Dunya TV

President hails MQM for supporting democracy
Quetta: Rocket fired on buses coming from Iran
Russia accepts deal with Georgia to clinch WTO membership
New Zealand stay on top despite Zimbabwe fightback
Real Madrid beats Lyon 2-0 in Champions League
Federer wins, Murray withdraws at Swiss Indoors
US Air Force cutting 9,000 jobs now, more later
Ferrer marches on in Valencia
Squash: Teran stuns Grinham in World Open
Israel sending signals of Iranian attack
Deserters kill 15 security personnel: Syria activists
Karzai seeks help from neighbours to combat 'terror'
US ready to sell F-35 fighter to India: Pentagon
ICC stilll negotiating surrender terms with Gaddafi son
White House wants 'unanimity' on euro at G20

President hails MQM for supporting democracy

Posted:

President Asif Ali Zardari contacted MQM Qauid, Altaf Hussain via telephone and hailed the MQM support for promotion of democracy in the country. According to a private TV channel, Altaf Hussain congratulated the President for his successful foreign tours and said his abroad visits would boost Pakistan economically and diplomatically. President Zardari also greeted him for holding Istahkam-e-Pakistan Rally (Pakistan Solidarity Rally) by the MQM activists and expressed the hope that MQM would continue its support to the government in the larger interest of the country and democracy.

Quetta: Rocket fired on buses coming from Iran

Posted:

According to a bus driver, the two buses were bringing back Pakistani pilgrims to Quetta from Iran. He said that the buses were stopped by police near Lach Pass for a search which continued for half an hour. After clearance from and arrival of mobile police, the buses again started their journey toward Quetta. He said that some unidentified persons fired a rocket on a bus soon after the resumption of the journey. Luckily the rocket missed the bus but soon after that some miscreants launched a gun attack on the ther bus. The firing caused some damage to the bus but no one was hurt.

Russia accepts deal with Georgia to clinch WTO membership

Posted:

Russia has accepted a Swiss-mediated deal with foe Georgia that clears the way for Moscow to join the World Trade Organisation after an 18-year wait, Georgian officials said early Thursday. "The Russians have agreed on the Swiss proposal. We have no details about their decision, but it looks like the deal is made," Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergi Kapanadze said. Russia, the largest economy in the world to remain outside the WTO, has expressed hope of joining the global trade body in mid-December. Georgia -- which fought a war with Russia in 2008 and as a WTO member could veto Moscow s membership -- last week agreed to a "final proposal" from Swiss mediators addressing its concerns. Tbilisi, which fought a war with Moscow in 2008, has been demanding international monitoring of cross-border trade in its Russian-backed breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Kapanadze said that a Georgian delegation would arrive in Switzerland later Thursday for talks with the Russians and the Swiss negotiators. "I think the agreement will be signed within several days," he said.

New Zealand stay on top despite Zimbabwe fightback

Posted:

Zimbabwe went to stumps on 82 for one, with opener Vusi Sibanda unbeaten on 53, as they responded to New Zealand s first innings total of 426 all out. While the Black Caps will be happy to have the runs on the board on a pitch which is beginning to take turn, Zimbabwe could reflect on a good day s work with both bat and ball that coach Alan Butcher labelled their best since returning to Test cricket in August. Fast bowler Chris Mpofu claimed career-best figures of four for 92 as New Zealand lost their last five wickets for just 25 runs, leaving them short of the hefty total they looked destined for when they resumed on 275 for three on the second morning. Although Zimbabwe opener Tino Mawoyo was trapped lbw by Daniel Vettori in the left-arm spinner s second over, Sibanda put on an unbroken stand of 58 with Hamilton Masakadza to leave Zimbabwe 344 runs adrift at the close of play with nine wickets in hand. Morning rain meant that play was delayed by 45 minutes at the start of the day by a wet outfield, but Njabulo Ncube made the most of the moist conditions early on when he claimed his first wicket in Test cricket. New Zealand captain Ross Taylor had failed to add to his overnight score of 76 when he chased a wide delivery in Ncube s first over and was caught behind. Mpofu picked up the other wicket of the morning session, surprising BJ Watling with a lifting delivery that caught the edge on its way to wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva, who took a good one-handed catch low to his right. Dean Brownlie and Vettori took the fight to the Zimbabwe bowlers after lunch in a quest for quick runs, and added 74 in just 14 overs as Brownlie recorded a half-century in his first Test innings. However Zimbabwe responded to the onslaught well, tightening up their lines and dismissing both Brownlie and Vettori as the batsmen attempted big shots. Ray Price had Brownlie caught at slip for 63, while Mpofu accounted for Vettori on 40 before claiming two more wickets as the tail was wrapped up swiftly. Sibanda led the Zimbabwe response with aplomb, and when the umpires finally pulled stumps the hosts were able to claim bragging rights for the day.

Real Madrid beats Lyon 2-0 in Champions League

Posted:

Cristiano Ronaldo scored both goals, including his 100th in 105 matches for Real Madrid, as the Spanish club beat Lyon 2-0 Wednesday to keep a perfect record in Group D of the Champions League and advance to the knockout stage. Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 24th minute by curling home a free kick. The Portugal winger then notched his 100th goal for the Spanish club by converting a penalty in the 69th after Lyon fullback Mouhamadou Dabo had fouled him. Madrid tops Group D with 12 points, five clear of Ajax, which routed Dinamo Zagreb 4-0. Lyon remains third with four points. Madrid is the only team in the group stage that has won all its matches and has yet to concede a goal. It outplayed Lyon by stifling the hosts in midfield with its pressing. Madrid striker Karim Benzema collected a through ball from Mesut Oezil to be clean through but was denied by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in the 10th. The Spanish side threatened again in the 23rd. Oezil found Benzema with a backheel flick but Lyon midfielder Yoann Gourcuff stopped the play by shoving Benzema on the edge of the box. Ronaldo exploited a crack in the Lyon wall from the ensuing free kick to place the ball out of the goalkeeper s reach. Madrid came close to adding a second goal before halftime. Lassana Diarra played Oezil in but Lloris came off his line to knock the ball away in the 29th. The France goalkeeper saved his team again in the 32nd by parrying a shot from Benzema from Ronaldo s pass. Madrid winger Angel Di Maria led a counterattack in the 44th and fed Oezil but the Germany playmaker s tame effort was no trouble for Lloris. Lyon nearly equalized twice against the run of play. Winger Jimmy Briand chested down a high cross from Dabo to shoot straight at goalkeeper Iker Casillas in the 35th. On the stroke of halftime, Lyon striker Bafetimbi Gomis won the ball in midfield to release Gourcuff down the right wing, but Casillas tipped Gourcuff s powerful strike over the bar. Ronaldo threatened a couple of times in the second half before firing the spot kick into the middle of the net to make it 2-0. Lloris prevented Madrid from adding a third goal by stopping a low curling shot from Di Maria in the 73rd.

Federer wins, Murray withdraws at Swiss Indoors

Posted:

Roger Federer advanced to the Swiss Indoors quarter-finals on Wednesday, while Andy Murray withdrew injured just before his first-round match. Federer, defending the title at his hometown event, dropped a set against Jarkko Nieminen of Finland for the first time in their 12 matches but came through 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. Murray s injury left the third-seeded Swiss a clearer path to a possible final against top-ranked Novak Djokovic for a third straight year. The second-seeded Scot cited a right gluteal muscle strain ahead of playing Robin Haase of the Netherlands. Murray had also been scheduled to partner his brother Jamie in an evening doubles match. Five of the current top-eight men originally lined up in a tough main draw, yet only Federer and Djokovic remain. Murray followed Mardy Fish of the United States in succumbing to injury, and Czech Tomas Berdych was ousted Tuesday by wild-card entry Kei Nishikori. Sixth-seeded Janko Tipsarevic, like Fish on Tuesday, retired hurt in his first-round match. Tipsarevic retired on serve while trailing Florian Mayer of Germany 5-1 in the first set. The Serb will have to reach at least the final in Paris next week if he s to qualify for the eight-man ATP World Tour Finals in London. Seventh-seeded Andy Roddick of the United States faced Tommy Haas of Germany in the late match. Murray s place in the singles draw was taken by lucky loser Marco Chiudinelli, a childhood friend of Federer, who lost 6-2, 7-6 (7) to Haase. In a first-round match between two qualifiers, Lukasz Kubot of Poland beat Tobias Kamke of Germany, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2. The 61st-ranked Kubot will face Djokovic in the second round on Thursday. Marcos Baghdatis advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating 327th-ranked Swiss qualifier Michael Lammer 7-6 (2), 6-7 (2), 6-3. The Cypriot is a likely crowd pleasing matchup for Djokovic on Friday.

US Air Force cutting 9,000 jobs now, more later

Posted:

More reductions in US Air Force will come later as part of a military-wide effort to adjust to a new era of defense spending cuts. "We clearly understand the turbulence these and future reductions will cause in the work force," Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, the Air Force chief of staff, said in an announcement that triggered criticism by members of Congress from states affected by the changes. Schwartz said the Air Force would try hard to achieve the job reductions through attrition and other management moves to avoid forced layoffs. After growing rapidly for a decade, the Pentagon budget is headed for substantial reductions. The Obama administration is committed to cuts of between $450 billion and $465 billion over the next 12 years and cuts approximately double that size could be imposed depending on the outcome of congressional budget negotiations. The Air Force did not spell out the full range of its planned job reductions but said a portion would come from a reorganization of the command that is its largest employer of civilians, the Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. That command s restructuring is to be done by October 2012. The Air Force said the Materiel Command will not be the only major command affected by the cutbacks, but it mentioned no others. It said workers "Air Force-wide" will be informed of changes in the next several days. The Air Force has bases around the world, with tens of thousands of airmen and civilians in Europe alone. The announced moves will cut 9,000 civilian positions in management, staff and support at several bases. The Air Force says separately it plans to add 5,900 positions in other, higher-priority areas like weapons buying, nuclear weapons management and the expanding field of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. It offered no details on that expansion. Brig. Gen. Gina Grosso, the Air Force director of manpower, said officials are still working on details of how to reduce by a further 4,500 civilian jobs. "There is more work to be done," to achieve savings, she said.

Ferrer marches on in Valencia

Posted:

Top seed and hometown boy David Ferrer eased into the quarter-finals of the ATP Valencia Open 500 tournament here on Wednesday beating Canadian qualifier Vasek Pospisil 6-3, 6-3. Ferrer, ranked five in the world, will play Russian veteran Nickolay Davydenko in Friday s quarter-final. Davydenko, currently ranked 36 in the world, was due to play Nicolas Mahut on Wednesday in a second round match, but the Frenchman had to withdraw due to a family bereavement.

Squash: Teran stuns Grinham in World Open

Posted:

Samantha Teran, the first Mexican ever to reach the world s top 20, suggested she may go higher still by ending former world champion Rachael Grinham s chances of winning the title back. And the 15th seeded underdog did just that with a 4-11, 11-2, 11-3, 12-10 win over the deftly-skilled, highly experienced Australian who won the title four years ago in Madrid and was seeded number three at the World Open championships here Wednesday. Teran achieved this, her first victory over Grinham and the best win of her career, despite a fraught finish to the contest. During its climax she was refused a let after deliberately not hitting the ball, then warned for not playing the ball, and eventually given a conduct warning for taking out her frustration on the racket. But Teran also showed a lot of discipline, maintaining a high pace, keeping the ball tight and deep enough to elicit short balls from Grinham, and doing plenty of damage with fast boasts, projected fiercely off the sidewalls to just above the tin. "I played very good today - I kept thinking I can do this," said Teran, who is helped part-time by Liz Irving, the Australian who coaches Nicol David, the five times world champion from Malaysia. Grinham, whose younger sister Natalie will try to reach Thursday s quarter-finals, was a little below par, finding it hard to put the ball away on a warm court, and leaving it short more often than usual. Teran next plays Dipika Pallikal, who later became another surprise quarter-finalist when she became the first Indian to make the last eight of a World Open. The 20-year-old from Chennai won 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 against Kanzy El Defrawy, the Egyptian qualifier who had upset her compatriot Omneya Abdel Kawy, last year s World Open runner-up. Pallikal, who last month reached the world s top 20 for the first time, struck the ball very cleanly and looked well capable of climbing  further up the rankings.

Israel sending signals of Iranian attack

Posted:

An Israeli official said Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to persuade his Cabinet to authorize a military strike against Iran s suspected nuclear weapons programme a discussion that comes as Israel successfully tests a missile believed capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to Iran. It remained unclear whether Israel was genuinely poised to strike or if it was saber-rattling to prod the international community into taking a tougher line on Iran. Israeli leaders have long hinted at a military option, but they always seemed mindful of the practical difficulties, the likelihood of a furious counterstrike and the risk of regional mayhem. The developments unfolded as the International Atomic Energy Agency is due to focus on the Iranian programme at a meeting later this month. The West wants to set a deadline for Iran to start cooperating with an agency probe of suspicions that Tehran is secretly experimenting with components of a weapons programme. Israeli leaders have said they favour a diplomatic solution, but recent days have seen a spate of Israeli media reports on a possible strike, accompanied by veiled threats from top politicians. In a speech to parliament this week, Netanyahu said a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a "dire threat" to the world and "a grave, direct threat on us, too." His hawkish foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, was dismissive of the reports but added: "We are keeping all the options on the table." The government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing sensitive internal deliberations, told The Associated Press that the option is now being debated at the highest levels. The official confirmed a report Wednesday in the Haaretz daily that Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak both favour an attack, but do not yet have the support of a majority of Cabinet ministers. The official also said Israel s top security chiefs, including the heads of the military and Mossad spy agency, oppose military action. It is generally understood that such a momentous decision would require a Cabinet decision. Israel s 1981 destruction of Iraq s nuclear reactor was preceded by a Cabinet vote. Netanyahu spokesman Mark Regev refused to comment on the issue but did say there is a "decision-making process which has stood the test of time. ... There have been precedents, and the process works."

Deserters kill 15 security personnel: Syria activists

Posted:

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that a group of deserters blew up a device as a military van and a vehicle passed by in Al-Madiq area, killing seven soldiers. Eight other security personnel were killed in a similar attack on a convoy carrying security agents and pro-regime militiamen on the road between Qaalet al-Madiq and Sqailbiyeh, it said in a statement received in Nicosia. The Observatory said the attacks were carried out "in response to the massacre of 11 workers" earlier the same day by a pro-regime group in Homs, another province in central Syria. The gunmen stormed a factory in the restive province, killing the 11, while security forces shot dead eight civilians in several Homs neighbourhoods, the rights watchdog said. The Syrian Free Army, an armed opposition group which a senior defector, Colonel Riad al-Asaad, said from neighbouring Turkey was being formed in July, claimed responsibility for the Sqailbiyeh attack, in a Tweeter message. It said the attack killed six and wounded 20 others.

Karzai seeks help from neighbours to combat 'terror'

Posted:

Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned Wednesday there would be no hope for peace in his war-ravaged nation without help from its neighbours, particularly Pakistan, to combat "terror groups". Karzai was speaking at a one-day conference in Istanbul where more than a dozen nations -- including key neighbours Pakistan and Iran -- signed up to a deal to cooperate in bringing security and stability to Afghanistan. "Terrorist networks are by far the major threat to Afghanistan s security," Karzai said at the talks aimed at mapping out his country s future after the departure of Western troops in 2014. "They continue to have sanctuaries outside of our border from where they conduct their merciless campaign of destruction," he said. "Unless regional cooperation is assured to address the core and root of this issue peace in Afghanistan will remain elusive." Wednesday s talks, held almost 10 years after the Taliban militia were driven out of power in Kabul by a US-led coalition, brought together representatives from some two dozen countries as well as international organisations such as NATO, the EU and the United Nations. A decade on, the hardline Islamists remain a deadly force in Afghanistan, continuing to wage attacks against Afghan, US and NATO forces and Kabul s efforts to bring the Taliban into peace talks have so far been in vain. Kabul, like Washington, has complained that Islamabad is not doing enough against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants who have found refuge in Pakistani tribal areas on the Afghan border. "Our hope is that, with the help from our brothers in Pakistan, we will manage to wean away the Taliban leadership from some of the long-established networks of support they enjoy outside Afghanistan and integrate them into the peace process," Karzai said. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced that 13 countries had signed up to a package of "confidence-building measures" for cooperation in fields including security, reconstruction and health and the fight against "terrorism" and drug trafficking. "This is the commitment of regional and international actors to work together and rebuild Afghanistan until peace and stability prevails," Davutoglu said at a press conference with Afghan counterpart Zalmai Rassoul. US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns hailed the agreement as "the first clear, region-wide statement of support for Afghanistan in this time of transition and reconciliation." The signatories included Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, according to a conference statement.

US ready to sell F-35 fighter to India: Pentagon

Posted:

The United States would be prepared to sell India the new F-35 fighter jet, the Pentagon said Wednesday, after New Delhi rejected a US offer of older aircraft in a major competition this year. In a report to Congress on US defense ties with India, the Pentagon said India was a vital partner and that Washington wanted to bolster security cooperation with New Delhi, including joint exercises and high-tech arms sales. In the first round of a contest for a combat aircraft contract, India in April shortlisted France s Dassault and the European Eurofighter consortium while rejecting the US offer of F-16 and F-18 jets. "Despite this setback, we believe US aircraft, such as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), to be the best in the world," said the Pentagon report, referring to the radar-evading F-35 jet. "Should India indicate interest in the JSF, the United States would be prepared to provide information on the JSF and its requirements... to support India s future planning," it said. Mindful of China s rise and growing military reach, President Barack Obama has placed a high priority on deepening ties with India. The US-India defense relationship has expanded rapidly over the past decade and the administration sees India as a natural partner and global "player," Robert Scher, deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia, told reporters. India has made no request for more information on the F-35 but the US invitation was "an example of the high regard that we hold India s military modernization," Scher said. In the April contest for a new multi-role fighter for India, Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon beat out US aerospace giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin as well as Sweden s Saab AB and the Russian makers of the MiG 35. The US report noted that India is working with Russia on developing a fifth-generation fighter aircraft. The Pentagon touts the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as the premier fifth-generation fighter equipped with stealth technology, but the programme faces rising costs, with a price tag of nearly $150 million each.

ICC stilll negotiating surrender terms with Gaddafi son

Posted:

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has "received questions from individuals linked to Seif al-Islam about the legal conditions attaching to his potential surrender," chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told the UN Security Council. Moreno-Ocampo highlighted fears that mercenaries were trying to help Gaddafi s heir-apparent to escape. He also said it was possible Libya s new government could be given jurisdiction in the case against Seif and Abdullah al-Senussi, the late dictator s brother-in-law and intelligence chief. The ICC issued warrants on June 27 against Gaddafi, Seif and Senussi on June 27 accusing them of crimes against humanity during the crackdown against Libyan protests. Charges against Gaddafi could be formally dropped when the court gets official proof of the strongman s killing on October 20, the prosecutor said. The son and brother-in-law have not been seen since and Moreno-Ocampo said his office was "galvanizing efforts" to bring Seif and Senussi to justice.

White House wants 'unanimity' on euro at G20

Posted:

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the situation would be a key subject of discussion at the talks in Cannes beginning Thursday. "Our goal is for there to be unanimity of purpose coming out of the G20," he said. "The events in Greece... underscore the need for Europe to come together and to unite behind conclusive action that resolves this crisis," Carney said hours before President Barack Obama leaves for France. "Clearly Europe is a high priority right now," he said. Meanwhile, European leaders were to meet Wednesday in the French riviera city to try to restore calm on the eve of the summit, following the Greek prime minister s announcement that he would hold a debt rescue referendum --  raising the spectre of Greece leaving the eurozone. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, top EU leaders and the head of the International Monetary Fund were set to meet with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou to discuss the implications of his referendum plan. "France and Germany decided to convoke George Papandreou to explain the situation before the G20" meeting of advanced economies on Thursday and Friday in Cannes, a French government official said. "We have to act quickly."

Current NEWS

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

No comments:

Post a Comment