Friday 9 December 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

PCB in talks with WI, SL teams for Pakistan's tour

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ISLAMABAD (APP): Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is holding talks with West Indies and Sri Lankan cricket boards to arrange a series in Pakistan in the middle of the next year.“Yes, top PCB officials are engaged in talks with their counterparts in West Indies and Sri Lankan cricket boards and hopefully one of the teams from these countries will tour Pakistan after the conclusion of Pakistan Super League (PSL),” a PCB source close to the developments told APP on Friday.The source also disclosed that the final of PSL would be held on 9th of March, 2017 but stated that it could not be said with certainty where would it take place.It may be mentioned here that no top test team has toured Pakistan since March, 2009 after the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus in Lahore.However, low ranked sides including Afghanistan and Zimbabwe had toured Pakistan for short tours with their matches mainly organized in Lahore. Last year also the PCB had convinced the West Indies Cricket Board to play a few matches in Pakistan but it didn’t materialize.

Dhaka Dynamites thrash Rajshahi Kings, claim BPL 2016 title

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MIRPUR (Web Desk) – Dhaka Dynamites (DD) put up a wonderful show in the final of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2016-17 and beaten Rajshahi Kings (RK) convincingly.Earlier, Rajshahi Kings had won the toss and elected to bowl first.Batting first, Dhaka Dynamites succeeded in achieving an above average score of 159 for the loss of 9 wickets. Big names like Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell and Captain Shakib Al Hasan failed to contribute much on the grand finale, however, Evin Lewisand Kumar Sangakkara played responsible innings and took the team total to 159 by scoring 45 and 36 runs respectively.Farhad Reza was the stand out bowler of Rajshahi Kings taking 3 wickets for 28 runs in his 4 overs.Chasing 160 in reply, Rajshahi Kings started their innings in a cautious manner and the top order played too many dot deliveries which later pressurized the middle order. As a result of this pressure, the Kings collapsed from 62-1 to 98-8, losing 7 wickets for just 36 runs. Kings were eventually bowled out in the 18th over for 103 runs.MominulHaque and Sabbir Rahman were the top scorers of Rajshahi Kings who scored 27 and 26 runs apiece.Abu Jayed, Shakib Al Hasan and Sunzamul Islam from Dhaka Dynamites shared two wickets each.Kumar Sangakkara was awarded with the man of the match award for his late hitting that enabled the Dynamites to score a decent total of 159.The story was published in Daily Dunya

Overseas Pakistani workers remit $7.8 billion in first five months of FY17

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KARACHI (Web Desk) - Overseas Pakistani workers remitted US $7874.49 million in first five months (July to November) of FY17, compared with US $8072.21 million received during the same period in the preceding year, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reported on Friday.During November 2016, the inflow of worker’s remittances amounted to US $1616.43 million, which is 3.63% higher than October 2016 and 3.27% higher than November 2015.The country wise details for the month of October 2016 show that inflows from Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA, UK, GCC countries (including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman) and EU countries amounted to US $ 465.19 million, US $ 362.71 million, US $193.98 million, US $192.8 million, US $193.12 million and US $37.03 million respectively compared with the inflow of US $488.29 million, US $350.84 million, US $192.39 million, US $191 million, US $191.46 million and US $31.64 million respectively in November 2015.Remittances received from Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Japan and other countries during November 2016 amounted to US $171.60 million together as against US $119.57 million received in November 2015.

Pakistan Stock Exchange to sell 40 percent stake

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KARACHI (AFP) - Pakistan’s main bourse is to sell a 40 percent stake next week, a company official said Friday, citing Chinese and British consortia as among the prospective buyers.At least 17 entities have expressed an interest in the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), whose benchmark stock index was one of the best performing indices worldwide in 2016, gaining 38 percent so far.The PSX is currently owned by more than 300 Pakistani brokers.We are opening bidding for the 40 percent share of the PSX on December 15, Shahzad Chamdia, chief of a PSX divestment committee, told AFP.Analysts estimate the deal will be worth around $225 million, but the committee declined to comment.We have the reference share price being evaluated by a third party and will reveal it only on the bidding day, Chamdia said.Sources at the PSX said a consortium consisting of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the Shenzen Stock Exchange and a Chinese fund is bidding, as well as another consortium of UK financial institutions led by NASDAQ Technology.Chamdia did not reveal the names of either consortia but confirmed that Chinese and British stock companies were in the running.Other bidders include Pakistani banks and financial institutions, but their chances of winning are thought to be unlikely.Following the sale, the company plans to offer 20 percent of its shares to the public, Chamdia said.Under its stock exchange reforms, Pakistan merged its three stock exchanges -- the Karachi Stock Exchange, the Lahore Stock Exchange and the Islamabad Stock Exchange -- to form the PSX in January this year.The benchmark KSE index of 100 shares was at its highest ever level of 45319 points on Friday, compared with 32816 points on January 1.

Turkey to submit Erdogan powers bill to parliament

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ISTANBUL (AFP) - Turkey’s ruling party is to submit a bill to parliament on Saturday expanding the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a move supporters believe will streamline the political system but opponents fear will lead to one-man rule.The constitutional change, which has been sought by Erdogan since he became president in 2014, would see Turkey switch to an executive presidency along the lines of the United States or France.But it has become the latest polarising issue surrounding the Turkish strongman, who has been accused by opponents of increasingly authoritarian rule especially after the attempted coup in July.The drive for the change comes at a critical time for Erdogan, with the relentless crackdown after the coup straining ties with the West and the Turkish lira under severe pressure.Our proposal to change the constitution will be submitted to the Turkish parliament tomorrow, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Friday.The announcement followed months of talks between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) led by Yildirim and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).The MHP is the fourth largest party in parliament but the AKP needs its support for the 330 votes required to call a referendum on the issue.‘Instability removed’Yildirim said the bill would save our country from coups after Erdogan saw off a putsch aimed at ousting him from power on July 15.Turkey had on three previous occasions since 1960 seen governments directly ousted by the military, which considers itself the guardian of secular Turkey.We continue to work on changing the system to ensure instability is removed from Turkey’s political history absolutely, Yildirim said.The AKP has only 316 seats (excluding the speaker of the parliament) and needs at least 14 votes from the MHP to secure a three-fifths majority required to call the referendum.Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli told broadcaster A Haber that consensus had been secured between the MHP and AKP and a referendum could take place in March, April or May.The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) vehemently oppose changing the parliamentary system.HDP co-leader Selahattin Demirtas, who made it a political crusade to oppose the new system, is currently under arrest on charges of terror group links along with nine fellow HDP MPs.‘Regime change’CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said the changes risked wrecking the parliamentary system that goes back to reforms in the late Ottoman Empire.This is a regime change, not a system change, he told NTV television.This country has a 140-year parliamentary system tradition. There are disruptive directions here and they can be corrected.Erdogan became president in August 2014 after more than a decade as premier and immediately revamped an office which had until then had been seen as largely ceremonial.The vast new presidential palace in Ankara, opened shortly after he took office, is an opulent symbol of the president’s power employing hundreds of staff while previous heads of state had only dozens.Canikli said any changes will be enacted in 2019 when presidential and parliamentary elections will be held simultaneously.The contents of the bill are expected to be unveiled on Saturday but parliament is not expected to hold the vote immediately.The government has remained tight-lipped on the actual contents of the bill but key changes could include the abolition of the office of the prime minister and replacement with two vice presidents.A key question will be if under a new constitution the clock starts again on Erdogan’s maximum of two five-year presidential mandates -- meaning he could stay in power to 2029.

Nobel Peace prizes for serving world leaders

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OSLO (AFP) - The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to serving heads of state or government several times since the honour was first handed out in 1901.Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos receives it Saturday for his resolute efforts to end five decades of war in his country, as enshrined in a historic peace accord signed with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).Here are the precedents for Santos’ honour:2011: Ellen Johnson SirleafShe was one of three women laureates along with Leymah Gbowee, also from Liberia, and Tawakkol Karman of Yemen. The committee highlighted their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.2009: Barack ObamaHe was a surprise winner for his extraordinary diplomatic efforts on the international stage, just nine months after he took office.The Nobel committee attached special importance to Obama’s vision and work for a world without nuclear weapons and said he had created a new climate in international politics.2000: Kim Dae JungHe was a pro-democracy campaigner who became president of South Korea between 1998 and 2003. He won the prize in 2000, the year he helped organise a landmark reconciliation summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. Kim Dae-Jung died in 2006.1994: Yitzhak RabinRabin, Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat jointly won the prize for their efforts to reach a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, resulting in the Oslo Agreement in 1993. At the time Rabin was prime minister and Peres foreign minister of Israel, while Arafat was later elected president of the Palestinian National Authority.Their goal still eludes world leaders today however.1993: F.W. de KlerkAs president of South Africa, de Klerk was instrumental in ending his country’s white-minority apartheid system and paving the way for majority rule. His government released from prison the man who succeeded him, African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela. The two won the prize jointly in 1993.1990: Mikhail GorbachevHe was awarded the peace prize in October 1990. The reforms in part inspired by Gorbachev led to the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, the reunification of Germany the following year and the effective dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.1987: Oscar Arias SanchezThe president of Costa Rica won for his work on ending the civil wars that afflicted several central American states in the 1970s and 80s.1978: Anwar al-Sadat and Menachem BeginThe Egyptian president and Israeli prime minister signed the Camp David Accords in September 1978; they led to a peace deal between the two main belligerents in several Middle Eastern wars, but were followed by Sadat’s assassination three years later.US president Jimmy Carter, who presided over the deal, was to also win the prize in 2002, after he had left office.1971: Willy BrandtBrandt was chancellor of West Germany -- one of the two German states that emerged after World War II -- when he won in 1971. Brandt, a social democrat, was awarded the prize for his Ostpolitik, or policy of reconciliation with East Germany. The two states reunited to form the present-day republic of Germany in 1990.1921: Karl Hjalmar BrantingThe Swedish prime minister, who held office twice between 1920 and 1923, won along with Norwegian historian Christian Lange. The Nobel committee hailed their support for the League of Nations.1919: Thomas Woodrow WilsonWilson was in the middle of the second of his two terms as US president when he won the prize for his work to seal the Treaty of Versailles that followed World War I. Wilson’s Fourteen points laid the foundations of the League of Nations, the predecessor of today’s United Nations.1906: Theodore RooseveltTeddy Roosevelt, whose name is more often associated with his role in several wars and his motto Speak softly and carry a big stick, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for helping end a war between Russia and Japan.

Fatemi apprises US NSA of LoC ceasefire violations by India

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WASHINGTON (Dunya News) - During meeting with US National Security Advisor Susan Rice in Washington on Friday,Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi informed her that Indian forces have been continuously violating ceasefire at Line of Control and Working Boundary.Tariq Fatemi said innocent people are being killed due to unprovoked firing by Indian forces.He also highlighted massive human rights violations by the Indian forces in Occupied Kashmir.Susan Rice expressed concern over tense situation at Line of Control and acknowledged Pakistans efforts for peace and stability in the region.Rice said US wants dialogue between Pakistan and India to normalise the situation.The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs is in Washington on the first high level visit from Pakistan after the November elections in the United States.

Dense fog continues to blanket parts of Punjab, KP

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LAHORE (Web Desk) – Thick fog on Saturday has continued to prevail in various cities of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).According to details, heavy fog observed at night in parts of Punjab including Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Sheikhupura.Motorway M3 from Faisalabad to Pindi Bhattian was closed while M3 section was also shut down from Gojra point as visibility was dropped to zero due to thick fog.Motorway police advised the drivers to use GT Road for transportation.Flight operations at Allama Iqbal International Airport have been suspended while the international and domestic flights have been diverted to other airports.Separately, traffic flow also got affected in Peshawar and its adjoining areas.National Highway Authority has strongly suggested the vehicle owners to use fog lights and drive slow.On the other hand, mainly cold and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country. However, rain-thunderstorm (snowfall over the hills) is expected at scattered places of Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat divisions, FATA, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan while at isolated places of Quetta, Zhob, Rawalpindi divisions. Dense foggy conditions are likely to prevail over plain areas of Punjab and upper Sindh during night and morning hours.

Russia interfered in US election to help Trump win: report

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - A secret CIA assessment has found that Russia sought to tip last month’s US presidential election in Donald Trump’s favor, The Washington Post reported Friday, a conclusion that drew an extraordinary rebuke from the president-elect’s camp.These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, Trump’s transition team said, launching a broadside against the spy agency.The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history. It’s now time to move on and ‘Make America Great Again.’The Washington Post report comes after President Barack Obama ordered a review of all cyberattacks that took place during the 2016 election cycle, amid growing calls from Congress for more information on the extent of Russian interference in the campaign.The newspaper cited officials briefed on the matter as saying that individuals with connections to Moscow provided anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks with emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign chief and others.Those emails were steadily leaked out via WikiLeaks in the months before the election, damaging Clinton’s White House run.The Russians’ aim was to help Donald Trump win and not just undermine the US electoral process, the paper reported.It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia’s goal here was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected, the newspaper quoted a senior US official briefed on an intelligence presentation last week to key senators as saying. That’s the consensus view.CIA agents told the lawmakers it was quite clear that electing Trump was Russia’s goal, according to officials who spoke to the Post, citing growing evidence from multiple sources.QUESTION MARKSHowever, some questions remain unanswered and the CIA’s assessment fell short of a formal US assessment produced by all 17 intelligence agencies, the newspaper said.For example, intelligence agents don’t have proof that Russian officials directed the identified individuals to supply WikiLeaks with the hacked Democratic emails.WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has denied links with Russia’s government.Those individuals were one step removed from the Russian government, which is consistent with past practices by Moscow to use middlemen in sensitive intelligence operations to preserve plausible deniability, the report said.At the White House, Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz said Obama called for the cyberattacks review earlier this week to ensure the integrity of our elections.This report will dig into this pattern of malicious cyberactivity timed to our elections, take stock of our defensive capabilities and capture lessons learned to make sure that we brief members of Congress and stakeholders as appropriate, Schultz said.Obama wants the report completed before his term ends on January 20.We are going to make public as much as we can, the spokesman added. This is a major priority for the president.The move comes after Democrats in Congress pressed the White House to reveal details, to Congress or to the public, of Russian hacking and disinformation in the election.On October 7, one month before the election, the Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence announced that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of emails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations.These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process, they said.Trump dismissed those findings in an interview published Wednesday by Time magazine for its Person of the Year award. Asked if the intelligence was politicized, Trump answered: I think so.I don’t believe they interfered, he said. It could be Russia. And it could be China. And it could be some guy in his home in New Jersey.Worried that Trump will sweep the issue under the rug after his inauguration, seven Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee called on November 29 for the White House to declassify what it knows about Russian interference.The seven have already been briefed on the classified details, suggesting they believe there is more information the public should know.On Tuesday this week, leading House Democrats called on Obama to give members of the entire Congress a classified briefing on Russian interference, from hacking to the spreading of fake news stories to mislead US voters.Republicans in Congress have also promised hearings into Russian activities once the new administration comes in.RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE IN GERMANYObama’s homeland security advisor Lisa Monaco said the cyber interference goes back to the 2008 presidential race, with both the Obama and John McCain campaigns hit by malicious computer intrusions.Russian hacking and election interference have also become a big issue in Germany.On Thursday, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency BfV issued a stark warning over a rising Moscow-directed campaign of hacking and misinformation directed at destabilizing the country and influencing political discourse.Last week, WikiLeaks published stolen documents on intelligence activities that embarrassed Chancellor Angela Merkel just as she began campaigning for elections slated for late 2017.

Syria army pounds Aleppo rebels as US, Russia to meet

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ALEPPO (AFP) - Syrian warplanes again pounded Aleppos last rebel-held districts Friday, as the United States said American and Russian officials would meet in a bid to save the city from complete destruction.With the fighting resuming after a brief respite, the UN General Assembly demanded an immediate ceasefire and urgent aid deliveries, in a resolution adopted by a strong majority.US officials will meet Saturday with their Russian counterparts in Geneva to try to stop Aleppo being absolutely, completely destroyed, US Secretary of State John Kerry said.He was in Paris for a meeting of foreign ministers from the Western and Arab backers of Syrias weakened opposition, also on Saturday.Kerry was not upbeat about the chances of success, however, as key regime ally Russia vowed that the assault would not end until rebels leave Aleppo.I know people are tired of these meetings, Im tired of these meetings, Kerry said.But what am I supposed to do? Go home and have a nice weekend... while people are dying? Sit there in Washington and do nothing?Government strikes had halted briefly from Thursday night, when Moscow announced a pause in the regime offensive to allow the evacuation of civilians, although shelling did not cease.Syrias army is three weeks into a battle to retake east Aleppo from rebels who are now confined to just a few neighbourhoods in their former bastion.The citys loss would be the biggest blow for the rebels in Syrias nearly six-year-old war, which has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced over half the countrys population.Tens of thousands of civilians have fled east Aleppo in recent weeks, although the United Nations said Friday it had received reports that rebels had blocked some from leaving.It also expressed concern about reports that hundreds of men had gone missing after fleeing to government-held territory.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, reported at least a dozen air strikes on rebel-held neighbourhoods on Friday afternoon.Artillery fire had continued throughout Thursday night and into Friday after Moscows announcement, the monitor and an AFP correspondent in east Aleppo reported.Syrias army has captured around 85 percent of east Aleppo, with rebels and remaining civilians confined to a shrinking space in increasingly grim conditions.East Aleppo has been encircled by the regime since mid-July, with international aid provisions exhausted and remaining food supplies dwindling even before the government assault began in mid-November.The AFP correspondent said fleeing civilians had seen bodies in the streets of one neighbourhood because the intensity of the bombardment made it too dangerous to retrieve the dead.Repeated talks between Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov this week have failed to halt the violence, although the latter said Friday he hoped a truce deal could be reached soon.Rebels earlier this week called for a ceasefire and the safe passage of civilians to opposition-held territory elsewhere in Aleppo province.But Syrias government and Moscow have ruled out allowing rebels to remain in the city, and Lavrov said the plan being discussed envisions disarmed fighters leaving the city with civilians.Tens of thousands of civilians have already left the east of the city for the regime-held west or districts controlled by Kurdish forces.In New York, the General Assembly demanded an immediate ceasefire, in a resolution passed by a vote of 122 to 13 in the 193-nation body, with 36 abstentions. Russia, Iran and China voted against.This is a vote to stand up and tell Russia and (Syrian President Bashar al-) Assad to stop the carnage, US Ambassador Samantha Power told the assembly ahead of the vote.This is a vote to defend the bedrock principles of how states should act, even in war.Earlier Friday, the UN said it had received reports that some armed groups were preventing residents from leaving and that government forces had arrested some of those who fled to regime territory.We have received very worrying allegations that hundreds of men have gone missing after crossing into government-controlled areas, UN rights office spokesman Rupert Colville told reporters in Geneva. Family members had lost contact with the men after they fled opposition-controlled areas of Aleppo around a week or 10 days ago.The UN had also received reports of civilians in the east being prevented from leaving and of reprisals against residents who asked armed groups to leave, Colville said.Groups including Al-Qaedas former affiliate had reportedly abducted and killed an unknown number of civilians who requested the armed groups to leave their neighbourhoods.At least 409 civilians, including 45 children have been killed in the governments assault on east Aleppo launched on November 15, according to the Observatory.The monitoring group says another 113 people, including 35 children, have been killed by rebel fire on government-controlled west Aleppo in the same period.

US-Russia to meet today to 'save' Aleppo from destruction: Kerry

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PARIS (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry said US and Russian officials would meet on Saturday in a bid to stop the Syrian city of Aleppo being absolutely, completely destroyed. Kerry arrived in Paris on Friday ahead of parallel talks on Saturday aimed at pushing for a ceasefire in Aleppo, where retreating rebels backed by the United States face an onslaught from Syrian forces supported by Russia.US officials will meet their Russia counterparts in Geneva to try to come to some kind of arrangement where we can see how civilians may be protected and what can happen with the armed opposition, Kerry said.He did not sound upbeat about the chances of success, however, with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin seemingly intent on pushing home their advantage in Aleppo.The rebels now control only a pocket of Syrias second city, whose fate is seen as pivotal to the outcome of a nearly six-year-old war that has killed more than 300,000 people.What is happening in Aleppo is the worst catastrophe, what is happening in Syria is the worst catastrophe since World War II itself. Its unacceptable, said Kerry at the US embassy in Paris.He added: I know people are tired of these meetings, Im tired of these meetings. People are sort of oh, another meeting.But what am I supposed to do? Go home and have a nice weekend in Massachusetts, while people are dying? Sit there in Washington and do nothing?Alongside the Geneva meeting, foreign ministers from the Western and Middle Eastern backers of Syrias weakened opposition, including Kerry, will gather in Paris on Saturday for talks.We are working hard with people that we even have disagreements with in order to see if we can find a way, in the name of humanity and decency, to be able to protect those lives and try to separate combatants and move the process forward, said Kerry.A US official stressed that the Geneva talks will be at a technical level, not foreign minister level, to discuss modalities of a possible ceasefire, aid supplies and the evacuation of civilians and rebel fighters. Kerry is definitely not going to Geneva, not heading up these talks, said the official, adding that Washington had long said that the UN must be involved.Kerry added: My goal in all this is not just to have a temporary thing, but to get both sides, all of the forces, to the table in Geneva. And thats what were working on.

45 killed in twin blasts in Nigeria

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KANO (AFP) - Two female suicide bombers on Friday killed 45 people and wounded 33 others when they detonated their explosives in a crowded market in Nigerias restive northeast, the emergency service saidThe army had earlier put the death toll at 30.From our updated records we have 45 dead and 33 injured in the twin suicide bomb explosions in Madagali, said Saad Bello of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Adamawa state.While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, the blasts bore all the hallmarks of Boko Haram, which regularly uses women and young girls to carry out suicide attacks in its seven-year insurgent campaign in the troubled region. Military spokesman Badare Akintoye had earlier said at least 30 people have been killed in the suicide blasts carried out by two female suicide bombers in the market. A local government official and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed the attack. The two bombers who (were) disguised as customers, detonated their suicide belts at the section of the market selling grains and second-hand clothing, said Yusuf Muhammad, the chairman of Madagali local government.The attack on Madagali, which was recaptured by Nigerian forces from Boko Haram jihadists in 2015, was the third time the town has been targeted since December last year when two female suicide bombers killed scores.Market trader Habu Ahmad said Fridays blasts happened around 9:30 am (0830 GMT).It was dead bodies and wounded people in the midst of blood, spilt grain and abandoned personal effects, he said.Ibrahim Abdulkadir, NEMA spokesman for the northeast, said rescue teams had been deployed to the scene.He said security agents had cordoned off the scene of the explosions. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attack in a statement on Friday, vowing to put an end to this senseless loss of innocent lives. This latest attack is obviously an act of desperation, but the Nigerian military will neither be distracted nor relent, he said. He urged Nigerians to be more vigilant and immediately report any suspicious activity to the nearest security agents. The battle against terrorism is a joint effort involving all citizens, both government and governed. Together, Nigerians can and will defeat the evil that is Boko Haram, he added.Buhari had told a security conference in Senegal on Wednesday that the situation in the region was under control.Boko Haram is seeking to impose a hardline Islamic legal system on Nigerias mainly-Muslim north. Its campaign of violence has killed at least 20,000 people and displaced some 2.6 million since 2009.Nigerias military campaign against the jihadists is increasingly bogged down as it confronts suicide attacks, looting and indiscriminate slaughter.The United Nations has warned that the affected region faces the largest crisis in Africa. The UN estimates that 14 million people will need outside help in 2017 because of the ongoing violence, particularly in Borno State, the epicentre of the rebellion.

Second strong quake hits off Solomon Islands: USGS

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SYDNEY (AFP) - A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck Saturday off the Solomon Islands, one day after a major quake, raising the threat of hazardous tsunami waves, officials said.However, police in the nearest centre to the off-shore tremor said there were no reports of fresh damage and residents did not flee their homes as they had the previous day.The epicentre of the latest quake, which hit at 6:10 am (1910 GMT Friday), was located 90 kilometres (55 miles) west of Kirakira, a provincial capital in the Solomons, at a depth of 10 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre had said there was no tsunami threat from the quake but later forecasted hazardous tsunami waves 1-3 metres (3-10 feet) above tide level along some coasts of the Solomons.It warned of waves up to 0.3 metres along the coasts of Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.However, Donald Tehimae, the duty officer at the Kirakira police station, said there was no immediate sign the fresh tremor had any serious impact.Everything is okay, he said.Yesterday, everyone evacuated to the highlands but after the cancellation of the tsunami warning we all came back. This time we all stayed here.USGS said there was low likelihood of casualties and damage from the quake.Fridays major 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the archipelago, triggering severe shaking and a tsunami warning, but there were no reports of any serious damage.The Solomon Islands are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of tectonic activity known for frequent quakes and volcanic eruptions. In 2007, an 8.0-magnitude quake in the Solomon Islands claimed 52 lives and left thousands homeless when it created a 10-metre tsunami.

S. Korean lawmakers impeach scandal-hit president

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SEOUL (AFP) - South Korean lawmakers on Friday voted to impeach President Park Geun-Hye, stripping away her sweeping executive powers over a corruption scandal and opening a new period of national uncertainty.The National Assembly ballot immediately transferred Parks authority to the prime minister, pending a decision by the Constitutional Court on whether to ratify the decision and permanently remove the president from office.A ruling could take up to six months, during which time Park will remain in the presidential Blue House -- a leader in name only.The situation leaves South Korea facing an extended stretch of political anxiety and policy paralysis at a time of slowing economic growth, rising unemployment and elevated military tensions with nuclear-armed North Korea.I am so sorry for all South Koreans that I created this national chaos with my carelessness, Park said in a televised statement after the vote.But we should not let our guard down for a single minute, given the grave situation we face at home and abroad from our economy to the national defence.In this time of uncertainty, the lives of our people should never be disregarded, she said calling on the government to unite and minimise any fallout from the resulting power vacuum.The motion to impeach was adopted by 234 votes to 56, easily securing the required two-thirds majority in the 300-seat chamber and triggering wild celebrations among hundreds of anti-Park activists gathered outside the National Assembly.This is a great moment, said a beaming Kim Jun-Hweh, 21. This is what we wanted, and we want her kicked out of the Blue House now.It has been a startling fall from grace for a politician who had run for the Blue House as an incorruptible candidate, declaring herself beholden to nobody and married to the nation.After just under four years in power, she now faces the prospect of going down in history as the first democratically-elected South Korean president to be kicked out of office.The impeachment motion had accused Park of constitutional and criminal violations ranging from a failure to protect peoples lives to bribery and abuse of power.Supported by all 171 opposition and independent lawmakers, its adoption was made possible by an anti-Park faction within the presidents Saenuri party.The result means Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn, a former prosecutor who has never held elected office, suddenly finds himself in charge of Asias fourth largest economy and supreme commander of its armed forces.In a televised address just hours after the vote, Hwang stressed that the country was primed to respond to any North Korean provocation.The government will maintain a watertight national defense posture, Hwang said, pledging to keep the country safe and prosperous.We will stabilise the financial and currency markets and make efforts to maintain South Koreas sovereign ratings, he said.The push for impeachment was driven by massive protests that have seen millions take to the streets of Seoul and other cities in recent weeks, demanding Parks ouster.This has been an honourable civil revolution in which our people defeated an incompetent leader, the president of the main opposition Democratic Party said after the vote.The scandal that felled Park focused on her friendship with long-time confidante Choi Soon-Sil.Choi is awaiting trial on charges of meddling in state affairs and using her Blue House connections to force dozens of conglomerates to donate around $70 million to two foundations she controlled.In a first for a sitting South Korean president, Park has been named a suspect by prosecutors investigating the case.The Constitutional Court is expected to validate her impeachment, starting the clock running on a 60-day window for holding fresh presidential elections.The political paralysis that has enveloped governmental decision-making over the past month is likely to continue for at least the next four to eight months, said Scott Snyder, a Korea specialist at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.That makes it potentially more vulnerable to North Korean provocations, but the situation also makes it more likely that the Korean public would expect a strong response to any attempt to take undue advantage of South Koreas political crisis, Snyder said.

Karachi: Three accused arrested in police operation

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Crackdown against criminal elements under National Action Plan (NAP) continues in Karachi as three more accused were taken into custody during police operation in different parts of the city on Friday, Dunya News reported.According to details, police arrested an accused named Asim during an operation in Soldier Bazar. Police also recovered arms and a stolen motorcycle from his possession.Police also conducted an operation near Teen Hatti Pul and apprehended two dacoits. Police sources said that two pistols and a motorcycle was recovered from the arrested accused.On the other hand, police have recovered a dead body from Gulshan-e-Iqbal area. The deceased was identified as Sardar Khan.
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