Wednesday 9 November 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Asia markets track global surge as Trump fears ease

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HONG KONG (AFP) - Asian equities soared Thursday, joining a goldrush across world markets as the initial shock of Donald Trumps election win was replaced by hopes his plan to kickstart the US economy will succeed.Trading floors were awash in red Wednesday as the regions investors were the first to react to news that the firebrand tycoon had defeated market-favourite Hillary Clinton, upending expectations.However, a reassuring victory speech -- followed by calls by Clinton and President Obama to get behind Trump -- provided some encouragement to traders, sending risk assets rallying.In early trade most markets in Asia had either wiped out or clawed back most of the previous days losses, while the dollar pushed higher.The greenback had come under pressure on worries that uncertainty over Trumps policies would cause the Federal Reserve to hold off an interest rate rise, but analysts said those worries had abated for now.Tokyo was up more than six percent, with a plunging yen also providing support. The dollar dallied with 106 yen before easing slightly, well up from Wednesdays low of 101.20 yen.Hong Kong gained 2.1 percent and Shanghai was 1.2 percent up, while Sydney added 2.8 percent, Seoul jumped 1.9 percent and Taipei put on 2.4 percent. There were also gains of more than one percent in Wellington, Singapore and Manila.Hell certainly be friendly to American business and that could very well stimulate their economy, Grant Williamson, an investment adviser at brokerage Hamilton Hindin Greene in Christchurch, New Zealand. Investors are now thinking that things arent going to be as bad as what they had thought. It was a bit of a shock to most investors initially and now people are getting used to the idea, he told Bloomberg News.The push back into higher-yielding, or riskier, investments also saw safe-haven gold tumble 1.4 percent, buying $1,286.70 -- having spiked Wednesday at almost $1,340.The Mexican peso, which hit a record low on Trumps win, also strengthened against the dollar Thursday but it remains under pressure owing to fears about Trumps policy plans.While on the campaign trail the president-elect often made anti-Mexican promises including a pledge to remove undocumented immigrants, build a border wall and tear up a long-standing trade deal.

Trump election win sparks protests across US

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Protesters rallied across the United States Wednesday to express shock over Donald Trumps election victory, vowing to oppose divisive views they say helped the Republican billionaire win the presidency.In Washington, several hundred protesters gathered in front of the White House for a candlelight vigil on a damp, chilly evening, criticizing what they called Trumps racism, sexism and xenophobia, and carrying signs reading We have a voice and Education for allOne of the organizers, Ben Wikler -- Washington director of the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org -- told the crowd that others were coming together in hundreds of communities around the country.People are justly frightened, he said. We are here because in these darkest moments we are not alone, he added before leading chants of We are not aloneEthan Miller of the workers rights group Jobs with Justice said organizers held the vigil to show that civil society was resilient.Its a hard time for a lot of Americans, he told AFP. We saw a campaign that was filled with racism and misogyny and whole host of other terrible tactics that ultimately were successful for winning the electoral college.But were not going to let a Donald Trump presidency stop the progress in this country, he added. Were going to continue to organize and fight for the rights of all people and to protect the safety of our brothers and sisters.Supporters attending the rally appeared less optimistic.Joanne Paradis, 31, who was born in Mexico and works in international communications for a non-profit group in Washington, said she attended the rally to share some solidarity.I feel pretty down, she said. Asked if the country could weather a Trump presidency, she said, I dont know.But we have to acknowledge what happened to deal with it, to face it and talk about it and be honest about it.I just came here to mourn, said Chris Hassan, 28, who works for a civil society group.Protests also were held in other cities across the country, gathering thousands of people in Chicago, Philadelphia, Portland, Oregon, Seattle and other cities.In New York City, protesters gathered in Union Square holding signs saying Love Trumps Hate and Trump Grabbed America by the Pussy before marching uptown in the thousands to chant in front to Trump Tower.The electoral college is broken, protester Nicholas Forker said of the US indirect voting system. I think it definitely needs to be reformed... I think its ridiculous.Some of the protests started out with hundreds of demonstrators but soon swelled to thousands.In California, high school and college students staged campus demonstrations and walkouts from classes.In Los Angeles, hundreds of teens and young adults rallied outside City Hall chanting Not my presidentIn Oregon, demonstrators blocked traffic in downtown Portland, forcing a delay on two light-rail lines. The crowd there grew to about 300 people, local reports said, including some who sat in the middle of a road to block traffic. Others burned American flags.In Pennsylvania, hundreds of University of Pittsburgh students marched through the streets, with some in the crowd calling for unity.The rallies followed protests overnight on Tuesday as voting results were being tallied, when at least one person was seriously injured in Oakland, California, where demonstrators broke store windows and set garbage alight.

Coalition strike 'kills 20 civilians' near IS-held Raqa

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AIN ISSA (AFP) - US-backed forces pressed offensives Wednesday on the Islamic State groups strongholds in Syria and Iraq, as an air strike by the American-led coalition reportedly killed 20 civilians near the Syrian city of Raqa.Supported by coalition air raids, Iraqi forces have pushed into ISs Mosul stronghold and a Kurdish-Arab militia alliance has been advancing on the jihadists de facto Syrian capital Raqa.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a coalition strike overnight had hit the IS-held village of Al-Heisha, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Raqa.Rami Abdul Rahman, the head of the Britain-based monitoring group, said nine women and two children were among the 20 civilians killed and that 32 others had been wounded.The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the militia alliance which Washington is supporting in the assault, denied the civilian deaths.There is no such thing, and any such claims are IS news, SDF spokeswoman Jihan Sheikh Ahmed told AFP.Colonel John Dorrian, a spokesman for the coalition, told AFP it appeared there had been strikes in the area.After an initial assessment... the coalition confirms it did conduct strikes in the area described in the allegation, he said.However, more specific information is needed to conclusively determine responsibility for civilian casualties.The Observatory said the latest deaths brought the number of civilians killed since US-led air strikes in Syria began in September 2014 to 680, including 169 children.Some 200 families had fled Al-Heisha, according to an SDF official. Daesh fighters brought heavy weapons to our village and stayed among us so that if there were strikes they would hit us, 45-year-old Saada al-Aboud said after fleeing the town, using an Arabic acronym for IS.They wouldnt let us leave. We had to escape by running out into the fields, with our children and old people. What else could we do? We left everything behind.The SDF launched the drive towards Raqa on Saturday, upping pressure on the jihadists three weeks after Iraqi forces began their assault on Mosul.Raqa and Mosul are the last major cities in Syria and Iraq under IS control, after the jihadists suffered losses that greatly reduced the size of the self-styled caliphate they declared in mid-2014 following their seizure of large parts of both countries.The US-led coalition, which launched its air campaign against IS two years ago, hopes that driving the group from the two cities will deal it a knockout blow.The SDF has been pushing south from areas near the Turkish border towards Raqa, seizing a string of villages and moving to positions about 35 kilometres (22 miles) from the city.An AFP correspondent east of Ain Issa, the main staging point for the offensive, said coalition aircraft could be seen on Wednesday carrying out repeated air strikes in the distance and that IS fighters were shelling SDF positions. In Iraq, an official said Tuesday that Kurdish peshmerga fighters had seized the town of Bashiqa near Mosul, which would be a final step in securing the eastern approaches to Mosul.There were still pockets of resistance in the town, officials said, and an AFP correspondent in Bashiqa reported continued air strikes, gunfire and explosions on Tuesday.The peshmerga and Iraqi federal forces have been advancing on Mosul from the north, east and south since October 17, and last week pushed into the citys eastern outskirts.Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Wednesday he hoped for enduring US support following Donald Trumps presidential election win.We look forward to the continued support of the world and the United States in standing with Iraq in its confrontation with terrorism, Abadi said in a statement congratulating Trump.Officials are warning of long and bloody battles ahead in Mosul and Raqa, with IS expected to put up fierce resistance and to use trapped civilians as human shields.More than a million people are believed to be in Mosul. Raqa in 2011 had a pre-war population of some 240,000, and more than 80,000 people have since fled there from elsewhere in Syria.The International Organization for Migration said Wednesday that nearly 42,000 people had fled their homes since the start of the Mosul operation. That was an increase of more than 7,000 from the figure the IOM gave the previous day. The IOM said a significant part of that increase was the result of new counts of people who were already present in camps, though more were also still arriving.

Yemen army says operation kills 30 Qaeda suspects

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ADEN (AFP) - An elite Yemeni force backed by Saudi-led coalition air strikes killed 30 suspected Al Qaeda fighters in the southeast of the country in a 24-hour operation that ended Wednesday, the army said.The force raided an Al Qaeda hideout west of the port city of Mukalla on Tuesday in a very successful operation that lasted 24 hours, it said in a statement. It said that 30 suspected militants were killed and several others were captured, increasing a Tuesday death toll of six alleged jihadists.Four Yemeni troops were also killed and 12 were wounded in the fighting, it added.The jihadists were planning to carry out terrorist attacks in the country, already torn apart by a 19-month-long conflict between Iran-backed rebels and loyalist forces supported by the coalition, the army said.Mukalla was the most populous Yemeni city under Al-Qaeda control until government troops and coalition special forces recaptured it in April, ending a year of jihadist rule.But the jihadists regrouped in the surrounding mountains from where they have carried out a series of deadly revenge attacks.A security official told AFP on Tuesday that troops launched a preemptive operation against the extremists, who continued to pose a threat to Mukalla.In July, suicide bombings claimed by Al-Qaeda killed 11 people at two army checkpoints in the city.The previous month, Al Qaedas jihadist rival, the Islamic State group, claimed a wave of suicide bombings that killed at least 42 people in Mukalla.Coalition forces intervened in Yemen in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadis beleaguered government in March last year.But until earlier this year, they focused their firepower on Shiite rebels and their allies who control the capital Sanaa and much of the north and west of the country.The jihadists have exploited the conflict to consolidate their grip on parts of the south, where they have enforced their often brutal version of Islamic law.Washington regards Al Qaedas Yemen-based branch as its most dangerous and has kept up a long-running drone war against its commanders.

Afghanistan welcomes back National Geographic 'Afghan girl'

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KABUL (AFP) - Afghanistans president Wednesday welcomed back Sharbat Gula, the green-eyed woman immortalised on a National Geographic cover, after she was deported from Pakistan to the war-torn homeland she first fled decades ago.Pakistani officials handed over Gula, whose haunting eyes were captured in a cover photo taken in a refugee camp in the 1980s, to Afghan border authorities after escorting her from a Peshawar hospital where she was being treated for Hepatitis C. Gula, arguably Afghanistans most famous refugee, was arrested last month for living in Pakistan on fraudulent identity papers.Pleased to have welcomed Sharbat Gula & her family back to (Afghanistan), President Ashraf Ghani said on Twitter. Her life inspires us all. She represents all the brave women of this land.The president and first lady Rula Ghani honoured Gula and her children at a ceremony at the presidential palace in Kabul.Ghani has promised to provide Gula, 45, with a furnished apartment to ensure she lives with dignity and security in Afghanistan.Speaking to AFP last week in Pakistan, Gula said she was heartbroken at the prospect of returning.Afghanistan is only my birthplace, but Pakistan was my homeland and I always considered it as my own country, she said.I had decided to live and die in Pakistan but they did the worst thing with me. Its not my fault that I born there (in Afghanistan). I am dejected. I have no other option but to leave.Gula said she first arrived in Pakistan an orphan, some four or five years after the Soviet invasion of 1979, one of millions of Afghans who have sought refuge over the border since. Since July hundreds of thousands have returned to Afghanistan in a desperate exodus amid fears of a crackdown, ahead of a March 2017 deadline for the final return of all Afghan refugees.Last month UNHCR said more than 350,000 Afghan refugees -- documented and undocumented -- had returned from Pakistan so far in 2016, adding it expects a further 450,000 to do so by the years end

Seven killed as London tram comes off the rails

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LONDON (AFP) - At least seven people were killed and around 50 injured on Wednesday when a London tram came off the tracks and tipped over.One survivor recounted how a woman landed on top of him, adding that there was blood everywhere after the tram appeared to speed up before coming off the rails.The incident happened before dawn at around 6:10am (0610 GMT) outside Croydon in south London as it negotiated a bend in the track.The 42-year-old driver had been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, British Transport Police said.Everyone just literally went flying, said Martin Bamford, 30, from Croydon, who was on the tram and recalled it speeding up before it derailed.There was a woman that was on top of me... I dont think she made it at all. She wasnt responsive.Asked about the driver, Bamford said: I asked him if he was okay. He said yeah. I said to him what happened? He said he thinks he blacked out.Bamford was speaking outside Croydon University Hospital, where he was being treated for fractured or broken ribs.Probes were under way to determine what caused the 300-tonne, two-car tram to derail and tip over onto its side.The Rail Accident Investigations Branch said the tram derailed as it was negotiating a sharp, left-hand curve with a speed limit of 12 miles (19 kilometres) per hour.A spokesman said: Initial indications suggest that the tram was travelling at a significantly higher speed than is permitted.Deputy Chief Constable Adrian Hanstock of the British Transport Police (BTP) indicated that the death toll could rise further.At least seven people have lost their lives as a result of this incident, he said in a statement.Our officers will continue to work tirelessly throughout the evening to formally identify them and provide care and support for their families.We expect to be at the scene for at least the next 24 hours, continuing searches and carrying out forensic examinations.Local residents described hearing a loud bang and seeing the wounded being carried away on stretchers.The London Ambulance Service said 51 patients had been taken to two local hospitals.Several people were treated for minor injuries such as cuts and bruises at the scene.Doctor Phil Moss, the clinical director of the emergency department at St Georges Hospital, said they treated 20 patients.The patients who have gone to the operating theatre will certainly be kept overnight if not for several days or even weeks, he said.London Fire Brigade said it had been working to free several trapped people.Londons only tram system, which opened in 2000, links several south London suburbs along 17 miles (28 kilometres) of track.More than 27 million passengers used the service in 2015-16.

Karachi: 3 terrorists killed in encounter with Rangers

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, Rangers carried out a raid in Manghu Pir area of Karachi on intelligence reports during which terrorists present in the area opened fire at the raiding party. Rangers returned the fire as a result one terrorist was killed while other managed to escape.The law enforcement personnel cordoned off the area and launched a search operation during which another gun battle between the terrorists and Rangers took place, resulting in killing of two more terrorists. One Rangers official also sustained injuries in exchange of fire.According to Rangers spokesman, the dead terrorists belonged to a banned outfit. The spokesman further informed that a large quantity of arms was also recovered from them.

MQM Pakistan show reservations over governor Sindh's appointment

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Pakistan Rabita committee showed reservations over appointment of new Sindh governor, reported Dunya News.Rabita committee said that it was against democracy that the second biggest party of the province was not taken into confidence before appointing governor. He said that it would have been right in better working relations if MQM was asked before the appointment.Rabita committee also said that Ishratul Ibads name was given by MQM and he rendered great services for the province. Committee also said that they had no reservations over Justice (retd)Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiquis name and appointing governor is federal governments authority.

Can't under reservations over Justice (retd) Amir Raza's name

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Spokesperson of Prime Minister (PM), Musadik Malik said that the reservations against the name of Justice (retd) Amir Raza in news leaks investigation committee was not understandable, reported Dunya News.Musadik Malik suggested those who had reservations to talk to the Interior Minister Chauhdry Nisar, as it was under his control. Musadik Malik also asked that which names should be given so that everyone has no reservations.

Two more Indian 'undercover agents' deported

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan expelled two more staff members of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad who were actually ‘undercover agents’ of Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB) and were involved in subversive activities in Pakistan under the garb of diplomatic assignments, Dunya News reported.IB’s station chief in Pakistan, Balbir Singh and Jayabalan Senthil left for India via Dubai on early Thursday morning from Islamabad’s Benazir Bhutto International Airport.According to Pakistan Foreign Office, eight Indian diplomats and staff belonging to Indian intelligence agencies RAW and IB were involved in coordinating terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan under the garb of diplomatic assignments.Pakistan Foreign Office further informed that activities of these operatives included espionage, subversion and supporting the terrorist activities in Balochistan and Sindh, especially Karachi, sabotage CPEC, and fuel instability in the two provinces and create unrest in Gilgit Baltistan.Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan deported three staff members of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad Anurag Singh, Vijay Kumar Varma and Madhavan Nanda Kumar, the ‘undercover agents’ of India’s intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for their involvement in subversive activities in the country.

US strikes may have killed 119 civilians in Syria, Iraq: Pentagon

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Pentagon said Wednesday that US air strikes in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State group may have killed 119 civilians since 2014, a figure far lower than casualty estimates by monitoring groups.The figures released by Centcom, the US military command in the Middle East, came from a months-long review of reports and databases, it said, adding that the deaths and injuries stemmed from 24 air strikes.London-based NGO Airways estimates coalition bombing has killed 1,787 civilians since the air campaign to destroy the Islamic State group began in August 2014.We have teams who work full time to prevent unintended civilian casualties, Colonel John Thomas was quoted as saying in the Centcom statement.We do all we can to minimize those occurrences even at the cost of sometimes missing the chance to strike valid targets in real time.The Pentagons investigation found that in each of these strikes the right processes were followed; each complied with Law of Armed Conflict and significant precautions were taken, despite the unfortunate outcome, Thomas said.The United States, which carries out 80 percent of the coalition bombing, says it uses precision-guided munitions that limit civilian casualties.Meanwhile Russia is accused of using conventional bombs that are much more deadly to civilian populations.Amnesty International estimates that there have been at least 300 civilian victims in Syria alone from coalition strikes.The number of casualties has risen sharply since the start of the coalitions campaign in late 2015 to lay the groundwork to take back IS strongholds in Mosul, Iraq and Raqa, Syria.

Dual nationality becomes cause of Ishratul Ibad's removal

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - Dual nationality became the main reason behind removal of Ishratul Ibad as the governor of Sindh, reported Dunya News.Ishratul Ibad remained governor of Sindh for 14 years but then Pak SarZameen Party (PSP) chairman Mustafa Kamal accused him of having dual nationality. Ishratul Ibad reacted furiously in Dunya Kamran Khan Kay Saath, which also become one of the causes behind his departure.Ishratul Ibad worked with six chief ministers in office. According to Dunya Kamran Khan Kay Saath, he was very close to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief and often became bridge between MQM and governments.

President Obama to host Trump in Oval Office on Thursday

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama will welcome his successor Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday, for talks aiming at ensuring a smooth transition of power, the White House announced.Trump, who defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in a shock upset on Election Day, was to meet with Obama at 11:00 am (1600 GMT), with brief comments to the media at the end of the talks.

Newly-appointed Governor Sindh to take oath today

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Justice (Retd) Saeed uz Zaman will be sworn-in as Governor Sindh today (Thursday) after the notification of his appointment was issued by President Mamnoon Hussain, Dunya News reported. Justice (Retd) Saeed uz Zaman will become 31st Governor of Sindh. Justice (retired) Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui will replace Ishratul Ibad who served in office for about 14 years.The notification of Justice (Retd) Saeed uz Zaman’s appointment was issued by the Aiwan-e-Sadr after President Mamnoon Hussain signed the summary sent by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Belgium draw 1-1 with Netherlands in World Cup qualifier

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AMSTERDAM (AFP) - The Netherlands and Belgium played out a 1-1 friendly draw Wednesday where Premier League stars Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard struggled and the Dutch suffered injury setbacks ahead of a key World Cup qualifier.A penalty from Davy Klaassen gave the Dutch a 38th-minute lead from the penalty spot before Yannick Carrasco levelled eight minutes from the final whistle.It was the 126th meeting between the two neighbours whose fortunes are seemingly headed in different directions.The Dutch failed to make the finals of Euro 2016 and are labouring in their pursuit of a place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.They are in third spot in their qualifying Group A, three points back from France and Sweden.Belgium, with former Everton boss Roberto Martinez at the helm, lead Group H with three wins in three outings.The Dutch face Luxembourg on Sunday in their next qualifier but will be without Jeremain Lens, Klaassen and Stijn Schaars who were all injured on Wednesday.Belgium go to Estonia, also on Sunday.
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