Disciplined New Zealand claw back into reckoning

BARBADOS: New Zealand faced an extended session with West Indies sitting on a useful overnight foundation. Starting well was imperative and the visitors did that in addition to sticking to their plans. West Indies were 53 runs from eclipsing the lead, and lunch was minutes away when they suffered their biggest blow with the dogged Shivnarine Chanderpaul becoming the third victim of the morning.

Inventive fields and consistency from the bowlers made for an absorbing session. The abrasive pitch sapped most of the pace off the ball and the search for wickets led Brendon McCullum to play hot potato with his close-in fielders. It started with twin gullies for Darren Bravo, then twin short covers, and as the batsman continued to drive on the up, a third short cover.

Bravo took on the challenge. Two fours were conceded before Neil Wagner duped him with a slower ball that drew him a little too far outside the off stump. Williamson at gully completed a good catch and the visitors celebrated an astute plan coming off.

Wagner and Tim Southee were adamant in keeping the ball up to the batsman. If the ball stopped in the pitch, silly mid-ons and short midwickets lay in wait for the miscued drive. The short ball was used as a surprise weapon as Chanderpaul found out against Wagner, whose accuracy was remarkable.

It did help New Zealand that even set batsmen like Kirk Edwards had trouble regaining their stride. He had to contend with the bowlers targeting the stumps. His strokeplay was restrained and a simple defensive push skimmed across the turf to usher him to his half-century. However, pushing on from the mark has been a problem in recent times. The last three times he had reached this far, he could not reach 60. Southee ensured the continuation of that trend by generating reverse swing in his second spell. The flick off the legs ended up as a leading edge that swirled in the air before Hamish Rutherford held a well-judged catch.

Trent Boult was held back until the 10th over of the morning and extracted some zip off the deck. He enjoyed a hint of reverse swing as well and almost had Chanderpaul caught at short midwicket.

New Zealand created opportunities and if they couldn't they kept things tight. They would know West Indies' tail is long and traditionally brittle. The onus now is on the captain Denesh Ramdin to regain lost ground.

US warns Russia against sending troops into Ukraine

WASHINGTON: The United States warned Friday it would not accept any use of Russian troops in Ukraine as it confirmed that Moscow had redeployed "significant" military forces near the border.

"We are monitoring the situation carefully. We will not accept the use, under any pretext, of any Russian military forces in eastern Ukraine," said Josh Earnest, a White House spokesman.

"Reports from Moscow that the Russian defense ministry is considering creating military cordons in eastern Ukraine are also troubling.

"A Russian defense ministry source told RBK news agency this week that troops were prepared to enter Ukraine´s insurgent regions in order to "put up barriers between the civilian population and the Ukrainian army.

"Ukrainian officials have separately told EU and G7 teams in Kiev that they have evidence of 10 additional tanks and sealed trucks coming over the border close to Lugansk in the past 24 hours.

"We have our own information that Russia has redeployed military forces to its border with Ukraine," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.

"This is the closest Russian troops have come to the Ukrainian territory since their invasion of Crimea.

"Moscow has annexed the southern Ukrainian peninsula, after invading the territory earlier this year.

Ukraine´s Western-backed President Petro Poroshenko meanwhile declared a weeklong unilateral ceasefire to give pro-Russian rebels a chance to disarm and released a sweeping peace plan for curbing the uprising.

The 14-point initiative came after two calls made by Poroshenko to Russian strongman Vladimir Putin to try to garner his support.

The US Treasury Department blacklisted seven Ukraine separatists, saying their activities threaten the peace and sovereignty of the country.

Topping the list was Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, the rebel leader in the eastern separatist stronghold of Slavyansk whose group kidnapped observers from the European security body OSCE in May and continues to hold them.

The US is "confident" that Moscow sent tanks and rocket launchers last week from the deployment site in southwest Russia into eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian separatists are fighting to break away Kiev, Psaki said.

Washington has information that "additional tanks have been prepared for departure" at the same site, she added, saying artillery had also been gathered at a deployment site.

No charges before probe into Indian weapons: FO

 

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson on Thursday said that Pakistan did not want to level allegations before proper investigations regarding the use of Indian-made weapons in the terrorist attack on Karachi Airport.
She took exception to being questioned on a statement by the interior minister who had said that weapons found in Karachi were from India.“First of all, it is improper of you to come here and ask me to comment on the statement of a federal minister. I didn’t comment on the source of the weapons used in the Karachi attack. What I said was that the matter is being investigated. When we have the results of the investigations, we will proceed from there,” she clarified.

To queries about Uzbeks and Tajiks being involved in the attack on Karachi airport, and Indian-made ammunition being seized, the spokesperson said that investigations were still going on and she did not want to make allegations without proper investigations.

“Terrorism is an issue that Pakistan and India discuss in their official interactions,” she said.Pakistan condemned the two incidents of US drone strikes, the first this year, which, according to media reports, saw Uzbek and Afghan militants being taken out.

The US drone strikes come immediately after several strikes by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in retaliation to terrorist attacks in different cities of Pakistan.

“The government of Pakistan condemns the two incidents of US drone strikes that took place near Miranshah in North Waziristan on 11 and 12 June. These strikes are a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Additionally, these strikes have a negative impact on the government’s efforts to bring peace and stability in Pakistan and the region”, spokesperson at the Foreign Office confirmed after the weekly media briefing.

Meanwhile as Afghanistan readies for the second round of Presidential elections on Saturday, Pakistan says that it is taking additional measures to ‘beef up’ security along the border as it supports all efforts for a free and peaceful electoral process.

“Our authorities are taking additional measures for the second round of elections, including by retaining additional troops for this purpose. The measures include enhanced vigilance and security along the border, enhanced patrolling in close border/border crossing areas, enhanced checking by immigration staff, enhanced communication through existing coordination and cooperation mechanism and availability of hotline contact with Afghan counterparts,” said the spokesperson.

Congratulating the people of Afghanistan the spokesperson said that as a “close neighbour and fraternal nation, Pakistan stands committed to supporting the Afghan people in every possible way in their quest for peace and progress”.

You know the background of the presence of foreigners in Pakistani tribal areas. It goes back to 30 years and they still move to and fro.Obviously, terrorism is posing threat to all the countries. This is a menace which harms our people and our interests. This is a subject that is discussed when leaders meet.

On the issue of an abducted Chinese national and reports that he would be exchanged with a Taliban prisoner, the spokesperson said that she was unaware of prisoner swap.“We have said from this forum that we condemn this kidnapping.The government of Punjab has formed two or three teams to investigate this matter. It is our priority that the Chinese national is recovered safe and sound and at the earliest,” she said.

Djokovic makes it back into French Open final

PARIS: Novak Djokovic worked his way back into the French Open final, taking care of Ernests Gulbis and his big serve 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 Friday on the first sunny day of this year´s tournament.

The second-seeded Serb was able to control the pace of the match on Court Philippe Chatrier while letting Gulbis´ unforced errors mount.

The powerful Latvian, who was playing in his first Grand Slam semifinal, finished with 44 errors.

Djokovic is a six-time major champion who needs to win the title at the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam.

He also reached the final at Roland Garros in 2012, but lost to eight-time champion Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic will next face either Nadal or Andy Murray in Sunday´s final.

Djokovic was first to get into trouble in the first semifinal, but he managed to save two break points and hold to 2-2 in the opening set.

A few minutes later, he was ahead for good. Djokovic needed three attempts to earn his first break of the match, and he finally got it when Gulbis sent one of his many forehands long.

It was also in that game that Gulbis had his first of five double-faults. His second double came in the final game of the set, when Djokovic broke again. And his third came when trailing Djokovic 4-3 in the second, when the Serb broke yet again. "I´m not used to (playing) these kind of big matches," Gulbis said. "It´s just normal I felt extra nervous and extra tense."

Gulbis fared better in the third set. He again had two break points while leading 3-2, but again failed to win the game. However, he didn´t waste his chance two games later, breaking Djokovic to take a 5-3 lead before serving out the set with his 11th ace.

The two traded breaks early in the fourth set, and Djokovic broke again to lead 5-3 when Gulbis, again double-faulting once in the game, sent a backhand long.

Djokovic won the last game at love. "It was a struggle out there," Gulbis said. "I felt maybe throughout the match I hit five really clean shots, from either side, backhand or forehand. Even serve."

After nearly two weeks of overcast skies and cool temperatures, the sun was shining on center court and Djokovic and Gulbis were more interested in staying cool than staying warm.

Both players used ice wrapped in towels around their necks, like players often do at the sweltering Australian Open, as the temperature reached 28 degrees C (82 degrees F) on Friday.

Djokovic is now 5-1 against Gulbis, a 25-year-old player who as a teen showed the potential for becoming a star. But Gulbis has said recently that he is only now playing his best tennis, and only because he has decided to leave the party lifestyle behind and focus on his sport.

He certainly showed that at Roland Garros.Gulbis had reached the quarterfinals at a major only once before, and that was way back in 2008 at the French Open.

In that match, he also lost to Djokovic, but in straight sets. This year, he eliminated 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the fourth round and sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals. "The more I play these kind of matches, the more I´m going to get used to these situations," Gulbis said. "For me, I take only the positive stuff out of it. Yeah, I need to be in these situations once, twice, three times, and then I can maybe make that extra step."

Djokovic, however, is playing even better. He has won three titles so far this season, and has beaten Nadal the last four times they have played, including on clay in the final in Rome last month. (AFP)

Puppy drives car into Massachusetts pond

CANTON: After going for a walk, a German shepherd puppy owned by a Massachusetts man decided to go for a drive - straight into a pond.

John Costello tells WFXT-TV that his 12-week-old puppy, Rosie, was so excited Sunday after going for a walk at Bolivar Pond in Canton that she jumped in his running car, hit the gear stick and shifted into drive, before falling onto the gas pedal and sending the car careening into the water.

A couple of passers-by saw the commotion and helped Costello rescue Rosie. Nobody was injured, but Costello says the Dodge Neon is a total loss.

The 911 call surprised even police. Officer Robert Quirk says he has never heard of a dog driving into a pond.

KKR win toss, put KXIP into bat in IPL final

BANGALORE: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Gautam Gambhir won the toss and elected to field against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the final of the Indian Premier League here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.

The KKR would go in to the IPL final with a slight edge over Kings XI Punjab. They won the title two years ago, they are on a eight-match winning streak and they have beaten Kings XI twice in three matches this season.

The KXIP made one change, bringing in Balaji for Sandeep while KKR go unchanged.

Teams:
KKR: RV Uthappa (wk), G Gambhir (captain), MK Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, YK Pathan, RN ten Doeschae, SA Yadav, PP Chawla, SP Narine, M Morkel, UT Yadav.

KXIP: V Sehwag, M Vohra, WP Saha (wk), GJ Maxwell, DA Miller, GJ Bailey (captain), AR Patel, MG Johnson, L Balaji, Karanveer Singh, P Awana.

KKR win toss, put KXIP into bat in IPL final

BANGALORE: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Gautam Gambhir won the toss and elected to field against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the final of the Indian Premier League here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.

The KKR would go in to the IPL final with a slight edge over Kings XI Punjab. They won the title two years ago, they are on a eight-match winning streak and they have beaten Kings XI twice in three matches this season.

The KXIP made one change, bringing in Balaji for Sandeep while KKR go unchanged.

Teams:
KKR: RV Uthappa (wk), G Gambhir (captain), MK Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, YK Pathan, RN ten Doeschae, SA Yadav, PP Chawla, SP Narine, M Morkel, UT Yadav.

KXIP: V Sehwag, M Vohra, WP Saha (wk), GJ Maxwell, DA Miller, GJ Bailey (captain), AR Patel, MG Johnson, L Balaji, Karanveer Singh, P Awana

‘Jobless politicians’ want to lure Imran into cage: Pervaiz

LAHORE: In an obvious reference to the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid on Saturday said those meeting in London were politically jobless people and they were luring Imran Khan into their cage.

Speaking to media persons here, he said the remnants of Musharraf were trying to bring together the associates of the former military dictator.

“These people are luring Imran Khan into their cage but he is scared of entering it,” the minister said.

Downplaying Friday’s meeting between Qadri and the Chaudhry brothers in London, the minister said: “It is a waste of time to comment on Dr Qadri and the Chaudhry brothers meeting. One can never enter parliament while the other cannot become an opposition,” he observed.

He said Imran had become isolated politically that’s why he was relying on rejected elements like the Chaudhrys of Gujrat and a Canadian national Tahirul Qadri.

To a question, he said Sheikh Rasheed was a ticket-less passenger, who would be checked by Khawaja Saad Rafique.

The information minister said the government would decide on the removal of Musharraf’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL) after the court ruling.

The minister said Imran Khan had no idea of national politics and wanted to fight with those the government was holding talks. He said Imran was obsessed with the issue of four constituencies. He said Imran had not mentioned the Kashmir issue in his speeches or public rallies yet.

David Ferrer into French Open 3rd round

PARIS: Fifth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain comfortably advanced to the third round of the French Open by beating Italy´s Simone Bolelli 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 Thursday.

Ferrer, last year´s runner-up to Rafael Nadal, broke Bolleli´s serve five times and saved all four break points he faced.

Also, 19th-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa beat Frenchman Axel Michon 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, and American Donald Young won 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-3 against No. 26 Feliciano Lopez of Spain.

Eight-time champion Rafael Nadal of Spain was playing Dominic Thiem of Austria, while seventh-seeded Andy Murray took on Marinko Matosevic later Thursday.

Knight Riders ease into IPL final

KOLKATA: Robin Uthappa prolonged a stellar season and took the record for the most runs scored by an Indian batsman in an IPL season. Gautam Gambhir, though scratchy with the bat, had helmed an impressive turnaround by Kolkata Knight Riders.

Knight Riders eased into the IPL final, Uthappa found a place for the ODI tour of Bangladesh and Gambhir could contemplate a Test comeback in England.

The jitters began when Manan Vohra, empowered by a few solid hits, miscued to long-on. His 26 off 19 had originally put Kings XI ahead on the rain rule but now they were four runs behind par. Glenn Maxwell's attempts to dance around the crease to upset the bowler's rhythm backfired when he was found plumb in front. Kings XI were 11 behind and the downward spiral steepened.

Umesh Yadav was not among those bound for England in July. His chosen way to vent was an opening spell of 2 for 12 in three overs. As rain persisted, the batsmen were uncertain regarding the length of the match and the approach they should employ. If they took undue risks and the game ended up lasting the 20 overs, they could end up without enough batsmen. If they didn't press on, Knight Riders would clinch the game with ease.

Wriddhiman Saha and David Miller flailed at the crease, attempting to hit on the up and hack across the line, and by the time their struggle came to an end their side was more than 20 runs behind the Duckworth-Lewis equation.

Sikh protesters break into Parliament Housev

 

ISLAMABAD: Members of the Senate remained confined to the four walls of the upper house of parliament for three hours on Friday afternoon when Sikh community members broke into the Parliament House premises, unnoticed by the law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
Breaking all security checks and barricades, over 300 Sikh community members entered the premises of the Parliament House, despite the presence of a large contingent of police, to lodge their protest against the desecration of their holy book in Sindh.

Clarifying their position, the deputy commissioner and SSP Islamabad claimed that under an understanding, the district administration and the police had allowed the Sikh community members to hold a peaceful demonstration in front of the Islamabad Press Club but they violated the agreement.

The district administration, the Security Division and operational police passed the buck to each other but security experts pointed the finger at the Security Division and intelligence agencies.

“It was a failure of intelligence agencies first and thenthe Security Division is responsible for the serious negligence,” the officer said. The Parliament House security operators termed it the negligence of the district administration, the Security Division and operational police.

Police sources said about 300 Sikh community members reached Islamabad from Nankana Sahib (Hassan Abdal) on two buses when the police were battling the PTI protesters who were trying to enter the Red Zone.

The Sikh community members parked their buses at the Dhokri Chowk and marched towards the Parliament House and crossed the Serena check-post in the presence of 17 cops. The protesters entered the Red Zone from the Serena Hotel side and marched all the way down to the Parliament House through two kilometres of the Constitution Avenue housing the Diplomatic Enclave, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, Election Commission of Pakistan and the Supreme Court of Pakistan and finally entered the Parliament House facing no resistance from the police force.

When this correspondent contacted SSP Operations Mohammad Ali Naikokara for comments, he said the operational police were engaged with the PTI’s violent protest near Nadra when the Sikh community members entered the Red Zone and marched towards the Parliament House. He said though it was the responsibility of the Security Division, the operational police could intercept the rally but they were engaged with the PTI rally.

Meanwhile, Senate Chairman Syed Nayyer Hussain Bukhari and Acting Speaker National Assembly Murtaza Javed Abbasi took notice of the Sikh community’s protest and sought a report from the Ministry of Interior and IGP Islamabad on the security lapse.

When the protesting Sikhs entered the Parliament House premises, Opposition Leader in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan and PPP’s Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, along with the opposition parties, were addressing a press conference. Seeing the protesters entering the premises, they stopped their press conference and moved into the Parliament House.

The protesters declared that multiple incidents of desecration of their holy book had taken place in different areas of the Sindh province during the last few weeks. They refused to leave the premises until the prime minister and interior minister assured them of an early arrest of culprits. They also called for protection in Sindh and other towns of Pakistan.

Later, after negotiations with the local administration, the Sikh protesters agreed to end their protest.Meanwhile, sources in the National Assembly told this reporter that SP Security, Islamabad, appeared before the acting speaker after the incident and told him that the police did not opt for baton charge as a sign of respect to the minorities. However, sources said Murtaza Javed Abbasi did not agree with the SP and told him that it was the third incidence of breach of the Parliament House’s security.

Meanwhile, IGP Aftab Cheema suspended SP Habibullah Khan Niazi, three DSPs, Khalid Virk, Safeer Hussain and Fida Satti, and two SHOs Sattar Shah (Bhara Kahu) and Abdur Rehman, making them scapegoats.

IBM deepens move into computer defense

SAN FRANCISCO: IBM on Monday moved deeper into defending business computers with a new service aimed at thwarting hackers before they do damage.

"The need for security to become part of our strategy has been natural," IBM vice president of security strategy Marc van Zadelhoff told AFP.

The century-old business technology titan made a priority of defending computer networks about two years ago, unifying resources from more than a dozen security firms it acquired.

IBM's computer security unit has been "growing like gangbusters," according to van Zadelhoff.

According to industry tracker IDC, IBM significantly outpaced overall computer protection company market growth and last year was the third largest seller of cyber defense software.

IBM on Monday ramped up its offerings with a Threat Protection System and a Critical Data Protection Program.

Introduction of the new cyber security weapons came with the release of IBM-funded Ponemon Institute studies showing that the number of hacker attacks is climbing along with the cost.

The average cost of a hack to a business has risen 15 percent to $6.2 million including lost revenue and productivity, according to Ponemon findings released by IBM.

The Critical Data Protection program uses an array of techniques to safeguard the data equivalent of a company's "crown jewels," according to van Zadelhoff.

IBM has tapped into intelligence about threats and hacker tactics from computer networks it cares for around the world.

Defensive technics go beyond maintaining watch-lists for known malicious codes to identifying when applications in networks act unusually and then pouncing to see whether hacker mischief is the cause.

“Traditional methods of prevention have often failed, leaving many to believe detection is the only way forward," IBM security systems general manager Brendan Hannigan said in a release.

"You must be able to prevent exploitations of known and unknown vulnerabilities

Robertson moves into world quarter-finals

SHEFFIELD, United Kingdom: Australia´s Neil Robertson booked his place in the quarter-finals of this year´s World Championships with a 13-7 win over Mark Allen on Monday only to barely miss out on a notable landmark.

The world number one was left stranded on 99 competitive century breaks for the season, with Robertson still one shy of becoming the first man to compile 100 hundreds in a single tour campaign.

Melbourne-born Robertson, the 2010 world champion, resumed with an overnight 9-7 lead and then made breaks of 59 and 69 to pull further in front against his Northern Irish opponent.

Remarkably, Robertson succumbed to something akin to cricket´s ´nervous nineties´ in the next two frames when he missed pots after recording breaks of 94 and 92 respectively, although both those efforts were more than enough to be frame-winners.

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry was in the commentary box and Robertson, who long ago surpassed Judd Trump´s record of 63 hundreds in a tour season, was disappointed not to have reached his 100th century in front of the Scottish snooker great.

Robertson will play Trump in the last eight after the Englishman defeated Wales´s Ryan Day 13-7.

Former champion Shaun Murphy will take on title-holder Ronnie O´Sullivan in the last eight after completing a 13-8 win over Hong Kong´s Marco Fu.Resuming at 9-7, 2005 world champion Murphy won the first three frames of Monday´s evening session before Fu halted his chance with a break of 92 only for the Englishman to win the next and set up a clash with O´Sullivan, bidding for a sixth world title.

Earlier on Monday, Wales´s Dominic Dale took the frame he needed to secure a 13-4 win over Michael Wasley, the shock first-round conqueror of China´s Ding Junhui.Dale will play Barry Hawkins, last year´s losing finalist, in the quarter-finals, with the remaining last-eight tie seeing veteran Alan McManus up against Mark Selby. (AFP)

Robertson moves into world quarter-finals

SHEFFIELD, United Kingdom: Australia´s Neil Robertson booked his place in the quarter-finals of this year´s World Championships with a 13-7 win over Mark Allen on Monday only to barely miss out on a notable landmark.

The world number one was left stranded on 99 competitive century breaks for the season, with Robertson still one shy of becoming the first man to compile 100 hundreds in a single tour campaign.

Melbourne-born Robertson, the 2010 world champion, resumed with an overnight 9-7 lead and then made breaks of 59 and 69 to pull further in front against his Northern Irish opponent.

Remarkably, Robertson succumbed to something akin to cricket´s ´nervous nineties´ in the next two frames when he missed pots after recording breaks of 94 and 92 respectively, although both those efforts were more than enough to be frame-winners.

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry was in the commentary box and Robertson, who long ago surpassed Judd Trump´s record of 63 hundreds in a tour season, was disappointed not to have reached his 100th century in front of the Scottish snooker great.

Robertson will play Trump in the last eight after the Englishman defeated Wales´s Ryan Day 13-7.

Former champion Shaun Murphy will take on title-holder Ronnie O´Sullivan in the last eight after completing a 13-8 win over Hong Kong´s Marco Fu.Resuming at 9-7, 2005 world champion Murphy won the first three frames of Monday´s evening session before Fu halted his chance with a break of 92 only for the Englishman to win the next and set up a clash with O´Sullivan, bidding for a sixth world title.

Earlier on Monday, Wales´s Dominic Dale took the frame he needed to secure a 13-4 win over Michael Wasley, the shock first-round conqueror of China´s Ding Junhui.Dale will play Barry Hawkins, last year´s losing finalist, in the quarter-finals, with the remaining last-eight tie seeing veteran Alan McManus up against Mark Selby. (AFP)

PM orders judicial inquiry into attack on Hamid Mir

 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday ordered a judicial inquiry into the attack on senior journalist and Geo news anchorperson Hamid Mir.
In this regard, the prime minister decided to constitute a three-member judicial commission to probe the murder attempt on Hamid Mir. A formal request would be sent to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to nominate three members of the commission.

The government also announced a reward of Rs10 million for any information leading to the arrest of the culprits.Meanwhile, journalists and civil society members held countrywide protest demonstrations against the attack on Hamid Mir and demanded of the government to take immediate measures to provide protection to journalists.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists, and the National Press Club held a protest demonstration against the attack on Hamid Mir and demanded the arrest of the culprits involved in the attack.

Journalists of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad gathered in front of the Press Club and called for providing security to the journalist community. Speaking on the occasion, leaders of the journalist community said freedom of the press could not be muzzled through such cowardly attacks.

They demanded that the culprits involved in the attack on Hamid Mir should be brought to justice at the earliest.The journalists prayed for the early recovery of Hamid Mir and paid tributes to him for his professionalism and dedication.

Meanwhile, journalists, politicians, lawyers, intellectuals and notables from civil society along with a large number of people protested against the attack on Hamid Mir at the Lahore Press Club.

The protest was jointly called by the Lahore Press Club, Punjab Union of Journalists, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Electronic Media Reporters Association, Electronic Media Cameramen Association and Photojournalists Association.

The protesters were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans against curbs on the freedom of press. They demanded that the inquiry into the incident be made public and those responsible be given exemplary punishment.

Geo Lahore Bureau Chief Khawar Naeem Hashmi said journalists had braved the most excruciating tortures and life-threatening situations in Pakistan which continued to be among the most dangerous countries for journalists. But it had not deterred media persons from performing their duties. He said Hamid Mir had always been the torch-bearer of truth and journalism.

Imtiaz Alam and Asma Jahangir said the situation was now beyond the limit of endurance and the role of the security apparatus and agencies in deciding who was a patriot would not be allowed any more. They said even if the agencies were not involved in the attack, they should bring to justice the responsible persons and any lapse in this regard would reek of their involvement.

IA Rahman, Najam Sethi and Jugnu Mohsin said the attack on Hamid Mir would not be allowed to become another Saleem Shahzad case, the results of which were never shared and those responsible were never brought to justice. They said it was unacceptable that anyone could dictate through bullets what the media should report or not.

They said the matter was a test case for the government because it would decide if the actors behind the brutal act would be deterred or encouraged.PTI leaders Shafqat Mahmood, Andaleeb Abbas and Ejaz Chaudhry also participated in the protest as did the PPP’s social media team. They condemned the attack and prayed for the speedy recovery of Hamid Mir while assuring that they would stand with the media and for freedom of the press.

Hina Jilani while condemning the attack said absolute transparency was required in the investigation and it was imperative that the results of the probe be compiled as soon as possible.In Nankana Sahib, members of the press club and District Union of Journalists took out a rally against the attack on Hamid Mir in Karachi.

The rally started from the press club and concluded at Burewala Chowk. Speaking on the occasion, press club office bearers said that nobody can surpress the voice of rights through cruel actions. They said that the media was the fourth pillar of the state and such cowardly acts cannot stop journalists from doing their duty. They demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits.

Journalists staged a demonstration in Arifwala. They were holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans against the attack. The members of the PML-N, JI, PPP, PTI, Markazi Anjuman-e-Tajran, DBA, PMA and Apca also joined the rally. The speakers strongly condemned the attack on Hamid Mir and demanded a high-level judicial commission to launch an inquiry into the incident.

Journalists and civil society members held protest demonstrations in Bahawalpur and condemned the attack on Hamid Mir.

Journalists also took out a rally in Okara. The rally was led by Okara Press Club president and District Union of Journalists president. The rally started from the OPC and culminated at Gole Chowk. The journalists chanted slogans against the attackers who tried to kill Hamid Mir. They demanded the immediate arrest of the accused persons.

In Pakpattan, members of the press club staged a demonstration. Meanwhile, various politicians including PML-N leader Sardar Mansib Ali Dogar, ex-MNA Mian Ahmad Raza Khan Maneka, PML-Q leader MPA Pir Ahmad Shah Khagga, MPA Mian Naveed Ali, PTI leader Rao Naseem Hashim, PML-N district president Khan Imtiaz Ali Khan, PPP district president Mian Humayun Sarwar Bodla, ex-tehsil nazim Dewan Azmat, PPP leader Mian Naseem Mehmood, PPP leader Rao Jamil Hashim Khan, JI city ameer Rana Abdul Rauf and others condemned the cowardly attack on Hamid Mir and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.

Protest demonstrations against attack on Hamid Mir were also held in Burewala, Lalamusa, Kasur, Hasilpur, Mubarakpur, Bahawalnagar, Haroonabad, Khanpur, Liaqatpur and Rahimyar Khan.

Journalists also held protest demonstration in Karachi and condemned the attack on Hamid Mir.In Naudero, journalists and civil society members staged protest demonstration outside Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Press Club.

The participants of the rally condemned the attack on Hamid Mir and chanted slogans against the government for its failure to arrest the culprits. They were holding banners inscribed with slogans ‘Don’t Kill the Freedom of Expression - Its a right’; ‘Provide security to Journalists - Don’t target them’.

Protest demonstrations were also held in different parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. People, mostly journalists, thronged the streets to register their extreme indignation against the attack on Hamid Mir in Karachi.

20 students injured as school van plunges into ravine in Khanpur

KHANPUR: Twenty children were injured when a school van fell into a ravine in Khanpur on Thursday, Geo News reported.

Rescue sources told that the unfortunate van plunged into a ravine due to over speeding in Khanpur that wounded twenty school-going children out of which five were said to be in critical condition.

Seventeen injured children were shifted to Tehsil Headquarter Hospital, Taxila, two children were transferred to PIMS Hospital, Islamabad due to their serious condition while one was brought to Margalla Hospital, Taxila.

 

Federer eases into Monte Carlo Masters 3rd round

MONACO: Roger Federer eased into the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters after beating veteran Radek Stepanek 6-1, 6-2 in 52 minutes on Wednesday.

Federer, returning to the tournament for the first time since 2011, was in ruthless mood as he raced to 5-0 in 17 minutes.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion improved his record against the 35-year-old Stepanek to 14-2. The Czech has not beaten Federer in six years.

The fourth-seeded Federer next plays another Czech, Lukas Rosol, who beat Frenchman Michael Llodra 6-4, 6-4.Federer has never won Monte Carlo, losing in three straight finals to Rafael Nadal from 2006-08.

Stepanek made a terrible hash of a routine volley at the net as Federer pulled back to deuce in the opening game of the second set. He then broke Stepanek with a forehand pass down the line, before clinching his service game with an athletic overhead backhand smash at the net.

Stepanek, who won their first meeting 12 years ago in Gstaad, only briefly threatened in the sixth game as Federer used his forehand to get out of trouble from 15-40 down.

The eight-time champion Nadal, the top seed, was in action late Wednesday against Russian qualifier Teymuraz Gabashvili, while Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka, seeded third, was to play Marin Cilic of Croatia.

Eighth-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada and No. 10 Fabio Fognini of Italy also advanced to the third round.Raonic rallied to beat Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-1, and Fognini downed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4. (AP)

India orders probe into 'inflammatory' remarks by Modi aide

NEW DELHI: India's election authorities on Friday ordered police to investigate remarks by a top aide of prime ministerial frontrunner Narendra Modi that were allegedly aimed at inciting communal violence.

The powerful Election Commission also barred Modi's aide Amit Shah, 50, from holding public rallies, meetings and roadshows to keep a check on what it called his "undesirable activities".

Shah has been leading the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) general election campaign in the northern Uttar Pradesh state where Hindus dominate but there is a sizeable Muslim community.

The close confidante to Modi has been in the eye of a public storm after he reportedly told several Hindu leaders last week to seek "revenge" at the ballot box.

He was speaking in a part of the state torn apart by deadly Hindu-Muslim violence last September that left some 50 people dead.

The commission also ordered a similar probe into statements by Azam Khan, a leader of the regional Samajwadi Party which is the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh.

Khan reportedly used derogatory language against Modi, who is widely tipped to become India's next prime minister after the marathon elections wind up in May.

The commission said the alleged "provocative" and "highly inflammatory" statements of the two political leaders were "being made with deliberate and malicious intention" of disturbing peace and harmony in the country.

It also criticised the state authorities for not acting against the leaders with the "required alacrity".

The national election campaign, which has largely focused on development, has taken a religious tone in recent days.

Modi, 63, has accused ruling Congress president Sonia Gandhi of failing to deliver on pledges to improve the lives of Muslims, who at 13 per cent of the population are the largest religious minority in India.

Modi, chief minister of the prosperous western state of Gujarat, is reviled by many of India's Muslims due to religious riots that swept the state in 2002 when he began his rule.

At least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed but Modi has denied critics' claims he was slow to curb the bloodshed.

Opinion polls suggest Modi is set to lead the BJP to power after a decade in the political wilderness. He has been campaigning on a promise of reviving the country's battered economy and creating jobs.

The multi-phase elections, which started April 7, will close May 12 with results due four days later.

Baby taken into hiding after attempted murder charge

LAHORE: Relatives of a nine-month old baby charged with attempted murder in Pakistan have taken him into hiding, one said on Tuesday.

Baby Musa Khan appeared in court in the city of Lahore last week, charged with attempted murder along with his father and grandfather after a mob protesting against gas cuts and price increases stoned police and gas company workers trying to collect overdue bills.


"Police are vindictive. Now they are trying to settle the issue on personal grounds, that's why I sent my grandson to Faisalabad for protection," the baby's grandfather, Muhammad Yasin, told Reuters.

The baby is on bail and due to appear at the next hearing on April 12 but Yasin said he was not sure if he would take him to court for the case.

"There is immense pressure on me from various corners," he said.

At his first appearance in court last week, Musa cried while his fingerprints were taken by a court official. Later, the baby sucked on a bottle of milk and tried to grab journalists' microphones as his grandfather spoke to the media.

"He does not even know how to pick up his milk bottle properly, how can he stone the police?" Yasin asked journalists at the court last Thursday.

The baby was apparently charged because an assistant sub-inspector complained in a crime report that Musa's whole family beaten him up and injured his head.

The provincial law minister, Rana Sanaullah Khan, told Reuters that the provincial chief minister had ordered an investigation into the charges against Musa. One policeman had been suspended, he said.

"He has directed police authorities to take action against the officials who booked the infant," he said.

 

Army taken into confidence on release of Taliban prisoners

 

ISLAMABAD: The Army has been taken into confidence on the release of Taliban prisoners, an important source attached to the talks told ‘The News’ here on Sunday.
The sources further said that all the institutions were working in line with the vision of the prime minister to ensure the success of the talks.They informed that the government had received a list of 400 Taliban prisoners. Out of these 400, the release of innocent and non-combatant prisoners had been initiated, the sources stated.

The sources denied that the government had handed over a list to the Taliban for the release of prisoners held by the outfit.They said that none of the two parties held “prisoners of war”. They elaborated that the Taliban abducted sons of Yousuf Raza Gilani and Salman Taseer, and Vice Chancellor Dr Ajmal for ransom. Likewise, the government held the wanted Taliban for creating a law and order situation. Therefore, nothing like an exchange of prisoners was under way, they clarified.

The release of non-combatant Taliban will be accompanied by the arrangement of meetings of the under arrest Taliban with the members of their families and those found innocent will be released on a case-to-case basis, the sources claimed.

It has been made clear to the Taliban that the government has no demand other than the establishment of peace and elimination of terrorism. If these demands of the government are met, the Taliban will be ensured the same rights as other peaceful citizens of the country.

The next phase of the government-Taliban talks will start within two or three days. More measures for building confidence and creating goodwill need to be taken.The decision to cease fire made by Taliban was a difficult one but they were told, “When you threw away the Kalashnikov, the prime minister closed F-16 in the garage.” With the assistance of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made impossible things possible despite facing opposition from institutions, Parliament, the cabinet and his own party.

It was for the first time in 12 years of war on terror that chances for peace increased, as in the initial phase of the talks, the Taliban leadership was told that the sons of important personalities should be released without ransom and they should not demand compensation from the government for killing Taliban.

The sources said that in a meeting of the talks committees of the government and Taliban, chaired by Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan, it was decided to proceed in a cautious way for success of the next round of the negotiation process by doing away with misunderstandings.