Tuesday 16 December 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Palestinians say to press UN vote despite US veto warning

Posted:

RAMALLAH (AFP) - The Palestinians are to submit a draft resolution to the UN Security Council on Wednesday as planned although US Secretary of State John Kerry warned of a veto, Palestinian officials said.We will submit our project to the UN Security Council tomorrow (Wednesday), Nimr Hammad, adviser to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, told AFP.Another official said Kerry was told at a meeting in London on Tuesday that the Palestinians would go ahead as planned with their text calling for a withdrawal of Israeli troops from occupied Palestinian territory within two years.Kerry told the Palestinian delegation that Washington would use its veto within the Security Council, he said of the meeting between the secretary of state and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat.The official, who asked not to be named, said the London talks had been long and difficult but achieved results.If the United States uses it veto, Erakat told Kerry, the Palestinians would apply to join all international organisations and conventions, including the International Criminal Court, a move firmly opposed by Washington.France is putting together a more nuanced version of a draft to the Security Council setting a two-year timetable for concluding a peace treaty, without mentioning an Israeli withdrawal.Mohammed Shtayyeh, a member of Abbass inner circle, said France had accommodated the Palestinians.We have merged. We dont have two texts now. There is one single text. We have happily accepted the French text when the modifications have been added, he said, without elaborating.Shtayyeh said the United States wanted any draft resolution to be put off until after an Israeli general election in March but the Palestinians were sick of two-way negotiations with the Jewish state that had made no progress.

Imran Khan to attend PM convened meeting

Posted:

PESHAWAR (Online) - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan said he will attend the meeting of the political leadership of the country convened by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the backdrop of Peshawar school terrorist attack in which 141 people were martyred, 132 of them children. “We stand together in this national tragedy,” Imran Khan said. Imran Khan underscored the need for national unity to confront the perpetrators of inhuman acts.He urged the Federal and provincial governments as well as Army to come to the same page for elimination of terrorists.Imran Khan condemned the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) that claimed the responsibility for the attack in Peshawar. He said funeral prayers in absentia will be performed for the martyrs here at Azadi Chowk at 6:30 PM Wednesday.PTI had already announced its decision to postpone its nationwide strike called for December 18 following today’s attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar. The PTI media cell said a new date for the nationwide strike will be announced later.

Peshawar: PM to chair APC today

Posted:

PESHAWAR (Dunya News) – The All Party Conference (APC) has been convened by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on a school in Peshawar, which has left at least 141 people dead, including 132 children.The meeting is expected to begin at 11:30am and will be held at the Governor House.Information Minister Senator Parvaiz Rasheed and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar have been tasked by the prime minister to contact parliamentary leaders and request them to attend the meeting.

Football: Real cruise into Club World Cup final

Posted:

MARRAKECH (AFP) - European champions Real Madrid crushed Cruz Azul 4-0 to cruise into the Club World Cup final on Tuesday, totally outclassing their Mexican rivals.Goals from Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema, Garreth Bale and Isco saw Madrid record a 21st consecutive win in this semi-final at a packed and noisy Grand Stade de Marrakech, scene of last years final where Bayern Munich beat Raja Casablanca 2-0.This team deserves to win the world title, said Real Madrids Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti after the easy and impressive win.Iker Casillas did have to face a penalty in the 40th minute after Ramos was harshly judged to have pushed Cruzs Argentine striker Mariano Pavone, but the veteran Spain stopper was equal to Gerardo Torrados weak spot-kick.With FIFA and UEFA bosses Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini in the crowd, Ramos proved in the 15th minute what a lethal header of the ball he is, taking advantage of a mistimed run by goalkeeper Jose Corona to open Madrids account from a trademark Toni Kroos cross.French centre-forward Benzema showed his astonishing speed in the 36th minute to pounce on Daniel Carvajals cross before the defence had even flinched to make it 2-0 after 36 minutes.Cristiano Ronaldo provided the ammunition for the next two. Weaving unchallenged down the left-wing Ronaldo provided an inch perfect delivery that Bale nodded home totally unmarked in the 50th minute.The Portuguese icon who was cheered every time he got the ball, then teed up the impressive Isco, who weaved past two defenders before unleashing a precise shot into the bottom corner in the 72nd.The World Player of the Year Ronaldo had come close to opening the scores in the second minute, and also sent a couple of free-kicks fizzing narrowly wide, but the man who has scored 25 league goals in 15 games this season was unable to score here.Luis Fernando Tenas North American champions had struggled to beat Western Sydney Wanderers to make the semis and rarely troubled Ancelottis almost full strength side.We knew it was going to be hard and my players gave everything. But they were so much better than we were and the result reflects that fairly, said Tena.New Zealanders Aukland City take on South American champions San Lorenzo of Argentina on Wednesday to see who will meet Madrid in the final on December 20th, when Real should also welcome back Colombias World Cup star James Rodriguez, who missed Tuesdays game with a calf strain.

Football: Chelsea reach League Cup semis, Saints crash

Posted:

LONDON (AFP) - Premier League leaders Chelsea beat second-tier Derby County 3-1 to reach the League Cup semi-finals on Tuesday, but at the cost of injuries to Kurt Zouma and Didier Drogba.Eden Hazard and Filipe Luis, with his first goal for the club, put Chelsea in control on a rain-soaked night at the iPro Stadium, before Craig Bryson replied for Derby in the 71st minute.But the hosts hopes of a comeback were extinguished when centre-back Jake Buxton was sent off for impeding substitute Loic Remy, and Andre Schuerrle made the game safe with eight minutes to play.Derby are a Championship side, but not a typical one. They have more quality than that and they play good football with fantastic support, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho told Sky Sports.We played in a very professional way and controlled the game for most of the time. They fought to the end and for a few minutes after they scored they were able to put us in trouble.Remy was only on the pitch because veteran striker Drogba had been forced off by an ankle injury earlier in the second half.French centre-back Zouma, meanwhile, was stretchered off in first-half injury time after colliding heavily with his own goalkeeper, Petr Cech. Branislav Ivanovic replaced him.Mourinho won the League Cup twice in his first stint as Chelsea manager and he named a strong side against Championship high-fliers Derby, with Hazard, John Terry, Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas all in the team.The visitors made the breakthrough in the 23rd minute after Hazard blocked an attempted pass from Derby captain Richard Keogh on the edge of the hosts penalty area.Fabregas steered the ball back into Hazards path and the Belgian winger drifted infield before drilling a low shot into the bottom-left corner.After Cech had saved well from Derby midfielder Will Hughes, Luis doubled Chelseas lead in the 56th minute by arcing a fine free-kick over the wall and into the net from 25 yards.Fate appeared to be conspiring against Chelsea after Drogba hobbled off and Bryson swept home Johnny Russells lay-off from outside the box to give former England manager Steve McClarens side hope.But after Buxton had been contentiously dismissed for wrestling with Remy as the Frenchman bore down on goal, Schuerrle completed the scoring by following in after Remys shot was parried by Lee Grant.There was a shock in the evenings other quarter-final as misfiring Premier League side Southampton crashed out after losing 1-0 to third-tier Sheffield United at a raucous Bramall Lane.After a promising start to the season, Southampton have lost their last four league games and their dismal run continued as Marc McNultys 63rd-minute goal sent Nigel Cloughs side into the last four.McNulty bundled home after Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster fumbled Bob Harriss fierce free-kick and the visitors finished with 10 men after Florin Gardos was sent off for hauling down McNulty.It is the second season in succession that United have reached the last four of a major tournament, following their run to the FA Cup semi-finals last season.Beleaguered Liverpool face a tricky assignment at Championship leaders Bournemouth on Wednesday, while Tottenham Hotspur host Newcastle United in the only all-Premier League tie of the round.

Football: Pedro treble as Barcelona enjoy Copa stroll

Posted:

MADRID (AFP) - Pedro gave Barcelona coach Luis Enrique a reminder of his talents on Tuesday with a hat-trick in the Spanish giants 8-1 second leg thrashing of third tier Huesca to secure a 12-1 aggregate win in their last 32 Copa del Rey tie.Pedro, who has largely been relegated to the bench for Liga and Champions League games since Uruguayan Luis Suarez long suspension ended, scored with a header, despite being off balance, a neat left-footed shot and then a bullet of a right-foot effort all the goals coming in a 23 minute period of the first-half.The treble took his tally for the season to five.Sergi Roberto, Andres Iniesta, Adriano, Adama Traore and Sandro also got on the scoresheet as a far from first choice Barcelona gave Enrique a much needed healthy win, albeit against lower league opposition, after the disappointment of the 0-0 draw with Getafe in La Liga at the weekend.Barcelona, who join fellow La Liga rivals Real Madrid, Sevilla and Valencia in the last 16, will play either Elche or Valladolid in the next round.

Tennis: Berdych takes on Murray's former coach

Posted:

PARIS (AFP) - Czech tennis star Tomas Berdych hired a new coaching team on Tuesday including Venezuelan Danny Vallverdu who was until last month one of Andy Murrays coaches.Vallverdu, 28 and who has been close friends with Murray since they met at the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona, was the Scottish players coach when he won the Olympic gold medal in London in 2012, the same year he won his first Grand Slam crown the US Open.He was also part of the coaching team as Murray went on to win Wimbledon in 2013 becoming the first Briton since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the mens title.Berdych, who is yet to win a Grand Slam singles title with his best performance reaching the 2010 Wimbledon final, moved quickly to snap up Vallverdu and ended his association with Tomas Krupa and David Vydra. Dear fans my new coach for 2015 will be Danny Vallverdu and Azuz Simcich. Thank you to Tomas Krupa and David Vydra for great time together Berdych wrote on his Facebook page.

Squash: David given good workout before making last eight

Posted:

CAIRO (AFP) - Malaysias seven-time world champion Nicol Davids bid to regain her crown progressed on Tuesday as she became the first player to reach the quarter-finals but she was forced to battle surprisingly hard in both the first two games of her match in Cairo.The record-breaking Malaysian was 7-9 down in the first and 8-9 down in the second before prevailing 12-10, 11-9, 11-1 against Emily Whitlock, a 20-year-old English qualifier making a comeback after sickness and injury.On each occasion David had too much consistency, speed and patience, but Whitlock, whose father-coach Phil, is a former England international, impressed with her vision of what was required and with her resilience.She often moved David around the court well during plenty of long rallies in a 45-minute encounter, and by giving the top seed such a good work out may have done her a favour.It was a really good match and actually I enjoyed it, David said.In these (cool) conditions the girls are going to take advantage if you leave anything loose and I was really pleased to get the first two games.I expect these kind of matches. I was prepared to attack, attack and stay in there.David repaired the two-point deficit near the end of the important first game with a deft volley-drop winner and then an unanswerable drive-drop combination, eventually finishing that game with a wall-clinging drive which Whitlock could not scrape to safety.The later stages of the second game saw David come from behind with a drive to a fine length, a disguised volley drop winner, and then a concluding counter-drop winner after a tight rally in the top left corner.In the third game Whitlock was spent, though this may also partly have been due to having played four times in four days, after coming through the qualifying competition.She doesnt stop coming at you, its relentless, she said of David. Its volley, volley, volley and she has variation, its at such a high pace, and its so controlled.You feel like youre running yourself into the ground. But I am pleased with the way I played, concluded Whitlock, whose chances of climbing from her ranking of 29 to somewhere above her career-best world number 23 look good.David next plays Camille Serme, the world number six from France, who reached the world quarter-finals for the second time in nine months by beating Emma Beddoes, the fourth player in Englands world title winning team, by 11-5, 11-13, 11-4, 11-4.The 25-year-old French woman attacked with skill and flair for much of the match, and might have won in straight games had not the tenacious Beddoes saved a game point at 10-11 in the second game.But for all her spirit and mobility she could make little impression in the next two games in which Serme played well enough to suggest she might provide David with a test when they meet on Thursday.Later the possibility of an all-Malaysian semi-final for the first time came closer when Low Wee Wern also reached the last eight, though she had to come from behind for the second time in two days to do it.The seventh-seeded Penangite seemed to be drifting into trouble at 6-5 in the fourth game against Joshana Chinappa, the Indian national champion, but grittily struggled through many long rallies to a 6-11, 11-3, 11-13, 11-7, 11-8 success.The day before Low had been 3-7 down in the fourth against Nicolette Fernandes of Guyana, thus winning matches of 80 minutes and 64 minutes on successive days despite hamstring problems which required extensive taping. She now has an invaluable rest day before facing Omneya Abdel Kawy, the former world finalist from Egypt whose brilliant short game looks well adapted to the cool conditions, and who was a 13-11, 11-7, 13-11 winner against her compatriot Nouran Gohar.Kawy saved three game balls in the third game, thus ending the run of the popular 18-year-old seed-beater who the day before had ousted yet another Egyptian, the fourth seeded Nour El Sherbini, a world finalist last time.

Forced to pay for content, Google News closes in Spain

Posted:

MADRID (AFP) - US giant Google on Tuesday shut down its popular online news service in Spain in protest at a new law which would make it pay for content.Were incredibly sad to announce that, due to recent changes in Spanish law, we have removed Spanish publishers from Google News and closed Google News in Spain, read a message on the companys Spanish news page, which is normally full of aggregated content.As Google News itself makes no money (we do not show any advertising on the site) this new approach was not sustainable, it added.Google announced on December 10 that it would close Google News in Spain because of a Spanish intellectual property law, due to take effect on January 1, that requires news publishers to receive payment for content even if they are willing to give it away.The law has been dubbed the Google tax in Spain but it would also apply to other big web companies with pages that reproduce and link to news content, such as Yahoo.Google is facing pressure from publishers in several European countries, who accuse the online search titan of taking advantage of its dominant position in the market, They are demanding payment for use of their content but this is the first time Google News has shut down in a country.Industry Minister Jose Maria Soria hinted that a compromise solution may still be found.No decision should be taken that is irreversible. I think that over the coming months, the situation will probably evolve, he told reporters when asked about the closure of Google News.It was publishers themselves who submitted the idea of a tax to the government. The sector must now wait to see what the real impact will be of the absence of Google News, he added.Experts have estimated that the closure of Google News could lead to a drop in Internet traffic to Spanish news media sites of 10-30 percent, the minister said.The government argues access to information will not be affected in Spain because people can still access media sites directly or through other news aggregators.In October a legal battle with German publishers forced Google to remove from its search results news snippets drawn from news sites.One of those companies, Axel Springer, capitulated to Google weeks later, letting it post snippets free of charge. It said it could not resist Googles dominance in online news.But the new law in Spain stipulates the right to be paid cannot be waived. The Spanish law does not specify how much news aggregators would have to pay to link to an article.The Association of Spanish Newspaper Editors (AEDE), which called for the law, has appealed for Spanish and European authorities to find a solution.It estimated last week that the closure of Google News will without a doubt have a negative impact and said it always favoured negotiations.We are available to talk, AEDE director general Jose Gabriel Gonzalez told AFP. He said it was too soon to judge the impact of the closure of Google News.I dont know who must take the first step but what matters is that someone does it, he added.Google has been sparring for years with several European countries over regulatory, commercial and copyright issues but the decision to close Google News in Spain is one of the heaviest blows to date.Since 2010, Google has been under investigation by the European Commission over complaints that its search engine, the worlds biggest, squeezes out competitors.The company reached a deal with Belgian newspaper publishers in December 2012, resolving a six-year copyright battle that had blocked it from publishing links to local newspapers.

US oil prices stabilize but Brent oil falls again

Posted:

NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices in New York stabilized Tuesday, but European crude sank again after a Kuwait official said OPEC would not take emergency actions to stop prices from falling.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for January delivery tacked on two cents to $55.93 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. That snapped four straight days of declines.European benchmark Brent oil for January delivery fell $1.20 to $59.86 a barrel in London.Earlier the US benchmark fell as low as $53.60 a barrel. Bart Melek, head of commodity strategy at TD Securities, said the WTI rebound from lows reflected understanding the oil will soon strike a balance after a fall of about 50 percent since June as crude supplies have increased while demand growth has slowed.Analysts were also looking ahead to the weekly release of US crude inventories Wednesday, which is expected to show a decline in stockpiles.The drop in Brent followed remarks from Kuwait oil minister Ali al-Omair that offered little hope for a shift in strategy from Middle East Producers who have tacitly supported lower prices.Oil prices have fallen sharply following a decision by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries last month against cutting production.At OPECs meeting in November, we took two decisions, Omair said.The first was to keep the production ceiling unchanged and the second to hold the next meeting in June. So far, nothing has changed and there are no calls for holding an emergency meeting, Omair said.

Euro stronger on eurozone data, ruble panic

Posted:

NEW YORK (AFP) - The euro picked up strength Tuesday on data surprises that depicted a eurozone economy holding up better than feared, and Russias ruble crisis sent investors into safe havens.The euro rose back above the $1.25 level, ending at $1.2511, as the eurozone reported a record trade surplus and the ZEW index for German investment sentiment improved.Meanwhile Markit Economics said its composite purchasing managers index for the 18-country eurozone rose marginally to 51.7 points in December from 51.1 points in November.The safe-haven yen picked up a little ground on both the dollar and the euro, as the Russian central banks sharp rate hike to beat back capital flight only partly stemmed the rubles fall.Clear fears of a much larger decline as well as the potential capital controls prompted the economy minister of Russia to say the government was not considering currency controls, said David Rodriguez of DailyFX.Yet markets seem unconvinced, and interbank liquidity on the dollar-ruble and the ruble as a whole has dropped substantially. Dollar traders meanwhile have their eyes on the outcome of the Federal Reserves monetary policy meeting Wednesday. The Fed is expected to adjust its forecasting language to allow a better understanding of its interest-rate hike plans.A rate hike has been expected for mid-2015, but those plans could be more in flux now that inflation has slowed rather than picked up as the Fed had expected. Inflation is slowing and more importantly, inflation expectations have plunged due to lower oil prices, said Joseph LaVorgna of Deutsche Bank.The meeting statement will have to acknowledge a relatively benign inflation backdrop, for now anyway, he said.The Fed could also signal how much it is taking into consideration rising global financial turmoil in its policy plans.

India win toss and bat in 2nd Test against Australia

Posted:

BRISBANE (AFP) - India won the toss and chose to bat on the opening day of the second Test against Australia at the Gabba on Wednesday.India, with Mahendra Singh Dhoni back as skipper, made three changes from their 48-run defeat in last weeks opening Adelaide Test.Dhoni eased out wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin replaced leg-spinner Karn Sharma and paceman Umesh Yadav came in for Mohammed Shami.Australia will unleash a new-look fast bowling attack with Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc in for injured Ryan Harris and axed Peter Siddle.Shaun Marsh will bat at number five as a replacement for Michael Clarke, who is out for the rest of the series after a hamstring surgery, while Steve Smith captains Australia for the first time.India have not won in five Tests at the Gabba, where the Australians have not lost to any comers since the Viv Richards-led West Indies, by nine wickets in 1988.Teams:Australia - David Warner, Chris Rogers, Shane Watson, Steve Smith (capt), Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood. India - Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni (capt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav.Umpires: Marais Erasmus (RSA) and Ian Gould (ENG).TV umpire: Simon Fry (AUS).Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL).

India's ONGC, PDVSA aim to raise around $1 billion for Venezuela

Posted:

INDIA:(Reuters) - Indias Oil andNaturalGasCorp and Venezuelas state oil company PDVSA are seeking around $1 billion in credit to stem an output decline at their San Cristobal joint venture, two sources close to the negotiations told Reuters. Indianbanksare poised to lend the money to the joint venture, the sources said, though ONGC would provide the guarantee and the breakdown of the loans repayment has not yet been decided.The deal is expected to ensure state-owned ONGC receives between $400 million and $500 million of unpaiddividendsthat have accrued over five years.This could come together next year, one of the sources said of the deal, which seeks to stem San Cristobals production fall from a peak of over 40,000 barrels per day to around 30,000 bpd.It is also likely to involve creation of an offshore account, probably in Asia, to receive the export income, guaranteeing ONGC will receive money.With oil prices tumbling, the likely deal underscores a broader shift toward pragmatism in financially-strapped PDVSA [PDVSA.UL] under new boss Eulogio Del Pino.The sides have negotiated for more than a year and are close to a deal to overhaul wells, machinery and other items over three to four years to shore up output and change the terms of sales. Crude would be sold to a handful of buyers, likely Indian and Asian, under 10-year agreements, one source said.The offshore account will be a like a waterfall mechanism, whereby the revenue from the project ... will then be distributed among partners, said the second source.Venezuelaawarded ONGC its stake in the field in 2008.Under the ventures original terms, Indias largest oil and gas explorer is due to receivedividends, though it does not control the crudesmarketingor receive revenue from sales.Both sources declined to be identified because of sensitivity of the issue.ONGC Videsh Managing Director N. K. Verma declined to comment. PDVSA did not respond to a request for comment.JOINT VENTURE PAINSAs of the close of 2013, PDVSA says, it owed around $2.5 billion dollars individendsto joint venture partners.The company has sought creative solutions to thedividendsissue, and has paid back some debts to contractors, according to industry sources.Fresh investment could helpVenezuela, home of the worlds largest crude reserves, shore up flailing oil production. For years, the country has been pressuring some 20 joint ventures between PDVSA and foreign partners to find extra funding.The socialist government has threatened to cancel the ventures permits if they fail to reach higher goals.Financing deals estimated to be worth $9.25 billion have been taken out for investment in the JVs in the last two years or so.A major agreement with Chevron secured $2 billion in financing to boost production at the Petroboscan JV. TheChinaDevelopment Bank approved a $4 billion credit for the Petrosinovensa JV withChinaNational Petroleum Company.Deals have also been reached with Russian and other JV partners.ONGC Videsh, ONGCs overseas investment arm, has a 40 percent stake in the San Cristobal oilfield. PDVSA subsidiary CVP has the rest.

US backs UN meeting on NKorea rights violations

Posted:

UNITED NATIONS: (AP) - U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power says the United States fully supports the U.N. Security Councils first-ever meeting next Monday on human rights violations in North Korea, which she calls among the worst in the world.Power said in a statement Tuesday that the council will address the profound impact this man-made tragedy has on regional and international peace and security.A U.N. commission of inquiry early this year reported widespread rights abuses in North Korea and warned that its leader Kim Jong Un could be held accountable. A draft U.N. General Assembly resolution calls on the Security Council to refer the Norths rights situation to the International Criminal Court.U.N. diplomats said U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic and U.N. political chief Jeffrey Feltman will brief Mondays council meeting.

Some of top Brazilian clubs changing coaches

Posted:

SAO PAULO: (AP) - Some of Brazils top clubs will begin the 2015 season with new coaches.Popular teams Corinthians and Palmeiras signed new managers on Tuesday, a day after Vasco da Gama announced its new coach. Internacional, which finished third in this years Brazilian league, is one of the clubs without a coach for next year, along with recently relegated Botafogo.Two-time league champion Cruzeiro and Brazilian Cup winner Atletico Mineiro are among the few first division clubs that wont make coaching changes after a successful year.There were dozens of changes during this years Brazilian league, with some teams having as many as five coaches during the tournament.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)