Wednesday 4 January 2017

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Turkey warns Syria talks at risk over truce violations

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Turkey warned Wednesday that a new round of Syria peace talks was at risk, accusing President Bashar al-Assads government of violating a fragile truce it brokered with Russia last week.The nationwide ceasefire has brought quiet to large parts of Syria, but has been threatened by ongoing fighting in the Wadi Barada region near Damascus.Government forces backed by Lebanons Hezbollah group are fighting to recapture the area, the main source of water to the capital.Supply has been cut since December 22, with the regime and rebels trading accusations over responsibility.Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday urged the regime and its backers to end their violations of the truce, warning they were jeopardising the planned talks in Kazakh capital Astana this month.If we do not stop the increasing violations, the Astana process could fail. After the ceasefire, we see violations, Cavusoglu told the state-run Anadolu news agency.When we look at who commits these violations, it is Hezbollah, in particular Shiite groups and the regime, he added.He urged Russia and Iran, which both back Assad and are also helping prepare the Astana talks, to pressure Damascus and Hezbollah to stop the fighting.Despite the call, fighting continued on the ground in Wadi Barada on Wednesday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.It reported ongoing clashes as well as government air strikes and artillery fire in the area, but had no immediate details on casualties.Wadi Barada has been under government siege since 2015, but government forces upped pressure on the region several weeks ago as they tried to secure a reconciliation deal with rebels there.The regime has reached a series of such deals with opposition forces around Damascus in recent months, offering rebels safe passage to other parts of the country in return for their surrender.The government accuses rebels in the area of deliberately targeting water infrastructure, causing leaking fuel to poison the supply to the capital, and then cutting the flow altogether.Rebels say the infrastructure was damaged in government strikes, and deny responsibility for the damage that has left four million people without water since December 22.On Tuesday, the government brought reinforcements to the area, the Observatory said.But opposition officials and Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman also reported ongoing talks on a deal to end the fighting and repair the water infrastructure.Local officials want... Russian teams to enter to fix the infrastructure in exchange for a halt to the fighting, Abdel Rahman told AFP.But the regime wants control of the spring and the pumps to prevent any blackmail or threats in the future, he added.This is their condition for halting military operations.The opposition accused Hezbollah of preventing Russian officials from entering Wadi Barada to assess the work needed and continue negotiations.A checkpoint belonging to the Hezbollah militia prevented the Russian officers from entering, Ahmed Ramadan of the National Coalition opposition body said in a message to journalists.The ceasefire and Astana talks are the latest bid to resolve nearly six years of conflict in Syria, which has been ravaged by violence since an uprising began in March 2011.More than 310,000 people have been killed and over half the country displaced in the violence, which has drawn in regional and international players.Regime ally Moscow began a military campaign in support of Assads government in September 2015, and Turkey launched its own fight against the Islamic State group and Kurdish fighters in northern Syria in August last year.The US-led anti-IS coalition said Wednesday it was prepared to support Turkish forces battling the jihadists.I can confirm for you that those discussions have been happening and the Turks are aware of some of the things that might be in store, Colonel John Dorrian said, speaking via video conference from Baghdad but declining to elaborate.Despite backing opposite sides in the conflict, Ankara and Moscow have worked closely to broker the ceasefire and plan the Astana talks, which Cavusoglu said could take place on January 23.Regime ally Iran is also involved in organising the talks, and top official Alaeddin Boroujerdi was in Damascus on Wednesday for talks with Assad.He praised the governments recapture of Aleppo city last month, and pledged that Iran would continue to back the government, Syrian state media reported.

Number of displaced in Mosul op passes 125,000: UN

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ARBIL (AFP) - More than 125,000 Iraqis have been displaced since the start in October of an offensive to retake Mosul from jihadists, the United Nations said Wednesday.Following the intensification of military operations in Mosul city on 29 December, the rate of displacement from Mosul has increased markedly, with over 9,000 people having fled the city in the space of four days, said the UNs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.OCHA also said about 14,000 of the 125,568 people confirmed to have been displaced in 11 weeks have already returned to their homes in recaptured areas.After a lull in the offensive launched on October 17 to retake what is now the Islamic State groups last major stronghold in the country, Iraqi forces started a fresh push last week, engaging in heavy fighting in eastern Mosul.A senior commander from the elite Counter-Terrorism Service that has done most of the front-line fighting inside the city told AFP on Sunday that Iraqi forces now controlled more than 60 percent of Mosuls eastern half.AFP reporters saw streams of civilians fleeing the fighting on foot in recent days, carrying what belongings they could bring along in bags.More than 3.3 million people are currently displaced in Iraq, where a total of 10 million need humanitarian assistance, according to the UN.Officials say it could be months before Iraqi forces are able to completely retake Mosul, Iraqs second city, where hundreds of thousands of civilians still live.Some were forced to stay by IS, others remained for fear of losing their property, because winter conditions in displacement camps are harsh or simply because escape routes are not safe enough.

US-led coalition boosts Mosul military advisors to 450: official

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US-led coalition said Wednesday it has doubled to about 450 the number of military advisors assisting Iraqi troops engaged in the fight to retake Mosul from Islamic State fighters.We have increased the number of advise and assist forces that are there with the ISF (Iraqi Security Forces) command elements to help advise them as they move forward and to synchronize operations, coalition spokesman Colonel John Dorrian said in a video conference from Baghdad.Dorrian said the reinforcements were part of a series of measures taken to accelerate the advance of the Iraqi security forces.While military advisors are behind the frontlines, they have already entered the city several times, he added.American military forces are carrying out air and artillery strikes in Iraq as part of a US-led coalition against the Islamic State group, and have provided training, advice and other assistance to Baghdads forces.There are about 5,000 American military personnel in Iraq, according to the coalition, and US special forces personnel have also fought IS on the ground. More than 125,000 Iraqis have been displaced since the Mosul offensive began in mid-October, according to the United Nations. More than 3.3 million people are currently displaced in all of Iraq.A senior commander from the elite Counter-Terrorism Service that has done most of the front-line fighting inside the city told AFP on Sunday that Iraqi forces now controlled more than 60 percent of Mosuls eastern half.There are more than 200,000 buildings in Mosul and ... you end up having to clear each one, Dorrian said. And that goes from rooftop level, often in four-story or higher buildings, through every single room, and every single closet, and into tunnels that have been dug between these buildings, and sometimes beneath them, he added.Its going to take time. Its going to be extraordinarily dangerous.Iraqi forces have yet to enter west Mosul, which is still completely held by IS fighters.Theres been a lot of discussion about the losses that Iraqis are taking -- the enemy is taking an order of magnitude greater, Dorrian said.Officials say it could be months before Iraqi forces are able to completely retake Iraqs second city, where hundreds of thousands of civilians still live.Some were forced to stay by the Islamic State group, others remained for fear of losing their property, because winter conditions in displacement camps are harsh or simply because escape routes are not safe enough.

11 children wounded in China kindergarten knife attack

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BEIJING (AFP) - A man armed with a kitchen knife stabbed 11 children at a kindergarten in southern China on Wednesday, seriously wounding three, state media reported, the latest such attack in recent years.The man entered the school in the southern Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region mid-afternoon, claiming he was there to pick up his son, the official Xinhua news agency quoted local police as saying. The attacker allegedly climbed a wall to enter the facility, broadcaster CCTV said on social media, adding that an investigation was underway. Three children were seriously injured and have been sent to hospital for treatment according to Xinhua. The man is in police custody.Knife attacks are not uncommon in China.In February, a knife-wielding assailant wounded 10 children in Haikou, in the southern island province of Hainan, before committing suicide.In 2014 state media reported that a man stabbed three children and a teacher to death and wounded several others in a rampage at a primary school that refused to enrol his daughter.That followed a March 2013 incident in which a man killed two relatives and then slashed 11 people, including six children, outside a school in Chinas commercial hub Shanghai.The events have forced authorities to increase security around schools and led to calls for more research into the root causes of such acts.Violent crime has been on the rise in China in recent decades as the nations economy has boomed and the gap between rich and poor has expanded rapidly.

More than 100 hurt in New York train derailment

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NEW YORK (AFP) - A New York commuter train derailed Wednesday during the morning rush at a station in Brooklyn, sparking chaotic scenes and leaving more than 100 people with minor injuries.The accident at Atlantic Terminal in the heart of the New York borough came less than four months after a fatal crash on another commuter line in New Jersey, when a speeding train derailed and slammed into a station.Passengers rushed out as smoke filled the tunnel following Wednesdays crash of a Long Island Rail Road train around 8:30 am (1330 GMT). The impact bent the trains doors and smashed windows.Some of the injured were brought out on stretchers.Commuter Aaron Neufeld said on Twitter that the crash was crazy, but added: Seems only a few people are lightly injured.Television footage showed passengers holding ice packs to their heads and nursing bloody noses.I was getting up from my seat and there was a loud impact and I flew forward and then flew backward, a passenger named Amanda told local network CBS2. It was total chaos, there was smoke on the train and we were sitting there in shock.Officials -- visibly relieved the crash left no one dead or seriously hurt -- said the causes of the derailment were unclear and they were launching an investigation.103 injuries reported at scene of Atlantic Terminal LIRR train derailment, all non-life-threatening, the New York Fire Department said in a tweet.A fire department official said the train carried 600 to 700 people, and the first two cars were seriously damaged.At least 11 people were taken to hospital, unable to walk, according to FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Daniel Donoghue.We were lucky, it could have been quite a bit worse, he said.New York Governor Andrew Cuomo explained that the train was supposed to stop at a bumper but failed to do so, moving a few feet past it. He said the most serious injury was a possible broken leg.First concern is (for) the people on the train. There were a number of minor injuries, he told reporters after visiting the scene.What happened with the operator, we dont know. And obviously there will be an investigation to find out exactly what happened, why the operator didnt stop the train before it hit the bumper block.Explaining why it was difficult to pinpoint exactly how many people were injured, Cuomo added: They were standing and they were getting ready to get off the train. The train has a sudden stop, theyre not prepared for the sudden stop. They get knocked around, banged around, they hurt an arm, they hurt a leg.National Transportation Safety Board investigators were due on site.New Yorks emergency notification system warned of traffic and transit delays and road closures in the area, though most of the rail network functioned normally after the accident. Authorities said the Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyns main rail hub, would resume normal operations by evening rush hour.In September, a train derailed during rush hour as it entered the station in Hoboken, New Jersey. One person died and 114 were injured.An investigation into that incident, in which the train entered the station at an unusually high speed, is ongoing.

Session washed out in Pakistan-Australia Test

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SYDNEY (AFP) - No play was possible as rain washed out the first session on the third day in the third Sydney Test between Australia and Pakistan on Thursday.Covers protected the Sydney Cricket Ground pitch and surrounds, with little likelihood of play into the early afternoon.Pakistan will resume at 126 for two with Azhar Ali on 58 and Younis Khan on 64 in reply to Australias 538 for eight declared.Australia have already won the series after victories in the Brisbane and Melbourne Tests, while Pakistan are battling to avoid their 12th straight Test defeat in Australia.

105-year-old Frenchman pedals into history books

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SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES (AFP) - A 105-year-old Frenchman set a new one-hour cycling record for his age Wednesday -- although Robert Marchand was already in a class of his own.Marchand pedalled for 22.547 kilometres (14.01 miles) in the national velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines west of Paris to the cheers of hundreds of spectators -- and when he had finished he said he could have gone faster.I didnt see the sign saying there were 10 minutes to go, otherwise I would have speeded up, the wiry champion told a scrum of reporters who surrounded him at the finish.Marchand dismounted and although a coach put a steadying arm around him, he walked off the track without difficulty.Im not tired, my legs arent hurting, but my arms are. It has to hurt somewhere he said after doing 92 laps of the track.I feel emotional -- and Im even asking myself if all this is real said Marchand, who was born in 1911, three years before World War I began.When a reporter asked if he was going to do another lap, he said emphatically: NoAge is slowing him though -- three years ago he managed to ride 26.927 km in one hour, a record for someone aged over 100.There was no known existing mark for someone of 105, so Marchand truly blazed a trail on Wednesday.Now Ill wait and see if anyone wants to take me on, he said with a chuckle.By comparison, the one-hour world record is 54.526 km, set by British Tour de France winner and multiple Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins.Marchand, a retired firefighter who was a national gymnastics champion and a boxer, attributes his enduring fitness to a healthy diet -- and lots of exercise.Ive done sport all my life, eaten loads of fruit and vegetables, not too much coffee, he said before the record attempt.I do between 10 and 20 kilometres a day (cycling), but I dont train outside. Im afraid I might catch fluOne of his coaches, Jean-Michel Richefort, said he felt really emotional about his not-so-young charges achievement.He went off very fast and I was afraid hed have cramp. But he kept his form, he was very focused and he followed a perfect line, he said.As the celebrations continued, Marchand was asked if he now had his eye on the record for 110-year-olds.Its a long way off -- lets talk about it at a later date, he said.

NASA announces two missions to study early solar system

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US space agency NASA on Wednesday announced two unmanned missions to asteroids designed to study one of the earliest eras in the history of the solar system.They have been baptized Lucy and Psyche, and NASA hopes to launch them in 2021 and 2023, respectively.The period NASA wants to learn more about is an era less than 10 million years after the birth of the sun.The Lucy mission -- named for a famous, critical hominin fossil set found in Ethiopia in 1974 -- will involve sending a robotic spacecraft to study Jupiters so-called Trojan asteroids. These are thought to be relics of a much earlier era in the history of the solar system.This is a unique opportunity, said Harold Levison, principal investigator of the Lucy mission.Because the Trojans are remnants of the primordial material that formed the outer planets, they hold vital clues to deciphering the history of the solar system. Lucy, like the human fossil for which it is named, will revolutionize the understanding of our origins.Meanwhile the Psyche mission aims to explore a huge, one-of-a-kind metal asteroid, called 16 Psyche, that is about three times farther away from the sun than the Earth is.Most asteroids are rocky or icy but this one is thought to be mostly of iron and nickel, like the Earths core.NASA said scientists are considering the possibility that Psyche could be an exposed core of an early planet as large as Mars but which shed its rocky outer layers due to violent collisions billions of years ago.The mission will help scientists learn how planets and other bodies separated into layers like cores, mantles and crusts early in their histories.This is an opportunity to explore a new type of world - not one of rock or ice, but of metal, said Psyche principal investigator Lindy Elkins-Tanton, of Arizona State University in Tempe.16 Psyche is the only known object of its kind in the solar system, and this is the only way humans will ever visit a core. We learn about inner space by visiting outer space, Elkins-Tanton said.

Muridke: Firing victim succumbs to his wounds after 2 months

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MURIDKE (Dunya News) - According to details, Bilal was wounded in firing by his cousin and his accomplices some two months ago over a minor dispute in the jurisdiction of Saddar Police Station. Bilal remained in hospital for two months and died on Wednesday.The heirs of Bilal also staged a protest and demanded the arrest of culprits behind the killing who are still at large after the incident.

Karachi: Sub-inspector among 3 killed in firing incidents

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - Firing incidents in just one hour in different parts of Karachi on Wednesday claimed life of three people. A police sub-inspector is among the dead, Dunya News reported.According to details, some unidentified persons opened fire near Lal Flat area in Gulistan-e-Johar and wounded three people including a police sub-inspector.The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital where sub-inspector Iqbal Ahmad succumbed to his wounds while the condition of two other victims, Wasim and Hafizullah is stated to be stable.Some unidentified persons opened fire and killed a man at the Jashaid Road. Police sources said that the deceased was identified as Malik Abdur Rehman. Another man was shot dead in Korangi area.

Golf: Tiger to make 2017 debut at Torrey Pines

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Former world number one Tiger Woods will launch his 2017 campaign at Torrey Pines, where his eight triumphs include the 2008 US Open.Organizers said Wednesday that Woods had committed to the US PGA Tours Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California, north of San Diego.The January 26-29 event will be the 14-time major winners first tournament of the year.Woods returned to golf in December at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, coming back from a 15-month injury layoff.Woods has won the US PGA Tour event at Torrey seven times, in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2013.He won his most recent major title there in 2008 on the famed South Course, beating Rocco Mediate in an epic 19-hole playoff despite competing with knee and leg injuries.Were thrilled our fans will have the opportunity to see Tiger in addition to what is already a very strong field for the Farmers Insurance Open, said Peter Ripa, chief executive officer of the Century Club, which manages the Farmers Insurance Open.He has experienced tremendous success at Torrey Pines and in our tournament, and we couldnt think of a better place for him to start the year. Tigers presence will add to a deep and talented field that includes many of the top stars in the game as well as some exciting up-and-coming players.Woods was sidelined more than a year after undergoing back surgery. His last appearance at the Farmers was in 2015, when he withdrew in the first round with back trouble.The 41-year-old who has 79 PGA Tour victories will be making his first start in a PGA Tour full-field event since he tied for 10th in the Wyndham Championship in August 2015.Woods also has committed to play in the Genesis Open February 16-19 at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles and the Honda Classic on February 23-26 at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Pakistan vs Australia: Rain delays the start of play on third day

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SYDNEY (Dunya News) - The start of the play on the third day of third test between Pakistan and Australia was delayed due to rain, reported Dunya News.It had rained in the morning and the outfield was wet so umpires decided to inspect before allowing the players to continue. But it started raining again so covers were brought on.Pakistan are 126/2 in their first innings, in reply to Australias total of 536/8. Younis Khan is playing on 64 not out whereas Azhar Ali is there with him on 58.Younis Khan is 36 runs away from becoming first ever cricketer to score centuries in 11 different countries whereas Azhar Ali needs 9 runs to break Mohsin Hassan Khans record of most runs by a Pakistani in a series in Australia.

Anti corruption team raids home of Karachi board controller

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - Anti corruption team conducted a raid on the house of Karachi Intermediate Board controller Imran Chishtis home on Wednesday, reported Dunya News.Imran Chishti was accused of taking bribe and tampering the results. Director anti corruption Tariq Nizamani told that they could not arrest the accused as he was not at home.Tariq Nizamani also said that they would arrest all the people who were involved in this case. They had arrested another accused Qazi Arshad earlier on the day.

Asad Umar falls ill during flight from Islamabad to Karachi

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar fell ill during flight from Islamabad to Karachi on Wednesday, Dunya News reported.Usad Umar’s condition suddenly deteriorated when was returning to Karachi on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-319 after attending PTI’s meeting in Islamabad in connection with Panama Leaks.The pilot informed the control tower about Usad Umar’s condition and he was examined by Civil Aviation doctors when the flight landed at the Karachi airport. Later Asad Umar was shifted to a private hospital.

Khawaja Asif predicts Panama case would be solved soon

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - The defence minister Khawaja Asif said on Wednesday that Panama case would be solved soon as rivals do not want to solve the problem, but only need media attention, reported Dunya News.Khawaja Asif was talking in Dunya TV program Dunya Kamran Khan Ke Saath as he said that he hopes this case would be concluded soon.Talking about allegations of Javed Hashmi, he said that there should be an investigation and people should know that who wants to hurt the democracy.
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