Monday 13 April 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Tokyo stocks open 0.39% lower

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TOKYO (AFP) - Tokyo stocks opened 0.39 percent lower on Tuesday following an uptick in the yen and drops on Wall Street.The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange fell 76.81 points to 19,828.65 at the start.The dollar was at 120.01 yen early Tuesday, down from 120.15 yen in New York late Monday and 120.44 yen in Tokyo earlier Monday.A stronger yen is negative for Japanese exporters as it makes them less competitive abroad and erodes profits when repatriated.The euro was hovering near its 12-year low on the dollar, buying $1.0573 on Tuesday against $1.0571 in US trade.The single currency fell through the $1.05 mark in March for the first time since 2003 on expectations for higher US interest rates and the European Central Banks new bond-buying stimulus programme.The euro fetched 126.90 yen on Tuesday against 127.02 yen in New York.On Wall Street the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished down 0.45 percent Monday ahead of the takeoff of first-quarter earnings season, with traders hedging their bets after last weeks solid gains.

Pentagon opposes Russian move to sell missiles to Iran

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US military expressed concern Monday after Russia lifted its ban on supplying its advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Iran.Our opposition to these sales is long and public. We believe its unhelpful, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren told reporters.We are raising that through the appropriate diplomatic channels, he said.Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree lifting a self-imposed ban on supplying the missile system to the Islamic republic.In doing so, he pre-empted the possible future lifting of sanctions against Iran if it agrees on an accord to limit its nuclear program.Warren said it was not immediately clear whether Putins decision was in itself a violation of previously agreed international sanctions.This is for our lawyer to really look through, he said. Any sales of advanced technologies is cause of concern to us.While not the most sophisticated of Russias missile systems, the S-300 would bolster Irans defenses against any attack on its nuclear sites.Neither Israel nor the United States have ruled out air strikes if Tehran pursues what Western powers fear is a bid to develop a nuclear bomb. Moscow blocked a previous planned delivery of the surface-to-air missiles to Tehran in 2010 after the United Nations slapped sanctions on Iran.

Football: Rodgers vows to talk to Sterling about behaviour

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LIVERPOOL (AFP) - Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers admitted he will talk to Raheem Sterling about his responsibilities as a professional footballer after a video emerged of the player apparently inhaling nitrous oxide.The Sun newspaper published a clip of England international Sterling supposedly taking the legal high -- commonly known as laughing gas -- on their website during Liverpools 2-0 win over Newcastle United.Sterling, who scored in the win over Newcastle which helped Liverpool close the gap on fourth-placed Manchester City in the Premier League to four points, has been under intense scrutiny recently.The 20-year-old forward was pictured smoking from a shisha pipe last weekend, and recently revealed in an interview that he turned down a lucrative contract at Anfield which saw him light-heartedly heckled at Liverpools kit launch.Rodgers said: For me it is something that when you are a professional sportsperson at the top, I dont think it is something you should be doing.It is as simple as that. But I will speak to him. We want players here who are super-professional and focused on their football. He very much is. Its very simple, Ill speak to Raheem on that. It will be dealt with internally.Like Ive said before, young players make mistakes. He is a young kid who is in the spotlight now. He knows the demands of being a top class player and professional, both on and off the field.Rodgers wholeheartedly praised Sterlings influence on the pitch as he helped the Reds return to winning ways after back-to-back defeats to Manchester United and Arsenal.Sterling scored a sublime opening goal in the ninth minute before Joe Allen added Liverpools second after the break, while Newcastle had captain Moussa Sissoko sent off for a second-bookable offence.You see the way Raheem plays, Rodgers added. He is a kid that is very strong willed and strong minded. He should have had a hat-trick, his performance was outstanding, him and Coutinho.He is very valuable. He is a kid who is non-stop, he wants to learn and improve himself. I thought he was outstanding tonight. Wonderful skill and ability for his goal.He presses the ball so well. It is one where internally, we will always look after these type of players.Rodgers revealed that Daniel Sturridge missed the game with a hip injury and is uncertain whether he will be fit for their FA Cup semi-final with Aston Villa on Sunday.Rodgers said: He will hopefully be ok for the weekend. I will know more in the week.He feels reasonably fine so we are hoping by the middle of the week we will have an indication where he is at.Rodgers confirmed that Italy striker Mario Balotelli was still absent with an on-off sickness while defender Mamadou Sakho will be missing for three or four weeks with a hamstring problem.Carver encouragedDespite this being their fifth straight league defeat, Newcastle manager John Carver was encouraged by the performance of his side following their derby defeat to rivals Sunderland.Carver said: I think we got a response. We didnt get a result, but I saw enough. There are lot of positives to take from the game.A lot of people expected us to get a hiding and I think we held our own for the majority of the game. We have gone toe to toe with them.The pleasing thing there is we have responded from that dreadful performance against Sunderland.Newcastle were denied a penalty when Dejan Lovren brought down Ayoze Perez - a decision which infuriated Carver.He said: People in the game understand the game and I think Liverpool fans understand the game like Newcastle fans do and the reaction of them told me it was a penalty. Brendan said it was a penalty.Sissoko was shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva and Carver acknowledged he was fortunate not to be sent off straight away.The sending off, it could have been a straight red, I will be honest, Carver added.

UN council to vote on draft resolution to punish Yemen's Huthis

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN Security Council will vote on Tuesday on a draft resolution that demands Yemens Huthi rebels pull back and punishes them with an arms embargo and sanctions, diplomats said.The measure put forward by Jordan and Gulf countries could be blocked by veto-wielding Russia which has friendly relations with Iran, the Huthis ally.The draft resolution would be the first formal measure to come up for a vote in the Security Council since a Saudi-led coalition launched an air campaign on Yemen on March 26.The text, obtained by AFP, demands that the Shiite Huthis withdraw from Sanaa and all other areas seized, and end their violent campaign.Changes to the draft resolution were agreed on Monday after weeks of negotiations to add a request for humanitarian pauses, as demanded by Russia, and an appeal to all parties to end the violence.The measure would place Huthi leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi and ex-president Ali Abdullah Salehs eldest son, Ahmed, on a sanctions list, imposing a global travel ban and an assets freeze on the two men.The council imposed targeted sanctions in November on the former president and two Huthi military commanders, Abd al-Khaliq al-Huthi and Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim, to punish the Huthis for seizing Sanaa two months earlier.Arms embargoThe draft resolution provides for an embargo on the sale of arms to the Huthi leaders targeted by sanctions and their allies.It calls on UN member-states, in particular those in the region, to inspect all cargo en route to Yemen that is suspected of carrying weapons.During weeks of negotiations, Russia had argued that the arms embargo should apply to all sides in the conflict, and not only the Huthis.The vote at the Security Council comes amid mounting alarm over the civilian toll from the air campaign and reports from aid agencies that they are unable to reach those in need.Saudi Arabia launched the air strikes at the request of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who is considered the legitimate head of state by the United Nations.Hadi fled to Saudi Arabia as the Huthis marched on Aden, the southern city that had become his stronghold after he fled Sanaa.The exiled president wrote in an editorial on Monday that the conflict in Yemen was being driven by Irans hunger for power.Iran has denied that it is arming the rebels and the Islamic republics supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has condemned the coalition air strikes as criminal acts.UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday pleaded for a return to peace talks, saying these would prevent a long, drawn out conflict.More than 600 people have died and 2,000 were injured in the fighting that UN officials have said is pushing the country to the brink of collapse.The Security Council vote is scheduled for 1500 GMT.

UN council to vote on draft resolution to punish Yemen's Huthis

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN Security Council will vote on Tuesday on a draft resolution that demands Yemens Huthi rebels pull back and punishes them with an arms embargo and sanctions, diplomats said.The measure put forward by Jordan and Gulf countries could be blocked by veto-wielding Russia which has friendly relations with Iran, the Huthis ally.The draft resolution would be the first formal measure to come up for a vote in the Security Council since a Saudi-led coalition launched an air campaign on Yemen on March 26.The text, obtained by AFP, demands that the Shiite Huthis withdraw from Sanaa and all other areas seized, and end their violent campaign.Changes to the draft resolution were agreed on Monday after weeks of negotiations to add a request for humanitarian pauses, as demanded by Russia, and an appeal to all parties to end the violence.The measure would place Huthi leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi and ex-president Ali Abdullah Salehs eldest son, Ahmed, on a sanctions list, imposing a global travel ban and an assets freeze on the two men.The council imposed targeted sanctions in November on the former president and two Huthi military commanders, Abd al-Khaliq al-Huthi and Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim, to punish the Huthis for seizing Sanaa two months earlier.The draft resolution provides for an embargo on the sale of arms to the Huthi leaders targeted by sanctions and their allies.It calls on UN member-states, in particular those in the region, to inspect all cargo en route to Yemen that is suspected of carrying weapons.During weeks of negotiations, Russia had argued that the arms embargo should apply to all sides in the conflict, and not only the Huthis.The vote at the Security Council comes amid mounting alarm over the civilian toll from the air campaign and reports from aid agencies that they are unable to reach those in need.Saudi Arabia launched the air strikes at the request of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who is considered the legitimate head of state by the United Nations.Hadi fled to Saudi Arabia as the Huthis marched on Aden, the southern city that had become his stronghold after he fled Sanaa.The exiled president wrote in an editorial on Monday that the conflict in Yemen was being driven by Irans hunger for power.Iran has denied that it is arming the rebels and the Islamic republics supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has condemned the coalition air strikes as criminal acts.UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday pleaded for a return to peace talks, saying these would prevent a long, drawn out conflict.More than 600 people have died and 2,000 were injured in the fighting that UN officials have said is pushing the country to the brink of collapse.The Security Council vote is scheduled for 1500 GMT.

Kerry pitches Iran deal to skeptical lawmakers

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State John Kerry personally pleaded with House Republicans and Democrats on Monday to give the Obama administration more room to negotiate a final nuclear deal with Iran, but several lawmakers said they remained skeptical and a bill to give Congress a say about a deal gained momentum.Republicans and Democrats who maintain that Congress should be able to weigh in on an international deal with Tehran to curb its nuclear program have lined up behind the legislation. President Barack Obama has pushed back, threatening a veto while warning that Congress should not take any action before negotiators from the U.S., Iran and five other nations have a chance to reach a deal by the end of June.We have two and a half months more to negotiate, thats a serious amount of time with some serious business left to do, Kerry told reporters outside a congressional auditorium where he was giving a closed-door briefing. We hope Congress listens carefully and ask the questions that it wants. But also give us the space and the time to be able to complete a very difficult task which has high stakes for our country.A Senate panel is set to vote Tuesday on the intensely debated bill that would give Congress a say on a potential deal aimed at keeping Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.There have been some tweaks, Republican Sen. Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Monday evening. Im hopeful that were going to be successful tomorrow.He said there was a possibility that a new version would be introduced. It would be designed to be more palatable to lawmakers who have sought changes in the bill, such as shortening from 60 days to 30 days the length of time that Congress would have to review any final deal thats reached.Asked whether a new version could win a veto-proof majority in the full Senate, Corker replied, We are moving in a very positive direction and weve worked through some issues that I think give me a lot of hope that that could well be the case.Corker, who introduced the bill with Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, also said he was optimistic that there was rising support for a full Senate vote quickly, instead of delaying a vote until after the deadline for the agreement at the end of June.Corker has been working closely with Sen. Ben Cardin, the ranking Democrat on the foreign relations committee. Cardin also said he was optimistic that an agreement can be reached.On the House side, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Monday he will bring the bill to the floor if the Senate acts on legislation giving Congress the power to review any deal.After the private briefing with members of the House, Rep. Steve Israel, D-New York, said he was not convinced the framework deal Kerry described is as good as it needs to be. I was skeptical before. I remain skeptical, he said.Under the bill being considered, Obama could unilaterally lift or ease any sanctions that were imposed on Iran through presidential executive means. But the bill would prohibit him for 60 days from suspending, waiving or otherwise easing any sanctions that Congress levied on Iran. During that 60-day period, Congress could hold hearings and approve, disapprove or take no action on any final nuclear agreement with Iran.If Congress passed a joint resolution approving a final deal or took no action Obama could move ahead to ease sanctions levied by Congress. But if Congress passed a joint resolution disapproving it, Obama would be blocked from providing Iran with any relief from congressional sanctions.Iran says its program is for civilian purposes, but the U.S. and its negotiating partners suspect Tehran is keen to become a nuclear-armed powerhouse in the Middle East, where it already holds much sway.At the White House, Obama met for several hours with two groups of Jewish leaders in another part of the campaign to win support for a deal. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is intensely skeptical that international negotiators can reach a verifiable deal with Iran, which has threatened to destroy Israel, some American Jewish groups have backed the international negotiations.

Nano-nose sniffs out precursor risk for stomach cancer

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PARIS (AFP) - A low-cost electronic nose designed to detect stomach cancer molecules in the breath can also spot signatures of lesions that herald the disease, according to a study published on Monday.The Israeli-designed tester uses gold nano-particles to detect so-called volatile organic compounds (VOC) that are a tiny telltale in the breath of cancer patients.In a study published in the journal Gut, the nano-array device was compared against the benchmark for VOC assessment -- a more complex and expensive lab technique using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.Each method was used to screen breath samples taken from 484 volunteers in Latvia, 99 of whom had already been diagnosed with stomach cancer but had not yet been treated for it.Both methods accurately spotting those with the cancer, as well as the breath prints of high-risk patients who had lesions that often develop into gastric tumours.The research -- published in a peer-reviewed journal -- was led by Hossam Haick, a professor at the Israel Institute of Technology where the nano-array was developed.Cancer specialists are interested in VOC testers because they offer the possibility of non-invasive screening for a disease that, tragically, is often spotted too late.A device that would be cheap, portable and also pinpoint precursor conditions would be especially welcome.For patients with suspected stomach cancer, a useful breath test would avoid the discomfort of an endoscopy, saving the resource for those who need it.The problem, though, is to overcome concern about accuracy -- the telltale amounts are only 10 particles per billion or less in a sample of exhaled breath.In an independent comment, French gastro-enterologist Jean-Christophe Saurin of the University Hospital Centre in Lyon urged caution.More tests are needed to prove the nano-arrays accuracy, he said.Trials should also confirm whether a precursor condition actually developed into cancer, in order to avoid unnecessary treatment, he told AFP.

Hollywood stars back Clinton 2016 bid

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Hollywood stars have chorused support for Hillary Clintons US presidential campaign, indicating Tinseltown will be firmly behind the former first lady as she targets the White House.Within hours of Clinton confirming her plans to stand in 2016, celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Scarlett Johansson and Magic Johnson gave a stamp of approval to her bid to become the first female commander-in-chief.Im very excited by the news, singer Jennifer Lopez was quoted as saying by Eonline at Sundays MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles. I think its time for a woman (president) she added.Basketball legend Johnson, a staunch Democrat, meanwhile took to Twitter to give his support.I feel @HillaryClinton will be a great President for the American people and she will make sure that everyone has a voice Johnson said. @HillaryClinton will fight for the poor, middle class and embrace young peopleActress Johansson meanwhile suggested Clinton would be battle-hardened and more prepared for a second tilt at the White House following her bruising battle with Barack Obama for the Democratic ticket in 2008.Its very exciting to see Hillary, Johansson said. Now is the right time. She needed to get through what she did to get to this point to run again. Now shes ready for it.I think shes a very good politician, Johansson told an Access Hollywood reporter at Sundays MTV Movie Awards.Lena Dunham, creator and star of HBOs hit series Girls posted an image of Clinton on Instagram scrutinizing a cellphone.This is Hillary reading a text from me that says with you every step of the way, gurl mypresident, Dunham wrote above the photo.Actress America Ferrera, best known as the star of the sitcom Ugly Betty posted a picture on Twitter of her campaigning for Clinton in 2008. I believed in her then, I believe in her now. @HillaryClinton mypresident, she added. Uzo Aduba, one of the stars of award-winning Netflix series Orange is the New Black, opted for a one-word message of support, with a Twitter message reading simply: Hillary.Singer-songwriter Carole King was similarly sparing in a tweeted message, responding to Clintons announcement with the reply: Im in. While support of Hollywood and entertainment industry power players are an important source of campaign fundraising, surveys have shown that the backing of celebrities holds little sway over the the way Americans vote.A 2012 poll for CBS News and Vanity Fair reported that 89 percent of respondents said the celebrity endorsement of a particular candidate made no difference to them when it came to voting.

Blackwater guards get heavy sentences in 2007 Iraq killings

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - A former Blackwater guard was sentenced to life in prison and three others received 30-year sentences Monday for their roles in a 2007 mass shooting in Iraq that left at least 14 civilians dead.The four ex-employees of the US private security firm were convicted last October on an array of charges ranging from first degree murder to voluntary manslaughter stemming from the incident in Baghdads Nisour Square.During a two month-trial in US federal court in Washington, a jury heard how the four defendants opened fire with sniper rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers in the bustling square as they escorted a diplomatic convoy.A toll compiled by American investigators recorded 14 deaths and 17 injured. Iraqi officials say 17 civilians were killed, and 18 injured in the shooting.US federal judge Royce Lamberth sentenced Nicholas Slatten, who was accused of firing the first shots, to life in prison on the first-degree murder charge.The other three defendants -- Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard -- received sentences of 30 years, the minimum by law for the charge of using a machine gun in a violent crime, plus a token additional day for each of the other counts.The wild thing that happened here can never be condoned by the court, Lamberth told the court, saying he had taken into account statements made on behalf of the four defendants.But he added: Its clear these fine young men just panicked.The killings on September 16, 2007 deepened Iraqi resentment of Americas involvement in the country.In final statements, all four defendants protested their innocence and asked for leniency. Slatten asked for the verdict against him to be overturned.But Lamberth said he fully supported the jurys decision.Before the killings, Slatten allegedly told acquaintances he wanted to kill as many Iraqis as he could as payback for 9/11, according to court documents.Relatives of two of the Iraqi victims spoke before the sentencing about the loss of their loved ones.I have a question for them, said Fatimah al-Fadwi Kinani, the tearful mother of a nine-year old boy killed by a machine gun round, speaking through an interpreter.I just want to know why they killed my son? Why did you guys kill my son? she said.The boys father, Mohammed al-Kinani, called on Lamberth to show Blackwater and (former CEO) Erik Prince what the law is.The courtroom was crowded with supporters of the four men, some wearing black sweatshirts emblazoned with the Blackwater name.Testimonials by friends and relatives portrayed them as upstanding former military men who bore no animus toward the Iraqis.Mr Kinani, said Paul Slough, turning in the mans direction. I could not and did not kill your son.Slough and his lawyers contended that Ali al-Kinani was killed by a black-tipped, armor-piercing round from an M-240 machine gun, while Slough was using a different kind of ammunition.It was the closest any of the defendants came to an apology for the 10 to 15 minute explosion of violence that trapped civilians in cars, trucks, buses and unable to flee the onslaught in Nisour Square.The four insisted they were responding to incoming fire. No eyewitness testimony supported that claim during the trial, Lamberth reminded them.I feel utterly betrayed by a government I served honorably, Slough said.Liberty insisted: With God as my witness, I shot at two people in Iraqi uniform who were shooting at me.Their lawyers asked Lamberth to show leniency, arguing that the guards used weapons issued by the government. They had put their lives on the lines, and had been asked to make split second decisions in the most dangerous city on earth, said Sloughs lawyer, David Schertler.The judge rejected that argument but agreed to limit prison time in the case of all but Slatten to the 30-year minimum, considerably less than the stiffer sentences sought by the prosecution, which ranged from 47 to 57 years.

One dead, several injured by gunfire in Guinea anti-government protests

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CONAKRY (AFP) - One protester was killed and several others shot and wounded Monday as Guinean police battled to control violent demonstrations in the capital Conakry against the regime of President Alpha Conde.Rioting broke out around 9:30 am (0930 GMT) in several suburbs including Simbaya and Hamdallaye, with protesters throwing stones and setting fire to tyres as the police responded with tear gas.At least seven youths were treated for gunshot wounds, according to the opposition, which had called for the demonstrations against a lack of stability it blames on Condes government.The director of Conakrys Mother and Child clinic, Ibrahima Balde, told AFP that one of those injured later died from his wounds.A young man by the name of Souleymane Bah, who was shot in the chest, succumbed to his injuries in the early evening, he told AFP.Earlier, a hospital doctor speaking on condition of anonymity said the security forces had shot three protesters during clashes in Hamdallaye.The medic told AFP two of the protesters sustained leg injuries while a third with a serious stomach wound was dragged several metres by police before being abandoned.He was quickly rescued by his comrades, a policeman told AFP.Four other protesters were wounded in the northeastern suburb of Simbaya, witnesses and a police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.The government cited police and hospital sources as saying 10 people had been injured, six by gunfire, and that eight people had been arrested.The government denied that the police had fired at protesters, while warning that individuals currently engaged in acts of vandalism may in no circumstances be treated as peaceful activists.The statement, from the Department of Security and Civil Protection, added that the head of the army had ordered troops to remain in their barracks.The gunfire could be heard into the mid-afternoon -- albeit with lessening intensity -- as youths gathered in the streets, according to an AFP correspondent who witnessed panicked residents trying to get home.Deadly ethnic tensionsGuineas opposition boycotted parliament in March in protest over the timetable for a presidential election, accusing Conde of using the Ebola epidemic as an excuse to postpone voting.Former prime ministers Cellou Dalein Diallo, Sidya Toure and Lansana Kouyate accused Conde of repeated rights violations and said he had lost all legitimacy.They called on supporters to back several demands, including a call to bring forward local elections due in March next year.We will continue our rallies tomorrow until we are heard by those in power, Diallo told AFP on Monday.Guinea, one of the poorest countries in west Africa despite vast potential for mineral exploitation, was run by a succession of autocratic rulers for decades after gaining independence from France in 1958.A military junta took control in 2008 after the death of president Lansana Conte, who seized power in a coup 24 years earlier.A caretaker regime oversaw the transition to civilian rule in 2010.The last election -- September 2013s parliamentary vote -- was delayed by almost three years, stoking deadly ethnic tensions.Guineas approximately two dozen ethnic groups -- the Fulani are the largest at around 40 percent of the population, followed by the Malinke and Soussou -- live in harmony, but political campaigns have a way of exposing fault lines.President Conde, a Malinke, leads the Rally of the Guinean People and claims to espouse socialism while his main rival, Diallo, is a Fulani and heads the centrist liberal Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UDFG).Climate of instabilityLarge numbers of police had deployed Monday to the planned locations of the rallies, which were declared illegal.The government in a statement accused the so-called republican opposition of demonstrating a real desire to create disorder and violence.It accused protesters of erecting barricades, burning tyres, injuring security personnel, throwing stones at vehicles and firing a shotgun at a police station.The police responded with tear gas, the statement said.The government said that for now, the origin of the gunfire has not been determined.Amadou Damaro Camara, the chairman of the parliamentary majority group, accused the opposition of trying to create a climate of instability.That is consistent with their desire to bring chaos to all areas, he told AFP.El Hadj Aliou Bah, a UDFG lawmaker for the Ratoma constituency, called on his supporters to confront the security forces, telling demonstrators: We really do not have to be afraid of the police.Do not provoke anyone. When you are told to stop, stop. But when they attack you, even though you are innocent, you dont just accept it, that much at least is clear, he added.

Golfer bitten by crocodile at Australian tourist resort

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BRISBANE (AP) - A golfer has been bitten on the leg by a crocodile while playing at an Australian tourist resort.Police Senior Sergeant James Coate told Australian Broadcasting Corp. the man, aged in his 70s, received two puncture holes to his left calf. He was bitten by a 1.2 meter (4 foot) saltwater crocodile on Monday at the Palmer Sea Reef Golf Course at the tourist town of Port Douglas on Queensland states Great Barrier Reef.Coate says the man, whose name has not been released, was taken to the Mossman Hospital in stable condition.Coate says the croc had been lurking in a waterway on the 11th hole.The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection will attempt to catch the crocodile, which is a protected species.

At least 2,000 women and girls kidnapped by Boko Haram: Amnesty

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LAGOS (AFP) - Boko Haram has kidnapped at least 2,000 women and girls since the beginning of last year, Amnesty International said on Tuesday, a year on from the mass abduction of 219 Nigerian schoolgirls.The kidnapping of the teenagers from Chibok, in the northeastern state of Borno, on April 14 last year brought unprecedented world attention to the brutality of the insurgency.But the human rights group said it had documented 38 cases of abduction by the terrorists, based on testimony of dozens of eyewitnesses as well as women and girls who eventually escaped.It is difficult to estimate how many people have been abducted by Boko Haram, Amnesty said in the report, Our job is to shoot, slaughter and kill: Boko Harams reign of terror.The number of women and girls is likely to be higher than 2,000.On the Chibok girls, Amnesty quoted a senior military source as saying they had been split into three or four groups and held at different Boko Haram camps.Some were in its Sambisa Forest stronghold in Borno state, others around Lake Chad, in the Gorsi mountains in Cameroon while about 70 girls were thought to be in Chad.Nigerias military has previously said it knows where the girls are but ruled out a rescue operation as too dangerous.The 219 teenagers have not been seen since Boko Haram released a video message in May last year, showing about 100 of the girls in Muslim dress and reciting verses of the Koran.Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has said all of the teenagers had converted to Islam and been married off.Amnesty reports provides fresh testimony to Boko Harams use of mass kidnapping, cataloguing the frequent abduction of young women and girls, as well as the forced conscription of men and boys.Women and girls interviewed recounted being held in atrocious conditions, including in overcrowded prisons, being forced to cook and clean for as well as marry terrorist fighters.One human rights activist who interviewed more than 80 abducted women and girls after their escape said in 23 cases, they had been raped either before arrival at camps or after forced marriage.One 19-year-old woman who was abducted in September 2014 said: I was raped several times when I was in the camp. Sometimes five of them. Sometimes three, sometimes six.It went on for all the time I was there. It always happened in the night... Some were even my classmates from my village. Those who knew me were even more brutal to me.One woman said Boko Haram fighters came to her house in the border town of Gamboru to rape her lodger, a woman in her late 20s, and that fear of HIV was widespread.Elsewhere others spoke of being forced to train to shoot guns and make bombs, while one said she was sent on operations, including to her own village.Amnesty, which wants Boko Haram investigated for war crimes and crimes against humanity, estimates that more than 4,000 people were killed in 2014.At least 1,500 civilians lost their lives in the first three months of this year, it added.

IBM teams with Apple on artificial intelligence health program

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SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - IBM on Monday announced alliances with Apple and others to put artificial intelligence to work drawing potentially life-saving insights from the booming amount of health data generated on personal devices.IBM is collaborating with Apple, Medtronic, and Johnson & Johnson to use its Watson artificial intelligence system to give users insights and advice from personal health information gathered from fitness trackers, smartphones, implants or other devices.The initiative is trying to take advantage of medical records increasingly being digitized, allowing quick access for patients and healthcare providers if the information can be stored and shared effectively. IBM wants to create a platform for that sharing.All this data can be overwhelming for providers and patients alike, but it also presents an unprecedented opportunity to transform the ways in which we manage our health, IBM senior vice president John Kelly said in a news release.We need better ways to tap into and analyze all of this information in real-time to benefit patients and to improve wellness globally.IBM expects more companies to join the health platform, which it envisions growing to a global scale.In addition, the New York based company said it is acquiring a pair of healthcare technology companies and establishing an IBM health unit.Watson is a cognitive computing system that bested human competition in a Jeopardy trivia television game show.Under the partnership it will be able to handle data collected using health applications from Apple mobile devices, according to IBM.Now IBMs secure cloud and analytics capabilities provide additional tools to help accelerate discoveries across a wide variety of health issues, Apple senior vice president of operations Jeff Williams said in a release.

Britain's Cameron pledges to extend Thatcher policy

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LONDON (AFP) - British Prime Minister David Cameron is to pledge to extend the right-to-buy housing policy of 1980s predecessor Margaret Thatcher on Tuesday in a bid to seize victory in a close-fought election race.The policy allows social housing tenants to buy their homes from local authorities at a deep discount, and Cameron will say it shows his Conservatives are the party of working people at the Tuesday manifesto launch.Cameron is keen to take momentum from the rival centre-left Labour party, whose leader Ed Miliband has promised to increase the minimum wage and end zero-hours contracts which guarantee no minimum number of work hours.Opinion polls show the two parties are neck-and-neck ahead of the election on May 7, which is expected to produce another coalition or a minority government.Conservatives have dreamed of building a property-owning democracy for generations, and today I can tell you what this generation of Conservatives is going to do, Cameron will say at the manifesto launch in Wiltshire, south west England.The next Conservative Government will extend the Right to Buy to all housing association tenants in this country - 1.3 million extra families; a new generation given the security of a home of their own.So this generation of Conservatives can proudly say it: the dream of a property-owning democracy is alive - and we will fulfil it.Aimed at Britains housing crisis, a hot political issue as house prices and private rents have soared amid a shortage of low-cost homes, the pledge will extend a policy first introduced by Thatcher in 1980.It will extend home purchase discounts enjoyed by council tenants to 1.3 million tenants of housing associations -- private non-profits that provide low-rent social housing that often receive public subsidy.Council tenants can currently buy their homes with up to a 70 percent discount, while housing association tenants can claim a much smaller discount.The increase would be funded by forcing local councils to sell their most valuable properties on the private market as soon as they become vacant. Cameron promised additional funding to build 400,000 new homes.The original right-to-buy policy has been accused of fuelling Britains housing crisis by reducing the affordable housing available.But Cameron insisted this would not be the case this time as his plan would require each property sold to be replaced on a one-for-one basis.

Rangers raid home of in-laws of MQM's former organizational in-charge

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Rangers raided the home of in-laws of MQM’s former organizational in-charge on early Tuesday morning. The raid was conducted in Block-3 apartments of Gulistan-e-Johar Karachi.Rangers took two individuals Faizan and Salman into custody
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