Sunday 19 July 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

MQM Rabita Committee appeals to Altaf to take back hunger strike plan

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Saturday appealed to the MQM chief Altaf Hussain to take back his plan of a hunger strike until death. An immediate meeting of the Rabita Committee was called in London and in Karachi after the MQM chief announced his plan to go on a hunger strike until death. Rabita Committee’s leader Khaled Maqbool Siddiqui stated that all party workers should on a hunger strike before Hussain. Siddiqui also stated that the country’s present politics is based on the likes of Gullu Butt and Ayyan Ali in which MQM’s politics has been a breath of fresh air.MQM’s Rabita Committee expressed these views during a press conference in Karachi.The Committee stated that Hussain should not take have taken this decision in light of his health and the prevailing conditions.MQM’s leader Farooq Sattar stated that 200 MQM workers have been the victims of target killings since the start of the operation in Karachi.

Here are biggest ever Test wins by runs

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LONDON (AFP/Web Desk) - Australias 405-run thrashing of England in the second Ashes Test at Lords on Sunday was the ninth largest, in terms of runs, in the 138-year history of Test cricket.Below AFP Sport details the all-time biggest wins in Tests in terms of runs (margin, winner, opponent, venue, year):675 runs ENG v AUS Brisbane 1928562 runs AUS v ENG The Oval 1934530 runs AUS v RSA Melbourne 1911491 runs AUS v PAK Perth 2004465 runs SRI v BAN Chittagong 2009425 runs WIS v ENG Manchester 1976409 runs AUS v ENG Lords 1948408 runs WIS v AUS Adelaide 1980405 runs AUS v ENG Lords 2015384 runs AUS v ENG Brisbane 2002

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 135 runs in 3rd ODI

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COLOMBO (AFP) -- Pakistan thrashed Sri Lanka by 135 runs in the third one-day international in Colombo on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.The tourists piled up the highest total in the series so far of 316-4 after electing to bat and then bowled Sri Lanka out for 181 at the Premadasa stadium.The match was interrupted for 30 minutes in the second session when stones thrown from outside the stadium landed on the field near a Pakistani fielder.

Pak Vs Sri Lanka match resumes after brief pause caused by spectators' clash

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COLUMBO (Dunya News) – At least two groups of spectators clashed amid the 2nd inning of the third One Day International (ODI) match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, causing a pause in the match.According to details, the clash began when a group of Lankan spectators started cheering the Pakistani team while the other group started throwing stones at them.The security personnel present on the ground took an immediate action and cleared the stadium of the violent crowd.The match has now resumed. Sri Lanka is at 168 at the loss of 7 wickets after 36.6 overs.

Karachi: Traders credit restoration of peace for record 70 bn Eid sale

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – The Eid shopping in Karachi has smashed 10 years old record this year and the traders have credited restoration of peace for it, Dunya News reported.According to details, the cheer of the city of Quaid seems to have returned after a visible decrease in targeted killing and other crimes in Karachi. The business and trade activities have reached the peak in the recent while.The traders have expressed relief after an up to 95% decrease in instances of extortion and target killing, while giving its credit to the ongoing operation against the criminal elements.They said a total of Rs 90 billion had been invested on the occasion of Eid, adding that the sale of the goods exceeded their expectations. The traders said that the efforts of law enforcement institutions are making a visible difference.The traders hoped for further promotion of business activities in the future.

Cycling: Greipel secures Tour stage triple

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VALENCE (AFP) - Andre Greipel made it a hat-trick of Tour de France stage wins on Sunday as he won the 183km 15th stanza from Mende to Valence.Despite three stitches in his left knee from a crash on Saturday, the burly German fended off compatriot John Degenkolb, Norways Alexander Kristoff and Peter Sagan in the sprint finish.Briton Chris Froome finished safely in the peloton to maintain his overall lead ahead of Nairo Quintana.Before the 15th stage began, Briton Mark Cavendish, winner of the seventh stage in a sprint finish, had spoken of his desire to have a bunch finale.And while he got his wish, the 30-year-old had been dropped within the first 10km on a tough uphill start to the race.He was one of 23 riders to lose touch early on and they never managed to regain contact.So when it came to the sprint finish, after a nine-man breakaway group was reeled in 30km before the finish, Greipel did not have his main challenger to contend with.The German never looked troubled as he launched his sprint around 250 metres from the end.Degenkolb was perfectly placed on his rear wheel with Kristoff behind that, but when they both darted out from behind the Lotto-Soudal riders slipstream, neither had the strength to overhaul Greipel.Sagan, as ever, finished like a bullet but had started his sprint from too far back and trailed in fourth, although he kept hold of the sprinters green points jersey.Having already won the second and fifth stages, Greipel, 32, matched his three stage wins from the 2012 edition, taking his total to nine.With the final stage on the Champs Elysees in Paris still to come, the Gorilla from Rostock could well yet better that mark.

Anger as Saudi king takes over entire French beach

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VALLAURIS (AFP) - Beach lovers on the French Riviera expressed their anger Sunday over the imminent arrival of the Saudi royal family, who have ordered a long stretch of beach to be closed off to the public.Looking after their security is fine, but they should at least let us go for a swim, said Mohamed, a disgruntled fishing enthusiast.Nestled in the rocks between the coastal railway and the translucent waters of the Mediterranean, the grounds of the royal familys immense villa stretches across a kilometre of Riviera coastline between Antibes and Marseille.Local authorities confirmed that King Salman is due to arrive at some point this week, and that access to the entire kilometre stretch will be cut off, including the public beach at Vallauris, which can only be reached through a tunnel under the railway line.Access to the coast will be prohibited by police officers for the duration of the kings holiday, said local official Philippe Castanet.Coastguards will also stop anyone coming within 300 metres of the villa by sea.Beach users swung between disappointment and anger over the news.They take the decision and theres nothing we can say, said Mohamed, rinsing off his fishing rod on the beachfront.Its a good fishing spot and blocking access is not acceptable.- Beach-to-villa elevator -Fatima, a local nurse, had come with her two daughters for a swim.Whether its him or another billionaire, they always have priority over ordinary people. On the other hand, they are good for business, coming here with 400 people in their entourage. I heard they might even fix the roads.Her boyfriend Didier recalls a time when Salmans predecessor King Fahd was visiting and the police had to forcibly remove swimmers who refused to clear out.Workers hired by the Saudis had last week already started building the fence that will close off access to the beach, but were ordered to stop until the royal family arrives.They had also generated a great deal of anger by starting work on an elevator from the beach to the villa, which involved pouring a huge slab of cement directly on to the sand.The local authorities have allowed work on the elevator to continue on condition that it is dismantled when the family vacation ends.The villa itself has become a hive of activity, with one local, Christian, saying there were dozens of people decking it out with rose bushes and other plants over the weekend.You can see theyve replaced the balcony windows, no doubt to put in some bullet-proof glass, he said.He also pointed out what appeared to be a golden throne, positioned to soak up the sun -- and a view unspoiled by the general public -- on the villas terrace.

Altaf Hussain announces hunger strike 'until death'

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LONDON (Dunya News) – Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain on Sunday announced hunger strike ‘until death’ saying that he had promised the nation not to bow down to the ‘oppressors’, Dunya News reported.According to details, Altaf Hussain has completed the arrangements to stage hunger strike. He said he will announce the beginning of the strike “after getting permission from the local administration”.MQM chief said that the “massacre going on for years has left thousands of Muhajirs martyred”, adding that the ‘ethnic cleansing’ of the Muhajirs could not be stopped despite all the efforts.He said not a single murderer has been captured until today and that he spent all his life securing a status of respect for Muhajirs in Pakistan.“Will sacrifice my life but will not compromise on fighting for the oppressed people including Muhajirs”, he said.Altaf Hussain said that he is going to fulfill his promise through the hunger strike. He said all the authorities will be with the Raabta Committee after his death, adding that it is his will to the Raabta Committee that the martyrs of the movement be remembered.

Yemen rebel fire kills civilians as Aden battle rages

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ADEN (AFP) - At least 43 civilians were killed on Sunday when Shiite rebels bombarded Yemens second city Aden, where Saudi-backed pro-government forces have made gains against the insurgents, a health official said.More than 100 were wounded when the Dar Saad neighbourhood in the north of the port city was targeted, local health chief Al-Khader Laswar said.Pro-government forces sought to tighten their control of Aden as the Iran-backed rebels resisted in some districts two days after the regime declared the city liberated.Backed by air support from Saudi-led warplanes and troops freshly trained in the kingdom, forces loyal to exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi have managed to wrest back control of most of Aden.Two ministers from the exiled government returned to the southern city this weekend, shortly after Prime Minister Khaled Bahah heralded its liberation four months after the Huthi rebels entered it.On Sunday, fighters from the pro-Hadi Popular Resistance advanced towards the rebel-held district of Al-Tawahi, a military source said.Adens presidential residence is in the district, where Hadi took refuge after escaping house arrest under the rebels in Sanaa in February, before then being forced to flee for Saudi Arabia.Swathes of Aden have been reduced to rubble by ferocious fighting.Warplanes from a Saudi-led Arab coalition have pressed an air campaign launched in March in support of Hadi and against the Huthis and renegade troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.Since late Saturday, around 15 air strikes targeted rebel positions in Al-Tawahi and on the northern outskirts of the city where the rebels had brought in reinforcements, military sources and witnesses said.There was also fighting in the Crater district where some rebels remain holed up, according to pro-Hadi fighters.Nine rebels were killed in a raid on Khormaksar neighbourhood, witnesses said.- Operation Golden Arrow -The interior and transportation ministers headed a delegation from the exiled government that landed in Aden on Friday night. They took part in a meeting on Saturday aimed at securing the city.The government-run news agency said the meeting looked into reopening the airport and the port to allow the flow of much-needed aid, as well as the restoration of electricity and water services.Loyalist forces took the airport shortly after a Tuesday assault dubbed Operation Golden Arrow began.Some displaced residents have returned to assess the damage to their houses and neighbourhoods.There is no life No hospitals, no electricity, nor water. If it was not for the two wells of the neighbourhood, people would have died of thirst, said Crater resident Moatez al-Mayssuri.A rebel spokesman dismissed the governments claims on Saturday that it now controlled Aden as psychological warfare and an attempt to improve the crushed morale of loyalist fighters.On Sunday, the spokesman for the Huthis Ansarullah movement Mohammed Abdulsalam said the rebels had regained the lead and repelled several attacks by the mercenaries.The rebels, meanwhile, also targeted Saudi positions across the northern border in Najran and Jizan, according to the rebel-controlled Saba news agency which cited a military source.Elsewhere, firefighters managed to extinguish a huge blaze at a gas depot southwest of Taez in central yemen after it was shelled by rebels, according to the government-run news agency.The United Nations has declared Yemen a level-3 humanitarian emergency, the highest on its scale.After weeks of shuttle diplomacy between the two sides, it announced a humanitarian truce last weekend to allow the delivery of desperately needed relief supplies, but the ceasefire failed to take hold.More than 21.1 million people -- over 80 percent of Yemens population -- need aid, with 13 million facing food shortages.More than 3,200 people have been killed in the fighting -- many of them civilians, the UN says.

US lawmakers sent Iran deal, triggering 60-day review

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US State Department on Sunday officially transferred to American lawmakers the complex text of an Iran nuclear deal, firing the starting gun on what is set to be a bitter Congress battle.Top US administration officials are girding for a huge fight with the Republican-controled Congress, which, while it cannot modify the terms of the historic deal, can vote to approve or disapprove the accord.Day One of the 60-day review period begins tomorrow, Monday, July 20, State Department spokesman John Kirby said, after revealing the bureau had transmitted to Congress the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, its annexes and related materials.Under the July 14 agreement, Iran has agreed to dismantle or mothball much of its nuclear industry in return for an easing and eventual lifting of biting economic sanctions.But critics, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, say it still gives the Islamic republic ample chance to cheat, and find a covert way to arm itself with a nuclear bomb.This regime has just received the dream deal, Netanyahu said on CBSs Face the Nation on Sunday.The deal, hammered out with Tehran and six world powers over almost two years, may block or delay Irans path to one or two bombs for the next few years, assuming they dont cheat, but paves their way to many, many bombs after a decade or so, he added.He insisted on ABCs This Week that it was a bad deal and said he would tell visiting US Defense Secretary Ash Carter that Washington and the other powers should hold out for a better deal.In duelling appearances with Netanyahu on the Sunday morning US talk shows, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz defended the accord which they helped negotiate.Wed love to see the Congress listen carefully, Kerry said on CBS, as he prepares to face a Senate panel on Thursday.Were going to do our utmost to persuade people, he added, insisting that this deal will stand ultimately on the fact that theres unprecedented inspection, unprecedented access, unprecedented restraint in their program, which theyve agreed to.And Kerry warned on CNNs State of the Nation that the real fear of the Middle East should be that you dont have the deal.If Congress doesnt pass this, if Congress were to kill this, then we have no inspections, we have no sanctions, we have no ability to negotiate.

Cricket: England 64-5 against Australia

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LONDON (AFP) - England collapsed to 64 for five, needing a further 445 runs to reach their victory target of 509, against Australia at tea on the fourth day of the second Ashes Test at Lords on Sunday.Joe Root was five not out and Jos Buttler 11 not out.No side have made more in the fourth innings to win a Test than the West Indies 418 for seven against Australia at St Johns in 2003.England lead the five-match series 1-0 after their 169-run win in the first Test in Cardiff last week.

In bastion, Mexico kingpin seen as benevolent bandit

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BADIRAGUATO (AFP) - The lush Mexican mountain stronghold of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman is dotted with hamlets where poor farmers live in humble homes, scrape by on crops and lionize the fugitive drug kingpin.One week after Guzman escaped prison again, his legend has grown in his home region in northwestern Sinaloa state, where he is revered as a benevolent bandit despite his drug cartels murderous record.US authorities have intelligence suggesting Guzman is already in the region, the safest place for him because of the support he enjoys, an American security official told AFP.In Badiraguato, the municipality that encompasses villages where some of Mexicos most infamous drug lords were born, residents hope Guzman will revive the economy.They say the Sinaloa drug cartel boss employed farmers, sent food to nursing homes and gave toys to children at Christmas before his February 2014 capture.People are happy because he helps a lot, said Gerardo Avila, 22, eating a watermelon under scorching heat in front of his small clothing shop near Badiraguatos town hall.He gives money. He creates jobs. He helps more than presidents, Avila said. What kind of jobs? Working on the hills, cutting trees.Erica, a 40-year-old with a candy cart in front of the church, said people believe Guzman has been good to the community.When Guzman is out of prison, people work, theres movement, but up there, said Erica, lifting her chin toward the mountains.But Guzmans business, of course, is not logging. Farmers grow marijuana and opium poppies high on the hills.It has been a necessary evil, said Enrique Amarillas, 50, head of a local civic association, complaining that the government has not created the conditions to combat poverty.Mayor Mario Valenzuela estimated that more than 50 percent of farmers grow drugs.Unfortunately opium poppies, marijuana are still produced in Badiraguato. But I insist, its not the only economic activity, Valenzuela told AFP.They produce marijuana to survive, he said. The business is for people like Chapo Guzman, those who distribute.- Chapos mom - While Badiraguato boasts an elaborate arch welcoming visitors, paved roads and a wooden suspension bridge over a river, its surrounding villages are less fortunate.The municipality is the second poorest among 18 in the state, with one-fifth of its population of 32,600 living in extreme poverty, according to government figures.Badiraguatos domain includes hamlets perched between thick forests. They lack running water and are only accessible with all-terrain vehicles.One village is La Tuna, where Guzman was born in 1957 and his 86-year-old mother lives in a large house built by her son.Shes 100 percent dedicated to her ranch and her apostolical faith. People respect her, not because shes the mother of Chapo Guzman, but because she earns it, Valenzuela said.The region produced other veteran drug capos, including Rafael Caro Quintero.Caro Quintero was freed over a legal technicality in 2013 after serving 28 years of a 40-year sentence for the murder of a US undercover agent in 1985.Badiraguatos mayor said marines swarmed villages last year and last month in failed attempts to rearrest him.Another capo, Don Neto Fonseca, built a marble tomb with four columns resembling a Greek pantheon on top of a hill for the day he dies. He is languishing in prison.Below the mausoleum, villagers live in small homes, raising chickens and shopping in a subsidized food store.There are no criminals here. Just work. No wealth, said Martin Medina, 44, sitting on a porch alongside four other farmers, as chickens clucked nearby.The US security official said Guzman is believed to be somewhere in the Golden Triangle, a remote drug-running region that includes the states of Sinaloa, Durango and Chihuahua.Its his stomping grounds, people love him there, the official said on condition of anonymity.The official said the best chance of catching Guzman would be for federal forces to flood the area.While Badiraguatos mayor said there were more troops in town, no major movements of federal forces or checkpoints were seen on long stretches of winding roads and dirt paths when an AFP reporter visited the region on Friday.- Normal work -Guzman, 58, has eluded a massive nationwide manhunt since his July 11 escape through a tunnel under his maximum-security prison cell near Mexico City.Last year, marines captured him in the Sinaloa coastal resort of Mazatlan after he fled the state capital, Culiacan, through an escape tunnel in one of his houses.Support for him runs strong in Culiacan. A cross illuminated by four lights sits in a parking lot where one of his 10 children was gunned down in 2008.Sales went down by 50 percent after they captured Guzman, said the owner of a garage in front of the cross. Whether were right or wrong, he brings a lot of work.But not everybody is a fan.Back in Badiraguato, a 12-year-old boy working in a stall that sells kitchenware in the plaza said he considers Guzman a criminal.Does he want to be like El Chapo when he grows up? No, I dont want to be like him. I want to do normal work, right here.

N.Korean polls see 99.97 percent participation: state media

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SEOUL (AFP) - Local elections in North Korea saw a massive 99.97 percent voter participation rate on Sunday, state media reported.The state-controlled polls were held to elect new representatives put forward by the ruling party for assemblies at provincial, city and county levels.All participants took part in the elections with extraordinary enthusiasm to cement the revolutionary power through the elections of deputies to the local peoples assemblies, Pyongyangs official Korean Central News Agency said.Only those who were out of the country were unable to vote, KCNA said, with the elderly and ill casting their votes into mobile ballot boxes.Typically, 99 percent of North Korean voters in the de facto single-party state take part in elections and 99 percent of them cast yes votes for uncontested candidates.In 2011, 28,116 representatives were elected as deputies to local assemblies with not a single vote of opposition to the candidates.During each four-year term, the local assemblies convene once or twice a year to approve budgets and endorse leaders appointed by the ruling party.North Korea, which the Kim dynasty has ruled with an iron fist for more than six decades, held elections to its rubber-stamp parliament last year.Such elections have in the past been an opportunity to see if any established names are absent.South Korean intelligence officials say dozens of senior North Korean officials have been purged since Kim Jong-Un took power following the death of his father Kim Jong-Il in December 2011.His most high-profile purge to date has been that of his once powerful uncle Jang Song-Thaek, who was condemned as factionalist scum following his execution in 2013.Kim also replaced his defence minister in April.

We should remember our brothers in army on Eid: Hamza Shahbaz

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday said “we should remember our brothers in army who are away from their houses even on the occasion of Eid defending their country, Dunya News reported.Talking to the media outside Children Hospital in Lahore after distributing presents among the children, Hamza Shahbaz said that the army men must be remembered on this occasion that spend even a festive day like Eid on the frontlines.He said we will fight terrorists so that Pakistan can be freed from terrorism forever. He said that stopping Kala Bagh Dam from being built is a major injustice to Pakistan, adding that the dam should not be politicked on.

Banks to reopen, taxes hiked as Greece prepares to reboot economy

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ATHENS (AFP) - Greece prepared Sunday to restart its struggling economy with a revamped government, a bank reboot and a new round of tax hikes agreed after months of fraught confrontation with its creditors.Banks are set to reopen Monday after a three-week shutdown estimated to have cost the economy some 3.0 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in market shortages and export disruption.Crisis-hit Greeks will also have to endure widespread price hikes with a broad batch of goods and services -- from sugar and cocoa to condoms, taxis and funerals -- now taxed at 23 percent, up from 13 percent.To sweeten the pill, the tax on medicines, books and newspapers falls from 6.5 percent to 6.0 percent.With Greeks now able to withdraw up to 420 euros at once per week, people will be spared the ordeal of queuing daily at ATMs in the summer heat, which thousands did for three weeks for a mere allowance of 60 euros per day.But capital controls remain largely in place, including a block on money transfers to foreign banks and a ban on the opening of new accounts.Greece last week had to agree to a tough fiscal package to earn a three-year bailout from its international creditors and avoid crashing out of the eurozone.For the first time in months, technical teams representing the creditors -- the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund -- are expected in Athens next week to assess the state of the economy.The austerity package caused a mutiny among lawmakers of the ruling radical Syriza party, forcing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to carry out a limited reshuffle on Friday.Even so, most analysts and even government officials say early elections are now inevitable, and are likely to be held in September.Tsipras -- who barely has time to eat or sleep, according to his mother -- faces a fresh challenge in parliament on Wednesday to approve a second wave of reforms tied to its economic rescue.- Crash test -Pro-government newspaper Avgi on Sunday said the vote would be a crash test that could even result in the prime ministers resignation.If there are new losses, in whatever form, (Tsipras) will hand back his mandate, the daily said.Tsipras coalition holds 162 seats in parliament, but in last Wednesdays vote, only 123 government MPs backed the bailout -- just over the minimum 120 required to sustain a minority government.Nearly a quarter of Syrizas lawmakers -- 39 out of 149 -- failed to support the reforms bill, which passed thanks to solid support from opposition parties.The leftist government has agreed to raise taxes, overhaul its ailing pension system and commit to privatisations it had previously opposed, in exchange for a bailout of up to 86 billion euros ($94 billion) over the next three years.The draconian agreement -- accepted by a party that came to power in January promising to end austerity -- came after over 61 percent of Greeks on July 5 rejected further cuts in a referendum called by Tsipras himself.The prime ministers critics accuse him of kowtowing to blackmail by Greeces creditors, who had threatened to expel the country from the euro.The commission is prepared for everything... We have a Grexit scenario, prepared in detail, European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker had warned on July 8.The Kathimerini newspaper on Sunday said the Grexit plan, which also entailed Greeces expulsion from the Schengen Treaty, had been secretly prepared in less than a month by a 15-member European Commission team.French Finance Minister Michel Sapin on Sunday insisted that the real humiliation would have been for Greece to have been kicked out of the euro.There was a real confidence problem... now this confidence is being restored, Sapin told the To Vima weekly.The Greek crisis exposed a rift between the eurozones top powers, Germany and France, on how far to apply austerity to meet fiscal goals.French President Francois Hollande on Sunday called for the euros governance to be strengthened, calling for the addition of a specific budget and a parliament to ensure democratic control.Commentators say the lack of centralised governance over national fiscal policies -- a jealously-guarded sovereignty area for member governments -- is a major flaw in the single European currency.Greece is also scheduled Monday to repay 4.2 billion euros to the European Central Bank (ECB).For this purpose, the EU on Friday approved a short-term loan of 7.16 billion euros, which will also enable Athens to repay debts to the International Monetary Fund outstanding since June.
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