Tuesday 11 July 2017

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Arab states say Qatar-US terror accord 'insufficient'

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RIYADH (AFP) - An agreement between Qatar and the United States on combating terror funding is insufficient, the four Arab states that imposed sanctions on the emirate said in a joint statement Tuesday.The memorandum of understanding announced in Doha during a visit by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is the result of pressure and repeated calls over the past years by the four states and their partners upon Qatar to stop supporting terrorism, said Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.This step is insufficient, said the statement carried by Saudi state news agency SPA, adding that the four states would carefully monitor the seriousness of Qatari authorities in combating all forms of financing, supporting and harbouring terrorism.The statement said commitments made by Qatari authorities cannot be trusted, citing previous agreements that have allegedly not been honoured.It called for strict monitoring controls to ensure its (Dohas) seriousness in getting back to the natural and right path.Tillerson and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani made the announcement at a joint news conference in Doha.Tillerson said the agreement was built on decisions made at a Riyadh summit in May to wipe terrorism from the face of the Earth.As a result of President Trumps very strong call, these commitments for action will begin immediately on a number of fronts.Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar was the first country in the region to sign an agreement with Washington to counter terror funding and called on what he called the siege nations to follow suit and sign their own agreements with the US.The statement by the four states said sanctions against Qatar would continue until Doha commits to comprehensively implement the just demands, including confronting terrorism and establishing stability and security in the region.

US looks to defuse Qatar-Gulf row with counter-terror deal

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DOHA (AFP) - Qatar and the United States signed a deal Tuesday to combat terrorism as visiting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pursued efforts to resolve the Gulf diplomatic crisis.In Qatar as part of a series of Gulf meetings, Tillerson also said Doha had been reasonable in the dispute, which has seen Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with the emirate over accusations it supports extremism.Tillerson is spending much of this week in the Gulf seeking to mediate in the rift among crucial US allies, and will meet foreign ministers of the four countries isolating Qatar in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Wednesday.After talks with senior officials in Doha on Tuesday, Tillerson and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani announced the deal targeting extremist financing.The memorandum lays out a series of steps the two countries will take over the coming months and years to interrupt and disable terror financing flows and intensify counter-terrorism activities globally, Tillerson said at a joint press conference.It also meant Qatar was the first to respond to US President Donald Trumps call at a summit in Riyadh earlier this year to stop the funding of terrorism -- suggesting such deals could be signed with the other Arab states as a step toward ending the crisis.Sheikh Mohammed urged the siege countries to join us in the future by signing on to such deals.But Tuesdays initiative met a dismissive reaction from the Arab countries that imposed sanctions on Qatar last month.This step is insufficient, said a joint statement published by Saudi state news agency SPA, adding that the four states would carefully monitor the seriousness of Qatari authorities in combating all forms of financing, supporting and harbouring terrorism.Commitments made by Qatari authorities cannot be trusted, the statement added, citing previous agreements that have allegedly not been honoured.While the State Department has warned the crisis could last months, Tillerson on Tuesday struck a moderately optimistic note. Im hopeful we can make some progress to bring this to a point of resolution, he said after meeting Qatars emir. Qatar has been quite clear in its positions and I think very reasonable and we want to talk now... (about) how do we take things forward.Tillerson flew back to Kuwait -- the main mediator in the crisis and where he is based this week -- after the talks in Qatar.Egypt announced the meeting with Tillerson in Jeddah on Wednesday, saying it reflects the four countries desire to enhance coordination and underscore their unity on ways to deal with Qatar in the future.The diplomatic crisis is the worst to hit the region since the establishment of the Gulf Cooperation Council in 1981. The four countries on June 5 announced sanctions, effective immediately, against Qatar over accusations Doha supported Islamist extremism and was too close to Iran.They severed all diplomatic ties, suspended transport links with Doha and ordered all Qataris to return home within 14 days.On June 22, the Saudi-led bloc issued a list of 13 demands which, if met, would end the sanctions, including closing broadcast giant Al-Jazeera, downgrading ties to Iran and shutting a Turkish military base in Doha.Qatar refused to comply and has consistently denied accusations of ties to Islamist groups. Tillersons arrival in Doha was overshadowed by the publication of pre-existing confidential agreements between Qatar and other GCC states in which all sides had pledged to combat extremist funding and avoid interference in other states.Publication of the accords, dated 2013 and 2014, caused both sides in the dispute to launch a fresh round of mutual accusations. US broadcaster CNN aired leaked papers in which Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait -- and later Bahrain and the UAE -- had signed accords forbidding support for any opposition and hostile groups in their own nations, as well as in Egypt and Yemen.A joint statement released by the Saudi-led bloc said the documents proved beyond any doubt Qatars failure to meet its commitments and its full violation of its pledges.A statement from Dohas Government Communications Office said the siege was a clear violation of the GCCs charter and the agreements.Tillersons visit is the latest in a series by officials to the region, including UN diplomats and the foreign ministers of Germany and Britain. The United States and its Western allies have vast economic and political interests in the Gulf, which pumps one fifth of the worlds oil supplies, houses one third of proven global crude reserves and sits on one fifth of the worlds natural gas deposits.Qatar is also home to the US militarys largest air base in the region, Al-Udeid. Rival Bahrain houses the US Navy Fifth Fleet.

US eyes continued presence in Iraq after IS: general

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States and several coalition countries want to maintain a military footprint in Iraq after the eventual defeat of the Islamic State group, a top US general said Tuesday.Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend said the Iraqi government had expressed an interest in having US and coalition stay in the country.Our government is equally interested in that, as are several coalition governments have expressed an interest in joining in that effort, Townsend said in a video call from Baghdad.Townsend added that discussions were in the final decision-making stages.I would anticipate that there will be a coalition presence here after the defeat of ISIS, he said.After then-president Barack Obama completed a long-planned troop withdrawal from Iraq in 2011, the Iraqi security forces quickly weakened under then-prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.By the time IS attacked in 2014, the military was unable to mount a defense and many units turned and ran, often dumping precious weaponry and vehicles.All of us can look back to the end of 2011 when the US and coalition forces left Iraq the last time, and saw what played out in the intervening three years. I dont think we want to replay that, Townsend said.Currently, there are more than 5,000 US troops in Iraq, many of them advisors to the Iraqi security services.Townsend said he anticipated the military footprint to be smaller in the future.

Doubts over Brexit mount as May marks a year in power

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LONDON (AFP) - A weakened Theresa May came under fresh pressure Tuesday to soften her Brexit position, adding to uncertainty about her negotiating strategy with Brussels one year after she became Britains leader.The prime minister marked the anniversary with a speech in which she appealed to the main Labour opposition party to help implement her policies, a month after losing her majority in a general election.Amid rumours of plans to oust her, May accepted that the reality I now face as prime minister is rather different than it was before the June 8 election.May took over last year after her predecessor David Cameron resigned in the wake of a shock referendum result that saw Britain vote to leave the European Union.The austere vicars daughter was seen as a safe pair of hands who could heal a Conservative Party that emerged bitterly divided from the referendum.But her government has been forced into a series of embarrassing U-turns and her gamble of holding an early election backfired spectacularly.Key parts of her Brexit plan are now also under fire from critics within her own party who want a more moderate approach and whose voices are suddenly influential because of the election result.The latest fronts in the battle between proponents of a hard and soft Brexit are Britains membership of the Europes nuclear regulator Euratom and the authority of the European Court of Justice.Some Conservative MPs have reportedly warned they will rebel if May pushes ahead with her plan to withdraw from Euratom after doctors said it could jeopardise treatment for cancer patients.The government has also hinted it may relent on its hardline position of ending the authority of the EUs highest court in Britain from the moment the country leaves the bloc as expected in 2019.The real showdown is expected after the government on Thursday publishes the Repeal Bill, a hefty draft law aimed at scrapping the cornerstone of Britains EU membership, the European Communities Act.Opposition parties are already planning amendments to the bill, which would also adopt, amend or repeal thousands of EU laws that currently apply in Britain.Vince Cable, a member of the pro-EU Liberal Democrats, said the complexity of the task and signs of the impact on Britains economy had led to increasing doubts that Brexit would take place.More and more people -- politicians and civil servants -- are saying actually, this thing isnt going to happen, he told a Westminster lunch.The stormy mood among Conservatives prompted former party leader William Hague on Tuesday to ask: Is it worth having a huge row to insist on a purer version of Brexit? No of course it isnt.Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he urged Conservative MPs to avoid rocking that very vulnerable boat.Mays influence in the House of Commons took another dent on Monday when one of her MPs, Anne Marie Morris, used a racist epithet at a pro-Brexit meeting and was suspended from the parliamentary party.Rumours have swirled in recent weeks about possible plots against May from within her own cabinet.One possible alternative put forward is Brexit minister David Davis, who has dismissed the reports.In an appearance before a parliamentary committee, Davis said the major elements of Britains Brexit strategy had not changed, although the parliamentary arithmetic will dictate a certain sensitivity.Just hours earlier, foreign minister Boris Johnson said the EU could go whistle for the money it expects from Britain when it leaves the bloc, one of the first issues for negotiation.With estimates ranging up to 100-billion euro ($112 billion), Johnson said the sums involved were extortionate -- prompting accusations of arrogance from the opposition Labour party.Davis laughed off his colleagues remarks, refusing to comment directly, but said Britains objective was not to pay more than we need to.

CPEC opened new avenues for development in Pakistan: Aizaz

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WASHINGTON (Dunya News) - Pakistan Ambassador to the United States, Aizaz Chaudhry, has said that Pakistan is an emerging market for the international investors and there is a tremendous potential for promoting our Information Technology (IT) sector at the international level.He was talking to a 16-member delegation of Pakistani IT professionals who visited Embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC on Tuesday.Ambassador Aizaz Chaudhry said that there is a tremendous scope to promote Pakistani IT professionals and IT based services/solutions in the international market particularly in USA.Aizaz Chaudhry underscored that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has opened new avenues for Pakistan and is considered as an emerging investment hub for a large number of investors from the world and this trend is recently being followed by the Corporate America. Ambassador Chaudhry emphasized that our IT firms and professionals must explore new export opportunities and forge investment links with the US IT firms.

Karachi: Minor girl crushed to death by speeding van

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – A speeding hi-roof van skidded and ploughed into the people sitting on a footpath in Khokra Par area of Malir in Karachi on Tuesday, killing a minor girl and wounding three other persons, Dunya News reported.The rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the dead and injured to a private hospital. The hospital sources said that the identity of the victims is not yet known.Angry people gathered at the site after the accident torched the van. However the van driver managed to escape from the scene after the accident.

Lahore: Police nab 13 suspects during search operation

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - At least 13 suspects were taken into custody during police search operation in different parts of Lahore on Tuesday, Dunya News reported.Police sources said that the search operation was carried out in Samanabad, Allama Iqbal Town and Nawan Kot areas and their adjacent localities.Biometric devise was used for the identification of residents in these localities and 13 suspects were taken into custody who failed to produce any identity document.The arrested persons were later shifted to police station for further investigation.

Scripting of JIT report started four years ago: Rana Sanaullah

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday claimed that the scripting of Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report started four years ago just after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) sit-in in Islamabad in 2014.He stated this while speaking during Dunya News programme ‘On The Front’. However, Rana Sanaullah stopped short of naming the authors of this scripts.Rana Sanaullah also termed the JIT report as a piece of trash but added that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will accept the Supreme Court of Pakistan verdict in the Panana Papers case.

Musharraf says JIT report proves accountability of influential also possible

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) chairman Pervez Musharraf has said that the joint investigation team (JIT) report in Panama Papers case presented in the Supreme Court on Monday proved that the accountability of influential in Pakistan also possible.He paid rich tributes to JIT members for preparing an honest report and added that the report is based on merit.He further said that no society can develop without justice and hoped that the Supreme Court’s decision will also be in favour of the people of Pakistan.Pervez Musharraf also asked the Supreme Court to provide protection to the JIT members as Sharif family can target them for revenge.

Lahore: Tortured body of servant recovered from female MPA house

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Police on Tuesday recovered tortured dead body of a child servant from female MPA Shah Jahan’s house in Dehli Gate area of Lahore, Dunya News reported.The 15-year-old servant Akhtar, a resident of Okara, along with his 12-year-old sister Attia was working in the house of MPA Shah Jahan for the past four years.Attiya informed police that his brother was subjected to severe torture by MPA’s daughter Fauzia two days ago. His condition deteriorated after the assault but he was not sifted to hospital and died today without getting any medical attention.Attia also informed that the family of the MPA used to torture both of them. Torture marks were also visible on her body too.On the other hand, MPA Shah Jahan and her family locked the house and fled away after the incident.

Sri Lanka take flak after 'disgraceful' cricket defeat

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COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lankas cricketers faced a barrage of criticism Tuesday a day after their series loss to bottom-ranked Zimbabwe in what is being described as a new low for the beleaguered side.Zimbabwe notched their first win abroad in eight years after claiming the one-day international series against Sri Lanka 3-2, embarrassing a home side that has struggled with fitness, losses and coaching upheaval.Sri Lankan cricket has reached its lowest point and it could well be the point of no return. Now that the 11th ranked Zimbabwe have beaten them, we wonder what excuse is in store, declared local newspaper Island.Disgrace read a headline in the local Daily Mirror, while another newspaper said Sri Lankas cricket was in the doldrums.Their defeat came hot on the heels of their early exit from the Champions Trophy and a drubbing by Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera, who accused the national side of being overweight and unfit to compete on the world stage.Players were given three months to get in shape or face the boot.The side began the five-match series against Zimbabwe without a coach after Graham Ford quit on the eve of the tournament, just halfway through his 45-month contract.Sri Lankas cricket board elevated fielding coach Nic Pothas for the series while they searched for a replacement for Ford.You cant expect Pothas to perform miracles, said a senior cricket official, asking not to be named.There were several factors that contributed to the (latest) humiliation.A lack of preparation and poor selection decisions compounded problems for the home side, who appeared to underestimate the tourists, the official added.Zimbabwe rank just one place above cricket minnows Ireland and have not won abroad since a victory in Kenya in 2009.Skipper Angelo Mathews conceded the shock defeat was a low point in his 187-match ODI career.This is a hard pill to swallow. I dont want to give any excuses... They played better cricket, Mathews told the Island.He said he will discuss his future with selectors but had not made any decisions.Sri Lanka faces Zimbabwe in a Test match in Colombo on Friday.

Bangladesh cricket vows crackdown on player scandals

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DHAKA (AFP) - Bangladeshs cricket board vowed tough action Tuesday against any players accused of misconduct or bringing the game into disrepute amid a slew of high-profile scandals involving top stars.The warning from the cricket board came as the wife of fast bowler Mohammad Shahid filed a complaint against her husband, accusing him of torturing her.Farzana Akther told the Bangladesh Cricket Board at the weekend that her 28-year-old husband had hidden his marital status from other women and tortured her after she intervened, an official at the board said.Shahid, who is undergoing treatment for a knee injury sustained during a domestic match, denied the allegations.The allegation of torture is not true. Somebody is provoking her to raise complaint against me, Shahid told AFP.BCB president Nazmul Hasan said it was difficult to monitor every aspect of players lives but warned of repercussions if they didnt get their act together.We have tried a lot to control them when they are with the squad. Weve become tougher when they stay in hotels under our care, he told reporters.The problems start when they leave (the hotel). We cannot monitor their personal issues.We have taken action against similar incidents in the past. We want (them) to get everything in order, otherwise well be compelled to take tough action in future.Shahid is the fourth Bangladeshi cricketer embroiled in a personal scandal in recent years.Pace bowler Rubel Hossain was detained in 2015 after an actress claiming to be his fiancee accused him of rape. The charges were later withdrawn.Another pacer Shahadat Hossain spent nearly two months in custody last year after he and his wife were arrested on charges of torturing an 11-year-old girl they employed as a maid. A court later acquitted the couple.Left arm spinner Arafat Sunny was arrested in January and taken into custody after posting intimate photos of his girlfriend on social media.The 30-year-old cricketer was released on bail in March after he told the court that the girlfriend was, in fact, his second wife.

England's Dawson to seek Warne advice

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LONDON (AFP) - Englands Liam Dawson plans to get in touch with former Hampshire team-mate Shane Warne in a bid to help cement his Test place.By his own admission, left-arm spinner Dawson accepts he may not be the most naturally talented player.But he believes he can compensate with hard work and cricket intelligence, a view shared by England coach Trevor Bayliss.Dawson, who took the winning wicket in Englands 211-run first Test win over South Africa at Lords, and Australia leg-spin great Warne played a handful of matches together for south coast county Hampshire.Dawson, with just two Tests behind him, is keen to re-establish contact with Warne, who is commentating on the series for Sky television.I will try and catch up with him over the course of this series and have a chat with him about bowling, Dawson said Tuesday. That would be brilliant to do.Someone who is that good, been that successful and a legend of the game, you can only pick their brains.You might pick up something that might give you a little edge when you are out there.Dawsons two Tests have had their share of ups and downs, with an an unbeaten half-century, then three ducks, and six wickets at 38 runs each in one huge defeat by India in Chennai in December and the victory at Lords.People probably watch me and think you know, he is not the best cricketer but I have got to use my cricket brain, said DawsonThat has always helped me for Hampshire, the 27-year-old added.Dawson accepted hed made a nervous start at Lords but was pleased by his second innings performance with the ball to help fellow spinner Moeen Ali bowl England to a win that put them 1-0 up in the four-match series.I pride myself on being smart and clever ... Im always trying to get into a battle and enjoy it, Dawson explained.Test cricket is suited to that. It is hard.I have only played two Test matches, and it is extremely hard, but it is so rewarding when you get a win.Dawson, who will hope to retain his place for the second Test at Nottinghams Trent Bridge starting Friday, was annoyed by his failure to deal with some unaccustomed nerves at Lords.That is what disappointed me most about the first innings, when I didnt do that well at all, he said.I was very annoyed. It did frustrate me.I usually deal with nerves pretty well.He added: But this time I was just too nervous and I have got to handle that better next time -- and I think I will be better for it.It is natural, but I think it did have an impact on the way I bowled in the first innings.I was nowhere near my best there, but I like to think I bowled well (in the) second innings. If selected for the next Test, I hope I can continue that on.

Sri Lanka apologises to stripped groundsmen

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COLOMBO (AFP) - Dozens of groundsmen at Sri Lankas Hambantota cricket stadium have complained that they were ordered to give back their uniforms before being paid -- even though they were wearing them at the time.Sri Lankas cricket board was forced to apologise after social media reports that some workers had to leave the ground in their underwear at the end of the fifth one-day international between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe on Monday.Whilst stern action will be taken against those responsible, Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to apologise to those subjected to this ignominy, and will take steps to ensure they are compensated, the board said in a statement.The workers had been told that they would not be paid until they returned the uniforms provided by the board.Zimbabwe claimed the one-day international series against Sri Lanka 3-2, embarrassing a home side that has struggled with fitness, losses and coaching upheaval.

Freedom struggle in held Kashmir not comparable with terrorism: OIC

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held its 44th session of Council of Foreign Ministers in Cote dIvoire on Tuesday where it clearly sided with Pakistan on policy concerns for Indian occupied Kashmir. It said the freedom struggle in the held valley cannot be equated with terrorism.According to Foreign Office spokesperson, the council condemned Indian brutality in Kashmir and recommended that India should implement on the resolution given by United Nations (UN) Security Council.The Council of Foreign Ministers converged that Kashmiris should be given their right to self determination. A resolution was mutually passed against the atrocities of Indian forces in held-Kashmir by 56 member countries.The foreign ministers of all these countries condemned illegal detention of civilians, house arrests of Hurriyat leaders, use of pallet guns and using human shields in occupied Kashmir. They paid tribute to martyrs who lost their lives for the freedom of Kashmir and demanded an end to the humanitarian violations in the valley.
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