Friday, 12 February 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Saudi FM says 'be patient' on women's rights

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MUNICH (AFP/Dunya News) - Saudi Arabias foreign minister defended his countrys treatment of women on Friday, saying it had made progress on female education but would take time to let them drive cars.When it comes to issues like womens driving, this is not a religious issue, its a societal issue, Adel al-Jubeir told an audience at the Munich Security Conference.He said it was unfair to fixate on the issue of women drivers, given the Islamic kingdoms efforts to educate girls.We went from no schools for women in 1960 to universal education, to where today 55 percent of college students are women, said Jubeir.Some of our top doctors and engineers and lawyers and business people are women. The issue is one that is evolving just like it is in other countries.He compared Saudi Arabia to the United States, arguing that it took 100 years after Americas independence before women were given the right to vote, and another 100 years for it to elect its first female parliamentary speaker.Im not saying Give us 200 years. Im saying be patient, said Jubeir.We hope that in the modern world with technology and communications that this process is accelerated, but things take time. We cant expect to rush things.Restrictions in Saudi Arabia require women to cover themselves in black from head to toe in public.For the first time in December women were allowed to stand for election to local councils.Human Rights Watch has criticised Saudi Arabias male guardianship system which forbids women from obtaining a passport, marrying, travelling, or accessing higher education without the approval of a male guardian.

UN probe zeroes in on five Syria chem weapons cases

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - A UN investigative team has zeroed in on five potential cases of serious chemical weapons use in Syria but has yet to identify the perpetrators, according to its first report released Friday.The Joint Investigative Mechanism was established by the UN Security Council in August last year to come up with a list of names of those responsible for attacks using toxic chemicals in Syria.In its first report, the panel told the Security Council it wanted to further investigate five chemical weapons attacks in Syrias Hama, Idlib and Aleppo provinces, that took place in 2014 and 2015.The process of identifying those involved in the use of chemicals as weapons is a complex task for which the mechanism will require the continued support and cooperation of all states and other sources, the panel said in the report.The investigative panel was set up after evidence surfaced of chlorine gas attacks on three Syrian villages in 2014 that left 13 dead.President Bashar al-Assads regime and rebel groups have accused each other of using chemical weapons in the nearly five-year war that has killed more than 250,000 people. The report did not provide details, but four of the five cases point to the alleged use of chlorine gas in barrel bombs, that the West blames on the Syrian regime.These took place in Kafr Zita on April 11 and 18, 2014, Talmenes on April 21, 2014, Qmenas on March 16, 2015, and Sarmin on March 16, 2015. A more recent attack in Marea on August 21, 2015, pointed to the likely use of mustard gas by Islamic State militants.The panel said it may add more cases for investigation to its current list of five attacks.The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has identified 116 alleged incidents of use of chemicals as weapons, but the body has no mandate to assign blame for the attacks.The panel headed by Argentine expert Virginia Gamba traveled to Damascus in December to press the government for cooperation and intends to push for access to locations and witnesses for its investigation, the report said.

Rawalpindi: More than 100 students taken into custody in search operation

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RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) – More than a 100 students were taken into custody by Rangers and police on early morning Saturday during a search operation in a private hostel in Rawalpindi’s Satellite Town. All The students were released after verification of their documents.A case was registered against 4 individuals managing the private hostel for not submitting required documents of the students.A protest was also held by the students in front of New Town police station after their release.

UN chief welcomes Syria cessation of hostilities plan

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MONTREAL (AFP) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday welcomed a plan to cease hostilities in war-wracked Syria that would allow humanitarian aid to reach tens of thousands clinging to life.I welcome the decisions made by the International Syria Support Group to facilitate humanitarian access to besieged and hard-to-reach areas in Syria and on a nationwide cessation of hostilities, which was agreed upon yesterday in Germany, Ban told a news conference, during a visit to Canada.Tens of thousands of people there are in desperate need of life saving aid and the entire country urgently needs peace.The 17 countries involved in the Munich talks agreed the so-called cessation of hostilities would begin in about a weeks time, while humanitarian aid was expected to start flowing to the region immediately, if possible.Amid doubts over the prospect of widespread adherence to the deal, ISSG representatives met in Geneva on Friday to discuss plans for mass aid distribution that would coincide with the pause in fighting. A statement from the office of UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said guaranteed access from the warring sides to Syrias besieged areas was the key first step.The United Nations has said that only around a dozen of 116 access requests to reach Syrians in need had been granted in the past. Meanwhile, the Pentagon said coalition air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq would continue.Syrias President Bashar al-Assad vowed to retake the entire country in an exclusive interview with AFP.

Russian bombing killed 16 civilians in Syria Friday: Turkish minister

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MUNICH (AFP) - Russian bombing killed 16 civilians in Syria early Friday, hours after world powers agreed to a deal to end hostilities within a week, said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.Despite the agreement we made last night, Russia continued bombing the civilians -- they killed 16 civilians this morning, he said in Munich, where the Syria agreement was struck. There have been strikes against schools and hospitals as well.Turkey hosts some 2.5 million refugees from the five-year-old war, and a recent major offensive by Syrian regime forces, backed by Russian air strikes, on the northern city of Aleppo has driven tens of thousands more to the Turkish border.Cavusoglu said Turkey was providing humanitarian aid and building camps to accommodate them, though he added that many might choose to return home if a ceasefire held.We are building new tents on the other side of the border, he said, adding that the areas where they are temporarily staying at the other side of the border is safe.Why did these people have to leave their town? They stayed there for five years despite all these terrorists and the brutal regime. (They left) because of the Russian bombing.Turkey has also been the major transit country for Syrian refugees and other migrants headed for Europe, and the EU has asked Ankara to help stop the flow by sealing its borders, fighting traffickers and housing even more refugees with EU financial help.The minister stressed that it was crucial to deal with the root causes of the refugee wave, predicting that if we cannot stop the bloodshed, the war, more and more refugees will be coming.

Senior politician gunned down in India's Bihar: police

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NEW DELHI (AFP) - A top state politician from Indias ruling party was gunned down Friday as he returned home from a wedding, police said.Vishveshwar Ojha, a vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the eastern state of Bihar, was sprayed with bullets on his way back from the ceremony in Bhojpur district.He had gone to attend a wedding and he was shot at by unidentified gunmen as he was returning, police superintendent Naveen Chandra Jha told AFP.The 45-year-old, who had 10 charges of attempt to murder against him, was likely attacked due to a feud with his political rivals, according to local media reports.Ojha failed to win a seat in recent state elections in Bihar which is run by a broad-brush alliance.Although Prime Minister Narendra Modis BJP rules at national level, the right-wing Hindu nationalist party was badly beaten in Bihar which is Indias third most populous state and has a reputation for lawlessness.Last month, a jeweller was shot dead in the capital city Patna after reportedly refusing to pay extortion money to a local criminal.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi terrorist reveals NADRA issued new ID card

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’s arrested leader Atta-ur-Rehman alias Naeem Bukhari on Friday revealed that he was issued a new ID card by National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) in 2014. Security sources have stated that an investigation and subsequent action against the NADRA officer who issued the card has been decided upon.The apprehended leader of the outlawed organization was arrested by the security forces in Karachi. His name came onto the scene after the arrest of Akram Lohari back 2002. Lohari was arrested by the Anti-Terrorism wing of Karachi police for his involvement in the Daniel Pearl case. The interrogation of the suspect was conducted by officers Farooq Awan and Khurram Waris.Bukhari was arrested by Rangers back in 2004. He was released on bail afterwards however. After this Bukhari organized Lashkar-e-Jhangvi throughout the country and conducted action the nation..According to the Rangers, Bukhari was issued a new ID card by NADRA back in 2014 in which his name was written as Ghulam Muhammad. The newly issued ID card also held a new family number and an address of North Nazimabad.Police officials have stated that Bukhari was also in contact with foreigners.The arrested terrorist was involved in the attack on Superintendent of Police (SP) Chaudary Aslam’s home and motorcade, Safoora Goth bomb blast and blast at University road along with numerous other cases of bomb explosions and more than 100 sectarian target killings.The apprehended terrorist is also a bomb-making expert.Naeem Bukhari’s name has also been included in Punjab and Sindh ‘Red Book’.Sindh government had just recently fixed a price on Bukhari’s head at Rs. 20 million.

Oil prices soar on report that UAE offers talks on output cuts

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices soared Friday, with US crude rebounding from a 2003 low, on reports that OPEC was willing to organize output cuts that could ease the global oversupply.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for March delivery shot up $3.23 (12.3 percent) to $29.44 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.The contract had lost more than $4 in the prior four sessions, sinking to the lowest level since May 2003.Brent crude for April delivery, the European benchmark, finished at $33.36 a barrel in London, up $3.30 (11 percent) from Thursdays settlement.A big catalyst was a Wall Street Journal report that United Arab Emirates oil minister Suhail Al Mazrouei had said the OPEC cartel was willing to cooperate with other producers on trimming crude output.The report was apparently based on a reporters tweet of the ministers interview with Sky News Arabia. But it was enough to spark a huge turnaround in the market.James Williams of WTRG Economics discounted the report.We have another series of rumors about OPEC based upon a comment out of UAE and another attempt to support prices out of Venezuela, which has scaled back its requests and is just asking for OPEC and non-OPEC exporters to agree not to increase production, he said.Bart Melek of TD Securities said a six percent drop in US crude oil drilling activity reported by Baker Hughes had also reinforced sentiment.The US rig count fell by 28 to 439 last week, as low as it was in 2010, Melek said.So ultimately we should expect lower production... and with lower production in the US, its more likely Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members might want to decrease output.

Dollar jumps vs yen after solid US retail sales

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar rebounded against the yen Friday as solid US retail sales data and rising oil prices lifted sentiment on global markets after a punishing week.The dollar rebounded 0.8 percent to 113.25 yen around 2200 GMT from the same time Thursday. During the Thursday session, it had fallen to 110.99 yen, its weakest level since October 2014.For the first time in 10 trading days the US dollar ended the day higher against the Japanese yen thanks to better-than-expected retail sales and a rebound in oil prices, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.US retail sales rose 0.2 percent in January and Decembers drop was revised upward to a 0.2 percent gain.This report confirms our view that consumers are doing most of the heavy lifting despite stock market volatility, said Chris Christopher of IHS Global Insight. The consumer outlook for the next couple of years remains favorable.Investors were also cheered by a 12.3 percent rebound in US oil prices to $29.44 a barrel from an almost 13-year low on Thursday.Lien said that all eyes next week would be on the Federal Reserves minutes of its last monetary policy meeting, due Wednesday.She noted that the post-meeting statement suggested the central bank could leave interest rates unchanged at the mid-March meeting if markets remained unsettled..Though the Fed in December projected four quarter-point rate hikes this year, many analysts are now questioning if there is support for any increases this year.The market is bearish dollars and dovish FOMC minutes would give investors another excuse to sell the currency, Lien said.

Khawaja ton dominates for Australia

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WELLINGTON (AFP) - Usman Khawaja continued his domination of New Zealand bowling with another century as Australia went to lunch on day two of the first Test in Wellington on Saturday at 238-3.Australia held a first innings lead of 55 with seven wickets in hand after New Zealand were rolled for 183.Khawaja was 115 not out in the third consecutive Test in which he has scored a century against New Zealand.Adam Voges put his reprieve from an umpiring blunder late on the first day behind him as he moved to 40.Australia resumed the day at 147-3 and added 91 runs in the morning session with Khawaja progressing from his overnight 57 in a near chanceless innings.There were two strong leg-before-wicket shouts by spinner Mark Craig against the left-hander but both were rejected.The first, when he was in the 90s, was dismissed with the ball drifting down leg side and the second, which New Zealand reviewed, showed the ball would have grazed the outside of leg stump and the not-out decision remained.Between the two appeals, Khawaja pulled Craig to the square-leg boundary for four to reach his century and celebrated by kissing the badge on his helmet before saluting the crowd with his bat. It was one of 21 fours so far in Khawajas 178-ball innings.Khawaja now has four Test centuries and they have all been compiled in his last six innings.He hit centuries in Brisbane and Perth when New Zealand toured Australia last November and added another against the West Indies in the Boxing Day Test.

US approves selling of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan

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WASHINGTON (Dunya News) – US on Saturday approved the selling of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. The cost of the eight fighter jets is said to be 69.90 billion dollars. The state of the art jets will be equipped with radars and the latest gadgetry.The statement issued to the Pentagon says that the legislators will be informed of this development.Pentagon has stated that with the provision of these fighter jets Pakistan will be better equipped to tackle its security threats.US legislators had earlier stalled the provision of the planes and even opposed the move. The deal had already been informed to the US lawmakers by US President Barak Obama’s administration during Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s visit to the country in October.

US okays sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan

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WASHINGTON (Agencies) - The US State Department has approved the sales of eight F-16 Block-52 aircraft and other equipment to Pakistan worth $699 million, the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced Friday.The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the possible sale and is awaiting approval to execute.“We support the proposed sale of eight F-16s to Pakistan, which we view as the right platform to in support of Pakistan’s counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations,” said a US government official said.“These operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven for terrorism and a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan, which is in the national interests of both Pakistan and the United States, and in the interest of the region more broadly.”The official confirmed that there had been Congressional objections to the sale, but said that contrary to recent “erroneous reports, “concerns were raised in regard to financing the sale, not the transfer itself.”According to the DSCA’s statement, the proposed sale will improve Pakistans ability to conduct operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self-defense/area suppression capability as it and enhance its ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counterterrorism operations.According to the DSCA, Pakistan is not expected to have difficulty absorbing these additional aircraft into its air force. The sale is also meant to increase the number of aircraft available to the Pakistan Air Force to sustain operations, meet monthly training requirements and support transition training for pilots new to the Block-52.

Army Courts advise Provinces not to send cases with inconclusive evidence

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Army Courts on Friday have advised Provinces not to send cases with inconclusive evidences. The Army Courts have sent more than 50 cases back to the Provinces citing the lack of concrete evidence.According to the details, the number of cases sent to the military courts has risen to 200 since their formation one year ago. The army courts have advised Provinces against sending those cases which lack required information, documents, concrete evidence and details of the case. According to sources, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) sent 100 cases, the largest number of any province. Balochsitan sent 41, Sindh 17, Gilgit-Baltistan sent 7 while Punjab only sent 4 cases to the army courts.The military courts have sentenced more than 30 terrorists to death since its formation. Cases sent to the army courts include terrorist attacks on security forces, government institutions and schools and of terrorists belonging to banned organizations.The military courts also sent cases of crime involving minors back to the Provinces.

South Africa beat England by one wicket in 4th ODI

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JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Joe Root hit his second successive century for England but again finished on the losing side after an astonishing assault by South African all-rounder Chris Morris squared the series at the Wanderers Stadium on Friday.South Africa won the fourth one-day international by one wicket to set up a series decider in Cape Town on Sunday.Man-of-the-match Morris, dropped on 14 when South Africa were eight down and still 52 runs short of victory, slammed 62 off 38 balls.Adil Rashid, the man who dropped Morris -- a straightforward chance at mid-off from the bowling of Reece Topley -- was brought on to bowl with the scores level and bowled Morris with a googly.But last man Imran Tahir punched the next ball square for the winning boundary.That the match went so deep seemed unlikely when England were floundering at 108 for six after being sent in to bat.But Root made 109 and steered England to a total of 262.England made two changes after losing the third match in Centurion on Tuesday and both newcomers made crucial contributions.Batting at number eight, Chris Woakes scored 33 and helped Root put on 95 for the seventh wicket. Woakes followed up by bowling Faf du Plessis and running out AB de Villiers, South Africas star batsman, with a superb piece of fielding off his own bowling.Broad was brought in to strengthen what had proved an ineffectual bowling attack in Centurion and bowled Centurion century-maker Hashim Amla for nought in the first over of the South African innings.The rest of Broads match was less successful, although he had De Villiers dropped on nine off the first ball of his second spell, with Jason Roy diving far to his right but failing to hold on to a fiercely-struck cut.De Villiers immediately went on the attack, hitting Broads next two balls for four and six. He hurried to 36 off 27 balls and was threatening to swing the match back in South Africas favour when JP Duminy pushed a ball from Woakes to leg and called for a quick single. Woakes reacted instantly, getting to the ball quickly and hitting the stumps at the batsmans end with an underarm throw.Broad was brought back late in the match but was hit for 6,4,4 by a rampant Morris.No South African batsman was able to score more than Farhaan Behardiens 38 until Morris took full advantage of his let-off, hitting three sixes and four fours.Roots innings was outstanding on a pitch which, unusually for a one-day match at the Wanderers, offered some encouragement to the seam bowlers.Leg-spinner Tahir took three wickets in seven balls to spark an England collapse after Root and Alex Hales (50) had taken the tourists to 87 for one.Seamer Abbott followed up with two wickets in successive overs to plunge England into disarray.But Root and Woakes batted sensibly balls to rebuild the innings.Root, who made a career-best 125 in a losing cause in the third match in Centurion, reached his eighth one-day international century off 119 balls and faced a total of 124 deliveries, hitting 10 fours and a six.Hales made his fourth half-century in as many innings before he was caught on the midwicket boundary off Tahir after putting on 69 for the second wicket with Root.Adil Rashid hit a rapid 39 off 26 balls before he was last man out.Kagiso Rabada took four for 45, while Tahir claimed three for 46. It was the first time in the series that a team was bowled out.

Pollard, Narine out of Windies World Twenty20 squad

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ST. JOHNS (AFP) - All-rounder Kieron Pollard and off-spinner Sunil Narine withdrew from the West Indies World Twenty20 squad Friday but officials insisted the moves were not sparked by the current pay dispute engulfing the team.Pollard, 28, pulled out due to injury while 27-year-old Narine said he was under-prepared as he serves out an international suspension for a suspect bowling action.Carlos Brathwaite has been drafted to replace Pollard while a replacement for Narine has not yet been named.Kieron Pollard withdrew from the squad citing a lack of sufficient progress in his rehabilitative work (injury sustained in December) and hence wont be fit for tournament, said a spokeswoman for the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).Sunil Narine withdrew citing insufficient progress in the rehabilitative work on his bowling action. He is currently banned from bowling in international cricket.The West Indies squad is currently at loggerheads with the WICB over payments for the World Twenty20 in India in March.The players have been given until Sunday to sign their contracts for the tournament.
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