Thursday 12 October 2017

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Tennis: Nadal and Federer on collision course in Shanghai

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SHANGHAI (AFP) - Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer breezed into the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Thursday and Juan Martin del Potro defeated racquet-smashing Alexander Zverev.World number one Nadal blew away Fabio Fognini in 63 minutes and plays sixth seed Grigor Dimitrov as he pursues one of the few tournaments to have eluded him.Timeless rival Federer was even faster, dismissing Ukrainian qualifier Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4, 6-2 in 61 minutes.The 31-year-old Spaniard Nadal, fresh off the back of triumphs at the US Open and China Open, anticipates a tough encounter against the Bulgarian Dimitrov.I played a very good match, I dont know how many mistakes I made, but very few, said the 16-time Grand Slam winner and top seed in Shanghai.I have a tough match against Grigor and know I will have to play my best... but I am playing well.Nadal, enjoying a late-career flourish, defeated good friend Dimitrov on his way to winning the China Open on Sunday, his sixth title of the season.And he underlined his status as the man to beat in Shanghai as he battered the Italian Fognini 6-3, 6-1.Dimitrov, chasing a spot at the season-ending ATP Finals in London, beat American Sam Querrey to set up a Chinese reunion with Nadal.Federer, the Swiss world number two, plays Richard Gasquet in the last eight on Friday after Gasquet outlasted fellow Frenchman Gilles Simon in a marathon three-setter.A mouthwatering Nadal-Federer final on Sunday awaits if the celebrated pair continue at the current rate.Gutsy Del Potro recovered from a set down to win 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 against rising star Zverev and will play Serbias Viktor Troicki, after he beat John Isner in the final match of the day.The talented 20-year-old Zverev was going after his sixth title of a breakthrough season and was comfortable in the first set against Argentine Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion and 16th seed.The German prodigy and the 29-year-old, whose career has been beset by injury, went toe to toe in the second set and the tie break was just as tight until Del Potro grabbed the crucial mini-break.And then came the turning point -- and a flash of anger from third seed Zverev -- as he yielded the crucial service break to go 3-2 down in the third set.Right now Im very pissed off, as you can probably tell, said Zverev afterwards, having smashed the racquet on the court, then trodden on it, and brutalised it further as he stomped back to his chair.A fan at least came away with a demolished racquet for a souvenir after the young German handed it to a spectator.I dont understand how I can lose a match where I get broken one time in three sets and not managed to get any chances on his serve, said Zverev, who is tipped to one day make world number one.Im a bit pissed off because I feel like I played well and thats the upsetting part of it -- I could have done great in this tournament.Del Potro, pushed to the brink of retirement by four wrist surgeries that saw his ranking slip as low as 1,045 at one point in his career, said Zverev would learn.I saw his frustration, for sure... But I think hes still very young and he needs to keep learning, as hes doing now, said the Argentine, 23 in the world.He has everything to be in the top positions in the future, but these things happen.Remember when Roger (Federer) was young? He broke racquets too.Fourth seed Marin Cilic and Spains Albert Ramos-Vinolas go head to head in the other quarter-final.

Tearful Wozniacki and top seed Svitolina pull out injured in Hong Kong

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HONG KONG (AFP) - Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki and world number four Elina Svitolina both withdrew from the Hong Kong Open with injuries Thursday, leaving the WTA event devastated after a spate of pre-tournament pullouts and early big name exits.A tearful third seed Wozniacki appeared on centre court just after her second-round match against Lizette Cabrera had been due to start to announce she had injured her elbow in practice.I want to apologise to everyone who came out today to watch this match, said an emotional Wozniacki, who won the title on the same court 12 months ago.I did everything I could possibly to get ready for today, she told the crowd.But unfortunately I hurt my elbow during practice and theres just no way I could perform my best out here today.Unfortunately I have to withdraw from the tournament, she added choking back tears.Top seed Svitolina earlier withdrew from her last-16 match against Nicole Gibbs citing a right groin strain sustained during a mammoth, 3hr 21min quarter-final defeat in Beijing last week to the eventual champion there, Caroline Garcia.I picked up the injury a little bit in Beijing, she said. Its the groin. All the time when I go for wide shots or stretch I feel it.Ukraines Svitolina and Denmarks Wozniacki both have one eye on this months lucrative WTA Finals in Singapore where the top eight will battle it out for a massive $7 million prize fund.I will probably do some scans now to see how it is, because you know I have Singapore, admitted Svitolina. Its a tough decision because I really wanted to play here.The tournament, which has just two seeds left standing at the last-eight stage, was rocked even before it started by the pullouts of three other big names.US Open champion Sloane Stephens cried off with an injury after losing in the first round in both Wuhan and Beijing, her only appearances since her Flushing Meadows triumph.British world number 10 Johanna Konta also cancelled her trip because of a foot problem, while Frances 13th-ranked Kristina Mladenovic opted out with a knee injury.Of the star players that did show up at Victoria Park, number two seed Venus Williams was sent packing in her second-round match in straight sets on Wednesday by Japanese teen sensation Naomi Osaka.And she was swiftly followed by fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, beaten in three sets by the resurgent former US Open champion Sam Stosur.In the little action that did take place on court Thursday, Chinas eighth seed Zhang Shuai was ousted by American Jennifer Brady 6-3, 6-4 who will face Gibbs in an all-American quarter-final.It left Wang Qiang as the sole Chinese representative in the draw after she breezed past Thailands Luksika Kumkhum 6-4, 6-4.Wang will face Australias Stosur in Friday for a place in the semi-finals and Cabrera, the world number 155, has an all-Australian last-eight match against Daria Gavrilova, the seventh seed.The only other seed remaining, number six Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, will play Osaka.Big-hitting American Brady, ranked 70, easily overcame an out-of-sorts local crowd favourite Zhang 6-3, 6-4 in just over an hour.Brady smacked down seven aces to overpower the world number 31, whose inconsistent serve was broken three times in the second set alone.I started strongly with the first break and was aggressive, said Brady. So Im happy with the win.

Golf: Holder Molinari in six-way Italian Open lead

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MILAN (AFP) - Defending champion Francesco Molinari hit nine birdies to share a six-way lead with a seven-under-par 64 on the first day of the Italian Open in Monza on Thursday.The four-time European Tour winner from Italy shared the early lead with Thailands Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Waless Jamie Donaldson and Swede Alexander Bjork. They were joined later in the day by the English pair of Eddie Pepperell and Matt Wallace.I started pretty much where I left off last year, so it was great, Molinari, who carded two bogeys, told europeantour.com.South African George Coetzee and An Byeong-Hun of South Korea were a shot behind on six-under, with Masters champion Sergio Garcia among a group a further stroke back.A dropped shot at the third threatened to derail Molinaris challenge but, after pulling off two tremendous par saves at the fourth and fifth, he fired another birdie at the sixth to return to seven under.Kiradech led for most of the morning after firing four birdies in his first eight holes before pulling off an important par save at the 18th.The 28-year-olds putting reaped further gains at the first, third and fourth and he safely parred his final five holes to sign for a flawless 64.Kiradech said: This course really suits my game - small greens, quite a narrow golf course and my driver and putter are working so well, so thats why I made a good start.Bjork finished his round in style after starting on the back nine, firing birdies at the sixth, eighth and ninth.I played really solid today, he said. Im really pleased with that round.Spanish star Jon Rahm made a solid start playing alongside compatriot Garcia.The world number five carded a bogey-free round of 67 and is only three shots off the lead.

Boxing: Tyson Fury promises 'three big fights' in 2018

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LONDON (AFP) - Britains troubled former heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury said Thursday he will return to the ring in April and is looking forward to three big fights in 2018.The 29-year-old has not fought since his shock defeat of Wladimir Klitschko to win the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles in November 2015.Fury had his licence suspended last October when he admitted he was using cocaine and struggling with depression, and last week said he would not apply for a new one.But he wrote on Twitter on Thursday that he would be ready to fight in April 2018 in a great fight.He added he would then take part in the summer in a mega fight and return again at the back end of the year.Fury, who twice postponed rematches with Klitschko, had hoped to return to the ring earlier this year but that plan was scuppered when his UK Anti-Doping hearing was adjourned in May.He was at ringside last month when his cousin Hughie Fury came up short in his bid to take the WBO heavyweight title from champion Joseph Parker in Manchester.

Hamas, Fatah sign deal on Palestinian reconciliation

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CAIRO (AFP) - Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah signed an agreement Thursday on ending a decade-long split following talks mediated by Egypt in Cairo, with president Mahmud Abbas calling it a final accord.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemned the deal, saying it would make peace with his country much harder to achieve.Under the agreement, the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA) is to resume full control of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip by December 1, according to a statement from Egypts government.Abbas welcomed the deal and told AFP he considered it a final agreement to end the division -- though many details remain to be resolved and previous reconciliation attempts have repeatedly failed.Israel says Islamist movement Hamas, with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, must disarm and recognise the Jewish state as part of any Palestinian reconciliation deal.US President Donald Trump is currently seeking to restart frozen peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel.Reconciling with mass murderers is part of the problem, not part of the solution, Netanyahu said in a statement.The agreement was signed in Cairo by new Hamas deputy leader Salah al-Aruri and Azzam al-Ahmad, head of the Fatah delegation for the talks, at the headquarters of Egypts intelligence service, which oversaw the negotiations.Celebrations broke out in the Gaza Strip after the announcement of the deal, with residents waving flags of Egypt, Palestine, Fatah and Hamas.We hope they wont disappoint our people and break the joy, said Rahaab Kanaan, 55.Negotiations are now expected to be held on forming a unity government, with the various Palestinian political movements invited to another meeting in Cairo on November 21.An official from Abbass Fatah movement said the Palestinian president was planning to soon travel to the Gaza Strip as part of the unity bid, in what would be his first visit in at least a decade.Sanctions taken by Abbas against Gaza will also soon be lifted, the Fatah official said.The deal includes 3,000 members of the West Bank-based PAs police force redeploying to Gaza, a member of the negotiating team told AFP on condition of anonymity.The figure is however a fraction of the more than 20,000 police officers employed separately by Hamas.UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres spoke to Abbas to congratulate him on the deal and said the United Nations stands ready to support the PA take up its responsibilities in Gaza, a UN statement said.Guterres also underlined the continuing need to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, particularly with regard to the electricity crisis, and improved access to and from the territory.One of the key issues has been punitive measures taken by Abbas against Gaza in recent months, including reducing electricity payments that left the territorys residents with only a few hours of power a day.All the measures taken recently will end very shortly, Zakaria al-Agha, a senior Fatah leader in the Gaza Strip, told AFP.The Arab League also hailed the agreement saying it represented an essential guarantee toward achieving the aspirations of the Palestinian people to set up their own state.The two sides began meeting in Cairo on Tuesday with the aim of ending the crippling split between the rival factions.Hamas seized Gaza from Fatah in a near civil war in 2007 and the two factions have been at loggerheads ever since.Egypt has been keen to improve security in the Sinai Peninsula which borders Gaza and where jihadist rebels have fought a long-running insurgency.An Egyptian source close to the talks said intelligence chief Khaled Fawzi had followed the negotiations closely.Last month, Hamas agreed to cede civil power in Gaza to the PA but the fate of its vast military wing remains a significant issue for the two sides.Hamas is blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union.The blockaded Gaza Strip has seen deteriorating humanitarian conditions.Faced with increasing isolation and a severe electricity shortage, Hamas has reached out to Cairo for help, hoping to have the Rafah border with Egypt -- largely closed in recent years -- opened.Azzam al-Ahmad said that, as part of the deal, Gazas border crossings with Israel will be handed back to the PA by November 1 with Rafah to follow shortly afterwards.Egypt has also agreed to provide fuel to the Gaza Strip for electricity generation.In return, Cairo pressed Hamas to move forward on reconciliation with Fatah.Previous attempts at reconciliation have repeatedly failed, and many analysts are treating the latest bid with caution, waiting to see if actual change will occur on the ground.Last week, PA prime minister Rami Hamdallah visited Gaza for the first time since 2015 and his ministers took formal control of government departments in the territory.But the move was seen as mainly symbolic, with Hamas still effectively in charge in the Palestinian enclave of two million people.One of the key sticking points will be the fate of Hamass 25,000-strong military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

Turkish forces launch incursion into Syria: monitor

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Turkish forces have entered northwest Syrias largely jihadist-controlled Idlib province, observers said, where Ankara said this week it planned to create a de-escalation zone as part of efforts to end the Syrian war.A military convoy of Turkish forces... entered Idlib province before heading towards the western part of Aleppo province, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement late Thursday.It did not elaborate on the size of the deployment.Turkish officials were not immediately available to confirm the report but the official Anadolu news agency earlier reported several armoured personnel carriers, ambulances and containers massing on the Syrian border.The Turkish military said on Monday it had launched a reconnaissance mission into the area at the weekend to establish surveillance posts as part of the operation to be carried out in Idlib province.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had on Saturday announced that pro-Ankara rebels backed by the Turkish army would lead the military campaign against the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham jihadist coalition in the northwestern Syrian province.The operation is part of efforts by Turkey, along with Russia and Iran, to set up a de-escalation zone in line with accords in the Astana peace process aimed at ending the Syrian civil war.They agreed on four such ceasefire zones in Syria as a prelude to negotiations.Three zones are already in place -- in Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, in central Homs, and in parts of southern Syria -- and are being monitored by Russian military police.Idlib is largely controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group led by Al-Qaedas former Syria affiliate, which ousted more moderate rebels in recent months.The pro-Turkish forces will need to oust Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters in the area to allow Iranian, Russian and Turkish forces to implement the zone.The last time Turkish forces were engaged in Syria was in August, when Turkey launched its eight-month-long Euphrates Shield operation against jihadists and Kurdish militia in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo.Although Moscow supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Turkey supports rebels seeking his ouster, the two countries have worked together intensely to try to end the conflict in the past few months.Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have met several times since a 2016 reconciliation ended a crisis caused by the downing of a Russian warplane over Syria.The conflict in Syria began with widespread protests against the government in 2011 but has since evolved into a multi-front war that has killed more than 330,000 people.

Trump breaks with allies as US goes it alone on Iran

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Donald Trump will unveil a more aggressive strategy to check Irans growing might Friday, withdrawing presidential backing for a landmark nuclear deal and targeting the countrys missile program and militia proxies.During a White House speech at 12:45 pm (1645 GMT), Trump is expected to declare a 2015 deal, which curbed Irans nuclear program in return for massive sanctions relief, is no longer in the US national interest.Officials say he will not kill the deal outright, or designate Irans powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization -- a move that would almost certainly bring retaliatory action.Instead he will leave US lawmakers to decide whether they want to kick away one of the accords foundational pillars by snapping back sanctions against Iran.Many lawmakers are waiting to see how Trump presents the choice, with no clear consensus even among Republicans on whether to torpedo the agreement.In a statement to AFP, leading Republican Senator Marco Rubio described the accord as fatally-flawed and said he was open to legislation that would substantially improve Americas ability to counter Irans nuclear, terrorism, militancy and regional threats.While Trumps decision is largely rhetorical -- designed to meet a key campaign pledge -- it risks unpicking years of careful diplomacy and increasing Middle East tensions.The agreement was signed between Iran and six world powers -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US -- at talks coordinated by the European Union.Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spent much of the week on the telephone, talking through a decision that is deeply unpopular with allies.UN nuclear inspectors say Iran is meeting the technical requirements of its side of the bargain, dramatically curtailing its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.So, while US officials still insist that America First does not mean America Alone, on this issue they are starkly isolated. The other signatories all back the deal.This is the worst deal. We got nothing, Trump thundered to Fox News on Wednesday. We did it out of weakness when actually, we have great strength.Iranian President Hassan Rouhani lashed out at US counterpart saying he was opposing the whole world by trying to abandon a landmark nuclear agreement.It will be absolutely clear which is the lawless government. It will be clear which country is respected by the nations of the world and global public opinion, he added.Trump, whose address to this years UN General Assembly was a hymn to national sovereignty, has been railing against the Iran deal since before he was elected.In office, he has chafed at being required under US law to re-certify Irans compliance with the accord every 90 days, declaring that Tehran has broken it in spirit.Now, as he prepares to roll out the broader US strategy to combat Irans expanding power in the Middle East, he feels the time has come to turn his back on the deal.Right up until the last minute, Americas closest allies have urged Trump to think again.After his nationalist UN speech, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini warned that the deal doesnt belong to one country... it belongs to the international community.US allies have not been convinced by the argument that the deal fell short because it left Iran free to develop ballistic missiles and sponsor proxy militias in its region.Mixing everything means risking everything, a French diplomatic source told AFP. The existential threat is the bomb. The nuclear deal is not meant to solve Lebanons problems.Europe fears not only that Iran will resume the quest for the bomb but that the US is relinquishing its leadership role in a stable, rules-based international system.On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May called the White House to impress upon it her governments strong commitment to the deal alongside our European partners.In parallel, her foreign minister, Boris Johnson, told his US counterpart Tillerson that the nuclear deal was an historic achievement.It was the culmination of 13 years of painstaking diplomacy and has increased security, both in the region and in the UK, he argued.But the US administration barely acknowledged the calls, and European diplomats in Washington privately complain that their message is not getting through.One Western diplomat said that once Trump decertifies the deal their efforts will move to Congress, where they will urge US lawmakers not to re-impose sanctions.They will find some sympathetic ears in Congress but this wont move Trump. His most senior foreign policy advisers have also urged him to back the deal, to no avail.Last week, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis was asked whether he believes the Iran deal remains in the US national interest.Yes, senator, I do, he replied.I believe at this point in time, absent indication to the contrary, it is something that the president should consider staying with.On Thursday, in another dramatic sign of Washingtons foreign policy direction, the US announced that it was withdrawing from the United Nations science and cultural organization UNESCO.Frances UN ambassador expressed dismay, warning we need an America that stays committed to world affairs.

US removal of Russian flags 'unacceptable', Lavrov tells Tillerson

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MOSCOW (AFP) - Russias foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday complained to his US counterpart about the unacceptable removal of Russian flags from two of its closed diplomatic missions in the United States.In a telephone call, Lavrov told Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that the move went against efforts to repair ties between the two countries, which have become increasingly strained.Lavrov said the arbitrary action by US officials directly contradicts Washingtons statements... about its intentions to normalise bilateral relations which have fallen to an unprecedented level, a Russian foreign ministry statement said.Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova earlier told reporters that Russian flags had been torn down from the buildings of the general consulate in San Francisco and Russias trade mission in Washington.She added that a decisive protest had been lodged and that the Russian side will decide on retaliatory measures.The United States in August ordered Russia to close its San Francisco consulate and two other installations as relations between the former Cold War foes took another nose-dive.Also on Thursday, the Russian parliaments lower house, the Duma, cancelled a visit to the US by a group of lawmakers planned for this month, a Duma spokeswoman told AFP.Russias ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov also denounced the move.Such steps only complicate US-Russian dialogue, Antonov said in televised remarks.We demand an immediate end to the takeover of our property in the US which is accompanied by offensive actions, he added.The latest flare-up comes as Jon Huntsman, Washingtons new ambassador to Moscow, is preparing to assume his role.Zakharova warned that the removal of the flags could complicate the beginning of Huntsmans tenure.Washington ordered the shutdown of the Russian diplomatic missions after the Kremlin demanded that the US slash staff numbers at its missions in Russia.Moscow also accused the US of searching its missions, including accommodations for diplomatic staff.The dispute is the latest twist in tortured ties between the US and Russia, which have slumped to their lowest point since the Cold War following the Kremlins seizure of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.The West imposed punishing sanctions on Russia over its meddling in its ex-Soviet neighbour, sparking a revenge embargo from Moscow against agricultural products.US President Donald Trump initially pledged to improve ties, but those promises have been overshadowed by allegations of collusion between Russia and members of Trumps election campaign.

IS attack on displaced Syrians kills 18: monitor

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BEIRUT (AFP) - A jihadist car bombing targeting displaced Syrians in the northeastern province of Hasakeh on Thursday killed at least 18 people, including Kurdish security forces, a monitor said.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack was carried out by the Islamic State group and took place in an area where Syrians displaced from Deir Ezzor province usually gather.At least 18 people, including displaced persons and members of the Asayesh Kurdish security forces, were killed, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.Two separate offensives targeting IS are underway in the eastern oil-rich province of Deir Ezzor, one by Russia-backed government forces and the other by US-backed Kurdish-Arab fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).SDF spokesman Talal Sello confirmed a car bombing targeting people displaced from Deir Ezzor, saying it took place in the Hasakehs southern area of Abu Fass.Dozens of people were killed and wounded, Sello told AFP.After the blast, the civilians escaped towards desert areas where mines exploded and the toll rose, he added, without providing further details.Much of Hasakeh province and Hasakeh city are under the control of a Kurdish autonomous administration with smaller parts of both controlled by the central government.Abu Fass is where Kurdish authorities gather people displaced by conflict before allowing them to enter camps where they can shelter, the Observatory said.Earlier Thursday, the monitoring group, which relies on a network of sources inside war-torn Syria, said regime forces had retaken four neighbourhoods in the town of Mayadeen in Deir Ezzor province.The state news agency SANA confirmed that regime forces had re-entered Mayadeen.Last week, IS succeeded in expelling Syrian forces from Mayadeen two days after they entered the town.A Syrian army source had recently described Mayadeen as the military capital of the jihadist organisation in Deir Ezzor.

NAB references: Nawaz, Maryam, Safdar to be indicted today

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter his daughter Maryam Nawaz, son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar will be indicted today (Friday) by an accountability court hearing the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) references against the Sharif family.While these three will be indicted, Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz will be summoned once again and their warrants have been affixed on the walls of NAB court.Previously, the judge had allowed one-day immunity to Sharif family and summoned them on October 13. It was announced that the indictment will be heard on the day. The judge had expressed his fury over absence of the members of Sharif family. The court had decided to separate cases of each member in order to differentiate between present and absent suspects.On the other hand, Hassan Nawaz confirmed on Thursday that his father will not return to Pakistan at the moment in the light of her mother’s chemotherapy and medical treatment.Nawaz Sharif, Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz are nominated suspects in references regarding Park Lane Apartments, Al Azizia Steel Mills and offshore companies, while Maryam Nawaz and her husband Capt (retd) Safdar are nominated in reference regarding Park Lane apartments alone.According to the affixed warrants of Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz outside court, they will be declared fugitives if they don’t appear before accountability court within the duration of one month.

US-Canadian couple still in Pakistan after release from Taliban

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - An American-Canadian family who spent years in Taliban captivity was released following a Pakistani operation, officials said Thursday, but refused to immediately board a US-bound jet over concerns about the husbands past links to a former Guantanamo Bay inmate.Caitlan Coleman and Joshua Boyle were kidnapped during a backpacking trip in Afghanistan in 2012, and had three children while in captivity.A US military official said American forces were not involved in any rescue, but that a medical team had been able to meet the family and stood ready to fly them home if needed.Another military official told AFP the couple was hesitating to board a US military jet in Pakistan over the Canadian husbands concerns he could face American scrutiny for links to a former Guantanamo captive.In 2009, Boyle was briefly married to Zaynab Khadr, the sister of Canadian-born Omar Khadr who spent a decade at Guantanamo.But the official said Boyle did not risk any US repercussions.It is not in our intention to do anything like that. We are prepared to bring them back home, the official said.The Pakistani military said the hostages had been recovered... from terrorist custody through an intelligence-based operation by Pakistani troops.They were found in Kurram district, part of Pakistans semi-autonomous tribal belt, where militants such as the Haqqanis operated with impunity until the army intensified an operation there in 2014.US intelligence agencies had been tracking them and shared their shifting across to Pakistan on 11 Oct 2017 through Kurram Agency border, the Pakistani military said.Kurram borders Nangarhar and Paktia provinces in Afghanistan. Both are riven by militancy, with the Islamic State group gaining a foothold in Nangarhar and Paktia seen as a Haqqani stronghold.Boyle and Coleman appeared in a hostage video in December last year with two of their children pleading for their release.The video was released after rumors swirled in Kabul that the government was planning to execute Anas Haqqani, son of the Haqqani networks founder, who has been held since 2014.Canadas foreign affairs minister, Chrystia Freeland, expressed relief at the release.Joshua, Caitlan, their children and the Boyle and Coleman families have endured a horrible ordeal over the past five years, she said in a statement.Afghanistan is rife with militants and organized criminal gangs who stage kidnappings for ransom, targeting wealthy Afghans and foreigners, who have been ferried over the border.

Mattis hopeful freeing of hostages in Pakistan to boost cooperation

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MIAMI (Reuters) - US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Thursday he was hopeful that the freeing of a kidnapped US-Canadian couple and their three children in Pakistan was a harbinger for closer cooperation between Pakistan and United States in the future.This is a very positive moment and the Pakistan Army performed well, Mattis told reporters on board a military plane, adding he hoped this would be a harbinger for the future.We intend to work with Pakistan in a collaborative way in the future to stop terrorism and that includes kidnapping, Mattis added. He declined to comment on any specifics on how the hostages were freed.

Blaze gutted timber godown in Muridke

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MURIDKE (Dunya News) - According to details, fire broke out in a timber godown situated at the Narowal Road near Railway Crossing in Muridke on Thursday which spread very quickly.Firefighters from Shahdara were called in as there is no fire station in Muridke but the timber godown was reduced to ashes before their arrival.The rescue sources said that no one died or wounded in the blaze. However, goods worth million of rupees were destroyed by the fire. Sources further said that the cause of fire is still not known.

Quetta: One terrorist killed in encounter with police, CTD

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QUETTA (Dunya News) – One terrorist of a banned organization was killed and another was taken into custody after an encounter at the Qumbrani Road in Quetta on Thursday, Dunya News reported.According to details, police and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel conducted a joint operation at the Qumbrani Road in Quetta on an intelligence report during which terrorists present in the area opened fire. The law enforcement agencies returned the fire as a result one was killed and another was arrested.Police sources said that the arrested terrorist, identified as Afand, belonged to a banned organization and was wanted by police in Civil Hospital bomb blast case.Police also recovered a pistol from the arrested terrorist while the dead body of other militant was shifted to Civil Hospital Quetta.

Dictators hampered development of Pakistan: Shahbaz

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif has said that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is a free, transparent, constitutional and legal institution and its responsibility is to conduct investigate against corruption and arrest the corrupt people.He stated this while addressing an agreement signing ceremony to provide free medicines worth Rs 44 billion to cancer patients.CM Punjab said that dictators were the major hurdle in the development of Pakistan who installed puppet governments for their own interests. He said that billions of rupees were looted but not a single person was questioned.An agreement of providing free medicines worth Rs 44 billion to cancer patients was also signed between Punjab Health Department and a Swiss company during the ceremony. More than 9,000 cancer patients will now get free medicine under this agreement.
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