Monday 4 May 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Metro trains crash in Mexico City, injuring 12

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MEXICO CITY (AP) - Two metro trains carrying passengers crashed in Mexico City on Monday, leaving at least 12 people injured, authorities said.City Fire Chief Raul Esquivel told the Televisa network that there were no deaths from the accident, adding that 40 firefighters were on the scene.The Mexico City Metro System said via its Twitter account that three of the 12 injured were hospitalized.The accident occurred in the Oceania station on Line 5 near the citys international airport. The Mexico City metro has 12 lines.Media reports showed two cars crashed together and said that one train ran into another that had stopped at the platform.

New York policeman dies of wounds from shooting

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NEW YORK (AFP) - A plainclothes police officer died Monday, two days after being shot in the head in New York, officials said, hailing his dedication to serving Americas biggest city.Brian Moore, 25, was shot in Queens on Saturday while inside his unmarked car with another police officer.New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton told reporters that Moores death was a great loss to this profession and to this city, calling the slain cop an extraordinary young man.Mayor Bill de Blasio said that Moore -- who died at the Jamaica Hospital in Queens, where he was rushed after the shooting -- made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the people of New York City.For five years, Brian served with distinction and he put his life on the line each day to keep us all safe, de Blasio said in a statement.A man identified as Demetrius Blackwell, 35, was arrested shortly after the shooting.The suspect, who was on foot, allegedly opened fire on the police officers when they tried to follow him.Moore is the fifth police officer to be shot in New York and the third to die in the past five months.On Twitter, the police chaplains office posted a message of prayer for the repose of the soul of our brave officer Brian Moore, may eternal rest grant unto him O Lord.His death comes at a time of racial tensions and protests over police brutality, most recently in the case of a black youth who died April 19 from injuries suffered while in police custody in Baltimore.

PM to inaugurate Quaid-e-Azam solar power projects second phase today

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BAHAWALPUR (Dunya News) - Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif will inaugurate Quaid-e-Azam solar power project’s second phase in Bahawalpur today (Tuesday).The mega 1000 Megawatt Quaid-e-Azam solar power project would be completed in a record two and a half year time. The first phase has been completed and 100 Megawatt of electricity would be added to the national grid today.The second phase of the project, which will be completed during the current year, would add 300 Megawatt of electricity to the national grid.The third phase of the solar power project would add 600 Megawatt of electricity to the national grid and would be completed in 2016.Quaid-e-Azam solar power project will be completed by the Chinese company TBEA and produce electricity at a per unit cost of Rs 15. The Bank of Punjab is providing 75 per cent of funding for the project, while the remaining 25 per cent will be provided by the Government of Punjab.

Imran summons senior party leaders meeting

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has summoned an emergency meeting of his senior party leaders today (Tuesday).The meeting will be held at his resident in Banigala in the evening. The issues regarding judicial commission and NA-122 would come under discussion during the meeting. The meeting will also review the preparations regarding the elections this year.

Obama to nominate Gen. Dunford as next Joint Chiefs chairman

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama plans to nominate Marine General Joseph Dunford as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the US militarys top officer, officials said Monday.Dunford -- who is currently the commandant of the US Marine Corps -- would replace General Martin Dempsey in the post. The formal announcement was expected to take place at the White House on Tuesday, the officials said.The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff acts as the top military advisor to the president and the secretary of defense.The 59-year-old Dunford, a native of Boston, served as the commander of NATOs International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan from February 2013 until August 2014, according to a biography on the Pentagons website.He has served in the Marine Corps for more than 35 years.Dempsey has been in the post since 2011.

Kerry to visit Riyadh to confer with Saudi Arabia on Yemen

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NAIROBI (AP) - Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Riyadh for discussions with Saudi government leaders on Wednesday and Thursday.The U.S. is pushing for a humanitarian pause in the fighting in Yemen that would allow much-needed food, fuel and humanitarian supplies to be delivered to the country and transported to places of greatest need.Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Monday that coalition countries were considering a cease-fire to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.Heavy Saudi-led airstrikes targeted several airports Monday across Yemen. The airstrikes are targeting Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, who are locked in fierce fighting against forces loyal to exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.The State Department said Kerry plans to hold follow-up talks with officials from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab states in Paris after his trip to Riyadh.

Saudi considering bombing pauses for Yemen aid delivery

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RIYADH (AFP) - Saudi Arabia is considering temporary halts in coalition air strikes against rebels in Yemen to allow for aid deliveries, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Monday.The announcement came as clashes raged in southern Yemen between rebels and fighters allied with exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, killing at least 30 people. The kingdom will consult members of the coalition on finding specific areas inside Yemen... where all air operations will be paused at specific times to allow for the delivery of aid, Jubeir said in a statement.The Saudi-led coalition of Sunni Arab countries launched air strikes in Yemen in late March against Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies after they seized control of large parts of the country including the capital Sanaa.Hadi fled Yemen as the rebels advanced on his southern refuge of Aden, and anti-government forces have refused to concede territory or down arms despite international pressure.The United Nations has repeatedly warned that impoverished Yemen faces a major humanitarian crisis and calls have been growing for efforts to increase aid deliveries.Jubeir said Saudi Arabia plans to establish a centre on its territory to be in charge of coordinating all humanitarian aid efforts with the UN, donors and other relevant agencies.He warned the rebels against taking advantage of any pause in the bombing.Saudi Arabia will deal with any violations in connection with the suspension of air strikes or movements that hinder humanitarian efforts, he said.The United Nations has called for a humanitarian pause in the conflict, as relief agencies say they desperately need supplies, including fuel to run infrastructure such as hospitals. It warned that key infrastructure in the war-torn country, including water supplies, health services and telecommunications, are on the verge of breaking down due to a major fuel shortage.UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen Johannes van der Klaauw said on Saturday that an arms embargo was affecting delivery of supplies, urging a humanitarian pause at least for a couple of days. Russia proposed last week a draft statement at the UN Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire or at least humanitarian pauses, and an urgent return to political negotiations, but it failed to win endorsement.Russias diplomacy has been greeted with some suspicion given the countrys close ties to Iran, which is supporting the Huthis. A US diplomat said Washington supports humanitarian pauses and was urging Saudi Arabia to take measures to ensure aid deliveries reach civilians trapped in the fighting.At least 1,200 people have been killed in fighting in Yemen since March 19 and thousands more have been wounded, according to the UN. It estimates that at least 300,000 people have been displaced by the conflict.On Monday, clashes between Huthis and southern fighters intensified in the city of Loder, the second larges city of the province of Abyan, witnesses said.Five civilians and six southern fighters were killed in the fighting and intensive shelling, while dozens others were wounded, according to medics at Mahnaf hospital.Sources among the southern fighters said that coalition airplanes dropped Monday military supplies to the local militia, including machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.In Lahj provincial capital Huta, heavy clashes left 19 people dead, including a three-year-old girl, as well as 13 rebels, according to a local official.

Baltimore police out in force amid false shooting report

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Police deployed in force in a flashpoint neighborhood of Baltimore on Monday amid erroneous claims that officers had shot a young black male.Officers in riot gear fanned out across the intersection of North and Pennsylvania avenues, and witnesses said pepper spray was used on bystanders.Rumors swirled in mid-afternoon that police had shot -- perhaps fatally -- a young African-American man who was seen running away from pursuing officers.But on Twitter, the Baltimore police department said reports of a man being shot were not true.Officers have arrested a man for a handgun at the location, it added.Baltimore has been on a knifes edge since the April 19 death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American who sustained a severe spine injury while in police custody.His death sparked days of protests that at times turned violent.Six police officers were charged Friday over Grays death.Baltimore police Lieutenant Colonel Melvin Russell told local all-news radio station WBAL that the man was the subject of a very short pursuit in the area.The adult male appeared to pull a handgun out (and) there was the sound of a gun shot, said Russell, head of the police forces Community Partnership Division.Three rounds were found in a revolver, one of which had been spent at some point, he said.Hes not injured anywhere on his body, Russell added. Police have not discharged any weapons, so we could not have shot him.The area is covered by city-operated surveillance cameras, he noted.

Three Mexico troops found dead after helicopter downed

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MEXICO CITY (AFP) - Mexican authorities have found the bodies of three soldiers who disappeared after a drug cartel brought down a military helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, officials said Monday.National Security Commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido said 15 people died in total during a day of violence unleashed Friday by the Jalisco New Generation cartel, up from a previous death toll of seven.The helicopter attack came on the day of the launch of an operation to dismantle the cartel in the western state of Jalisco. The gang also set fire to dozens of vehicles and banks across the state, while shootouts were reported in four locations.Eight suspected criminals and a state police officer died in different confrontations separate from the helicopter battle, Rubido told Radio Formula.Three soldiers were found dead shortly after the Cougar aircraft made an emergency landing at the foot of a hill in the southwestern part of Jalisco. Another 10 soldiers and two federal police officers were hurt.A search was launched to find three other missing soldiers, but Rubido said Monday they were found dead.Unfortunately DNA tests that were conducted after the helicopter burst into flames confirm the three missing soldiers also died, he said.It was the first time a cartel had shot down a helicopter of this size and its an atypical situation in this country, he added.Federal police chief Enrique Galindo said authorities believe a leader of the New Generation was in a convoy of gunmen when the helicopters tail rotor was hit.We believe that there was a leader of this criminal group during these events in Casimiro Castillo and for that reason there was a reaction of this size, Galindo told Radio Formula, confirming that the gang had used an RPG-type weapon.The cartel is led by Nemesio Oseguera, El Mencho, but Galindo said no leaders were detained during an operation that captured 19 people.Galindo said Jalisco state has been relatively calm since Fridays mayhem.

Clinton agrees to testify on Benghazi, emails this month

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton is willing to testify on Capitol Hill later this month about the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, and about her email practices, her attorney told lawmakers in a letter Monday.Former top U.S. diplomat Clinton, who is front-runner to win the Democratic presidential nomination, has faced sustained scrutiny over the September 2012 militant attacks that killed a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans at the U.S. outpost in Libya.Republicans say there are still unanswered questions about what happened, but Democrats see the continued scrutiny as an effort to undermine Clintons presidential campaign.Clintons lawyer David Kendall said she would testify only for one session the week of May 18 or later, not twice as requested by Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy, chairman of the special panel investigating the Benghazi attacks.Gowdy had requested one hearing to focus on Clintons use of private emails, and a separate session on Benghazi.Kendall said that Clinton would answer all lawmakers questions during one session and it would not be necessary for her to appear twice. He wrote there was no basis, logic or precedent for such an unusual request.Top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Elijah Cummings, released Kendalls letter along with a statement saying the lawyers offer should more than satisfy the Republican demands.Chairman Gowdy should take yes for an answer and finally schedule the hearing, Cummings wrote. Dragging out this process further into the presidential election season sacrifices any chance that the American people will see it as serious or legitimate.Spokesman Jamal Ware said Gowdy will issue a statement later regarding the path forward for Clintons testimony.Ware said the committee has consistently shown it is interested in getting the facts and doing so in a deliberate and diligent manner. He said it was a result of the panels efforts, the American people now know about Secretary Clintons unusual email arrangement with herself.Clinton previously testified on Capitol Hill over the attacks in January 2013, when she was still secretary of state. Republicans say they have more questions, especially in light of the revelations that she used a private email account while secretary of state and decided which emails to retain and which to turn over to the government.

Boston bomber emotional as aunt breaks down on stand

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BOSTON (AFP) - Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev showed emotion in court for the first time on Monday, wiping his eyes as a distraught aunt was removed from the courtroom, too overcome to testify.A jury is mulling whether Tsarnaev -- found guilty last month of all counts related to the April 15, 2013 attack on the Boston Marathon that killed three people and wounded 264 more -- should be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole.Last week, his defense team began presenting evidence in a bid to save his life, and had arranged for his aunt, 64-year-old Patimat Suleimanova, to come from Russia to testify.But the woman, her voice choked with sobs, was only able to tell the court her name, age and where she was from before she had to step down and was escorted from the courtroom.Tsarnaev, a 21-year-old US citizen of Chechen descent, took a tissue and appeared to quickly wipe away tears.Testimony from four other female members of Tsarnaevs family -- who traveled to the United States about 10 days ago and are being housed at an undisclosed location -- dominated Mondays proceedings.Two of his cousins born in Dagestan in southern Russia had earlier taken the stand, with one describing Tsarnaev as a kind-hearted young boy who cried while watching the Disney animated classic The Lion King.He was very kind, very warm... his kindness made everybody kind, said Raisat Suleimanova, a 35-year-old nurse who now lives near Moscow. Her testimony was translated from Russian into English by an interpreter for the court.She described Tsarnaevs somewhat nomadic childhood, as his parents moved often -- from Kyrgyzstan to Chechnya to Dagestan.Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan -- who was shot dead by police in the days after the marathon bombings as the pair attempted to evade capture -- virtually lived out of their suitcases, changing schools and friends often.She also offered a glimpse into the life of their mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, who loved fashion and jewelry before she moved to the United States. Jurors were shown photos of the woman, in a fur coat or in form-fitting clothes and sunglasses.But in 2010, when she saw her again, Zubeidat was wearing the hijab.It was a shock, knowing the kind of person she used to be, Raisat Suleimanova testified, noting that the family had been kind of removed from their Islamic faith.Listen to your eldersRaisat Suleimanovas sister Naida also testified, saying of Tsarnaev: He was very cute, very nice, very kind. He always had a smile on his face.Tsarnaev loved his older brother, Naida told the court.There is a custom in our family, to always listen to your older sibling... and follow his example.Tsarnaevs lawyers have sought throughout the trial to portray 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev as the mastermind of the attacks, alleging he manipulated his frightened younger brother.Naida Suleimanova also expressed her concerns about the sharp changes in Tsarnaevas appearance, saying it was unusual for the women in their family.When confronted with Tamerlan Tsarnaevs hatred of the treatment of Muslims and his wish to see the creation of an Islamic caliphate, she replied: Our parents didnt teach us those things.Two other of Tsarnaevs aunts testified, as did two of his female high school friends.The defense is expected to spend around two weeks presenting witnesses testifying on their clients behalf.

Dengue cases soar in Brazil, as death toll climbs

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SAO PAULO (AFP) - Cases of dengue have soared in Brazil where the disease has caused 229 fatalities this year, the Health Ministry said Monday, as authorities try to combat its spread using transgenic mosquitos.The health ministry said it had logged 745,900 cases nationwide in the first 15 weeks of the year -- an annual increase of 234 percent.That equates to 367.8 people infected per 100,000 residents, which falls into the category of an epidemic under parameters used by the World Health Organization.The number of dengue deaths has climbed 44 percent from the same period last year, and most of the diagnosed cases have occurred in business hub Sao Paulo.In all, Sao Paulo has seen 169 fatalities and 401,564 cases this year -- a high since records began in 1990.Cases of the mosquito-borne infectious tropical disease increased in the wake of a serious drought last year, the worst in living memory.Severe water shortages led residents to store what they could in open receptacles, which facilitated the spread of dengue.Last Thursday the city of Piracicaba, located 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of Sao Paulo, released its first batch of 100,000 transgenic male mosquitos in reaction to the growing crisis.The genetically modified mosquitos pass on a modified gene during procreation that makes offspring incapable of reaching sexual maturity, causing the overall population to decline steadily.Piracicaba authorities and British firm Oxitec last year opened a facility at Campinas, near Sao Paulo, able to produce 550,000 modified mosquitoes weekly.Dengue symptoms include severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting and circulatory system failure.

US stocks extend gains on higher factory orders

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Wall Street stocks rose Monday as news of the first rise in US factory orders in eight months helped sustain positive momentum from last weeks rally.The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 46.34 points (0.26 percent) at 18,070.40.The broad-based S&P 500 advanced 6.20 (0.29 percent) to 2,114.49, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index rose 11.54 (0.23 percent) to 5,016.93.Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital, characterized the gains as momentum buying after the Commerce Department said new orders for manufactured goods rose 2.1 percent in March, after seven straight months of declines.US stocks traded in positive territory all day. The advance marked the second day in a row of gains after the S&P 500 added 1.09 percent Friday.Dow member McDonalds dropped 1.7 percent after unveiling a turnaround plan that reorganizes its international businesses and sells off more company-owned restaurants to franchisees. Analysts said a turnaround of the companys sagging sales could take as much as two years.Cisco Systems, another Dow member, advanced 0.1 percent on news John Chambers would step down as chief executive and be replaced by Chuck Robbins, a longtime executive at the networking company. Chambers will remain chairman of the board and become executive chairman.Dow component Disney tacked on 0.5 percent after its superhero blockbuster film Avengers: Age of Ultron netted a staggering $187.7 million in opening-weekend box-office sales, close to the all-time record of $207.4 million set by an earlier Avengers movie.Oil and gas producer Pioneer Natural Resources fell 1.9 percent as money manager David Einhorn lambasted the company at an investor conference for spending excessively on fracking.Time Warner Cable shares were back in play, gaining 1.2 percent under rising expectations that Charter Communications is seeking a merger. On April 24 Comcast and Time Warner gave up their merger plan on the objections of antitrust regulators. Charter shares were unchanged.Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury rose to 2.13 percent from 2.11 percent Friday, while the 30-year advanced to 2.87 percent from 2.82 percent. Bond yields and prices move inversely.

Obama urges deeper look at race, hints at his future

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Barack Obama on Monday urged Americans to address the root causes of recent racially-tinged unrest, focusing not just on police actions but improving opportunities for young black men.As police again mobilized on the streets of Baltimore to calm tempers after a false report of a man shot by officers, Obama weighed in on anger over police treatment of blacks that has prompted protests from New York to Ferguson.Demanding more than stop-gap measures and a familiar cycle of waxing and waning public interest, Obama said protests were fuelled not just by police mistreatment, but a festering sense of unfairness and of powerlessness.If were just looking at policing, were looking at it too narrowly, he said, sketching a grim picture of city neighborhoods plagued by absent fathers and drug-addicted mothers, where jail is a more likely career path than university.By almost every measure, the life chances of the average young man of color are worse than his peers, Obama said, making a highly personal pitch for change.Those opportunity gaps begin early, often at birth, and they compound over time, becoming harder and harder to bridge.There are consequences to inaction. There are consequences to indifference... over time, it wears us out. Over time, it weakens our nation as a whole.Obamas comments came during a visit to New York to spin off his My Brothers Keeper initiative.Started as a White House policy to talk about improving opportunities for young black men, it will now become an independent non-profit organization.Making the initiative independent of the White House could portend a future role for Obama when he leaves the Oval Office in 2017.Predecessors Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter have both engaged in charity and policy work since leaving office.This will remain a mission for me and for Michelle, not just for the rest of my presidency, but for the rest of my life, Obama said.This is personal. Because in these young men, we see ourselves, he said, noting his father was also absent during his formative years.Recent violence in Baltimore was prompted by the death in police custody of 25-year-old African-American Freddie Gray.Stores were looted, hundreds were arrested, a curfew imposed and the National Guard deployed -- all in a city which lies about an hours drive away from the US capital.Obama has been criticized in some quarters for not becoming more involved in easing tensions.My Brothers Keeper is expected to focus on improving education for boys and young men of color, as well as reducing violence.Leveraging his presidential pulpit, Obama has convinced a series of high-profile businessmen, political leaders and entertainment stars to become involved including singer John Legend and former secretary of state Colin Powell.It will be run by retired Deloitte CEO Joe Echevarria.

Brazil nets trade surplus of $491 mn for April

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BRASILIA (AFP) - Brazil on Monday posted a $491 million trade surplus for April, taking an accumulated deficit for the year to date to $5.066 billion, the trade ministry announced.Exports over the month hit $15.156 billion over imports totaling $14.665 billion as the April figure came in 2.96 percent down on the same month in 2014.March brought a $458 million surplus to stem January and February deficits of $3.173 billion and $2.842 billion respectively in the worlds seventh largest economy.Last year saw Brazil post its first annual trade deficit in 14 years at $3.930 billion on falling commodity prices as well as economic weakness in neighboring Argentina, a major regional trading partner.The increasingly parlous state of public and current accounts, coupled with falling production and rising joblessness albeit from historic lows have hit Latin Americas largest economy hard.The central bank and the International Monetary Fund are forecasting growth this year to be negative at between minus 0.5 and minus 1.0 percent and recovery is not forecast before the end of next year.
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