Thursday 28 May 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Karachi: 4 killed in firing incidents

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, a man and his son was killed in firing incident in Sikandarabad area of Kimari on Thuesday.Police sources said that the deceased were identified as Ali Saeed and his son Amir Ali. Police have arrested the attacker named Arif.Some unidentified persons opened fire in Chakiwara area of Lyari and killed a man and injured another. A 13-year-old boy was killed and two women were injured in firing incident near Nala Stop in New Karachi.

Suu Kyi sidesteps Rohingya migrant crisis for political pragmatism

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YANGON (AFP) - Aung San Suu Kyi was once an unassailable champion of Myanmars powerless. But the opposition leaders refusal to speak up for a persecuted Muslim minority at the heart of a migrant crisis has cast doubt over her moral force -- and even earned a gentle rebuke from fellow Nobel laureate the Dalai Lama.Images of hungry migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh hauled from vessels to Southeast Asian shores after months at sea have spurred calls for immediate humanitarian action to be matched by moves to address the root causes of the crisis.Regional nations are gathering in Bangkok Friday to discuss both issues.Attention has swung to one of the key departure points for the migrants, strife-torn Rakhine state in western Myanmar, where tens of thousands of stateless Rohingya Muslims live in dire displacement camps desperate to leave.But as Myanmars government wavers between offering some assistance to stricken migrants and denying any responsibility for their exodus, international rights groups looking for a moral beacon have found little support from Suu Kyi.Her absence from the discussion has been so conspicuous that the Dalai Lama this week urged Suu Kyi to throw her weight behind the Rohingya.Its very sad. In the Burmese (Myanmar) case I hope Aung San Suu Kyi, as a Nobel laureate, can do something, he told Thursdays edition of The Australian newspaper.The Buddhist spiritual leader said he recognised the difficulty of her position in a nation where expressing sympathy for the Muslim group brings ready condemnation.But in spite of that I feel she can do something, he added.Suu Kyi spent more than 15 years locked up by the former junta for her tireless campaign for democracy in Myanmar.Her personal sacrifice, which tore her from her young children and dying British husband, and eloquent pleas that the nations long-suffering population should have freedom from fear won her a place among the worlds most lauded peacemakers.Yet since her release from house arrest in 2010, Suu Kyis role has been recast from a defiant human rights defender to a hard-nosed political actor preparing to lead her opposition party into elections later this year.The Nobel laureate has been a huge disappointment in her continuous failure to stand up for human rights in Myanmar, said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch.While Myanmars government carries the main responsibility for the plight of the Rohingya in the country, Robertson lamented the veteran activists failure to use her moral authority to press for a better deal for them.Speaking up not an optionBut just months away from the best chance of electoral victory of her political career, Suu Kyi faces pressure in the opposite direction, as public opinion inside Buddhist-majority Myanmar hardens against a Muslim minority widely viewed as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.Her hardest task is to secure the amendment of a junta-scripted constitution from within an army-dominated legislature that currently bars her from the presidency.Championing the Rohingya would probably be the only situation where (Suu Kyis party) would run the risk of not winning the elections ... speaking up is not an option for her at the moment, said Myanmar analyst Mael Raynaud.The plight of the Rohingya, one of the worlds most persecuted minorities, has worsened dramatically since 2012 when communal bloodshed left scores dead and some 140,000 people confined in miserable camps.The violence triggered a wave of deadly anti-Muslim unrest in Myanmar and coincided with rising Buddhist nationalism that has further entrenched animosity towards the minority.Hardline monks have promoted legislation seen as targeting Muslims including plans to introduce local family planning regulations and a move to withdraw white card identity documents mainly held by the Rohingya.Suu Kyis National League for Democracy says it is firmly against the controversial religious bills, which are seen as discriminatory to women and minorities.Encircled by a hostile Buddhist majority, which also restricts their travel and work, the Rohingya have taken to boats in increasing numbers headed for Malaysia.On May 19 Suu Kyi said Myanmars government has to solve the issue in her only direct public comments on a crisis that has seen more than 3,500 migrants -- Rohingya and Bangladeshi -- arrive in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.However her spokesman was more forthcoming, telling AFP last week that the Rohingya were entitled to human rights.Against a backdrop of visceral hatred towards the Rohingya and looming polls, Suu Kyi must play an intricate game of political chess, says Peter Popham, author of a biography of the opposition leader.Caution and compromise have dominated her time in parliament, following a landslide win for her opposition in 2012 by-elections, as she waded into treacly domestic politics in a country struggling to rebuild after nearly half a century of neglect under the military.But Popham said the implication in foreign media that she had failed to speak out was to some extent unfair citing speeches during international trips that highlighted problems in Rakhine very prominently.

Sweet 16: The many Republicans on the White House trail

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - In 2008, there were 10 Republicans and eight Democrats competing to succeed George W. Bush in the White House.This year, Hillary Clinton has cemented her roll as the prohibitive Democratic favorite, but no fewer than 16 Republicans have emerged in the most wide-open nomination race in decades.The declared- Marco Rubio: The 44-year-old US senator from Florida, elected in 2010, is the son of Cuban immigrants and speaks fluent Spanish. He advocates muscular foreign policy and US military re-engagement in the world.- Ted Cruz: The senator from Texas, also 44, is an excellent orator, former lawyer, and flagbearer of arch-conservative causes.- Rand Paul: A first-term senator like Rubio and Cruz, the 52-year-old Kentuckian represents the partys libertarian wing. His election strategy includes drawing support from African-Americans and Hispanics.- Ben Carson: A retired neurosurgeon who has never held public office, the conservative Tea Party favorite, 63, is the only African-American in the race.- Mike Huckabee: The former Arkansas governor, preacher and television host makes his second presidential run. Huckabee, 59, hopes to capitalize on his rural evangelical following.- Carly Fiorina: Hewlett-Packards ex-CEO spent millions from her personal fortune in an unsuccessful 2010 Senate bid. Fiorina, 60, is the only Republican woman running.- Rick Santorum: The 57-year-old former senator from swing-state Pennsylvania and champion of the religious right won Iowa caucuses in 2012 but ultimately lost the nomination. He is again casting himself as fighting for blue-collar Americans.- George Pataki: The three-term governor who guided New York through the 9/11 attacks in 2001 launched his campaign Thursday. Pataki, 69, casts himself as a moderate who can overcome partisan division.The all-but-declared- Jeb Bush: Floridas ex-governor is son and brother to two presidents. He is the Republican most open to immigration reform. While not officially a candidate, the 62-year-olds network has raised vast sums of money.- Scott Walker: Wisconsins governor, 47, earned notoriety for busting public unions, and claims other conservative accomplishments including tax cuts and legalizing concealed carry of firearms.- Rick Perry: The three-term former governor of Texas flamed out of the 2012 race. This time he cites his lengthy governing experience and lashes younger rivals for lacking it.- Chris Christie: The blunt-talking New Jersey governor, 52, wants to reform the tax system, broaden national energy policy and re-establish American leadership worldwide.- John Kasich: This 63-year-old fiscal conservative is governor of politically crucial Ohio. He has national security experience, having served on the House Armed Services Committee.- Bobby Jindal: The Louisiana governor, 43, is son of Indian immigrants. Wonkish on policy, he has become chief advocate for repealing national educational standards.- Lindsey Graham: This foreign policy hawk, 59, would be the fourth Senate Republican to run should he launch his campaign as expected June 1.- Donald Trump: The Donald, 68, is Americas opinionated business-tycoon and brusque TV personality. He has threatened to run for president before.

Nearly 60% of Americans back drone strikes overseas

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Nearly 60 percent of Americans approve of drone strikes that target extremists in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen despite concerns that they endanger innocent civilians, a new poll found Thursday.The Pew Research Center said its national survey showed that 58 percent approve of US drone strikes against extremists in those countries and that 35 percent disapprove.Support for drone strikes crosses party lines, although Republicans, at 74 percent, are more likely than Democrats, at 52 percent, to favor the use of drones to target extremists, the poll found.Just under half of respondents, 48 percent, said they were very concerned that drone strikes endanger the lives of innocent civilians, while 32 percent said they were somewhat concerned.Only three in 10 Americans said they were very concerned that US strikes could lead to retaliation from extremist groups and only 24 percent said the strikes could damage Americas reputation.Less than a third -- 29 percent -- said they were very concerned about whether the strikes were legal.US hostage Warren Weinstein and fellow hostage, Italian aid worker Giovanni Lo Porto, were killed in a CIA drone strike targeting an Al-Qaeda hideout in Pakistan in January.President Barack Obamas admission that the strike inadvertently killed the hostages raised fresh questions in America about the limits and risks of the classified, targeted killing program.Since taking office in 2009, Obama has relied heavily on drone raids to hunt down Al-Qaeda leaders and other Islamist extremists from Pakistans tribal areas to Somalia and Yemen.Human rights groups and some lawmakers question the legality and the morality of the drone war, citing estimates that hundreds of civilians may have been killed by the strikes.The survey was carried out between May 12-18 based on telephone interviews with around 2,000 adults living in all 50 US states and the capital Washington. It has a margin of error of 2.5 percent.

US sidesteps Putin accusation of meddling in FIFA election

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US diplomats avoided a clash of words Thursday with Moscow on the corruption scandal shaking FIFA after Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Washington of trying to block the re-election of football boss Sepp Blatter.Putin condemned the arrest of seven top FIFA officials as part of a US probe, saying Washington was trying to oust Blatter after he resisted pressure to stop Russia from hosting the 2018 World Cup.The suggestion that we are trying to have an influence over the internal processes in FIFA, thats not the point, said Jeffrey Rathke, a State Department spokesman.Its quite clear the purpose of the investigation and of the arrest.Putin charged that the arrests Wednesday in Zurich two days ahead of a FIFA presidential vote were clearly an attempt to block the reelection of Blatter.Theres a clear message from the United States that... corrupt conduct is not acceptable, Rathke said.And thats the focus of the indictment and our cooperation in the arrests yesterday.He insisted that the US investigation should not have an impact on Washingtons already shaky ties with Moscow.A suggestion that somehow that its not appropriate for US authorities to have an interest in corruption of that sort is a bit hard to understand, Rathke added.

Airbus admits 'assembly quality problem' after A400M crash

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BERLIN (AFP) - Analysis of the flight recorders of the A400M which crashed in Spain on May 9, killing four, indicated there were no structural faults but assembly quality problems, a senior Airbus executive said in a newspaper interview to appear on Friday.The black boxes confirm it. There was no structural fault, but we have a serious final assembly quality problem, Airbus groups chief of strategy Marwan Lahoud told the German daily Handelsblatt after receiving the first results of the analyses of the flight recorders.In a statement released ahead of publication, Handelsblatt wrote that the units which control the engines of the turboprop A400M military cargo and troop transport were poorly installed during final assembly, which could have led to the engines malfunctioning and the plane crashing.But Airbuss defence and space division told AFP that it was too early to draw any conclusions.We will need the full results of the investigation in order to have the full picture, so as long as there is no further communications from (the investigating authority) CITAAM it is too early to draw any conclusions from the accident, it said in a statement.The division added that like all accidents, it will certainly be a combination of issues and not one single cause.It also said other A400M aircraft in service have already been subject to checks and are 100 percent protected from this failure.Airbus on May 19 warned of a technical bug in the Electronic Control Units (ECU) that controls how the aircrafts engine operates, which it discovered during an internal test it conducted independently of the investigation into the crash.An expert in the sector speaking then on condition of anonymity said that a software bug could lead to a loss of control of engine power.Airbus recommended inspections and possibly exchanging the motors or ECUs, but did not draw a direct link between this problem and the Seville crash.The crash of the turboprop A400M military cargo and troop transport plane a few minutes into a test flight just north of Sevilles airport prompted five countries -- Spain, Britain, Germany, Turkey and Malaysia -- to ground their planes pending the outcome of the probe which is being led by Spanish investigators.Two of the six people on board the plane, a mechanic and an engineer, survived the crash and were sent to hospital in critical condition.The development of the massive transport plane has been plagued by setbacks that led to years of delays and costly overruns.The first aircraft was delivered in 2013, and a total of 174 have been ordered.Shortly after Germany took delivery of its first A400M last January -- four years late -- Der Spiegel magazine published a list of 875 construction errors or malfunctions detected in the plane.

Google's new Android seeks to make smartphone smarter

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SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Googles updated Android mobile software seeks to make the smartphone smarter, while keeping the search titan relevant in a world where people rely on apps on the go.At its annual Google developers conference Thursday, Google offered a preview of Android M, due for release later this year, with an upgraded version of Google Now, the voice-activated assistant which competes with rivals like Apples Siri and Microsofts Cortana.Google will take the software a step further by allowing users to activate the assistant software, even if they are using another application, to find relevant information on their phones.Your smartphone ought to be smarter, Google Now director Aparna Chennapragada said while demonstrating the new feature on-stage at the developers conference in San Francisco.Why cant it tell you to pick up the milk that your spouse text messaged you about?Google Now cards on smartphones already tap into calendars, emails and other information, with user permission, to do things such as remind people when to leave to catch flights or where they parked their cars.Now on Tap would build on that capability, and allow it to be layered over third-party applications on Android smartphones.Chennapragada demonstrated by playing a song using streaming music application Spotify, then asking aloud who was singing. Now on Tap responded by showing the artist along with online information about him and the band.You can get information instantly, Chennapragada said.The article you are reading, the music you are listening to, the key is understanding the context of the moment. You are able to get answers to quick questions.Broadening the reach of Now also lets Googles money-making services tag along with smartphone users shifting from using web browsing programs to accessing online services directly from individual applications.Developers will essentially be letting Google index applications learn more about peoples habits and behaviors to better target ads and keep people loyal to its online services, according to Current Analysis research director Avi Greengart.This helps Google at least as much as it helps developers, Greengart told AFP at the gathering.At the end of the day, it feeds into Google advertising. It may go through different funnels, but that is how Google makes money.

Pakistan look to seal ODI series against Zimbabwe

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LAHORE (Agencies) - After winning the two Twenty20 Internationals and the first One-Day International in front of a capacity crowd at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the home side is now gearing up for the second ODI at the same venue today (Friday).Zimbabwes tour of Pakistan, which marked the return of international cricket to the country after a six-year break, has given fans in the region a lot to cheer about in the past week.So far, Zimbabwe has not troubled Pakistan as much as it would have liked to. Its bowling has been a bigger concern than its batting, which, thanks to solid consistent knocks from Vusi Sibanda, Hamilton Masakadza, Sean Williams and Elton Chigumbura, has at least helped the visitors put up a fight.The bowlers will be concerned that they allowed Pakistan to post a massive 375 for 3 – its highest against Zimbabwe – in the first ODI. Shoaib Malik hit a ton, supported by Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali and Haris Sohail, all of whom scored half-centuries.The top order has been in great form for Pakistan, with Malik, playing in his first ODI series since 2013, marking his comeback with a 76-ball 112 to register his first ODI century in six years.Zimbabwe eventually went down by 41 runs the first ODI on Tuesday, with Chigumbura, the captain, leading the charge with a 95-ball 117.But the visiting side will have to go into this do-or-die clash without Chigumbura, who is serving a two-match suspension handed by the International Cricket Council for maintaining a slow over-rate during the first ODI on Tuesday. Hamilton Masakadza will lead Zimbabwe for the remainder of the three-match series.Meanwhile, Azhar, the Pakistan captain, has made it clear that the top priority of his side would be to seal the ongoing series and improve its chances of qualifying for the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.The top seven teams in the world and England, the host nation, will feature in the 50-over contest, which means Pakistan, currently in ninth spot, needs to win the series 3-0 to go up the ladder on the rankings chart.With the cut-off date for qualification being September 30, 2015, Pakistan will only be left with a five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in July after this to seal a berth in the tournament.

Six soldiers, guerillas die in fresh Colombia clashes

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BOGOTA (AFP) - A total of six soldiers and guerillas were killed in Colombia, as fresh fighting erupted between FARC rebels and government troops, authorities said Thursday.Three soldiers were killed, and three Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels died in the clashes in northeast Colombia, in the oil-rich Arauca region near the border with Venezuela, according to a statement from the military,A junior officer and two soldiers tasked with protecting the oil fields were killed in the violence, the latest in a series of clashes in recent weeks.The three FARC guerillas who died were wearing army uniforms, the military said.According to our information, they were trying to prepare an attack against an oil complex, the statement said.The area where the fighting took place is a traditional FARC-stronghold and the site recent clashes.More than 40 FARC guerrillas have died in the past several days in three military operations.The renewed fighting threatens fragile peace talks, which have been ongoing in Cuba since November 2012.With the fate of the peace process on the line, its guarantor countries Cuba and Norway on Wednesday urged the rebels and Bogota to step up talks.Colombias decades-long civil war has killed some 200,000 people and uprooted more than six million since FARC launched its Marxist guerrilla war in 1964.

Iran, N. Korea 'collaborate' on nuclear arms: Iranian opposition

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PARIS (AFP) - An exiled Iranian opposition group accused Tehran Thursday of a vast collaboration with North Korea in developing nuclear arms, alleging that experts from both countries made regular intelligence-sharing visits.The Iranian regime continues to collaborate with North Korea on nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said in a report citing sources close to the Iranian government.North Korean experts spent a week in the Iranian capital in April this year, the report said, staying at a site close to the countrys defence ministry.It was the third such visit by a North Korean nuclear delegation in 2015 alone, according to the report.Senior Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was meanwhile in North Korea when it held a third nuclear test in February 2013, the NCRI said, and Iranian experts went to the country on a regular basis.Impoverished but nuclear-armed North Korea is heavily sanctioned following a series of nuclear and missile tests staged in violation of UN resolutions.Tehran has always denied seeking to develop nuclear arms, saying its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only.But the opposition group said Iran had no intention of renouncing what it said was an active strategy to acquire a nuclear bomb.The NCRI is a political umbrella of five Iranian opposition groups, the largest of which is the Peoples Mujahedeen Organization of Iran, which was once banned in Europe and the United States as a terror group.US State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said the report was unlikely to alter the progress of ongoing negotiations with Iran on curtailing its nuclear programme.Were examining the report. But we dont have any information at this time that would lead us to believe that these allegations impact our ongoing negotiations over Irans nuclear programme.We have not been able to verify (the allegations) thus far, he said.The Peoples Mujahedeen has long opposed the nuclear negotiations, and with the NCRI has made several important revelations of the existence of secret nuclear sites in Iran.Iran on Thursday warned global powers against making excessive demands in talks aimed at sealing a deal, after France demanded access to its military installations.US Secretary of State John Kerry will once again meet Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Geneva on Saturday, after weeks of behind-the-scenes technical discussions in Vienna seeking to narrow the gaps on curtailing Irans nuclear programme.June 30 is the deadline for a comprehensive agreement.

Japan issues evacuation order after volcano erupts

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TOKYO (AFP) - Japan ordered evacuations Friday after an island volcano erupted, shooting a huge column of ash high into the air.Footage by the Japan Meteorological Agency captured the moment the plume rocketed into the air from Mount Shindake on the far southern island of Kuchinoerabu.Around 130 people live on the island but there have been no immediate reports of damage or any injuries, a representative of the police on nearby Yakushima island told AFP.Kuchinoerabu does not have its own police station.The weather agency raised its warning level to level five -- the top of its five-point warning system -- and said evacuation was necessary.A volcanic eruption occurred at Shindake at 9:59 am (0059 GMT). Along with this eruption a pyroclastic flow reached the coastline of the island, the weather agency said.Japan sits at the junction of several of the Earths tectonic plates and is dotted with active volcanoes.

Google unveils Android Pay in fresh challenge to Apple

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SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Google on Thursday unveiled its pay-with-a-phone system for Android devices, ramping up its challenge to Apple in mobile payments.Android Pay, unveiled at the Google developers conference in San Francisco, brings together mobile carriers, payment networks, banks and retailers to allow smartphone users to use their handsets instead of payment cards.Google engineering vice president Dave Burke said Android Pay would work in more than 700,000 US retail outlets that accept contactless payments.We are at the start of an exciting journey, we are working closely with payment networks, banks and developers, he said.Similar to the Apple Pay system unveiled last year, Android Pay will allow consumers to store credit card information on their handsets along with loyalty cards and other data.For extra security, Android Pay will generate a one-time token or virtual account number so the actual credit card data is not revealed in a transaction.Users can simply and safely use their Android phone to pay in stores where you see an Android Pay logo, Burke said.We are focused on simplicity, security and choice.Google said in February it was teaming up with the mobile phone payment firm Softcard to ramp up its efforts in the emerging sector.This will allow Google Wallet to become a pre-installed tap to pay app on Android smartphones.No date was announced for the roll-out of Android Pay but the Google statement said it would be available on Google Play for download soon.Apples iOS and Android rule the global smartphone market, and the companies are eager to be at the potentially profitable heart of shopping or other financial transactions as consumers go increasingly mobile.M for major?Google announced that enhancements being built into a new Android M version of the mobile operating system include support for fingerprint-checking, which would match the feature built into Apples latest iPhones and iPads for security.The things they announced today are good, but the M doesnt stand for Major, Current Analysis research director Avi Greengart told AFP at the gathering.Some of the improvements are Google playing catchup in payments and fingerprint recognition.Apple Pay also works with Apple Watch, essentially allowing users to pay with the waves of a wrist. The Android team gave no indication if their new Pay feature will extend to smartwatches.Google did show off a slew of upgrades for Android-powered smartwatches, such as gesture controls and being able to distinguish between actions such as push ups and golf club swings.We love watches, Android Wear director David Singleton said during an on-stage presentation.They have always been this incredible mix of beauty and technology.He said Google is partnering with an array of hardware makers to add to the current line-up of seven different kinds of Android smartwatches.There are more than 4,000 applications tailored for Android-powered smartwatches.The Apple Watch is fueling the emerging smartwatch market and is expected to be the top seller in the segment for next few years, according to a market research report released early in May.Fun, functional or hip applications made by the kinds of software wizards packed into the Google developers conference here are seen as vital to the popularity of smartwatches and smartphones.

Future at stake, Republicans crowd into White House race

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - With eight declared Republican presidential hopefuls and eight more expected to run, consensus has been brushed aside for 2016, as GOP rivals battle to shape the future of the party, and America, in the post-Obama era.Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton may have the aura of inevitability about her, but it is another world for the GOP, where social conservatives and fiscal hawks are galloping alongside moderates as they race to see which philosophy prevails.At no time in the last half century has such a diverse crop of politicians sought a presidential nomination.Republican tradition has largely had it that party leaders engage in the so-called imaginary primary, in which the establishment anoints a consensus candidate before the primary contests kick off at the start of an election year.Democrats engage in such formulas too, and Clinton, a former first lady, senator and secretary of state under President Barack Obama, has clearly emerged as her partys likely flag-bearer.But there is no consensus candidate for Republicans in 2016, Merle Black, a political science professor at Emory University, told AFP.Instead there are governors like Scott Walker of Wisconsin and first-term senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, two Cuban-Americans with rockstar-like followings.Then there is former Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina and neurosurgeon and political neophyte Ben Carson.And dont forget ex-governor and Baptist minister Mike Huckabee, New Yorks pro-environment 9/11 governor George Pataki, and another Bush for good measure.Even Donald Trump, the property tycoon and media figure who perpetually threatens to run, is in the mix.Theyre having a thorough vetting -- not just of people and candidates, but also of issues and the direction of the party, University of New Hampshire political science professor Dante Scala told AFP.Having not held the White House since George W. Bush is a good thing for a party to do to renew itself, he said.There has been no Republican commander-in-chief other than Bushes since the 1980s, and candidates are all-too-aware of the historic difficulty in a party holding the White House for three straight terms.Wanted: Credible messengerWith the GOP direction in flux, Republicans are fishing for a candidate, explained Tim Malloy, assistant director of Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.A Quinnipiac poll released Thursday shows five candidates -- Walker, Rubio, Huckabee, Carson and former Florida governor Jeb Bush -- bunched at the top, each with 10 percent support.When you see that Jeb Bush did not gain a huge amount of traction early on, when you see that Rubio came out hot and then has kind of leveled off, a lot of candidates who think they have potential are probably looking and saying No ones got this yet, Malloy said.According to Black, the GOPs deep bench includes a new generation of Republican politicians, like Senator Rand Paul whose profile has risen with his opposition to the government surveillance program that gathers data on millions of Americans.It also includes politicians like Rick Santorum and Rick Perry who ran in 2012 and want a second shot at it, he said.There are lots of issues about the direction of the Republican Party and how viable the party will be in the future, and there are lots of different ideas, Black added.Thats what primaries are about, to see who can put together a message, and who can also appear to be a credible messenger.A lot also rests on who can raise the necessary money. With finance laws easing dramatically in 2010, sewing up a steady funding stream is undeniably crucial.If a candidate can find an angel or two, they can get in and at least be credible in the short-run, said Linda Fowler, a professor of government at Dartmouth College.Elite donors and activists often seem to value ideological purity over experience, said Fowler, perhaps explaining the large number of talented but ultimately unseasoned candidates.The Republican field may well whittle down in August with the start of televised debates, where organizers are under pressure to find ways to accommodate large numbers of candidates on the same stage.Some, Black said, will fail embarrassingly by the time Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina hold their early primary contests.Fowler concedes that despite clear differences in experience, popularity and viability, it remains too early to write off any of the candidates.Half will be out by September, she predicted of the Republican hopefuls. I just dont know which half.

China executes teacher for rape and abuse of 26 children

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BEIJING (AFP) - China has executed a former teacher for raping and sexually abusing 26 children at his school, state media reported.Li Jishun was convicted of having raped or sexually abused 26 girls aged from 4 to 11, the official Xinhua news agency said.The abuse took place in 2011 and 2012, when he was a teacher at a primary school, it added.Li was put to death on Thursday by a court in Tianshui, in the northwestern province of Gansu, Xinhua said, adding that he was handed the heaviest punishment possible because of the harm caused to the children and the extremely negative social impact of the case.He took advantage of those who were both childish and timid and committed his acts in dormitories or classrooms, Xinhua added.It cited Chinas Supreme Peoples Court as saying child sexual abuse cases have risen in recent years, with 7,145 across the country in the 2012-2014 period.

Crying baby gets Canadian singer kicked off flight

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OTTAWA (AFP) - A Canadian singer-songwriter was kicked off a United Airlines flight in San Francisco because her two-year-old toddler would not stop crying, triggering outrage from her supporters.Just got kicked off a @united flight because my son was crying really loud, Sarah Blackwood from the band Walk Off the Earth wrote Wednesday on Twitter, accusing the airline of hating mothers.Apparently my little two-year-old crying son was a big threat.Canadian music award-nominated Walk Off the Earth gained international fame recording covers such as Miley Cyruss Wrecking Ball, Pharrel Williamss Happy, and Taylor Swifts Shake It Off, and original tunes.Blackwood, who is also seven months pregnant with another child, was booked to fly late Wednesday from San Francisco to Vancouver with her son Giorgio.The flight was operated by SkyWest Airlines, which said the crew ordered the plane back to the gate over safety concerns.Despite numerous requests, the child was not seated, as required by federal regulation to ensure passenger safety, and was repeatedly in the aisle of the aircraft before departure and during taxi, the airline said in a statement defending its decision.Fellow passengers, however, denounced the move on Uniteds Facebook page, saying the mother tried her best to calm her son and that the flight attendant had been unprofessional, unreasonable and insensitive.By the time the jetliner reached the gate, they noted, the toddler had fallen asleep.But Blackwood and her son were still forced to disembark, while crews spent 75 minutes sifting through luggage to retrieve her bags from the plane, one passenger said.Dozens of supporters reacted angrily on Twitter.
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