Sunday 18 January 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

NHA, Land Deptt officials among 6 killed in Karachi

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Target killing continues in Karachi as six more people were gunned down in different parts of the city on night between Sunday and Monday.According to details, some unidentified persons opened fire at a vehicle near Nipa Chourangi in Gulshan Iqbal area and killed two people. The deceased were identified as Sohail and Talaat.Police sources said that Sohail was Deputy Director in NHA while Talaat was Director in Land Department of City Government.Earlier, some miscreants riding on motorcycle shot dead two police officials near Noor-ul-Iman mosque in Nazimabad area. Both cops were going home after completing their duty at the Noor-ul-Iman mosque. Police have recovered five empty cartridges from the crime scene.On the other hand, some unidentified gunmen shot dead a man at Mai Kulachi Road while police have also recovered a dead body from stream in Lasbela area.Meanwhile, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain has condemned rising incidents of target killing in the city and asked PM Nawaz Sharif to take notice of the recent target killing in Karachi.

3 Muslims burned to death in Hindu-Muslim clash in India

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PATNA (AP) - At least three Muslims were burned to death Sunday when their thatched huts were set on fire during a clash between Hindu and Muslim groups in a village in eastern India, a government official said.Atul Prasad, a Bihar state administrator, said the violence erupted after the body of a young Hindu boy was found on a farm in Sarayian village more than a week after he went missing.Prasad said the Hindu fishermen community blamed Muslims for killing the boy who was friendly with a Muslim girl from the village, nearly 105 kilometers (65 miles) north of Patna, the capital of Bihar state.The charred bodies of three Muslims were found in huts set on fire, he said.Police have arrested eight Hindu villagers for burning nearly two dozen huts in the poor Muslim community.Prasad said the situation remains tense but under control in the village.Hindus comprise more than 80 percent and Muslims nearly 13 percent of Indias 1.2 billion people. They largely live together peacefully in various parts of the country, but there are occasional incidents of violence.

Hezbollah commander, five others killed in Israel raid: source

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Six Hezbollah fighters were killed Sunday in an Israeli air strike on the Syrian side of the Golan, including the son of assassinated senior commander Imad Mughniyeh.The deaths were announced after an Israeli security source told AFP that an Israeli helicopter conducted a strike against terrorists near Quneitra, on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.A group of Hezbollah mujahedeen were martyred in a Zionist rocket attack in Quneitra, and their names will be revealed later, said Hezbollahs Al-Manar television.They were killed during a field reconnaissance mission in the Mazraat Amal village of Quneitra province, it said.Hezbollah said in a statement received by AFP that six of its members were killed in the attack, among them a top military leader and Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of Imad Mughniyeh, a top Hezbollah operative killed in a 2008 car bombing in Syria which the group has blamed on Israel.A source close to Hezbollah told AFP the killed military leader was Mohammed Issa, a senior commander responsible for Hezbollah operations in Syria and Iraq.Imad Mughniyeh was wanted for the 1985 hijacking of a TWA airliner in which a US Navy diver was killed and the 1992 bombing of Israels embassy in Argentina that cost 29 lives.The Israeli source did not identify the targets but alleged they were preparing for an attack on Israel, without providing more details.Syrian state television confirmed the Israeli air strike and said six people were killed in the raid but made no mention of Hezbollah.The Shiite movement is an arch-enemy of Israel, and has sent thousands of fighters across the border to aid Syrian President Bashar al-Assads regime as it battles Sunni-led rebels.The attack comes days after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah threatened to retaliate against Israel for repeated strikes on Syria.The Al-Manar channel, meanwhile, branded the strike a costly adventure that threatens the security of the Middle East.Nasrallah on Thursday told Al-Mayadeen television that Hezbollah has had Iranian Fateh-110 missiles that can hit the whole of Israel since 2006, adding that it is always ready to fight the Jewish state.Israeli air strikes on Syria target the whole of the resistance axis, Nasrallah said in reference to Syria, Iran and his government, who are sworn enemies of Israel.The repeated bombings that struck several targets in Syria are a major violation, and we consider that any strike against Syria is a strike against the whole of the resistance axis, not just against Syria, he said, adding the axis is capable of responding anytime.He also boasted that Hezbollah was stronger that we ever were as a resistance movement and said the group known for its sophisticated arsenal has Fateh-110 missiles.These missiles have a minimum range of 200 kilometres (125 mile) and can hit the whole of Israel.According to Pentagon officials, Hezbollah has 50,000 missiles, including some capable of reaching Tel Aviv.The Israeli air force has carried out several raids against targets in Syria, including depots storing weapons meant for Hezbollah, since the conflict there started nearly four years ago.The most recent strike was in December, when Israeli warplanes struck weapons warehouses near Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.Israel has never confirmed it carried out the strikes, but it says it has a policy of preventing arms transfers to militant groups including Hezbollah.Israeli media said, however, after the December strikes that the air force had targeted arms convoys or depots of Iranian-made rockets.In February 2014, two Israeli air raids hit a Hezbollah target on the Lebanon-Syria border, according to Lebanese security sources.At the time Lebanons National News Agency said the raids targeted around the town of Nabi Sheet, a Hezbollah stronghold.Nasrallah said on Thursday that Hezbollah was ready to fight a new war against Israel in Lebanon and renewed a threat to invade the Galilee region of northern Israel.Hezbollah fought a bloody war with Israel in the summer of 2006 that killed some 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers.Syria and Israel are officially in a state of war, and Israel has occupied the Golan since 1967. The occupation is not recognised by the international community.

Kerry to co-host talks on Islamic State in London

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to London on Thursday to host with his British counterpart a meeting of members of the coalition against the Islamic State group.Kerrys spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the one-day talks with foreign ministers from about 20 countries, including Arab states, would focus on our shared efforts to degrade and defeat ISIL, an acronym by which the group is known.A British official separately confirmed the meeting will take place at Lancaster House in central London, two weeks after deadly attacks in Paris by three gunmen claiming to act on behalf of Al-Qaeda and the IS group occupying parts of Iraq and Syria.The meeting comes after US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron met in Washington this week.Discussions will focus on five areas -- foreign fighters, the military campaign against IS targets, its sources of finances, strategic communications and humanitarian assistance, the British official said.While in London, Kerry will hold bilateral talks with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Psaki said.He will then travel to the World Economic Forum in Davos taking place Thursday through Saturday to meet with global leaders, as well as business and civil society representatives. The top US diplomat will deliver remarks at WEFs annual meeting on Friday.

35 Syrian soldiers killed in plane crash: monitor

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BEIRUT (AFP) - At least 35 Syrian soldiers were killed overnight when an army cargo plane crashed in bad weather in the northwest of the country, a monitor said on Sunday.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the plane crashed after hitting electricity lines in heavy fog in Idlib province, a claim echoed by Syrian state media.But Syrias Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front claimed on Twitter that it had shot down the aircraft.Syrian state media reported the crash without giving a death toll.A medium-sized cargo plane crashed last night while landing at the Abu al-Duhur military airport because of bad weather conditions and heavy fog, killing the crew on board, state news agency SANA said.It gave no further details on the incident.The Observatory said the planes was carrying troops as well as military equipment and ammunition.It said regime forces were involved in heavy clashes with Al-Nusra fighters in a bid to reach and recover the bodies of those killed in the crash.On one of its Twitter accounts, Al-Nusra claimed it had shot down the plane and posted photos it said showed some of those killed in the crash, as well as the remains of the aircraft.Militant groups have regularly shot down regime planes and helicopters in the countrys civil war.In December, Islamic State group militants captured a Jordanian pilot whose plane crashed while participating in the US-led coalition against the jihadist group.IS claimed to have shot down the plane, though Jordanian and US authorities say the crash was an accident.

Boko Haram fighters kidnap at least 60 in deadly Cameroon attack

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MALTAM (AFP) - Boko Haram fighters kidnapped at least 60 people in a deadly attack in northern Cameroon on Sunday, police said, in the latest cross-border raid by the Nigeria-based Islamist group.It came a day after neighbouring Chad deployed troops to combat Boko Haram in Cameroon and Nigeria, as part of a regional bid to combat the insurgents.The militants burst into two villages in the Tourou area... They torched houses and left with around 60 people. Most of them were women and children, a police officer told AFP.He said the attack had left some people dead without giving an exact toll, adding that the Cameroon army had launched an operation in the wake of the assault.It is the largest abduction ever carried out in Cameroons Far North region by Boko Haram and comes amid mounting fears the group is expanding its operations into neighbouring countries.Cameroon already came under attack last Monday when it said its troops repelled a raid by Boko Haram on a northern military base, killing 143 militants in the process.The Nigerian government has faced widespread criticism for failing to stop the group, which is fighting to create a hardline Islamic state.Brutal raids, massacres, suicide bomb attacks and kidnappings by the Islamists have claimed at least 13,000 lives and driven an estimated 1.5 million people from their homes, mainly in its stronghold in northeast Nigeria.Also on Sunday, a suicide bomber killed four people and wounded dozens in an attack on a bus station in Potiskum, northeastern Nigeria, police and hospital sources told AFP.(The bomber) slowed his car twice... some distance from the bus station, and he suddenly increased speed and rammed into buses lined up waiting for passengers, local trader Umar Sani said.A police officer said four bodies and 48 injured people had been taken from the scene.There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the town has often come under attack from Boko Haram militants.Also in Nigeria, Chadian troops are seeking to recapture the strategic city of Baga on the shores of Lake Chad, which straddles the borders of Chad, Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon and which fell to the Islamists early this month.Many say the assault on Baga could be Boko Harams deadliest yet. Satellite pictures released by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch showed widespread destruction with around 3,700 buildings in Baga and nearby Doron Baga damaged or destroyed.Amnesty says as many as 2,000 civilians may have been massacred, but Nigerias army objected to the sensational claims and said that the death toll in Baga was about 150.Chad on Saturday sent troops, some 400 military vehicles and several attack helicopters to Cameroon and Nigeria to aid in the fight against the Islamist militants.We will advance towards the enemy tomorrow (Monday), Chadian colonel Djerou Ibrahim, in charge of the operation, told AFP in the northern Cameroonian town of Maltam.

Suicide bomber kills four at Nigeria bus station

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KANO (AFP) - A suicide bomber killed four people and wounded dozens Sunday in an attack on a bus station in Potiskum, northeastern Nigeria, police and hospital sources told AFP.There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the town has often come under attack from Boko Haram militants.Last Sunday, two female suicide bombers, one believed to be aged around 15, carried out an attack on a crowded market.Witnesses to the latest assault said the explosion ripped through the bus station at Tashar Kunne, on the outskirts of town, at around 10:30 am (0930 GMT).(The bomber) slowed his car twice... some distance from the bus station, and he suddenly increased speed and rammed into buses lined up waiting for passengers, local trader Umar Sani said.A police officer said four bodies and 48 injured people had been taken from the scene.A nurse at the Potiskum General Hospital gave a similar death and injury toll, and said local residents had rushed to the hospital in search of their loved ones.She described the suicide bomber as a young man.Potiskum has been hard hit previously in Boko Haram attacks. Fifteen people were killed in November 2014 during a Shiite religious procession. A week later a suicide bomber blew himself up in a high school, killing 58 people and wounding more than 100. Brutal raids, massacres, suicide bomb attacks and kidnappings by Boko Haram have claimed at least 13,000 lives and driven an estimated 1.5 million people from their homes, mainly in arid northeast Nigeria.Neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger have launched a regional bid to combat the Islamists, as their attacks spread beyond Nigeria and concern mounts over the failure of Nigerian authorities to regain control.On Saturday Chad sent troops, about 400 military vehicles including tanks and armoured vehicles, and several attack helicopters to Cameroon and Nigeria to aid in the fight against the Islamist militants.A senior United Nations official on Friday called for a regional response to tackle Boko Haram.We have to come together to provide the support to the Nigerian government that has the primary responsibility to protect its people, Leila Zerrougui, the UN secretary-generals special representative on children and armed conflict, told AFP.The military moves come after the Islamists seized the town of Baga on the shores of Lake Chad earlier this month in what many say could be Boko Harams deadliest attack.Satellite pictures released by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch showed widespread destruction with around 3,700 buildings in Baga and nearby Doron Baga damaged or destroyed.Amnesty says as many as 2,000 civilians may have been massacred, but Nigerias army objected to the sensational claims and said the death toll in Baga was about 150.

24 die in Zimbabwe bus crash

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HARARE (AFP) - At least 24 people died Sunday when two buses collided near the Zimbabwean capital Harare, police said.I can confirm that 24 people died following an accident which occurred this afternoon, police spokesman Paul Nyathi told AFP.State television said at least 46 others were injured after the two buses, travelling in opposite directions, sideswiped about 30 kilometres northeast of Harare.The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation said witnesses blamed the accident on speeding by both drivers.Road accidents are common in Zimbabwe, where highways are riddled with potholes due to years of neglect.

Football: Messi hat-trick keeps Barca in sight of Madrid

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MADRID (AFP) - Lionel Messi struck a stunning hat-trick to ensure Barcelona maintained the pressure on La Liga leaders Real Madrid with a 4-0 win away to Deportivo la Coruna to cut the gap at the top to one point.Earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo rounded off a week where he was named World Player of the Year for the third time by scoring twice as Madrid struck three times in the final half hour to beat Getafe 3-0.Atletico Madrid, who dumped Real out the Copa del Rey in midweek, moved back to within four points of their city rivals in third as goals from Mario Mandzukic and Raul Garcia handed them a 2-0 win over managerless Granada.Messi has been at an extraordinarily high level all season, said Barca boss Luis Enrique, despite reports of a dressing room rift between the two in recent weeks.He hasnt dipped at any point. He has been world class.In a change from his much criticised rotation policy, Enrique named the same side that beat Atletico 3-1 at home last weekend and was rewarded with another bright display illuminated by Messis class in front of goal.The Argentines first effort of the game was brilliantly saved by Fabricio after a well-worked corner, but the Deportivo goalkeeper was helpless when the four-time World Player of the Year opened the scoring after 11 minutes with a thunderous header from Ivan Rakitics cross.Messi then showed a more subtle touch for his second with a delicate chip over the prone Fabricio to double Barcas advantage from Neymars pass.However, by contrast, Luis Suarezs troubles in front of goal continued as he fluffed his lines twice in the first-half with just Fabricio to beat.Messi showed the Uruguayan how it should be done once more when he rounded off his 30th hat-trick for the club after the break when he cut inside onto his favoured left foot and fired into the far corner before an own goal from Deportivo defender Sidnei rounded off the scoring.Real had to wait over an hour to make the breakthrough at the Alfonso Perez Coliseum before Ronaldo fired home from Karim Benzemas wonderful assist to set them on the road to victory.It is true at the start we didnt play with a lot of intensity, said Real boss Carlo Ancelotti.At the start we played a bit slow, but I liked the performance because the team played with intelligence and much better in the second-half than the first.I think the whole team played well, but the assist by Karim (Benzema) opened the game up for us. It was extraordinary.After a sluggish start the European champions were denied by a series of fine saves by Getafe goalkeeper Jordi Codina either side of half-time, whilst Toni Kroos also struck the bar just before the break.However, Codinas resistence was finally broken just before the hour mark with a brilliant team goal as Isco and James Rodriguez combined to free Benzema and the Frenchman produced an exquisite piece of skill on the byline to cut the ball back for Ronaldo to slam home.Just four minutes later it was 2-0 as this time Rodriguez was the provider with a fine low cross that Gareth Bale prodded past Codina with the outside of his left foot.And another sumptuous cross from Rodriguez 11 minutes from time allowed Ronaldo to plant a firm header past the helpless Codina to register his 36th goal of the season.Atletico were less impressive as they laboured to victory against a Granada side that hasnt won in La Liga since September leading to the sacking of coach Joaquin Caparros on Friday.The opening goal arrived 11 minutes before half-time when Diego Godin was hauled down by Abdoul Sissoko as he tried to reach Fernando Torress cross and Mandzukic smashed home the resultant penalty for his 16th goal of the season.Atletico enjoyed more control of the game after the break and finally sealed the points three minutes from time when substitute Garcia bundled home Arda Turans cross at the back post.

Juventus beat Verona 4-0 to move 5 points clear

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MILAN (AP) - Carlos Tevez scored twice to help Juventus beat Hellas Verona 4-0 on Sunday and move five points clear at the top of Serie A.Juventus had beaten Verona 6-1 in the Italian Cup on Thursday and it appeared to be on course to better that result when Paul Pogba and Tevez put the defending champion 2-0 up inside seven minutes.However, Verona goalkeeper Rafael kept the tide at bay until shortly after the hour mark when Roberto Pereyra and Tevez completed the scoring.Earlier, Napoli beat Lazio 1-0 to leapfrog the Rome side into third spot in Serie A on Sunday, while Sampdoria remained firmly in the race for the final Champions League spot with a 2-0 win at Parma.Napoli and Sampdoria moved onto 33 points, with Lazio two points behind. Fiorentina was a point further back after Khouma Babacars last-gasp goal snatched a 2-1 win at Chievo Verona.Genoa was on 28 points after coming back three times to rescue a 3-3 draw against Sassuolo.There was more disappointment for AC Milan, which lost 1-0 at home to relegation-threatened Atalanta.Elsewhere, Udinese drew 2-2 at home to Cagliari, and Torino won 3-2 at bottom club Cesena.Juventus knew it could reach the halfway point of the season with a significant advantage over second-placed Roma, which drew at Palermo on Saturday.And it took less than two minutes to take the lead, with Pogba smashing a 25-yard thunderbolt into the bottom right corner from 25 yards.Juventus had rested Tevez and Andrea Pirlo for the cup match and the former made his mark in the seventh minute. Pogbas dummy allowed Alvaro Moratas cross through and Tevez curled it in.The home fans had to wait until the 66th minute to see Juventus extend its lead when Pereyra collected a fantastic through ball from Giorgio Chiellini and lifted it above Rafael.Tevez completed the scoring with his 13th goal of the season.In the lunchtime kickoff, Gonzalo Higuain scored in the 18th minute, latching on to a delightful ball from Dries Mertens before unleashing a strike into the top near corner from a tight angle.Lazio fought back and went close on several occasions, notably when Marco Parolo nodded a free kick off the crossbar.Higuain could also have scored a second but had an effort saved by Etrit Berisha before sending another inches wide of the left post.In Parma, Sampdoria struggled to carve out chances but finally broke the deadlock nine minutes into the second half when Eder rolled the ball across from the right for Gonzalo Bergessio to tap in at the back post.Samp all but sealed the result in the 71st minute. Bergessio hit the post from Joseph Alfred Duncans cross and Roberto Soriano fired home the rebound.Fiorentina looked to have lost ground in a riveting battle for third spot as it appeared to be heading for a draw in Verona but Babacar headed Joaquins cross in at the far post in stoppage time to snatch all three points.Joaquin had also had a hand in Fiorentinas 35th-minute opener, as Nenad Tomovic nodded his cross back across goal for Gonzalo Rodriguez to tap in.Sergio Pellissier leveled after Fiorentina missed several chances.Genoa also needed a last-gasp goal, with Ioannis Fetfatzidis who also scored his sides second converting a penalty in stoppages after Francesco Magnanelli fouled Juraj Kucka.Domenico Berardi also scored two, including a penalty, for Sassuolo.Milan was whistled off the pitch after its second successive home defeat. Filippo Inzaghis men have won just one of its past six matches and visit Lazio next.Alessio Cerci was handed his first league start after returning to Serie A from Atletico Madrid, but the former Torino star was replaced at halftime.German Denis saw a shot deflected off the crossbar before scoring shortly after the half hour following more woeful defending from Milan, which allowed Maxi Moralez to set up his Argentine compatriot.

Snooker: Murphy overpowers Robertson in Masters final

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LONDON (AFP) - Shaun Murphy thrashed Australias Neil Robertson 10-2 in the final of the Masters at Londons Alexandra Palace on Sunday to complete a career Triple Crown.The Englishmans crushing win over Robertson saw him join the world number one in a select group, now comprising 10 players, who have each won snookers three most prestigious tournaments -- the World Championship, the UK Championship and the Masters.Murphy raced into a 5-0 lead lead during Sundays opening session and won four frames in a row at the start of the evenings play to take the title after coming out on top in a hard-fought ninth frame.His dominant display saw him compile two breaks of 127 and four more in excess of 60.Robertson produced arguably the performance of the tournament in cruising past Ronnie OSullivan 6-1 in the semi-finals.However, he was a spectator for much of the final, with Murphy 6-2 ahead come the end of the first session.Yet such had been the recent form of Murphy, world champion in 2005 and winner of the UK title in 2008, he considered taking time out from snooker last year.When I won the World Championship 10 years ago I thought I was going to blitz through these events but Ive had to wait a long time and go through some ups and downs, Murphy told BBC Sport.This time last year I considered going away from snooker a bit but Ive turned it around. Ive got some great support, some great friends and family around me, and they all know who they are.Not since snooker great Steve Davis whitewashed Mike Hallett 9-0 in 1988 had there been a more lopsided Masters final.Any hope of a stunning recovery by Robertson -- who beat Murphy 10-6 in the 2012 Masters final -- was ended in the ninth frame, the first of the evening session, which went the Englishmans way after the Australian made a break of 51.Murphy, producing some of his best form in years, won the opening two frames and then compiled the first of his 127s to take the third.Robertson made sure he avoided the embarrassment of a whitewash with 80 in the sixth frame before Murphy responded with 69 to go 6-1 in front.If he was to have any chance at all of stopping Murphy, Robertson had to win the ninth frame.He got in first and then fluked a snooker. But Murphy replied with a snooker of his own and cleared to the blue.Robertson, trying to escape from a safety shot, then pushed the pink over the pocket and Murphy duly potted pink and black. Another 127 made it 9-2 before Murphy sealed victory with a break of 60.The first session was very tough, being 6-2 down. It was probably a couple of shots that made the difference between being 4-4 and being 6-2 down, Robertson said.Shaun played very well today, he played fantastically all week. I just couldnt produce the snooker that got me to the final but you have to put a lot of that down to the way Shaun played.He was brilliant in all departments and Id just like to say, welcome to the Triple Crown club.Murphy joined Steve Davis, Terry Griffiths, Alex Higgins, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Mark Williams, OSullivan, Robertson and Mark Selby in winning all three of snookers major titles.

Alpine Skiing: Imperious Vonn equals World Cup mark

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CORTINA DAMPEZZO (AFP) - American ski great Lindsey Vonn equalled the record of overall World Cup wins on Sunday with her 62nd victory in the womens downhill at the Italian resort of Cortina dAmpezzo.The 30-year-old -- who could have reached the landmark earlier but for an 18-month injury absence -- equalled the record of Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell, who competed between 1970 and 1980.Vonn, who could break the record on Monday in the super-G at the same venue, edged out Austrian Elisabeth Goergl with Elena Fanchini of Italy -- winner of Fridays downhill -- third.Its a pretty special moment for me, said Vonn, whose parents were in Cortina.These records mean a lot to me and my family.Tiger Woods girlfriend said that it had been at Cortina where she had first realised she could be a force in the sport.When I won my first podium here (January 2004) I never thought I would make it this far in my career, said Vonn.That was the first time I thought I could be a contender. Never in a million years would I have believed I could tie the record.Despite difficult conditions with poor visibility and fog covering the summit of the Dolomites piste, Vonn consolidated her victory on the bottom of the course.After crossing the finish line, the American slumped with joy in the snow at the foot of one of his favourite runs, the Olympia delle Tofane, where she won for the sixth time.No skier thereafter could match Vonn, the Olympic downhill champion in 2010 and world champion in the discipline in 2009, with only Goergl a close second at 0.32sec.Merighetti was more than half a second off the pace in third, with fellow Italian Fanchini, a surprise winner at home in Fridays downhill which replaced the cancelled event from Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria, confirming her fine form with a fourth-place finish.Overall World Cup leader Tina Maze finished fifth to solidify her position atop the standings as second-placed Mikaela Shiffrin does not compete in the downhill and defending overall champion Anna Fenninger, who was in third place going into the race, could only finish ninth.

Manhunts, death threats as Europe on high terror alert

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BRUSSELS: (AFP) - Europe was on high alert Sunday as the suspected mastermind of a jihadist cell in Belgium remained at large and jittery authorities blocked anti-Islamist rallies in Germany and France.With tensions heightened, the second gunman in the Charlie Hebdo magazine attack was buried discreetly in an unmarked grave near Paris late Saturday in the hope that it would not become a pilgrimage site for radical Islamists.Meanwhile, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, considered the brains behind the cell plotting to kill Belgian police, was still on the run days after the group was dismantled by intelligence services.DNA tests showed the 27-year-old was not among suspects arrested in Athens and is still at large, Belgiums Justice Minister Koen Geens told VRT television.In Germany, police banned a rally by the anti-Islamic PEGIDA movement and other open-air gatherings planned for Monday in the eastern city of Dresden, saying there was a concrete threat of an attack against its leadership.The group claimed the threat came from the Islamic State group based in Syria and Iraq, with local media reporting that PEGIDAs most prominent leader Lutz Bachmann was the target.The PEGIDA marches have grown steadily since they began in October and drew a record 25,000 people last Monday in the wake of the Paris attacks that left 17 people dead.The anti-Islamic rallies have spread to other European countries as well, with the first Danish PEGIDA march to take place in Copenhagen on Monday. Organisers said they were expecting some 300 people.In the wake of the French attacks and the Belgian anti-terror raids, EU foreign ministers were to meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss ways to boost cooperation to combat the threat posed by radicalised Europeans returning home after fighting in Iraq and Syria.The meeting comes as the bloc prepares for a special leaders summit on February 12 dedicated to fighting terrorism.Pakistan protestsCherif Kouachi, one of two brothers who killed 12 people in the attack on satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on January 7, was buried in a cemetery in Gennevilliers, a day after the funeral of his older brother Said in the northeastern city of Reims.The family, including Cherif Kouachis widow, kept away from the funeral, the mayors office said.The brothers were shot dead by police after a three-day manhunt following their attack on Charlie Hebdo, which had enraged many Muslims around the world with its repeated publication of cartoons lampooning Islams Prophet Mohammed.Anger erupted in a string of majority Muslim countries after the magazine responded to the decimation of its staff by running another caricature last week, showing the prophet under the headline All Is Forgiven.The worst unrest was in Niger, where at least 10 people were killed and at least eight churches were torched over two days of rioting.Fresh protests broke out Sunday in Pakistan where thousands gathered in almost all major cities, including Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, chanting angry slogans and burning French flags.Charlie Hebdos chief editor has defended the cartoons.Every time we draw a cartoon of Mohammed, every time we draw a cartoon of prophets, every time we draw a cartoon of God, we defend the freedom of religion, Gerard Biard told NBCs Meet the Press program.The weekly has sold 2.7 million copies of the post-killings survivors issue in France alone and said it would extend its print run to seven million copies -- exponentially more than the weeklys normal circulation of 60,000.President Francois Hollande said France was committed to freedom of expression and people should not change their habits since to do so would be to yield to terrorism.But a poll published in Le Journal du Dimanche found 42 percent of French people thought publications should avoid running cartoons of Mohammed, and 50 percent favoured limiting freedom of expression on the Internet and social networks.A memorial service was to be held in Paris on Sunday for policewoman Clarissa Jean-Philippe, who was gunned down by Amedy Coulibaly, another Islamist gunman who claimed to be working with the Kouachi brothers and was also shot dead by police.He killed four Jews in a siege at a kosher supermarket in Paris on January 9.Police were meanwhile still questioning nine people arrested on Friday on suspicion of providing logistical support such as cars and weapons to Coulibaly.Also on Sunday, a French court prevented a rally by anti-Islamist groups in Paris on the grounds that they were promoting Islamophobia.

Indonesia rejects foreign appeals, executes 6 drug convicts

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JAKARTA, Indonesia: (AP) - Indonesia brushed aside last-minute appeals by foreign leaders and executed by firing squad six people convicted of drug trafficking, including five foreigners, sending a message that the new government will not compromise its tough approach to narcotics.Four men from Brazil, Malawi, Nigeria and the Netherlands and an Indonesian woman were shot to death simultaneously in pairs just after midnight Saturday, several kilometers (miles) from a high-security prison on Nusakambangan island. The other, a woman from Vietnam, was executed in Boyolali, according to Attorney General Offices spokesman Tony Spontana. Both areas are in Central Java province.Their bodies were brought from the island by ambulances early Sunday either for burial or cremation, as requested by relatives and representatives of their embassies.Indonesian President Joko Widodo in December rejected their clemency requests. He also refused a last-minute appeal by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and the Dutch government to spare their countrymenBrazilian Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira, 53, and Ang Kiem Soe, 52, who was born in Papua but whose nationality is Dutch.Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said in a statement late Saturday that he had temporarily recalled the countrys ambassador to Indonesia and summoned Indonesias representative in The Hague to protest Angs execution. He said it was carried out despite King Willem-Alexander and Prime Minister Mark Rutte personally contacting Widodo.Koenders called the execution a cruel and inhumane punishment ... an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity.Rousseff said she was outraged and appalled by the execution, according to a government statement.The execution creates a stain, a shadow in the bilateral relationship, said Marco Aurelio Garcia, the Brazilian presidents foreign affairs special adviser. There was no sensitivity on the part of the Indonesian government.Amnesty International said the first executions under Indonesias new president, who took office in November, were a retrograde step for human rights.Indonesian Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo has said there is no excuse for drug dealers and that hopefully, this will have a deterrent effect.Prasetyo said the new government had a firm commitment to fight against drugs. Widodo has said he will not grant clemency to the dozens of drug convicts on death row.What we do is merely aimed at protecting our nation from the danger of drugs, Prasetyo told reporters Thursday. He said figures from the National Anti-Narcotic Agency showed 40 to 50 people die each day from drugs in Indonesia.He said that drug trafficking rings have spread to many places, including remote villages where most victims are youngsters of productive age. Indonesia has become the largest drug market in Southeast Asia, with 45 percent of the regions drugs in circulation.A second batch of executions will be held later this year and also target drug smugglers, Prasetyo said.Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago nation of 250 million people, has extremely strict drug laws and often executes smugglers. More than 138 people are on death row, mostly for drug crimes. About a third of them are foreigners.Moreira, the Brazilian, was arrested in 2003 after police at Jakartas airport found 13.4 kilograms (29.5 pounds) of cocaine hidden in his hang glider. A second Brazilian national, Rodrigo Muxfeldt Gularte, remains on death row in Indonesia, also convicted of drug trafficking.Ang was arrested near Jakarta in 2003 after police found equipment that they estimated had been producing 15,000 ecstasy pills a day for three years. Police confiscated 8,000 pills and thousands of dollars.The others who were executed were Namaona Denis, 48, from Malawi; Daniel Enemuo, 38, from Nigeria; and Indonesian Rani Andriani.Tran Bich Hanh of Vietnam asked authorities to let her face the firing squad uncuffed as one of her last wishes, said Spontana, the Attorney General Offices spokesman.

Niger disperses demo after 10 die in Charlie Hebdo protests

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NIAMEY, Niger: (AP) - Security forces in Niger used tear gas Sunday to disperse hundreds of opposition supporters taking part in a banned demonstration in the capital.The political altercation came after 10 people were killed in two days of violent protests against a French publications cartoon depicting Islams prophet.Niger authorities banned Sundays demonstration by the political opposition because of the tense situation following the violence in response to the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdos depiction of the Prophet Muhammad.President Mahamadou Issoufou said late Saturday that five people were killed in the capital, Niamey, when Christian churches and bars were set ablaze. On Friday, at least five other people were killed in the town of Zinder when protests erupted after Muslim prayer services there.The violence came after the French magazine published a new cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad. The issue, published Wednesday, was the first following a Jan. 7 terrorist attack on its headquarters that left 12 dead.Physical depictions of the prophet are considered blasphemous, and protests have occurred in a number of predominantly Muslim countries this week.Sundays anti-government demonstration in Niger was organized prior to the Charlie Hebdo protests, though officials said Saturday it would not be allowed to go ahead. Opposition organizers cited general grievances with the government including the controversial purchase of a presidential plane last year.
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