Monday 10 November 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Reagan apologizes to Thatcher for secret Grenada invasion

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Los Angeles (AFP) - Former US president Ronald Reagan personally apologized to Margaret Thatcher after US troops in 1983 secretly invaded Grenada, a Commonwealth island state in the Caribbean, according to newly-released tapes.The US president apologized for any embarrassment caused to the British premier, who was not informed in advance about the mission to topple the island states Marxist government.Britains Queen Elizabeth II is the head of the Commonwealth, a grouping of nations which includes several Caribbean island states such as Grenada.We regret very much the embarrassment thats been caused to you, the US leader said during the call in which the famously close leaders referred to each other by their first names.If I were there, Margaret, Id throw my hat in the door before I came in, he said to Thatcher, using an old US saying based on a visitor throwing his hat inside a home in case he was unwelcome and it was thrown out.Theres no need for that, Thatcher replied in the 10-minute conversation.The conversation was disclosed in archive tapes released by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.The call was apparently made as the military invasion was still underway. We think that the military part of it is going to end very shortly, Reagan said at one point.Explaining the need for utmost secrecy about the 1983 operation, Reagan said they were concerned about Cuban authorities getting wind of the invasion plan.We were greatly concerned because of a problem here ... weve had a nagging problem of a loose source, a leak here, he said.There were some Cuban military forces on the island who did battle with the invading US forces during several days of heavy fighting.The US invaded Grenada as part of its Cold War fight against the spread of Communism around the world.The invasion was launched after a revolt within the Marxist government that Washington said put US students on the island in danger. A western-friendly leader was installed after the US victory.The Reagan conversation ended on a cordial and upbeat note.Thatcher asked after Reagans wife Nancy, saying Give her my love -- and then said she had to get back to a tricky House of Commons debate.Go get em. Eat em alive, said the US president as the pair signed off.

Fears of all-out Ukraine war grow as MH17 families mourn

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Shakhtarsk (Ukraine) (AFP) - New columns of tanks, trucks and heavy artillery rumbled towards the pro-Moscow rebel stronghold of Donetsk on Monday as fears grew of a return to all-out fighting in war-torn eastern Ukraine.The Netherlands meanwhile held an emotional ceremony for the 298 victims of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 which was shot down in July, focusing the worlds eyes on the conflict in the ex-Soviet state.Pro-Russian separatist authorities in Donetsk said that the delayed removal of MH17 plane debris would begin Tuesday despite the fighting, but Dutch investigators say that no date has officially been fixed and that the situation is being assessed daily.Some 1,600 relatives and friends of the dead from 18 countries gathered alongside members of the Dutch royal family in Amsterdam for Mondays ceremony.Among the mourners were Dutch schoolchildren who laid flowers for classmates killed as they set out for their summer holidays on board the doomed flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.What if the holiday had started a day later? What if the plane had been late? What if I wake up and realise it was all just a dream? Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in his address.But there is no what if. Only the harsh reality of 298 dead.Ukraine and the West blame Russia for supplying the pro-Kremlin separatists with the missile that shot down the plane, while Moscow and the rebels have pointed the finger at Kievs forces.The human toll of the conflict rose again Monday when three civilians and one Ukrainian soldier died as rebel shelling hit a residential area near a Ukrainian checkpoint in the frontline town of Avdiivka, some 10 kilometres north of Donetsk.Seven people were injured, according to the Donetsk region administration, which is loyal to Kiev and announced the incident.Intense weekend shelling around Donetsk and more armoured columns heading to the city have fuelled concerns the rebels could be gearing up for an offensive after weeks of localised skirmishes.An AFP journalist saw 28 trucks, six tanks and 14 howitzer artillery systems and two armoured personnel carriers driving through rebel territory around Donetsk on Monday.The West has repeatedly expressed concern at Ukrainian claims that Russian military reinforcements are being sent in while Moscow denies that it is involved in the fighting in the east.However, it openly gives the rebels political and humanitarian backing and it is not clear how the insurgents could otherwise have access to so much sophisticated and well-maintained weaponry.AFP journalists also reported sporadic shelling in Donetsk overnight, some 24 hours after heavy bombardments rocked the rebel bastion in some of the fiercest fighting there since the September 5 truce deal.Some 4,000 people have died in the war since April, according to UN figures.- Much more awful -At the MH17 ceremony in Amsterdam, 298 large candles burned in memory of the victims, 193 of whom were Dutch citizens, as flags flew at half-mast around the country.The remains of 289 victims have been identified but Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders has admitted that the remaining bodies may never be recovered as the security situation around the crash site remains volatile.Russian President Vladimir Putin said shelling at the rebel-controlled location by Ukrainian forces was preventing a probe, during a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on the sidelines of Mondays Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing.Dutch investigators have made four visits to the site since the ceasefire was signed in September but The Hague says it does not know when they will be able to recover the wreckage of the plane.- Putin on tour -The conflict in Ukraine has sent relations between Western backers of Ukraine and Russia to their lowest levels since the end of the Cold War.US President Barack Obama met Putin briefly Monday in Beijing on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific summit, a senior US official said.The two leaders, engaged for months in a standoff over the crisis in Ukraine, only had a brief encounter where they didnt have time to cover issues, the official said on condition of anonymity.Putin this week faces a fraught burst of diplomacy at the APEC summit plus Group of 20 meeting in Brisbane, Australia.Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott last month vowed to shirtfront the Russian leader over the downing of the jet, which was carrying 38 Australian citizens and residents.On Saturday, he said they would have a very robust conversation about the importance of Russia cooperating with the investigation.Russias economy is labouring under European Union and US sanctions imposed over the conflict, with the ruble losing some 25 percent of its value this year.Putin shrugged off concerns over the rubles collapse as the national currency rallied Monday.We can see speculative moves in the exchange rate, but I think that will end very soon, given the actions taken by the central bank in response to the speculators, he said in Beijing.

US reviewing secretive democracy work in hostile countries

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WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. State Department said Monday it was reviewing some of its secretive democracy-promotion programs in hostile countries after The Associated Press reported that the nations global development agency may effectively end risky undercover work in those environments.The proposed changes follow an AP investigation this year into work by the U.S. Agency for International Development, which established a Twitter-like service in Cuba and secretly sought to recruit a new generation of dissidents there while hiding ties to the U.S. government. The agencys proposed changes could move some of that work under Americas diplomatic apparatus.State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki declined to elaborate on the plan Monday, saying it was premature because of ongoing deliberations. We continue to believe we need to find creative ways to promote positive change in Cuba, but beyond that, were still assessing what any change or what any impact would be, she said.USAIDs proposed policy closely mirrors a Senate bill this summer, which would prohibit the agency from spending money on democracy programs in countries that reject the agencys assistance and where USAID would have to go to excessive lengths to protect program beneficiaries and participants.In turn, some of USAIDs high-risk democracy efforts would likely be moved under the State Department, according to government officials familiar with discussions about the policy who were not authorized to talk about the matter publicly. Other programs could shift to the National Endowment for Democracy, a nonprofit group that receives money from the U.S. government.The changes would prevent USAID from running programs such as the Cuban Twitter project, known as ZunZuneo. In that operation, the AP found USAID and its contractor concealed their involvement, setting up a front company, routing money through Cayman Islands bank transactions and fashioning elaborate cover stories.The subterfuge put at risk USAIDs cooperation with foreign governments to deliver aid to the worlds poor. Last month, it pledged more than $140 million to fight Ebola in West Africa.In a statement, USAID said it would continue to carry out democracy initiatives in politically restrictive environments and aim to be transparent. But it said the new rules would balance safety and security risks, which would align with the proposed legislation.But the Obama administration on Monday would not answer questions on how it could continue any democracy-promotion work in Cuba when such efforts are illegal there and would likely require secrecy to be effective. USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah said earlier this year that ZunZuneo was not a covert program, although he said parts of it were done discreetly to protect the people involved.Government officials told the AP that USAID acknowledged changing its democracy-promotion policy after being questioned by Sens. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, and Jeff Flake, a Republican, who wrote the agency following the APs report in April.Both ZunZuneo and a second program to recruit Cuban dissidents were run by Creative Associates International, a Washington D.C. contractor. They were part of a larger, multimillion-dollar effort by USAID to bring about democratic reforms in politically volatile countries. But the officials said they were told USAID had concluded some democracy programs in hostile countries were not successful.The AP reported that ZunZuneo evaded Cubas Internet restrictions by creating a text-messaging service for political purposes that drew tens of thousands of subscribers who were unaware it was backed by the U.S. government. U.S. officials said it ended in late 2012 because funding ran out.In August, the AP found USAID secretly dispatched young Latin Americans to Cuba to provoke political change, using the cover of health and civic initiatives. That program sent Latin youth often posing as tourists around the island to scout for people they could turn into political activists. Cuban authorities had questioned some of the travelers true motives.The agencys inspector general confirmed this summer it was examining the ZunZuneo program.

New protest hits Mexico over alleged student massacre

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Acapulco (Mexico) (AFP) - Protesters angry at the alleged massacre of 43 Mexican students clashed with police and besieged Acapulcos airport for hours Monday over a scandal shaking President Enrique Pena Nietos administration.Thousands of people marched to the Pacific resort towns international airport, with parents of the students leading the demonstration along with comrades from the 43 young mens teacher-training college in the southern state of Guerrero.The rally followed violent protests that erupted over the weekend after authorities said gang hitmen confessed to murdering the 43 students and incinerating their bodies in September after corrupt local police handed the men over.In a case causing national revulsion, Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam downplayed chances of ever identifying the charred remains, warning that only two bones were salvageable for DNA tests.Pena out Pena murderer Stay in China, protesters chanted, referring to the presidents controversial decision to travel to a summit in Beijing amid public fury over the crime.The protesters blocked the airports entrance for more than three hours, with some masked men armed with sticks, though several tourists snuck in through a private terminal.Before reaching the airport, protesters threw stones and a firebomb at riot police who were blocking their way, injuring at least 20 officers, a security official said.Tourists had to reach the airport by foot, pulling their suitcases behind them. Three flights were canceled.- Austrian experts to examine remains -Authorities say gang-linked police shot at busloads of students in the Guerrero city of Iguala on September 26, in a night of violence that left six people dead.The police then handed the 43 abducted students to the Guerreros Unidos drug gang, prosecutors say.Authorities say Igualas mayor ordered police to confront the students over fears they would interrupt a speech by his wife, who aspired to succeed him.The students had traveled to Iguala to raise funds but hijacked four buses to return home, a common practice among the young men from the college known for its radical left-wing politics.Officials stopped short of declaring the students dead, stressing that they were waiting for DNA results.Murillo Karam said experts indicated there were only two bones, including a kneecap, that could possibly be matched to DNA samples.The two pieces will be sent to a lab, which suggested a possibility of identifying them, he told the Televisa network.The government has sought the assistance of experts from Austrias University of Innsbruck.Parents of the missing students, who deeply distrust the government, say they will only believe their sons are dead once they get DNA test results.We want the government to do everything possible as soon as possible to find the boys alive, because they are deceiving us, said Carlos Ivan, father of one of the missing students.- Pena Nieto in China -Pena Nieto was in China on Monday for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit despite criticism over his decision to travel in the midst of the crisis.Amid the protests, a new controversy erupted over his wifes purchase of a mansion from a Mexican firm that was part of a Chinese-led consortium that won a $3.7-billion bullet train contract, which Pena Nieto abruptly canceled last week.News website Aristegui Noticias reported that First Lady Angelica Rivera bought the Mexico City home, valued at $7 million, in January 2012.Pena Nieto abruptly canceled the train contract after the opposition questioned the transparency of the bidding process, in which the China Railway Construction Corp. group was the only bidder.Presidential spokesman Eduardo Sanchez said Rivera, a former soap opera star, bought the home with her own money and that the news report did not influence the decision to revoke the train contract.

Sukkur: 29 killed in bus, truck collision

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SUKKUR (Dunya News) – According to initial reports, a passenger bus collided with a truck at Thairi By-pass near Sukkur on early Tuesday morning, killing at least 29 people and injuring 30 others.The ill-fated bus was travelling from Swat to Karachi. Police and rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the dead and injured to Civil Hospital.Note: Further details are awaited.

50 US troops arrive in western Iraq: Pentagon

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Washington (AFP) - US troops have deployed to Iraqs frontline western province of Anbar for the first time in the fight against Islamic State jihadists, with 50 preparing the way for a larger contingent, the Pentagon said Monday.I can confirm that approximately 50 US military personnel are visiting Al-Asad Air Base to conduct a site survey of facilities for potential future use as an advise and assist operation location in support of Iraq Security Forces, spokeswoman Commander Elissa Smith said.Some soldiers in the 50-strong team are providing security for the specialists carrying out the survey but the Americans at the air base are not delivering weapons to Sunni tribes, Smith said.US forces are not arming tribes in the region; this is a matter for the Government of Iraq and the ISF, she said.The move comes after President Barack Obama announced plans last week to double the number of American troops in Iraq, approving an additional 1,500 forces that will include trainers and advisers for Anbar.Parts of mainly-Sunni Anbar province have become a stronghold for the IS group and Iraqi forces have been on the retreat in recent weeks, falling back to the Asad air base.The desert airfield was once a sprawling hub for American troops and aircraft during the 2003 to 2011 occupation of Iraq.A string of battlefield defeats for Iraqi forces has led to warnings that Anbar, which stretches from borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to the western approach to Baghdad, could fall entirely.The IS group has carried out mass executions in recent days to sow terror in Anbar, targeting a tribe that fought against the jihadists, Iraqi officers and tribal leaders say.

Obama wants more regulation of Internet providers

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WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama on Monday embraced a radical change in how the government treats Internet service, coming down on the side of consumer activists who fear slower download speeds and higher costs but angering U.S. cable giants who say the plan would kill jobs.Obama called on the Federal Communications Commission to more heavily regulate Internet providers and treat broadband much as it would any other public utility. He said the FCC should explicitly prohibit Internet providers like Verizon and AT&T from charging data hogs like Netflix extra to move their content more quickly. The announcement sent cable stocks tumbling.The FCC, an independent regulatory body led by political appointees, is nearing a decision on whether broadband providers should be allowed to cut deals with the content providers but is stumbling over the legal complexities.We are stunned the president would abandon the longstanding, bipartisan policy of lightly regulating the Internet and calling for extreme regulation, said Michael Powell, president and CEO of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, the primary lobbying arm of the cable industry, which supplies much of the nations Internet access.This tectonic shift in national policy, should it be adopted, would create devastating results, added Powell, who chaired the FCC during the Bush administration until 2005.Netflix swung behind Obama, posting to its Facebook page that consumers should pick winners and losers on the Internet, not broadband gatekeepers.Net neutrality is the idea that Internet service providers shouldnt block, slow or manipulate data moving across its networks. As long as content isnt against the law, such as child pornography or pirated music, a file or video posted on one site will load generally at the same speed as a similarly sized file or video on another site.In 2010, the FCC embraced the concept in a rule. But last January, a federal appeals court struck down the regulation because the court said the FCC didnt technically have the legal authority to tell broadband providers how to manage their networks.Obama said the FCC should explicitly ban any paid prioritization on the Internet. The president also suggested that the FCC reclassify consumer broadband as a public utility under the 1934 Communications Act. That would mean the Internet would be regulated more heavily in the way phone service is.It is common sense that the same philosophy should guide any service that is based on the transmission of information whether a phone call, or a packet of data, Obama said.This approach is exactly what industry lobbyists have spent months fighting against. While Internet providers say they support the concept of an open Internet they want flexibility to think up new ways to package and sell Internet services. And, given the billions of dollars spent to improve network infrastructure, some officials say its only fair to make data hogs like Netflix bear some of the costs of handling heavy traffic.AT&T on Monday threatened legal action if the FCC adopted Obamas plan, while Comcast Corp. said reclassifying broadband regulation would be a radical reversal that would harm investment and innovation, as todays immediate stock market reaction demonstrates. Similar statements were released by Time Warner Cable Inc. and several industry groups including CTIA-The Wireless Association, USTelecom, the Telecommunications Industry Association and Broadband for America.Many Republicans including House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell swung behind industry in denouncing the plan as government overreach.The Internet Association, which represents many content providers like Netflix, Twitter, eBay and Google, applauded Obamas proposal.On Monday, as the Standard & Poors 500 index edged up slightly, big cable companies slid. Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Cablevision and Charter Communications dropped 2 percent to 4 percent in the hours immediately after the announcement.FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, a former industry lobbyist and venture capitalist, said he welcomed the presidents comments, but suggested that his proposal was easier said than done.The more deeply we examined the issues around the various legal options, the more it has become plain that there is more work to do, Wheeler said.The FCC isnt under a deadline to make a decision.The presidents statement all but guarantees that the major cable companies will spend the next few months trying to encourage Congress to step in to protect their interests. Still, Internet activists are hoping it will go a long way, even as his popularity among his party has waned.When the leader of the free world says the Internet should remain free, thats a game changer, said Sen. Edward Markey, a Democrat.

GM ordered new ignition switches well before recall

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New York (AFP) - General Motors ordered new ignition switches months before it began recalling cars with the defective parts linked to at least 32 deaths.The largest US automaker placed an urgent order for a half-million new ignition switches on December 18 to replace defective switches, a day after a meeting of senior executives, The Wall Street Journal said Sunday, citing emails between GM and its supplier Delphi Automotive.That was almost two months before GM alerted federal safety regulators about the problem. GM, which is embroiled in lawsuits over the faulty ignition switches, only began its recall of some 2.6 million cars in February.It isnt uncommon for automakers, before a recall, to check on parts availability and place orders for parts, the Journal reported.Still, the major parts order will be used by attorneys representing thousands in class-action lawsuits against GM, which claim the automaker delayed informing the public of the problem for as long as possible.The parts order was not disclosed by GM before the recall.Delphi produced the emails during preparations for a court trial set to begin in January 2016 on the ignition problem.Robert Hilliard, the lead attorney for the wrongful death and personal injury plaintiffs in a multi-state class-action lawsuit, said he had made the emails public.GM passed an urgent order of 500,000 new devices from Delphi to fix the ignition switch. They did not inform my clients, Hilliard said in a telephone interview.They did not tell the truth. They lied to Congress; they lied to everyone. I want to ask them to provide documents of their decision to purchase the devices. Congress needs to see it.Hilliard said he would use the emails to seek damages for his clients. They could have prevented so many crashes. They failed to do so.GM is under investigation by Congress, regulators and the Justice Department over why it waited more than a decade after first uncovering the ignition-switch problem to start recalling cars.The faulty ignitions could turn off power to a cars power steering and safety airbags while it is in motion.As of Monday, GM has confirmed 32 deaths in accidents linked to the problem.The company has set up a compensation fund for victims, with plans to pay $1 million per fatality plus $300,000 to each surviving spouse and possible beneficiary.GM, in a statement to AFP Monday, said the Delphi emails are further confirmation that our system needed reform, and we have done so.We have reorganized our entire safety investigation and decision process and have more investigators, move issues more quickly and make decisions with better data, said spokesman Alan Adler.GM shares tumbled 1.9 percent to $31.00 in afternoon trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

FBI sends undercover agents after shutting off internet

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WASHINGTON (AP) An elaborate FBI ruse to shut off the Internet in three luxury Las Vegas suites and then send undercover agents into the rooms to fix the problem was a legitimate law enforcement practice, an assistant U.S. attorney wrote in a court filing defending the practice.The filing was in response to a defense motion to throw out evidence in an illegal gambling case against eight Asian gamblers, who contended the ruse circumvented their right to keep law enforcement officers out of their suites. The response from U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden and two other government lawyers was filed Monday in federal court in Las Vegas.Defense lawyers said in their motion that Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Frayn, the prosecutor in the case, advised the FBI not to go through with the ruse because it would be a consent issue. The defense said that conversation was recorded by a Caesars Palace security employee.In its filing, the government did not address the defense contention that she advised against it.Law enforcement has long been permitted to obtain consent by posing as a confederate, business associate, or service provider. In fact, the government uses ruses every day in its undercover operations, the prosecutors wrote in defense of the FBI operation.They added the ruse would only have been illegal if the government left the defendants with no choice but to let the undercover agents into their suites.According to the criminal complaint, the eight men came to the attention of authorities in June after they requested an unusually large amount of electronics equipment and technical support. An electrical engineer employee advised hotel security personnel that the equipment appeared to be set up for an illegal gambling operation.The prosecutors wrote that the FBI had reasonable suspicion to go into the rooms after being alerted by the state gaming control board about the hotel staff concerns.Over two days in July, FBI agents worked with a computer contractor and the states gaming control board to shut off the Internet at different times and at one point delivered a laptop computer to try to see what was happening, according to court filings. Investigators eventually gained access after they turned off the Internet connection to two suites, impersonated repair technicians and recorded video inside. Authorities later used the videos to obtain a warrant to arrest the men.The gamblers, including 50-year-old Wei Seng Phua, a suspected member of the Chinese organized crime group 14k Triad, his son and six other men, were arrested in July. All eight face charges of transmission of wagering information, operating an illegal gambling business and aiding and abetting. Defense lawyer Thomas Goldstein said they all deny wrongdoing.

McDonald's recalls Happy Meal toy for choking risk

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WASHINGTON (AP) McDonalds is recalling a Hello Kitty-themed whistle given to children in Happy Meals, citing a chance they could choke on some of its parts.The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Monday that two children have reportedly coughed out pieces of the whistle that they had sucked into their mouths, including one child who received medical attention.The safety agency said that parts of the three-inch-tall Hello Kitty Birthday Lollipop whistle can detach and be inhaled, posing a risk to small children.McDonalds said about 2.5 million whistles were manufactured, but most were not sent to restaurants. The fast-food chain said it has recovered about 1.6 million whistles, including toys that never made it to its stores.The toys were in Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals in the U.S. and Canada in October and November.Consumers should return the whistle to any McDonalds for a free replacement toy.

Pakistan vs New Zealand:Shehzad fractures skull

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Abu Dhabi (AFP) - Ahmed Shehzad hit a career-best 176 before being rushed to hospital with a fractured skull as Pakistans batsmen smashed New Zealand around the ground in the first Test on Monday.Younis Khan and Misbah-ul Haq also hit dominant tons to put Pakistan in control on 566 for three declared. But Shehzads injury briefly set alarm bells ringing.In the final over before lunch, Shehzad was hit on the side of the head trying to hook a short ball by New Zealand seamer Corey Anderson on the hard Abu Dhabi wicket.Shehzads bat struck the stumps for a hit-wicket dismissal and the dazed batsman fell to the ground before walking off.Shehzad was later rushed to a hospital where scans showed he had a minor skull fracture and will be kept under observation for the next 48 hours.Before the drama, he had hit 17 fours and a six in his 371-ball innings.While team managers worried about the opener, Younis went on to smash an unbeaten 100 -- his 28th Test hundred and fourth in five innings.Misbah knocked an unbeaten 102, his third ton in three innings. Azhar Ali missed his hundred after he was dismissed for 87.At the close on the second day New Zealand were 15-0 with Brendon McCullum on nine and Tom Latham on five. They need another 352 to avoid the follow-on.Younis, who scored 468 runs against Australia in a series which ended last week, hit ten fours in his 141-ball knock.- Motivation -He hit a century in each innings in the first Test against Australia in Dubai and followed that with 213 in the Abu Dhabi Test last week.Younis said he wanted to keep his good run intact.Everyday I wake up I promise myself to keep scoring like this, said Younis. Its all about motivation and I am happy that I am keeping that and with that scoring big.Misbah, who smashed twin hundreds in the second Test against Australia, knocked nine fours and a six off 162 balls.The two veteran batsmen added 193 for the unbroken fourth wicket stand to build on another second wicket stand of 169 runs between Ali and Shehzad.Misbah survived two chances, one on 17 and the other on 20 as fielders failed to reach uppish shots with Ish Sodhi the luckless bowler on both occasions.It was Younis who reached his hundred first, hitting an uppish shot off McCullum which Tim Southee failed to catch at short mid-on.Misbah drove McCullum in the same over for three to complete his eighth Test hundred.Pakistan lost Shehzad and Ali in the two sessions after resuming at 269 for one.Ali missed a sharp turner from Sodhi and was bowled. He hit four boundaries off 215 balls.Anderson was the best bowler with 2-68 while Sodhi finished with 2-162.The New Zealanders paid dearly for giving Shehzad a life on Sunday. He had been on 16 when wicketkeeper B.J. Watling failed to stump him off the bowling of spinner Mark Craig.Craig went wicket-less in his 33 overs.Shehzad, 126 overnight, took some time to open up on Monday. But he then hit a straight six off Craig before running a three to surpass his previous best of 147 against Sri Lanka in Sharjah earlier this year.The remaining two Tests will be played in Dubai (November 17-21) and Sharjah (November 26-30).

US, Iran end latest nuclear talks with deal in balance

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MUSCAT (AFP) - A hard-fought nuclear deal hung in the balance as Iran and the United States ended talks Monday in Oman, with signs the haggling will continue until a November 24 deadline.Over the past two days US Secretary of State John Kerry and Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sought to overcome deep differences, allay mutual suspicion and bring 12 months of diplomatic brinkmanship to the point of a breakthrough.As each laid out their demands in private, warnings came that a final agreement may prove elusive, but in their only public comments in over 10 hours of talks neither man revealed what remains unsolved in the long-running bid for a comprehensive accord.Asked if they were making progress, as they appeared briefly for photographers, Zarif replied: We will eventually.Kerry said: We are working hard. We are working hard.US President Barack Obama said Sunday that a big gap remained on how the West can have verifiable, lock-tight assurances that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.We may not be able to get there, Obama told CBS News.After the talks ended on Monday, the US State Department said they have proved tough, direct and serious while adding there is still time for progress.Irans deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said no progress had been made during the two days. We can no longer talk about progress in the negotiations, but we are optimistic that we can reach an accord before November 24, he said, quoted by ISNA news agency.The Iranian delegation is under pressure to deliver a quick and total lifting of US, UN and European sanctions under a final deal. Obama, however, said sanctions would only be slowly reduced if Tehran meets its obligations.The key sticking point is thought to be the number and type of uranium-enriching centrifuges Iran should be allowed to keep spinning in exchange for sanctions relief and rigorous inspections of its nuclear sites.Iran denies it is seeking a bomb and says its nuclear programme aims to produce atomic energy to reduce the countrys reliance on fossil fuels, requiring a massive increase in its ability to enrich uranium in coming years.The duration of a final settlement plan between Iran and the P51 group -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany -- also remains contested, with Iran speaking of five years and world powers suggesting at least double that.Some analysts have said a deal may already be out of reach.A full-fledged agreement is no longer possible before the deadline. What is still achievable is a breakthrough that could justify adding more time to the clock, Ali Vaez, senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group, told AFP.What is needed is a courageous political decision that neither side appears compelled to take until the 11th hour.The talks have already been extended once -- when a July 20 deadline was missed. Despite the logjam, neither side has indicated it would walk away from the table.The meetings in Muscat followed the revelation that Obama reportedly wrote to Irans supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to push for a deal, arguing the Islamic republic and the West have shared regional interests.This apparent reference to the fight against Islamic State group militants in Syria and Iraq was played down by Kerry, however, with the US diplomat saying there is no linkage whatsoever with the nuclear talks.Domestic politics are also a factor, given the loss in midterm elections of the Senate by Obamas Democrats to the Republican party, members of which have consistently bridled at the White Houses negotiations with Iran.If talks go sour in the coming weeks it is thought the US Congress may respond with fresh sanctions on Iran.Obama has the power to veto them, but the prospect of new penalties could push already protracted dealmaking towards being untenable for the Iranian government.Zarif and President Hassan Rouhani are under fire from lawmakers sceptical of the interim deal, which came into force in January, who have also said a bigger, final agreement must be ratified by parliament.As if to drive that message home on Sunday, 200 Iranian MPs signed a statement demanding that Zarifs negotiating team vigorously defend the countrys nuclear rights and ensure a total lifting of sanctions.But on Monday, Khamenei, who as Irans supreme guide has the last word on all policy matters foreign and domestic, laid out nine points on Twitter from recent speeches as evidence of why he has supported the nuclear talks.

British drones strike IS jihadists in Iraq

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LONDON (AFP) - Britain has used its unmanned aerial drones in Iraq for the first time to strike Islamic State jihadists, the Ministry of Defence said Monday.Over the weekend, a remotely-piloted Reaper aircraft successfully launched a missile attack on IS extremists near Baiji, north of Baghdad, where they were planting improvised explosive devices, the MoD said.The Reaper drones have been re-deployed from Afghanistan, where Britain this month ended its combat operations after 13 years fighting the Taliban insurgency.A series of coalition missions were conducted near Baiji, north of Baghdad, where ISIL (Islamic State) terrorists were laying improvised explosive devices, the MoD said.The Reaper Remotely Piloted Air System, using procedures identical to those of manned aircraft, successfully attacked the terrorists using a Hellfire missile.UK Reaper continued to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assistance to coalition aircraft which enabled them to conduct further strikes.Reapers are remotely controlled by pilots based at the Waddington Royal Air Force base in Lincolnshire, eastern England.The US-made drones are normally armed with two Paveway laser-guided bombs and four Hellfire missiles for precision strikes.Britain also has eight Cyprus-based RAF Tornado fighter jets conducting bombing raids on IS targets in Iraq.The MoD also said Monday that the Tornados last week used Brimstone precision-guided missiles to destroy IS armed pick-up trucks.And on Sunday, an RAF aircraft destroyed a shipping container west of Baghdad.The MoD said the container was used by the terrorists to store equipment to support extortion and control of the local population.Meanwhile other RAF aircraft, including tankers, transport and surveillance platforms, also continue to support coalition air operations.Britain has provided heavy weapons to Kurdish peshmerga fighters battling IS, and training in how to use them. London however has repeatedly insisted it will not be deploying combat troops on the ground.

Knife attacks kill two Israelis as unrest spreads

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JERUSALEM (AFP) - An Israeli soldier and a woman were killed and two others wounded in twin Palestinian stabbings Monday as months of unrest in Jerusalem spread across Israel and the occupied West Bank.Mondays violence began in Tel Aviv where a Palestinian teenager from the northern West Bank stabbed a 20-year-old soldier who later died of his wounds in hospital. The assailant fled but was arrested.Hours later, another Palestinian attacked three Israelis outside Alon Shvut settlement in the southern West Bank, killing a young woman and wounding two other people before a security guard shot and critically wounded him.The bloodshed took place after months of clashes and unrest in and around annexed east Jerusalem which spread to Arab areas of Israel at the weekend after police shot dead a young Arab-Israeli during an apparently routine arrest operation.It was condemned by the United States, which urged both sides to ease tensions.It is absolutely critical that parties take every possible measure to protect civilians and de-escalate tensions, said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.Since the summer, Israel has significantly increased police presence on the streets in a bid to rein in the unrest, but has been unable to stop a growing number of attacks by lone Palestinians, most of them in Jerusalem.But Mondays violence was further afield.A car stopped at the hitchhiking stop at the entrance to Alon Shvut, the driver got out of the car and stabbed three civilians who were standing there, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said of the incident in the southern West Bank.A woman of about 25 was killed and two men were lightly to moderately wounded, medics said. Police said all three were Jewish settlers.Their attacker, who was identified as Maher Hamdi al-Hashlamon, was shot and seriously wounded by the settlements security guard.Palestinian security sources said Hashlamon was from the southern city of Hebron.Earlier, a Palestinian teenager from a refugee camp in the northern West Bank stabbed an Israeli soldier outside a Tel Aviv train station before fleeing the scene. He was later arrested.The soldier was critically wounded and died in hospital after the attack, which marked the first time Israels hedonistic commercial capital has been affected by the current wave of violence.It was apparently an attack with nationalist motives. The suspect is a resident of the Nablus area, police spokeswoman Samri said prior to the soldiers death.The attacker was identified as 17-year-old Nureddine Abu Hashiyeh from Askar refugee camp near Nablus. His father, Khaled, said he was a painter and decorator by trade and had left for Tel Aviv on Sunday.The attacks came as Israel struggles to contain a growing wave of violence which has gripped annexed east Jerusalem for the past four months, but which has recently spread to Arab towns and villages inside the country.Anger initially erupted in Jerusalem in early July over the murder of a Palestinian teenager by young Jewish extremists.It has been fuelled by religious tensions at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound, as well as by moves to expand settler presence in the occupied eastern sector of the holy city.Since August, there have been four deadly Palestinian attacks in Jerusalem -- three of which were hit-and-run terror attacks which killed five Israelis -- and one attempted drive-by shooting.All four perpetrators, who acted alone and came from east Jerusalem, were shot dead, sparking further unrest.Since July, police have arrested some 900 Palestinians for public order offences in east Jerusalem and indicted around a third of them.But at the weekend, the unrest spread after police shot dead a 22-year-old Arab-Israeli in Kufr Kana near the northern city of Nazareth, triggering a wave of rioting in Arab areas, some of which continued until early Monday.Police claim the officers fired warning shots before shooting directly at him.But relatives say Kheir Hamdan was killed in cold blood, with CCTV images apparently contradicting the official version and showing an officer shooting at him as he was backing away from the scene.Following two days of clashes, 24 Arab-Israelis -- 10 of them minors -- were in court on Monday on charges of stone-throwing and other public order offences, police said.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Sunday that anyone breaking the law would be punished severely.We will not tolerate disturbances and riots. We will take determined action against those who throw stones, firebombs and fireworks, and block roads, and against demonstrations that call for our destruction.

Suicide bomber in school uniform kills 47 in Nigeria

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KANO (AFP) - A suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber disguised in school uniform killed 47 students in northeast Nigeria on Monday, in one of the worst attacks against schools teaching a so-called Western curriculum.The explosion ripped through an all-boys school in Potiskum just as students gathered for morning assembly before classes began, causing panic and chaos.The massacre, described by President Goodluck Jonathan as a dastardly attack, came just a day after the release of a new Boko Haram video in which the Islamist groups leader, Abubakar Shekau, again rejected Nigerian government claims of a ceasefire and peace talks.UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Nigerian authorities to bring the perpetrators of the school attack to justice.The UN chief is outraged by the frequency and brutality of attacks against educational institutions in the north of the country, his spokesman said.Students at the Government Comprehensive Senior Science Secondary School were waiting to hear the principals daily address when the explosion happened at 7:50 am (0650 GMT).Several witnesses said the blast was thunderous and described a bloody aftermath of abandoned footwear, charred school books, bags and body parts.There was an explosion detonated by a suicide bomber. We have 47 dead and 79 injured, national police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu said, adding that Boko Haram was believed to be responsible.Ojukwu also confirmed local media reports that the bomber was disguised as a student at the school, which has more than 1,000 pupils aged 15 to 20.Yobe state governor Ibrahim Gaidam ordered the immediate closure of all public schools in the Potiskum area and slammed the government in Abuja for failing to tackle the insurgency.Urgent action must be taken right now to restore a fast-waning public confidence by doing whatever it takes to stop the escalating violence, he said in a statement.Jonathan promised those affected that his government would find the culprits, no matter how long it takes.Student Adamu Abdullahi said pupils at the centre of the blast near the principals office were flung in all directions and others were knocked off their feet.I found myself under the weight of another student, who fell over me. Im certain he was dead. I was dazed and disorientated for a moment, he told AFP.When I realised what had happened, I managed to push the body on top of me and started running like everyone else. It was confusion all over. Everybody was hysterical.I saw many people on the ground. Human flesh and blood were splattered all over the place... I ran out of the school and went home.When my father saw me he was terrified. I didnt realise my white school uniform was stained with human blood and bits of flesh.The dead and injured were taken to the Potiskum General Hospital just 100 metres (yards) away. Boko Haram, which wants to create a hardline Islamic state in northern Nigeria, has previously carried out deadly attacks on schools teaching a curriculum it deems to be Western.In February, gunmen killed at least 40 students after throwing explosives into the dormitory of a government boarding school in Buni Yadi, also in Yobe state.In July last year, 42 students were killed when Boko Haram stormed dormitories in a gun and bomb attack on a government boarding school in the village of Mamudo, near Potiskum.Boko Harams most high-profile attack on a school came in April, when fighters kidnapped 276 girls from the town of Chibok in Borno state, also in northeast Nigeria.More than six months later, 219 of the girls are still being held.Potiskum has been repeatedly targeted in deadly attacks blamed on Boko Haram, including last Monday, when a suicide bombing killed at least 15 at a Shiite religious ceremony.Yobe is one of three northeastern states that has been under a state of emergency since May last year.But violence has continued unabated and Boko Haram has seized at least two dozen towns and villages in recent months, raising doubts about the governments ability to control the region.Governor Gaidam said President Jonathan has a very urgent responsibility to explain... why murderous and callous insurgent and criminal attacks are still on the rise.Jonathan vowed that the country would overcome the current security challenges imposed by domestic terrorists and their foreign allies.
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