Saturday 26 December 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Benazir Bhutto being remembered on 8th death anniversary

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LARKANA (Dunya News) – Pakistan is observing death anniversary of its two-time former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Sunday. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader was murdered on 27th of December in 2007 by terrorists in Rawalpindi while she was returning from a public meeting during 2008 general elections campaign.PPP is going to observe the death anniversary prayer services in Garhi Khuda Baksh on Sunday. Bilawal Bhutto has reached Larkana and reviewed reception camps.Several party workers and supporters took autographs of and selfies with Bilawal. The former prime minister’s son’s address will be considered central for the memorial events.

French journalist facing expulsion 'champion' of terrorism: China

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Beijing (AFP) - China confirmed the imminent expulsion of a French journalist in the first such case since 2012, accusing her of flagrantly championing terrorist acts in a statement on its foreign ministrys website Saturday.Ursula Gauthier, a Beijing-based correspondent for French news magazine LObs, must issue a public apology for an article she wrote last month or Chinas foreign ministry will not renew her press credentials, officials told Gauthier on Christmas Day.Her essay flagrantly championed acts of terrorism and acts of cruelly killing innocents, triggering the Chinese people’s outrage, said the foreign ministry statement.Citing her failure to make a serious apology to the Chinese people, the statement said: It is not suitable for her to continue working in China.China will never support the freedom to champion terrorism, it added.But people expressed confusion over their own purported indignation, as most had not read or even heard of Gauthiers article, which has no Chinese-language version and remains inaccessible on the mainlands censored internet in its original French.Triggered the Chinese peoples outrage? Dont presume to represent me -- I dont even know what happened wrote one user on Chinas Twitter-like Weibo platform.You should put out the original article for everyone to see -- otherwise how can everyone be angry? asked another.Entitled After the attacks (on Paris), Chinese solidarity is not without ulterior motives, Gauthiers article spoke of Chinas anti-terrorism policies in the countrys western region of Xinjiang, homeland of the Muslim Uighur ethnic minority -- many of whom complain of discrimination and controls on their culture and religion.Xinjiang is often hit by deadly unrest and China blames the violence on Islamist separatists, but rights groups point to Beijings own actions as a driver.If Gauthiers press card is not renewed, she cannot apply for a new visa, forcing her to leave China.They confirmed that if I did not make a public apology on all the points that had hurt the Chinese people... my press card would not be renewed and I would have to leave on December 31, Gauthier told AFP Friday.Gauthier would be the first foreign correspondent to be expelled since the 2012 expulsion of Melissa Chan, correspondent for the English-language service of Al Jazeera.The move has been met with widespread criticism from the French government, press watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Gauthiers employer.France will remain committed to the defence of freedom of expression and information throughout the world, wrote French minister of culture and communication Fleur Pellerin Friday on Twitter in response to the news.Gauthiers article in LObs triggered condemnation from Beijing and a virulent campaign in the state-run Global Times and China Daily, as well as thousands of often violent and abusive comments from Chinese Internet users. Her photo was also published online.While the domestic media in China is subject to strict control and many topics are taboo, the foreign media is free to publish on any topic. However, foreign journalists frequently complain of harassment by the authorities while conducting routine reporting.

Vietnam economy grows at highest rate in five years

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Hanoi (AFP) - Vietnams economy in 2015 grew at its fastest pace in five years, official figures showed on Saturday, shaking off regional economic worries with strong exports, record foreign investment and buoyant domestic consumption.The communist nation recorded a GDP growth rate of 6.68 percent, easily surpassing the governments 6.2 percent target with a figure that looks set to be one of Southeast Asias strongest showings for the year.This growth rate is very important for the Vietnamese economy in the coming years in the context of falling world oil prices and instabilities in the international financial markets, Nguyen Bich Lam, director of the General Statistics Office, told reporters in Hanoi.Many Asian economies have been rattled by troubles in China, where the worlds second largest economy has suffered with its worst annual growth rates in a quarter of a century.While regional neighbours like Thailand have suffered, Vietnam has proved resistant to the slowdown of its giant northern neighbour, partly through state intervention.The State Bank of Vietnam weakened the dong three times this year to spur exports after China depreciated the yuan, dragging exchange rates lower across Asia.Exports rose 8.1 percent in the 12 months through December while imports climbed 12 percent.Much of the growth has been fuelled by a flurry of international interest with disbursed foreign investment surging 17.4 percent compared to last year with a record-high of $14.5 billion.The strong showing is a significant jump on the last two years.In 2014 Vietnams GDP growth was just under six percent, while that of 2013 was only 5.42 percent.Senior economist Le Dang Doanh told AFP that strong industrial growth also helped boost the economy as well as lower oil prices in the world market which has greatly reduced the cost of imported raw materials for Vietnam.On Wednesday, Vietnam released data showing an annual inflation rate of just 0.63 percent in 2015, the lowest in 14 years.Vietnam is now party to the recently sealed Trans-Pacific Partnership, the worlds largest free trade deal between 12 nations, including the US and Japan.As the poorest of the TPP nations, the pact is something of a coup for the countrys Communist rulers, who will meet in January for a major gathering of senior officials to chose new leaders and decide the countrys five-year economic plan.In a report earlier this month the World Bank said the TPP deal could add as much as eight percent to Vietnams GDP... over the next 20 years if it goes ahead.But many analysts still say Vietnams economic progress is vulnerable due to high public debts, inefficient operation of huge state-owned enterprises and rampant official corruption.For decades, the country suffered from runaway inflation -- with triple digit increases in the 1980s and rates as high as 28.3 percent as recently as August 2008.

Joy for Berlin family as cat returns for Christmas

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Berlin (AFP) - Forget the return of Star Wars. For a family in Berlin, this Christmas saw the return of Miko -- a cherished black and white cat who went missing in the German capital in 2008.A family from Berlin-Charlottenburg (neighbourhood) this year experienced a Christmas story with a particularly happy ending, announced an association for the protection of animals on Saturday.They learned on Christmas day that their cat Miko had been found -- seven years later, said the group which runs a refuge for animals where the cat was identified.Miko had been discovered by people in Berlins Kreuzberg neighbourhood -- just a few kilometres from its old home turf -- and taken to the refuge where workers were able to contact the owners because the cat had an identity chip.Elena Hanke was 11 years old when she searched in vain for missing Miko. Along with her father and sister Jennifer she came to the shelter to recover the long-lost pet, the association said.After years as a runway, Miko was a bit too thin, but still healthy, the veterinarian at the refuge told the delighted family.

UN sets Syria peace talks target date of January 25

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United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, hopes to convene talks between the government of President Bashar al-Assad and the opposition on January 25 in Geneva, his office said Saturday.De Mistura has intensified efforts towards convening the talks on the target date, hopefully including the broadest possible spectrum of opposition representatives, the statement said.The special envoy on the nearly five-year conflict counts on full cooperation of all the relevant Syrian parties in this process, it said, adding: Continuing developments on the ground should not be allowed to derail it.Last week, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution endorsing a proposed peace plan to bring the regime and opposition together for talks in January. But no specific date had been given.The plan is the result of nearly two months of strenuous efforts among top diplomats from 17 countries, including regime backers Russia and Iran. But it does not address the toughest sticking point: the fate of Assad.The resolution foresees a rapid ceasefire, and calls for talks that would lead to the establishment of an inclusive transitional governing body with full executive powers within six months.Syrias government said Thursday it was ready to take part in fresh talks aimed at ending the war, which has killed more than 250,000 people, but appeared to make its participation conditional on which opposition groups attend.De Mistura said he was relying on the continued crucial support of the International Syria Support Group, which also includes the United States.The UN resolution enshrines the plan developed by the ISSG countries in a series of meetings in Geneva and Vienna.The people of Syria have suffered enough. Their tragedy is now felt throughout the region and beyond, the statement from de Misturas office said.They deserve the full attention and commitment from all their Syrian representatives, who should now show leadership and vision to overcome differences for the sake of Syria.

Christmas wildfire claims more than 100 homes in Australia

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Melbourne (AFP) - A bushfire which flared on Christmas Day has destroyed more than 100 homes in southern Australia, officials said Saturday, as they warned the losses could have been worse.The blaze hit two towns southwest of Melbourne, Wye River and Separation Creek, where many of the 116 houses lost were believed to be holiday homes.As about 500 firefighters worked to battle the blaze, aerial shots showed buildings razed to the ground in the tree-filled coastal area along the Great Ocean Road tourist drive.Its kind of confirmed for us just how hot, just how volatile, just how intense this fire was, burning right to the waters edge, Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Andrews welcomed the fact that no lives were lost in the state which endured horrific bushfires in 2009, in which 173 people perished.We can rebuild houses, of course. Things can be much worse than that, Andrews told a press conference earlier Saturday.The fire near the coastal town of Lorne was started by a lightning strike on December 19 but flared up Friday due to hot weather and winds pushing embers over fire control lines.- Potentially a killer -Victorias Emergency Management commissioner Craig Lapsley praised the community for heeding the evacuation warning just before lunchtime on Christmas Day to avoid the possibility of fatalities.They walked away from the fire that had every potential to be a killer, he said at a joint press conference with Andrews.Nick Bailey, a resident of Separation Creek, told the ABC his family evacuated to nearby Apollo Bay and spent Christmas Day on the beach.[It was] a strange experience looking back across the bay at all of that column of smoke whilst we were trying to enjoy our Christmas, he said.He said of the blaze: You could see where the fire was slowly smouldering, then the wind got up and the thing just went mad.In a statement, Lapsley confirmed 18 dwellings at Separation Creek and 98 at Wye River were lost and noted that rain and cooler conditions had reduced fire activity.But he warned there were still many hotspots within the fire area so the change in conditions and the rain that fell this morning does not mean the threat posed by this fire is over.Thirteen aircraft are being used to fight the fire, which is not particularly large at 2,200 hectares, and has the potential to flare up again in the coming week, he added.The fact we have had rain today across the state will not dramatically change anything, he said, saying very hot weather was predicted for New Years Eve and New Years Day.Holidaymakers who traditionally flock to the Victoria surf coast at this time of year have been asked to avoid the fire area.Bush fires are a common feature of the Australian summer, with up to 15 homes destroyed by blaze near Melbourne on Monday.But Black Saturday was the worst firestorm in recent years, devastating southern Victoria in 2009, razing thousands of homes and killing 173 people.

PM's granddaughter Mehr-un-Nisa wedded to Raheel Munir

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LAHORE: (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s granddaughter Mehr-un-Nisa Safdar has on Saturday been wedded to Raheel Munir. Walima ceremony will also be held today in Lahore, reported Dunya News.The daughter of Captain (r) Muhammad Safdar and Maryam Nawaz Sharif was wedded in a prestigious ceremony. Raheel Munir was accompanied by close friends and family members. PM Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif, Captain Safdar, Maryam Nawaz and other relatives received the Baraat. Around 150 people attended the ceremony.The hosts were wearing Pink turbans while the groom wore Off-White Shervani. The guests were served one dish in the ceremony. They were served Chicken Korma and Pulawo. Although the ceremony was held within the walls of the house yet it ended at 10 PM.The Walima ceremony of Mehr-un-Nisa and Raheel Munir will also be held in Lahore in which close relatives and friend have been invited. Raheel Munir is the son of a famous Pakistani businessman Chaudhry Munir.

Rangers in action: 6 including terrorists, extortionists arrested in Karachi

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – The Rangers on Saturday raided various areas and arrested as many as 6 accused of terrorism and extortion, Dunya News reported.According to details, the Rangers acted on an anonymous tip and raided hideouts of banned outfits and militant wings of political parties and took at least 6 in custody.As per the Rangers spokesperson, weaponry has also been recovered from the arrested accused. The raids were made in Bilal Colony, Lyari, Alfalah, Gulistan-e-Johar and Gulberg areas.The spokesperson said the indiscriminate operation will continue until arrest of last terrorist, target killer and criminals with full force.Read: Major terror bid foiled after 6 terrorists arrested from ShikarpurA major terrorist bid in Sindh was foiled when as many as 6 terrorists belonging to a banned terrorist outfit were arrested in Shikarpur.The law enforcement has also seized 100 kilos of explosives while 3 commander terrorists have also been arrested in Peshawar.According to details, the police successfully cracked down against terrorists and took into custody 6 terrorists belonging to a network of banned terrorist outfits.The arrested terrorists are identified as Abdul Aziz, Siraj Brohi, Abdul Ghani, Muhammad Din, Siraj Langa and Akram Arain. They belong to the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and were involved in explosions on Dargah Hajan Shah, in Jacobabad and a suicide attack on ex-MNA Ibrahim Jatoi.Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Masood Bangash said terrorists’ network was operating in Shikarpur and Jacobabad.

Major terror bid foiled after 6 terrorists arrested from Shikarpur

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – A major terrorist bid in Sindh was foiled when as many as 6 terrorists belonging to a banned terrorist outfit were arrested in Shikarpur, Dunya News reported.The law enforcement has also seized 100 kilos of explosives while 3 commander terrorists have also been arrested in Peshawar.According to details, the police successfully cracked down against terrorists and took into custody 6 terrorists belonging to a network of banned terrorist outfits.The arrested terrorists are identified as Abdul Aziz, Siraj Brohi, Abdul Ghani, Muhammad Din, Siraj Langa and Akram Arain. They belong to the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and were involved in explosions on Dargah Hajan Shah, in Jacobabad and a suicide attack on ex-MNA Ibrahim Jatoi.Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Masood Bangash said terrorists’ network was operating in Shikarpur and Jacobabad.

Issues are resolved with talks, not war: Pervaiz Rashid

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid on Saturday said disputes are resolved with talks and not with war, Dunya News reported.Addressing in Kashmir Conference in Islamabad, he said several experiments took place for Kashmir’s freedom in past 65 years, adding that China had also suggested a solution for the Kashmir dispute.The federal minister said war is not the solution to any problem, adding that issues must be resolved with talks. He said one wrong decision in 1999 had swept away all achievements.He told China had suggested the same solution for Kashmir dispute which it used for Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.Rashid said a lot of experiments have taken place for Kashmir’s freedom in the past 65 years. He said the conflict will only be resolved with the consent of the people of Kashmir, adding that every struggle movement should follow a legal way.He said Indian prime minister had to come down to Pakistan in 1999 but one mistake ruined all achievements.

Lahore gang-rape case: Prime suspect photographed with PML-N leaders still at large

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – As many as 6 accused of gang-rape of a teenage girl in Lahore have been arrested while the influential prime suspect Adnan, seen in photograph with top PML-N leadership, is still at large.According to details, new details of the gang-rape case have come to the light as per which the police have arrested the people who brought the victim to the hospital instead of those named.The prime suspect Adnan was seen photographed with top leadership of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) including Rana Mashhood. Mashhood has denied any links with the suspect.Reportedly, the suspects were identified and nominated by the victim’s mother. The prime suspect who is already facing murder charges in another case brought the victim to the hotel and is still at large.The police also claimed that the victim was drugged and that those she pointed towards were arrested. Out of arrested accused, 3 are Evacuee Trust Property Board. Those arrested maintain they don’t know the victim and that they only transported her to the hospital.On December 25, a youth was allegedly intoxicated and raped by as many as six to seven persons in a guest house on Mall Road. The victim was shifted to a hospital where the medics confirmed sexual assault.The girl, belonging to Rana Town area of Multan Road had gone to see a tailoress along with her brother. According to her mother, she went missing from there on and later was reported to have been raped.The youth was shifted to the Civil Hospital in critical condition. Brother of the victim told the police that the culprits had abducted his sister using a dark Honda Civic.In her statement, the rape victim said that she was intoxicated and later raped. She said that she was kidnapped and then shifted to a guest house on the Mall.Mother of the victim has demanded the authorities concerned to arrest the culprits and do justice in the matter.

Woman dies, 78 injured, buildings cracked after 6.9 earthquake shakes Pakistan

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PESHAWAR (Dunya News) – A woman died in Ghizer district after their house collapsed while another 78 were injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after 6.9 magnitude earthquake shook Pakistan just after midnight on Saturday, Dunya News reported.Fresh cracks in historic wall of Gorkhatri Tehsil of Peshawar and in Begum Shahabuddin School building as result of last night’s earthquake have put both sides on the verge of collapsing once again.The earthquake just after midnight on Saturday shook various cities including Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar. At least 43 people were injured in the earthquake and were discharged after being given the first aid.The 197km deep quake left cracks in historic wall of Gorkhatri once again. The repair work of the historic wall had been completed only a year earlier and the cracks have created the risk of fall once again.The earthquake also damaged old buildings in the city. The building of Government Girls High School Begum Shahabuddin also suffered further damage as a result. The same building was affected 2 months ago as well in the earthquake of October.The 6.9 magnitude earthquake left 8 wounded in Hangu as well. The Pakistan Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said information from other areas is also being collected.

Imran Khan's Karachi visit marred by protests from party workers

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KARACHI: (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s Karachi visit was on Saturday marred by protests from the party workers against the district leadership. However, Imran tackled the protesters aggressively, saying that some 100 boys cannot blackmail him, reported Dunya News.Addressing the workers in Karachi, Imran Khan said that there was no need for the protests since the party elections are just a few months ahead now and the workers will have the opportunity to elect their own representatives.Snubbing the protesters, Imran Khan said that Ali Zaidi, PTI Karachi President, will not be ousted from the party though the protesters may be.The protesting workers started chanting the slogans as soon as he arrived at Insaf House Karachi. Advising them to stay quiet, Imran said that he used to take two pills of headache upon coming to Karachi. When the noise kept mounting, Imran became aggressive and said that he can’t be blackmailed.Announcing the party elections, Imran admitted that the last election wasn’t fair. He said that he had rejected the election results after Justice (r) Wajihuddin report. He said that the elections will be fair this time and the workers will elect their leadership. He further said that PTI is the only party which is democratic.

Business magnates attending PM's meeting raises questions: Imran

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LAHORE: (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has on Saturday said that the presence of business magnates during the meeting of India and Pakistan prime ministers raises questions. He said that the meetings between the two heads of states were welcome but they should be formal and through the foreign ministries of the two countries, reported Dunya News.Imran Khan raised the question over the presence of Indian business magnate in Lahore at the time of Nawaz-Modi meeting. He tweeted on the presence of the business magnate during Modi’s surprise visit to Lahore. He said that icebreaking between Pakistan and India was welcome but there were question marks on the presence of the business magnates in Lahore.PTI Chairman further said that all the meetings including the secret meeting in Kathmandu and the recent meeting in Lahore should have been held under the legal and official framework. He said that the objectives behind the meeting arranged by a business tycoon are not clear and thus raise questions.1. We welcome the thaw in Pak-India relations but to have a business associate arrange the 2 PMs mtgs has an underlying conflict of interest— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) December 26, 2015 2. Mtgs of the 2 PMs, from secret Kathmandu one to Lhr one, must be through institutional frameworks with MFA in the loop for sustainability— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) December 26, 2015 3. Mtgs of PMs through business associates undermine the detente process & raise questions of conflict of interest.— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) December 26, 2015

Meetings, talks must continue: Nawaz-Modi inside story

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LAHORE: (Dunya News) – The inside story of the meeting between the premiers of Pakistan and Indian, Nawaz Sharif and Narendra Modi, are out now. Although the real discussion between the two leaders were held during the helicopter journey from Lahore airport to Jati Umra and their way back but before the media, Modi only said that the meetings must continue and the talks be extended, reported Dunya News.Indian PM arrived at Nawaz Sharif’s residence in Jati Umra in a helicopter while the journey from helipad to the home was made in a car. During the journey, Modi asked Nawaz how big his house is and how many siblings does he have? Nawaz replied that all his siblings live at the same house.Sources told Dunya News that Modi wanted to see Nawaz Sharif’s house on foot but the car didn’t stop anywhere from the house to the helipad. Upon reaching his house, Modi presented PM Nawaz with the gift for his granddaughter’s wedding. The gift pack contained Indian dresses. Modi also went to Raiwind’s family block where he met Nawaz’s mother and granddaughter.During the photo-session, there was no serious discussion. Modi just said that the meetings must continue while the talks scheduled for the next month must be extended.The important matters were discussed only in the car but no one knows what they talked about there. These words were said by a federal minister to an important member of Nawaz’s family. No Pakistani was allowed to talk to Modi directly in this duration. Nawaz Sharif didn’t let Modi alone even from a moment throughout the hour and half he stayed with him.
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