neymar.With Japans offside trap sprung, Neymar had plenty of time to pick his spot and put his second goal of the night past Kawashima.Okazaki, now bolstered by substitute Keisuke Honda, remained industrious and he shook the Brazilian woodwork with a fierce shot that cannoned off the near post.Neymar was tormenting the defence and he set up first Liverpools Coutinho and then 65th-minute substitute Robinho for carbon-copy chances on the left which both went wide.Kaka arrived to huge applause in the 72nd minute and he quickly drew the best from Kawashima as his firm header, from a Neymar cross, was palmed onto the bar.But the ball was not cleared and although Kawashima kept out Coutinhos fierce drive, Neymar buried the rebound left-footed to seal his hat-trick on 77 minutes.Four minutes later Neymar got his fourth of the night, and 40th for Brazil, when he met Kakas hanging cross from the left at the far post.Substitute Yoichiro Kakitani nearly grabbed a late consolation for Japan. But there was to be no fillip as the Blue Samurai look ahead to their Asian Cup defence in January.Weve learned a few lessons: if you make mistakes against a big team, youll lose. But I got to see the players in a difficult situation, said Aguirre.Of course Im not happy to have lost but those players in the changing room really tried their best.

US oil prices sink nearly 5% on weak demand forecast

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New York (AFP) - US crude prices plummeted nearly five percent Tuesday as the International Energy Agency slashed its oil demand forecast in light of slowing economic growth in Asia and Europe.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in November sank $3.90 to $81.84 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, a decline of 4.5 percent.European benchmark Brent oil for November delivery tumbled $3.85 (4.3 percent) to $85.04 a barrel, its lowest level since November 2010.Since mid-June, WTI has fallen 24 percent and Brent has dropped 27 percent.The IEA announced Tuesday in an October market report that it had cut its forecasts for global oil demand growth for the third month in a row.For this year, it expects demand to rise by just 700,000 barrels per day to 92.4 million barrels per day (mbpd), which is 200,000 bpd less than the previous growth forecast.For 2015, the agency cut its estimate of global demand from 93.8 mbpd to 93.5 mbpd.The IEA also cited abundant volumes of available crude as a drag on oil prices, saying September could turn out to be a high-water mark for supply.Oil traders also got a fresh reminder of the struggling German economy as the German economy ministry disclosed that it now expects economic growth of 1.2 percent in 2014 and 1.3 percent in 2015, instead of the previous forecasts of 1.8 percent and 2.0 percent, respectively.Analysts also attributed the oil slump to growing acrimony in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, whose members seem more inclined to fight for market share than to cut back output in the face of falling prices.Crude was walloped as the market entertains a possible new paradigm in the global oil market regarding OPEC combined with a soft monthly oil report from the IEA and a slashed economic outlook by the German economy, said Matt Smith, analyst at Schneider Electric.

Ex-colleague shoots dead American in Saudi capital

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Riyadh (AFP) - A former employee of a US defence contractor shot dead one American colleague and wounded another in the Saudi capital Tuesday, officials said, in a rare attack on Westerners in the kingdom.The alleged shooter, Abdulaziz Fahad Abdulaziz Alrashid, 24, worked at the same company as the victims, and was recently dismissed from his job due to drug related issues, Riyadhs embassy in Washington said in a statement.A United States diplomat identified the gunman as a disgruntled former employee of Vinnell Arabia.The victims of Tuesdays petrol station shooting in Riyadh also worked at Vinnell Arabia, the diplomat said, ruling out terrorism as a possible motive for the attack.Vinnell Arabia provides training for the Saudi Arabian National Guard.US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirmed one American was killed and a second was lightly injured.Later Tuesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters in Paris that Washington is in close contact with the Saudi government, and evaluating our security posture, following the shooting.Were continuing to gather details about the incident, Kerry told a news conference.I cant speak to the motive at this point, except to say to you that there are some questions about whether it was or wasnt a disgruntled employee, he said.Were going to stay in very close touch with the Saudi authorities and make our judgments accordingly with respect to any other personnel, he said.Following the attack near King Fahd football stadium, a shootout occurred between the gunman and security forces, a police spokesman said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.A third American escaped unharmed, police said, adding the assailant was wounded and subsequently arrested.They did not identify the suspect but Riyadhs embassy in Washington said the suspect, Alrashid, is a dual Saudi-American citizen born in Washington State.Two small circles of blood stained the ground at the petrol station near the pumps, an AFP photographer said.Children showed off a small-calibre cartridge case which they said they found in the same area.Four police jeeps were stationed on the multi-lane road outside the closed petrol station, within sight of the football stadium.Tuesdays shooting was the first deadly attack on Westerners in Saudi Arabia since several were killed in a wave of Al-Qaeda violence between 2003 and 2006.It comes as Saudi Arabia participates in a US-led campaign of air strikes against jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in Syria.Saudi pilots who participated in the initial late-September strikes against IS received online death threats.Vinnell Arabias Facebook page says the firm is dedicated to providing the best in military training, logistics and support to the Saudi National Guard, using expertise from former US military and government personnel.- Vinnell attacked before -In January, a Saudi court sentenced an Al-Qaeda militant to death and jailed 10 others over a May 2004 attack that killed six Westerners and a policeman.The defendants, seven of them brothers, were convicted of aiding assailants who attacked a US company in the northwestern port town of Yanbu, killing two Americans, two Britons, an Australian and a Canadian, as well as a Saudi.Saudi authorities have long feared blowback from jihadist groups, particularly after the attacks of a decade ago, which included assaults on housing compounds where foreigners lived.One of the compounds attacked at that time housed employees of Vinnell.Security around Western facilities has since been markedly increased.Fifteen of the 19 hijackers who took part in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US were from Saudi Arabia.The ultra-conservative Wahhabi Islamic tradition is predominant in Saudi Arabia, where it applies to both religious and political life.But authorities have expressed concern about extremist ideas luring Saudi youth, some of whom have joined fighters in Syria, where the IS group has declared a caliphate straddling Syria and Iraq.The group has been accused of committing atrocities including crucifixions and beheadings.Saudi Arabias top cleric, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh, in August urged young Muslims not to be influenced by calls for jihad... on perverted principles, and described Al-Qaeda and IS jihadists as enemy number one of Islam.

Defence claims Pistorius 'vulnerable' in prison

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Pretoria (AFP) - Double amputee Oscar Pistorius would be vulnerable to gang rape if sent to one of South Africas brutal prisons, a defence witness claimed during a day of heated courtroom argument Tuesday.With sentencing days away, the state and defence traded angry barbs over the Paralympian star athletes disability, charity work and blood money apparently paid to Reeva Steenkamps family since her death.Pistorius has been found guilty of unlawfully killing the 29-year-old model but acquitted of the more serious charge of murder.A state source told AFP that Judge Thokozile Masipa could rule on his punishment on Friday, with her options ranging from a fine to 15 years in prison.Defence witness Annette Vergeer warned a jail stretch would break Pistorius and claimed it was not in the interest of justice.Without legs he will be vulnerable and a lot more vulnerable than the normal man, said Vergeer, a parole office who was paid for her work for the defence.Ive recently done a case for rape within the prison, gang rape. How can we say that he wont be exposed to that? she said, adding that washing his stumps may also be a problem.South Africas department of correctional services has said that Pistorius could be entitled to separate accommodation depending on the vulnerability caused by the disability.There is little doubt that the prison system in South Africa is in a bad state, with violence, overcrowding and criminal behaviour all endemic.Since the hearing began on Monday the tone in court has become increasing terse.The defence on Monday suggested Pistorius clean a museum for 16 hours a week as punishment for killing Steenkamp, drawing a furious reaction from the state.Prosecutor Gerrie Nel described the suggestion as shockingly inappropriate.- Blood money -On Tuesday, lawyers traded accusations and counter-accusations about money changing hands between Pistorius and Steenkamps parents after Reevas death.A lawyer for the Steenkamps revealed they had received $540 (430 euros) a month from Pistorius, but now wanted to pay it back.Prosecutor Nel claimed that the Olympian also offered the dead models family a one off blood money payment of nearly $35,000, which the family rejected.Did the legal team of the accused tell you that the deceased family rejected the offer of 375,000 (rand)? Nel asked state witness Vergeer.The deceaseds mother went so far to say that she rejects that and that she doesnt want blood money, he added.Claims about Pistorius vulnerability and remorse could be central in deciding what punishment he faces.Earlier on Tuesday, prosecutors poured scorn the defences portrayal of Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius as a caring and charitable athlete.Nel told the sentencing hearing that Pistoriuss charity work was nothing unusual for a superstar athlete, arguing he was primarily motivated by personal fame and fulfilling his contractual duties with major sponsors, including Oakley and Nike.It is merely an advancement of your career to become involved, Nel said in a scathing cross-examination of Pistoriuss longtime manager, Peet van Zyl.I think a lot of sportsman want to make a difference and contribute, replied Van Zyl.Pistorius admitted he killed Steenkamp by firing four hollow point bullets through a locked toilet door in his upmarket Pretoria home on Valentines Day 2013, but said he believed he had been shooting at a burglar.He is currently out on bail of one million rand ($90,000, 71,000 euros), but has withdrawn from competitive sport since his arrest.He also had to sell his house inside a gated compound in Pretoria, the scene of the crime, to fund the cost of his defence.The state has indicated it will call at least two witnesses, whose testimony is expected to wrap up on Wednesday or Thursday.Both the state and defence have 14 days to appeal Masipas decision.The trial, which began on March 3, was broadcast live on television and radio, feeding intense local and international media interest.

Numerous gaps in troubled nuclear talks with world powers: Zarif

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VIENNA (AFP) - Irans foreign minister warned Tuesday of numerous gaps in troubled nuclear talks with world powers but both he and US counterpart John Kerry, due in Vienna Wednesday, insisted a deal remains possible by a November 24 deadline.Speaking early Tuesday as he arrived in Vienna for talks with US and EU officials, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said there was general agreement but that numerous questions still need to be resolved.Quoted by Iranian media he added: We will make every effort to make progress in the coming days.US Secretary of State Kerry, speaking in Paris a day before he was due to join Zarif in Vienna, said that although hard work remained to be done a deal was achievable.I dont believe its out of reach, but we have some tough issues to resolve, Kerry told reporters in the French capital after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.He refused to be drawn on whether -- as speculated by many experts -- Iran and the six powers might push back the deadline in order to gain more time to bridge the differences.We need to continue to have some serious discussions, which we will, and well see where we are. And I just think Ill let the negotiation process speak for itself at this point in time, Kerry said.I dont think anything is served by a lot of speculation.But Russias Lavrov, whose country together with the US, China, Britain, France and Germany forms the P51 group, said at a separate news conference in Paris that the November 24 deadline was not sacred.I am sure that a compromise is possible. But I cannot guarantee that this can absolutely be done by November 24. This is not a sacred date, Lavrov said, according to Interfax.We aspire to get a result by that date but I am convinced by the principle that it is not artificially-set deadlines but the essence of the deal, the quality of the deal (that counts), Lavrov said.Speculation about a possible extension has been stoked by comments from Iranian officials, with Araqchi saying on Friday such a move was possible and even President Hassan Rouhani not ruling it out.Our will is that in 40 days the matter will be resolved. But if other things happen and we are not able to solve all the problems, the two camps will find a solution, Rouhani said Monday.- Grand bargain -=================Negotiating intensively for months, Washington and the P51 -- the five permanent UN Security Council members, plus Germany -- want Iran to reduce the scope of its atomic activities in return for relief from painful sanctions.After more than a decade of rising tensions, this would ease long-held fears -- rejected by Iran -- that the Islamic republic wants to develop nuclear weapons under the guise of its civilian atomic activities.In November 2013, Iran and the P51 struck an interim deal and gave themselves initially until July 20 to reach a lasting accord. They missed that deadline and agreed to push it back to November 24.The main problem issue remains the central question of Irans future capacity to enrich uranium, a process that can produce fuel for reactors but also, at high purities, the core of a nuclear bomb.- Mini-round -==============The Vienna talks on Tuesday, following discussions in New York last month, involved Wendy Sherman, Washingtons lead negotiator, her Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi and the powers chief negotiator, EU foreign policy head Catherine Ashton.Russias chief negotiator, Sergei Ryabkov, said in Moscow that a mini-round involving all Iran and the six powers would take place in Vienna on Thursday after Kerry and Zarifs discussions, Interfax reported.A spokesman for Ashton confirmed that to reporters in Vienna, saying the all-in meeting would see Zarif meeting P51 political directors. The State Department said it would last one day only.Analyst Kelsey Davenport from the Arms Control Association told AFP that this weeks talks were critical and that a deal by November 24 was still possible if both sides... are willing to be flexible and creative

Strikes pound jihadists as US-led coalition meets

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Mursitpinar (Turkey) (AFP) - American-led warplanes hammered Islamic State militants on Monday and Tuesday with 21 raids near Kobane, a strategic Syrian town on the border with Turkey, the US military said, as top brass from 22 countries met to discuss a strategy for combatting them at an air force base outside Washington.The White House said Tuesday a multinational air war against IS jihadists in Iraq and Syria is succeeding, optimism that was underscored by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which said US-led air strikes had stopped in its tracks ISs bid to seize Kobane.Speaking as President Barack Obama prepared to meet with the generals of the US-led coalition, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said were in the early days of the execution of that strategy, but certainly the early evidence indicates that this strategy is succeeding.IS militants recently captured nearly half of Kobane, but Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the latest strikes had succeeded in saving it from falling entirely into the jihadists hands.Central Command, which oversees US forces in the Middle East, said there were indications air raids had slowed ISIL (IS) advances, but that the situation remained fluid.Earnest called this a continuation of our broader strategy, not a change in it, when asked if the stepped-up strikes represented a shift.The fight would not be quick or easy, he acknowledged, adding that weve been pretty candid about the fact that this is a longer-term proposition.The White House spokesman also insisted US ground troops would not be involved in the battle.That battle was to dominate the talks at Andrews Air Force base among the military chiefs, including from all five of the Arab states taking part in the air campaign in Syria.The meeting provides an opportunity to take stock of coalition progress to date and continue to align and fully integrate the unique capabilities of coalition partners, said Alistair Baskey, spokesman for the US National Security Council.Obama was also due to meet the commanders and looked forward to discussing additional measures that the coalition can take to degrade and ultimately destroy IS, Baskey said.It was the first time such high-ranking officials from so many nations have come together since the coalition was formed in September and which now, on paper, includes about 60 countries.Turkeys call for the establishment of a protective buffer zone along its border with Syria, where the jihadists have pushed into the heart of predominantly Kurdish Kobane, was also expected to be on the agenda.Ankara, which has faced a three-decade Kurdish insurgency, has tightened security of its porous Syrian border after the fighting in Kobane sparked the exodus of 200,000 refugees.- A martyred town -French President Francois Hollande urged Turkey to open its frontier with Syria to help Kobanes defenders, warning the town could fall to IS at any moment.I think about what is happening today in Kobane, a martyred town, a symbolic town. If we have to intervene, as we decided for France in Iraq, we also have to give the moderate Syrian opposition... all the support, all the help necessary, he said.Fighting is reported to have spread to less than a kilometre (half a mile) from the barbed wire fence of the Turkish border, the Observatory said.Kurdish fighters were trying to push into the eastern sector, under IS control, said the Observatory, which has a wide network of sources inside Syria.On Monday, Kurdish militia captured the strategic hilltop of Tel Shair west of Kobane, according to the Observatory, which said the site had changed hands several times.The black IS flag could no longer be seen flying on the hill from across the border.- Anbar teeters -Concern has also been growing over Iraq, where IS fighters have been threatening to seize more territory.Iraqi forces are reported to be under intensifying pressure in Anbar province, a vast region stretching from near Baghdad to the Syrian border.On Monday, security sources said Iraqi troops stationed on the edge of Heet, in Anbar, had withdrawn to another base, leaving it under full jihadist control.Pro-government forces have also been in trouble south of IS-held Mosul around the Baiji oil refinery, where US aircraft Sunday dropped supplies including food, water and ammunition to Iraqi troops for the first time.In Baghdad, an Iraqi MP and prominent militia leader, Ahmed al-Khafaji, was one of at least 21 people killed by a suicide car bomb in the Shiite neighbourhood of Kadhimiyah.The third bombing in Kadhimiyah in four days, it was immediately claimed by IS in a statement posted online that also said Khafaji was the intended target.

Obama concerned over Kobane

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WASHINGTON, Oct 14, 2014 (AFP) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday expressed grave concern over the plight of the Syrian town of Kobane under attack by Islamic State jihadists and said a US-led coalition would keep up bombing raids there and in western Iraq.Were deeply concerned about the situation in and around the Syrian town of Kobane, Obama said after meeting commanders from countries in the coalition fighting the IS group.The US leader said they were also focused on the fighting that is taking place in Iraqs Anbar province.

People's Party not involved in power politics: Asif Zardari

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LAHORE: (Dunya News) – Co-Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari has said that PPP is not involved in power politics. He said that the ‘film’ being run nowadays in Islamabad has been run previously as well. He said that problems can only be solved through rectification of the faults with the system. He urged the politicians to respect each other.Addressing the PPP function today (Tuesday) in his honour, Asif Zardari said that no country in the world can afford to remain aloof from the rest of the world in the current times. He said that success can only be achieved through an inclusive government with all the institutions onboard. He said that the government, in his tenure, provided facilities to the industry. He said that Pakistan is an agro based economy and we cannot solve our issues without bringing international investment into our system. “Government policies bring foreign investment”, he said.Former President of Pakistan said that PPP has decided to bring the change from within the system. He said that PPP government gave the rights to Gilgit-Baltistan. He said that he was thankful of the government for taking the PPP policy of giving rights to Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). He also said that the current government was working on Gwadar project which was an initiative of PPP government.Mr. Zardari said that Benazir Bhutto (late) got only 17 seats in 1997 elections and she became the Opposition Leader. He said that there were many then who asked Benazir to leave way for them. “But we have to change the thinking of the people”, he said.Co-Chairman PPP said that his party always fulfilled its political promises. “PPP has always believed in struggle and will continue in the future”, he said. He said that there are still many people who believe in the ‘Gullu Butt’ mentality. “Some enemy politicians are trying to entice the people”, he said.Asif Ali Zardari said that he has had old relationship with Punjab. “I have spent 7 years of imprisonment in Punjab and seven days as a free man here too”, said Zardari.

Local body elections inevitable to empower people: Imran Khan

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday said that the local body elections are inevitable in the country in order to empower people. He said if the local body system is good then the public will directly be in power, Dunya News reported.Addressing the ‘Azadi March’ participants in Islamabad, Imran Khan said that the funds reserved for the local body are given to the members of National Assembly (MNAs) and provincial assemblies (MPAs) under the current system.He said Supreme Court’s decision regarding the local body election is a welcome gesture.He said that the people will be in power if the system of local governments is good.Khan alleged that the rulers and occupation mafia are eating up people’s money while the people are deprived of even the basic rights.PTI chief said that the current government has increased the electricity prices by 80 percent. He said questioning governments is the right of the people.While announcing rally on October 17 in Sargodha, Imran Khan said he will himself oversee the stage arrangements.

Govt attitude creating justification for midterm polls: Sirajul Haq

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Jamaat Islami chief Sirajul Haq on Tuesday said that the attitude of the government is creating the justification for midterm elections which is not demanded by any party so far. He said the government can still resume the dialogue process if it wants, Dunya News reported.A delegate of Lahore High Court Bar Association met Jamaat chief at Jamaat Islami’s center at Mansoora Lahore in which he was invited to speak on the current situation along with the political jirga.Sirajul Haq said on this occasion that the central and all provincial governments are busy fighting for their survival instead of providing relief to the general public.Jamaat chief said that the involved parties have entered in a closed end street.Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia’s Secretary General Qari Hanif Jalandhri also met the Jamaat chief at Mansoora Lahore. He praised the efforts made by Sirajul Haq and the political jirga in order to help solve the political impasse.Sirajul Haq on said that the common and poor people are suffering the most due to the current political crisis.

Local body polls: Demarcation, prepping lists tasks assigned to Election Commission

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – President Mamnoon Hussain on Tuesday issued the Electoral Rules Amendment Ordinance and Delimitations Amendment Ordinance as per which, the tasks of delimitations and preparation of lists for local body elections have been assigned to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Dunya News reported.As per the ordinances, the Election Commission is to perform the task of delimitations and preparation of electoral lists for local body polls.The ECP has also been empowered to decide on any objection arising over the demarcation process as per the ordinances.

Interior Minister directs to remove all containers except from Constitution Avenue

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar on Tuesday directed the authorities to remove all the container blockades from Islamabad except the ones installed at the Constitution Avenue, Dunya News reported.According to the details, Interior Minister issued the directive in order to facilitate the general public in Islamabad. The Minister also directed the Inspector General (IG) Islamabad to take steps in order to improve the flow of traffic and to repair all the traffic signals.It’s worth mentioning here that Islamabad High Court and Rawalpindi bench of Lahore High Court have already issued orders to remove containers in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

American shot dead in Saudi capital, another wounded: police

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RIYADH (AFP) - A gunman shot dead one American and wounded another at a petrol station in the Saudi capital on Tuesday, in a rare attack on Westerners in the kingdom, police said.Following the attack near King Fahd sports stadium, a shootout ensued between the gunman and the security forces, a police spokesman said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.The assailant was wounded and subsequently arrested, police said, without identifying him.The wounded were taken to hospital, SPA added.The Saudi Gazette, in a Tweet, cited Interior Ministry spokesman General Mansur al-Turki as describing the suspect as a US-born Saudi.A US embassy spokesman could not be immediately reached.Tuesdays shooting was the first deadly attack on Westerners in Saudi Arabia since several were killed in a wave of Al-Qaeda violence between 2003 and 2006.It comes as Saudi Arabia participates in a US-led campaign of air strikes against jihadists of the Islamic State group (IS) in Iraq and Syria.But there was no immediate indication of any links between the attack and the more than three-week campaign.Saudi pilots who participated in the initial late-September strikes against IS received online death threats.In January, a Saudi court sentenced to death an Al-Qaeda militant and jailed 10 others over a May 2004 attack that killed six Westerners and a policeman.The defendants, seven of whom are brothers, were convicted of aiding assailants who attacked a US company in the northwestern port town of Yanbu, killing two Americans, two Britons, an Australian and a Canadian, as well as a Saudi.Saudi authorities have long feared blowback from jihadist groups, particularly after the attacks of a decade ago, which included assaults on housing compounds where foreigners lived and led to a crackdown.Security around Western facilities has been markedly increased since then.Fifteen of the 19 hijackers who took part in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States were from Saudi Arabia.The ultra-conservative Wahhabi Islamic tradition is predominant in Saudi Arabia, where it applies to both religious and political life.But authorities have expressed concern about extremist ideas tempting Saudi youth, some of whom have joined fighters in Syria, where the IS has declared a caliphate straddling Syria and Iraq.The group has been accused of committing a spate of atrocities including crucifixions and beheadings.Saudi Arabias top cleric, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh, in August urged Muslim youth not to be influenced by calls for jihad ... on perverted principles, and described Al-Qaeda and IS jihadists as enemy number one of Islam.During the annual hajj Muslim pilgrimage in western Saudi Arabia this month he said Muslim leaders must strike the enemies of Islam with an iron hand.These criminals carry out rapes, bloodshed and looting, he said, adding that these vile crimes can be considered terrorism and their perpetrators have nothing to do with Islam.
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