Thursday 15 October 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Obama, Erdogan vow to step up Islamic State fight

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday vowed to step up the fight against the Islamic State group and strengthen Syrias moderate opposition.Speaking by telephone in the wake of Saturdays bomb attack in Ankara that killed 99 people, and weeks before Obama travels to Turkey for a G20 summit, they discussed sometimes difficult cooperation on countering Islamic State in Syria.Both countries have vowed to fight the extremists, but Turkish air strikes have largely focused on targeting Kurdish militia group the PKK.Obama and Erdogan stressed the urgent need for an end to PKK attacks in Turkey, the White House said, while Obama offered condolences as well as US solidarity in the face of the security threats Turkey faces.The two leaders reaffirmed their shared goal of stepping up military pressure on ISIL (Islamic State) and strengthening moderate opposition elements in Syria to create conditions for a negotiated solution to the conflict, including a political transition.Those efforts in Syria have been complicated by Russia and Irans support for President Bashar al-Assad and Moscows aerial bombardments of his foes, many of whom are not linked to Islamic State.

Venezuela opposition figure arrested on return from exile

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MARACAIBO (AFP) - Venezuelan opposition politician Manuel Rosales, who fled into exile after authorities charged him with corruption in 2009, was arrested Thursday as he returned ahead of key legislative elections.Rosales, a former governor who lost the 2006 presidential election to late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, flew in from Aruba just as Venezuela gears up for the December 6 vote.Prosecutors said the 62-year-old, founder of center-right party A New Era (UNT), was arrested soon after arrival at the international airport in Maracaibo, the capital of the western state of Zulia, his home region.A heavy contingent of troops from Venezuelas Bolivarian National Guard and officers of the intelligence service had been awaiting him.This deployment for my arrival ought to be made to fight crime and insecurity. We will do that in peace. We are going to claim our due on December 6, Rosales said in a video posted on streaming service Periscope shortly after his arrival.Journalists were blocked from filming the area as he was arrested.Rosales had announced plans to return last Friday, leading the attorney generals office to warn he would be detained on charges of stealing public money as Zulia governor between 2000 and 2008.He had been in exile in Peru, which granted him asylum on humanitarian grounds after he fled Venezuela -- though some reports indicated he had since gone to Panama.Rosales, who was for years considered Chavezs chief opponent, denies the charges against him and insists they are politically motivated.He went into hiding in March 2009, ahead of a court hearing to decide whether to jail him pending trial. He was Maracaibo mayor at the time.Five months earlier, Chavez had accused Rosales of trying to assassinate him and vowed to put him behind bars.Earlier this year, Rosales was officially barred from running in the upcoming elections, but he vowed to return to help build our victory on December 6.Chavezs movement risks losing the legislative polls for the first time since the late leader came to power in 1999.His successor, President Nicolas Maduro, has struggled to rein in violent crime, end crippling shortages and right the ailing oil giants recession-racked economy.But the opposition is divided between a radical wing led by figures like jailed ex-mayor Leopoldo Lopez and a more moderate faction led by 2013 presidential candidate Henrique Capriles.

Jerusalem: Kerry warns Abbas against inciting violence

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday warned Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas not to incite violence against Israelis, amid mounting unrest in Jerusalem.Since the recent spate of violence began the United States has repeatedly urged both sides to show restraint, but Kerrys remarks were the first aimed explicitly at Abbas.Theres no excuse for the violence, Kerry told NPR News, which released extracts of a radio interview due to air on Friday as the US diplomatic chief flies to Europe.No amount of frustration is appropriate to license any violence anywhere at any time. No violence should occur. And the Palestinians need to understand, he argued.President Abbas has been committed to non-violence. He needs to be condemning this, loudly and clearly, he said.And he needs to not engage in some of the incitement that his voice has sometimes been heard to encourage. So that has to stop.Jerusalem is in the grip of a two-week upsurge in violence that has seen several Israeli civilians stabbed to death and several Palestinians killed by security forces.Abbas has not openly endorsed the attacks but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused him of inciting violence by calling for protests against Israel.Kerry said he plans to travel to the region in the coming days, amid reports that a meeting could be arranged between Netanyahu and Abbas in Jordan.

Dozens killed as suicide bombers hit NE Nigeria mosque: witnesses

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MAIDUGURI (AFP) - Dozens of worshippers were killed Thursday when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a mosque in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, witnesses said.All the people in the mosque died. Not a single one escaped, said Muhtari Ahmadu, a trader near the scene.We counted 42 dead bodies outside the mosque, added Amadu Marte, a vigilante supporting the security forces in the fight against the Islamist Boko Haram group, which has carried out repeated attacks in the region.Borno state police confirmed that the mosque was hit by twin bombings but gave a lower toll of about 14 dead.Following the explosions, the mosque collapsed and injured many people praying, the police said in a statement.Casualties have been evacuated to UMTH (University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital) and specialist hospitals in Maiduguri, it added.The bombers slipped into the mosque disguised as worshippers, witnesses said.One of the attackers set off the first blast when he entered the mosque, they said. The second bomber detonated his explosives soon after, when many had rushed to the scene to help the first victims.When rescuers and sympathizers gathered in front of the place, the second one went off, killing many of them, Marte said.The blasts occurred around 6:30pm (1730 GMT) in Molai, in the western suburbs of Maiduguri, where worshippers had gathered for evening prayers, the witnesses said.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but suspicion fell on Boko Haram, which was founded in Bornos state capital Maiduguri in 2009.The city has been hit repeatedly since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power on May 29 with a vow to crush the insurgency.Boko Haram claimed responsibility for three suicide attacks in the satellite towns of Kuje and Nyanya outside Nigerias capital Abuja on October 2, which killed a total of 18 people and injured 41.Nigerias military claims the Islamist militants are a spent force and that troops have driven them from their camps and occupied territory in the remote region.But guerrilla-style attacks have continued, including across the border. At the weekend, 41 people were killed in triple explosions in Baga Sola, on the Chadian side of Lake Chad, where Nigeria meets Niger, Chad and Cameroon.The four countries have launched a joint offensive against the terrorists.Their mission received a boost on Wednesday when US President Barack Obama said he was deploying up to 300 military personnel to Cameroon for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations against Boko Haram insurgents.At least 17,000 people have been killed and more than 2.5 million made homeless since Boko Haram began its bloody campaign for an Islamic state in northeast Nigeria.

Tennis: Magical Djokovic casts spell over Shanghai

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SHANGHAI (AFP) - World number one Novak Djokovic sped into the Shanghai Masters quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Feliciano Lopez in just 71 minutes as he continued his magical run in China on Thursday.As Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga toiled, the unstoppable Serb dominated Spains Lopez as he brought up his 14th win in a row including an unbroken sequence of 16 straight sets.Rafael Nadals recent resurgence, meanwhile, gathered pace when he beat Milos Raonic 6-3, 7-6 (7/6) to set up a quarter-final with Kevin Anderson, who ousted Japans Kei Nishikori 7-6 (12/10), 7-6 (7/3).Tomas Berdych dispatched Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-3, and French Open champion Stan Wawrinka won an almighty tussle with Marin Cilic 7-5, 6-7 (7/9), 6-4.Djokovic had no such trouble against Lopez, breaking for 3-1 in the second set with a magical backhand lob as he remained in the form that took him to his sixth China Open title last week.There is no secret. I guess it depends how do you feel on a given day, depends how well your opponent is playing, how well youre playing. Its a combination of things, said the two-time Shanghai champion. You cant just expect to win all the time very comfortably, but Ive been doing so for the last week-and-a-half. Obviously its giving me more confidence. Any time I come back to the court, I feel good and I start off well.Djokovics current unbeaten run dates back to the Cincinnati Masters final in August and with his win in Beijing, he became the first man to top $15 million (13.1 million euros) in prize money in a single year.He said there was still room for improvement despite putting together what he calls his best season yet, after winning three out of four Grand Slam finals to reach a career total of 10.I think its a combination of... maintaining the high level, the performance, the tennis I have right now, and also working on certain parts of the game that I think can be improved, he said.I was brought up that way and thought to always look for some room for improvement. I still believe there are shots in my game that can be better. I think thats one of the things that keeps me going. It motivates me to play more.Earlier Andy Murray squeezed past John Isner and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was also pushed all the way before ending the giant-killing run of Spanish qualifier Albert Ramos-Vinolas.Murray lost the first set on a tiebreak and he snapped at the umpire as his frustrations rose in the second set, before he finally broke the big-serving Isner and levelled the match at a set each.The world number two broke again for 4-3 in the decider and he left the American number one on his backside as he fended off break points in his next service game, before going on to take it 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-4.Obviously its tough to maintain your patience and not get a bit frustrated when you do get the chances and, you know, he serves an ace, Murray said.There were like 13 break points. I would imagine he served an ace on at least half of those. He served very well when he was behind.Seventieth-ranked Ramos-Vinolas came through qualifying before he stunned defending champion Roger Federer in the second round -- but Tsonga proved a match too far.However, the 27-year-old Spaniard gave the mercurial Frenchman a massive scare when he took the first set before going down fighting 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-4 in two hours and 45 minutes.

Tennis: Venus Williams eases through to Hong Kong quarters

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HONG KONG (AFP) - Seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams eased through to the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open Thursday, dazzling Chinas Wang Yafan.Wang, 21, struggled to get into the match and Williams strode to a 6-0, 6-2 victory.I had only seen Williams before on TV, said Wang through a translator. I was nervous of playing someone so well-known and that meant I didnt play very well.Williams, 35, encouraged the young player, saying she had been spirited in the second set.Shes young, shes in the top 150 which is already a good result.Williams will face French eighth seed Alize Cornet in her quarter-final.The American has had a resurgent season and is fighting for a place in the eight-player WTA Finals in Singapore later this month, with Hong Kong her last chance to get the points she needs.She is currently 11th in the Road to Singapore rankings.Im definitely much happier with this kind of result... Im in the next round, said Williams of the match against Wang.Williams had to battle to a three-set victory over unseeded Yuliya Beygelzimer in her first-round match earlier this week.Cornet, meanwhile, beat Kazakhstans Yaroslava Shvedova in three sets in her second-round match Thursday.Caroline Garcia of France breezed into the quarters after a 6-0, 6-2 win against Anastasiya Komardina.She will meet world number 10 Angelique Kerber of Germany who beat Japans Kurumi Nara 6-2, 6-2 in her second-round match Thursday.The other quarter-finals see former world number one Jelena Jankovic meet Russias sixth seed Daria Gavrilova and Britains Heather Watson play fifth seed Australian Samantha Stosur.

Football: Santos seek six-month ban for Neymar

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SAO PAULO (AFP) - Brazilian club Santos demanded a six-month suspension for superstar striker Neymar on Thursday, claiming he breached transfer conditions when he moved to Barcelona in 2013.GloboEsporte also reported that Santos are seeking 57 million euros ($64.8m) in compensation from the 23-year-old Brazilian.The player should be punished with a suspension of six months from any official match, Santos demanded in their request to FIFA, the website reported.The player should also forfeit all benefits, directly or indirectly, received as part of the transfer.GloboEsporte added that Santos are claiming Neymar acted in bad faith and violated the disciplinary code of world governing body FIFA when he moved to Spain.Brazil captain Neymar has been embroiled in controversy in recent weeks.In September, a Brazilian court froze $47 million (42 million euros) in assets belonging to the player over tax evasion allegations.On the pitch, he was suspended for this weeks World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Venezuela after being given a four-match ban for being sent off at this years Copa America tournament.

Boxing: Rabii makes history with world gold

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DOHA (AFP) - Moroccan welterweight Mohammed Rabii capped the perfect end to a season by claiming gold in front of a packed house, including Wladimir and Vitali Kitschko, on the final night of the world championships in Doha on Thursday.Rabii, who was also named the World Series of Boxings boxer of the year earlier in the week, outpunched Kazakhstans Daniyar Yeleussinov to become world 69kg champion and the first Arab boxer to take gold in the history of the championships.It also meant he kept his astonishing unbeaten record for the whole season. The ecstatic 22-year-old promptly set-off on a spontaneous lap of honour at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena in Doha, to the delight of the huge number of Moroccans in the crowd.In probably the fight of the night, Irelands Joseph Ward slugged it out with Cubas Julio La Cruz in the light heavyweight division (81kg).Cruz was the strong favourite going into the bout.He was named the AIBA Boxer of the year for 2015 and also this year a winner in the Pan American Games and the World Series of Boxing.The improving Ward, ranked number five in the world, was hoping to emulate compatriot Michael Conlan who became the first Irishman to claim world championship goal the previous evening.Ward went on the attack almost immediately and several times in the first round hurt his opponent with good shots.Gradually though, the classy La Cruz exerted more pressure, picking off Ward repeatedly with his right hand. In the final minute, the two went punch for punch, with the Irishman desperate to land a knockout to claim the title.But even a cut above the Cubans right eye could not stop him claiming the third World Championship gold of his career.He received his gold from the Klitschko brothers, the latest A-list boxers to attend the AIBA event following the appearance of Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan earlier in the tournament.Frenchman Tony Yoka, who revealed earlier this week that his father told him when he was just 10-years-old he would win gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016, pulled off a major shock to win gold in the Super Heavyweight division (91kg) Yoka, 23, narrowly outpointed Kazakhstans Ivan Dychko in a close fight, a reward for his positive approach.Dychko was the number one ranked boxer in the division but the young Parisian proved too much for him and the judges were unanimous in their verdict, scoring it 3-0 in his favour.Yoka now targets Olympic gold in Rio in 2016.I think I can do it (win the gold). I always think I can win. I know that I have the talent to do it but now I think I have a big chance to be gold medallist in Rio, he said.Azerbaijans Elvin Mamashzada upset the seeding to claim gold in the flyweight (52kg) division.Mamashzada, the number two seed, outpoured his Cuban opponent, top-seeded Yosbant Veitia over three bruising rounds.The Cubans exacted some revenge in the next title decider when Lazaro Alvarez beat Azerbaijans Albert Selimov to claim the Lightweight crown (60kg).The Yoka fight ended 10 days of competition which AIBA president Ching Kuo-Wu claimed had been a huge step for the global development of boxing.

Pistorius to be released on parole next Tuesday

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PRETORIA (AFP) - Oscar Pistorius will be released on parole next week after serving one year of a five-year term for killing his girlfriend, officials said Thursday, with the Paralympian star likely to be put under strict house arrest.Lawyers for Pistorius had argued he should have been allowed out in August after serving a sixth of his sentence for killing model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp on Valentines Day 2013.But he remained behind bars after Justice Minister Michael Masutha made a last-minute intervention and the case was referred for review.Steenkamps parents say Pistorius killed their daughter on purpose and have contested any parole.They are not surprised at all -- it was expected, Tania Koen, a lawyer acting on behalf of Steenkamp family, told AFP after speaking to June and Barry Steenkamp on Thursday.But it doesnt change anything in their lives. Their daughter is still not coming back.Whether Pistorius is incarcerated or released on parole, their daughter is still gone.After meeting last week, the parole board said it wanted to consult with Steenkamps family over Pistoriuss possible release.An official statement from the department of correctional services said the parole board approved the placement of offender Oscar Pistorius under correctional supervision from Tuesday.The parole board considered all submissions, including the offenders profile report, the directives of the Parole Review Board and the submission of the victims family.It gave no details about Pistorius parole conditions except that they included continued psychotherapy and firearms restrictions.Legal experts said the decision entailed house arrest, with severe restrictions on his movement. He may have to wear a tracking tag and report regularly to a local police station.Pistoriuss family had accused officials of bowing to political and media hype in denying him parole.I do think correctional services have probably considered how unfairly he has been treated. He should have been released on August 21, Brian Webber, a lawyer representing Pistorius, told AFP last week.In a trial that made headlines around the world, Pistorius, now 28, was jailed last year for killing Steenkamp.He was found guilty of culpable homicide -- a charge equivalent to manslaughter -- after saying he shot her through a locked bathroom door because he mistook her for an intruder.After his release, Pistorius will face a further test on November 3 when prosecutors appeal to South Africas Supreme Court for a murder conviction and a tougher sentence.Once a poster boy for Paralympic sport, Pistorius, known as the Blade Runner for the prosthetic legs he wore on the track, rose to global fame when he raced against able-bodied competitors in the 2012 London Olympics.But the trial revealed the world-famous athlete to have a volatile personality and a penchant for guns.He was accused of firing a gun through the sunroof of an ex-girlfriends moving car in 2011 and, weeks before he shot Steenkamp, he accidentally discharged a gun at a Johannesburg restaurant.Pistorius, who sold his houses to pay legal bills, has lost his lucrative sponsorship contracts and has no immediate hope of salvaging his athletic career whatever the outcome of the appeal.He may serve his house arrest at his wealthy uncles house -- a mansion in a upmarket Pretoria suburb -- though he could also request to stay in a different location to try to evade the glare of the media.A middle child whose parents divorced when he was six, Pistorius has a problematic relationship with his father, Henke, but is close to his siblings who were at his side in court.His mother died when he was 15 and the date of her death is tattooed on his arm.In a bizarre twist this week, two South African men who rent the house where Pistorius shot dead Steenkamp appeared in a video showing off the bathroom where the crime took place.

Major websites go down in simultaneous crashes

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SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Dozens of major websites including Netflix, Uber and the BBC went down simultaneously on Thursday in some areas of the United States, but were soon back up again in most cases.The cause of the crashes remained unclear, but in some of the cases could have been connected to trouble at a cloud service relied on by companies.Were aware that members are experiencing issues streaming on all devices, streaming television service Netflix said in a tweet at its customer service Twitter account.Were working to resolve the problem.Netflix spokesman Joris Evers told AFP that the outage was the result of technical issues at an UltraDNS cloud service provided by Neustar and affected mostly US subscribers.UltraDNS is working to address the issue, Evers said. We apologize for the inconvenience.Neustar confirmed in a tweet that there was an issue with its UltraDNS and that getting service back to its customers was top priority.Internet trouble tracker CurrentlyDown.com displayed a list of two dozen websites that were or had been out of service during the day.The list also included Ameritrade and The Economist.It was unclear whether all those affected relied on UltraDNS.The outages sparked chatter at Twitter and other social networks.

EU, Turkey strike migrant deal as Afghan shot dead

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BRUSSELS (AFP) - The EU and Turkey reached a deal on Thursday to stem the flow of refugees, as an Afghan migrant was shot dead at the Bulgarian-Turkish border in a dangerous new turn in the crisis.The death, believed to be the first of its kind during the crisis, forced Bulgarias premier to fly home from a summit of European leaders in Brussels where the agreement with Turkey was announced.Under the plan, Turkey agreed to tackle people-smugglers and take measures to keep more of the millions of refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict from crossing by sea to Europe.In exchange, European leaders agreed to give Ankara more funds to tackle the problem and to speed up work to ease visa restrictions on Turkish citizens travelling to Europe.European Council President Donald Tusk said the deal was a major step forward but added that an agreement with Turkey only makes sense if it effectively contains the flow of refugees.Turkey is the main departure point for the more than 600,000 migrants who have entered Europe this year, most of them making the short but dangerous sea crossing to the Greek islands, but some also coming by land.Tusk said Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov told him about the Turkish border shooting just before he left the summit, adding: It shows how important our discussion was. Prime Minister Borisov is aware that we are ready to help.Bulgaria shootingBulgaria, which last month started deploying 1,000 troops on the Turkish border, said the Afghan was shot in an incident as a large group of migrants tried to cross the frontier.One man suffered a gunshot wound in the incident and died on the way to hospital, an interior ministry spokeswoman told AFP.The crisis has already claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people this year who have drowned while making the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean as they flee conflict and repression in the Middle East and elsewhere.Seven more migrants, four of them children, drowned on Thursday after their boat collided with a Greek rescue vessel near the island of Lesbos.The Turkish deal came after European Commission officials visited Turkey on Thursday in a last-ditch effort to persuade the government to sign up to the plan, following a visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Brussels last week.Turkish officials presented their EU counterparts with a wish list during the talks in Ankara on Thursday, which European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker later talked the leaders through at their summit in Brussels.The demands included three billion euros ($3.4 billion) in new aid, easing visa restrictions, opening new chapters in Turkeys long-stalled accession negotiations for EU membership, being included on the list of safe countries for asylum and to have more Turkey-EU summits, an EU source said.Juncker told AFP that there was no concrete amount of money in the final deal and the figures would have to be negotiated.No visas, no dealJuncker added that Turkey would not get a free ride when it came to the easing of visa rules, and there would be a clear link between its commitments to helping manage the migrant crisis and progress on its EU membership.We have agreed with our Turkish partners that the visa liberalisation process will be accelerated but this does not mean that we will step away from the basic criteria, he said.Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had stressed there would be no agreement without a visa deal.We will not sign a re-admission deal before we obtain progress on the question of Schengen visas (to the EUs passport-free area) and an easing of conditions for visas for Turkish citizens, Davutoglu told Turkish TGRT television in an interview.French President Francois Hollande said there had to be clear rules on what Turkey could expect, playing down Ankaras demands for the easing of visa rules.The 28-nation European Union has been left more divided than ever by the migration crisis, especially given fears the Schengen zone could collapse as countries try to curb the huge numbers of migrants criss-crossing the continent.Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has already faced criticism for his hardline stance towards migrants, announced Thursday it had completed construction of a fence along its southern border with Croatia to stem the massive daily influx.Croatia said more than 4,800 people had entered on Wednesday, bringing the overall number of arrivals in the EU member state to nearly 175,000.

Britain's Cameron to unveil EU demands in November

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BRUSSELS (AFP) - British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday said he would unveil his long-awaited EU renegotiation demands early next month, amid growing impatience from his European partners.Cameron will lay out the demands in a letter to EU president Donald Tusk in November, ahead of a major discussion on his plans with fellow European leaders in December.Speaking after talks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels, Cameron said the negotiations ahead of a referendum that he has promised by the end of 2017 were going well.The pace will now quicken and I will be again setting out the four vital areas where we need change, laying down what those changes will be at the start of November, Cameron told reporters.So we quicken the pace and quicken those negotiations in the run-up to the December council.He added: I am confident we can get a good deal for Britain, we can fix those things that need to be fixed, and I am confident this process is getting well under way and making good progress.So far Cameron has only said the demands will cover four general areas: an opt-out from the blocs drive for an ever-closer union; economic competitiveness; protecting countries that are not in the euro; and curbing welfare for EU migrants to Britain.A British official said Cameron would unveil the plans in a letter he will send in early November to Tusk, the head of the European Council who was hosting a summit attended by the prime minister and the other 27 EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday.It will lay down the changes we want to see, the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.The letter to Tusk would be made public, another official told AFP.We need clarityCameron also discussed his demands during Thursdays summit. He briefly told the leaders of his plans but there was no further engagement by his colleagues, an EU source said.Tusk told a press conference after the summit that he briefed EU leaders on the discussions he had with Britain over the last few months.We welcomed Prime Minister Camerons commitment to set out the UKs specific concerns in writing by early November, Tusk said.Standing with Tusk, Juncker said the pair had had a polite, constructive meeting with Cameron.There has been increasing frustration at Camerons refusal to spell out exactly what he wants despite the launch of technical talks with the EU in June.EU diplomats said this week that if Cameron did set out his stall by early November, the discussion would have to be pushed back from the December summit until March.We need clarity on what were going to be discussing over the next few months, European Parliament President Martin Schulz said on Thursday.Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said EU leaders had repeatedly asked for more details so that negotiations could start, adding: I still do not know what Mr Cameron wants and hopes for.Juncker said on Wednesday that it takes two to tango and urged Britain to make its plans clear.Cameron has still not set a date for the referendum. One European official said he expected it in October 2016.The prime minister has reportedly been unwilling to set out his demands too early in case they are savaged by eurosceptics in Britain, while at the same time he has been trying to make sure the goals are achievable in Europe.It has now been two and a half years since the British premier announced his intention to seek reforms of the EU and then hold an in-out referendum on Britains EU membership.

Pluto reveals variety of rich colors, stunning experts

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Pluto contains a rich variety of colors on its surface, according to observations out Thursday from NASAs New Horizons probe that stunned astronomers.The probes first published science results revealed dark red parts at the equator of the dwarf planet to lighter and bluer regions at higher latitudes.Previously experts did not have a clear picture of Plutos colors.I was astonished to see such spectacular surface color and geological diversity, said Silvia Protopapa, an assistant research scientist in astronomy at the University of Maryland and part of the New Horizons surface composition team.A new color image of Pluto published in the journal Science was obtained with the spacecrafts Multi-spectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC).On July 14, New Horizons became the first spacecraft to fly by Pluto, offering scientists an unprecedented view of the dwarf planet.Scientists working on the project have already released most of their observations to the public, but data will continue to pour in for the next year.The data returned so far show a surprisingly wide variety of landforms and terrain ages on Pluto, as well as variations in color, composition and albedo (surface reflectivity), NASA said. Team members also discovered evidence for a water-ice rich crust, multiple haze layers above the surface in Plutos atmosphere, and that Pluto is somewhat larger and a bit more ice rich than expected.

US Ambassador Richard Olson appointed Pak-Afghan Special Representative

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WASHINGTON (Dunya News) – United States (US) Ambassador to Pakistan Richard G. Olson was on Friday appointed as a Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan. Olson’s appointment was announced in a statement by Spokesperson for US State Department. The Spokesperson stated that Olson will take charge of his new designation on 17th of November, the time when his term as Ambassador to Pakistan ends.The Spokesperson stated that Olson will replace Dan Feldman whose term ended on 18th of September. The statement by the Spokesperson said that Ambassador Olson will assure implementation of policies and programs for the growth, development and stability of Pakistan and Afghanistan in support of US national interests.Olson was officially appointed as US Ambassador to Pakistan by US President Barack Obama on July 18th 2012. Olson replaced previous Ambassador Cameron Munter after his resignation. Olson s appointment came as US prepared to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, an action whose effect was felt on the already shaky Pak-Afghan relations. Olson s appointment came as US-Pak diplomatic relations went through a bumpy time. Ambassador Munter, an advocate of reconciliation with Pakistan in the Obama administration, resigned in May 2012 after a stressful tenure which spanned major events like Osama Bin Laden secret assassination in Abbottabad by the US forces, which left Pakistan with a wary feeling for the Obama administration. Munter was frustrated with US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Pentagon leading the policy on Pakistan with him being left to heal the side effects of such an attitude. Tensions also soared during Munter s tenure as a US air raid caused deaths of 24 Pakistani troops which sparked an outcry for apology by the US.Olson s appointment as Ambassador to Pakistan coincided with James B. Cunningham s appointment as US Ambassador to Afghansitan replacing Ryan Crocker.Before being officially designated as Ambassador, Olson s professional profile included his service as the Coordinating Director for Development and Economic Affairs at the US Embassy in Kabul from June 2011 to June 2012. Before this, he was the US Ambassador in UAE from 2008 to 2011. Ambassador Olson career as a Foreign Service officer spans 30 years including his appointments in Saudi Arabia, Brussels, Iraq, Mexico, Uganda, Tunisia and Ethiopia. With an undergraduate degree in law, history and society from Brown University, Olson joined the US State Department in 1982. Olson was also the deputy chief of mission at the United States Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) where his services included State Department operations and in the office of Iraqi Affairs.Olson holds numerous awards to his name in years of service as a Foreign Officer which include Presidential Distinguished Service Award, the State Department’s Superior Honour Award and the Secretary of Defense’s Exceptional Civilian Service Award for his services in Iraq.

Oil prices extend losses as US inventories rise

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices fell for the fourth straight day Thursday as the United States reported an increase in already high crude-oil stockpiles, adding to concerns about the global oversupply.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in November slipped 26 cents to $46.38 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.In London, Brent North Sea crude for November delivery, the global benchmark, fell to $48.71 a barrel, down 44 cents from Wednesdays settlement.The US Department of Energy surprised the market in a report showing that the countrys commercial crude inventories jumped by 7.6 million barrels last week, nearly three times as much as experts had predicted.That brought total stocks to 468.6 million barrels, remaining close to the highest levels for this time of year in at least eight decades.The rise is clearly bearish for oil prices in general and even more so for NYMEX since 1.1 million barrels of the increase were at Cushing, said James Williams at WTRG Economics, referring to the nations largest storage hub for crude oil and the price settlement point for WTI.Andy Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates said that some of the bearishness was tempered by the continued decline in the weekly production figures. Crude oil production fell by 76,000 barrels to 9.17 million barrels per day, erasing the previous weeks gain.The latest US inventory data came amid market concern about the supply glut and a slowing global economy. Oil prices have fallen every day this week as disappointing Chinese and US economic data reinforced those slowdown worries.
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