Tuesday 16 June 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Pakistan, Sri Lanka first Test starts today

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GALLE (Agencies) - Pakistan and Sri Lanka will lock horns for the fourth time in two years when the first Test of a three-Test series begins in Galle today (Wednesday).Both sides know each other quite intimately, this being their sixth series in as many years. The last of those series also took place in Sri Lanka a year ago, the host winning both Tests to ensure Pakistan remained winless on Sri Lankan soil since 2006.Pakistan’s hopes of breaking that streak was boosted following encouraging performances during the drawn three-day tour-game against Sri Lanka Board Presidents XI which ended on Saturday. Ahmed Shehzad, back in the 15-man Test squad after being overlooked for the Bangladesh series last month, scored a fine 82 in the first innings, and veteran Younus Khan chipped in with a 78-ball 64. In the second innings, Shan Masood, also recalled to the side, scored 69.But the biggest positive lay in the performance of Zulfiqar Babar. The left-arm spinner dismantled the Board XI middle and lower orders in the first innings to end with fine figures of 6 for 31.Misbah-ul-Haq, the captain, said Pakistan was confident following its commendable 2-0 win over Australia in the United Arab Emirates last year and the 1-0 triumph in Bangladesh in May. “It is always interesting to play Sri Lanka because both sides know each other’s game well,” said Misbah. “Pakistan has done well in Tests recently and that has given us a lot of confidence.”Sri Lanka too had positives to take away from the warm-up game. Kaushal Silva scored a fine century in the first innings, a 222-ball 101 that led the resistance against Babar’s assault, and in the second innings, Dimuth Karunaratne scored a 69-ball 54.However, it was the performance of his pacemen that Marvan Atapattu, the Sri Lanka head coach, was particularly looking forward to. “Our fast bowlers are more disciplined than a decade ago if you exclude Chaminda Vaas, who was in a different class, he said. We are trying to bring in more discipline to our fast bowling unit and hopefully we will see results.Apart from the three Tests, Sri Lanka and Pakistan will also play five One-Day Internationals and two Twenty20 Internationals in a tour that will last till early August.

IS suffers 'biggest setback' as Kurds take Syria border town

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AKCAKALE (AFP) - Kurdish fighters seized control Tuesday of a key border town from the Islamic State group, cutting a major supply line in the biggest setback yet for the terrorists in Syria.From across the frontier in Turkey, the Kurds and allied Syrian rebels could be seen raising their banners in place of the black IS flag and taking up positions at the Tal Abyad border post.The capture of Tal Abyad, used by IS as a gateway from Turkey to its de facto capital Raqa city, was the biggest setback to IS since it announced its caliphate one year ago, said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.The frontier town was a key conduit for foreign fighters and supplies into IS-held territory in Syria and for exports of black market oil from jihadist-held fields in eastern Syria.Tal Abyads fall to the Kurds was the most significant loss for IS in Syria yet, said Aymenn al-Tamimi, an expert at the Middle East Forum research group.The Kurdish forces and Syrian rebel allies launched a two-pronged attack on Tal Abyad on June 11, backed by air strikes by the US-led coalition fighting IS in Syria and Iraq.The anti-IS forces encircled the town from the southwest and southeast before capturing the border crossing just north of it on Monday.An easy winThe Observatory and Kurdish sources said they had seized full control of the town by early Tuesday.IS withdrew without much fight yesterday... It was an easy win, said Ahmed Seyxo, a spokesman for the Democratic Union Party, the political party tied to the YPG.In a statement, a spokesman for the US-led coalition praised its cooperation with Kurdish forces, noting that five strikes had been carried out near Tal Abyad on Monday.Our air strikes are targeting Daesh terrorists throughout Iraq and Syria, said Colonel Wayne Marotto, using the Arabic acronym for IS.Kurdish successes, enabled by coalition air strikes, are exposing Daesh military capabilities and terrorists for subsequent removal from the battlefield.The battle for Tal Abyad sent thousands of terrified residents fleeing into Turkey, with the UN refugee agency saying Tuesday that some 23,000 people had sought refuge between June 3 and 15.Refugee Khalil al-Ahmed, 55, said he was desperate to go home.They take good care of us here, but I dont want any of that. All I think about is returning. It burns in my heart, he told AFP.YPG fighters and rebel units were combing through Tal Abyad to clear mines and booby-trapped cars left behind by IS fighters, before allowing civilians to return.There are mines and car bombs everywhere, and bodies of IS fighters lying in the streets, said Sherfan Darwish, a spokesman for the Burkan al-Furat rebel group fighting alongside the Kurds.With the route from Tal Abyad to Raqa cut, IS will have to rely on border crossings much further west in neighbouring Aleppo province, adding several hundred kilometres (miles) to their supply lines, Abdel Rahman said.IS still holds the Syrian side of the Jarablus crossing in Aleppo, which is closed on the Turkish side.Other informal border routes remain open but none to rival Tal Abyad.Blow to IS moraleAnalysts said the loss of the town would be a major blow to IS morale, just as the group commemorates the first anniversary of the declaration last year of its self-styled Islamic caliphate.This is coming at a time of year when IS is trying to look as powerful as possible, said Charlie Winter, a researcher on jihadism at the London-based Quilliam Foundation.The Kurdish victory at Tal Abyad, he said, would undermine ISs narrative of constant divine momentum.While the battle for the Kurdish majority border town of Kobane was in the headlines for months last year, the loss of Tal Abyad was a bigger strategic blow because IS had held the town for over a year, Winter said.Kurdish forces now control around 400 kilometres (250 miles) of contiguous border territory from Kobane in Aleppo province to northeastern Syria, Abdel Rahman said.Their advance has prompted criticism from Turkish officials, who fear the growing power of Kurdish forces in Syria will embolden Turkeys Kurdish minority.Turkish officials have accused the YPG of expelling Arab and Turkmen citizens and of seeking to unite the Kurdish-majority areas of Syria.

Cricket: Pakistan accepts Butt's confession on spot-fixing

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LAHORE (AFP) - Pakistans cricket chief on Tuesday said former national team captain Salman Butt has confessed to his role in a spot-fixing scandal, potentially paving his way for a return to international cricket.The 31-year-old was one of three players banned for a minimum of five years for their part in arranging deliberate no-balls in return for money during an August 2010 Test against England at Lords.Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan said Butt has signed a confessional statement.Butt had not specifically confessed to spot-fixing, so we gave him a statement to sign and he has specifically confessed to spot-fixing, Khan told journalists.The cricketer had previously spoken to reporters about his role in the scandal in June 2013, but the PCB had rejected it as a general confession.Khan said the statement has been forwarded to the Anti-Corruption and Safety Unit of the International Cricket Council (ICC).Butt and teammates Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were banned for five years, with the scandal not only destroying three top class careers, but also shaking the cricket world.It also led to jail terms for the trio and their agent Mazhar Majeed in 2011.In January, the ICC approved a revised anti-corruption code that allows the banned players to return to domestic cricket a few months before their bans expire.That allowed Amir, who pleaded guilty in 2011, to resume domestic cricket in February this year, prompting Butt to fight his case as well.Their bans expire on September 1.Butt confirmed he signed the written confession, and said it was in order to play domestic cricket.I have signed a confession letter because I want to play domestic cricket, Butt told AFP. I have offers from a few teams to play the forthcoming season.Butt said he is also hopeful of playing international cricket.Why not? If my form and fitness impress selectors then I look forward to playing international cricket, said Butt, who at the time of his ban had played 33 Tests, including six as captain, for Pakistan.He had also played 78 one-day and 24 Twenty20 internationals in a career that started in 2003.Asif has yet to contact the PCB for reintegration despite confessing to spot-fixing in August 2013.

France says India to seal deal on Rafale jets in '2 to 3 months'

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LE BOURGET (AFP) - French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Tuesday that talks with India over the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets were progressing well and would be finalised within two to three months.The discussions with the Indian authorities are progressing very well, he said at the Paris Air Show where he met Rao Inderjit Singh, Indias Minister of State for Defence, ahead of formal talks on Wednesday.I will travel to India very soon to see how it is all evolving but I dont have a single worry, added Le Drian, who was also in India last month for negotiations on the Rafale contract.Asked how long until a final deal would be concluded, he said in the order of two or three months, mirroring a recent estimate by his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar.Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his decision to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets during a visit to France in April -- a deal worth an estimated 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion).The previous Indian government, which lost power last year, had planned to buy 126 Rafale fighters, but Parrikar dashed lingering hopes over the deal last month, saying the country would buy only 36 because they are way too expensive.India has in recent years launched a vast defence modernisation programme worth about $100 billion, partly to keep up with rival neighbours Pakistan and China.Since coming to power one year ago, Modis government has approved a string of contracts for new military hardware that had stalled under the previous left-leaning Congress party.Modi, a hardline nationalist premier, also wants to end Indias status as the worlds number one defence importer and to have 70 percent of hardware manufactured domestically by the turn of the decade.

Dollar edges higher ahead of Fed rate decision

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar rose against the euro but was flat against the yen Tuesday as markets looked ahead to what the Federal Reserve says about a rate hike after a two-day policy meeting.Few expect the Fed to undertake its first rate increase in nine years when the meeting wraps up Wednesday afternoon with a statement and press conference by Chair Janet Yellen.But it could signal how confident or not it is in the US economys rebound since the first quarter contraction, and whether it is prepared to launch into an expected series of rate increases as early as September, as many economists now expect.While the Fed is not expected to begin raising rates tomorrow, it is possible, and we expect a few FOMC members will make the case, especially after two solid employment increases and evidence of accelerating wage growth, said Chris Low of FTN Financial.In the end, however, the Fed is likely to continue to make the case for a hike later this year.The euro held up despite a rising sense of crisis as Greece lashed out at its bailout lenders and showed no sign of compromise that would bring it new funding and avoid being forced to default on its debt.In a striking sign of how bad the situation had become, US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew called Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and told him that Athens should make a serious move to reach a pragmatic compromise with its creditors.Failing to agree new financing would create immediate hardship for Greece and broad uncertainties for Europe and the global economy, Lew told Tsipras, according to the Treasury.2100 GMT Tuesday MondayEUR/USD 1.1251 1.1285EUR/JPY 138.79 139.23EUR/CHF 1.0487 1.0488EUR/GBP 0.7190 0.7233USD/JPY 123.36 123.38USD/CHF 0.9321 0.9293GBP/USD 1.5648 1.5602

Six Irish die in California balcony collapse

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Six young Irish nationals died in the early hours Tuesday when a fourth-floor apartment balcony collapsed during a 21st birthday party in the California university town of Berkeley, authorities said.At least seven people were injured, with some in critical condition, after the tragedy at a building located two blocks from the University of California, Berkeley campus, local media and officials said.Most of those involved were Irish students from University College Dublin, Irelands largest university, on the J1 work-study visa program, which allows them to teach, study, conduct research and work legally during their stay in the United States.The Alameda County coroners office confirmed that six people died.My heart breaks: PMMy heart breaks for the parents who have lost children, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny told parliament.He said 13 people had been on the balcony at the time, citing police.The structure collapsed shortly after police received a phone call complaining about a noisy gathering.It is truly terrible to have such a serious and sad incident take place at the beginning of summer of adventure and opportunity for so many young people on J1 visas in the United States, Kenny said.He said he had spoken with US ambassador to Ireland Kevin OMalley, who expressed the United States condolences.Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan said that the families of the dead had been contacted.Media there identified the dead as aged 21-22 and University College Dublin said most of the deceased and injured were from there.It is with deepest sadness that I speak of the tragic accident involving UCD students and their friends in San Francisco, college president Andrew Deeks said.Our students, like thousands of others across Ireland, head to the US each summer on J1 visas to enjoy the experience.It is heart-breaking to imagine that such a tragedy would strike these wonderful students when their lives are opening up to discover the world.A consular emergency response line was activated for those seeking information about loved ones.Berkeley Police spokeswoman Jennifer Coats told AFP that officers received a call just before 1:00 am (0800 GMT).Pictures in local media showed the balcony detached from its spot on the apartment buildings exterior wall, with its railings sitting atop a balcony one floor below.Building finished in 2007Berkeley officials said the building where the tragedy happened was finished in January 2007 and the owner of the property had been ordered to check the condition of the other balconies.Thousands of Irish students arrive in the US every summer on the J1 program. A J1 visa is seen as a rite of passage for many Irish students, with applications from Ireland amongst the highest in the world.California is the most popular destination and many Irish live in Berkeley, across the bay from San Francisco, when US students go home for the summer.I have heard with the greatest sadness of the terrible loss of life of young Irish people and the critical injury of others in Berkeley, California today, Irish President Michael D. Higgins said.My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of all those involved.The cause of the incident was not immediately known and an investigation was under way.

Egypt court confirms Morsi death sentence

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CAIRO (AFP) - An Egyptian court upheld Tuesday a death sentence against ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi for plotting jailbreaks and attacks on police during the countrys 2011 uprising.It also sentenced Morsi, Egypts first democratically elected president, to life in prison on charges of spying for the Palestinian Hamas movement, Lebanons Hezbollah and Iran.In a separate trial in April, Morsi was sentenced to 20 years on charges of inciting violence against protesters in 2012, when he was president.Then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted Morsi in 2013 after mass protests calling for an end to his divisive one-year rule.Sisi has since overseen a sweeping crackdown on Morsis supporters, with hundreds of Islamists killed and more than 40,000 in custody, according to Human Rights Watch.Hundreds have also been sentenced to death after speedy mass trials described by the United Nations as unprecedented in recent history.The authorities designated Morsis Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group in 2013, accusing it of being behind violence that erupted after his ouster -- an accusation the movement denies.Tuesdays ruling upheld an initial verdict by the same court on May 16 sentencing Morsi and about 100 other defendants to death.After the latest verdict was read, Morsi, dressed in a blue prison uniform, smiled, clenched his fists together and raised them in a sign of defiance.The Muslim Brotherhood called for protests against the verdicts to be staged on Friday over what it described as farce trials.The White House said it was deeply troubled by the ruling, described by the European Union as a worrying development.UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon was said to be very preoccupied, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called it a massacre of fundamental rights and liberties.Meanwhile, Amnesty International said such the ruling demonstrated the appalling state of the countrys justice system.For Human Rights Watch, the case appeared to have been politically motivated, noting that the conviction was based almost entirely on security officials testimony.Espionage sentences upheldTies between the United States and Egypt plummeted after Morsis ouster, with Washington freezing its annual $1.3 billion in military aid to the country.But relations have since improved and most of the aid was unblocked late last year.Tuesdays ruling comes after the court consulted Egypts grand mufti, the official interpreter of Islamic law.Judge Shaaban el-Shamy also confirmed the death sentences against about 100 other defendants, including the Muslim Brotherhoods spiritual guide, Mohamed Badie, and Qatar-based cleric Yusuf Qaradawi, who was tried in absentia.Twenty-one other defendants have been sentenced to life in prison.In the espionage case, Shamy confirmed earlier death sentences against 16 defendants, though only three are in custody, including Muslim Brotherhood financier Khairat al-Shater.Badie and 15 others were also sentenced to life in prison in the spy case, while three others were given seven years.They were convicted of spying on behalf of the international Muslim Brotherhood organisation and Hamas from 2005 to August 2013 with the aim of perpetrating terror attacks in the country in order to spread chaos and topple the state.All of Tuesdays verdicts can be appealed.Sisi has defended the rulings against his opponents, saying they are part of the judicial process and can be appealed.But rights groups accuse Sisis regime of being even more repressive than that of longtime president Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted in the popular uprising in 2011.

AIG shareholders appeal zero-sum pay-out in bail-out case

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Major shareholders in US insurer AIG declared Tuesday they will appeal a court decision not to pay them damages for the state takeover of the firm during the 2008 financial crisis.On Monday, the Washington Court of Claims ruled that the Federal Reserve and Treasurys dramatic nationalization of the group had indeed been illegal, as the shareholders had argued.But the judge also decided that, as AIG would have collapsed if the state had not intervened, the plaintiffs stakes would have in any case been worthless -- and awarded no compensation.Swiss group Starr International, which represents former AIG shareholders including its founder Hank Greenberg, said that it would appeal this part of the decision.Plaintiffs will appeal the ruling that there is no remedy for the governments illegal conduct, and ask the court of appeals to confirm that the government is not entitled to keep billions of dollars of citizens money in its pockets, it said.Separately, in another potential twist in the case, a Department of Justice official told AFP that the government was reviewing the case and had not ruled out appealing the ruling it had acted illegally.Once the worlds largest insurer, AIG was on the verge of collapse under tens of billions of dollars of souring, unhedged derivatives contracts in September 2008 when it sought liquidity from the New York Fed.On the same climactic weekend that Washington allowed investment banking giant Lehmann Brothers to fail, the government agreed to lend AIG $85 billion in exchange for a 79.9 percent controlling stake.The decision-makers of the time -- Fed chair Ben Bernanke, New York Fed governor Timothy Geithner and Treasury secretary Henry Paulson -- argued at trial that without their actions the US banking sector would have imploded.They also argued that the AIG board agreed to the deal as a way to save the company, but Greenbergs firm alleged in its lawsuit that the takeover was an illegal nationalization.Judge Thomas Wheeler agreed, ruling that: A Federal Reserve Bank has no right to control and run a company to whom it has made a sizable loan.Starr International welcomed this decision, but protested the ruling not to force the state to pay billions of dollars in damages to shareholders whose stakes were taken.In Tuesdays statement, the firm argued that as the US government had eventually sold its stake in the rescued company it had made an improper profit of $23 billion.The Fed insists its actions were both legal and necessary to protect the jobs and investments of millions of Americans from the potential collapse of the financial sector.

Yemen rebels accuse Saudi of trying to sabotage peace talks

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GENEVA (AFP) - Iran-backed Yemeni rebels on Tuesday accused Saudi Arabia of trying to sabotage peace talks in Geneva and claimed the exiled government was trying to impose its own agenda on the UN.The rebels arrived a day late in Geneva on Tuesday for the UN-backed talks after being stranded in Djibouti -- a delay they blamed on Riyadh.A UN-chartered plane carrying the rebels had left Sanaa on Sunday afternoon but was forced to wait in Djibouti for nearly 24 hours, forcing them to miss Mondays opening of the talks and a meeting with UN chief Ban Ki-moon.The rebels claimed that Saudi Arabia had asked Egypt and Sudan to close their airspace to the chartered plane.It was Saudi Arabia which asked its allies to take the action with the aim of torpedoing the negotiations, Adel Shujah, a member of the rebel team, told AFP after arriving in Geneva.He claimed they were able to travel on to Switzerland only after the United States and Oman intervened.Nevertheless, the rebels had come seeking dialogue with Saudi Arabia, which has been leading an aerial campaign against the Huthi rebels since March 26, as they want it to stop the aggression.The United Nations is desperately trying to get the rebels, who control a large swath of terrain including the capital Sanaa, and the exiled government to agree to a badly-needed humanitarian truce.But any hope of a thaw appeared bleak with exiled president Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi repeating Tuesday that his side was only prepared to discuss with the rebels a Security Council resolution ordering their withdrawal from seized territory.And Abdulmalek al-Huthi, the leader of the Shiite rebels who bear his name, appeared equally inflexible.They tried to impose their own agenda, said Huthi in a televised speech, accusing the Yemeni government of using the United Nations and special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed as a tool.Leave to the United Nations some neutrality to continue its mission... Stop your continuous attempts to control its new envoy, said Huthi.Mohammed Zubairi, a member of the rebels team in Geneva, flatly refused any negotiations with the internationally exiled government.We refuse any dialogue with those who have no legitimacy, he said.Yemen has been wracked by conflict between Iran-backed Shiite rebels and troops loyal to Hadi, who fled to Saudi Arabia in February.Global powers are keen for a speedy resolution, fearing the growing power of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemeni branch of the jihadist network that has taken advantage of the chaos to seize territory.The US said Tuesday that the UN talks were the best way forward for Yemenis with a political solution the only way to resolve the crisis.We encourage Yemenis participating in the talks to work towards a rapid resumption of the Yemeni political transition process, the State Departments press office director Jeff Rathke told AFP.Breakthrough unlikelyThe UN has described Yemens humanitarian crisis as catastrophic, with 80 percent of the population -- 20 million people -- in need of aid.The UN childrens agency said Tuesday that at least 279 children had been killed in conflict in Yemen since the Saudi-led strikes began -- a figure four times higher than for the whole of last year.The rebels participation in the talks is conditional on them whittling down their inflated presence, UN spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said.He said before the rebels joined the talks, the UN wanted to ensure they adhered to the 73 principle, that is seven principals and three advisers on the negotiating team.The rebels have come with 22 members.The Mauritanian special envoy for Yemen Ould Cheikh Ahmed also repeated this condition at a press conference late Tuesday.Having two delegations in Geneva is an achievement. It is a difficult path, he said.Both experts and some participants are pessimistic about the outcome of the talks. The positions of the two warring sides are so divergent that they will not be sitting in the same room and the UN will be holding separate consultations with them.The rebels are supported by military units loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.The second day of the talks coincide with reports, confirmed by Al-Qaeda in Yemen, that its leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi, number two in the global jihadist organisation, was killed in a US drone strike.

Russia must defend itself if 'threatened': Putin

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MOSCOW (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia would have to defend itself if threatened, adding that NATO is coming to its borders.If someone puts some of our territories under threat, that means we will have to direct our armed forces and modern strike power at those territories, from where the threat emanates, Putin said at a meeting outside Moscow with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto. As soon as some threat comes from an adjoining state, Russia must react appropriately and carry out its defence policy in such a way as to neutralise a threat against it, Putin added.Its NATO that is coming to our borders and not us moving somewhere, the Russian president said, after being asked about Moscow and NATO both boosting their firepower in the region.But he added that observers should not blow anything out of proportion with regard to the perceived threat from NATO.Of course we will analyse everything, follow this carefully. So far I dont see anything that would force us to worry especially, Putin said.Its all more political signals aimed towards Russia or its allies.Putin said earlier Tuesday that Russia will boost its nuclear arsenal by more than 40 intercontinental missiles this year, in a move slammed as sabre-rattling by NATO.

US Senate votes to ban torture

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Senate voted Tuesday to ban torture during interrogations, a measure aimed at ending brutal techniques that were used on terror suspects following the 9/11 attacks of 2001.The measure passed overwhelmingly, 78 votes to 21, with all members of the Democratic caucus and 32 Republicans in support.They incluAded Republican co-sponsor John McCain, who was tortured in Vietnam, where he was a prisoner of war for more than five years after he was shot down over Hanoi in 1967.This amendment provides greater assurances that never again will the United States follow that dark path of sacrificing our values for our short-term security needs, said McCain, who has pushed for years to end the practice.The ban passed in the form of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2016, which is under debate in Congress.The Senate and House would both have to pass the broader bill for the torture ban to head to President Barack Obamas desk for his signature, but that is a question mark.The White House last month said Obama threatened to veto the defense bill because it short-changes key administration priorities.Senator Dianne Feinstein, who led a years-long investigation on the use of torture and released a startling report late last year describing the Central Intelligence Agencys use of brutal techniques such as waterboarding and rectal feeding, also co-sponsored the torture measure.Todays vote puts the Senate on record that there can be no return to the era of so-called enhanced interrogation techniques and that President Obamas executive order (against torture) should be enacted into law, Feinstein said.Should the amendment become law, it will limit interrogations to the Army Field Manual, she said.It would also require that the International Committee of the Red Cross be provided access to detainees in US government custody.

Abbas says Palestinian govt to resign as Gaza dispute festers

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RAMALLAH (AFP) - The Palestinian government will resign with 24 hours, president Mahmud Abbas announced late Tuesday as a dispute over the governance of Gaza came to a head.Government officials did not confirm the planned resignation, but did acknowledge that such a move has been under discussion for several months over the cabinets inability to operate in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.Such a move would deal a heavy blow to a Palestinian unity agreement signed in April 2014 which sought to end seven years of bad blood between Abbass Fatah movement and its rival, the Islamist Hamas movement.Within 24 hours the Palestinian government will resign, Abbas told members of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, according to several senior officials who attended the evening meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah.An official in the presidents office said Abbas would meet prime minister Rami Hamdallah at midday (0900 GMT) on Wednesday.Government spokesman Ihab Bseiso said he was unaware of the imminent resignation of the cabinet, however.We had a meeting today and we didnt discuss this issue, he told AFP, while confirming that the premier would meet Abbas on Wednesday to discuss how the government will work.This meeting will clear up the dispute, he added, without elaborating.Hamas ruled Gaza for seven years, but its administration stepped down last June when the Ramallah-based consensus government was sworn in.Comprised of independent technocrats, the government lineup was agreed by both Fatah and Hamas and given a mandate to govern both the West Bank and Gaza, ending seven years of separate administrations. But in practice, it has been unable to extend its authority to Gaza, which was devastated by a deadly 50-day war with Israel last summer and where Hamas remains the de facto power.Ahead of Tuesdays meeting, the Revolutionary Councils secretary general told AFP that the cabinet would stand down over its inability to rule in Gaza. The government will resign in the next 24 hours because this one is weak and there is no chance that Hamas will allow it to work in Gaza, Amin Maqbul said in remarks confirmed by another senior Palestinian official.The governments inability to exert its authority in Gaza has been a major point of internal dispute between Fatah and Hamas.It has also slowed down the vital process of rebuilding Gaza after last summers devastating war. The government had been expected to play a key role in the reconstruction of the territory by reasserting its authority in Gaza and taking over the border crossings with Israel and Egypt.But with the two sides increasingly divided over a long-running dispute about employees, it never happened.Officials did not say whether the consultations to form a new government would include Hamas.A government source confirmed that the idea of resigning had been discussed for weeks.There have been discussions inside the government about resigning if they are unable to do anything for Gaza, he told AFP.He said the move had been on the table since a government delegation was forced to cut short a trip to Gaza in late April.The 40-strong delegation, including eight ministers, arrived in Gaza on April 19 for a week-long trip but was forced to leave a day later after Hamas accused the officials of bias in resolving a dispute over employees salaries.The formation of the consensus government was the first fruit of an April 2014 reconciliation agreement between Hamas and Fatah which sought to end seven years of bad blood between the two Palestinian nationalist movements.

13 children among 16 killed in Syria regime raid: monitor

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BEIRUT (AFP) - At least 16 people, among them 13 children, were killed in Syrian government air strikes on a town in southern Daraa province on Tuesday, a monitor said.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes hit a centre for study of the Koran in the town of Eastern Ghariyah.The Britain-based monitor accused Syrias government of a massacre, saying a woman was also among those killed in the strikes.The group said the toll in the strikes, which hit on Tuesday afternoon, was expected to rise further because a number of those injured were in serious condition.Eastern Ghariyah lies near the eastern edge of Daraa province, not far from the 52nd Brigade base that a rebel alliance seized from the regime a week ago.The Southern Front alliance seized the base in a surprise attack, before pushing across the provincial border into Sweida and briefly overrunning the Al-Thalaa air base.Regime forces expelled the rebels from Al-Thalaa on Friday, but fighting has continued in the area.More than 230,000 people have been killed in Syrias conflict, which began with anti-government demonstrations in March 2011 and descended into a civil war after a regime crackdown.Rights groups have regularly criticised Syrias government for indiscriminate fire on civilian areas.Rebel forces have also been accused of targeting civilian areas in parts of the country.Nearly 11,500 children have been killed in the conflict, according to the Observatory.

Kerry prepares return to Iran talks fray

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Top US diplomat John Kerry said Tuesday he is preparing to resume tough nuclear talks with Iran only weeks after breaking his leg, as Washington works to nail down a deal putting an atomic bomb out of Tehrans reach.Appearing by live video feed from his home in Boston where he is recovering after surgery and almost two weeks in hospital, Kerry said he would fly back to Washington later Tuesday to plan key talks with China early next week.That will be the prelude to my departing at some point -- were not exactly sure of the date for the next talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, possibly in Vienna, he said.Kerry said he hoped that trip would be the closeout and should be the closeout of the negotiations with respect to the Iran nuclear program.The stakes remained very high, Kerry told reporters, adding the talks were tough.As I have said consistently, were not going to rush to an agreement for the sake of an agreement, and were not going to sign an agreement that we dont believe gets the job done.Iran and the so-called P51 group leading the negotiations to stop Tehran developing a nuclear bomb are working towards a June 30 deadline for a final deal.But one of Irans top negotiators, Abbas Araghchi, hinted Tuesday the talks may run long as he prepared to head to Vienna for more lower-level meetings.The date... was selected for the end of negotiations but we will not sacrifice a good agreement for the sake of the schedule, Araghchi was quoted as saying by Iranian state television.One of the thorniest issues still being haggled over is the lifting of a web of US, EU and UN sanctions and what to do if Iran violates any deal.President Barack Obama has been very clear from the very beginning that we cannot allow a procedure for snap-back to be left in the hands of Russia or China, US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power told US lawmakers earlier Tuesday.Iran has called for an immediate end to the crippling sanctions. But it is more likely that the deal will include the gradual lifting of certain measures in return for action by Tehran in meeting goals to diminish its nuclear capability.Western diplomats say a mechanism is being finalized for how to put the UN sanctions back in place if Tehran violates the deal, which would likely include a panel of the six members of the P51 as well as Iran.But many of the P51 -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US -- dont want the panel to be held hostage to the same veto power as exercised at the UN, where a lone country can thwart an action by vetoing it.We will retain the ability to snap back multilateral sanctions in place without Russian or Chinese support, Power said, adding that Obama would not accept a deal that does not provide for proper access in Iran to ensure compliance.Iran has long insisted its atomic program is only for civilian energy purposes.But the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, remains dissatisfied with unanswered questions on past possible military dimensions to the program.We have absolute knowledge with respect to certain military activities they were engaged in, Kerry said.Its critical to us to know that going forward, those activities have been stopped and that we can account for that in a legitimate way.

IS suffers 'biggest setback' as Kurds take Syria border town

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AKCAKALE (AFP) - Kurdish fighters seized control Tuesday of a key border town from the Islamic State group, cutting a major supply line in the biggest setback yet for the jihadists in Syria.From across the frontier in Turkey, the Kurds and allied Syrian rebels could be seen raising their banners in place of the black IS flag and taking up positions at the border post.The capture of Tal Abyad, used by IS as a gateway from Turkey to its de facto capital Raqa city, was the biggest setback to IS since it announced its caliphate one year ago, said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.The town was a key conduit for foreign fighters and supplies into IS-held territory in Syria and for exports of black market oil from jihadist-held fields in eastern Syria.Tal Abyads fall was the most significant loss for IS in Syria yet, said Aymenn al-Tamimi, an expert at the Middle East Forum research group.The Kurdish forces and Syrian rebel allies launched a two-pronged attack on Tal Abyad on June 11, backed by air strikes by the US-led coalition fighting IS in Syria and Iraq.They encircled the town from the southwest and southeast before capturing the border crossing just north of it on Monday. The Observatory and Kurdish sources said they had seized full control of the town by early Tuesday.IS withdrew without much fight yesterday... It was an easy win, said Ahmed Seyxo, a spokesman for the Democratic Union Party, the political party tied to the YPG.A spokesman for the US-led coalition praised its cooperation with Kurdish forces, noting that five strikes had been carried out near Tal Abyad on Monday.Our air strikes are targeting Daesh terrorists throughout Iraq and Syria, said Colonel Wayne Marotto, using the Arabic acronym for IS.Kurdish successes, enabled by coalition air strikes, are exposing Daesh military capabilities and terrorists for subsequent removal from the battlefield.The battle sent thousands of terrified residents fleeing into Turkey, with the UN refugee agency saying Tuesday that some 23,000 people had sought refuge between June 3 and 15.Refugee Khalil al-Ahmed, 55, said he was desperate to go home.They take good care of us here, but I dont want any of that. All I think about is returning. It burns in my heart, he told AFP.YPG fighters and rebel units were combing through Tal Abyad to clear mines and booby-trapped cars left behind by IS, before allowing civilians to return.There are mines and car bombs everywhere, and bodies of IS fighters lying in the streets, said Sherfan Darwish, a spokesman for the Burkan al-Furat rebel group fighting alongside the Kurds.With the route from Tal Abyad to Raqa cut, IS will have to rely on border crossings much further west in neighbouring Aleppo province, adding several hundred kilometres (miles) to their supply lines, Abdel Rahman said.IS still holds the Syrian side of the Jarablus crossing in Aleppo, which is closed on the Turkish side.Other informal border routes remain open but none to rival Tal Abyad.Analysts said the loss of the town would be a major blow to IS morale, just as the group commemorates the first anniversary of its declaring an Islamic caliphate.This is coming at a time of year when IS is trying to look as powerful as possible, said Charlie Winter, a researcher on jihadism at the London-based Quilliam Foundation.The Kurdish victory at Tal Abyad, he said, would undermine ISs narrative of constant divine momentum.While the battle for the Kurdish majority border town of Kobane was in the headlines for months last year, the loss of Tal Abyad was a bigger strategic blow because IS had held it for more than a year, Winter said.Kurdish forces now control around 400 kilometres (250 miles) of contiguous border territory from Kobane in Aleppo province to northeastern Syria, Abdel Rahman said. Their advance has prompted criticism from Turkish officials, who fear the growing power of Kurdish forces in Syria will embolden Turkeys Kurdish minority.Turkish officials have accused the YPG of expelling Arab and Turkmen citizens and of seeking to unite the Kurdish-majority areas of Syria.In other developments Tuesday, government air strikes on a town in Syrias southern Daraa province killed at least 16 people, among them 13 children, the Observatory said.
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