Wednesday 7 October 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Russia intensifies strikes as Syria army launches offensive

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Russia dramatically escalated its air war in Syria Wednesday, unleashing heavy bombardments and cruise missile strikes from the Caspian Sea as cover for a major Syrian army ground offensive against rebels.Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had begun synchronising its strikes with the armys ground movements as the Kremlin voiced willingness to make contact with Western-backed rebels that Washington and its allies accuse it of targeting. Putin, who turned 63 Wednesday, said Russian warships had fired cruise missiles on Islamic State group positions in Syria for the first time.A video map released by Russias defence ministry showed the missiles launched from warships in the southern Caspian Sea and flying close to 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) through Iranian and Iraqi airspace before hitting targets in Syria. A Syrian military source told AFP government troops had begun a broad ground operation Wednesday near the village of Latmeen in Hama province, aided by Russian air cover.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 40 Russian air strikes in Hama and neighbouring Idlib province, which is controlled by the powerful Army of Conquest alliance that includes Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.The alliance has sought to expand into Hama from Idlib and seize high ground to target the neighbouring regime stronghold of Latakia province.The Britain-based Observatory said many raids, believed to be from Russian warplanes, killed six people including two children in Maraat al-Numan in Idlib.A military source in Hama told AFP that the Syrian army in its latest operations is working on cutting off the southern parts of Idlib province from the northern parts of Hama province. He added that the operations were also intended to begin securing the major highway between Aleppo and Damascus. Putin said Russian strikes would be synchronised with the actions of the Syrian army on the ground to support the regimes offensive operations.AFP has concluded after a careful reading of Russias video map that at least one cruise missile struck near the IS-held city of Al-Bab in Aleppo province, while several others appeared to head towards targets in Idlib. Russia says its forces have hit 112 targets since its operations in Syria -- which it insists target IS and other terrorist groups -- began on September 30.But Syrian rebels and their backers say a range of opposition fighters, not just jihadists, have been hit.The US-backed Suqur al-Jabal rebel group in the northern province of Aleppo said Wednesday its arms depots had been destroyed in Russian raids.Turkeys Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu alleged that just two out of 57 Russian strikes examined by Turkish intelligence had hit IS.The Russian campaign has raised hackles in Ankara, which accuses Moscow of violating its airspace from Syria on at least two occasions over the weekend.It also reported a violation by a MIG-29 jet of unknown nationality on Monday.Turkey has protested the violations, backed by the NATO alliance to which it belongs, and warned Russia against losing its friendship with Ankara, which has been severely tested over Syria.Tensions between Russia and the United States also escalated Wednesday, with Defence Secretary Ash Carter insisting that Washington is not cooperating with Russia over its air campaign. I have said before that we believed that Russia has the wrong strategy -- they continue to hit targets that are not ISIL. We believe this is a fundamental mistake, Carter told a press conference in Rome, referring to IS by an alternative acronym.A Pentagon spokesman said US-led coalition aircraft had been re-routed on at least one occasion to avoid Russian warplanes over Syria. We have an instance, at least, where theres been action taken to make sure we didnt have an unsafe separation distance, Navy Captain Jeff Davis said.Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande warned that failure to act in Syria risked total war in the Middle East. If we leave these religious clashes between Sunnis and Shiites, they will grow. Dont think we will be sheltered, this will be a total war, he said in a speech to the European Parliament. Putin said Hollande had proposed to at least try to unite the efforts of the government troops of President Assads army and the so-called (rebel) Free Syrian Army, but a member of Hollandes entourage quickly rebutted that claim.Moscows foreign ministry also said it was ready to make contact with the FSA, a group whose existence it previously questioned. At the presidents request, the foreign ministry informs our partners in countries that have links to the Free Syrian Army of the Russian sides readiness to establish contacts with the leadership of this structure, it said.

IS executed 70 Sunni tribesmen in Iraq's Anbar: elder, UN

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BAGHDAD (AFP) - The Islamic State group executed 70 members of a Sunni tribe allied to the government in western Iraq earlier this week, a tribal leader and the United Nations said Wednesday.The victims, members of the Albu Nimr tribe, were executed on Sunday in the Tharthar area north of Ramadi, the capital of the western Anbar province, tribal elder Naim Gaoud told AFP.These people who were executed were the fathers and brothers of members of the police, the army... and of tribal fighters who are battling Daesh, he said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.Daesh executed them by shooting, he said.Iraqi security forces, backed by US-led coalition air strikes, launched a vast operation west of Ramadi Sunday to tighten the noose on IS, which captured the Anbar capital in May and controls most of the province.Hatem al-Gaoud, another clan member reached by phone, said IS had trapped dozens of tribe members in the Khanzir area of Tharthar since the jihadist group launched its major offensive in Iraq last year.They gathered them outside Khanzir and shot them all in the head, he said.I dont know what IS did with the bodies, but it is likely they buried them in mass graves near the site of the execution, he said.The UN Mission in Iraqs human rights office confirmed the mass execution.This is not the first attack on the Albu Nimr, since they have been actively opposed to ISIL (IS), it said in an email to AFP.Possibly as many as 300 of the tribes members were killed around a year ago, when anti-IS forces were still holding out in some parts of Ramadi, which is the Albu Nimrs main hub.The tribe was very active in the Awakening Councils, groups of Sunni tribal fighters the US military paid and armed a decade ago to fight against IS previous incarnation in Iraq.Local tribal fighters are seen by the United States as a key component of any successful effort to retake control of Anbar and other Sunni regions of Iraq IS took over virtually unopposed last year.They no longer receive direct support from the US, whose assistance is channelled through the Shiite-dominated federal government.IS has massacred hundreds of former Awakening fighters in an effort to intimidate Sunni residents from taking up arms against them.Britains Minister for the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood, said in a statement he was deeply concerned and shocked by reports of the Anbar executions.We have been clear, defeating ISIL will take time and patience but it is a fight we must win. They falsely use the name of Islam to commit atrocities and have once again slaughtered Sunnis, those they claim to be defending, he said.

At least 17 killed in NE Nigeria suicide attacks blamed on Boko Haram

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LAGOS (AFP) - At least 17 people were killed in a series of suicide bomb attacks in northeast Nigeria Wednesday, as Boko Haram released a new video saying its leader was still alive and in charge of the Islamist group.The worst of the violence struck the Yobe state capital of Damaturu, which was rocked by triple blasts that killed 14 people and left 10 others injured, according to Bashir Idris Garga, Yobe state coordinator at the National Emergency Management Agency.Damaturu has been repeatedly attacked during Boko Harams six-year insurgency. Last month, a girl thought to be aged 12 killed six when the explosives she was carrying went off outside a bus station.Garga said the first blast Wednesday happened at a small food store, killing four. Another near a mosque killed one, while nine, including a family, lost their lives when a bomber struck a Fulani settlement on the outskirts of the city.Yobe governor Ibrahim Gaidam called the attacks cowardly and barbaric and urged improvements in surveillance.State police spokesman Toyin Gbadegesin told AFP gun-wielding bombers carried out the attacks between 5:30 and 6:00 am (0400 to 0500 GMT), before the night-time curfew was lifted.In neighbouring Borno state, police said three people were killed in a suicide bombing in Gubio, some 85 kilometres (50 miles) from the state capital Maiduguri. State police commissioner Aderemi Opadokun said two attackers detonated improvised explosive devices strapped on their bodies... killing themselves and three locals.While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesdays bloodshed, it came after Boko Haram militants earlier this week said they carried out three suicide attacks near Abuja last Friday that left 18 dead.Boko Haram meanwhile published a new propaganda video via social media, in which an unidentified fighter read a statement in Hausa and Arabic, flanked by more than a dozen armed fighters.Our leader, Abubakar Shekau is alive and remains our leader, the rebel said.Shekau himself has not been seen on video since February and had not spoken until an audio message last month where he disputed the Nigerian militarys claims of successes against the insurgents. The shadowy leaders absence has sparked rumours about whether he is still alive or whether he might have been deposed as leader.The militant speaking to the camera on Wednesday said army claims that some 200 fighters had surrendered in the border town of Banki last month and that hundreds of women and children were released, were a complete lie.The 17-minute video was posted under the name Islamic State in West Africa Province, which Boko Haram has used since its pledge of allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in March.Our allegiance remains with al-Baghdadi, the militant said in the video.Nigerias military has claimed a series of recent gains over the insurgents and on Wednesday said scores of rebel fighters were killed during clashes with troops south of Damaturu.Army spokesman Sani Usman said fighters attempted to attack a battalion of soldiers in Goniri, some 60 kilometres by road southeast of Damaturu, in the early hours of Wednesday.During the encounter our gallant troops successfully repelled the attack and inflicted heavy casualties on the invading terrorists as all of them were killed, he said in a statement. On the last count over 100 terrorists bodies were seen, he added. There was no independent verification and the army has previously claimed high losses on the part of the militants.Usman said seven soldiers were killed and nine others injured in the fighting, which also saw troops recover arms and ammunition, including primed improvised explosive devices.Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari has set his military commanders a three-month deadline to early November to end the Boko Haram violence, which has left at least 17,000 dead since 2009.But he has conceded that bomb and suicide attacks in urban areas could continue as Boko Haram reverts to attacking soft targets in the face of the government offensive.Boko Haram has also continued to attack neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon, underlining its threat to regional security.

Trio wins Nobel Chemistry Prize for DNA repair work

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STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Swedens Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich of the United States and Aziz Sancar, a Turkish-American, won the 2015 Nobel Chemistry Prize on Wednesday for work on how cells repair damaged DNA.The three opened a dazzling frontier in medicine by unveiling how the body repairs DNA mutations that can cause sickness and contribute to ageing, the Nobel jury said.Their systematic work has made a decisive contribution to the understanding of how the living cell functions, as well as providing knowledge about the molecular causes of several hereditary diseases and about mechanisms behind both cancer development and ageing, the panel said.DNA -- deoxyribonucleic acid -- is the chemical code for making and sustaining life.Cells divide, or replicate, billions of times through our lifetime.Molecular machines seek to copy the code perfectly, but random slipups in their work can cause the daughter cells to die or malfunction. DNA can also be damaged by strong sunlight and other environmental factors.But there is a swarm of proteins -- a molecular repair kit -- designed to monitor the process. It proof-reads the code and repairs damage.The three were lauded for mapping these processes, starting with Lindahl, who identified so-called repair enzymes -- the basics in the toolbox.Sancar discovered the mechanisms used by cells to fix damage by ultraviolet radiation. Modrich laid bare a complex DNA-mending process called mismatch repair.The basic research carried out by the 2015 Nobel laureates in chemistry has not only deepened our knowledge of how we function, but could also lead to the development of lifesaving treatments, the Nobel committee said.With cells able to repair themselves, one could ponder the dizzying possibility that humans could go on living forever.No, I dont believe in eternal life, Lindahl, who is based in Britain, told reporters by telephone at the prize announcement.He said scientists were increasingly turning their attention away from curing diseases such as cancer and instead looking for chronic treatments.We are getting away a little bit (from) trying to find a cure for everything, and convert diseases to something we can live with, he said.DNA repair researcher Nora Goosen of the University of Leiden in the Netherlands told AFP scientists were looking at targeted attacks on cancer.She said the same mechanism by which cells repair DNA damage can also make them resist the effects of chemotherapy. By understanding how the cell repair system works, doctors hope they will one day be able to instruct cancerous cells not to fight against treatment, she explained.British biochemist Sir Tim Hunt, a co-winner of the 2001 Nobel for his work on cell duplication, led the praise for his old boss Lindahl.Hes an absolute giant in the field, a great pioneer. He was one of the first people to very accurately measure how DNA decayed naturally, Hunt said at a hastily-arranged party for Lindahl at the Francis Crick Institute just outside London.It is the seventh time DNA research has been honoured with a Nobel prize. The first was in 1962, for the discovery of the structure of DNA.Lindahl, Modrich and Sancar share the prize sum of eight million Swedish kronor (around $950,000 or 855,000 euros).Lindahl, 77, is the emeritus director of Cancer Research UK at Clare Hall Laboratory in Britain.Modrich was born in 1946 and grew up in a small town in northern New Mexico, which instilled in him a love of the natural world.There was huge biological diversity around me, he said in a statement on the website of Duke University, where he is a professor of biochemistry.Within five miles, the ecology can change dramatically -- it was very thought provoking.In 1963, his father, who was the local high school biology teacher, gave him very important advice, he recalled: You should learn about this DNA stuff.Modrich said he was caught by surprise when the early-morning Nobel call came in.Were on vacation in New Hampshire, so this was sort of a shock, he said.Sancar, 69, was born in the small Turkish town of Savur. He could have become a professional football player -- Turkeys national junior team courted him to become their goalkeeper -- but he chose to focus on his academic studies instead.After working as a doctor in the countryside, he resumed his biochemistry studies at the age of 27, and then went to the University of Texas in Dallas.He is now a professor of biochemistry and biochemics at University of North Carolina in the US.This award means a great deal to me and my lab, Sancar said in a statement. Weve been working hard for many years and I think weve made significant contributions to our field.The Nobel awards week continues with the announcements for the two most closely-watched prizes: on Thursday the winner of the literature prize will be announced, followed by the peace prize on Friday.The economics prize wraps up this years Nobel season on Monday.

MQM claims Rabita Committee member Kamal Malik arrested during Rangers raid

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Muttahida Qaumi Movements (MQM) member Wasay Jalil on Thursday claimed that its Rabita Committee member Kamal Malik was arrested from his residence during a raid by Rangers in North Nazimabad and has been shifted to an unknown location.Jalil claimed the arrest by tweeting on social media website Twitter.According to Jalil, Malik served as former town Mayor of Gulberg and the arrested Rabita Committee member had undergone a liver transplant the previous year.Rangers have not verified or rejected the claim.Breaking News: MQM Rabta Committee Member Kamal Mallick got arrested by Rangers from his residence N. Nazimabad Karachi Pakistan— Wasay Jalil (@WasayJalil) October 7, 2015 Arrested Member Rabta Committee Kamal Mallicks liver was also transplanted year back. He was also a Fmr Town Nazim 4m Gulberg Town Karachi— Wasay Jalil (@WasayJalil) October 8, 2015

Death toll from Guatemala landslide rises to 191: official

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SANTA CATARINA PINULA (AFP) - Rescue workers pulled 20 more bodies from a landslide outside the Guatemalan capital, bringing the number of confirmed dead to 191, officials said on Wednesday.The latest toll of victims is 191, said Julio Sanchez, a spokesman for the firefighters and other rescue personnel working at the site on the outskirts of Guatemala City.Authorities said about 150 people still have not been accounted for, as they searched for more bodies at the disaster site in the village of Cambray II. A growing stench from decomposing bodies has filled the air at the scene of the tragedy, requiring workers to don face masks as the carry on with their grim recovery efforts.The village -- in a section of the town of Santa Catarina Pinula, some 15 kilometers (10 miles) east of the capital -- was buried late Thursday by a mountain of mud and debris following heavy rains.Rescuers said it would be nothing short of a miracle if anyone were found alive at this point, as they continue their search for more bodies, aided by specially-trained dogs.Officials said they also have opened an investigation to determine who or what might have been responsible for the disaster.

Iran boycotts Frankfurt Book Fair over Rushdie invite

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TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran said Wednesday it will boycott next weeks Frankfurt Book Fair after organisers invited the controversial author Salman Rushdie, whom Iranian scholars said should be killed, as a guest speaker.The foreign ministry said the fair had, under the pretext of freedom of expression, invited a person who is hated in the Islamic world and create the opportunity for Salman Rushdie... to make a speech.It said the Islamic republic strongly protests Rushdies appearance and had decided against participating in the fair, which is one of the worlds largest such events. The ministry called on other Muslim nations to join its boycott. For his part, Deputy Culture Minister Abbas Salehi said:Fair officials chose the theme of freedom of expression but they invited someone who has insulted our beliefs.Rushdie, a Muslim and British citizen who lives in the United States, was made subject of a 1988 fatwa (religious edict) that called for his killing after his fourth novel, The Satanic Verses, was published.The Islamic republics founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued the order after he and many others in the Muslim world said Rushdie had depicted Muslim prophet Mohammed irreverently.The fatwa forced the writer into hiding and led the British government to place Rushdie under police protection. In recent years, the author has attended many public events though sometimes cancelled at short notice.Khomeini died in 1989 but his successor supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in 2005 that the fatwa still stands, describing Rushdie as an apostate who can be killed with impunity.

China faces 'unprecedented' economic policy challenge: IMF

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LIMA (AFP) - China confronts a monumental and risk-fraught task as it moves toward a more market- and consumption-based economic model, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday.As the most important emerging-market economy, Chinas rebalancing and deleveraging will require great care, the Fund said in its new review of global financial risks.The Chinese authorities face an unprecedented policy challenge in carrying out their objectives to make the transition to a new growth model and a more market-based financial system, the IMF said.Achieving this outcome will require careful pacing of reforms and policy consistency.The focus on China came in the IMFs new Global Financial Stability Report which stresses the increased dangers across the emerging markets from slow growth and global market turbulence, to very high levels of corporate borrowing.The report was released on the eve of the IMF-World Bank annual meetings, being held in Lima, at which global policy makers review the state of the global economy and hash over important issues.If not handled well from a policy viewpoint, the IMF warned, the cost to the world economy of the emerging market downturn could be a huge three percent of global output, said IMF Financial Counsellor Jose Vinals.The recommendation is for an urgent upgrade in policies, so as to avoid downside risks, he said.In the worst scenario, corporate default rates could rise, particularly in China, raising financial system strains, with implications for growth, the report said.A particular risk is that emerging markets state-owned enterprises like those in the energy sector, which have raised huge amounts of funding by issuing bonds, could find themselves falling back on governments to service their debt.That could raise the risk of governments seeing their credit grades lowered to non-investment grade or junk status, as happened to Brazil one month ago, the IMF warned.The slowdown in China, the worlds number-two economy, is both a cause and a part of the malaise hitting emerging markets.The IMF said China will have challenges dealing with the legacies of its old centrally-planned system as it moves to a more market-driven economic structure.For one, the IMF said, Chinese banks have only just begun to deal with growing problems on their loan books due to the difficulties many Chinese companies are having.On Tuesday the IMF cut its global growth forecast for this year to 3.1 percent and to 3.6 percent in 2016, both numbers 0.2 percentage point lower than forecasts just three months ago.The Fund cited particularly the increasing global challenge from Chinas growth pains.While the growth slowdown in China is so far in line with forecasts, its cross-border repercussions appear greater than previously envisaged, it said.The Fund pointed to a core repercussion of Chinas downturn -- its lower purchases of key global commodities that many other countries depend on for earnings.Prices of commodities from oil to metals to grains have slumped over the past two years, taking a strong hit on emerging economies and government budgets around the globe.Commodity prices are highly volatile and unpredictable, posing significant challenges to policymakers in resource-rich economies, the IMF said.The Fund said that natural resources should be a blessing for a country, but that many have struggled to leverage such resources to improve living standards and deepen economic strength.Especially in the case of exhaustible mineral and hydrocarbon wealth, many countries have apparently suffered from what is often termed a resource curse, when a country with abundant natural wealth lags in development for a range of complex reasons.

Oil falls after rise in US inventories, production

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices fell Wednesday after the release of the latest US oil data showed increasing inventories and an unexpected rebound in production.The Department of Energys weekly petroleum numbers dented hopes for another drop in US output that could spell a general tightening of global supplies.New Yorks benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in November fell 72 cents to $47.81 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.Brent North Sea crude for delivery in November, the global benchmark, closed at $51.33 a barrel in London, down 59 cents from Tuesdays settlement.WTI, which added more than $4 in the prior three sessions, had climbed to an intraday high above $49 Wednesday before the US government report knocked the wind out of the market.US crude output, which had fallen by 40,000 barrels per day in the previous week, unexpectedly rose by 76,000 barrels per day in the week to October 2.Commercial crude inventories jumped by 3.1 million barrels, more than the market estimate of 2.25 million barrels.That brought inventories to 461.0 million barrels, more than 27 percent higher than a year ago.Gasoline inventories grew by nearly two million barrels, exceeding expectations.Bart Melek of TD Securities said the high level of inventories pressured prices, but the rise in crude production was the big negative for the market.Our view is the recent rally kind of unwinds, he said.Wells Fargo analysts said in a research report that As the slow adjustments in supply and demand in the oil market persist, 2016 is likely to bring more large swings in prices, without much upward price trend.

Dollar little changed vs. euro, yen

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar was little changed against the euro and the yen Wednesday, while the pound rallied on solid economic data on the eve of the Bank of Englands policy decision.The euro slipped slightly to $1.1237 and the dollar edged up to 120.00 yen.Neither has moved much of recent, perhaps due to the upswing in investor sentiment as evidenced by the turn higher in global equity markets, said Christopher Vecchio at DailyFX.We find ourselves back in what we saw at the beginning of the week, a little more risk appetite that boosts commodities and equities at the expense of the euro, said Vassili Serebriakov of BNP Paribas.The euro suffered from a larger-than-expected drop in industrial production in Germany, Europes powerhouse, analysts said.Meanwhile, the pound surged as industrial production rose three times more than expected in the month of August, which was a breath of fresh air after back-to-back data disappointments, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.The Bank of England, expected to leave monetary policy unchanged Thursday, also will release the minutes of the meeting.The number of dissenters and the overall tone will have a significant impact on the currency, she said.Traders also awaited the minutes of the September meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, the Federal Reserves policy arm, due Thursday.The FOMC passed last month on raising interest rates from near zero, leaving forex traders to hope they will gain insight into the central banks thinking on the timing of the rate hike.Given that the meeting was held before the abysmal nonfarm payrolls report, investors will most likely look beyond the report, Lien said.

England 'positive' ahead of Pakistan series

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SHARJAH (AFP) - England assistant coach Paul Farbrace vowed Wednesday that England has laid to rest the memories of their rout at Pakistans hands in 2012 ahead of a Test series starting later this month.The two sides will meet in a three-match series starting in Abu Dhabi from October 13, and Farbrace was confident his team has a great chance at victory.Weve got senior players whove been here and experienced it, and I think there was a feeling that although they lost the last Test series here 3-0, it was one they could quite easily have won, said Farbrace of Englands defeat in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) three years ago.They didnt, thats history, its gone now.But I think weve got a great chance with this group to play some really good cricket, and were looking to be as positive as we possibly can be.Farbrace admitted his team realised the enormity of the task.Pakistan are set to use spin as the main weapon on the dusty UAE wickets, just as they did in 2012 when Saeed Ajmal took 24 wickets and left-armer Abdul Rehman 19.And they now have leggie Yasir Shah and left-armer Zulfiqar Babar in their squad.Were coming here knowing its going to be a very, very tough series, Farbrace said.I said at the end of the Ashes series I expected this to be a tougher series for us to play in. England triumphed in the Ashes against Australia 3-2 in August.Farbrace, who was assistant coach of Sri Lanka when they were attacked in Pakistan in 2009 in an incident that has since forced Pakistan to play home matches in the neutral venues of the UAE, warned his players not to waste their chances.He cited the drawn two-day game against the Pakistan A team which finished in Sharjah on Tuesday. The application with the ball was outstanding, he said.The one thing weve just had a quick chat about is that, to win a Test match, youve got to take 20 chances -- and weve missed a couple of chances.Thats something well have to work very hard on, and something we prided ourselves on in the Ashes series.Weve still got a good few days to go, so therell be plenty of catching (practice) done over the next few days.But generally, I think we had a really good two days. We saw how players adapted quite quickly to the situation and conditions.England will have another chance to tune up for the Tests with a second two-day game against Pakistan A, also in Sharjah.

Bangladesh says Zimbabwe to tour in November

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DHAKA (AFP) - Bangladesh announced Wednesday it would host Zimbabwe for a two-Test cricket series in November after Australia postponed a planned visit this month due to security concerns. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan said Zimbabwe had agreed to tour that month although no date had been finalised.Zimbabwe have principally agreed to tour Bangladesh in November. We will finalise the date with Zimbabwe officials during next weeks ICC (International Cricket Council) meeting in Dubai, Nazmul told reporters. Zimbabwe were originally scheduled to visit Bangladesh from next January 11-February 7 for two Tests, three one-day Internationals and three Twenty20 internationals. But the BCB president said the series would now be spilt in two parts. Zimbabwe would play the Tests in November and return in January for the ODIs and T20s. Nazmul said following a meeting of the BCB board of directors that Bangladesh would also bid for the Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament, which could be held in February next year just ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 in India. The BCB is under pressure to bring back international cricket to the country. South Africas womens cricket team also postponed a planned tour later this month, citing security concerns. Australia called off its series after official warnings that militants may attack Western interests.The postponement comes amid heightened tension in Bangladesh after an Italian and a Japanese were killed in separate attacks claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group. In other incidents three Islamic attackers attempted Monday to slit a Christian pastors throat in a mainly Muslim town in northern Bangladesh.

Cairns 'lied...threatened player with bat', court hears

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LONDON (AFP) - Former New Zealand captain Chris Cairns lied under oath that he never fixed cricket matches and once threatened a teammate with a bat for scoring too many runs, a perjury trial heard on Wednesday.Cairns was accused by the chairman of the Indian Premier League, Lalit Modi in January 2010 of match-fixing while he was playing for the Chandigarh Lions in the now defunct Indian Cricket League in 2008.Two years later Cairns, 45, brought a libel action against Modi and successfully sued for 1.4million pound ($2.14 milion).But prosecutor Sasha Wass told Londons Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday that Cairns co-accused, Andrew Fitch-Holland, a lawyer and his lead adviser, approached team-mate, Lou Vincent, to get him to lie during the libel action.Vincent not only knew Cairns had fixed matches, but was involved in match-fixing himself under the direct orders of Cairns, Wass said.Wass said there was evidence to prove Cairns had been involved in match-fixing and had lied about it under oath.The jury were also told that Vincent was once threatened with a cricket bat by Cairns after scoring too many runs in a fixed game, telling his then wife Eleanor Riley he had lost Chris Cairns 250,000 dollars.The court also heard that Cairns had even attempted to recruit current New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, saying he could get between 70,000 and 180,000 dollars per match to throw games while playing in the ICL in 2008.Cairns first approached McCullum in a hotel when he was playing for the Calcutta Knightriders, giving him an in-depth explanation of how spread-betting worked, Wass said.They then later met up in a cafe in Worcester, where a touring New Zealand team were playing against the county side.At that meeting Brendon McCullum says Cairns approached him and asked him whether he had changed his mind, Wass told the jury.He said no he hadnt. Mr McCullum didnt log an official report on Cairns at the time. He should have done that. He will tell you he regrets not doing that, but will explain that Chris Cairns was such a hero to him that he could not bring himself to do that straight away.It was not until McCullum and the New Zealand team underwent anti-corruption training at the World Cup in India in 2011 that he alerted officials to what happened, Wass said, but in the three years between he did tell other people.Cairns is charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice, while Fitch-Holland is accused of perverting the course of justice. They both deny the charges.

Punjab Assembly approves amendment in Local Government bill

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Punjab Assembly has approved Local government (Second Amendment) Bill 2015on Wednesday, rejecting 9 amendments, reported Dunya News.Opposition rejected 9 amendments to the Local Government (Second Amendment) Bill 2015 as it was introduced in the House and passed the bill unanimously. The bill stated that 8 members will be elected directly while 5 members will be elected indirectly. Ruling party has said that opposition’s objections are baseless adding that opposition has only vented out its frustration.Quoting the opposition, they said that women are 51 percent of the while the minorities do not take part in theelections, which violates the constitution and the law. Opposition leader Mian Mehmood Rashid staged walkout from the House against harassment and murder of PTI workers.

Pakistan stands with int'l community on nuclear matters: Foreign Office

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Foreign Office Spokesman on Wednesday said Pakistan stands with the international community on nuclear matters, adding that the report published on United States (US) newspaper Washington Post is not correct, Dunya News reported.Reacting on the Post’s story, the spokesman said Pakistan stands with the international community on matters concerning the nuclear armament.He said national security is Pakistan’s need given the Indian attitude; however, Pakistan is a responsible atomic power and wants peace and stability in the region.Responding to the question about the column published in the American paper, the Foreign Office said that Pakistan’s atomic policy is formed in light of South Asia’s changing security situation and India’s aggressive attitude.The spokesman said Pakistan has to take all necessary measures in order to maintain minimum defence capabilities.
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