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Showing posts with label as. Show all posts

Sunday, 13 July 2014

45 more killed in Gaza as toll reaches 151















GAZA CITY: At least 15 Palestinians were killed in new Israeli strikes on Gaza City late on Saturday, medics in the coastal enclave said.
“At least 15 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on the Tuffah neighbourhood in Gaza City that hit a house and a mosque,” emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said. An earlier toll said 10 were killed.Another 35 were wounded in the same strike, and one more person was killed in southern Gaza´s Rafah that also injured five people, Qudra said.

The new deaths brought the toll in the fifth day of the conflict to 151, with more than 1,000 people wounded.

Earlier, Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip killed 30 people on Saturday, including two severely handicapped women in a care facility, medics said.

The Jewish state kept options open for a possible ground offensive into densely populated Gaza despite international pressure to negotiate a ceasefire in the conflict.

In strikes, eight people were killed in raids on Gaza City, central El-Bureij and northern Jabaliya. They included a woman aged 25, and a 16-year-old, Qudra said.

Earlier, six men were killed in the Sheikh Radwan district of western Gaza City, Qudra said. Aged from 21 to 58, they were sitting outside homes in the area when the strike hit, witnesses said. Neighbours told AFP two nephews of former Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya were among them and named them as Nidal and Alaa al-Malash.

Their deaths followed an early morning strike that killed two women at a charitable association housing the disabled in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza. The women, Suha Abu Saada and Ola Washahi, both had severe mental and physical handicaps, association director Jamila Alaywa said. Four others were wounded in the attack —three residents and a helper, she said.

Another three people were killed in eastern Gaza City and three in an attack on the western side of town.

Earlier, Qudra announced the deaths of eight other Palestinians in raids that hit targets including a bank, two mosques and the houses of Hamas officials. Israel’s military said at least one of the mosques was being used to store weapons.

Israel began Operation Protective Edge on Tuesday in an attempt to halt cross-border rocket fire by militant groups. Gaza militants have fired approximately 525 mortar rounds and rockets that struck Israel, while another 138 rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defence system, the army said on Saturday.

Despite international concern, truce efforts have been unsuccessful, according to Egypt, which has been key in mediating previous ceasefires between Hamas and Israel. “Egypt has communicated with all sides to halt violence against civilians and called on them to continue with the truce agreement signed in November 2012,” the foreign ministry said.

“Former British premier Tony Blair, the envoy for the so-called Quartet of Middle East diplomatic players, flew into Cairo on Saturday for talks on ending the violence.

Ismail Haniya, Gaza’s former premier and the most senior Hamas official in the coastal enclave, ruled out any halt to hostilities. “(Israel) is the one that started this aggression and it must stop, because we are (simply) defending ourselves,” he said.

Israel says preparations are underway for a possible ground incursion, with tanks and artillery massed along the border and some 33,000 reservists mobilised out of 40,000 approved by the cabinet. More armour was seen heading south on Saturday morning.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said he expected a political decision on a possible ground operation by Sunday. “At the moment we are dealing with the first phase air attacks,” he told Channel One television on Friday. “I imagine we shall decide tomorrow (Saturday) or the day after on the next stage.

Kuwait requested an emergency Arab foreign ministers meeting to discuss “the deteriorating situation”, which a diplomat at the Arab League said will be held on Monday.

Israeli strikes on residential buildings in Gaza brought a rebuke from the UN human rights office over civilian casualty toll. “Even when a home is identified as being used for military purposes, any attack must be proportionate and precautions must be taken to protect civilians,” said spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani.

Amnesty International called for the United Nations “to immediately impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups” and launch an enquiry into “violations committed on all sides”.

Reuters add: Israel rushed an eighth missile interceptor battery into service on Saturday to counter stronger-than-expected rocket fire from Gaza as the military pounded positions in the Palestinian enclave for a fifth day.

A mosque in the central Gaza Strip was bombed to rubble. The Israeli military said the mosque had housed a weapons cache.

“Eight other mosques have been damaged from bombing and 537 Gaza houses have either been destroyed or damaged, according to the Gaza-based Al-Mezan Association for Human Rights.

Tuesday, 1 July 2014

Afghan election result delayed as fraud dispute deepens





KABUL: Afghanistan’s presidential election result has been delayed for several days, officials said Tuesday, as a dispute over alleged fraud threatens to derail the country´s first democratic transfer of power.

The preliminary result of the June 14 run-off vote had been due on Wednesday but was postponed at short notice to allow ballots in 2,000 voting centres to be checked -- throwing the handover process into turmoil.

Abdullah Abdullah, previously seen as the front-runner, has said he would reject the result due to "blatant fraud", while his poll rival Ashraf Ghani said the election was clean and claimed victory by more than one million votes.

The United Nations and donor countries have been trying for months to prevent a contested election outcome, fearing political deadlock and ethnic violence as US-led troops withdraw from the country.

But with the two candidates at loggerheads, many fear the impasse could tip Afghanistan into a risky period of street protests and uncertainty.

About 6,000 voting centres were open across Afghanistan on June 14, when voters defied the threat of Taliban attacks to choose between former foreign minister Abdullah and Ghani, an ex-World Bank economist.

Any tension between rival supporters could ignite ethnic unrest since Ghani attracts much of his support from the Pashtun tribes of the south and east, while Abdullah´s loyalists are Tajiks and other northern Afghan groups.

Ghani´s campaign team criticised the delay in results, but said it welcomed any attempt to prevent fraud in the vote count.

"We believe the election commission should work in accordance to the election timeline and announce results on time," campaign spokeswoman Azita Rafat told AFP.

"If this delay is for the sake of transparency then we accept it, though it runs against the election law."

Abdullah´s team said its boycott of the vote count was still in place.
"The (election) commission has lost its legitimacy for us, and the recount of 2,000 polling centres will not change anything for us," said campaign spokesman Jawed Faisal. (AFP)

Monday, 30 June 2014

ISIL militants declare Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the caliph





BAGHDAD: The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Sunni militants fighting across Syria and Iraq – have proclaimed the establishment of a “caliphate” in a move that experts say could signal the birth of a new era of transnational jihadism.

Now calling itself the Islamic State, the group has called on all other related Sunni factions, including al-Qaeda, to pledge their allegiance to the new state, which it says stretches from Aleppo in Syria to Diyala in Iraq. Put simply, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has declared war on Al-Qaeda.

In a statement distributed online on Sunday – the newly-minted Islamic State declared its chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as "the caliph" and "leader for Muslims everywhere". Baghdadi is thought to be the leader and strategic thinker behind ISIL.

Its announcement that it has restored the Caliphate “is likely the most significant development in international jihadism since 9/11,” said Charles Lister, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Centre who studies jihadist groups.

The impact of this announcement will be global as al-Qaeda affiliates and independent jihadist groups must now definitively choose to support and join the Islamic State or to oppose it.”

The group’s statement – translated from Arabic into English, French, Russian and German – made it clear it would perceive any group that failed to pledge allegiance an enemy of Islam,” Mr Lister said.

Already, this new Islamic State has received statements of support and opposition from jihadist factions in Syria, he confirmed.

Released on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, the statement establishing a caliphate, a system of rule that ended nearly 100 years ago with the fall of the Ottoman Empire, reads: “Here the flag of the Islamic State … rises and flutters. Its shade covers land from Aleppo [Syria] and Diyala [Iraq].

“The infidels are disgraced. The Sunnis are masters and are esteemed. The people of heresy are humiliated. The Sharia penalties are implemented, all of them.

“The front lines are defended, crosses and graves demolished. Governors and judges have been appointed, a tax has been enforced and courts will resolve disputes and complaints.”

ISIL, also known as ISIS, already controls large swathes of northern Iraq after a sustained assault which began with the overthrow of Iraqi control of the country’s second largest city of Mosul, near the Syrian border, on June 9.

Over the last two years it has established a strong presence in parts of Syria, controlling key oil fields in eastern Syria in the area bordering Iraq, levying taxes and other penalties and implementing strict Sharia law on besieged communities.

“Geographically, ISIS is already fully operational in Iraq and Syria; it has a covert presence in southern Turkey, appears to be establishing a small presence in Lebanon; and has supporters in Jordan, Gaza, the Sinai, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere,” Mr Lister said. “This could well be the birth of a totally new era of transnational jihadism.”

The announcement was also interpreted as a threat to al-Qaeda and its long-held position of leadership of the international jihadist cause.

“Put simply, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has declared war on al-Qaeda.”

Baghdadi took over the group in 2010. Back then ISI, as it was known, was aligned to al-Qaeda and in a weakened state following a surge of US forces deployed to Iraq and the coalition of Sunni tribal groups that fought against al-Qaeda’s presence in the country. But under his leadership the group thrived and is now believed to be the wealthiest militant organisation in the world with assets in the billions, “simultaneously implementing harsh mediaeval justice and a whole range of modern social services”, Mr Lister said.

Relations between between ISIL and its prior incarnations and al-Qaeda have been fraught with distrust, open competition, and outright hostility, said Aaron Zelin, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, describing the two groups as “now in an open war for supremacy of the global jihadist movement”.

ISIL “holds an advantage but the battle is not over yet,” he wrote in the institute’s journal.

Meanwhile, a fierce battle raged in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit after the Iraqi military, backed by Shiite militia, launched an offensive to try to take back Tikrit from Sunni insurgents after they lost control of the area on June 11.

And while the military and Iraqi state television claimed security forces had cleared the centre of the city of militants, it appeared the army had been pushed back 15 kilometres from the city as the insurgents fought back, Tikrit residents said.

Saturday, 28 June 2014

19 terrorists killed as military operation continues in NWA





RAWALPINDI: Nineteen terrorists have been killed as operation ‘Zarb-e-Azb’ launched by the Pakistan military continues in North Waziristan Agency (NWA).

According to the ISPR, PAF jet aircrafts destroyed six confirmed terrorist hideouts on the outskirts of Mir Ali killing eleven terrorists on Friday evening. Terrorist concentrations were also targeted on Saturday morning by Artillery Tanks and heavy weapons outside Miranshah killing seven terrorists.

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander of Miranshah, Umer has also been killed by security forces last night on the outskirts of Miranshah.

ISPR states that after the surrender of 19 terrorists there are reports that more terrorists are ready to lay down their arms. Meanwhile, one prominent Al-Qaeda commander has been arrested while trying to flee and initial investigations shows him as an explosive, IED and suicide belt expert. Three terrorists were arrested by security forces while trying to cross the Indus River near Mir Ali.

An effective cordon is in place around terrorist hideouts in all places in North Waziristan Agency.

The civilian population has been evacuated from North Waziristan and announcements are being made for any stranded tribals who may have stayed back for any reasons, to leave also.

Nadal shines as rain swamps Wimbledon




LONDON: Rafael Nadal overcame an early blip to defeat Kazakhstan´s Mikhail Kukushkin and reach the Wimbledon last 16, shining beneath the Centre Court roof on Saturday as heavy rain swept away the action outside.

The 2008 and 2010 champion dropped the opening set for the third time in three matches before turning things around in a 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 victory.

The second seeded Spaniard blitzed world number 63 Kukushkin, who had never won a match at Wimbledon before this year and had only ever beaten one top 10 player.

Nadal, the 28-year-old winner of 14 Grand Slam titles, won 17 of the last 19 games and goes on to face either Australia´s rising star Nick Kyrgios or Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic for a place in the quarter-finals.

They had played just 15 minutes of their third-round match out on Court 17 before rain halted all action on the uncovered courts and forced All England Club organisers to cancel 24 doubles and junior matches by mid-afternoon.

Nadal had dropped the first set to Martin Klizan and Lukas Rosol in his first two rounds and Kukushkin, playing in his 21st tournament of the year, employed the same free-swinging tactics to bludgeon his way through the opener.

But in front of a Royal Box containing such sporting glitterati as retired Indian cricket master Sachin Tendulkar, ex-England football captain David Beckham and former Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins, Nadal regained his composure to race away with the win.

From 1-1 in the second set to 3-0 in the fourth set, Nadal won 14 of 15 games and only faced his first break points of the tie at 2-0 in the fourth.

Kukushkin, a rare example of a player coached by his own wife, stopped the rot by getting on the board at 1-3.But it was a brief respite as Nadal stormed to victory with 41 winners and just 12 unforced errors. (AFP)

Friday, 27 June 2014

Malick allowed to continue as MD PTV

ISLAMABAD: A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) here Thursday allowed Managing Director (MD) Pakistan Television (PTV) Mohammad Malick to keep his job till he receives written orders of an IHC single bench.

An IHC single-member bench on June 24 had declared the appointment of the MD PTV as illegal and Mohammad Malick then challenged the orders through an intra-court appeal (ICA) before an IHC division bench.

The division bench comprising Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi and Justice Athar Minallah however excused from hearing this ICA after Justice Athar Minallah said that the second contesting candidate against the post of MD PTV Jamal Shah had approached him for engaging him as counsel when the appointment of MD PTV was made by the federal government.

Counsel for Mohammad Malick, Akram Sheikh advocate however argued before the court that they have complete trust in the impartiality of the bench. Akram Sheikh referred to an article of law by virtue of which a judge could also suspend his own orders. Senior member in the bench Justice Qureshi said the bench would refer this matter to the IHC chief justice for appropriate order.

Akram Sheikh contended before the court that at the moment there was war on terror going on and the presence of national media was utmost important. “My client was properly appointed by a commission and till this time there is no written order of the IHC single bench,” he said.

He said the IHC single bench on June 24 had orally announced the orders and till this time there is no written order. The division bench then decided that this ICA will be heard by another division bench on Monday, June 30. However, the Mohammad Malick could keep up with his office as MD PTV till he receives written orders.Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the IHC on June 24 had declared the appointment of Mohammad Malick as illegal while observing that it was not made in a transparent manner.

Saturday, 21 June 2014

Protests in Kabul as Afghan election crisis deepens


KABUL: Supporters of Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah marched through Kabul on Saturday as fears grow of unrest erupting over alleged fraud in the election one week ago.

Abdullah has boycotted the vote count, pitching Afghanistan into a political crisis as NATO combat troops withdraw from a 13-year war against Taliban insurgents.

The former foreign minister accused his poll rival Ashraf Ghani, outgoing President Hamid Karzai and election authorities of all committing fraud to deny him victory.

The protests began peacefully as hundreds of activists shouted slogans and carried banners that read "Fraudsters should be put on trial" and "We will defend our vote to the last drop of our blood".

"The election authorities are not impartial," Asar Hakimi, one protest organiser, told.

"All the achievements of the past 12 years are at stake. We will continue protesting if the government and the election commission continue their hostility."He said the "anti-fraud" rallies were not organised by Abdullah´s campaign, but the crowds appeared to be made up of Abdullah supporters.

Many Kabul roads were blocked off due to the demonstrations, and security forces were out.

An early morning suicide attack in the city targeted Masoom Stanekzai, a senior official at the government body responsible for exploring peace talks with the Taliban.

Police said Stanekzai escaped the blast uninjured, but that one civilian was killed and three wounded.

Friday, 20 June 2014

Iraq PM berated as US mulls air strikes on advancing militants




BAGHDAD: Top US officials turned on Iraq´s leader, blaming his "sectarian" policies for the country´s crisis as Washington Thursday weighed calls for air strikes on Sunni militants bearing down on Baghdad.

The sharp criticism of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki came as he scrambled to repel an insurgent onslaught that has seen an entire province and parts of three others fall out of government control in an offensive that could threaten Iraq´s very existence.

The militants´ swift advance has sparked international alarm and the United Nations has warned that the crisis was "life-threatening for Iraq".

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been displaced in the nine days of fighting and an unknown number killed, while dozens of Indians and Turks have been kidnapped.

With President Barack Obama mulling a request by Baghdad for air strikes on the advancing militants, US officials castigated Maliki, publicly echoing long-held criticisms among his domestic opponents of sectarianism.

US Vice President Joe Biden urged greater political inclusion in Iraq in phone calls with Maliki and other Iraqi officials, the White House said.

Biden "stressed the need for national unity in responding to the ISIL threat against all Iraqi communities," in calls with Maliki, Iraqi Council of Representatives Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, and President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani, it said.

The top-ranking military officer, General Martin Dempsey, and former US commander David Petraeus both also rounded on the premier.

"There is very little that could have been done to overcome the degree to which the government of Iraq had failed its people," Dempsey said.

Petraeus warned at a conference in London that Washington risked becoming an "air force for Shiite militias" and supporting "one side of what could be a sectarian civil war" if political reconciliation were not agreed.

Iraq requests strikes
The remarks came after Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told reporters in Saudi Arabia that Baghdad had asked Washington "to conduct air strikes against terrorist groups".

Zebari acknowledged "the need for drastic political solutions.

"Washington has deployed an aircraft carrier to the Gulf and sent military personnel to bolster security at its Baghdad embassy, but Obama insists a return to combat in Iraq is not in the cards.

The United States spent billions of dollars over several years training and arming Iraqi security forces after disbanding the Sunni-led army following the 2003 invasion that ousted dictator Saddam Hussein.

But the security forces wilted when faced with the militant offensive on June 9 which saw insurgents quickly capture Mosul, a city of some two million people, and then parts of Salaheddin, Kirkuk and Diyala provinces.

Some abandoned their vehicles and uniforms when faced with the insurgents, which are led by ISIL fighters but also include Saddam loyalists.

The Sunni fighters have been led by the powerful Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, but also include a wide coalition of other Sunni Arab militant groups, as well as loyalists of executed dictator Saddam Hussein.

Though the alliance has made significant territorial gains, the wildly divergent ideologies of its constituent groups means it may struggle to survive over time, analysts say.

And while they struggled in the early part of the offensive, Iraq´s security forces appear to be performing better in recent days, managing to make advances in certain areas, though militants have made their own gains elsewhere.

Rana Sanaullah resigns as Punjab Law Minister





LAHORE: Rana Sanaullah has resigned as Law Minister after Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif summoned his resignation.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore Shahbaz Sharif said he had asked Rana Sanaullah to resign over the Model Town tragedy in which nine people lost their lives.

Sources add that Rana Sanaullah has tendered his resignation and has sent it to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Punjab government sources further add that Rana Mashhood, provincial minister for education and sports, is likely to be made law minister.

Monday, 16 June 2014

Muller outguns Ronaldo as Germany rout Portugal




SALVADOR: Thomas Mueller scored a hat-trick as Germany thrashed Portugal 4-0 to leave Cristiano Ronaldo´s dreams of dominating the World Cup in tatters on Monday.

Bayern Munich star Mueller bagged the first treble of his international career as Germany shrugged off a troubled build-up to the tournament to make a flying start in Group G. But it was a disastrous afternoon at Salvador´s Fonte Nova Arena for Ronaldo and Portugal, who had defender Pepe sent off for a first half headbutt on Mueller.

Mueller opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 12 minutes before defender Mats Hummels doubled Germany´s advantage on the half-hour mark.

The 24-year-old centre forward struck again at the end of the first half before tapping home a close range effort on 78 minutes.

A wretched outing for Portugal was compounded by the sight of Real Madrid defender Fabio Coentrao being stretchered off in the second half. But the biggest concern will be the form of Ronaldo, who had hoped to sparkle at the World Cup after helping Real Madrid to the Champions League this season.

The 29-year-old winger, who was battling injuries before the tournament, had declared himself 100 percent fit on the eve of the match.

However the former Manchester United star looked way below his best, and a poorly scuffed free-kick summed up his afternoon of disappointment.

In Group G´s other game on Monday, 2010 quarter-finalists Ghana face the United States in Natal having knocked out the Americans in the last 16 four years ago.

African champions Nigeria, who have taken just two points from six matches in their last two appearances at the World Cup, face three-time Asian champions Iran in Curitiba in Group F. (AFP)

Sunday, 15 June 2014

10 killed as stranded Pakistanis’ camp attacked in BD



 












DHAKA: At least 10 people were killed on Saturday in a clash at a stranded Pakistanis refugee camp over firecrackers exploding during a religious event in Bangladesh, police and witnesses said.
The dispute arose after morning prayers at a camp in Mirpur, on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka. Using firecrackers during Shab-e-Barat, a Muslim festival, is prohibited in Bangladesh. “Nine people, including two children, were burnt to death after the houses were set on fire during the clashes,” local police official Imtiaz Ahmed told reporters. An angry mob also clashed with police and pelted stones, forcing the security personnel to fire bullets and teargas to disperse them, witnesses said. Another man, who was hit by bullets, died in a hospital and several others were injured, doctors said. An investigation into the clashes has been launched. Thousands of stranded Pakistanis have been living in refugee camps in Bangladesh since the 1971 independence war to break away from Pakistan. They want to go over to Pakistan but Islamabad has refused to take them.

Thursday, 12 June 2014

US mulls air strikes as Iraq militants advance on Baghdad




KIRKUK: Militants have seized the Iraqi city of Tikrit as a jihadist offensive sweeps closer to Baghdad, prompting the UN Security Council to convene crisis talks Thursday while the US mulls air strikes on the rebels.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seized the second city of Mosul on Tuesday and has since captured a large swathe of northern and north-central Iraq including Tikrit -- the hometown of executed dictator Saddam Hussein.

ISIL spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani promised the battle would "rage" on the capital Baghdad and Karbala, a city southwest of the capital that is considered one of the holiest sites for Shiite Muslims, the SITE Intelligence Group said.

The UN Security Council swiftly convened a meeting to discuss the crisis in a sign of growing international alarm at the fast-moving situation.

Diplomats said the closed consultations would begin at 11:30 am (1530 GMT) and will include a briefing by video link from the UN special representative to Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov.

Washington is considering several options for offering military assistance to Baghdad, including drone strikes, a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Resorting to such aircraft -- used in Afghanistan and Pakistan in a highly controversial programme -- would mark a dramatic shift in the US engagement in Iraq, after the last American troops pulled out in late 2011.State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the US was committed to "working with the Iraqi government and leaders across Iraq to support a unified approach against ISIL´s continued aggression.

"But there is no current plan to send US troops back into Iraq, where around 4,500 American soldiers died in the bitter conflict.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Washington "strongly condemns" the ISIL attacks and "will stand with Iraqi leaders".

And UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the international community to unite behind Iraq, warning that "terrorism must not be allowed to succeed in undoing the path toward democracy in Iraq."

Iraq’s Tikrit falls to militants as offensive quickens




KIRKUK: Militants seized the Iraqi city of Tikrit Wednesday but their assault on Samarra was repulsed as a lightning offensive launched in second city Mosul swept closer to Baghdad.

Since the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant began their spectacular assault in Mosul late Monday, militants have captured a large swathe of northern and north-central Iraq, prompting as many as half a million people to flee their homes.

The speed with which ISIL and its allies have advanced after their seizure Tuesday of Mosul -- a city of two million people -- has sent alarm bells ringing not only in Baghdad but in Western capitals.

In a statement on Twitter, ISIL vowed that it would "not stop this series of blessed invasions" that has seen the fall of the whole of Nineveh province in the north and swathes of Kirkuk and Saleheddin provinces further south.

Tikrit -- hometown of executed dictator Saddam Hussein -- was the second provincial capital to fall in.

All of Tikrit is in the hands of the militants," a police colonel said of the Salaheddin provincial capital, which lies roughly half way between Baghdad and Mosul.

A police major said the militants had freed some 300 inmates from a prison there. (AFP)
 

Afghans to vote in run-off election as US troops exit



KABUL: Afghans head to the polls Saturday for a second-round election to choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai, with the threat of Taliban attacks and fraud looming over the country´s first democratic transfer of power.

The vote pits former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah against ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani in a head-to-head contest to lead Afghanistan as US-led troops withdraw after 13 years of fighting Taliban insurgents.

April´s first-round vote was hailed a success as turnout topped 50 percent and Islamist militants failed to launch any high-profile attacks on polling day.

But Saturday presents another major challenge in the prolonged election process, which began with campaigning in early February and will end when the final result is announced on July 22."There is concern that the enemy who failed in the first round will seek revenge, but we can assure you they will fail again," General Afzal Aman, head of Afghan army operations, told reporters.

"We have been conducting missions all over Afghanistan for election security for the past two months."

Ahead of the vote, the Taliban issued a warning to voters, saying that polling booths would be targeted by "non-stop" assaults.

"By holding elections, the Americans want to impose their stooges on the people," the insurgents, who were ousted from power by a US-led offensive in 2001, said on their website.

International fears have focused on the risk of tension between the candidates´ supporters after the result, which may be contested if the count is close and serious fraud allegations are raised.

"No one should be complacent about what is at stake in the coming weeks," US ambassador James Cunningham said in a statement. "We call on both candidates to direct their campaigns and supporters not to engage in fraud."It is our fervent hope that the two candidates, with the future of their country in their hands at this unprecedented time, will not seek a winner-take-all outcome.

"The last presidential vote in 2009 was riddled with fraud, damaging relations between the Afghan government and the US-led donor nations on which it relies for funding.

Abdullah eventually pulled out of that election, allowing Karzai to retain power, but this year neither candidate is likely to back down if the result is close.

Sea level rises in Arabian Sea as cyclone intensifies





KARACHI: The sea level has risen as the cyclone in the Arabian Sea has intensified.

As result of the rise, water has entered homes in several neigbourhoods of Rheri Goth in Karachi. The cyclone is 680 KM away from Karachi and is travelling at 10 KM/hour towards Oman.

The MET office said there is no threat from the cyclone to Pakistan’s coastal areas, adding that some areas will receive rain from Friday night till Saturday.

The MET office has also advised fishermen not to be in the open sea from Friday till Sunday.

Meanwhile the Sindh government has placed the concerned departments on high-alert and cautioned people to avoid visiting beaches.

Tuesday, 10 June 2014

Neesham hits ton as New Zealand dominate





KINGSTON: Jimmy Neesham became the first New Zealander to score hundreds in his first two Test matches to put the visitors in a commanding position after two days of the first Test against the West Indies at Sabina Park in Jamaica on Monday.

Neesham´s innings of 107 and a 201-run sixth-wicket partnership with B.J. Watling (89) lifted the Black Caps to a total of 508 for seven declared.

Left to negotiate a tricky nine overs before the close of play, West Indies reached 19 without loss with Chris Gayle, in his 100th Test match on his home ground, to resume on the third morning with Kieran Powell.

Powell has already enjoyed a moment of good fortune, being put down by Peter Fulton at second slip in the third over of the innings off Tim Southee.

Despite an encouraging effort in the morning session when three wickets fell for 20 runs to have New Zealand at 279 for five from their overnight position of 240 for two, the West Indies bowlers again laboured on a gentle pitch throughout the afternoon.

Neesham, the 23-year-old left-hander from Auckland who launched his Test career with a century in a drawn match against India in Wellington last February, mixed watchful defiance with periods of bold aggression. He smashed off-spinner Shane Shillingford for two sixes in the same over and had 11 fours in an innings that occupied three-and-a-half hours before he fell to a catch at the wicket off Sulieman Benn. "I´m very pleased obviously, although my first Test ended in a draw and this pitch is pretty flat, so I´m more concerned about getting my first Test win," he said. "There´s a bit of turn and bounce so it´ll be interesting to see if we can put them under a bit of pressure."

For Benn, who together with fellow returning spinner Shane Shillingford took three expensive wickets apiece, the experience over the first two days of the match reminded him of the tough nature of Test cricket. "You get shown up at this level. It was a rude awakening, a re-awakening," he said after completing 52 overs.

Neesham´s century followed the first-day hundred of Kane Williamson, and New Zealand might have had a third century-maker except that the immediacy of the declaration in the final hour of the day forced Watling to be a bit more adventurous, the pugnacious wicketkeeper-batsman falling to a catch at deep midwicket off Shillingford.

The second session of play had contrasted sharply with the first, 129 runs being scored off 35 overs to redress the balance from the morning stumbles.

Williamson added just another eight runs before misjudging the line of a straighter delivery from Benn to have his off-stump knocked back on 113.

Former captain Ross Taylor, the other overnight batsman, got to 55 before chipping a catch to Kirk Edwards at midwicket off Shillingford.

In the next over Benn grazed the edge of Brendon McCullum´s bat and Gayle took the lobbed catch via wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin´s shoulder to send the New Zealand captain back for just seven. (AFP).

Monday, 9 June 2014

Worst loadshedding spell as four Mangla Dam units break down



 












KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: The country on Sunday witnessed the worst spell of loadshedding after five units of the Mangla Dam broke down.
Loadshedding is likely to increase in various cities after the power shortfall in the country exceeded 4,500 megawatts (MW) from 3,500MW.According to sources, thermal power plants are not producing electricity according to their capacity despite sufficient fuel supply. They said the power distribution companies were providing low voltage to reduce the duration of loadshedding .

The sources further said that the duration of loadshedding could be increased to 16 hours.Several areas of the country are experiencing power outages of 12-15 hours daily while the situation in some cities of the Punjab is even worse.

Power generation in the country stands at 13,350 MW while demand is 16,900MW.Meanwhile, Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali has claimed that the government is proactively executing diverse programmes to overcome the energy crisis.

Meanwhile, four people died of sunstroke and dozens others were hospitalised as the mercury rose to almost 50 degrees centigrade in several cities of the country on Sunday.According to reports, three persons, including two-year-old Arzoo of village 82/6-R, Ahsan, 10, and 32-year-old Muhammad Aslam hailing from village 67/5-R of Sahiwal, fell unconscious due to sunstrokes. They were shifted to hospitals where they expired.

Ahmed Deen, 65, of village 62/5-R died after exposure to the heatwave.Meanwhile, dozens of people affected by intense hot weather were shifted to different hospitals in Sahiwal where, according to medics, the condition of three was critical.

The citizens have expressed grave concern over the nearly 15 hours of loadshedding daily and demanded that the provincial government improve power supply.In Karachi, temperature was recorded at 40 degrees centigrade on Sunday morning. Rural Sindh is also suffering from the intense heat wave. Extremely high temperatures were recorded in various cities of the province including Jacobabad, Nawabshah, Larkana, and Sukkur. However, the temperature is likely to drop in the province from Monday (today).

In Punjab, the situation is no different as the heat wave is prevalent in most parts of the province. Extremely hot weather has gripped most of the plain areas of Punjab including, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and Bahawalpur divisions.

Severely hot weather also grips many parts of Balochistan, including Turbat and Sibi division, whereas the use of cold drinks has increased due to the heat.The Met Office has predicted that the heatwave would continue to grip most plains areas of the country for the next few days.

An intense summer is also being witnessed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The citizens are visiting parks, canals, beaches and recreational spots to battle the weather whereas the demand for cold beverages has also increased.

Meanwhile, the Met Office has predicted rain with thunderstorm in some areas of Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Malakand and Hazara Division.Jacobabad remained the hottest area during the last 24 hours where the temperature recorded was 50°C, while the maximum temperature recorded in other cities were: Dadu, Sukkur, Larkana, Moenjodaro, Sibi 49°C; Noorpur Thal, Rohri, Shaheed Benazirabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Padidan and Turbat 48°C.

Our correspondent from Lahore adds: With a high mercury level on Sunday, a majority of citizens thronged the city canal and other water spots to beat the heat.With loadshedding and severe heat, a large number of Lahorites went to the Lahore canal to beat the heat. All swimming pools and other water sports facilities were packed. Hours-long traffic jam was also witnessed at the canal road near Jallo Morr.

Met officials said the highest maximum temperature in the city was recorded as 46.3 C. They predicted very hot and mainly dry weather with chances of dust raising winds for the next 24 hours. They said a westerly wave lying over the extreme northern parts of the country had moved away eastwards while the seasonal low pressure lies over northern Balochistan.

Sale of plastic paddling pools has also increased in the city. A vendor sitting at the roadside in Faisal Town said since the morning he had sold over ten large and five small pools.

Saturday, 7 June 2014

Poroshenko sworn in as Ukraine’s president, vows unity





KIEV: Petro Poroshenko was sworn in as Ukraine´s fifth post-Soviet president on Saturday, vowing to maintain the unity of his country amid a continuing crisis with Russia.

Poroshenko, a 48-year-old billionaire who won the presidential election on May 25 with 54.7 percent of the vote, took the oath in the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev.

"I am assuming the presidency in order to preserve and strengthen Ukraine´s unity," Poroshenko said in an address that alternated between Ukrainian and Russian.

Speaking to an audience that included US Vice President Joseph Biden, he promised the residents of the Donbass region, which is largely in rebel hands, that he would decentralise power and guarantee the free use of the Russian language.

But he also said that there would be no compromise with Russia on his pro-European stance and the status of the Crimean peninsula.

"Crimea has been and will remain Ukrainian," he said. "I put that clearly to the Russian leader in Normandy," he added, referring to his meeting with President Vladimir Putin at D-Day commemorations on Friday.

Thursday, 5 June 2014

Samsung sees Tizen phone as gateway for bigger things




SAN FRANCISCO: Samsung on Tuesday unwrapped its new smartphone using the Tizen platform, a move aimed at breaking away from Google's Android and staking a claim to the "Internet of Things."

The South Korean consumer electronics colossus showed off the Samsung Z, its first Tizen-powered smartphone, in a major shift away from the ubiquitous Android operating system used in the majority of its devices.

Samsung touted Tizen as a platform not just for phones, but for a range of connected devices from home appliances to door locks and watches which may communicate with one another in the future.

The unveiling came a day after Apple -- a few blocks away in San Francisco -- unveiled a coming new version of its iOS mobile operating system with capabilities that could have iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices vying for that same spot in the middle of a what is billed as the booming Internet-of-Things.

The world's biggest smartphone maker made its pitch at the Tizen Developer Conference, a forum that aims to help the platform become a rival to Android and Apple's iOS.

Samsung showed off a line of Tizen-powered devices ranging from Tizen-Android cameras to its freshly announced smartphone powered entirely by the South Korean technology firm's open-source operating system.

Samsung even teased a prototype smart television that connects to rich online content using Tizen.

- Cash prizes for apps -

Along with being enticed with contests offering cash prizes for winning applications, the approximately 1,000 developers at the keynote presentation were urged to check out an Open Smart Home project for "monitoring and controlling devices in the home or on the body all together" whether from one's living room or from half a world away.

"The goal of this project is to have it evolve into services for the entire Internet-of-Things," Samsung executive vice president and Tizen technical steering committee co-chair Jong-Deok Choi said during an on-stage presentation.

"We plan to have this project implemented through Tizen."

Samsung announced Monday the launch of a new smartphone based on its own operating system, in a step towards independence from the Google Android platform that dominates its popular handsets.

The Samsung Z, which has been specially developed to run on the Tizen platform, will go on sale in Russia in the third quarter of this year before reaching other markets.

The vast majority of Samsung's devices, including its flagship Galaxy S smartphones, use the Android operating system.

- Exploding 'IoT' -

International Data Corporation (IDC) on Tuesday forecast that the global Internet-of-Things market will grow from $1.9 trillion last year to $7.1 trillion in the year 2020.

People are embracing the "IoT" in their homes, vehicles and elsewhere, while businesses are being lured by promises of efficiency and revenue, according to IDC.

"The worldwide IoT market is exploding," said IDC mobile services vice president Carrie MacGillivray.

California-based Google has long pitched the potential for its free Android operating to be used to power broad arrays of devices in homes in a vision that goes far beyond smartphones and tablet computers.

Developer Henry Yu of Silicon Valley-based RGB, which specializes in streamlining video formats, was among those at the Tizen conference and suspected that no single platform would rule the IoT.

"At the end of the day, they will have to work together," Yu said of rivals such as Samsung, Apple and Google vying to be at the center of the IoT.

"The Internet-of-Things has been around, but it is hodgepodge. People will want to get along because they want each other's market."

Anti-judiciary programme case to be decided as per law: SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled for deciding the case regarding anti-judiciary programme aired by ARY TV in accordance with law instead of getting emotional.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and comprising Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry and Justice Mushir Alam, resumed hearing into Civil Miscellaneous Application (CMA)- 3096/2014 in CMA-2774/2014 in Constitutional petition. No 51 of 2010, filed by Independent Media Corporation on behalf of Geo TV.

The court directed its office to provide transcripts of the programme aired by ARY TV on May 21, 2014 against the judiciary by next Tuesday and adjourned the hearing.During the course of the hearing Taufeeq Asif advocate drew the attention of the court towards the banners and posters, displayed in Rawalpindi against the judiciary. He informed the court that a conspiracy is being hatched to defame the judiciary saying that he had already filed a petition and requested for taking up the matter at the earliest.

He informed the court a banner was displayed in the Katchery, Rawalpindi, against Justice Jawad S Khawaja and his family. Taufeeq Asif claimed that the lawyer’s community has made sacrifices for the independence of judiciary however some elements were bent upon defaming the judiciary.

Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan however told the lawyer that when the petition came before them, they will hear it but at present the court is hearing another issue.Sheikh Ahsanuddin advocate, another lawyer also came hard on the programme, aired by ARY Television against the judiciary saying that Mubashir Luqman, the anchor of ARY TV has crossed all the limits while criticising the judiciary.

He further said that it is on record that Mubashir Luqman was caught red handed while conducting a live programme wherein he was taking dictation for posing questions. He also requested the court to take up the petition in which he had filed a CMA, praying to become a party.

Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan however, also asked the lawyer that let his petition come before them and listed, they will hear it.

Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, another member of the bench observed that they will decide the case in accordance with law instead of getting emotional. He further said that the lawyer’s community has made valuable sacrifices for the independence of judiciary and they lauded the role of the legal fraternity.

“But we will decide the case in accordance with law as it is their responsibility to decide in accordance with law”, Justice Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry remarked adding that they will not get emotional even if it relates to their fellow judge but would decide the matter in accordance with law.

He further said that this bench has been constituted for a limited time to hear the matter. Meanwhile, the court directed its office to separate the clips of the programme which were referred to them and provide them by next Tuesday.

Earlier, On June 2, 2014, the court had summoned CDs of the programme, aired by ARY TV against the judiciary on May 21, 2014 and had directed its office to arrange multimedia so that it may be benefited to watch the clips of programme, aired by ARY TV.

On Wednesday, the court watched some clips of ARY programme in the courtroom and thereafter directed its office to separate those clips of the programme which had been referred to the bench by the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

It is pertinent to mention here that Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Tassaduq Hissain Jillani on May 31, 2014 constituted a three-member special bench in pursuance of the order of a two-member Bench headed by Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja and comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed, dated May 26, 2014 wherein the Bench had directed Registrar, Supreme Court that order dated May 22, 2014 and May 26, 2014 be brought to the notice of the CJP for further appropriate orders.The CJP had also sent to the bench, Para 4 order of the apex court of May 22, 2014 with a transcript having two clips of the ARY programme.