Monday 16 March 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Karachi: 5 gang war accused killed in police encounters

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, South Zone police conducted a raid on a tip-off in Sarbazari Muhala near Lyari Football Ground on Monday upon which gang war accised belonging to Uzair Baloch group opened fire at the raiding party.Police retaliated as a result three gang war accused got injured. They were rushed to hospital but they succumbed to their wounds.According to police the deceased were identified as Irfan alias Laasi, Laal alias Lalo and Fazal Cheena. Police have also recovered one 9MM and two TT pistols. Two more gang war accused were killed in an encounter with Mochko police in Musharraf Colony. The dead bodies of the accused were sent to Civil Hospital.SP Fida Hussain, SHO Baghdadi and SHO Mochko have claimed that the deceased belonged to Uzair Baloch group. They further said that the accused were involved in cases of murders, extortion and kidnapping for ransom.Police officials also informed that two 9MM pistols, two SMG rifles, Rocket Launchers and three hand grenades were recovered from accused.

Pinterest valued at $11 bn after latest capital round

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SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - The online bulletin-board style social network Pinterest announced Monday it had raised $367 million in new capital, pushing its valuation to $11 billion.The new funds will help fuel global expansion plans for the fast-growing social network which calls itself a visual bookmarking tool.A Pinterest statement to AFP said $367 million in primary financing was raised at a valuation of $11 billion, and that it may raise as much as an additional $211 million.Participants include new and previous investors, the statement said.Pinterest will use the additional capital for corporate purposes, including to fuel international expansion, the statement said.In 2014, international users grew more than 135 percent. Today, they are more than 40 percent of all users, up from just 28 percent in 2013.The new investment was first disclosed in a regulatory filing, with the investors on the deal listed as the venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Bessemer Venture Partners.The latest round more than doubles the valuation for Pinterest, which last year confirmed a $200 million investment at a $5 billion valuation.The deal pushes Pinterest into an elite club of startups with a value of $10 billion or more, led by car-sharing giant Uber at some $41 billion.Because it is privately held, Pinterest discloses only limited amounts of metrics. The research firm eMarketer estimates it has some 47 million US users, and some estimates indicate the global number is around 75 million users.Pinterest has become one of the Internets hottest new websites, particularly among women, by giving people virtual bulletin boards that they can decorate with pictures showcasing interests in anything from food to sports, to fashion or travel.Pinterest last year launched a tool to help people quickly sift through the roughly 30 billion pins on the services online bulletin boards to find what they like.It just recently began selling advertising in the form of promoted pins.Pinterest got a $100 million investment led by Japanese online giant Rakuten in 2012.

Draghi calls for greater ties between eurozone institutions

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FRANKFURT (AFP) - The president of the European Central Bank has called for a quantum leap in links between eurozone institutions, warning the region must not rest on its laurels even as he welcomed signs of a recovery.Mario Draghi said he was optimistic about the outlook for the common currency zone, stating during a speech in Frankfurt that: Most indicators suggest a sustained recovery is taking hold.These effects look set to persist for some time, meaning we can rightly be optimistic about the outlook, he continued.But this does not mean we should rest on our laurels. On the contrary, a nascent recovery provides us with a window of opportunity.For the union to be sustainable, he said, there must be a quantum leap in institutional convergence.We need to move from a system of rules and guidelines for national economic policy making, to a system of further sovereignty sharing within common institutions. And as part of this process we need to strengthen the democratic accountability of Europe towards its citizens, which would automatically deepen our political union.Monetary policy is already helping make this possible, he said, referring to a large quantitative easing (QE) programme launched earlier this month by the ECB.But it is now up to governments to seize on this opportunity and make those improvements permanent, he said.The QE stimulus plan will see the ECB buy 1.14 trillion euros worth of bonds over the next 18 months. The aim is to pump liquidity into the system so as to ward off deflation and spur growth in the single currency area.Some analysts predict the eurozone unit could reach parity against the dollar, amid a growing policy divergence between the ECB and the US Federal Reserve.

Syria raids on IS bastion killed scores of civilians: Amnesty

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BEIRUT (AFP) - The Syrian government killed more than 100 civilians in a series of ruthless air strikes on a bastion of the Islamic State group last year, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.In a new report, the London-based human rights group said some of the strikes launched by the regime in November 2014 on the city of Raqa gave every indication of being war crimes.The group said the strikes carried out between November 11 and 29 killed 115 civilians, including 14 children, and hit non-military targets including a mosque, a transport hub and a busy market.Raqa city is the self-proclaimed capital of the brutal IS terrorist group in Syria, but Amnesty said there was no indication that militant positions were the target of the series of strikes.Syrian government forces have shown flagrant disregard for the rules of war in these ruthless air strikes, said Amnestys Middle East and North Africa director Philip Luther.Some of these attacks give every indication of being war crimes, he added.The government appears indifferent to the carnage caused by these strikes, refusing even to acknowledge civilian casualties they have caused.Luther acknowledged that Raqa is a stronghold of IS jihadists, but said their presence did not justify attacks on civilian targets.The group repeated a call for the war in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court, saying it would send a message to all warring parties.It also urged an arms embargo to stem the flow of weapons being used to commit these crimes.More than 215,000 people have been killed in Syria since March 2011, when anti-regime protests began, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.The government put down the demonstrations with force and the situation spiralled into a brutal civil conflict.Nearly a third of those killed in the conflict are civilians, and around half of Syrias population has been displaced by the war.

Golf: McIlroy replaces Tiger as face of video game

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Rory McIlroy, who has replaced Tiger Woods as golfs world number one, will also supplant the 14-time major champion on EA Sports PGA Tour video game.EA announced Monday that the game, to be released in June, will be called Rory McIlroy PGA Tour and feature the 25-year-old from Northern Ireland on its cover.It will mark the first time since 1998, the year after Woods won his first major crown at the Masters, that Woods has not been featured on the cover. A Woods-EA contract expired in 2013.Im very proud and humbled to see my face and name on EA Sports Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, McIlroy said in a statement.This is a great honor and something I couldnt even dream of growing up playing the sport. I really hope people enjoy the game and Im very glad I can be a part of it.EA figures to seek a new group of young gamers and golf fans with the switch, using the hashtag NextGenGolf with a Twitter posting announcing McIlroys new status.New name. New cover. Looking good @McIlroyRory the video game maker tweeted.McIlroy will try to complete a career Grand Slam by winning his first Masters title next month at Augusta National. He will also be trying for his third major title in a row after wins at last years British Open and PGA Championship.In all, McIlroy has won four majors, his first coming at the 2011 US Open at Congressional and his second coming at the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island.Woods, 39, is chasing the record 18 career major titles won by Jack Nicklaus but has not won a major crown since the 2008 US Open. In recent years he has been nagged by leg and back injuries and is currently struggling with his game, his participation in doubt for the Masters, on a course where he has won four times -- but not since 2005.

Citizen scientists help NASA pinpoint more asteroids

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - NASA challenged the public and amateur scientists delivered, coming up with a software application that can help identify more asteroids, some of which endanger our planet.The US space agency issued a call to citizen scientists last year called The Asteroid Data Hunter challenge and offering a $55,000 prize.The winning software formula can help identify significantly more new asteroids than at present, NASA said.Analysis of images taken of our solar systems main belt asteroids between Mars and Jupiter using the algorithm showed a 15 percent increase in positive identification of new asteroids, a NASA statement explained.The contest offered budding scientists the chance to improve the algorithms used to pinpoint asteroids in images captured by telescopes.The new algorithm lets astronomers use computers to autonomously check images and quickly see which are suitable for followup, which leads to identifying greater numbers than previously possible.The Asteroid Data Hunter challenge has been successful beyond our hopes, creating something that makes a tangible difference to asteroid hunting astronomers and highlights the possibility for more people to play a role in protecting our planet, said Jason Kessler, program executive for NASAs Asteroid Grand Challenge.

US tycoon charged with murder after TV 'confession'

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - An eccentric US tycoon was charged Monday over the execution-style killing of a mobsters daughter and could face death if found guilty, in the latest installment of a TV murder mystery which has captivated America.Robert Durst, 71, the scion of a New York real estate dynasty worth $4.4 billion, was charged in Los Angeles with murder over the 2000 death of his close friend Susan Berman, after he was arrested in New Orleans on Saturday. He is awaiting extradition to California.Durst appeared to make an unwitting confession to a catalogue of killings during filming of the final episode of the acclaimed six-part HBO documentary The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.In the finale, broadcast on Sunday, Durst is heard muttering to himself, What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course -- apparently unaware that a wireless microphone remained switched on while he used the bathroom.It was not clear if Durst was sincerely confessing, but authorities in Los Angeles reportedly said the television documentary had played a role in their decision to seek the multimillionaires arrest for Bermans murder.Ready for trialDursts attorney Dick DeGuerin said earlier Monday his client was innocent and ready to face trial in California.Bob Durst didnt kill Susan Berman. Hes ready to end all of the rumor and speculation, DeGuerin said outside a courthouse in New Orleans after Durst had waived his right to challenge extradition to the western US state.Were ready to go to California and have a trial, DeGuerin added.Dursts extradition may be delayed however by the possibility of authorities in New Orleans filing weapons charges against him.In Los Angeles, Durst was charged with the murder of Berman, the District Attorneys Office said, citing special circumstances which make him eligible for the death penalty, although prosecutors will only decide on that later.Berman was shot in the back of her head at her home in Beverly Hills, a day before she was due to be questioned by police who had reopened an investigation into the 1982 disappearance of the tycoons wife, Kathie Durst, in New York.The HBO documentary uncovered evidence suggesting Berman, whose father was an associate of notorious Las Vegas gangster Bugsy Siegel, had provided a false alibi for Durst following his wifes mysterious disappearance, which occurred shortly after she signaled her intention to seek divorce.However any attempts to link Durst to the disappearance had foundered until the investigation was reopened in 2000, shortly before Berman was killed.A year later, Durst was arrested in Texas after the dismembered body of an elderly neighbor was found floating in sacks in Galveston Bay.Durst was released after making bail but failed to attend subsequent court appearances and became a fugitive.He was eventually arrested in November 2001 after stealing a chicken sandwich from a supermarket, despite having $500 cash in his pocket and more than $37,000 stuffed into bags in the trunk of his car.Chilling confessionDespite the mountain of evidence against him Durst was acquitted of murdering his neighbor after his lawyers successfully argued he had acted in self-defense.Jinx director Andrew Jarecki told ABC television that he and his film crew were unaware of the apparent audiotape confession until discovering it while reviewing hours of recordings.I sat there in the edit room with my partners and we just sort of shook our heads and it took a while to really understand the impact of it. It was so chilling to hear it, Jarecki said.He told ABC that the incriminating statement, which came during their second and final interview of Durst, led them to notify authorities.FBI agents believe Durst may have been planning to flee the United States because he registered under an alias at the New Orleans hotel where he was arrested, paid with cash and was found with fake documents, a source told ABC News.In a statement to ABC, Douglas Durst, who runs the family real estate empire, said his brother should pay for his alleged crimes.We are relieved and also grateful to everyone who assisted in the arrest of Robert Durst, the statement said.We hope he will finally be held accountable for all he has done.

Football: Buoyant Rodgers has lofty ambitions for Liverpool

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SWANSEA (AFP) - Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers insisted fourth place is not the height of his sides ambitions this season after they set up a perfectly-poised showdown with Manchester United on Sunday.Jordan Hendersons fortuitous goal earned the Reds a 1-0 win at Swansea on Monday as they moved within two points of Louis van Gaals fourth-placed team.The Reds now know they can leapfrog their bitter rivals should they defeat them at Anfield this weekend and, having made it five successive top-flight victories, they certainly have momentum.They are also just four points off second-placed Manchester City, who suffered a shock loss against Burnley at the weekend, and Rodgers insisted it is not simply United in their sights.We are looking to finish as high as we can. Everyone talks about fourth but its the same every year for me, said 42-year-old Rodgers.We do the best that we can do and the Manchester City result at the weekend gives us an opportunity to finish second.So our mentality, the run and confidence we have at the moment, we are just going to take that into every game and see where it takes us.In fact, Rodgers side have not lost in the league since being defeated at Old Trafford in December and the manager has pinpointed that game as the turning point in their campaign.It is a different team with a different mentality now. We were struggling to find the solutions then, said the Northern Irishman.There were lots of new players and we were nowhere near as consistent then. That was definitely the turning point for us because we saw enough in the game that day to show we were good enough to get the results going forward.Midfielder Henderson scored for a third successive Premier League game, yet there was more than a stroke of luck about his second-half winner after Swansea defender Jordi Amats attempted clearance ricocheted off the onrushing Liverpool midfielder and looped over goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.From the outside looking in it might have been deemed pressure but we can only control ourselves and know we have the capacity to win games, said Rodgers.Our away record over the last two years is really, really strong and you see the resilience in the team and when were not playing that well we still have that organisation and resolve to keep a clean sheet.The second half we were much more fluid in our passing and movement and played the most part of the game in their half and didnt have too many scares in the second half.Its a great, great victory for us - it is a difficult place for us to come and we are very happy.The result was harsh on a Swansea side who had already defeated Arsenal and United at home this term, yet they were ultimately left to rue a series of first-half missed chances.It was an opportunity missed in the first half, said Swansea manager Garry Monk.We should have scored a goal at least and against a side of Liverpools quality you always run that risk (of getting punished).It was a lucky deflected goal, if it had been a well-worked one it would be easier to take.Im disappointed for the players, I felt they deserved to take something out of it.

Fears for food supplies in Vanuatu as capital cleans up

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PORT VILA (AFP) - Vanuatu could soon start running out of food, the presidents office warned Tuesday, after Cyclone Pam roared through the Pacific nation leaving at least 24 dead, as a massive clean-up got under way in the capital.Aid agencies have warned that conditions are among the most challenging they have faced, with mounting concerns about disease, and the nations President Baldwin Lonsdale has appealed for the world to help.The full scale of the disaster was unknown with communications to many of the 80 islands in the sprawling archipelago still down and Benjamin Shing, from Lonsdales office, said survivors would quickly run out of food.The first week we are relying on the fact that the food crops and the gardens are still edible and they can be used for the first week, but after the first week well need to get some rations on the ground, he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Flights by military aircraft from Australia, New Zealand and France over Vanuatus southern island of Tanna, home to some 30,000 people, have confirmed widespread destruction of houses and crops and Shing fears the worst.There will be extensive injuries if the people didnt go to higher ground and there might be a lot of fatalities, he said.Tom Perry from CARE Australia was also concerned.The key thing is we still have no contact with other provinces, he said.Thats of grave concern because theres no real sense from anyone of what the impact has been but we know in the south in particular, it sat under the eye of the storm for hours.The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a situation report that there are 24 confirmed fatalities so far. Lonsdale on Monday said there were also some 30 injured.In the capital Port Vila, access to water and electricity was partially restored after the storm brought down an estimated 80 percent of power lines and damaged up to 90 percent of homes.Stores also began reopening, but entire neighbourhoods remained without power as aid workers streamed in to help make sense of what many have said was one of the regions worst weather disasters.As day broke in the capital, stacks of leaves and branches lined the streets while residents began clearing metal roof sheeting from the roads around their homes and using machetes to hack through fallen trees.Personal belongings, household items, mattresses and clothes were spread out on the ground and hung on washing lines as people dried them out, with the cyclone slowly weakening and posing no further threat to Vanuatu or the South Pacific.Concern for childrenSamuel Toara, 25, thought he was going to die when the storm barrelled ashore, sheltering in the pitch black with two other young men as the tempest roared past his home.It was very hard. The cyclone sounded like a big plane flying very low, he told AFP.As heavy rain pounded his house, made of corrugated metal and timber, part of the roof blew off.The rain and wind was like white smoke and it flooded up to my knee. But I told the boys dont worry about the water, he said. As long as we survive.The United Nations said there were at least 3,300 people sheltering in 37 evacuation centres around the country, including Melissa Song, 22.She was sharing a small guest room at a Port Vila resort turned into a makeshift evacuation centre with nine other family members, including three young children and a baby.Weve had no sleep since Thursday, Song told AFP. Weve just been eating tinned tuna, fish and pork.UNICEF has estimated that 60,000 children have been affected by the cyclone and virtually all schools were closed, with the organisation attempting to restore some normality to their lives.Were working to set up temporary learning spaces so kids can start learning and playing again as soon as possible, said the organisations emergency specialist Mioh Nemoto.Food security is likely to be a continual problem and we need to start thinking now about how children will stay well fed.As aid flights continued landing, workers on the ground said there was no way to distribute supplies across the archipelagos islands, warning it would take days to reach remote villages flattened by the storm.Save the Childrens Vanuatu director Tom Skirrow told AFP the logistical challenges were even worse than for Super Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines in November 2013, leaving more than 7,350 people dead or missing.

Football: Collins impressed by Celtic's rapid progress

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GLASGOW (AFP) - Celtic assistant manager John Collins says his sides Scottish League Cup final victory shows the progress the team have made since the start of the season.The Glasgow giants picked up the first silverware of the Scottish season after defeating Dundee United 2-0 at Hampden Park on Sunday.Celtic will face United again on Wednesday, the third of four meetings between the sides in a fortnight, when they meet at Celtic Park in a Scottish Cup quarter-final replay.Celtic manager Ronny Deila and his team came in for criticism at the start of the campaign when they crashed out of Champions League qualification and had some disappointing domestic results.But Collins says the fact the club are now favourites to claim a treble for the first time since 2001 shows how far the club has come this season.Ronny felt the same as us all at the start of the season. We were all disappointed, Collins admitted.Everyone wants to hit the ground running but it never happened. We just concentrated on the next game, the next training session and we worked hard.Everybody has worked hard, nobody more so than Ronny - 24 hours, night and day. And we have got our rewards - our first trophy.We always said we want results and performances. Obviously you need results if youre Celtic manager but ultimately we want results and performances.It takes time. From the first month until now, were in a much better place.The verdict will ultimately be given at the end of the season, but we can see as coaches as every week goes by that there is improvement.The match at Celtic Park comes after the sides played out a 1-1 draw at Tannadice 10 days ago.Despite their victory in Sundays final, Deila said his side must ensure they prepare properly for Wednesday if they are to continue their quest for a treble.When you have something you like you should want to do it more, Deila said of the League Cup win.Now we have a taste of it and I can assure you that I want to win that Scottish Cup as well, so Wednesday is an important game for us.Its another game and its at Celtic Park. We want to be kings at Celtic Park and its a new game and we have to be up for it.Meanwhile, Dundee United midfielder John Rankin says his teammates will use the disappointment of the cup final defeat to spur them on when they return to Glasgow.We are looking forward to Wednesday and there is a determination in the dressing-room to go and put things right, Rankin said.Obviously we didnt win the trophy but, as I said, there is a real determination to get through to the next round of the cup.

Tokyo stocks open 0.93% higher

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TOKYO (AFP) - Tokyo stocks opened 0.93 percent higher on Tuesday following a positive lead from Wall Street.The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange gained 179.83 points to 19,425.89 at the start.US stocks ploughed higher Monday as the dollar retreated and the market looked ahead to a Federal Reserve policy decision in the next two days.The Dow Jones Industrial Average shot up 1.29 percent while the broad-based S&P 500 jumped 1.35 percent.The dollars recent gains have raised worries about the drag on US multinationals, but the greenback fell Monday after tepid US data left the market cautious ahead of a Federal Reserve monetary policy decision this week.The Feds two-day monetary policy meeting begins Tuesday.The dollar was at 121.37 yen early Tuesday, compared with 121.35 yen in New York late Monday.The euro has inched up from its 12-year low of below $1.0500, buying $1.0576 against $1.0565 in US trade.The currency also fetched 128.35 yen compared with 128.21 yen in New York.

Tennis: Swiss teen sends Wozniacki crashing out of Indian Wells

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INDIAN WELLS (AFP) - Plucky Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic pulled off the biggest win of her young career Monday at Indian Wells by upsetting world number five Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets.The 18-year-old Bencic, who had never beaten a top-five player, won 6-4, 6-4 in the third round of the WTA and ATP hardcourt tournament.I am very happy. Im really excited, Bencic said. I always watched her on TV or when I was a small girl she was my idol and a role model for me and for my game.Wozniacki, a former Indian Wells champion who is seeded fourth, won her 23rd career singles title just two weeks ago in Kuala Lumpur.Bencic had played Wozniacki just once before in Istanbul, Turkey last year where she was crushed 6-0, 6-0.Asked Monday what the biggest difference between the two matches was, Bencic joked, I won a game.I played more solid, she added. In Istanbul I had too much respect and I was nervous. Today I really had a good game plan. I did what I had to do.It is the first time in three attempts that the world number 37 Bencic has beaten a top five player but this is now her third career win over a top 10 opponent.Bencic, who was named the WTA Tours Newcomer of the Year last year, beat world number seven Angelique Kerber and world number 10 Jelena Jankovic during a brilliant run at the 2014 US Open before losing in the quarter-finals.Its unrealIts all I was dreaming for and wishing for when I was a small kid, Bencic said. Its unreal I beat a top five player.Bencic blasted two aces, broke Wozniacki three times and had just one double fault in the one hour, 40 minute match.She said the key to beating the two-time US Open finalist was to limit her errors.What she wants is for you to make many mistakes, because shes really trying to play the rallies, Bencic said.Thats what I tried to do today, to hold the rallies with her and wait for my chances. Just be patient and then dont look for the winner too early.Wozniacki hit more aces (five) but made eight double faults and won just 11 points in total on her second serve.Wozniacki has been playing some of her best tennis in a long time lately.She won Indian Wells in 2011 and reached the final in 2010 and again three years later, but only reached the final in one other tournament the rest of 2013.Following an exit in the round of 16 in last years Indian Wells event, she went five months without making it to a final. She began to turn things around in the 2014 US Open, where she lost in the final to Serena Williams.Bencic next faces another former Indian Wells champ, Jankovic, who beat Wozniacki in the final five years ago.

Prince Harry to leave British army

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LONDON (AFP) - Prince Harry announced Tuesday he is to leave the British army after 10 years service that has seen him fight on the front line in Afghanistan twice.The 30-year-old said it had been a really tough decision to end his military service in June, but added that he was looking forward to the next chapter in his life.Harry, who will be pushed down to fifth in line to the throne by his brother Prince Williams second child, due in April, will end his military service after a four-week secondment to the Australian Defence Force in April and May.I am considering the options for the future and I am really excited about the possibilities, he said, in a statement released by his Kensington Palace official residence.

Football: Cosmos to play 'historic' match in Cuba

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The New York Cosmos will play Cuba in a historic football friendly on June 2 in Havana, the US team said Monday, hoping to break down decades-old political barriers through sport.The Cosmos -- a second-level squad boasting the former Real Madrid captain Raul -- will make the first visit to Cuba by a US professional sports team since 1999, when Major League Baseballs Baltimore Orioles played an exhibition there.The trip comes after US President Barack Obamas announcement in December that Washington would seek to normalize relations with communist Cuba after five decades in the deep freeze.I for one have always believed in the power of sport to bring people together and to bring down barriers. We hope we can inspire others, Cosmos chairman Seamus OBrien said.We are therefore honored to be the first professional team in sports to visit Cuba since President Obamas historic opening of diplomatic relations.The Cosmos roster is a far cry from its 1970s heyday boasting Pele and Franz Beckenbauer. The team come off a 2-2 draw in Hong Kong last month against a South China squad and a 1-0 loss Saturday to club side FAS in El Salvador.Charles Rangel, a US House Democrat from New York, said cultural exchanges and friendships the Cosmos and Cubans build will be invaluable.This is historic, not just for you sports fans but for those who are looking ahead to see what kind of world we are leaving for our children and grandchildren, Rangel said.Regional football governing body CONCACAF and the US State Department opened discussions between the club and Cuban authorities. Talks were staged in January at Jamaica.We hope that our match will be an important step forward in growing the popularity of the global game in Cuba and improving relations between the two nations, OBrien said.Cosmos coach Giovanni Savarese will use the match to help his team during a bye week in its US league season while the Cubans will be preparing for the Gold Cup continental tournament in July.Were definitely excited for this opportunity. Its a historic moment, Savarese said. It will be a great match to bring people together.OBrien said the logistics of the trip, such as visas and transportation, remain in discussion.Its a work in progress, he said. A lot of moving parts. And government departments are working very hard.Cuban coach Walter Benitez said there is great excitement in Havana for the match.When they informed me the possibility existed to play the Cosmos, I jumped at the chance to play a club with such history and prestige, Benitez said.Savarese added that the match will remain about sport and not political rivalries and ideologies, saying: The most important thing is soccer.

US to slow down troop exit from Afghanistan: officials

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States will scrap a plan to reduce the US force in Afghanistan to 5,500 by December, after American commanders appealed to keep more troops on the ground, officials said Monday.The White House is due to hold meetings in the coming days that will pave the way for a final decision expected to be announced next week, when Afghan President Ashraf Ghani meets US President Barack Obama in Washington.Theres no final decision but the indications are that the drawdown levels will be revisited, a US defense official told AFP on condition of anonymity.There are about 10,000 US troops currently in Afghanistan. That number was supposed to drop to about 5,500 by the end of the year before a complete withdrawal by the end of 2016, when President Barack Obama leaves office.It was unclear how many soldiers would remain in Afghanistan through December under the new plan, though officials estimated the number at roughly 7,000 to 8,000 troops.US officials, however, said there was no sign that Obama was ready to abandon his frequently stated promise to pull out all American troops by the end of his term.The rationale for the move was partly due to the election of Ghani, seen by Washington as a promising new figure who, in contrast to his predecessor Hamid Karzai, has signaled a willingness to work constructively with the Americans.Theres a desire to set him up for success, said the official. This is a different type of leader.Another factor shaping the decision was concern in Kabul and Washington over the potential threat posed by the Islamic State group, after some former Taliban militants swore allegiance to the extremists based in Syria and Iraq.A militant commander suspected of links to the IS group was killed in a US drone strike last month. And his successor, Hafiz Waheed, was killed by Afghan forces on Sunday, along with other militants in the Sangin district of Helmand province, officials said in Kabul.Of the 10,000-strong force now in place, about 2,000 are devoted to counterterrorism operations against Al-Qaeda militants and Taliban insurgents and the remainder are training and advising Afghan forces.US commanders have urged keeping a larger number of troops to support the counterterrorism mission, as well as the training efforts.Two Republican senators who have demanded a change to the drawdown schedule, John McCain and Lindsey Graham, welcomed signs the White House was ready to revise its plan.We are encouraged by media reports that the Obama administration may slow its withdrawal from Afghanistan, potentially allowing a greater US force to continue critical counterterrorism and training missions together with our Afghan partners, the two senators said in a joint statement.If these reports are true, this would be a welcome step in the right direction, one supported by our nations top military commanders given the conditions on the ground.But the two hawkish lawmakers said Obama should also abandon his vow to pull out the whole force by the end of 2016, saying it would leave a risky vacuum.In a visit to Kabul last month, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter raised the possibility of slowing the withdrawal of US troops, saying that it was important to cement gains made in the fight against the Taliban insurgency.
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