Wednesday 9 December 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Pakistan facing climate 'calamity' if warnings go unheeded

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KARACHI (AFP) - Karachi, 2050: The sprawling megacity lies crumbling, desiccated by another deadly heatwave, its millions of inhabitants suffering life-threatening water shortages and unable to buy bread that has become too expensive to eat.It sounds like the stuff of dystopian fiction but it could be the reality Pakistan is facing. With its northern glaciers melting and its population surging -- the countrys climate change time bomb is already ticking.In a nation facing Islamist violence and an unprecedented energy shortage slowing economic growth, the environment is a subject little discussed.But the warning signs are there, including catastrophic floods which displaced millions, and a deadly heatwave this summer that killed 1,200 people.Three of the worlds most spectacular mountain ranges intersect in Pakistans north: the Himalayas, the Hindu Khush and the Karakoram, forming the largest reservoir of ice outside the poles.The mountain glaciers feed into the Indus River and its tributaries to irrigate the rest of the country, winding through the breadbasket of central Punjab and stretching south to finally merge with the Arabian Sea near Karachi.The future of Pakistan, a Muslim giant whose population the UN predicts will surge past 300 million people by 2050, can be read in part by the melting of glaciers like Passu, at the gateway to China.From its magnificent rocky slopes, the glacial melt is obvious.When we would come here 25 years ago, the glacier reached that rock up there, explains Javed Akhtar, indicating an area some 500 metres (1,600 feet) from the tip of the ice.Akhtar, his face bronzed by the sun, is a villager who has been employed by a team of glaciologists measuring the impact of climate change.Temperatures in northern Pakistan have increased by 1.9 degrees Celsius in the past century, authorities say, causing glof -- glacial lake outburst floods, where the dams of such lakes abruptly rupture, sending water cascading down the slopes.Today, thirty glacial lakes are under observation in the north. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), such mass loss of water is projected to accelerate throughout the 21st century, reducing water availability, hydropower potential, and changing seasonality of flows in regions supplied by meltwater from major mountain ranges.In Pakistan, most of the country is fed by the lush, fertile plains of one such region: Punjab.The breadbasketDespite its growing population, Pakistan remains self-sufficient in agricultural terms, largely thanks to the rich Punjabi soil.But in recent years the region has seen unprecedented, deadly floods that wipe out millions of acres of prime farmland.The disasters are caused by monsoon rains, but are a bellwether for the havoc that melting glaciers could cause, with any variation in water levels threatening farmers crops.When there is too much water its not good for rice, and when there is not enough, thats also bad. And its the same for wheat, says farmer Mohsin Ameen Chattha during a walk through his family land just outside the Punjabi capital of Lahore.Surplus monsoon water is mostly stored in Pakistans two large reservoirs, the Tarbela and the Mangla dams -- but, warns Ghulam Rasul, director general of Pakistans meteorological department, the supply would hardly last 30 days.That is not sufficient, he says.Throughout the rest of the year, farmers rely on the rivers, primarily the glacier-fed Indus, to irrigate their land.For now, the production of rice and wheat is still rising.But if the glaciers were to one day disappear, we would be totally dependent on the monsoon. And already it varies, says Rasul.All this has an impact on food security for the country, he added.If its daily wheat production should no longer suffice, Pakistan would have to begin importing the grain -- driving the price of bread up.Karachi: The perfect storm?Like the Indus, the ominous warning signs all culminate around Karachi.The city draws almost all of its water from the river and already fails to meet even half of the four billion litres a day its inhabitants require, in part because of its inadequate pump network.By 2050 the IPCC predicts a decrease in the freshwater supply of South Asia, particularly in large river basins such as the Indus.That means Karachi will somehow have to manage its growing population with even less water -- a population with a significant poverty rate that will also struggle should food prices rise.In the long term, it is a huge challenge, says Syed Mashkoor ul-Hasnain of the Karachi Water Company.To make matters worse, the meteorologist Rasul predicted changes in atmospheric pressure over the Arabian Sea that could reduce the breezes that currently temper the sweltering heat of the port.In June an unprecedented heatwave took 1,200 lives, mostly in poor neighbourhoods of Karachi -- heat traps with their massive concrete buildings, lack of shade, and the absence of aqueducts.Could it have been a taste of the future? Back on the Passu Glacier, the research assistant Javed Akhtar is unequivocal.A calamity is coming, he warns.

Football: Mourinho happy to find salvation in Europe

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LONDON (AFP) - Jose Mourinho hopes Chelseas progress to the Champions League last 16 will restore his sides shattered confidence and help save his job.Mourinho was on the brink of being sacked until Chelsea avoided elimination from Europes elite club competition with a 2-0 win over Porto at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.Needing a draw to ensure they made it to the knockout stages, Chelsea got a timely piece of good fortune through Ivan Marcanos early own goal before Willians second half strike completed a victory that lifted the west Londoners to the top of Group G and eased the pressure on Mourinho.The sight of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich grinning and exchanging high-fives with his entourage afer Willians goal suggested Mourinho has bought himself a little time to get the Premier League champions back on track.And the beleaguered Blues boss took heart from the way his players, reportedly mutinous at times during a dismal campaign, responded to the prospect of having to fight to spare him from Abramovichs axe.The thing that Im more happy with apart from the result is the players accepted the challenge of playing to win, even though we only needed a draw, Mourinho said.That is not so easy when the pressure is so high and the results are bad in this difficult period.Being in the Champions League is very important. Being here is the minimum we can give to our supporters.The results are not as good as the way we are working every day, but after our first goal we were more relaxed and confident.With Chelseas domestic form so poor, Mourinho conceded there is only an outside chance they could qualify for next seasons Champions League via a top four finish.That makes winning the Champions League the more likely route back into the competition and, in a transparent bid to take the pressure off his team, Mourinho labelled the Blues as also-rans who would be the preferred choice of all their potential opponents in Mondays last 16 draw.Chelsea will face Paris Saint Germain, PSV Eindhoven, Juventus, Roma, Benfica or Gent and Mourinho said: A team that is struggling like us is obviously not a candidate to win the Champions League.The best teams in Europe are in the Champions League. But when we won with Porto in 2004 we were not candidates and when we won with Inter Milan in 2010 we were not candidates.- Everybody wants us -======================When we were candidates with Real Madrid we lost two semi-finals and the same with Chelsea, so you never know.I think everybody wants to play us. Everyone team that finished second doesnt want to play Barcelona, Bayern or Real Madrid.They want to get us because they think we are the weakest.With Chelsea languishing just above the Premier League relegation zone and facing a trip to leaders Leicester next, Mourinho isnt out of the woods yet.If Chelsea are to piece together the kind of winning run that would convince Abramovich not to sack him, Mourinho must get more from Diego Costa, the misfiring Spain striker who played a key role in the opening goal against Porto but generally looked desperately short of confidence.It is clear (Costa is struggling for confidence), but it is also clear to see his effort, commitment and great movement which he didnt have in the last couple of months, Mourinho said.Yes there is a lack of confidence clearly, but not a lack of effort.Despite having condemned his former club to the Europa League, Mourinho still earned a vote of confidence from Porto manager Julen Lopetegui.Mourinho is one of the best coaches in history. Im sure hes the right man to continue here at Chelsea, he said.Im sad about the result but we were against a strong team. We had three or four good chances but there were some unlucky situations that changed the result completely.

Asia stocks track Wall Street as oil rout hits confidence

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HONG KONG (AFP) - A sense of unease spread across Asian stock exchanges Thursday with investors spooked by the sharp sell-off in oil sending most regional markets lower.With crude sitting around seven-year lows energy firms came under further pressure, following more losses on Wall Street.Today is all about risk-off moves. Oil is still excessively low at this price -- concerns this will be the status quo is making investors avoid risk for now, Mitsushige Akino, executive officer at Ichiyoshi Asset Management Co. in Tokyo, told Bloomberg News.While oil prices edged up in early Asian trade, the gains were marginal compared with the losses of around nine percent suffered since the OPEC cartel on Friday decided against cutting output despite a global glut and weak demand.Depressed crude prices continue to hurt some energy stocks, with Sydney-listed Woodside Petroleum down 1.4 percent, Origin 1.9 percent lower and Oil Search off more than two percent.In Hong Kong, CNOOC eased 1.7 percent. However, bargain-buying also provided some support with PetroChina up in Hong Kong and Inpex in Tokyo ticking higher.Japans Nikkei index slipped 1.3 percent by lunch, Sydney slipped 1.6 percent and Seoul was 0.1 percent off, while Hong Kong also edged down.The falls followed a sell-off on Wall Street that saw all three indexes end in the red.Shanghai bucked the trend, however, to rise 0.5 percent on hopes that a string of recent weak economic data will lead Beijing to unveil a fresh round of stimulus measures.The dollar was struggling to make up ground against most of its rivals, with an expected Federal Reserve hike in borrowing costs next week largely priced in.The euro held its gains against the greenback after breaking $1.1 in US trade, with last weeks below-forecast stimulus from the European Central Bank providing support.The Australian dollar rallied one percent after another surprisingly good jobs report eased talk of another rate cut by Canberra.And the New Zealand dollar added 0.3 percent on talk that Thursdays rate cut to a record low by Wellington would be the last for some time. South Koreas won put on 0.4 percent as the country left its own borrowing costs unchanged.

Pakistan facing climate 'calamity' if warnings go unheeded

Posted:

KARACHI (AFP) - Karachi, 2050: The sprawling megacity lies crumbling, desiccated by another deadly heatwave, its millions of inhabitants suffering life-threatening water shortages and unable to buy bread that has become too expensive to eat.It sounds like the stuff of dystopian fiction but it could be the reality Pakistan is facing. With its northern glaciers melting and its population surging -- the countrys climate change time bomb is already ticking.In a nation facing Islamist violence and an unprecedented energy shortage slowing economic growth, the environment is a subject little discussed.But the warning signs are there, including catastrophic floods which displaced millions, and a deadly heatwave this summer that killed 1,200 people.Three of the worlds most spectacular mountain ranges intersect in Pakistans north: the Himalayas, the Hindu Khush and the Karakoram, forming the largest reservoir of ice outside the poles.The mountain glaciers feed into the Indus River and its tributaries to irrigate the rest of the country, winding through the breadbasket of central Punjab and stretching south to finally merge with the Arabian Sea near Karachi.The future of Pakistan, a Muslim giant whose population the UN predicts will surge past 300 million people by 2050, can be read in part by the melting of glaciers like Passu, at the gateway to China.From its magnificent rocky slopes, the glacial melt is obvious.When we would come here 25 years ago, the glacier reached that rock up there, explains Javed Akhtar, indicating an area some 500 metres (1,600 feet) from the tip of the ice.Akhtar, his face bronzed by the sun, is a villager who has been employed by a team of glaciologists measuring the impact of climate change.Temperatures in northern Pakistan have increased by 1.9 degrees Celsius in the past century, authorities say, causing glof -- glacial lake outburst floods, where the dams of such lakes abruptly rupture, sending water cascading down the slopes.Today, thirty glacial lakes are under observation in the north. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), such mass loss of water is projected to accelerate throughout the 21st century, reducing water availability, hydropower potential, and changing seasonality of flows in regions supplied by meltwater from major mountain ranges.In Pakistan, most of the country is fed by the lush, fertile plains of one such region: Punjab.- The breadbasket -===================Despite its growing population, Pakistan remains self-sufficient in agricultural terms, largely thanks to the rich Punjabi soil.But in recent years the region has seen unprecedented, deadly floods that wipe out millions of acres of prime farmland.The disasters are caused by monsoon rains, but are a bellwether for the havoc that melting glaciers could cause, with any variation in water levels threatening farmers crops.When there is too much water its not good for rice, and when there is not enough, thats also bad. And its the same for wheat, says farmer Mohsin Ameen Chattha during a walk through his family land just outside the Punjabi capital of Lahore.Surplus monsoon water is mostly stored in Pakistans two large reservoirs, the Tarbela and the Mangla dams -- but, warns Ghulam Rasul, director general of Pakistans meteorological department, the supply would hardly last 30 days.That is not sufficient, he says.Throughout the rest of the year, farmers rely on the rivers, primarily the glacier-fed Indus, to irrigate their land.For now, the production of rice and wheat is still rising.But if the glaciers were to one day disappear, we would be totally dependent on the monsoon. And already it varies, says Rasul.All this has an impact on food security for the country, he added.If its daily wheat production should no longer suffice, Pakistan would have to begin importing the grain -- driving the price of bread up.- Karachi: The perfect storm? -===============================Like the Indus, the ominous warning signs all culminate around Karachi.The city draws almost all of its water from the river and already fails to meet even half of the four billion litres a day its inhabitants require, in part because of its inadequate pump network.By 2050 the IPCC predicts a decrease in the freshwater supply of South Asia, particularly in large river basins such as the Indus.That means Karachi will somehow have to manage its growing population with even less water -- a population with a significant poverty rate that will also struggle should food prices rise.In the long term, it is a huge challenge, says Syed Mashkoor ul-Hasnain of the Karachi Water Company.To make matters worse, the meteorologist Rasul predicted changes in atmospheric pressure over the Arabian Sea that could reduce the breezes that currently temper the sweltering heat of the port.In June an unprecedented heatwave took 1,200 lives, mostly in poor neighbourhoods of Karachi -- heat traps with their massive concrete buildings, lack of shade, and the absence of aqueducts.Could it have been a taste of the future? Back on the Passu Glacier, the research assistant Javed Akhtar is unequivocal.A calamity is coming, he warns.

Football: Garmash sends Dynamo into Champions League play-offs

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KIEV (AFP) - A goal by midfielder Denis Garmash put Ukraines reigning champions Dynamo Kiev into the Champions League last 16 with a 1-0 home win over Maccabi Tel-Aviv here on Wednesday.The narrow win behind closed doors lifted the capital club up into second, two points behind the English side Chelsea, who won Group G after beating Porto 2-0.Dynamo, who needed nothing less than victory to advance into the Champions league knockout stage, dominated the play from the kick-off at an eerily empty Olympic complex, as their crowd were banned for racist behaviour and unrest during their home game with Chelsea.Garmash had smashed the ball into the net from close range when the match was just two minutes old but his goal was ruled off for offside.But then in the 16th minute Garmash put Dynamo 1-0 up sending home a rebound after Maccabi goalie Predrag Rajkovic parried a teammate Tal Ben Haims shot towards his own net in an attempt to clear a freekick by Sergei Rybalka from the right. The visitors only moment in the first half came with four minutes remaining before the break, when Dynamo keeper Alexander Shovkovskiy cleared a well-struck freekick by midfielder Eran Zahavi from the left for a corner.After the interval Dynamo eased up, while Maccabi picked up steam pinning the home team back in attempt to chalk up their first points of the campaignBut it was to no avail as the visitors failed to create any serious threat lacking accuracy and creativity in attack. Dynamo experienced few problems in keeping their lead to progress into the Champions League play-offs after a 16-year wait.

Boxing: 'Repugnant' Fury not welcome at awards ceremony

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LONDON (AFP) - Newly crowned world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury was in the spotlight again on Wednesday as Britains Sports Journalists Association (SJA) told him to stay away from its annual awards ceremony.Fury has come under fire over his views on women and homosexuality, with over 120,000 people signing a petition calling for him to be removed from the shortlist for the BBCs Sports Personality of the Year award.He is being investigated by Greater Manchester Police after a member of the public reported him for committing a hate crime and the SJA has now withdrawn an invitation for him to attend next weeks British Sports Awards.The officers of the SJA took the decision reluctantly, since the British Sports Awards seek to recognise the years great sporting achievements, which include Furys heavyweight world title win, the SJA said in a statement.But the decision was made as a consequence of threats made by Fury against at least one sports journalist, an SJA member, who has written about the boxers repugnant comments on homosexuality and women.The journalist in question, Oliver Holt, conducted an interview with Fury for the Mail on Sunday in which the boxer likened homosexuality to paedophilia.Fury, who is a born-again Christian, said that three things needed to be accomplished before the devil comes home.One of them is homosexuality being legal in countries, one of them is abortion and the other is paedophilia, he said. Who would have thought in the 50s and 60s that those first two would be legalised?After the article was published, Fury appeared in a video published online in which he suggested Holt would be beaten up by members of his entourage.Fury has also been accused of sexism, having notably stated that a womans place was in the kitchen and on her back.The Manchester-born boxer, who is of traveller heritage and styles himself as the Gypsy King, has denied being homophobic or sexist and says that his views merely reflect what is written in the Bible.Fury stunned long-standing champion Wladimir Klitschko in Duesseldorf at the end of last month to win the WBA, IBF and WBO world heavyweight belts.But the International Boxing Federation has confirmed that Fury has been stripped of its version of the belt for electing to grant Klitschko a rematch rather than face mandatory IBF challenger Vyacheslav Glazkov.Fury took to Twitter on Wednesday, publishing a picture of him celebrating victory over Klitschko that carried the message: Take my belts, sign your petitions, but you will never take this night from me.The British Boxing Board of Control was due to hold a meeting on Wednesday when Furys recent remarks were expected to be discussed.

Pleas against ban on Houbara Bustard hunting to be heard today by SC

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Supreme Court (SC) today (Thursday) will hold a hearing on pleas submitted by both Federal and Provincial governments against the ban on Houbara Bustard hunt. The hearing will be conducted by a 3 member bench headed by Justice Saqib Nisar.The review requests against the restriction state that the ban on hunting the bird is in violation of the law and the facts. The requests for lifting the ban also state that there is no such restriction on the hunt in both the provincial laws and according to the international agreement. The plea submitted to the SC also demands that the court should reconsider its decision.A discussion was also held in the National Assembly (NA) on the matter with Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) MNA and Parliamentary Secretary for Ports and Shipping Mian Imtiaz expressing anger over the ban.Mian Imtiaz stated that India has offered Arab princes to hunt in the country following ban on hunt of precious Houbara bustard in Pakistan.He further stated that ban on Houbara bustard’s hunt has affected the region’s development and employment of local population. If the complete elimination of ban is not possible then hunting should be allowed on a limited scale, appealed Mian Imtiaz.

Starc set to miss World T20 after ankle surgery

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HOBART (AFP) - Australia pace spearhead Mitchell Starc will have ankle surgery and is unlikely to play in the World Twenty20 tournament in India next year, Cricket Australia said on Thursday.Starc, who has had trouble with his right ankle stemming back to the Ashes series in England this year, suffered a stress fracture of the same foot in the day-night third Test against New Zealand in Adelaide late last month.It has now been decided he needs ankle surgery meaning Starc will miss the remainder of the Australian season.After discussions with specialists, and in consultation with Mitchell, we believe the best course of action would be for Mitchell to have the surgery for his ankle impingement now while he is currently laid off with the stress fracture in his foot, CA physiotherapist David Beakley said in a statement.His return to play time frames will be clearer once the surgery is complete but it is unlikely that he will be available for the ICC World T20.Left-armer Starc, 25, is Australias leading strike bowler and has taken 91 wickets in 25 Tests at 30.58.He also bowled the fastest-recorded Test delivery of 160.4 kilometres per hour (99.7mph) during the drawn second Perth Test.A date for surgery is yet to be confirmed. The World T20 takes place in India in March-April 2016.

World's first dengue fever vaccine cleared by Mexico

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MEXICO CITY (AFP) - The worlds first dengue vaccine won regulatory approval in Mexico on Wednesday, raising hopes that it could prevent more than 100 deaths there a year and eventually perhaps millions around the world. Globally, dengue is the fastest-growing mosquito-borne disease, with as many as 400 million people infected every year, according to the World Health Organization.The Dengvaxia vaccine is being manufactured by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi. The company has requested regulatory approval in 20 countries across Asia and Latin America, but Mexico was the first to give it the green light.While the price tag has yet to be decided, the vaccine has the potential to be a blockbuster drug and generate more than $1 billion a year in revenue for Sanofi, said Olivier Charmeil, head of the companys vaccines division.Its a very important moment in the history of public health, Charmeil told AFP, describing Dengvaxia as the innovation of the decade.Mexicos National Vaccination Council will meet to decide whether Dengvaxia will be among the vaccines the government distributes without cost, the head of the health regulatory agency, Mikel Arriola, told AFP.Mexican health authorities estimate the vaccine could prevent 8,000 hospitalizations and 104 deaths per year.Its a great step forward, Arriola said, adding that Mexico was able to move before other countries because it was involved in the research on the vaccine, carried out since 2006.Scientists have long been stumped by dengue, which has four separate strains, forcing researchers to find a drug able to fight all of them at once.Clinical tests -- carried out on 40,000 people from 15 countries -- have found Dengvaxia can immunize two-thirds of people aged nine years and older, rising to 93 percent for the more severe form of the disease, dengue hemorrhagic fever. It was also found to reduce the risk of hospitalization by 80 percent.Dengue can trigger a crippling fever, along with muscle and joint pain. There is no known cure, and children are at particular risk.The deadliest form of the disease kills 22,000 people per year, the WHO says.It was once considered a disease of the tropics, endemic in only nine countries. But globalization, urbanization, climate change and jet travel are helping it to move into more temperate zones. It is now endemic in more than 100 countries.The WHO says cases have risen 30-fold over the last 50 years, with more than half the worlds population potentially at risk.The 20 countries where Sanofi Pasteur hopes for authorization to market the vaccine have a total population of two billion people.We are waiting for more registrations in Asia and Latin America in the coming weeks, said Charmeil. Several million doses of the vaccine are ready to ship, and Sanofi expects annual production to reach 100 million doses by 2017.A stockpile for the European Union will be shipped early next year and for the United States a year later.Sanofis research and development work took 20 years, costing more than 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion).But the vaccine could bring the company more than $1 billion annually starting in 2018 or 2019, analysts said.But it will depend on the markets, the target populations and the prices that are negotiated, said Eric Le Berrigaud, analyst at investment banking firm Bryan, Garnier & Co.Other pharmaceutical companies are developing dengue vaccines, including US firm Merck, Japans Takeda and Britains GlaxoSmithKline.But Sanofi is well ahead of the competition, said Le Berrigaud.Sanofi Pasteur has four years of monopoly in front of it, he said.

Petition to ban Trump from Britain tops 230,000

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LONDON (AFP) - A petition to ban US presidential hopeful Donald Trump from Britain reached more than 230,000 signatures on Wednesday after the Republican frontrunner called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States.The petition will now be considered for debate by parliament as it has over 100,000 signatures, and will receive a written government response.The UK has banned entry to many individuals for hate speech. The same principles should apply to everyone who wishes to enter the UK, said the petition.Trumps comments have caused an outcry in Britain and prompted the Scottish government Wednesday to drop him as a business ambassador for the country, where he owns golf courses and hotels.Mr Trumps recent remarks have shown that he is no longer fit to be a business ambassador for Scotland, a spokesman for the regional government said. Trump, whose mother was born in Scotland, took up the role in 2006.Remarks by the property billionaire that police feared for their lives in parts of London due to radicalisation caused a social media outcry and drew the ire of the capitals mayor, Boris Johnson.When Donald Trump says there are parts of London that are no-go areas, I think he is betraying a quite stupefying ignorance that makes him frankly unfit to hold the office of the president of the United States, Johnson told ITV News.Web users also mocked the blustering tycoon with the ironic hashtag trumpfacts.One tweet carried an image of Queen Elizabeth II wearing a headscarf with the inscription: Even the British monarch is now forced to wear a hijab.The anti-Trump petition was posted late Tuesday by Scottish resident Suzanne Kelly, a long-time critic of the 69-year-old.Twenty-four lawmakers have also signed two House of Commons motions condemning the remarks. One calls on the government to refuse a visa allowing Donald Trump to visit the UK until Mr Trump withdraws his comments.Finance minister George Osborne told parliament that Trumps comments were nonsense but added that debate was the best way to deal with Donald Trump and his views rather than trying to ban presidential candidates.Trump had called for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our countrys representatives can figure out what is going on following recent attacks that left 14 people dead in California and killed 130 in Paris.He later defended his comments on US network MSNBC, saying: They have sections in Paris that are radicalised, where the police refuse to go. We have places in London... that are so radicalised that the police are afraid for their own lives.A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said Trump could not be more wrong and invited all US presidential candidates for a briefing on the reality of policing London.More than 17,000 had signed another petition, also launched by Kelly, calling on the Robert Gordon University in the Scottish city of Aberdeen to strip Trump of an honorary degree awarded in 2010.

Moscow announces trilateral Syria talks in Geneva on Friday

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MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia said Moscow, Washington and the United Nations will hold Syria talks in Geneva on Friday as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict are ratcheted up. We will be having consultations in the trilateral format -- Russia, the United States and the UN, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told RIA Novosti state news agency on Wednesday. UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura is set to take part in the talks aimed at ending a brutal war that has killed more than 250,000 people and forced millions from their homes since March 2011. Gatilov said Russia would be calling for the intensification of joint efforts in the fight against terrorism. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a call with his US counterpart John Kerry Wednesday, said they needed to draw up a list of terrorist groups that we must not talk to and that we must fight together, his ministry said.Kerry said he would visit Moscow next week as Russia and the United States work to forge a framework for a Syrian ceasefire and political transition.Moscow has sought, so far without success, to persuade nations in the US-led coalition that opposes Assad to work with its own forces flying a bombing campaign in Syria and with Damascus in a broader coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group.Representatives from Syrias fragmented opposition on Wednesday began a two-day closed-door meeting in Saudi Arabia to seek a united front for potential talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It was the first time a broad range of Syrian political and armed opposition factions have come together since the conflict erupted. But another Russian deputy foreign minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, deplored that Ahrar al-Sham -- which is linked to Al-Qaedas Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra -- and the rebel Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam), had been invited to the Riyadh talks as they are strongly suspected of being terrorist organisations.

37 killed in Taliban siege at Afghan airport

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KANDAHAR (AFP) - Thirty-seven people were killed when Taliban insurgents wearing military uniforms stormed Kandahar airport, triggering pitched gun battles in a lengthy siege as President Ashraf Ghani Wednesday sought to revive peace talks at a regional conference.Nearly 24 hours after the siege began, one of the 11 assailants was still holding out against security forces late on Wednesday, in the most serious attack on the largest military installation in the south of the country in 14 years of war.Witnesses said the militants had taken families hostage, using them as human shields after storming the sprawling complex, and slowing down the militarys clearance operation.The fighting started around 6:00 pm (Tuesday) and intensified over the night, 30-year-old university student Izatullah, who lives inside the complex, told AFP.Soldiers were calling on Taliban attackers to let women and children go, but the attackers declined. We could hear children screaming during the fighting.The Afghan defence ministry on Wednesday evening said nine insurgents had been gunned down, one was injured and another was still holed up inside a building.Unfortunately during the battle, 37 innocent Afghans were killed and 35 others injured, the ministry added.It did not offer any breakdown of the casualties, but a Western official briefed on the matter told AFP that it included a large number of civilians.This is the most serious attack weve witnessed against the (Kandahar) complex, which also houses a joint NATO-Afghan base, the official said.The militants managed to breach the first gate of the high-security air field and took up position in an old school building, engaging security forces in fierce firefights.The Taliban posted a picture on their website of the militants it said were involved in the brazen attack. It shows 10 young men sporting trimmed beards, Kalashnikovs and identical military uniforms.The face of one of them is obscured with blue ink for reasons that were not revealed.The martyrdom seekers... entered Kandahar airbase undetected... and began thunderous attacks, the post said.It claimed the assailants reported via telephone that some 80 Afghan and foreign forces had been killed and 13 armoured carriers destroyed. The insurgents are regularly known to exaggerate battlefield claims.A military commander said radio intercepts showed some assailants were speaking Urdu, a language more common in neighbouring Pakistan, the Talibans historic backer.The raid coincides with Afghan President Ghanis high-profile visit to Islamabad on Wednesday for the Heart of Asia conference aimed at promoting regional ties.Ghani and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed their commitment to the peace process on Wednesday on the final day of the conference, with the United States also offering support, the foreign ministry in Islamabad said.Ghanis willingness to visit Afghanistans longtime nemesis has signalled a renewed push to mend badly frayed cross-border ties, which could help jumpstart peace talks with the insurgents.It has become a familiar pattern. Whenever there is talk about peace talks, the Taliban launch big attacks, Kabul-based military analyst Atiqullah Amarkhil told AFP.It shows that either they want to scuttle efforts towards talks or want big concessions before they reach the negotiating table.Pakistan, which wields considerable influence over the Taliban, hosted a milestone first round of peace negotiations in July.But the talks stalled when the Taliban belatedly confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar, sparking a power struggle within the movement that lead to a rival faction splitting off last month.The Kandahar raid comes after days of fevered speculation about the fate of new Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour following reports he was critically wounded in a firefight with his own commanders in Pakistan.The Taliban released an audio message Saturday purportedly from Mansour, vehemently rejecting reports of any shootout as enemy propaganda.The Islamists denials have fallen on sceptical ears, however, especially after they kept Mullah Omars death secret for two years, with multiple insurgent sources casting doubt on the authenticity of the message.Ghani also said Monday that there was no evidence to prove that Mansour was dead.Rumours of his demise could potentially intensify the simmering rifts within the insurgent movement.The Taliban has seen a resurgence in recent months, opening new battlefronts across the country with Afghan forces struggling to rein in the expanding insurgency.

Suicide bomber kills eight near Baghdad Shiite mosque: officials

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BAGHDAD (AFP) - A suicide bomber killed at least eight people near a Shiite mosque in eastern Baghdad on Wednesday, security and medical officials said.The blast in the Obeidi area also wounded at least 19 people, the officials said.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but in Iraq suicide bombings are a tactic almost exclusively used by the Islamic State jihadist group.IS considers Shiites to be heretics, and frequently targets them with bombings in crowded areas of the capital.IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad last year, and while Iraqi forces have retaken significant territory north of the capital, much of the countrys west remains under jihadist control.Bombings in Baghdad have become less frequent since the IS offensive last year, apparently because the jihadists have been occupied with fighting elsewhere.

Brazil's Rousseff gets impeachment lifeline

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BRASILIA (AFP) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was thrown a lifeline by the Supreme Court in her fight against impeachment, while her chief antagonist faced troubles of his own Wednesday in Congress, where he is accused of corruption.The impeachment rollercoaster took a dramatic turn late Tuesday when the Supreme Court slapped a week-long freeze on the special commission formed to recommend to Congress whether Rousseff should be removed from office.The suspension was made in response to an appeal from Rousseff allies that the opposition had illegally insisted on secret votes -- not the usual open ballots -- while picking who would sit on the congressional commission.The goal, according to the opposition, was to stack the body with anti-Rousseff deputies. Their recommendation would not be binding, but would set the tone for votes in the lower house and Senate on the presidents fate.The court will rule next Wednesday and is not expected to scupper the whole impeachment process. However, even a delay was good news for Rousseff, who a year into her second term is fighting for her political life.Brazils first female president, a moderate leftist, is accused of illegal budgeting maneuvers, but says the practices were long accepted by previous governments. She calls the attempt to bring her down a coup.The turmoil is stirring passions across the South American country of 204 million people, where Rousseffs Workers Party has been in power since 2003 with the help of its often uncomfortable coalition partner, the centrist PMDB.Nationwide opposition rallies are planned Sunday and on Tuesday Rousseff supporters marched in central Rio de Janeiro, which will host the 2016 Olympics.Political uncertainty is also adding to the economic mess, with GDP down 4.5 percent in the third quarter year-on-year, and the national currency down a third against the dollar this year. A vast corruption scandal centered on state oil giant Petrobras has also put a hole in investor confidence.In the latest sign of the dismal economy, the government announced year-on-year inflation for November of 10.48 percent -- the highest in 12 years.In parallel with Rousseffs struggles, her main foe, the speaker of the lower house Eduardo Cunha, is also trying to save his career.Cunha, from the PMDBs openly anti-Rousseff wing, is the architect of the impeachment drive and also oversaw the controversial session Tuesday to form the commission.But in an illustration of the almost surreal level of corruption eating away at Brazils elite, Cunha faces criminal corruption charges that he took millions of dollars in bribes and hid money in Swiss bank accounts.On Wednesday, an ethics committee was expected to vote -- following repeated delays -- on whether to open an enquiry, which could then lead to Cunha being forced out.The ultra-conservative politician says the charges are politically motivated and has fought fiercely to retain his post. Analysts say that the entire impeachment crisis has in part been linked to Cunhas battle to distract attention from his case and ensure his continued influence as speaker. Political analyst Michael Mohallen, at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio de Janeiro, said the Supreme Court had done the right thing by suspending the impeachment campaign, but that in Brazils tinderbox politics it will have to be careful.The problem is knowing how the court will be involved in this process. It will be the referee throughout, so it will have to be very measured in accepting or rejecting appeals. Every time a group of deputies feels it has lost it will appeal, he said.So far the court has reacted well. It has had four appeals since the start of the procedure and accepted only one, he said.For Rousseff supporters, the entire impeachment case lacks credibility. On Tuesday, 16 of the countrys 27 state governors declared there was no constitutional foundation.But with only 10 percent popularity ratings, Rousseff has little political muscle and the impeachment push in part reflects the countrys anger at the multiple crises.For Rousseff, a key element now is whether her vice president, Michel Temer, will remain loyal. Temer, from the PMDB, hinted strongly this week that he is ready to abandon Rousseff and join his partys opposition-minded wing.If that happens, Rousseffs chances of winning the necessary one-third of votes in Congress to defeat impeachment would diminish sharply.The two were due to meet late Wednesday, although it was not clear whether they planned to finalize the divorce or make up.

FBI chief: California killers radicalized before they met

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Muslim husband and wife who killed 14 people in an attack on a year-end party in San Bernardino, California were radicalized at least two years ago, before they met online, FBI Director James Comey said Wednesday.The Federal Bureau of Investigations probe has determined that US-born Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, a Pakistani national, were inspired by foreign terror groups and discussed jihad and martyrdom as early as 2013, Comey said.The investigation indicates that they were actually radicalized before they started courting or dating each other online, he told the Senate Judiciary Committee during a hearing.And online, as early as the end of 2013, they were talking to each other about jihad and martyrdom before they became engaged and then married and lived together in the United States.The revelations by Comey appear to counter an earlier theory studied by investigators that Malik may have radicalized her husband, appearing as the driving force behind the attacks.The 29-year-old Pakistani is believed to have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a Facebook post made under another name, around the time of the shooting, according to reports.The assailants shot dead 14 people and wounded another 21 at a party full of Farooks co-workers, before dying in a shootout with police hours later.Authorities said the couple, who had a six-month-old baby, had amassed a huge arsenal in their California home including thousands of rounds of ammunition, 12 pipe bombs, and bomb-making material.Comey said it was believed they were inspired by foreign terror organizations and the FBI was seeking to determine whether anyone assisted, supported or equipped them. And were working very, very hard to understand, did they have other plans.As of now, he said, authorities have not found any IS cells or networks in the country.However investigators have been looking into Farooks ties with a longtime friend and neighbor, Enrique Marquez, suspected of purchasing two assault rifles used by the couple in their murderous rampage.According to US Senator James Risch, Enrique told investigators that Farook and he plotted an attack three years ago but aborted the plan after a wave of US counterterrorism arrests.He has admitted that in 2012 they had something in mind and they didnt do it because there had been some immediate arrests by the counterterrorism people, Risch, who sits on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told CNN.And as a result of that they got cold feet.The precise nature or target of the plot was unclear, Risch said.Marquez, a convert to Islam whose home was raided at the weekend, is currently being treated in a psychiatric ward. He has yet to be charged in the probe and could potentially be offered a plea bargain if he cooperates.He and Farook were neighbors in the Californian town of Riverside for around a decade, according to The New York Times. They were also loosely related by marriage, according to the paper, which said Marquez last year married a woman named Mariya Chernykh, sister to Farooks sister-in-law.Farook and Malik traveled together to the United States in July 2014, Farook with his US passport and Malik with her fiancee visa inside her Pakistani passport.Comey said authorities were trying to determine if their union was a marriage arranged by extremist operatives, in order for Malik to gain access to the country.It would be a very, very important thing to know, he said.Comeys revelations were part of broader testimony about FBI oversight and what he called a staggering array of threats facing the country.He said the FBI was focused intently on the threat of the radicalization in place of people who become inspired, influenced or directed by a terrorist group or extremists.But finding such homegrown violent extremists is a very hard thing, Comey said.Comey addressed what he called the growing problem of encryption, which allows terror suspects to go dark using easily available encrypted services including telephone messaging apps and gaming consoles.His comments follow up on an appeal from President Barack Obama for high-tech leaders to help make it harder for extremists to escape from the law using technology.Comey pointed to an attack in Garland, Texas in May that was thwarted by fast-acting police before shooters could kill anyone. He said one of the assailants had exchanged 109 messages with a known overseas terrorist shortly before the shooting, which targeted a contest involving cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.But seven months after that attack, in which the two gunmen were shot dead by police, we have no idea what was said because those messages were encrypted, Comey told the panel.That is a big problem.Even when devices are recovered from suspects, the data within can remain encrypted and unreadable to law enforcement, he warned.
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