Wednesday, 9 March 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Met Office forecasts heavy rains across country

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted widespread rain-thundershower accompanied by strong gusty winds in Balochistan with isolated heavy rain in Quetta, Zhob, Kalat, Sibbi and Naseerabad divisions, while scattered rain-thundershower in Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Bahawalpur, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sukkur, Larkana divisions and FATA.Isolated rain-thundershower is also expected in Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Kohat, Mardan divisions and lower Sindh (Karachi and Hyderabad divisions). Isolated hailstorm is also likely during the period.Met Office has also issued warning that heavy downpours may generate urban flooding in major cities and flash flooding in the vulnerable areas of Balochistan, KP, FATA, DG Khan, Rawalpindi divisions and Kashmir. The fishermen of Balochistan carrying small boats are advised to remain careful during next two days.

Football: Avenging Ibrahimovic fires PSG past Chelsea

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LONDON (AFP) - Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored one and created another as Paris Saint-Germain won 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday to eliminate Chelsea from the Champions League for the second season running.Leading 2-1 from the first leg of the last 16 tie, PSG stretched their lead when Ibrahimovic crossed for Adrien Rabiot to tap in and although Diego Costas slick finish gave Chelsea hope, Ibrahimovic volleyed home in the 67th minute to complete a 4-2 aggregate success.Victory took Laurent Blancs PSG into the quarter-finals for the fourth year in a row, while Chelsea were left to contemplate a first season without Champions League football since 2002-03.I thought we controlled the game very well from start to finish, Blanc said.Even when we conceded, we werent worried. We carried on working. That control made the evening easier for us.Ten points off the top four in the Premier League, Chelseas hopes of qualifying for the Champions League are paper-thin and their chances of keeping their season alive in Saturdays FA Cup quarter-final at Everton were jeopardised by injuries to Costa and Eden Hazard.They are a good side, but once we stepped up we had some chances. In the 67th minute it all changed, said Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink.It is a difficult season. We were almost panicking about relegation when I came in, but it is difficult to get into fourth place.Much of the pre-game attention had focused on Costa and Ibrahimovic, and it was PSGs Swedish talisman who emerged triumphant as the French champions claimed further revenge for their elimination by Chelsea in 2014.Sent off at Stamford Bridge a year ago, when PSGs 2-2 draw took them through on away goals, he belied doubts about his big-game temperament to keep the runaway Ligue 1 leaders on course for a potential quadruple.Marco Verrattis failure to recover from a groin injury meant that Rabiot started in midfield for PSG and he almost cost his side an early goal with a loose pass that culminated in Kevin Trapp parrying from Costa.But with Angel di Maria and Lucas Moura abandoning their wings at will, PSGs attack bristled with menace and in the sixth minute stand-in Chelsea captain Branislav Ivanovic had to slide a shot from Di Maria off the line after he had been played in by Lucas.Ten minutes later PSG tightened their grip on the tie as Di Maria played a pass behind the Chelsea defence for Ibrahimovic, whose masterful low cross was turned in by Rabiot.Leading 3-1 on aggregate, it should have been the cue for PSG to take the sting out of the game, but instead they allowed Chelsea to level on the night with a goal that owed equally to Thiago Mottas carelessness in possession and the hosts dazzling interplay.After Pedro Rodriguez nipped in to rob Motta, Willian played a quick one-two with the Spaniard before feeding Costa, who expertly turned Thiago Silva and drilled home left-footed.Ibrahimovic put a header straight at Thibaut Courtois from a Lucas cross, but the hosts finished the half with the wind in their sails, Cesc Fabregas, Hazard and Costa all going close to levelling the tie.Costa had another sight of goal early in the second half, David Luiz blocking his shot from Willians cut-back, but the Spain international, who had been a constant menace, had to go off on the hour after appearing to hurt his calf, with Bertrand Traore replacing him.Hiddinks side came close to making light of Costas departure, but Trapp produced a sharp double-save to thwart Willian and then Hazard, and within two minutes the tie was over.Mottas astute pass to the left found Di Maria in acres of space and his fine cross was volleyed in emphatically by Ibrahimovic.Chelseas mood darkened yet further with 14 minutes remaining when Hazard limped off, but their fire had already burnt itself out.

Football: Benfica stun Zenit to reach Champions League quarters

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SAINT PETERSBURG (AFP) - Nicolas Gaitan and Talisca scored late goals as Benfica came from behind to beat Zenit Saint Petersburg 2-1 in Russia on Wednesday and march on to the Champions League quarter-finals 3-1 on aggregate.Trailing 1-0 from last months first leg, Zenit levelled the tie when Hulk opened the scoring on the night in the 69th minute and extra time was looming when Gaitan stunned the Petrovsky Stadium by netting at the other end five minutes from the end.Substitute Talisca wrapped up the victory with the last kick of the game as the Portuguese league leaders progressed to the last eight of the Champions League for the first time since 2012, when they also eliminated Zenit at this stage.Benfica travelled to Russia with the edge in the tie thanks to a solitary late strike by Jonas in the first leg last month but Zenit will rue a host of missed chances in the second half at the Petrovsky Stadium as their dream of reaching the Champions League last eight for the first time died in the chill of Saint Petersburg.Zenits Portuguese coach Andre Villas-Boas, who will leave the club at the end of the season, has hurt Benfica in the past when in charge of Porto and he would have been confident of turning this tie around against a diminished visiting side.The Portuguese league leaders were without a host of key players due to injury and suspension, including towering centre-back Luisao, Jardel, Lisandro Lopez, Andre Almeida and goalkeeper Julio Cesar.Artem Dzyuba, scorer of six goals in the group stage, fired just wide for Zenit early on, but Renato Sanches came close at the other end in a fairly even first period.Zenit needed a goal from somewhere but they became a much greater threat following the introductions of Igor Smolnikov and Oleg Shatov just before the hour mark.Smolnikov should have scored from a Hulk cross moments after coming off the bench, but Ederson made a crucial save low down.Dzyuba then should have netted after being set up by Shatov, but Benficas resistance was broken as Zenit got the breakthrough on the night just past the midway point in the second half.One-time Chelsea full-back Yuri Zhirkov crashed into Nelson Semedo on the left flank, leaving the Benfica player on the ground. The Hungarian referee let play go on as Zhirkov advanced into the area before lifting the ball into the six-yard box for Brazil star Hulk to head home.That left the prospect of extra time, although Yuri Lodygin produced a superb save to keep out a header by Benficas Swedish defender Victor Lindeloef while Ederson stood up well to deny Dzyuba after the striker had powered into the box.Zenit looked the more likely side but Benfica got a decisive away goal from nowhere in the 85th minute. Substitute Raul Jimenez crashed a shot off the woodwork from distance and, with Lodygin taken out of the game, Gaitan followed in to score.Talisca made it 2-1 on the night in the sixth minute of stoppage time as Rui Vitoria side secured their place in next weeks draw for the quarter-finals.

Tennis: Sharapova lawyer confident of ban leniency - report

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LONDON (AFP) - Maria Sharapovas lawyer is confident he can secure a lenient punishment for the Russian superstar who stunned international sport with her drug test failure confession.The five-time Grand Slam title winner, and the highest-earning sportswoman in the world, admitted on Monday that she had tested positive for the banned substance meldonium.The 28-year-old could face a ban of up to four years which would effectively end a career which has brought her an estimated personal fortune of $200 million (180 million euros).But her lawyer John J. Haggerty believes Sharapova can plead a number of mitigating circumstances after admitting taking the substance since 2006 but then being unaware that it was placed on the banned list only in January this year.Maria and I are looking at all of her options, Haggerty told the Daily Telegraph.One option is for her legal team to claim a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).Although its usually sought on medical grounds before a banned medication is taken, its understood that since Sharapova had been using meldonium for 10 years before world anti-doping agency (WADA) placed it on the banned list, she could have grounds for a retrospective application.Sharapova said she originally began taking meldonium for a variety of symptoms, including a tendency to become ill often, an irregular EKG heart test and a family history of diabetes.There is no evidence whatsoever that this was intentional on Marias behalf, added Haggerty on Wednesday. Therefore that immediately reduces it (ban) down to two years as a maximum. I believe that there are substantial mitigating factors that require a further reduction from two years down to significantly below that.The doctors diagnosis and his treatment recommendations were consistent and medically necessary.Haggerty added: Marias medical records, which will be presented to the International Tennis Federation (ITF), do make it clear that the medical treatment was necessary and recommended by her doctor. And the dosage Maria was taking was substantially less than any dosage that has been linked with the performance-enhancing attributes of mildronate (another term for meldonium).

Tennis: Kvitova calls Sharapova's failed test a 'huge mistake'

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INDIAN WELLS (AFP) - WTA players rocked by Maria Sharapovas admission that she had failed a drug test are now waiting to see what sanction the Russian superstar will face.Sharapovas positive test for meldonium was the talk of the locker room as the hardcourt tournament at Indian Wells got underway on Wednesday.Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova said she was shocked and world number three Agnieszka Radwanska described it as a sad day for tennis.Radwanska said she was in the locker room in Indian Wells with a group of WTA players getting ready train for this weeks tournament in southern California when she heard the news on Monday.It is a sad day for tennis, she said on Wednesday. Nobody expected that. We are all waiting to see what they are going to do about it.Czech Kvitova said Sharapova has made a huge mistake by not paying more attention to what drugs are on the banned list.We should all know what we are putting into our body, she said. It was a huge mistake and she is taking responsibility for it.Sharapova revealed on Monday that she had failed a drug test at the Australian Open in January, saying she had taken the circulation-boosting drug used to treat heart ailments since 2006, but had not spotted that it was added to the banned list as of January 1.Sponsors of the worlds highest-earning sportswoman immediately distanced themselves, with Nike, Porsche and TAG Heuer all halting their relationships with the former world number one.The five-time Grand Slam winner could face a ban of up to four years, although her attorney John J. Haggerty told the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday that he believed she can plead mitigating circumstances and receive a lesser punishment.There is no evidence whatsoever that this was intentional on Marias behalf, Haggerty said.Sharapova, whose on-court prowess and business savvy have brought her an estimated personal fortune of $200 million (180 million euros), wrote on her Facebook page that she woke up early Wednesday morning determined to fight through the scandal and eventually continue her storied career.New day, new start. It is fair to say that this day was not average, Sharapova wrote. Nothing came to mind at 6am, except that I am determined to play tennis again and I hope I will have the chance to do so.I wish I didnt have to go through this, but I do - and I will.

Badminton: Chinese stars make winning All-England starts

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BIRMINGHAM (AFP) - World number one Chen Long and Olympic champion Lin Dan gave China an encouraging start to the first Super Series event of 2016 as each carefully overcame tricky hurdles to reach the second round of the All-England Open.The two stars have seven All-England titles between them, and revealed some of this vast experience in negotiating early difficulties with cold conditions by winning in straight games against ambitious younger opponents.Chen won 21-18, 21-12 against Kent Nishikoro, a 21-year-old Japanese who led early on and was still in touch in the middle part of the second game before a little extra pace and variety from the titleholder killed off his challenge.Lin won 21-17, 21-17 against Lee Dong Keun, a 25-year-old South Korean who turned the match into a good scrap in many long rallies, but found his legendary opponent playing a little better when it mattered.Lin took five of the last seven points in the first game and the last four points in the second, which gave the score-line a more comfortable look than the match actually had.Its going it to be difficult for me, said Lin, who hopes to earn the chance to try for a record third Olympic gold medal in Rio in five months time. There is fierce competition - and within the Chinese team as well. Lin next plays the winner of Sho Sasaki of Japan and Wei Nan of Hongkong.Chen was bolder in his predictions. The draw is very tough and challenging, but I am confident I can win (the All-England) again this year, he said. Sometimes you play thinking it is a bad draw, and you play quite well. Its up to me to fight for it.He certainly does have a far from easy draw. Chen next plays his compatriot Xue Song, and could go on to face Lin Dan in the semis.It almost became easier when Viktor Axelsen, Chens conqueror in the Super Series finals in Dubai in December, was forced to save a match point in the second game before surviving 14-21, 22-20, 22-20 against Brice Leverdez, the 36th-ranked Frenchman. If both win again they will meet again.The top seed in the womens singles, Carolina Marin, also found herself in early difficulties. The world and All-England champion from Spain survived 25-23, 20-22, 21-15 against Bae Yeon Ju, the world number 15 from South Korea, but had to save a game point in the first game and failed to convert two match points in the second.Last week I got a shoulder injury and couldnt train hard, Marin said. It wasnt a good performance and Im just happy I won. She next plays Maria Febe Kusumastuti of Indonesia.

IS commander 'Omar the Chechen' survived US strike: monitor

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Top Islamic State commander leader Omar al-Shishani, known as Omar the Chechen, was seriously injured in a recent US strike in northeastern Syria but not killed, a monitoring group said Wednesday, after a US official said the militant had likely died in the assault.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that according to its sources the March 4 strike had indeed targeted the jihadists convoy, killing his bodyguards, while he himself was seriously injured. Hes not dead, the Observatorys director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.He was taken from the province of Hasake to a hospital in Raqa province where he was treated by a jihadist doctor of European origin, he said. Raqa is ISs main stronghold.The United States has stopped short of declaring Shishani dead, but a US official speaking on condition of anonymity said Shishani likely died in the assault by waves of US warplanes and drones, along with 12 other IS fighters.The US official branded Shishani the ISIL equivalent of the secretary of defence, using another acronym for the group.Shishani was one of the IS leaders most wanted by Washington which put a $5 million bounty on his head.The lack of a US presence on the ground makes it difficult to assess the success of operations targeting militants in Syria, and Shishanis death has been falsely reported several times.Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook on Tuesday described Shishani as a battle-tested leader with experience who had led ISIL (IS) fighters in numerous engagements in Iraq and Syria.The March 4 strikes took place near Al-Shadadi, a town in northeastern Syria that was retaken from IS last month by local anti-IS fighters allied with the US-led coalition.

Karachi: Crackdown against crime continues as 4 suspects arrested

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Crackdown against crime continued in the Provincial Capital Karachi as 4 suspects, including an injured felon, were arrested late Wednesday night.According to the details, targeted action was conducted by law enforcement agencies in Sharafi Goth area. A drug dealer, Rustam, was arrested along with his accomplice. Police sources say ammunition and illegal drugs were recovered from the suspects.Police have further stated that the arrested suspects might have links to Lyari gang war.Meanwhile a felon was arrested in injured condition from Maripur after clash with the police.According to the police, weapons and stolen items have been recovered from the suspect.On the other hand, police apprehended an operative of Lyari gang war from Orangi Town Pakistan Bazaar area.

Iran tests more missiles in defiance of US warning

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TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran fired two more long-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday as it continued military tests in defiance of US sanctions and fresh warnings from Washington.The missile tests, described by Irans powerful Revolutionary Guards as a show of force in the face of US pressure, come just weeks after the implementation of Irans historic nuclear deal with world powers.After similar tests on Tuesday, Washington had warned it could raise the issue with the UN Security Council and take further action after US sanctions were imposed in connection with Irans missile programme in January.US Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday that the United States would take action against Iran if the missile tests were confirmed.All their conventional activity outside the (nuclear) deal, which is still beyond the deal, we will and are attempting to act wherever we can find it, Biden said during a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.He said Washington was also ready to act if Iran breaks the nuclear agreement.The hard-fought deal, which saw international sanctions lifted in exchange for curbs on Irans nuclear ambitions, did not extend to its missile programme.Wednesdays tests saw two Qadr-H and Qadr-F precision missiles fired from launcher trucks tucked in the Alborz mountain range in northern Iran, hitting targets about 1,400 kilometres (870 miles) away in the southeastern Makran area, the Guards said.Our enemies have come to understand that increasing security pressures and sanctions will not affect the enhancement of our capabilities so they seek to limit us in the missile arena through imposing economic sanctions, said Guards chief Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari.Enemies of the Islamic revolution and regional security must fear the roar of the Guards missiles, he added, quoted by the Guards official website.The Guards deputy head General Hossein Salami said the missile tests were to demonstrate Irans defence and deterrent power. We have massive stockpiles of ballistic missiles waiting for orders and ready to hit targets at any moment from various points across the country, Salami said.Ballistic missile tests have been seen as a way for Irans military to demonstrate that the nuclear deal will have no impact on its plans, which it says are for domestic defence only.Previous UN resolutions have aimed at stopping Tehran from developing missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, although Tehran has always denied seeking the capability.The US sanctions imposed in January saw five Iranians and a network of companies based in the United Arab Emirates and China added to an American blacklist.US State Department spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday that if the latest missile tests were confirmed then well have every intention of raising the matter to the UN Security Council.Kirby warned that the United States could take unilateral action to counter threats from Irans missile programme.This weeks series of tests have included short-, medium- and long-range precision guided missiles with ranges of between 300 and 2,000 kilometres, state media reported.The reason we have designed these missiles with such a range -- 2,000 kilometres -- is to be able to hit our remote enemies, the Zionist regime, said General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who heads the Revolutionary Guards aerospace wing, referring to Israel.But there is no need to fire missiles to destroy the Zionist regime as it will gradually collapse. Our main enemy is the US, he said.News agencies Fars and Tasnim, both close to the Guards, said the phrase Israel must be wiped off the face of earth was inscribed in Hebrew on the missiles, recalling a famous quote by the late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.However, no writing was visible on the missiles shown in video footage or pictures published by local media.President Hassan Rouhani, a cleric close to moderates, pursued the nuclear deal in a bid to end Irans international isolation.Less than two weeks ago, his moderate and reformist allies scored key gains against conservatives and hardliners in elections.But the Revolutionary Guards report to Irans supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, not Rouhani, and their influence dwarfs that of the army and other armed forces.

UN outlines March 14-24 timetable for Syria talks

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GENEVA (AFP) - A new round of talks aimed at ending the war in Syria will begin in Geneva on March 14 and will last no longer than 10 days, the UN mediator said Wednesday.Staffan de Mistura said participants would begin arriving in the coming days and that he would be having some informal talks over the weekend.But the substantive deeper part of it... will be on Monday, he said, saying the negotiations would last not beyond March 24, when there would be a break. There will a recess of a few days, a week perhaps, 10 days before the talks resume, he said.Having a timetable and a time limit is healthy for everyone.The UN is hoping to restart peace talks that collapsed last month, building on a ceasefire that has led to the first significant decline in violence in Syrias nearly five-year civil war.The truce between President Bashar al-Assads regime and non-jihadist rebels is part of the biggest diplomatic effort yet to resolve Syrias conflict, which has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.The partial truce, which was negotiated by Washington and Moscow and which does not apply to the Islamic State group or the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front, has largely held since it began on February 27.The cessation of hostilities... is still holding, and it is making a direct impact on the lives of millions of Syrians inside the country, UN humanitarian coordinator for Syria Yacoub El Hillo told reporters.As in the previous round, the negotiations will take the form of proximity talks with de Mistura shuttling between the different sides.The Syrian regime on Monday confirmed it would attend the Geneva talks, while the opposition has said it was still considering the matter despite a major lull in fighting.A small delegation from the Riyadh-based High Negotiations Committee was meanwhile expected to attend a meeting in Geneva Wednesday afternoon of the international task force overseeing the ceasefire.Wednesday morning, there was a meeting of another task force monitoring efforts to increase humanitarian aid deliveries to nearly half million people in besieged areas and another four million in hard-to-reach areas. In the past four weeks, 536 trucks had reached 238,845 people -- 150,000 of them in besieged areas, de Mistura said.His special adviser Jan Egeland meanwhile hailed the fact that 10 out of 18 besieged areas had been reached, some with multiple convoys.The bad news is that we still have not reached six important besieged areas, Egeland said, referring to areas such as Daraya, Douma, besieged by government forces, and Deir Ezzor where some 200,000 people are under siege by IS jihadists. The aim is to reach a total of 870,000 people in hard-to-reach areas by the end of April, el Hillo said.

34 dead in Lagos building collapse: rescuers

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LAGOS (AFP) - Thirty-four people died in the collapse of a five-storey building under construction in an upmarket area of Nigerias biggest city, Lagos, a rescue official said on Wednesday.Operations concluded at 7:20 pm (1820 GMT) with 34 dead and 13 rescued alive after reaching ground zero, Ibrahim Farinloye, from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), told AFP in a text message.Investigation on the cause of the collapse has started by various federal and state agencies, he added.The fatal collapse happened after heavy rains in the early hours of Tuesday in the southeastern district of Lekki, which is home to some of the most expensive real estate in the city.Lekki, made up of sprawling estates of gated communities with US-style suburban homes, has developed rapidly in recent years into a preferred location for wealthier Nigerians and expatriates. Some detached houses can sell for millions of dollars.Building collapses happen frequently in densely populated areas of Lagos, which is home to some 20 million people. Poor workmanship and materials, and a lack of official oversight are often blamed. But collapses are rarer in wealthier districts.The Lagos State government said in a statement that preliminary reports indicated work on the building was illegal but the order had been flouted.The collapsed building was served (a) contravention notice for exceeding the approved floors and was sealed by the Lagos State Building Control Agency, it added.The owners of the building and promoters of the Lekki Gardens development, Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited, criminally unsealed the property and continued building beyond the approved floors.The government called the owners actions a brazen act of defiance and impunity and said integrity tests should be conducted on all projects being handled by the company.All work has been ordered to stop at the site and the owners told to report to the police within 24 hours or face arrest, Lagos State information commissioner Steve Ayorinde said.The State Government will no longer tolerate the action(s) of unscrupulous owners and builders who challenge its supervisory control thereby endangering the lives of Lagosians, he added.The State Government has consequently directed the suspension of work at the site and ordered the Lagos State Police Command to cordon it off as it is now a crime scene.Lekki Gardens confirmed in a statement that construction had stopped in January over reported structural defects but made no mention of work having resumed.It added: Investigation is already under way to ascertain the identities of those affected as it is not company policy for site workers to take shelter in uncompleted buildings.The addition of floors without proper planning approval was ruled to have been a factor in the collapse of a church guesthouse in Lagos in September 2014.A total of 116 people were killed, 81 of them South Africans, in the collapse at the Synagogue Church of All Nations complex of popular evangelical preacher TB Joshua.Joshua, church trustees and two engineers are currently on trial for criminal negligence and involuntary manslaughter.

PM Nawaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff attend Saudi King's dinner

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Shareef on Wednesday attended a formal dinner hosted by Saudi Arabian King and Custodian of the two Holy Mosques Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. The dinner was also attended by heads of states and representatives of 21 nations.The Saudi King extended a warm welcome to both PM Nawaz and the Army Chief upon their arrival.PM Nawaz and General Shareef were also accompanied by Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Tariq Fatemi.Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reached Riyadh earlier on an official visit to hold important talks with Saudi leadership.The premier is visiting the Kingdom on the invitation of the Saudi King to witness the military exercise ‘North Thunder’.Pakistan enjoys cordial and brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia, which are characterized by strong bonds of affinity, mutual respect and solidarity, and draw strength from shared historical, cultural and Islamic values. Both countries enjoy multi faceted cooperation, including in the fields of defense and counter-terrorism, the Foreign Office stated.Troops from 21 countries, including Pakistan, are participating in ‘Thunder North’ exercise, in the northern region of Saudi Arabia. The main goal of the exercise is to improve training in responding to threats posed by terrorist groups.The exercise comes as a Saudi-led coalition of Arab countries began targeting rebels and their allies in Yemen in a campaign of airstrikes that began in March 2015.

Schools to reopen today as Private School Federation agrees to talk

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Schools are scheduled to reopen today (Thursday) as All Pakistan Private Schools Federation agreed to talk out the issues with the government. The Private School Federation announced the reopening of schools after an invitation by the government earlier for talks. Speaking during a press conference, Private School Federation’s leader Kashif Mirza stated that the decision was taken for the benefit of the children. He further added that if however, talks with the government failed to succeed the suspended protest could once again be continued after a week’s time.The Private School Federation has also made it clear that the strike is not being observed for the escalation in school fees but against the current educational laws.On the other hand, Punjab’s Minister for Education Rana Mashood has stated that amendments can be made in the law but it cannot be completely disregarded.Pakistan Private Schools Association and Pakistan Education Council had announced to close the schools for March 8 and 9, due to which, private schools remained closed throughout the province on March 9 (Wednesday). The private school owners have been with the view that Punjab Assembly passed the Punjab Education Authority Bill without taking them into confidence, which is not at all acceptable.The owners have threatened to shut down the schools permanently if their demands are not fulfilled.

Sale of F-16 jets to Pakistan, US Senate to discuss bill today

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WASHINGTON (Dunya News) – US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations’ Senator Ben Cardin, during a talk with the media in Washington, has stated that a bill for the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan will be discussed today (Thursday). He stated that the bill looks likely to be approved during discussion in the Senate.Republican Party’s Senator, Rand Paul, had submitted a resolution against the sale earlier in February. However, Senator Cardin stated that a majority of Republican and Democrat members are against Paul’s advice.Senator Cardin stated that he was hopeful that the bill would be approved as Pakistan needed an upgrade of its aerial combat arsenal to continue its fight against terrorism and conduct action against extremist elements at the Pak-Afghan border.

Mars robot launch now scheduled for May 2018: NASA

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The launch of a robot that will delve deep beneath the surface of Mars has been rescheduled for May 5, 2018, US space agency NASA said Wednesday.The InSight lander was originally set to launch this month but that had to be scrapped because of a problem with a seismometer provided by Frances space agency CNES. InSights primary goal is to study how the solar systems rocky planets, including Earth, formed and evolved.It will help determine whether the core of the red planet is solid or liquid, and why its surface is not made of moving tectonic plates like Earth.The quest to understand the interior of Mars has been a longstanding goal of planetary scientists for decades. Were excited to be back on the path for a launch, now in 2018, John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASAs Science Mission Directorate in Washington, said in a statement.Launch dates are based on relative positions of the planets and favorable conditions for missions from Earth to Mars are available a few weeks every 26 months, NASA has said.The robot is now expected to arrive on Mars on November 26, 2018.The delay stemmed from a leak affecting the seismometer device, which measures ground movements as small as the diameter of an atom.It requires a vacuum seal around its three main sensors to withstand the harsh conditions of the Martian environment.Officials were studying the cost of the two-year delay, with an estimate expected in August.The total cost of the mission was budgeted at $675 million, of which $525 million had been spent by December 2015, according to NASA. NASA is currently working on three Mars missions with the European Space Agency and plans to send another rover to Mars in 2020. A manned mission to Mars is set for the 2030s.
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