Tuesday 23 December 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

First conviction in Sierra Leone under Ebola laws

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FREETOWN (AFP) - A village chief has become the first person in Sierra Leone to be jailed under laws aimed at preventing the spread of the Ebola virus, court officials and lawyers said Tuesday.Amadu Kargbo was sentenced to six months in jail by a court in the southwestern city of Moyamba for secretly burying the dead and failing to report a sick patient, court official Foday Fofanah told AFP.He was also fined one million leones ($235) and ordered to spend 21 days in quarantine before going to jail.Lawyers in the capital Freetown said it was the first known conviction under the countrys Ebola laws.Fofanah said the chief had pleaded guilty to secretly burying his daughter, who had died of Ebola.He added that Kargbos wife had also died after attending the funeral of another family member, although it was not clear if any of the charges related to his wifes death and burial.Ebola has killed more than 7,500 people, almost all of them in west Africa and Sierra Leone recently overtook Liberia as the country with the highest number of Ebola infections.Authorities have banned public gatherings as well as New Year celebrations as part of sweeping efforts to stem the spread of the virus.

China cracks down on environmental crimes

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BEIJING (AP) - Chinas environmental regulators nearly doubled the number of cases they referred to police involving suspected polluters over the first three-quarters of this year compared to all of last year, amid a larger push by the government to crack down on the countrys severe environmental problems, state media reported.The official Xinhua News Agency said Tuesday that environmental agencies also penalized about 190,000 enterprises for violating environmental laws over the past two years.In total, Xinhua said, Chinese authorities have investigated and handed down punishments in 103,707 cases over the past two years. They issued about $633 million in fines during that period.Xinhua said environment regulators transferred 1,232 cases involving suspected environmental crimes to police over the first three-quarters of this year, compared to 706 all of last year.Chinese authorities are under intense pressure to clean up the countrys environment, with toxic air, water and soil pollution a main source of public discontent. President Xi Jinping has also pledged to stop the growth of the countrys carbon emissions by 2030.

US Navy probing claimed Bin Laden shooter: official

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The former US Navy Seal who claims to be the soldier who fired the shots that killed Osama Bin Laden is being investigated for possibly leaking classified information, the US military confirmed on Tuesday.US Navy spokesman Ryan Perry said investigators were probing claims that Rob ONeill had broken the law by disclosing details about the daring 2011 raid that ended a 10-year manhunt for Bin Laden.The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is in receipt of an allegation that Mr ONeill may have revealed classified information to persons not authorized to receive such information, Perry said in an email to AFP.In response, NCIS has initiated an investigation to determine the merit of the allegations.ONeill, 38, ignited a firestorm of controversy last month after coming forward to claim that he was the man who shot Bin Laden through the forehead at his hideout in Abbottabad three years ago.The highly decorated Montana native told The Washington Post that he was near the head of the column of US soldiers that raided Bin Ladens compound, adding that at least two other SEALs fired shots.However ONeills decision to go public dismayed military brass and serving SEALS who maintain a fierce, Omerta-like code of silence.Another former Seal, Matt Bissonnette, who published his account of the raid, No Easy Day in 2012, took issue ONeills version of events.Two different people telling two different stories for two different reasons, Bissonnette said. Whatever he says, he says. I dont want to touch that.ONeill told the Post he had decided to come forward after meeting with relatives of victims of the September 11, 2011 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.The families told me it helped bring them some closure, ONeill told the Post.

Injured Australian captain upbeat he will play at World Cup

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SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian captain Michael Clarke eased fears Wednesday his career may by over, saying he is recovering well from surgery on a torn hamstring.The 33-year-old set alarm bells ringing with a stark warning the injury sustained during the first Test against India at Adelaide could cut short his stellar cricketing life.But in an upbeat column for Sydneys Daily Telegraph Clarke gave a positive assessment a week after the operation.The biggest thing for me is getting back on the field for the World Cup, he said of the tournament that starts in Australia and New Zealand in mid-February.I have been told by medical staff that I am in as good a condition as I can be a week after undergoing the surgery, added Clarke, who also carries a chronic back problem.There is no swelling and no pain when I walk. I cant wait to begin stage two of the rehab process which involves starting to run again.He offered strong support to fellow veterans Brad Haddin, Shane Watson and Chris Rogers who have come under pressure for weak performances since the start of the four-Test series against India this month.Its crucial to have experienced guys like these in a team when youre bringing through youngsters, Clarke said.With Australia leading India 2-0 ahead of the third Test in Melbourne on Friday, he also backed them for the 2015 Ashes squad to face England.Personally, I hope all three of them are on the plane to England for next years Ashes series, he said.They bring so much more to the table than just their batting.

US congressman pleads guilty to tax evasion

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NEW YORK (AFP) - A US congressman pleaded guilty to felony tax evasion Tuesday, the latest stain for a lawmaker dogged by controversy but who won re-election last month despite indictment on criminal charges.Michael Grimm, a former FBI agent who represents parts of New Yorks Staten Island and Brooklyn, pleaded guilty to filing a false income tax return that underreported wages and sales in 2009.The House Republican, whose federal court trial was due to begin February 2, faces up to 36 months in a federal prison. A judge set sentencing for June 8.The charge is linked to his conduct while owner of a Manhattan health food restaurant before he became a member of the House of Representatives in early 2011.In a 20-count indictment in April, prosecutors accused Grimm, 44, of paying employees with envelopes of cash and of lying under oath about his responsibility for handling payroll.He pleaded not guilty at the time, insisting he was the target of a political witch hunt and would fight tooth and nail until he was exonerated.The guilty plea throws Grimms political future into doubt.House Speaker John Boehner has remained mum this week as news emerged of Grimms plea, but Democrats were calling for Grimms resignation.Now that the election is over, Congressman Grimm is finally admitting the truth to his constituents, top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi said in a brief statement Tuesday.Clearly, Speaker Boehner must insist that Congressman Grimm resign immediately.But at a press conference outside the court following his plea, Grimm stressed the offense occurred before he ran for Congress and he would not step down.As long as I am able to serve, Im going to serve, and thats exactly what I plan on doing, Roll Call quoted Grimm as telling reporters.Everyone pays people off the books and its very common, Grimm explained about his misdeeds. But let me be very clear: Its wrong. I should not have done it and Im truly sorry for it.The investigation stemmed from a probe of possible Grimm campaign finance violations.Grimm made headlines in January after being caught on camera threatening to throw a reporter off a Washington balcony after the journalist asked Grimm about the investigation.

European rock ants lean left, study finds

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PARIS (AFP) - European rock ants at a crossroads will most often turn left, a group trait that may boost survival, a study said Wednesday.Many creatures, including humans, show a preference for one side over the other in movement or the senses.Ninety percent of humans, for example, are right-handed, while the European honeybee relies predominantly on its right eye for detecting objects, said the study in the journal Biology Letters of the British Royal Society.When it comes to behaviour, the common American cockroach has a bias for turning right in a Y-shaped tube, and giant water bugs mainly opt left in underwater T mazes.In animals with spines, like humans, such asymmetry is thought to be linked to the different specialisation of the two lobes of the brain, and to allow them to carry out two tasks simultaneously.A team from the universities of Bristol and Oxford decided to test whether European rock ants (Temnothorax albipennis) showed any lateral bias.In one experiment, scouting ants from eight colonies were observed while exploring a brand new nest. Groups of scouts turned left in 35 cases after entering the nest, and right in 19.The second test involved a maze with lanes that branched out into two-pronged forks. From the second fork onwards, the ants opted left more often -- 50 times compared with 30 right turns.No scientific experiment is ever conclusive but we think this is good evidence for a left-turning bias by usual statistical standards, study co-author Edmund Hunt of the University of Bristol told AFP.And the observed bias was strong enough to be significant at the population level, the study paper said.The authors theorised that such lateral preference would reduce the predation risk of individuals, resulting in most members of the colony herding together in the same place.The ants may be using their left eye to detect predators and their right to navigate, Hunt added.Also, their world is maze-like, and consistently turning one way is a very good strategy to search and exit mazes.

England's Hartley gets Six Nations reprieve

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LONDON (AFP) - England hooker Dylan Hartley has been cleared to play in the forthcoming Six Nations tournament after receiving just a three-week ban for elbowing Leicesters Matt Smith.Hartley pleaded guilty to the charge of striking Smith while playing for Northampton in their Premiership win over Leicester on Saturday.It was feared the Saints captain would be hit with a long suspension given his poor disciplinary record, but a Rugby Football Union hearing, held via conference call on Tuesday, opted for a more lenient approach.A ban of six weeks or more would have jeopardised Hartleys chances of appearing in the Six Nations, which gets underway with Englands clash against Wales in early February, and his future Test career in light of a previous disciplinary rap sheet including eye-gouging, biting, punching and swearing.

Ex-US Marine held in Iran suspends hunger strike

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FLINT (AP) - A former U.S. Marine imprisoned in Iran is temporarily suspending a hunger strike after authorities agreed to re-examine his case, his family said Tuesday.Amir Hekmati, 31, told his Michigan family by phone Dec. 16 that he was beginning the hunger strike and dictated a letter asking President Obama not to forget him as dialogue continues with Iran over its nuclear activities.On Tuesday, the Flint-area family said in an email it learned that Hekmati agreed to suspend his hunger strike, and Evin prison officials promised they would take certain steps to have his case revisited by appropriate Iranian government authorities.Hekmati was arrested in 2011 and sentenced to death for spying. The U.S. denies hes a spy. He appealed and received a 10-year sentence for cooperating with hostile governments.In his letter to Obama, Hekmati said: Every day, I wake hoping that there is news of my release. Every night, I go to sleep disappointed.Amir and the Hekmati family deeply appreciate all of those who have joined Amir in solidarity, the family said in its email to The Associated Press. All of those who are helping to free Amir. The family, particularly Amirs ailing father, is deeply moved by the thousands have joined the campaign.

Russian opposition faces Internet censorship

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MOSCOW (AP) -- Supporters of Russias most prominent opposition leader are preparing to protest near the Kremlin despite government efforts to hamper their plans by Internet censorship.Last week, prosecutors asked a court to sentence Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putins chief foe, to 10 years in prison for allegedly defrauding a cosmetics company, charges he dismissed as ludicrous.Navalnys supporters set up a group on Facebook to organize a protest outside the Kremlin on Jan. 15, the day of the verdict. But the Russian communications oversight agency said it immediately requested that Facebook block the group, which it did over the weekend.Access to the Facebook page in Russia has remained blocked, but Navalny supporters continued Tuesday to discuss the protest plans on Twitter and other platforms.Facebook had no immediate comment.

Search is on for diplomatic solution to Syria war

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BEIRUT (AP) - The search for a negotiated settlement to the Syrian civil war is gaining steam, as President Bashar Assads forces feel increasingly squeezed on the battlefield and Islamic extremist groups proliferate across the region.Russia, Assads chief international ally, is trying to convene peace talks in Moscow between Syrian government representatives and the mainstream opposition on how to move toward a political transition. Its diplomats have been shuttling between various sides of the conflict to try to arrange talks without preconditions.Elsewhere, U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura is attempting to decrease the level of carnage in Syria through a plan that calls for freezing the conflict in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo as a building block for a wider solution to the war.So far, there is little to suggest that either of those plans has a real chance of success. But analysts say there is a greater chance now for a settlement as a result of recent government losses in the north and south as well as growing resentment toward Assad among his traditional supporters, particularly after the mass killings of soldiers by militants.Sustained losses, they say, may open a window of opportunity for more flexibility for a peaceful transition possibly involving Assads eventual departure.The regime is increasingly stretched, militarily and financially, and so its refusal to engage politically with its own constituencies, let alone its adversaries, threatens it, wrote Yezid Sayigh, a senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, in the pan Arab daily Al-Hayat. By insisting on an exclusively military approach, it takes itself closer to the point where it has no political or social cushion domestically.The attempts to hold a peace conference also come as Russia and Iran, Syrias other main ally, are under pressure as a result of plunging oil prices. Both countries have given Assad billions of dollars in credit since the crisis began and might not want to spend more on the costly war.It is not yet clear who would take part in talks in Moscow. The main Western-backed Syrian opposition does not trust Russia and maintains that any negotiated settlement must be based on the Geneva communication platform, which states that there should be a political transition in Syria toward democracy by the formation of a transitional governing body with full executive powers.We are not going to accept something that is just superficial; it has to be genuine, deep-rooted transition toward democracy, said Monzer Akbik, a senior official with the mainstream opposition Syrian National Coalition, the political wing of the Free Syrian Army.Nevertheless, the communique, a roadmap agreed on by major powers in June 2012, is vague and leaves open the fate of Assad. Two rounds of peace talks between government and opposition representatives in Switzerland in early 2014 ended in failure.Analysts say the Moscow peace conference, which some refer to as Moscow 1, could be a first step toward ending the war.If the Moscow 1 conference is held, it will be a positive indication but will not lead to a rapid solution in Syria, said Hilal Khashan, professor of political science at the American University of Beirut. It could be the first building block.Syrian officials have not commented on the Russian or U.N. initiatives beyond saying that the Aleppo proposal is worth studying. Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem has also said that Syria, along Russia and Iran, is working on a political solution for the conflict based on dialogue between Syrians and without any outside intervention.But the government is currently on shaky ground. U.S.-backed rebels are advancing in the countrys south, capturing a string of towns from government forces in a push aimed at carving out a swath of territory leading to the capital, Damascus.In northern Syria, al-Qaida-linked and other Islamic fighters captured two key army bases last week after days of intense battles that killed dozens on both sides including an estimated 300 soldiers, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.And the militants are now pushing toward Idlib city, the only provincial capital in northern Syria still fully in government hands.The Islamic State group, which now controls most of the east and major parts of the north, is trying to capture a major air base in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour. The fall of that base would endanger the nearby provincial capital of the same name.The U.S and its Arab allies have been launching airstrikes against the Islamic State group in both Syria and Iraq. The strikes helped blunt the IS advance in some places, like in the northern Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani, and have helped the Kurds retake ground from the extremists in some parts of Iraq. Still, despite the strikes, the Islamic State group has succeeded in making some further gains in both countries.Despite the recent setbacks, Assads government can strike back with the help of its Russian and Iranian allies, said Fawaz A. Gerges, director of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics.The Syrian army and its local allies time and again have shown their ability to regroup and go on the offensive, Gerges said. Iran and Russia will not allow the defeat of the Syrian state and will fight tooth and nail to protect their national interest.

S&P reviewing Russia for ratings downgrade

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Standard & Poors announced Tuesday that it is considering a downgrade to Russias credit rating due to its economic troubles and a weakening financial system.The ratings agency put Russia on credit watch negative due to what we view as a rapid deterioration of Russias monetary flexibility and the impact of the weakening economy on its financial system.Russias foreign-currency sovereign rating is currently BBB-, the lowest notch of investment grade. Tuesdays review means there is at least a 50 percent chance of a downgrade, S&P said.S&P plans to complete its review by mid-January.Russias ruble fell decisively last week, spurring the countrys central bank to sharply raise interest rates.After touching record lows last week the currency has rebounded, which analysts explain by Russian export giants intervening in the market alongside the central bank and finance ministry.In afternoon trading on Tuesday the ruble stood at 54.69 to the dollar, far off the record of over 80 to the greenback it hit last week.

Imran Tahir called to South Africa Test squad

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PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa: (AFP) - Leg-spinner Imran Tahir earned a recall to the South African Test squad on Tuesday following an injury to Robin Peterson, three days before the second Test against the West Indies, which starts at St Georges Park on Friday.Peterson was ruled out of the rest of the series after being hit on the left index finger -- on his spinning hand -- during fielding practice on Tuesday.Tahir, who was born in Pakistan and became eligible to play for his adopted country in 2011, has not been part of the South African Test team since he played against Sri Lanka in July this year.Since then off-spinner Dane Piedt and left-armer Peterson have been preferred.Tahir, who has taken 40 wickets in his 15 tests, is likely to play in Port Elizabeth on a pitch which is expected to be slower and more spin-friendly than Centurion, where South Africa won the first Test by an innings and 220 runs.

Driver admits taking man off roof of car: police

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EUGENE (AP) Police say a driver accused of fatally hitting a pedestrian and carrying him on top of her car for 11 blocks has said she found him on the roof when she stopped to check for damage, then removed the man and left him in the street.The details were revealed in a police statement in the case against the drivers husband, who has been charged with tampering with evidence by cleaning off blood and hiding the car.The statement says Isabel McDaniel and her husband, Gary McDaniel, confessed after being tracked down at their home two days after the Dec. 11 collision that killed 67-year-old Daniel Ortiz-Reynaga, the Register-Guard (http://bit.ly/1t6WXrI) reported Tuesday.Isabel McDaniel has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and is being held in jail. Her lawyer, Laura Fine Moro, declined to comment and said Gary McDaniel also wouldnt comment.He is to be arraigned Jan. 8. He has not been jailed.The affidavit from Springfield police officer Thomas Speldrich said witnesses saw Ortiz-Reynaga flip onto the top of the car. It brushed his son, Julio Ortiz of Springfield.Julio Ortiz told police he couldnt find his father afterward but did see the older mans hat in the road, Speldrich wrote. Ortiz-Reynaga died later at a Springfield hospital, police said.After they made a public appeal for help, police got tips that led them to the McDaniels home.There, Isabel McDaniel told officers she had been driving the 1989 Honda Civic station wagon, Speldrich wrote.Police said they suspect Isabel McDaniel was driving under the influence of a combination of unspecified drugs and alcohol. They said that less than half an hour earlier, she fled the scene of a fender-bender in west Eugene.The affidavit says that after leaving Ortiz-Reynaga, McDaniel met her husband, who hid the Civic near his workplace, drove his wife home in another vehicle, used a trailer to take the Honda to the house and tried to rinse blood off of it with a hose.The document describes the car as having a broken windshield, fresh scrapes and dents, and blood on its roof and sides.

Russia successfully tests new space rocket

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MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia has successfully tested a new, heavy load space rocket after a long and strenuous development.President Vladimir Putin watched Tuesdays launch of the Angara -A5 booster rocket via a video link in the Kremlin. He hailed the test as a proof of Russias role as a leader in space exploration.The rockets launch comes after two decades of development. The previous attempt to launch it in June was aborted moments before the blast off due to a technical problem.Angara is built to replace the Soyuz, a workhorse of the Soviet and then Russian space program, designed more than four decades ago.Following the retirement of the U.S. space shuttles, Soyuz currently serves as the only way to deliver crews to the International Space Station.

Wrestler CM Punk set for real fight game with UFC debut

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NEW YORK: (AP) - CM Punk had nothing but time after his nasty fallout with World Wrestling Entertainment where he was one of the biggest stars in the companys history.That left him bitter at how his career unraveled and unsure of exactly what was next. Punk knew he needed time to recover from a series of injuries suffered from the daily grind of wrestling without a break and a mental respite from the constant clashes with WWE management.Punks done resting now. At 36, he is refreshed, focused and confident he can make the transition from the staged clashes of pro wrestling to the brutal mixed martial arts fighting inside the cage for Ultimate Fighting Championship, which has exploded in global popularity in recent years.Punk could become the next WWE champ-turned-UFC pay-per-view heavyweight, like Brock Lesnar before him.I have bitten off a chunk of greatness that a lot of people perceive is too much for me to handle, Punk said. Those people dont know me. They dont even know what I can handle. I do.UFC is in the entertainment business just as much as the WWE, and its counting on those 4 million viewers that watched Punk wrestle every Monday on Raw to follow him during his pay-per-view debut. UFC president Dana White announced the deal earlier this month, a needed jolt for a company that clearly needs new, marketable stars.Hes been training a lot in mixed martial arts, and were going to give him a shot, White said. This guy can definitely sell some units.UFC knows how to sell mix-martial arts, a blend of kickboxing, jiu jitsu, judo, wrestling and other forms of fighting. According to an antitrust lawsuit filed last week, UFC now controls about 90 percent of the revenues derived from live elite professional MMA bouts, with revenues estimated at about $500 million a year.Punk, known as the Best in the World in WWE, is just another newcomer in UFC. But hes skipping some steps along the way and a few notable fighters have lashed out at the special privilege afforded him. Punk is out to prove he can earn a spot on the card on his talent.Punk is faced with more questions than answers right now as he preps for a 2015 debut. At a media tour in New York, Punk said he had only an autumn target date for his first bout. Punk wants to fight as a 185-pound (84-kilogram) middleweight (his MMA strength is jiu jitsu) and expects to be introduced as Phil CM Punk Brooks.Punk walked away from WWE in January after a miserable final two years, with time left on his contract. Punk appeared to have it all to wrestling fans. His 434 days with the WWE championship was the longest reign since Hulk Hogan in the 1980s. And he had feuds with stars like The Rock, John Cena, Undertaker and The Shield. But Punk had grown deflated on the road, unhappy with the grind, injuries that piled up and his spot as the champion who rarely had a spot in the main event.Punk finally unloaded the details of his acrimonious departure from WWE on pro wrestler Colt Cabanas Art of Wrestling podcast on Thanksgiving. Punk said WWE fired him on his wedding day to fellow wrestler AJ Lee. He also said WWE pressured him to return to the ring following surgeries and said a company doctor misdiagnosed a staph infection in his back and ignored concussion symptoms. He accused one wrestler of carelessly breaking his ribs in a match.I share some of the blame because I had that mentality of the wrestler, Punk said. I have to go out there and wrestle to get paid. I have to tough it out. Whatever it is, Ill tape it up. Thats just the wrestlers’ mentality. But at some point, you go over the line.WWE issued statements wishing Punk well in UFC and that the company takes the health and wellness of its talent very seriously. Punk also said the WWE has been commendable in its fair treatment toward Lee since he departed.Punk said he will never return to WWE.He has found bliss as a blossoming comic author and his Thor Annual No. 1 under the Marvel Comics banner is set for a February release. Hell write a tale of Strange Sports Stories next year for the DC Comics Vertigo imprint.Now Punk is ready for whatever lies ahead.Part of the reason Im doing this is just to maybe inspire one kid, one kid whos told he cant do something, he said. If I try and fail, at least Ive tried. And a true failure is not trying.
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