Wednesday 3 February 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Faulkner injury adds to Australia woes

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WELLINGTON (AFP) - Australia had injury added to insult after being thrashed in the opening one-day international against New Zealand with an injured James Faulkner returning home Thursday.He suffered a hamstring injury in Wednesdays match, comprehensively won by New Zealand by 159 runs, and is to be replaced by Marcus Stoinis. The left-arm quick, who was also the man of the match when Australia beat New Zealand in the World Cup final last year, was one of the few Australians to distinguish himself when the two sides met in an ODI for the first time since on Wednesday. Faulkner took two wickets and contributed the second highest score of 36 with the bat as the world champions folded for 148 in reply to New Zealands 307-8.Unfortunately, with the short turnaround between games we do not believe he will recover in time to take any further part in the series, Australian team doctor Alex Kountouris said.As a result, he will return to Melbourne to have scans and start rehabilitation. We are hopeful this is only a low-grade injury but will know more in the coming days. Faulkners departure adds to a growing list of injured in the Australian squad with Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Aaron Finch missing from the New Zealand series as well as coach Darren Lehmann. Stoinis, who will join the Australian squad in time for the second ODI in Wellington on Saturday is an all-rounder who has only played one ODI and one Twenty20 in the past year. After New Zealand posted a score in excess of 300, with Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls both scoring half-centuries, Australia were quickly on the ropes at 41-6 before Faulkner and Matthew Wade added 79, an Australian seventh wicket record partnership against New Zealand. Wade was Australias top scorer with 37 while for New Zealand Trent Boult took three for 38 and Matt Henry finished with three for 41.

Death row convict hanged in Multan

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MULTAN (Dunya News) - A death row convict has been sent to the gallows at the Central Jail Multan on early Thursday morning, Dunya News reported.Death row prisoner Muhammad Jora alias Mittho was hanged for killing a man named Nazir in 1996 over an old enmity. Mittho’s dead body was later handed over to his relatives.Muhammad Jora alias Mittho was awarded death sentence by Session Court Muzaffargarh which was upheld by the superior courts. His mercy appeal was also rejected by the President upon which Session Court Muzaffargarh issued a death warrant and he was executed today at the Central Jail Multan.

Football: Suarez, Messi hat-tricks hit Neville's Valencia for seven

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BARCELONA (AFP) - Luis Suarez scored four and Lionel Messi hit a hat-trick as Barcelona piled more misery on Gary Nevilles ill-fated reign as Valencia boss to take an unassailable 7-0 lead in their Copa del Rey semi-final, first-leg on Wednesday.Two fine finishes inside 12 minutes from Suarez put Barca in control before Messi rounded off a fine team move for Barcas third.It could have been even worse for Valencia as Neymar hit the post from the penalty spot after Shkodran Mustafi was sent-off for bringing down Messi inside the area.However, Messi and Suarez both added two more after the break to make next weeks second-leg at the Mestalla a formality.It is one the best games we have played all season in every sense, Suarez told Canal Plus.From the first minute to the last we showed a great attitude, we were good on the ball and we have a good advantage.The Cup had been Nevilles one refuge during a winless run of eight league games since taking charge in December, but Valencia were blown away by a Barca side back to their best and on the verge of a fifth final in six seasons.However, Neville insisted he wasnt prepared to resign just two months after taking charge.I wont sleep well tonight. I didnt like what I saw. The fans didnt deserve that and we have to recover incredibly quickly, said the former Manchester United captain.Its going to be a painful three or four days. This was one of my most painful days in football.Neymar had made headlines earlier in the week as he was quizzed by a judge in Spains top court over the murky transfer deal which brought him to Barca in 2013 amidst corruption and fraud allegations.However, he showed his performances continue to be unaffected by off-field problems as he drove at the Valencia defence before playing in Suarez to fire across Australian international Matt Ryan into the far corner.Aleix Vidal then cut-back Sergio Busquetss ball over the top of the Valencia defence for Suarez to slam home his 33rd goal of the season five minutes later.Messi was left with the simple task of slotting in his first of the evening from close range after great work by Andres Iniesta and Suarez just before the half-hour mark.Valencia were happy to get to the break just three down as Messi then hit the bar from Suarezs brilliant low cross before the Argentine was clipped by Mustafi as he bore down on goal.Neymar was over-confident with his one-step run-up, though, as his penalty came back off the post.Gerard Pique, Busquets and Messi all fired just off target as Barca continued to run riot after the break.However, the biggest cheer of the night from the home fans was reserved for on-loan Real Madrid winger Denis Cheryshevs introduction as a substitute on his Valencia debut.Cheryshevs inclusion when he should have been suspended saw Madrid thrown out of the competition in December.Messi latched onto Suarezs lovely backheel to make it 4-0 and then completed his hat-trick with a fierce effort that Ryan was disappointed to see slip through his grasp.Suarez rounded off the scoring as he powered home a header from Adrianos cross and fired in a low shot at the near post two minutes from time.

Football: Gomes denies Chelsea, Everton end slump

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LONDON (AFP) - Chelsea captain John Terry began his long goodbye by marshalling his defence to a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw at Watford in the Premier League on Wednesday.Making his first appearance since announcing on Sunday that he has not been offered a new contract, Terry effectively shackled Watfords livewire striker Odion Ighalo as Chelsea extended their unbeaten run of games under interim manager Guus Hiddink to nine in all competitions.But Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes was the games stand-out player, producing several second-half saves to restrict Chelsea to a rise in the table of just one place to 13th.Quique Sanchez Floress Watford are four points better off in ninth.After a watchful start from both sides, Watford began to assert themselves midway through the first half, with Ighalo squandering a couple of chances and Etienne Capoue forcing Thibaut Courtois to save at his near post.Diego Costa threatened for Chelsea in the 32nd minute, spinning Craig Cathcart and lashing a left-foot shot across goal, while Oscar shot narrowly wide from Costas pass 10 minutes into the second half.Chelsea looked the team more likely to score as the game wore on, but Gomes parried from Oscar and Branislav Ivanovic, who had been teed up by substitute Eden Hazard.Gomes saved his best for last, leaping to his right in the 88th minute to claw a header from Costa away from beneath the crossbar.Chelsea are now unbeaten in eight league games since the sacking of Jose Mourinho. They host Manchester United on Sunday.The days other game saw Everton snap a run of five league matches without victory by beating relegation-threatened Newcastle United 3-0 at Goodison Park.Aaron Lennon opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, gathering Tom Cleverleys pass from the left and drilling a low shot into the bottom corner.Ross Barkley sealed victory with a pair of late penalties, the first after Rolando Aarons tripped Lennon, the second -- a stoppage-time Panenka -- after Jamaal Lascelles had been sent off for bringing him down.Roberto Martinezs men climb one place to 11th, while Newcastle, who handed a debut to 12 million pound ($17.5 million, 15.8 million euros) new signing Andros Townsend, remain in the relegation zone.

Football: PSG set new French league unbeaten record

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PARIS (AFP) - Paris Saint-Germain established a new Ligue 1 record on Wednesday as they stretched their unbeaten streak to 33 matches by easing past Lorient 3-1 at the Parc des Princes.Edinson Cavani was given a rare start by Laurent Blanc and justified his managers decision by opening the scoring in only the sixth minute.Lorient struck back midway through the first half with a well-worked equaliser from Raphael Guerreiro.The defending champions forged ahead again though with a Zlatan Ibrahimovic goal 10 minutes after half-time.PSG were always likely to pull away after that, and Layvin Kurzawa made it three with an excellent strike.Blanc rang the changes, six in all, from the side that equalled the record Nantes set over 20 years ago by winning at Saint-Etienne on Sunday.It did not take the champions elect long to get into their stride and Cavani eased any possible early nerves by latching onto an Ibrahimovic through ball, rounding Lorient goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte and slotting into an empty net. PSG were in dominant form early on, and after Ibrahimovic had a long-range free-kick saved by Lecomte, Marquinhos headed the resulting corner narrowly wide.But Lorient showed that they were not just in the capital to make up the numbers, and they drew level in the 19th minute.A cute backheel from striker Majeed Waris released marauding left-back Guerreiro, who finished confidently past home stopper Kevin Trapp.Lorient continued to hold their own, although Lecomte had to be alert to tip away another Ibrahimovic set-piece.Uruguayan Cavani almost restored the hosts advantage early in the second period when he caught out Lecomte with an impudent lob, but the ball rebounded back off the post.A matter of seconds later PSG broke their visitors resistance as talismanic striker Ibrahimovic tapped in Kurzawas cross for his 20th league goal of the season.Full-back Kurzawa had a fantastic match on his return from a knock that ruled him out of the game at the weekend, and he capped his display with a fine volley to seal a 14th consecutive win for his team.Angel di Maria and Cavani both missed chances to add a fourth, while Walid Mesloub was denied at the other end by Trapp.But those late exchanges were mere footnotes in a win that enters PSG into the record books and keeps them a staggering 24 points clear at the top of the table.Earlier, Alexandre Lacazette struck twice as Lyon secured a welcome 3-0 win over Bordeaux for just their second victory in 11 matches. Lacazette struck four minutes prior to half-time at Parc OL before quick-fire goals from Lacazette and Aldo Kalulu late on ensured Bruno Genesios side put an end to Bordeauxs seven-game unbeaten run.France international Mathieu Debuchy made his Bordeaux debut following his loan move from Arsenal, while Uruguayan striker Diego Rolan was twice denied by fine saves from Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes.Lyon climbed back into the top half of the table, above 10th-place Bordeaux on goal difference, and are six points adrift of the Champions League spots.Nice leapfrogged Angers into third as Hatem Ben Arfa grabbed his 11th goal of the campaign in a 1-0 win over Toulouse, while 10-man Angers were beaten 2-1 at Reims.Nantes extended their unbeaten streak to 10 matches following a 3-1 victory over Gazelec Ajaccio, Guingamp condemned lowly Troyes to a 4-0 defeat and Lille earned a 1-0 win over Caen. On Tuesday, Monaco tightened their grip on second place with a 2-0 win at home to Bastia, while 10-man Marseille claimed a 1-0 victory at Montpellier to push their unbeaten run in the league to 11 matches.

Tennis: Bridge too far Halep postpones nose op for Fed Cup

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BUCHAREST (AFP) - World number three Simona Halep revealed Wednesday that she has postponed a nose operation so she can play for Romania in this weekends Fed Cup clash against the Czech Republic.Halep said last month that she was to undergo surgery which would sideline her from the Fed Cup opening round as well as WTA events in Dubai and Doha.I have had some health problems for some time (nose, ears and stomach) and the doctors advised me to have surgery. But its not urgent so I decided to postpone the operation and play in the Fed Cup tie, Halep said.The Saturday and Sunday clash against the reigning champions will be staged in Cluj in the north-east of Romania.I dont know when I will have the operation. It is necessary and will help me a lot but at the moment I feel fine. The prognosis is good.Halep lost her world number two spot to Angelique Kerber after the German stunned Serena Williams in the Australian Open final on Saturday.

Squash: Women's world championship gets April date

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LONDON (AFP) - The womens world squash championship will be staged in Kuala Lumpur in April, four months after they were controversially cancelled in the Malaysian capital, organisers said Wednesday.The tournament, billed as the most lucrative in the history of the womens tour, will take place at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in the city from April 23-30.We are pleased to have reached a resolution with all relevant stakeholders that will allow us to stage the event this April, said Professional Squash Association (PSA) chief executive Alex Gough in a statement.The tournament was originally set for December last year but was called off after a row erupted between the events promoters and Malaysian authorities over claims of funding problems and security threats.But the PSA said Wednesday that an agreement has now been reached with promoters, Sportspin Event and Athlete Management.The PSA Womens World Championship is the most important event of the year for our female athletes, and ensuring that they are presented with an opportunity to compete for a world crown has been foremost in our discussions with Sportspin, added Gough.Sportspins director Azlan Iskandar added: We are very pleased to have reached an agreement with the PSA and look forward to staging the PSA Womens World Championship in Kuala Lumpur this April.

Cycling: Kittel edges Cavendish in Dubai opener

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DUBAI (AFP) - German sprinter Marcel Kittel won the first stage of the Tour of Dubai on Wednesday when he edged out last years winner, Britains Mark Cavendish, in a bunch sprint.After the 173km run from the Dubai Marine Club to Fujairah, Italys Giacomo Nizzolo came in third with the top three picking up time bonuses of 10, six and four seconds, giving the three the lead in the overall standings.We were the strongest in the lead out, the giant German explained after the race.And the timing was perfect. We made a plan and we executed it, said Kittel, who won four stages on the 2014 Tour de France before a virus ruined his fitness in 2015. Kittel has since left the Giant Team and taken up with Belgian outfit Quick Step, who have a history of banking on sprinters.I restart at zero. I feel very good about todays outcome. Well stay focused and hopefully theres more to come for us at the Dubai Tour, he said.This first of four stages featured a long escape led by Loic Vliegen and Martin Mortensen, which was reeled in comfortably, however, with 10 kilometres to race.Thursdays second stage also embarks from the Marine Club for a 183km ride out around the outskirts of the city, beside a camel track and bike route.It comes back through the port and out onto the finish line through an underwater tunnel at Palm Jumeirah, a man-made palm-shaped island.

Syria army cuts rebel supply route in Aleppo

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ALEPPO (AFP) - Syrian troops backed by Russian warplanes Wednesday cut the last supply route linking rebels in Aleppo city to the Turkish border, a military source said, in a major blow to the opposition.Aleppo, Syrias pre-war commercial capital, has been divided between loyalists in the west and rebels in the east since fighting erupted in the northern city in mid-2012.President Bashar al-Assads forces backed by Lebanons Hezbollah and other militias encircled Aleppo from the west, south and east, and have advanced from the north since last week.In addition to losing their lifeline from Turkey, which supports Syrian rebels, the opposition forces are now threatened in parts of Aleppo that they have held for three years.Since launching their assault on Monday, pro-regime forces have taken several villages and towns, including Maarasset al-Khan.On Wednesday, the army broke a three-year rebel siege of two government-held Shiite villages, Nubol and Zahraa, and took control of parts of the supply route, the Syrian military source told AFP.Heavy air strikes by Russian planes supported the army in its advance, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group.The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources on the ground for its reports, said the regimes gains were the most significant development in Aleppo province since 2012.The pro-regime forces have encircled the rebel quarters in Aleppo from the south, east and north, said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.This left the rebel fighters with only a single opening in the northwest which gives them access to the neighbouring province of Idlib.Peace talks haltedIf they manage to continue their advance, they may then block this single access route and totally besiege the rebels, he said.The regime forces have done in three days in Aleppo what they had failed to do in three years, thanks mainly to Russian support.The development came as UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura announced on Wednesday a temporary pause until February 25 of troubled talks aimed at ending the countrys brutal conflict.I have concluded frankly that after the first week of preparatory talks there is more work to be done, not only by us but the stakeholders, de Mistura told reporters in Geneva.His comments came after several days of fruitless talks aimed at starting indirect negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition.The hoped-for six months of indirect proximity talks are part of an ambitious roadmap agreed by outside powers embroiled in the conflict in November in Vienna.Russian planes have carried out heavy air strikes throughout the area north of Aleppo city in past days.The government advance comes almost exactly a year after the failure of a similar regime offensive aimed at reaching Nubol and Zahraa and severing rebel supply lines into Aleppo city.The current offensive is one of several which the government has launched since Russian strikes began on September 30.More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict started with anti-government protests in March 2011.

Chile court orders poet Neruda's remains returned

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SANTIAGO (AFP) - A Chilean court on Wednesday ordered poet Pablo Nerudas remains be returned to his tomb, three years after they were exhumed to determine whether the Nobel laureate was assassinated.Neruda died in 1973, just days after General Augusto Pinochet seized power.Doubts have surrounded the cause of Nerudas death since his former driver claimed the poet was given a mysterious injection in his chest at the Santiago clinic where he was being treated for prostate cancer.Neruda, who despite his illness had been planning to leave for Mexico to lead the opposition to Pinochets regime, died hours after the injection. He was 69.The cause of death was given as advanced prostate cancer, but in 2013 officials exhumed his body to determine whether he had been poisoned.Chiles forensic medicine service ruled that no relevant chemical agents could be linked to his death.But last May forensic scientists at the University of Murcia in Spain identified a massive Staphylococcus aureus infection in Nerudas remains, rekindling his familys suspicions.The Chilean interior ministry said the strain of bacteria does not occur naturally and may have been grown in a lab.Further test results are due next month.With the three-year-old investigation ongoing, Judge Mario Carroza ruled it was time to return Nerudas remains from the forensic medical service in Santiago to his tomb at his former home in Isla Negra, on the central coast.The remains will be returned on April 26.The judge ordered forensic analysts to keep bone samples on hand for further tests.Pinochet, who ousted Socialist president Salvador Allende in a coup, installed a brutal regime that killed some 3,200 opponents over 17 years.

Trump, Cruz at loggerheads as Republican race gets personal

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Donald Trump launched a full-blown attack on Republican arch-rival Ted Cruz on Wednesday, accusing him of stealing victory in Iowa as the Texas senator bit back, rubbishing the moguls presidential credentials and questioning his sanity.Fighting back from second place in the Iowa caucus this week, Trump lashed out on Twitter, telling his six million followers that the evangelical conservative had only won the first vote of the 2016 election by fraud.Ted Cruz didnt win Iowa, he stole it. That is why all of the polls were so wrong and why he got far more votes than anticipated. Bad Trump wrote.Cruz fired back a salvo several hours later. Yet another Trumpertantrum... @realDonaldTrump very angry w/the people of Iowa. They actually looked at his record, he wrote on his Twitter account.Trump slammed Cruz for putting out a statement from Iowa saying that a fellow candidate, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, was quitting the race, and lying to thousands of voters about Trumps policies.Based on the fraud committed by Senator Ted Cruz during the Iowa Caucus, either a new election should take place or Cruz results nullified, Trump wrote.On the campaign trail in New Hampshire, Cruz looked to capitalize on his momentum against the New York billionaire, who leads Republican polls in the Granite State.I wake up every day and laugh at the latest thing Donald has tweeted. Because hes losing it, said Cruz. We need a commander in chief, not a twitterer in chief.We need someone with judgment and the temperament to keep this country safe. I dont know anyone who would be comfortable with someone who behaves this way having his finger on the button.Trump has run a media blitzkrieg campaign, dishing out insults against his political rivals, Mexicans, women and Muslims, sucking the television air time away from every other candidate in the race.Iowa loserBut his Iowa tally -- in second place at just above 24 percent, marginally ahead of Senator Marco Rubio -- in the first vote raises serious questions about whether showmanship has a winning strategy.A second hiccup, at the New Hampshire primary next Tuesday, would spell political disaster for the reality television star.Cruz won 27.7 percent of the vote in the Republican caucus in Iowa, staking his claim to be the new standard bearer of the right.Rubio, whose star has risen in recent weeks, took more than 23 percent, anointing him as the Republican establishment candidate of choice best placed to defeat presumed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.Polls put Trump firmly ahead among Republican voters in New Hampshire, but analysts warn that anything less than a win there will further damage his campaign message that he is a winner.Jeanne Zaino, a professor of political science in New York, said Trumps outburst -- just his latest -- was a strategic move designed to counter the narrative that he lost in Iowa and that his campaign is beatable.Thats a huge component of Donald Trumps campaign. Hes been campaigning saying hes a winner and all of a sudden he comes out of Iowa a loser, she told AFP.She predicted that Trump would step up sharp attacks on Cruz and Rubio, the telegenic young senator, as the New Hampshire primary nears.Its strategic on his part and hes also trying to make sure that he takes some of the wind out of Cruz and Rubios sails as he goes into New Hampshire, where he has been leading for some time, to make sure he comes out ahead in New Hampshire, she added.The Cruz insult ensured once again that Trump headlined the media coverage of the Republican presidential election -- and again saving him from spending millions on campaign advertisements.He has said really outlandish things in the past and none of them have really hurt him in the polls. So I dont think this is going to hurt him so much and hes attacking someone whose not wildly popular even in his own party, said Zaino, in reference to Cruz.

US accuses Damascus, Moscow of seeking military solution in Syria

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry accused Moscow and Damascus of seeking a military solution to the war in Syria rather than a political one Wednesday, after peace talks were suspended.Kerrys strongly worded remarks came hours after the peace talks were suspended and as the Kremlin, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, vowed there would be no let-up in its controversial air campaign.The continued assault by Syrian regime forces -- enabled by Russian air strikes -- against opposition-held areas, as well as regime and allied militias continued besiegement of hundreds of thousands of civilians, have clearly signaled the intention to seek a military solution rather than enable a political one, Kerry said in a statement.The United States and France had earlier condemned the Russian bombing around Syrias second city of Aleppo and Kerry again called for an immediate end to the bombardment.It is past time for them to meet existing obligations and restore the international communitys confidence in their intentions of supporting a peaceful resolution to the Syrian crisis, Kerry said, addressing the Syrian regime and its supporters.He added: During this pause (in the talks), the world needs to push in one direction -- toward stopping the oppression and suffering of the Syrian people and ending, not prolonging, this conflict.Backed by external powers embroiled in Syrias war, the faltering peace negotiations are seeking to end a conflict that has killed more than 260,000 people and fueled the meteoric rise of the extremist Islamic State group.

Obama decries anti-Muslim rhetoric on first mosque visit

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BALTIMORE (AFP) - Barack Obama offered an impassioned rebuttal of inexcusable Republican election rhetoric against Muslims Wednesday, on his first trip to an American mosque since becoming president seven years ago.Obama, whose grandfather converted to Islam, made the short trip to the Islamic Society of Baltimore to call on Americans not to be bystanders to bigotry.Obama arrives to the Islamic Centre with a massive protocolInvoking the teachings of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) and hailing the tolerance shown by American political icons from Thomas Jefferson to Dwight Eisenhower, Obama hit out at anti-Islamic sentiment that is not who we are.Weve heard inexcusable political rhetoric against Muslim-Americans that has no place in our country, he said, lauding Muslim-Americans as sports heroes, entrepreneurs and the architect who fashioned Chicagos dizzying skyline.His comments came as a shrill election debate has sullied Americas image abroad, and as extremist attacks in San Bernardino and Philadelphia threatened to shatter post-9/11 religious solidarity at home.About to take the podiumSix days after the 2001 attacks in New York and Washington, then president George W. Bush visited the Islamic Center of Washington, declaring Islam is peace.Today, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has wooed conservative voters by demanding a ban on Muslim immigrants, while frontrunner Ted Cruz has advocated Christian-only admissions and championed Judeo-Christian values.Addressing the MuslimsObama took on such comments, and asked Christians to see an attack on one faith is an attack on all our faiths.He also criticized the media and Hollywood, which he said portrayed Muslims in a narrow way.Our television shows should have Muslim characters that are unrelated to national security, he said.Thank youObama has visited mosques in Malaysia, Indonesia and Egypt as president, but this was his first visit to one of Americas 2,000-plus places of Islamic worship.On a visit to a mosque in Cairo with Hillary Clinton in 2009In 2009, a freshly elected Obama traveled to Cairo to call for a new beginning with the Muslim world.Much of Obamas foreign policy agenda has focused on improving ties with Muslim nations, from making a nuclear deal with Iran to ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.But the effort has been stymied by continued confrontation with terrorist groups and military strikes in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.Obama restated his case that organizations like the Islamic State group pervert Islam and do not represent the vast majority of Muslims.The president offered two words that Muslim-Americans dont hear often enough, and that is thank you.But he also called on Muslims to help tackle radicalization.How do we defend ourselves against organizations that are bent on killing innocents? he asked.It cant be the work of any one faith alone. It cant be just a burden on the Muslim community, although the Muslim community has to play a role.That message is a vexed one for members of the Muslim community, including audience member Riham Osman, who works for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, an advocacy group.I know national security will come up in the speech just because of the climate of today, she said ahead of Obamas remarks.It does upset me a little bit that it is his first time coming to visit a mosque, and there will be kids there who have grown up in this post 9/11 era and their faith is constantly linked to national security and extremism.Around 49 percent of all Americans think at least some US Muslims hold anti-American sentiments, according to a Pew Research Center poll released Wednesday.The United States is home to around 3.3 million Muslims.

Syrian talks suspended as regime, Russia hit rebels hard

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GENEVA (AFP) - Talks aimed at securing peace in Syria were suspended Wednesday as President Bashar al-Assads regime secured a major battlefield victory against rebels and his ally Russia vowed no-let up in air strikes.I have indicated from the first day I wont talk for the sake of talking, UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura said in Geneva after failing over several days to get peace negotiations off the ground.I therefore have taken the decision to bring a temporary pause (until February 25). It is not the end or the failure of the talks, he said, saying more work was needed, including from outside powers embroiled in the complex conflict.The main opposition umbrella group said however that it would not return to Geneva until its demands for the regime to alleviate the dire humanitarian situation in Syria are met.The UN announcement came as Syrian troops, helped by days of Russian air sorties, cut the last supply route linking rebels in Aleppo to the Turkish border.Aleppo, Syrias pre-war commercial capital, has been divided between loyalists in the west and rebels in the east since fighting erupted in the northern city in mid-2012.Assads forces backed by Lebanons Iranian-backed Hezbollah and other militias encircled Aleppo from the west, south and east, and have advanced from the north since last week. On Wednesday, the army broke a three-year rebel siege of two government-held villages and took control of parts of the supply route, a Syrian military source told AFP.The offensive is one of several the government has launched since President Vladimir Putin threw Russias military might behind Assad, adding to support from Iran, on September 30.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday he saw no reason for the air strikes to stop until the terrorists are defeated.The regime forces have done in three days in Aleppo what they had failed to do in three years, thanks mainly to Russian support, said Rami Abdel Rahman of British-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.Since the conflict began in March 2011, more than 260,000 people have died and more than half of Syrias population have fled their homes -- hundreds of thousands of them heading to Europe.In addition the tangled conflict has allowed Islamic State extremists to overrun swathes of Syria and also Iraq, ruined the economy and dragged in a range of international players.The United Nations said last month that an estimated 486,700 people in Syria were living under siege, among 4.6 million people in so-called hard-to-reach areas.De Misturas brief is to coax both sides into six months of indirect proximity talks envisioned under a November roadmap proposed by outside powers.But problems beset the Geneva gathering from the outset.The opposition umbrella group High Negotiations Committee (HNC) arrived several days late, and reluctantly, insisting on immediate steps to alleviate the dire humanitarian situation.This included aid getting through to besieged cities, a halt to the bombardment of civilians and the release of thousands prisoners.Riad Hijab, HNC chief coordinator, said late Wednesday that the group will not return until the humanitarian demands are met or (we) see something on the ground.He said that the Russian-backed advances on the ground showed that the negotiation was not interested in genuine peace talks.The whole world sees who is making the negotiations fail. Who is bombing civilians and starving people to death, Hijab told reporters.The US State Department said Wednesday that the Russian air strikes were harming attempts to secure peace.It is difficult in the extreme to see how strikes against civilian targets contribute in any way to the peace process now being explored, State Department spokesman John Kirby saidFrench Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius agreed, saying that dramatic events on the ground meant the talks had little sense.The government delegation meanwhile complained that the Saudi-backed HNC was disorganised, had not named its negotiators and contained individuals it considered terrorists.One such figure is Mohammed Alloush, a leading member of Islamist rebel group the Army of Islam and nominally the HNCs chief negotiator, who arrived in Geneva late on Monday.Bashar al-Jaafari, chief government negotiator, blamed the suspension on opposition preconditions and said de Mistura announced the break only because the HNC was about to leave.Since its arrival... (the HNC) refused to take part in any serious talks with the special envoy, state news agency SANA quoted Jaafari as saying.The next step is for the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) of outside countries to convene, potentially on February 11 in Munich, Germany.World leaders gather in London on Thursday for a donor conference to help Syrians and neighbouring countries affected by the crisis.

Half in US think 'some' Muslims are anti-American: poll

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Roughly half of all Americans think at least some Muslims in the United States have anti-American sentiments, according to a new survey released on Wednesday.Of the 49 percent of those polled by the Pew Research Center who believe Muslims in the country have negative feelings about America, 11 percent said most or almost all Muslims were anti-American.Another 42 percent meanwhile said they believe that few or no Muslims harbor such feelings.The study was released on the same day President Barack Obama visited an American mosque for the first time during his presidency, offering a high-profile rebuttal of harsh Republican election-year rhetoric against Muslims.Billionaire Donald Trump has demanded a ban on Muslim immigrants while frontrunner Ted Cruz has advocated Christian-only admissions and championed Judeo-Christian values.The Pew study showed a clear partisan divide in general attitudes toward Islam.More than half of Democrats say just a few Muslims in the country are anti-American, while most Republicans believe anti-Americanism to be more widespread.Americans are also divided -- mainly along party lines -- over how the next president should discuss Islamic extremism.The poll said 50 percent of respondents think Obamas successor should be careful not to criticize Islam as a whole while 40 percent support frank talk even if the statements are critical of Islam as a whole.The views are split according to political affiliation, with 70 percent of Democrats favoring caution compared to 29 percent of Republicans, while 65 percent of Republicans think the next president should talk bluntly about Islamic extremism.The poll shows greater consensus over the issue of violence and religion, with 68 percent of respondents saying their chief concern was the fact some violent people use religion to justify their actions.Some 22 percent of Americans believe the problem is instead that teachings of some religions promote violence. Of that number, most point to Islam.The Pew survey also found that six out of 10 Americans believe there to be a lot of discrimination against Muslims in the United States, and 76 percent think discrimination is growing.Only half of Americans say they personally know a Muslim, however.The survey of 2,009 adults was conducted by telephone between January 7 and 14.
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