Wednesday 19 November 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Plane carrying Qadri landed at Lahore airport

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – The plane carrying Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri from London landed at the Allama Iqbal Airport, Lahore on early Thursday morning. A large number of PAT workers are present at the airport to welcome their leader.According to the details, Qadri returned to Pakistan after his foreign visit. From airports, the PAT chief has planned to lead a rally all the way to the Data Durbar via Ring Road and Canal Road.Meanwhile, the Lahore police on Wednesday warned that Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri’s life is in danger if he exits the airport in form of a rally. Shunning the warning, PAT spokesman Raheeq Abbasi said that PAT has received no such warning and that even if they did, PAT would not change the plan.

Afghanistan won't allow proxy India-Pakistan war: Karzai

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NEW DELHI (AFP) - Former president Hamid Karzai insisted Wednesday that Afghanistan would not allow itself to become the battleground in a proxy war between India and Pakistan after the imminent departure of US-led troops.Speaking in New Delhi, Karzai angrily rejected warnings by his one-time counterpart in Islamabad Pervez Musharraf that India and Pakistan could coopt allies among Afghanistans main ethnic groups to effectively wage war against each other, saying such claims were hurtful.Of course Afghanistan will not allow a proxy war between Pakistan and India, Karzai said in an address to a thinktank, saying he was sure India wouldnt allow such a scenario either.In an AFP interview earlier this week, Musharraf warned that Pakistan would look to use ethnic Pashtuns to counter if India tries to achieve its goal of creating an anti-Pakistan Afghanistan.Nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan have long accused each other of using proxy forces to try to gain influence in Afghanistan.If Indians are using some elements of the ethnic entities in Afghanistan, then Pakistan will use its own support for ethnic elements, and our ethnic elements are certainly Pashtuns, the former general said ahead of the pullout later this year of NATO combat troops after 13 years.But Karzai, who has long accused Islamabad of trying to destabilise the Kabul government, said any suggestion that Pashtuns would do Pakistans bidding was hurtful and an insult to Afghanistans largest ethnic group.That was a very unfortunate remark, said Karzai, who is himself a Pashtun. Afghanistan has a history of 5,000 years. Saying that Pashtuns will be used as a tool is insulting to Pashtuns, insulting to the people of Afghanistan.Pakistan was one of only three countries that recognised the mainly Pashtun Taliban regime that ruled in Kabul before being toppled in late 2001 after a US-led invasion in the wake of the September 11 attacks.The Talibans downfall led to Karzais installation as Afghan leader and he remained in power until standing down as president earlier this year. Musharraf, who was a key ally of the US during the invasion, is currently confined to his home in Karachi as he battles a series of criminal cases dating back to his near decade-long rule that ended in 2008.

Cricket: Doubts linger over Clarke's Test fitness

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SYDNEY (AFP) - Captain Michael Clarke still has a chance of leading Australia in the first Test against India but will not play in next weeks final lead-up game, team medical staff said Thursday.Clarke has been in doubt to face India in next months Test series opener in Brisbane since injuring his troublesome left hamstring while batting during last Fridays one-day win over South Africa in Perth.Team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said it was still unclear how long Clarke would be out of cricket.However, he said it was not that dramatic that hes going to miss the whole summer and he was hoping the skipper would be able to lead Australia into the first Test, starting at the Gabba on December 4.Clarke has been ruled out of playing in a four-day Sheffield Shield match next week, which will act as the final hit-out before the first Test.There comes a point where theres no more healing to be done and waiting longer does not give any more benefit, Kountouris told a media conference.The real risks for him are hes got a back injury, it puts a lot of pressure on his hamstrings, hes an older athlete and thats a risk factor.Hes had multiple hamstring injuries on both legs. Theyre not risk factors we can get rid of.It is the third hamstring setback for Clarke, 33, since August, and he has already been ruled out of the remainder of the five-game ODI series against South Africa, where Australia took a 2-1 lead after a 73-run win in Canberra on Wednesday.Kountouris said Clarke had suffered an acute flare-up of a degenerative back condition which was complicating the hamstring issue.Asked how long he would be out of action with the latest injury, Kountouris said: I cant put a figure on it right now.As he is right now, he hasnt started running, he hasnt started doing any of the functional things that we want him to do.Hes not able to bat. So hes not ready to play at the moment.He needs to start running and start doing things before we make a decision on whether hes OK to play.Im still hopeful that he might be right for the first Test because thats two weeks away.The test series will be followed by the one-day World Cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand in February-March.

9 civilians dead in Syria regime raid on IS stronghold: monitor

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Nine civilians, including a woman, were killed in a Syrian government air raid Wednesday on the city of Raqa, stronghold of the Islamic State jihadist group, a monitoring group said.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four women and a child were among 16 other civilians wounded in the bombing in Raqa, which has also been the target of air strikes by a US-led coalition.The regime has this week stepped up air raids on areas across war-torn Syria held by jihadists and other rebel groups.According to the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on activist and medical sources on the ground, government aircraft have carried out almost 1,600 raids since October 20 killing 396 civilians, including 109 children.

Ebola death toll rises to 5,420: WHO

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GENEVA (AFP) - The World Health Organization said Wednesday that 5,420 people had so far died of Ebola across eight countries, out of a total 15,145 cases of infection, since late December 2013.On Friday, the UN health agency had reported 5,177 deaths and 14,413 cases.The WHO believes that the number of deaths is likely far higher, given that the fatality rate in the current outbreak is known to be around 70 percent.The fresh toll came as the spread appeared to be slowing in the capital of Liberia, allowing the hardest-hit country to lift its state of emergency.In its latest toll, WHO said that through November 16, 2,964 people had died in Liberia, out of 7,069 cases.In Sierra Leone, 1,250 people had died as of November 16 out of 6,073 cases, WHO said.Guinea, where the outbreak began late last year, counted 1,192 deaths and 1,971 cases.Data from Mali, the latest country to be hit by Ebola, showed six cases of the deadly virus and five deaths.Data from Nigeria and Senegal remained unchanged, and both countries have been declared Ebola free.Nigeria had eight deaths and 20 cases, while Senegal had one case and no deaths.There has been one case of infection in Spain, where an infected nurse has recovered.In the United States, four Ebola cases have been recorded and one person -- a Liberian -- had died from the virus.Ebola, one of the deadliest viruses known to man, is spread only through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person showing symptoms such as fever or vomiting.People caring for the sick or handling the bodies of people infected Ebola are therefore especially exposed.WHO said Wednesday that a total of 584 healthcare workers were known to have contracted the virus, and 329 of them had died.

Britain's Prince Charles to speak out as king: report

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LONDON (AFP) - Britains Prince Charles plans to make heartfelt interventions in national life when he becomes king, the Guardian newspaper reported Thursday, citing sources close to the outspoken heir to the throne.The prince, who has long courted controversy with what some see as political meddling, will remain true to his beliefs and contributions, an unnamed source told the newspaper.Rather than a complete reinvention to become a monarch in the mould of his mother, the strategy will be to try and continue with his heartfelt interventions, albeit checking each for tone and content to ensure it does not damage the monarchy, the source said.Members of the royal family by convention do not comment on political affairs, and Queen Elizabeth II is famous for keeping her own counsel.However, her 66-year-old son Charles has come under criticism in the past for his outspoken remarks about everything from genetically modified food to architecture.Earlier this year he came under fire after he reportedly compared the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine to those of Adolf Hitler.The prince understands the need to be careful about how he expresses concerns or asks questions, but I do think he will keep doing exactly that, Patrick Holden, an organic farmer and friend of the prince told the Guardian.He is part of an evolving monarchy that is changing all the time. He feels these issues are too serious to ignore.Speculation about the Prince of Waless future role as king has been around for decades but it is not something we have commented on and nor will we do so now, a Clarence House spokeswoman told the Guardian.The Prince of Wales cares deeply about this country and has devoted most of his working life to helping individuals and organisations to make a difference for the better -- and not for his personal gain.She said the prince carries out over 600 engagements a year, adding: This gives him a unique perspective which has often led to him identifying issues before others which might otherwise be overlooked.On Tuesday Charles spoke of the soul destroying tragedy facing Christians in the Middle East, as he addressed the congregation of the St Yeghiche Armenian Church in central London.He said it was heartbreaking to hear of attacks on Christians and churches in Syria and the wider region.

War in Iraq 'different' this time: US military chief

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US military action in Iraq has a better chance of success than the last war there because American troops are playing a supporting role to local forces from the start, top officer General Martin Dempsey said Wednesday.The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also voiced cautious optimism that Iraqi forces were gaining strength and predicted they would make progress on the battlefield in the coming months against the Islamic State group.Asked at a Washington conference why Americans should expect the latest US intervention in Iraq to go better this time, Dempsey said we think were taking a different approach.Instead of grabbing a hold of it, owning it and then gradually transitioning it back, were telling them from the start, look, that is about you, this has to be your campaign plan, the general said at a conference organized by the Defense One website.As an example, Dempsey cited an episode that played out during his recent visit to Iraq over the weekend. The Iraqi army asked for US assistance to parachute supplies to about 1,300 Kurdish forces on Mount Sinjar in the countrys north, he said. But the American commander in Baghdad pointed out that the Iraqis had a C-130J cargo plane and trained pilots that were capable of carrying out the mission.As this unwound, what the commander on the ground ... said was, Well provide you with the expertise for what you dont have, but you have what you need to accomplish this mission, Dempsey said.And so the only thing we provided at that point was the expertise to actually rig the parachute extraction system that would do the air drop.The outcome reflected the difference in the US approach compared to the 2003 US invasion and the occupation that followed, he said.So they do what they can do, and we fill in the gaps and continue to build their capability, said Dempsey, who led troops in Iraq in the previous conflict.President Barack Obama has ruled out a large US ground force in Iraq but has backed air raids against the IS group and sent in hundreds of military advisers to help Iraqi forces.US-trained Iraqi army units suffered humiliating defeats earlier this year when they were overrun by Islamic State jihadists in the west and north, but Dempsey said Baghdads forces had been shored up and new commanders were being named.Iraqi troops are having some tactical success and are pushing the defensive belt around Baghdad out, he said.They are doing much better. But theyve still got, as I said, some deep structural vulnerabilities that we, but mostly they, have to overcome.He warned that it was important that their enthusiasm doesnt overshadow their capability at this point.With US and coalition assistance, I think there will continue to be progress on the ground over the next few months, the general added.

N. Korea rejects UN criticism, threatens nuclear test

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SEOUL (AFP) - North Korea on Thursday rejected a UN resolution condemning its rights record and warned that it was being pushed into conducting a fresh nuclear test.The resolution adopted at the United Nations on Tuesday was a fraud, the Norths foreign ministry said in a statement that accused the United States of leading efforts to humiliate Pyongyang in front of the international community.This aggression by the US is leaving us unable to further refrain from staging a new nuclear test, the statement said.Our military deterrence will be beefed up limitlessly to guard against US military intervention and attempts for armed invasion, it added.The statement echoed remarks by the Norths UN representative Sin Son-Ho following the adoption of the resolution in New York.Passed by 111 votes to 19, with 55 abstentions, the resolution asked the UN Security Council to refer North Korea to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for possible charges of crimes against humanity.Co-sponsored by more than 60 countries, it drew heavily on the work of a UN inquiry which concluded in a 400-page report released in February that North Korea was committing human rights abuses without parallel in the contemporary world.Referral to the ICC is likely to be blocked at the Security Council by veto-wielding permanent members China and Russia -- both of whom voted against the resolution on Tuesday.

At least 8 dead after massive US snowstorm

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NEW YORK (AFP) - A massive snowstorm stranded motorists, canceled flights and left at least eight people dead in the northeastern United States, officials said Wednesday.Areas east and southeast of Buffalo, in northern New York state, could receive a years accumulation of snow or even more in just two days, Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz told reporters.The deadly storm may see as much as another three feet (90 centimeters) of snowfall on Thursday, which could prompt a federal disaster declaration, Poloncarz said.US media reported two other deaths in the states of New Hampshire and Michigan.Temperatures will remain below normal from the Midwest to the East Coast until the weekend, with all 50 states recording below freezing temperatures on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.A state of emergency and travel bans are in effect across Buffalos Erie County and authorities ordered people to stay at home to allow crews to clear roads, repair power lines and provide emergency assistance to the most vulnerable.The National Guard was called in to assist military Humvee vehicles after New Yorks transportation department worked through the night to rescue stranded motorists and take people to shelters.Many communities are still in a very difficult, sometimes paralyzed situation, Poloncarz said.Three of those who died suffered heart attacks while shoveling snow and another person died while using a snowplow.Weve had six deaths in the area, five of which have been preventable, said Erie county health commissioner Gale Burstein, urging residents to stay at home.County spokesman Peter Anderson said runways at Buffalo Niagara International Airport were open, but that a lot of flights were being canceled because people cannot get to the airport.Dave Zaff, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service, said areas east and southeast of Buffalo city received upwards of five feet (1.5 meters) of snow.That is somewhat of an extreme event, he told AFP. From a forecast standpoint, it will be historic.The impact alone when you have hundreds of thousands of people stranded, roads closed everywhere, you start to get fatalities, he said. It becomes a very memorable event that people will never forget.A womens university basketball team was eventually rescued after spending more than 24 hours trapped in a bus on a highway.And New York-based rock band Interpol was among those trapped in the snowstorm outside Buffalo overnight, forcing them to cancel a concert across the Canadian border in Toronto.Still trapped yo Havent really moved in 30 hours and weve been on the bus for nearly 40 hours. Nutso. Never seen anything like it, the band said on Twitter.

Tokyo stocks open 0.69% higher

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TOKYO (AFP) - Tokyo stocks opened 0.69 percent higher on Thursday after the yen fell to multi-year lows against the dollar and euro in a boost to exporters.Official data released early Thursday showed Japans trade deficit narrowed by more than a third year-on-year in October, helped by higher exports and lower oil prices.That offered renewed hope that the yens continued slide would boost Japans sales of goods abroad and help power a flagging domestic economy.The yen continued its downswing on Wednesday after Bank of Japan policymakers trimmed their inflation expectations while holding off on fresh easing measures.The dollar rose to 118.07 yen early Thursday from 118.01 yen in New York Wednesday afternoon, hovering around its highest level since August 2007.The euro bought 148.13 yen against 148.11 yen in US trade, the highest level since October 2008.On Wall Street the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.01 percent while the tech-rich Nasdaq fell 0.6 percent as Netflix and Tesla Motors stumbled.

Cricket: Hussey to lead PM XI against England

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SYDNEY (AFP) - Former Test batsman Mike Hussey will captain the Prime Ministers XI against England in Canberra early next year, Cricket Australia said on Thursday.The match will take place on January 14 at Manuka Oval, four days before Englands opening clash of the tri-one-day series against Australia and India.Its a tremendous honour to be selected to captain the Prime Ministers XI, Hussey said.Having played in the Prime Ministers XI before, I know how important this fixture is on the Australian cricketing calendar, and it is a great tradition.In the past two years, Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee captained the team.The rest of the XI will be chosen by Cricket Australias selection panel with input from Prime Minister Tony Abbott in the coming weeks.

UN Security Council adds Libya's Ansar al-Sharia to terror list

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN Security Council on Wednesday added to its terror list a Libyan Islamist group accused of involvement in the 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi that killed the ambassador and three other Americans.The council blacklisted Ansar al-Sharia for its ties to Al-Qaeda, slapping an arms embargo, assets freeze and global travel ban on the extremists at the request of Britain, France and the United States.The measure targets Ansar al-Sharia Benghazi and its sister group Ansar al-Sharia Derna, which both have links to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and other violent radical outfits.In October, Ansar al-Sharia Derna pledged allegiance to the Islamic State organization, the Islamist group that has seized control of territory in Iraq and Syria.French Ambassador Francois Delattre said the decision would provide a boost to efforts by UN special envoy Bernardino Leon to broker a deal between Libyas many militias and the government.This is an important decision because it draws a clear line between, on the one hand, jihadists with whom there can be no dialogue, and on the other, those Libyan groups -- Islamist and others -- that must take part in talks launched by special envoy Bernardino Leon, Delattre told AFP.British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said this decision sends a clear message that the international community will take action against extremist groups in Libya who pose a threat to peace and security.It is incumbent on all Libyans to reject these groups and all they stand for, Hammond said in a statement.- Training foreign fighters -Since 2012, the Benghazi wing has operated several training camps mainly to help armed groups in Iraq and Syria and to a lesser extent in Mali, according to the request filed by the three countries.Twelve of the 24 jihadists who attacked the Algerian In Amenas gas complex in 2013 trained in the camps of Ansar al-Sharia in Benghazi, Libyas second city, documents said.More recently, the group has conducted several attacks on Libyan security forces, it added.Ansar al-Sharia Derna also took part in the September 2012 attack on the US mission and is operating camps in the northeastern Derna and Jebel Akhdar regions to train fighters for Iraq and Syria.A third sister group, Ansar al-Sharia Tunisia, was added to the UN terror list in September.French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September that the group should face sanctions as part of efforts to prevent Libya from sliding further into violence.The UN effort to broker a deal with various militias and the government led to a 12-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Benghazi earlier on Wednesday.Libyan authorities have struggled to assert control across a country awash with weapons and powerful militias after the ouster of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in a 2011 revolt.Libyas internationally recognized government has been forced to take refuge in the countrys far east to escape a mainly Islamist coalition which seized control of Tripoli at the end of August.

Tennis: Swiss boost as Federer practices for first time

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LILLE (AFP) - Roger Federer, whose back injury has cast serious doubts over his Davis Cup final spot, practiced for the first time on Wednesday in a timely boost for the Swiss team ahead of their showdown against France.The 17-time major winner, who has never won the Davis Cup, injured his back playing in the semi-finals of the World Tour Finals in London on Saturday and had not hit a ball until Wednesday.He won the gruelling three-set marathon in London against Swiss team-mate Stan Wawrinka after saving four match points, but paid a hefty price for his efforts and was unable the following day to take on Novak Djokovic in the final.On Wednesday evening, the 33-year-old Federer hit with Switzerlands number four player Michael Lammer on the clay courts of the Pierre-Mauroy de Villeneuve-dAscq stadium.Federer spent 15 minutes hitting from the back of the court, playing forehands and backhands before switching to volleying, showing few signs of his back problem.He then switched to serving although observers at the session said that his 20 service actions were not at full pace.Federer did have an early afternoon slot available on Wednesday but did not appear, leaving Wawrinka and the other Swiss players to practise by themselves.Tuesday evening Federer said he was unable to ascertain just what his chances were of being able to play on Friday and was taking it day by day.Im making some progress. But I know I dont have a month ahead of me to get better. I need to get better quickly. Im trying whatever I can, he said.The problem for the Swiss is that although Wawrinka, at fourth in the world, is comfortably ranked above all the French players, after him the fall-off in the Swiss team is steep with Marco Chiudinelli 212th and Lammer 508th.Without Federer, their chances of winning the Davis Cup for the first time look slim, with the French boasting a strength-in-depth line-up of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet and Julien Benneteau.The team line-ups for the Friday-Sunday finals will be revealed at 1130GMT Thursday.

Colombia arrests 11 in Asia drug smuggling ring

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BOGOTA (AFP) - Colombian police arrested 11 gang members suspected of using human mules to smuggle narcotics to Asia, charging four of them with murder after a courier died of a cocaine overdose, officials said Wednesday.Authorities said capsules of narcotics were ingested or strapped to the bodies of the mules who were sent to Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Thailand.One of the smugglers died in the southern city of Leticia, but the circumstances of the death were not clear.Four of the suspects were charged with murder following the death of a human courier in Leticia who died due to acute cocaine intoxication, prosecutors said in a statement.The groups members are charged with trafficking, manufacturing and possessing narcotics, officials said.The arrests took place Tuesday as part of Operation Rising Sun, the police crackdown on drug smuggling in Colombia, one of the worlds top narcotics exporters.The main leaders of the gang were arrested in the western city of Cali, where police said the drug smuggling scheme was based.The gang members trained mules to ingest drugs and also produced passports and visas for the couriers to travel abroad.Police seized 500 capsules of drugs and also a machine for manufacturing pills at the time of the arrests.

Football: Blatter hits back at demands to publish World Cup report

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PARIS (AFP) - FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Wednesday rejected demands to publish the potentially explosive report into long-standing allegations of corruption surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.Greg Dyke, the head of the English Football Association, wants the report compiled by former US federal prosecutor Michael Garcia to be made public.But Blatter insists that to do so would compromise Swiss privacy laws.FIFA would violate not only its own rules and regulations but also Swiss law by making public the report in question, said Blatter in a letter written to Dyke and published on the FIFA website.We have been advised that publication of the report might be permissible if the persons and entities included in the report consent to such publication and waive any legal action they might be entitled to bring.FIFA cleared Qatar and Russia, the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts respectively, of corruption and ruled out a re-vote for the tournaments despite widespread allegations of wrongdoing.But within hours of FIFAs ethics committee publishing a summary of Garcias report, the corruption probe was thrown into turmoil when Garcia said he would appeal against the findings as they contained numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations of the facts and conclusions detailed in his investigation.Garcias 350-page report summed up an investigation that involved interviewing more than 75 witnesses and compiling a dossier with more than 200,000 pages and audio interviews.Blatter also asked Dyke on Wednesday if details of Englands failed bid to stage the 2018 World Cup would also be published if the Garcia probe, the results of which he claims he has not seen, was made public.Controversy over the awarding of the next two World Cups had taken a further twist on Tuesday when FIFA lodged a criminal complaint over possible misconduct by individuals in connection with the bids.
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