Tuesday 13 January 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Karachi: 3 MQM activists fall prey to target killing

Posted:

KARACHI (Dunya News) – Target killing continues in Karachi as three Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) workers were gunned down in different areas of the city on Tuesday night.According to details, some unidentified gunmen shot dead Abdur Rehman and Muhammad Ashraf in Rizwia area. Both were MQM activists and members of Gulbahar Sector in Nazimabad area.Earlier, joint secretary of Balochistan committee, Ashraf Khan, was gunned down near Orangi Town area. The dead bodies of MQM workers were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.MQM chief Altaf Hussain has condemned the killing of party workers and termed it a conspiracy against MQM. He also urged federal government and Army Chief to take notice of the incident.

COAS Gen Raheel Sharif to leave for UK today

Posted:

RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) - Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif will leave for UK on a three-day visit today (Wednesday).According to ISPR, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif will meet political and military leadership in Britain during his visit.

Kerry arrives in Geneva for new Iran talks

Posted:

GENEVA (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Geneva Tuesday to meet his Iranian counterpart as global powers seek to accelerate talks to reach a deal on reining in Irans nuclear programme. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif suggested Monday that a more active role for Russia could be one way to speed up the talks, with a new deadline looming on July 1 for a comprehensive agreement.Kerry has said the aim of his talks with Zarif on Wednesday is to take stock and provide guidance for their negotiating teams ahead of fresh discussions by global powers known as the P51 due to resume here on Sunday.The top US diplomat also told reporters on Monday during a stop in India that he hopes to accelerate the process to make greater progress.Diplomats fear that time may be running out, after two earlier deadlines for an accord were missed.American lawmakers are eager to impose new sanctions on Iran as the Obama administration has sought to hold them off, warning it could scuttle all hopes of a deal.Washingtons UN envoy Samantha Power said Monday that ratcheting up sanctions against Iran would likely torpedo the negotiations.Imposing new sanctions will almost certainly end a negotiations process that has not only frozen the advance of Irans nuclear program, but that could lead us to an understanding that would give us confidence in its exclusively peaceful nature, Power told a US think-tank. If we pull the trigger on new nuclear-related sanctions now, we will go from isolating Iran to isolating ourselves, she said.Under an interim deal agreed in November 2013, Irans stock of fissile material has been diluted from 20 percent enriched uranium to five percent, in exchange for limited sanctions relief.This would push back the breakout capacity to make an atomic weapon, which Iran denies pursuing.But after extending the deadline for a deal due to lingering gaps, negotiators are keen to seal a ground-breaking accord. A more active Russian role is an important element in accelerating the final settlement of questions for a global nuclear agreement, the Iranian minister Zarif was quoted as saying on state media.Ryabkov, who heads up the Russian negotiating team under the P51 talks, said good ties between Tehran and Moscow can still help a rapid settlement of nuclear relations relating to Iran.Kerry has said that the United States hopes to see an outline accord in March, perhaps leaving some of the complex technical aspects to be hammered out by the teams ahead of the end of June.

UN to hold 'last ditch' Libya peace talks in Geneva

Posted:

GENEVA (AFP) - The United Nations will host talks between Libyas warring factions from Wednesday in Geneva, amid warnings that they could be the last chance for peace in the battle-scarred nation.The talks will be overseen by UN envoy to Libya and the UN chiefs special representative Bernardino Leon. A press conference is scheduled on Wednesday afternoon before they start.The oil-rich North African country is in tatters with rival governments and parliaments and a slew of militias fighting for territory.This is an opportunity the Libyans cannot afford to miss, the EUs foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on the eve of the talks.I want to praise both sides participating and encourage all those in Libya that have not yet decided on participation... to do so.This is the opportunity the Libyans cannot afford to miss, she said.The UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo at the start of Libyas 2011 uprising, which ousted and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi, to protect civilians from his forces.But the country descended rapidly into chaos, despite UN efforts to contain the violence. It is now mired in its worst fighting since Kadhafis downfall.And now, the head of the internationally-recognised government, Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani says his beleaguered government needs the embargo to be lifted to fight the militias.The international community must cooperate with Libya to put an end to extremism and terrorism and help government institutions, namely the army, by lifting the arms embargo, Thani told AFP ahead of the talks.The dialogue in Geneva aims at reaching an agreement on the formation of a unity government and the adoption of a new constitution -- a tall order given the current situation.Thanis government and the elected parliament have been based in the remote east since an Islamist-led coalition seized Tripoli in August.The coalition known as Fajr Libya (Libya Dawn) also holds third city Misrata. It launched a bloody offensive in December to seize control of key oil terminals but was repelled by the army.Most countries pulled out their diplomats from Tripoli after the city was taken by Libya Dawn.Islamists, led by the UN-blacklisted Ansar al-Sharia, also control parts of second city Benghazi in the east and have been locked in battle with pro-government forces since May.The Islamic State (IS) group that has seized large areas in Iraq and Syria is also thought to have gained a foothold in eastern Libya, and recently claimed to have executed two Tunisian journalists there.The United Nations says that since fighting intensified in May, hundreds of civilians have been killed and hundreds of thousands more have fled their homes.Libyas neighbours, fearful of a spillover of the violence, have repeatedly called for international intervention.The European Union said earlier that the Geneva meeting represents a last chance which must be seized.A new round of talks had been scheduled for December 9 but was repeatedly delayed as fighting intensified between the government and Islamist-backed militias.Each faction claims its army is the countrys real and each seeks international recognition.

North Korea offers direct talks with US

Posted:

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - North Korea on Tuesday offered to hold direct talks with the United States on its proposal to suspend nuclear tests, and suggested dialogue could pave the way to changes on the Korean peninsula.In a message passed to the US side on Friday, Pyongyang made the offer to suspend nuclear tests if the United States temporarily scrapped joint military exercises in South Korea.The US State Department rejected the tit-for-tat offer as an implicit threat but said it remains opens to dialogue with Pyongyang.North Koreas Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations An Myong Hun told a news conference that the offer still stands.We are ready, the government of the DPRK is ready, to explain its intention behind its proposal directly to the United States, said the envoy.We are ready for that, if the United States wants additional explanation about the proposal.The envoy indicated that the talks could lead to broader engagement.If this proposal is put into practice this year, many things will be possible, he said.I cant go any further, but many things will be possible this year.The United States, which has close to 30,000 troops permanently stationed in South Korea, conducts a series of joint military exercises with its key Asian ally every year.Seoul and Washington insist the drills are defensive in nature, but they are regularly condemned by Pyongyang as provocative rehearsals for invasion.North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests -- the last in February 2013 -- and recently threatened a fourth in response to a UN resolution condemning its human rights record.The North Korean envoy insisted that the proposal to the United States was a very meaningful and significant offer that would create an atmosphere conducive to dialogue and cooperation on the Korean peninsula.The United States and North Korea fought each other during the 1950-1953 war and have no diplomatic relations.Earlier Tuesday, US officials warned that they were considering other sanctions against North Korea in retaliation for the cyber-attack on Sony, which Washington blames on Pyongyang.North Koreas deputy ambassador again denied any involvement.My country has nothing to do with Sony hacking. It is nonsense, he said, adding that the US administration should provide proof of Pyongyangs wrongdoing.

PSG beat Saint-Etienne 1-0 to reach League Cup semifinals

Posted:

PARIS (AFP) - Zlatan Ibrahimovics hotly-contested second-half goal gave holders Paris Saint Germain a place in the last four of the League Cup after a 1-0 win over St Etienne on Tuesday. Ibrahimovics 72nd minute goal, which he chested over the line despite the efforts of goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier to claw it away, was disputed both by the home players and the spectators.Angry fans hurled projectiles on to the pitch, including a plastic water bottle thrown at a linesman, and St Etienne coach Christophe Galtier urged the crowd to calm down.The match was held up for around 10 minutes while order was restored.The victory, though, is welcome both for PSG and especially for the coach Laurent Blanc, who has come under pressure in the past four weeks after a series of disappointing results and player trouble.PSG came into the game on the back of a 4-2 league defeat by modest Bastia last Saturday, with Blanc having disciplined big name players Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi for returning late from holiday.Blanc, who has guided PSG into the Champions League last 16 where they will play Chelsea, said that he had not been very confident before the match after what he had seen against Bastia.After the Bastia match I had the impression that we no longer knew how to play and there was a bad atmosphere within the squad, said Blanc.Tonight, though, I saw positive things and we have won at a place where it is difficult to do so.However, I am neither more reassured than I was before the match, but on the other hand neither am I very worried. Earlier, Bastia continued their good run of form, recovering from going a goal behind early on to storm into their first League Cup semi-final since 2000 with a 3-1 victory over Rennes.The Corsican side, who unusually for a top tier side in Europe these days, fielded six homegrown players in their starting line-up and another five on the bench, were helped considerably by their opponents having two men sent off.Former France international striker Djibril Cisse rounded off a joyous night for Bastia as the 33-year-old fired home a powerful shot a minute from time.I am happy for the players for all the work they have put in in recent weeks, said Bastia coach Ghislain Printant, who is bidding to become only the second coach in the clubs history to land a trophy with their sole piece of silverware coming in the 1981 French Cup. This semi-final is a deserved reward for them.The semi-final line-up will be finalised on Wednesday when Monaco host French Cup holders Guingamp and Lille are at home to Nantes.

Snooker: O'Sullivan equals Hendry record in Masters win

Posted:

LONDON (AFP) - Ronnie OSullivan equalled Stephen Hendrys all-time record of 775 century breaks en route to a 6-4 victory over Ricky Walden at the Masters in London on Tuesday.OSullivan, the reigning champion, cruised into a 5-1 lead in the first-round match at Alexandra Palace, only for Walden to hit back and win three frames in a row.But OSullivan completed victory by taking the 10th frame, with a fluke on a yellow allowing him to make a 116 clearance and equal Hendrys record on the Scots 46th birthday.You go chasing records and you end up doing it on a fluke OSullivan said. Id had a bit of run through the match and thought I could fluke this one.Hendry, analysing the game for the BBC, said: It was a matter of time.OSullivan will now play Hong Kongs Marco Fu, who recorded a 147 clearance in his first-round win over Stuart Bingham.Meanwhile, the evening session saw Ali Carter secure an emotional 6-1 victory over Barry Hawkins in his first competitive match since being given the all-clear from lung cancer.

Ebola could end in Liberia by June: study

Posted:

MIAMI (AFP) - Liberia, the African nation at the center of worlds deadliest Ebola outbreak, could see an end to the epidemic by June if 85 percent of sick people get hospital care, US researchers said Tuesday.Cases have begun to decline in recent weeks, and schools are set to reopen next month after closing in July as the nation struggled with the fast-moving outbreak of hemorrhagic fever.If the trend toward better hospitalization and preventive care continues, researchers at the University of Georgia and Pennsylvania State University said the end of the deadly ordeal may be in sight.The model they described in the journal PLOS Biology includes factors like the location of infection and treatment, the development of hospital capacity and the adoption of safe burial practices.If an 85 percent hospitalization rate can be maintained, the epidemic should be largely contained by June 2015, said lead author John Drake, an associate professor in the University of Georgia Odum School of Ecology.Thats a realistic possibility but not a foregone conclusion, Drake said. Whats needed is to maintain the current level of vigilance and keep pressing forward as hard as we can.The model Drake and colleagues devised accounts for variables like how many patients are hospitalized and how many health care workers are infected, rates of transmission from funerals where the corpses of victims are touched and kissed, and the relative effectiveness of Ebola control measures.They used data from the World Health Organization and the Liberia Ministry of Health for the period from July 4 to September 2, 2014.During that time, the country added about 300 hospital beds and began to adopt safer burial practices.The researchers further refined their model in December to account for the addition of more hospital beds.The exercise showed them that the response by the Liberian government and international groups had greatly reduced the likelihood of a massive epidemic, the researchers said in a statement.In Liberia, 3,496 people have died from Ebola in the latest outbreak, the highest death toll of any affected nation. In all, the WHO says 8,235 people have died and more than 20,000 have been infected with Ebola -- most in the West African nations of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone -- since the outbreak began late in 2013.

World Bank sees growth pick-up for developing countries

Posted:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The World Bank on Tuesday predicted a pick-up in economic growth for developing countries, spurred by falling oil prices and despite a slight slowdown in global engine China.Developing countries growth in gross domestic product (GDP) -- the broad measure of a countrys output of goods and services -- was expected to hit an annual pace of 4.8 percent in 2015, up from 4.4 percent last year, and surge to 5.3 percent in 2016, according to the banks latest forecasts.Following another disappointing year in 2014, developing countries should see an uptick in growth this year, boosted in part by soft oil prices, a stronger US economy, continued low global interest rates and improvements in several large emerging-market economies, said the World Bank in a statement.The update of its Global Economic Prospects report showed that momentum in the developing countries would like push growth in the global economy higher, to a moderate 3.0 percent in 2015 from 2.6 percent in 2014, despite persistent weakness in the eurozone and Japan.For China, the leader of the emerging-market economies, structural reforms, a gradual withdrawal of fiscal stimulus, and continued prudential measures to slow credit expansion will result in slowing growth to 6.9 percent by 2017 from 7.4 percent in 2014, said the anti-poverty development bank.The GDP of the worlds second-largest economy was projected to increase by 7.1 percent this year and slow slightly to a rate of 7.0 percent in 2016.Another major emerging-market powerhouse, India, should be among the beneficiaries of the spectacular plunge in crude oil prices that have lost almost 60 percent of their value since June. The Asian giant, which is a net importer of crude oil, should see GDP accelerate to 6.4 percent this year from a 5.6 percent rate last year.Weak oil prices also were expected to help Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa and Turkey fight inflation and reduce their current-account deficits, a major source of vulnerabilities to risks in the global economy, the World Bank said.What is critical is for nations to use this window to usher in fiscal and structural reforms, which can boost long-run growth and inclusive development, said Kaushik Basu, the World Banks chief economist and senior vice president, in the statement.Oil-producing countries, meanwhile, have been dealt a blow by the price plunge. Russia, which also is the target of Western economic sanctions, was expected to suffer a 2.9 percent economic contraction this year before crawling back into growth in 2016.In this uncertain economic environment, developing countries need to judiciously deploy their resources to support social programs with a laser-like focus on the poor and undertake structural reforms that invest in people, said World Bank President Jim Yong Kim.

Euro retreats as ECB official discusses stimulus

Posted:

NEW YORK (AFP) - The euro Tuesday fell against the dollar and some other leading currencies after a key European central banker expressed support for monetary stimulus.Ewald Nowotny, a governor of the Austrian central bank and a member of the European Central Bank Governing Council, highlighted the need for policy makers to tackle the threat of deflation.It is important that one takes deflation risks seriously and addresses them, Novotny said, according to Bloomberg News. We shouldnt wait too long with a reaction.Nowotny said the ECB panel is considering a number of stimulus measures, including asset purchases, Bloomberg said.Analysts said the remarks were a sign the ECB may act when it meets on January 22, in part because Nowotny is not known for being particularly interventionist.The prospect of Quantitative Easing has and should continue to keep euro under pressure, said Kathy Lien, managing director at BK Asset Management.The dollar retreated against the yen, even as it rose on the euro, indicating news about the US did not drive its performance, Lien said. That should change Wednesday, when the widely-watched report on US retail sales will drive trade. A disappointing retail sales figure would push the greenback lower against the yen, Lien predicted.

Oil prices hit fresh lows since 2009

Posted:

NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices slipped toward nearly six-year lows Tuesday after OPEC officials underscored the cartels resolve to not cut output despite a supply glut and plunging prices.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for February fell 18 cents to settle at $45.89 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, its lowest close since March 11, 2009, when it finished at $42.33. The contract had traded below $45 early in the session.In London, Brent crude for February delivery, the international benchmark futures contract, finished at $46.59 a barrel, down 84 cents from Monday, when it closed below $50 for the first time since April 2009.WTI and Brent shed more than $2 a barrel on Monday, after investment bank Goldman Sachs lowered its crude oil price forecasts. The latest OPEC member to hit the wires is the UAE, saying that OPEC members can withstand the crude drop, and that US shale drillers will be the first to curb production, said Matt Smith of Schneider Electric.This is adding fuel to the fire after yesterdays sell-off, and a stronger dollar and a potential build to crude stocks from tomorrows weekly US inventory report is encouraging another sell-off. The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday that the cartel could not stop world prices falling -- and called for a cut in booming shale oil output in the United States.Analysts say that richer cartel members -- like the UAE and Saudi Arabia -- have been ready to accept the price fall in the hope that it will force higher-cost shale producers out of the market.We cannot continue to be protecting a certain price, UAE Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said.We have seen the oversupply, coming primarily from shale oil, and that needed to be corrected, he told participants in the Gulf Intelligence UAE Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi.Kuwaiti Oil Minister Ali al-Omair said: We expect this situation to continue until the surplus on the market is absorbed and the world economy improves.Global oil prices have slumped by almost 60 percent since June as the market faces abundant supplies, demand fears and a strong dollar in a stuttering global economy.The slide accelerated in November when the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which provides about 30 percent of global supplies, kept its production ceiling at 30 million barrels per day.

Pietersen restates ambition to play for England

Posted:

SYDNEY (AP) - Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has restated his ambition to return to international cricket, saying he believes that current one-day captain Eoin Morgan would welcome his return.Pietersen was dropped by England after last years Ashes series in Australia and, in a tell-all book, was harshly critical of former teammates and Englands administration.In an interview with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting on Australias Channel 10 on Tuesday, Pietersen said I dont know why Im not playing for England. I havent got a clue.He added I know that the current captain would love to have me in the England team. I want to play for England. Im hitting it okay and I get along pretty well with most of the guys in there, if not all of them.

Roof collapse kills 7 in Lahore

Posted:

LAHORE (Dunya News) – According to details, roof of a marriage hall collapsed in Shad Bagh area on night between Tuesday and Wednesday, killing at least six people.Those who killed in the roof collapse also included the bride. Rescue teams reached the spot and started rescue operation. At least 20 people were also wounded in the incidentChief Minister Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif has expressed sorrow and grief over the sad incident. He also directed the local administration to submit a report of the incident.

We are all Germany, president tells Muslim rally

Posted:

BERLIN: (AFP) - German President Joachim Gauck told the countrys Muslim community Tuesday that we are all Germany at a rally to condemn the Paris jihadist attacks and take a stand against rising Islamophobia.About 10,000 citizens, religious leaders and politicians, among them Chancellor Angela Merkel, joined the event, which started with a wreath-laying ceremony at the French embassy and an imam reciting Koranic verses condemning the taking of life.Gauck used his speech to send a message of reassurance to Germanys four-million-strong Muslim community, a day after a record 25,000 people joined a protest march by a populist anti-Islamic movement.We are all Germany, he said.We, democrats with our different political, cultural and religious backgrounds; we, who respect and need each other; we, who want to live life... in unity, justice and freedom, Gauck said in his speech at Berlins Brandenburg Gate.The vast majority of Muslims feel they belong to our open society... Germany has become more diverse through immigration -- religiously, culturally and mentally.Our answer to the fundamentalism of the Islamist perpetrators of violence is democracy, respect for the law, respect for each other, respect for human dignity. This is our way of lifePeople at the rally applauded his message of inter-faith unity that came a day after the 12th rally by Germanys new right-wing movement the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident, or PEGIDA, which has spawned smaller clone groups across Germany and as far as Norway.Merkel -- who this week stressed that Islam is part of Germany -- said earlier Tuesday that hatred, racism and extremism have no place in this country... We are a country based on democracy, tolerance and openness to the world.Terror: not in our nameTuesdays vigil and rally was organised by the Central Council of Muslims under the banner Lets be there for each other. Terror: not in our nameToday we all want to express our solidarity with the French people, its chairman Aiman Mazyek said in his opening address. The terrorists did not win and terrorists wont win in future.Today we say, along with the French people and many people around the world: Je suis Charlie, he added, employing the international message of solidarity with the artists killed at the Charlie Hebdo magazine.The vice president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Abraham Lehrer, said in his speech that in the French attacks, cartoonists were murdered because they stood up for free expression, police because they sought to protect them, and Jews simply because they were Jews.Lehrer said it would be wrong to suspect all Muslims or even to disparage their religion. We completely condemn reprisals such as attacks on mosques.But he said it was up to Muslims to counter the fear and terror spread by radicalised, fanatical Islam in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.After speeches by Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders, all observed a minutes silence.The Muslim community rally came after 100,000 people took to the streets across Germany Monday in counter-demonstrations against PEGIDA, and to voice support for multiculturalism.Merkel, who is often known to avoid controversial issues, has weighed in strongly, condemning PEGIDAs leaders for having hatred in the hearts.Her comments were broadly hailed in the media, but not everyone agreed.Naturally, Muslims belong in our society, said Merkels former interior minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, a Bavarian conservative.But the question is knowing what constitutes the identity of a country, and in Germany it is a Christian identity built on Judeo-Christian roots.Bild, Germanys top-selling daily, said the Paris attacks seemed to have shaken the usually unflappable Merkel, a pastors daughter who grew up in the communist East.She has two issues where, when she speaks, she doesnt sound like she is simply droning on with platitudes: religion and freedom, it said, noting the rare public signs of emotion she showed with Hollande at Sundays solidarity march.She knows that gestures are now necessary... it is about freedom and protection from a terrorist war.

Rallying: Roma heads Mini 1-2-3 as Al-Attiyah stretches lead

Posted:

CALAMA, Chile: (AFP) - Defending champion Nani Roma led a Mini 1-2-3 in the Dakar Rally ninth stage on Tuesday as Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah increased his overall lead with four days action in South America to go.Spains Roma -- whose hopes of a second straight overall win evaporated on the first stage because of electrical failure -- completed the 538 kilometre (450km timed) drive from the Chilean Pacific coastal city of Iquique to Calama in the Andes six-and-a-half minutes clear of Al-Attiyah.The 2011 Dakar winners bold showing bolstered his bid for a second title by more than quarter of an hour. He now has a near 24-minute cushion over Toyotas South African driver Giniel de Villiers, who took fourth.In third in the drivers standings comes Saudi Arabias Yazeed Al-Rajhi in another Toyota, 40 minutes behind Al-Attiyah. Minis domination of Tuesdays podium was completed by Russian Vladimir Vasilyev.In the bikes section, Portugals Helder Rodrigues claimed his second stage win of the race as Marc Coma had his overall lead cut by three minutes.Rodrigues crossed the finish line in the Andes almost four minutes clear of his teammate and fellow countryman Paul Goncalves.In third came Coma, whose advantage over Goncalves in the riders title race is now only five-and-a half minutes.In third in the overall standings is Chiles Pablo Quintanilla -- who won Mondays marathon stage on home turf -- almost half an hour adrift of the front pair.Joan Barreda, who saw his Dakar rally dream go up in smoke with engine trouble in the eighth stage, lost a further 20 minutes overall.For Rodrigues, this was a welcome change of fortune after the winner of the sixth stage lost more than three hours on a disastrous journey to Iquique 24 hours earlier which knocked him out of title contention.Yesterday (Monday) was very hard for us and today was just fun and the aim was to just get to the finish. The stage was very hard but compared to yesterday it was nothing, he said. As for Coma, victory in Buenos Aires on Saturday is still a long way away.At the moment, everything is still far off, so were looking at the next day only and we will see. Theres a long way still in front of us, so well take it step by step, said the Spaniard.Goncalves was always playing a cautious game, commenting: Now Im second overall, but this is not really important because we have four days more in front of us to race. The strategy is to try and keep the bike safe, only that.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)