Saturday 16 January 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

29 killed, including 10 foreigners, in Al-Qaeda attack on Burkina hotel

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OUAGADOUGOU (AFP) - At least 29 people, including 10 foreigners, were killed in an Al-Qaeda attack on a top hotel in Burkina Faso, an unprecedented strike in the capital illustrating the expanding reach of regional jihadists.The hours-long drama saw Burkinabe troops, backed by French special forces, battle militants -- including two women fighters -- who stormed the four-star Splendid Hotel, which is popular with foreigners and United Nations staff, and took more than a hundred people hostage.Burkina Faso declared three days of national mourning following the attack, which mirrored another Al-Qaeda attack on a luxury hotel in neighbouring Mali where 20 people were killed, mostly foreigners.The Burkinabe nation is in shock, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who took office just last month, said in a radio and television address.For the first time in its history, our country has fallen victim to a series of barbaric terrorist attacks, he said, adding that the people of Burkina would nevertheless emerge victorious.The attack began around 7:45 pm on Friday when an unknown number of attackers stormed the 147-room Splendid Hotel in the heart of Ouagadougou.An AFP reporter saw three gunmen wearing turbans firing on Avenue Kwame Nkrumah, one of the citys main thoroughfares. Another witness reported seeing four assailants.The hotel and its surrounding area turned into a battleground as Burkina Faso troops, backed by French forces based in the city under a regional counterterrorism initiative, launched an attempt to retake the hotel around 2:00 am.Blood everywhereA total of 29 people were killed in the attack on the hotel and a nearby restaurant, including six Canadians and two French and two Swiss nationals.Interior Minister Simon Compaore said the bodies of three very young jihadists had been identified, all of them men. A security source said earlier that at least four attackers had been killed, two of them women.Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has claimed the attack on behalf of an affiliate, saying the strike on the former French colony was in revenge against France and the disbelieving West, according to a statement carried by US-based monitoring group SITE.AQIM said the gunmen were from the Al-Murabitoun group of notorious Algerian extremist Mokhtar Belmokhtar.The attack will heighten concerns that jihadist groups are casting their net wider in search of targets in west Africa, two months after the hotel siege in Mali.The US, which has a small military contingent in Burkina Faso, meanwhile said it supported French forces in the operation to retake the Splendid Hotel.Several guests managed to escape from the hotel through side entrances, including labour minister Clement Sawadogo, who emerged unscathed.It was horrible... there was blood everywhere. They were firing at people at close range, Yannick Sawadogo, one of those who escaped, told AFP.They were walking around people and firing at people who were not dead.The scene was cordoned off by yellow police tape on Saturday, while officials carried off corpses in blue plastic bags.Symbol of progressCampaore told AFP that 10 bodies were discovered on the terrace of the Cappucino restaurant, which lies next to the hotel.French President Francois Hollande led international condemnation of what he described as an odious and cowardly attack.Also on Saturday, the Burkina government said that two Australians were kidnapped Friday in the northern Baraboule region, near the border with Niger and Mali.Malian militant group Ansar Dine told AFP the couple were being held by jihadists from the Al-Qaeda-linked Emirate of the Sahara.Australia said it was aware of the reports, but did not give further details.The attack in Ouagadougou was unprecedented in Burkina Faso and comes as people were enjoying a return to stability after the November elections which ended a shaky transitional period since veteran leader Blaise Compaores 2014 ouster, including a failed coup.The elections went off well, said Cynthia Ohayon, a security analyst with the International Crisis Group. That makes the country a symbol of progress, which is what those people want to destroy.Al-Murabitoun had already begun to move into the impoverished country of around 17 million. In April last year, the group claimed the abduction of the Romanian security chief of a mine in the countrys north.

Kerry: Nuclear deal 'accelerated' Iran prisoner swap

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VIENNA (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday the closer ties built with Iran while negotiating a nuclear deal had accelerated efforts to win the release of five American prisoners.US officials had previously insisted the backchannel diplomacy with Iran to arrange Saturdays prisoner swap was a separate effort from the international drive to end the nuclear standoff.But, announcing that the five should be on their way home to their families before long Kerry admitted that one issue had fed into the other.While the two tracks of negotiations were not directly related -- and they were not -- there is no question the pace and the progress of the humanitarian talks accelerated in light of the relationships forged and the diplomatic channels unlocked over the course of the nuclear talks, Kerry said.Certainly in the time since weve reached an agreement last July there was a significant pickup in that dialogue.Earlier, Iranian and US officials had announced that four US citizens -- including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian -- had been released in exchange for Washington pardoning seven Iranians accused of sanctions-busting.A fifth American was also released in a separate process, a US official said.

Swine flu sweeps through Punjab as several more fall prey

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Swine flu is sweeping through Punjab as several more people fall prey to the disease Saturday. 52 people have been affected throughout the province by the illness up until now while 99 cases have been reported.Overall, 4 deaths have been reported in Rawalpindi, 4 in Multan while a single death has been reported each in the cities of Lahore, Chakwal, Gujranwala and Sahiwal.Advisor on health issues Khawaja Salman Rafique has stated that every effort is being put in to contain the flu and preparations for battling the disease have been completed.Swine flu, also known as H1N1 in medical terms, is a disease that spreads through contact with a sufferer, when shaking hands, aerially or using a utensil which had earlier been in contact with a patient of the disease.

Thick fog blankets Punjab reducing visibility considerably

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – A thick fog has blanketed various areas of Punjab reducing visibility considerably.Visibility reduced to zero in Lahore to Khanewal section of National Highway.Motorway was also closed for traffic at various areas due to the extreme weather.Authorities have advised citizens to avoid unnecessary travel in these weather conditions while motorists have been advised to remain alert and use fog lights and wipers.

Police takes 39 into custody during search operation in Lahore, Faisalabad

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Police late Saturday night took 39 alleged suspects into custody during a search operation in different areas of Lahore and Faisalabad27 suspected individuals were taken into cusotdy from Afghan slums during a search operation in Data Darbar and surrounding areas of Lahore.Police also took 12 alleged suspects into custody during a search operation in Lyallpur area of Faisalabad. Those taken into custody could not identify themselves.Different hotels, rest houses and hostels were searched during the operation.Identification documents of citizens were checked during the action.Suspected indivuals taken into custody have been shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.

Karachi: Corpses of husband, wife found from flat

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Corpses of a husband and wife were found from a flat in Garden Show market area of Karachi late Saturday night. The couple had been married since 8 years. The dead bodies were shifted to Civil hospital. Police have sealed the apartment and started an investigation into the matter.Meanwhile one person was shot dead and another injured in Lyari Baghdadi area.The victim was identified as Ishtiaq alias Papu who was the brother of a political leader.On the other hand, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested two drug dealers beloging to notorious drug gang Darwaish during a raid in Old Sabzi Mandi area of Karachi. Grenades and ammunition were recovered from the suspects during the action.

International sanctions lifted after Iran complies with nuclear deal

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VIENNA (AFP) - The historic nuclear accord between Iran and major powers entered into force Saturday as the UN confirmed that Tehran has shrunk its atomic programme and as painful sanctions were lifted on the Islamic republic.Irans President Hassan Rouhani, whose 2013 election helped launch the Herculean diplomatic effort towards the July 14 Vienna deal, said it was a glorious victory for the patient nation of Iran.I thank God for this blessing & bow to the greatness of the patient nation of Iran. Rouhani said on his official Twitter account.The International Atomic Energy Agency said its inspectors on the ground verified that Iran has carried out all measures agreed under the agreement.EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, representing the six powers, said that as a result multilateral and national economic and financial sanctions related to Irans nuclear programme are lifted.This achievement clearly demonstrates that with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy, we can solve the most difficult issues and find practical solutions that are effectively implemented, Mogherini said in Vienna in a joint statement with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.The so-called Implementation Day for the accord also followed news of a prisoner swap between Iran and the United States in another sign of thawing relations between the two foes since the July 14 agreement.The steps taken by Iran, combined with ultra-close IAEA inspections, extend to at least a year -- from a few months previously -- how long Iran would need to make one nuclear bombs worth of fissile material.They include slashing by two-thirds its uranium centrifuges, reducing its stockpile of uranium -- enough before the deal for several bombs -- and removing the core of the Arak reactor which could have given Iran weapons-grade plutonium.Iran has always denied wanting nuclear weapons, saying its activities are exclusively for peaceful purposes such as power generation.Today... the United States, our friends and allies in the Middle East, and the entire world are safer because the threat of the nuclear weapon has been reduced, US Secretary of State John Kerry said in Vienna.In what was hailed as a momentous diplomatic breakthrough, the Vienna agreement was nailed down after two years of rollercoaster negotiations following the moderate Rouhanis June 2013 election.The highly complex deal drew a line under a standoff dating back to 2002 marked by failed diplomatic initiatives, ever-tighter sanctions, defiant nuclear expansion by Iran and threats of military action.In addition it put Iran and the United States on the road to better relations some 35 years after the Islamic revolution that toppled the US-backed shah, and at a particularly explosive time in the Middle East.The five detainees to be freed by Iran included Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian and Saeed Abedini, a pastor from Idaho, a senior US official said Saturday.In exchange Washington said it had granted clemency to seven Iranians, six of whom were dual US-Iranian citizens, and dropped charges against 14 more.Daggers drawnThe agreement, heralded as US President Barack Obamas biggest major foreign policy triumph, has by no means been universally cheered, however.Obamas Republican opponents charge that it fails to do enough to ensure Iran will never get the bomb, a complaint shared by Israel, Irans arch foe widely assumed to have nuclear weapons itself.Even after signing the nuclear deal, Iran has not relinquished its ambition to obtain nuclear weapons, and continues to act to destabilise the Middle East and spread terror throughout the world while violating its international commitments, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday.Today, the Obama administration will begin lifting economic sanctions on the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said.Sunni Saudi Arabia, Irans other great regional rival, is also alarmed at the prospect of warmer US-Iran ties and of predominantly Shiite Iran, newly flush with oil revenues, increasing its influence.Already Saudi Arabia and Iran, fighting a proxy war in Yemen and key players in the Syrian conflict, are at daggers drawn following Saudi Arabias execution of a Shiite cleric in early January and the subsequent ransacking of the Saudi embassy in Tehran.Irans imminent return to the oil market has also contributed to the sharp slide in the price of crude to 12-year lows of under $30 per barrel this week, putting Saudi Arabias public finances under strain.Bumpy roadThe deal has more than a decade to run, which is likely to be a bumpy road, experts say, not least if more hardline governments take power in Tehran or Washington.A snapback mechanism ensures that many of the sanctions can be swiftly reimposed, and a special joint commission is meant to handle any misunderstandings.Iran may test the boundaries of the agreement, said Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association.At the same time, punitive actions for violations on both sides should be proportionate, and differentiated from technical missteps, which may occur under such a complex agreement, she told AFP.

Frustration again as repairs cause severe traffic pile up in Karachi

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – With continous ongoing cases of pipeline bursts and clogged gutters spewing sewage water, it seems there is no let up for the citizens of Karachi. The distraught citizens once again faced frustrating circumstances as repairs at a railway crossing at Drigh road caused a severe traffic pile up. The flustering traffic jam was caused as one track of Shahrah-e-Faisal was closed for the motorists for 12 hours.Shahrah-e-Faisal track leading from City Metropol towards the airport will remain closed for traffic until 2 PM today (Sunday).A long queue of cars was seen as the road closure increased pressure of traffic on the only open track of Shahrah-e-Faisal.Citizens out on a weekend night were greatly irked by the disturbance of traffic flow.Administration instead advised motorists travelling to airport to use Gulistan-e-Johar, Pehlewan Goth and Korangi Industrial areas routes.

IS 'massacre' in east Syria city kills scores

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BEIRUT (AFP) - An Islamic State group attack Saturday in the eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor killed at least 85 civilians and 50 regime forces, a monitor said, with state media denouncing a massacre.Syrias state news agency SANA, quoting residents, said around 300 civilians were killed in the onslaught.If confirmed it would be one of the highest tolls for a single day in Syrias nearly five-year war.The bloodshed in Deir Ezzor came as regime forces battled IS in the northern province of Aleppo, killing at least 16 extremists, and as air strikes hit the IS stronghold of Raqa.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS had advanced into the northern tip of Deir Ezzor city and captured the northern suburb of Al-Baghaliyeh.Initially it reported that 35 Syrian soldiers and allied militiamen were killed in the multi-front attack, which including a suicide bombing.But as the day unfolded the death toll rose, with the Britain-based monitor saying that civilians were among those killed in Deir Ezzor.It said most of the victims were killed execution-style in Al-Baghaliyeh.Quoting local sources, SANA denounced a massacre.The Daesh (IS) terrorists carried out a massacre in Al-Baghaliyeh, claiming the lives of around 300 civilians, most of them women, children and elderly people, the agency said.It quoted Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi as saying that the legal and moral responsibility for this barbaric and cowardly massacre... lies on the shoulders of all the states that support terrorism and that fund and arm takfiri (Sunni extremist) groups.According to the Observatory, the advance puts IS in control of around 60 percent of Deir Ezzor city, capital of the province of the same name in an oil-rich region bordering Iraq.IS said its fighters carried out several suicide bombings against regime forces in Deir Ezzor and seized control of Al-Baghaliyeh and other areas.The Observatory said Russian warplanes were carrying out heavy air strikes in support of regime forces as they sought to repel the jihadists.Aleppo offensiveRegime troops were locked in fierce clashes with IS in Aleppo province, with at least 16 extremists killed after a failed attack on a government position near the town of Al-Bab, the monitor said.State television also reported that regime forces had repelled an assault in the town.The Observatory said heavy fighting was ongoing Saturday in the area, with Russian warplanes carrying out strikes in the region between the regime-held Kweyris air base and Al-Bab.The regime has advanced towards the town, an IS bastion, in recent days, and is now within 10 kilometres (six miles) of it, said the Observatory.That is the closest regime forces have come to Al-Bab since 2012.Located some 30 kilometres south of the Turkish border, Al-Bab fell into rebel hands in July 2012, and IS jihadists captured it in late 2013.Seven battlefrontsThe fighting in Al-Bab is just one of up to seven battlefronts on which regime forces are seeking to advance in Aleppo province, capitalising on a Russian air campaign that began on September 30.The battles are intended in part to cut rebel supply lines into Aleppo city, the provincial capital and Syrias second city.Aleppo itself is divided and regime forces are now hoping to effectively encircle the opposition-held east.In addition to cutting rebel access to eastern Aleppo city, the regime is hoping to sever areas controlled by IS in the province from its territory in neighbouring Raqa, Abdel Rahman said.Raqa, the self-declared capital of IS, has come under frequent air strikes by the US-led coalition, the Syrian air force and Russian warplanes.On Saturday at least 16 people, including civilians, were killed in air strikes and 30 others were wounded, said Abdel Rahman.He said eight strikes hit the city and its surroundings but did not specify who carried them out.British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, in comments reported Saturday, said some 600 Britons have been stopped from going to Syria to join IS and other extremist groups.Hammond said these interceptions as well as air strikes were placing extra strain on IS in its Raqa headquarters.There is evidence (IS) is finding it difficult to recruit to the brigades in Raqa because of the high attrition rate of foreign fighters, he said, according to The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph newspapers.Syrias war has killed more than 260,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes.

Drowned Syrian toddler's father wept over French cartoon

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ARBIL (AFP) - The father of a drowned Syrian toddler wept when he saw a cartoon depicting his son as an adult involved in sexual harassment, and said Saturday that the family is in shock.When I saw the picture, I cried, Abdullah Kurdi told AFP by telephone, adding: My family is still in shock.He also said in a written statement that the cartoon in French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was inhuman and immoral and as bad as the actions of the war criminals and terrorists who have caused widespread death and displacement in Syria and elsewhere.Abdullahs three-year-old son Aylans body was photographed lying face down on a Turkish beach after he drowned on the crossing to Greece, a bleak image that helped focus international attention on the plight of refugees making the perilous journey to Europe.Aylans four-year-old brother and his mother also died in the accident.Charlie Hebdo ran a cartoon depicting Aylan as a man chasing after a woman with a caption asking: What would have become of small Aylan if he grew up?It also included a statement alluding to a rash of crime targeting women at New Years festivities in Cologne that has been blamed on migrants.The Charlie Hebdo drawing has triggered sharp criticism on social networks while Aylans relatives in Canada expressed disgust.The magazine, contacted Thursday by AFP, declined to comment.

EU, US lift Iran's nuclear sanctions

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VIENNA (Dunya News/AFP) - The UN atomic watchdog said on Saturday that Iran has fulfilled its commitments under the nuclear deal sealed in Vienna on July 14, 2015 by Tehran and major world powers.In exchange for relief from painful sanctions, the landmark accord dramatically scales down Irans nuclear programme in order to make any secret drive to make nuclear weapons all but impossible.The United States also implemented its side of the Iran nuclear deal Saturday, lifting a raft of sanctions imposed on Tehran to rein in its weapons program.Secretary of State John Kerry was in Vienna to receive a report from the UN nuclear watchdog certifying that Iran had honored its side of the bargain.Under authority delegated to him by US President Barack Obama, he signed documents confirming the US government had received the report and waivers to implement the lifting of US Congressional sanctions.I hereby confirm that the International Atomic Energy Agency has verified that Iran has fully implemented its required commitments... The US sanctions-related commitments... are now in effect, Kerry said.Separately, in Washington, Obama signed an order revoking previous executive orders imposing further sanctions beyond the scope of the Congressional sanctions.Iranian Foreign Minister stated that it was thankful to the EU for lifting sanctions.

China agrees on mutual investment in textile sector

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – China on Saturday agreed on mutually investing into the country’s textile sector.The Chinese Minister met with All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Punjab’s Chairman Amir Fiaz in Lahore. APTMA’s Chairman stated that access up to European markets has been made easy after receiving Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) Plus status. He stated that this can elevate export of Pakistan’s textile products to 15000 USD. Upon this, the plan to mutually invest in the sector was agreed on and an invite of a visit to China in May this year was also extended to APTMA members.Speaking on the occasion, APTMA Chairman stated that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will further strengthen relations between the two countries while simultaneously improving bilateral trade.

Islamabad: Fire engulfs plastic bottle manufacturing facility

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – A raging fire on Saturday engulfed a plastic bottle manufacturing facility in Islamabad’s Shams Colony. Goods worth millions of rupees went up in flames.According to the police, the fire was caused by an electrical short circuiting.Rescue officials of 1122 managed to contain the flames after battling with the blaze for one and a half hour.Police officials have stated that a report of the incident has been penned down and investigation into the matter was underway.

Modi pledges big measures to boost India's entrepreneurs

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NEW DELHI (AFP) - Indian entrepreneurs will receive generous tax breaks and face dramatically reduced red tape when starting and closing a business, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday, as he launched a pet initiative to bolster Indias fast-growing startup scene.Speaking at a gathering of 2,000 entrepreneurs from India, Silicon Valley and elsewhere, Modi outlined a slew of measures under Start Up India including exempting startups from income tax for their first three years.We have a million problems but at the same time we have over a billion minds, Modi said, adding that the government will earmark 25 billion rupees ($370 million) for the plan annually over four years.We want to start a system of hand-holding for startups. The government will be like a friend and a mentor, he said.New Delhi views startups as key to providing jobs for aspirational young Indians and plans to offer easier access to bank loans through the Start up India, Stand up India campaigns first announced in August last year.Under the measures outlined Saturday, startups will also be exempt from capital gains tax and will not face inspections for labour or environmental law compliance for three years, while patent application fees will be slashed by 80 percent.Entrepreneurs will be able to register their businesses in a day via a mobile app -- in sharp contrast to the current bureaucratic process --and will be able to wind down failures in 90 days, Modi said.The prime minister joked that had he possessed more entrepreneurial flair, the one-time tea-seller would have been able to open a hotel chain.No matter what Narendra Modi can or cannot do, the youth of the country can, he said.Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said earlier Saturday that simpler tax rules for startups would be introduced in the upcoming budget in February to unshackle them from the complex regime faced by large companies.He promised an end to the licence raj -- bureaucratic controls dating from British colonial rule mandating endless permits that have stalled multi-billion dollar projects and small investors alike.The regime intended to be created is intended to give complete freedom from the state, Jaitley said.The more the sector becomes unregulated the better it will be, he said.In September Modi visited Silicon Valley calling on deep-pocketed investors to turn their attention to Indias thriving start-up ecosystem, with large tech hubs in the cities of Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai.A report from tech industry body Nasscom in October 2015 said India had the worlds fastest-growing startup community, which the government says is the third largest globally.However, there are fears the tech bubble may be bursting, with analysts warning that many online startups are overvalued.

US pardons seven Iranians in exchange for four prisoners

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States granted clemency to seven Iranians and dropped charges against 14 more in exchange for the release of four Americans held in Iran, a US official said Saturday.Through a diplomatic channel that was established with the focus of getting our detained US citizens home, we can confirm Iran has released from imprisonment four Americans detained in Iran: Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini, Jason Rezaian, and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, he said.A fifth American, identified as Matthew Trevitick, was also to be released as part of a different process.We offered clemency to seven Iranians, six of whom are dual US-Iranian citizens, who had been convicted or are pending trial in the United States. The United States also removed any Interpol red notices and dismissed any charges against 14 Iranians for whom it was assessed that extradition requests were unlikely to be successful.Hekmati is a former US Marine arrested in August 2011, Abedini is a Christian pastor detained since December 2012. Rezaian is a Washington Post reporter detained in July 2014. Little is known about Khosravi-Roodsari.The US official also said that Iran has promised to help the United States determine the whereabouts of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent that went missing in Iran in March 2007.
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