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Cricket - Sports

Monday, September 30, 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV


9 killed in 3 apparent drug attacks in Mexico

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MEXICO CITY (AP) - Shootings erupted over the weekend in three Mexican cities where drug gangs are fighting turf battles, killing at least nine people and wounding six more, officials said Sunday.Gunmen on motorcycles arrived at a bar in the resort city of Cuernavaca and opened fire, killing three young men and a 22-year-old woman, the Morelos state prosecutor's office said. The attack near midnight Saturday also injured four people, who were recovering in local hospitals under police guard, a common practice when officials consider victims' lives still in danger.In the northern city of Fresnillo, a group of armed men shot three people dead Saturday afternoon outside a convenience store.Federal and local police launched a wide search in the city of about 230,000 people that sits on a main drug trafficking route, but the attackers were still at large, the Zacatecas state attorney general's office said in a statement.In the northern industrial hub of Monterrey, attackers shot at a group standing outside a bar in the early hours of Sunday, killing two men and wounding two. The shooting came three days after two masked gunmen killed four people and wounded two others inside a bar in a nearby suburb. Authorities have not said whether the shooting were related, but the assailants in both attacks arrived in taxis.The weekend bloodshed raised fears that drug cartel violence may stir up again in areas where authorities had already applauded a reduction in drug-related homicides.Meanwhile, the gangs continue to plot new ways to take over corridors into the United States.Authorities in the northern state of Coahuila said over the weekend that police detained nine boys, two young women and 12 men who had arrived from different cities in northern Mexico on behalf of the violent Zetas cartel seeking to seize control of a city near Monterrey from a rival gang. Police confiscated 17 high-caliber weapons and ammunition.In his first state-of-the-nation address earlier this month, President Enrique Pena Nieto reported a significant drop in drug-related killings, citing Monterrey and Torreon, a city in Coahuila state, as examples. Many experts have expressed skepticism about the statistics used by the president.Violence in Monterrey and in Fresnillo stems from a fight between the Zetas and the Gulf cartels, which were allies until they fell out in 2010. Cuernavaca, a retreat for U.S. retirees and favorite weekend getaway for Mexico City residents, has seen drug gang shootings involving remnants of the Beltran Leyva cartel.

Nisar terms Salman Khurshid's remarks baseless

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan has strongly reacted to Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshids remarks about Pakistan Army and ISI.Ch Nisar termed Khurshids statement as unwarranted and against the norms of diplomacy. He said there is a complete harmony between PML-N government and Pakistan Army.He urged the Indian government to end their atrocities against the innocent Kashmiris instead of leveling allegations against Pakistan.Earlier, Indian Minister for External Affairs Salman Khurshid has accused that Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan and Pak Army are trying to sabotage Sharif government’s efforts to make peace with India.

Pak-India dialogues should be conducted in New Delhi: Khursheed

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SUKKUR: The opposition leader in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah has said that Pak-India dialogues should be conducted in New Delhi instead of New York.Talking to the media in Sukkur on Sunday, Shah said that they want continuation of this regime and would not allow to derail it.“We have given our written permission to the regime that all decision must be taken by you and we would back those but suffering of public by terrorism should not continue,” added Shah.

ISI, Pak Army try to sabotage peace efforts, blames Indian minister

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NEW YORK (Web Desk) - Indian Minister for External Affairs Salman Khurshid has accused that Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan and Pak Army are trying to sabotage Sharif government’s efforts to make peace with India.His statement comes hours ahead of a meeting between both the leaders on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly.According to Indian media reports, Khurshid said that while the Prime Minister Sharif was making the right noises, it was imperative for the civilian government of Pakistan to find a way to keep the army and the ISI under control.Weve been told that all the government agencies are on the same page, Khurshid said, but if they were, the things that are happening would not be happening.Salman Khurshid was referring to the recent attacks in Indian Held Kashmir that led to the deaths of over 10 people.The minister defended Manmohan Singhs strong criticism of Pakistan in the UN General Assembly address on Saturday morning as legitimate grievances.The Indian Prime Minister had blamed Pakistan for cross-border terrorism and said that the epicenter of terrorism is in Pakistan.Referring to the recent violence on the Line of Control (LoC) Khurshid questioned the notion it could be the work of non-state actors without support from the ISI, adding that if Pakistan could not control non-state actors on its territory it should seek Indias help.We expect them to handle non-state actors if they are non-state actors, Khurshid said. He also said that India had on several occasions provided evidence of the involvement of state actors in attacks on India, including the voice samples of the control room that handled the Mumbai attacks.We cant go into Pakistan and pick out the guy whos voice it is, Pakistan government has to help us do it. So were saying either give the guy to us, or take action against him.”Khurshid, though, welcomed the mention of a new beginning in India-Pakistan relations by the Pakistani premier, but he also said that based on past experiences India needed to trust but verify that Pakistan was serious about peace.As per media reports amongst the top issues the Indian premier will raise with his Pakistani counterpart in Sundays meeting is Pakistans failure to bring the planners and executioners of the Mumbai attacks to justice.According to India, several people who should be behind bars are roaming free while the ones that are under arrest have yet to finish their trials or face punishments.We need some accountability, or at least the beginning of accountability, only then we can start afresh, said Khurshid.

Jailed Russian tycoon is honoured by Poland

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GDANSK (AP) - A son of Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky received a $100,000 human rights award on behalf of his imprisoned father on Sunday during a ceremony in Poland conducted by Solidarity founder Lech Walesa.The award, announced on Thursday, was bestowed in recognition of the tycoons efforts to build a free economy and a civil society in Russia.In the ornate 14th-century Artus Court in Gdansk, Walesa gave the award to 28-year-old Pavel, Khodorkovskys eldest child, who read his fathers letter of thanks in English.In his speech, he said the award is a great encouragement to his father at a time when he needs it and a sign that Europe are standing on his side, said Pavel Khodorkovsky who lives in New York and heads The Institute of Modern Russia think tank.Walesa said he hopes that our recognition for suffering and struggle will bring effects.Once Russias richest man, Khodorkovsky has been convicted in two separate trials in Russia of evading taxes, stealing oil from his own company and laundering the proceeds. He has spent nearly 10 years in prison and is due for release in 2014.At the time of his arrest in 2003 most Russians were pleased to see Putin reining in the oligarchs, who had gained fantastic wealth and political influence after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But Khodorkovskys demeanor during his trials and his writings from prison earned him much respect.His case is seen as Putins punishment for his political ambitions and support for the opposition. Amnesty International had declared Khodorkovsky a prisoner of conscience.Gdansk shipyard electrician Walesa received the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize for founding Solidarity, the Polish freedom movement that grew out of worker discontent. In 1989 it peacefully ousted communism from Poland and the following year Walesa became Polands first popularly elected president.He has since withdrawn from active politics but continues to support pro-democracy efforts around the world, including the Lech Walesa human rights award that he founded in 2008.Walesa turned 70 on Sunday, and the award-giving ceremony began with presents, flowers and good wishes for him.

US acts against fake online products reviews

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - But a recent crackdown by authorities in New York could be the shock needed for the online sector to clean up its act.The New York state attorney generals office recently ordered 19 companies to halt these practices and pay fines totaling $350,000 to settle charges of manipulating online reviews for sites such as Yelp, Google and others.The settlement stemmed from an undercover investigation in which officials created a fake yogurt shop in Brooklyn and sought help in marketing from so-called search engine optimization firms that work to boost a companys online presence.The investigators discovered online ads such as this one: Hello... We need someone to post 1-2 reviews daily on sites like: Yelp, Google reviews, Citysearch and any other similar sites. We will supply the text/review... We are offering $1.00 dollar for every post.The companies hired writers from as far away as the Philippines, Bangladesh and Eastern Europe, according to the investigators.Consumers rely on reviews from their peers to make daily purchasing decisions on anything from food and clothing to recreation and sightseeing, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said.This investigation into large-scale, intentional deceit across the Internet tells us that we should approach online reviews with caution. While the extent of fake reviews is not clear, a 2012 report by the research firm Gartner concluded that between two and six percent of online reviews are fake or deceptive, and predicted this will grow to around 10 percent by 2014.The prevalence of fake reviews is due to the high stakes involved.The Gartner report said some 31 percent of consumers use online review because they find the opinions of a person like themselves to be more credible than advertising.Gartner said studies from a number of university researchers suggest that positive reviews can provide a shot in the arm for many kinds of businesses, from hotels to restaurants to doctors or lawyers.Sussin said fake reviews can be used by small family operations to Fortune 500 companies. In addition to positive reviews, some fakes are negatives, often aimed at driving business to a competitor.She said the review business has turned into a cottage industry, with writers in places such as India or the Philippines paid as little as $1 to $5 per review. In other cases, some employees or customers are offered incentives such as gift certificates for reviews, which is also considered deceptive or illegal.Duncan Simester of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Eric Anderson of Northwestern University found that five percent of reviews for a major apparel maker came from people with no record of purchasing that product.Google recently stopped allowing anonymous reviews, in part due to concerns about fakery.But Dartmouth University marketing professor Yaniv Dover said there is a downside to ending anonymity, arguing that people may take fewer risks when their identities are known.When you kill anonymity and force these social dynamics, you kill some of the truth, Dover said.People tend to be more positive (if they are not anonymous). They dont want to be perceived by their friends as negative.While fake reviews are not always easy to spot, there are warning signs.Sussin says that for hotels and restaurants, a lack of detail about the location could be a sign for caution.A reviewer who comments on multiple, unrelated products or services can also be suspicious. Excessive use of superlatives can also be a sign of faking, Gartner said.Websites often raise flags when they get large numbers of reviews at one time, or if one IP address is tied to multiple reviews in a short time period.Despite the apparently large numbers of fake reviews, most researchers say the system still works fairly well.

Nairobi: Terrorists quizzed victims to spare Muslims

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NAIROBI (AP) - The turbaned gunmen who infiltrated Nairobis Westgate mall arrived with a set of religious trivia questions: As terrified civilians hid in toilet stalls, behind mannequins, in ventilation shafts and underneath food court tables, the assailants began a high-stakes game of 20 Questions to separate Muslims from those they consider infidels.A 14-year-old boy saved himself by jumping off the malls roof, after learning from friends inside that they were quizzed on names of the Prophet Muhammads relatives. A Jewish man scribbled a Quranic scripture on his hand to memorize, after hearing the terrorists were asking captives to recite specific verses. Numerous survivors described how the attackers from al-Shabab, a Somali cell which recently joined al-Qaida, shot people who failed to provide the correct answers.Their chilling accounts, combined with internal al-Shabab documents discovered earlier this year by The Associated Press, mark the final notch in a transformation within the global terror network, which began to rethink its approach after its setbacks in Iraq. Al-Qaida has since realized that the indiscriminate killing of Muslims is a strategic liability, and hopes instead to create a schism between Muslims and everyone else, whom they consider kuffar, or apostates.What this shows is al-Qaidas acknowledgment that the huge masses of Muslims they have killed is an enormous PR problem within the audience they are trying to reach, said Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, director of the Center for the Study of Terrorist Radicalization. This is a problem they had documented and noticed going back to at least Iraq. And now we see al-Qaida groups are really taking efforts to address it.The evolution of al-Shabab is reflected in a set of three documents believed to be written by the terrorist group, and found by the AP in northern Mali earlier this year.They include the minutes of a conference of 85 Islamic scholars, held in December 2011 in Somalia, as well as a summary of fatwas they issued last year after acceptance into the al-Qaida fold.Baptized with the name al-Shabab, meaning The Youth, in 2006, the group began as an extremist militia, fighting the government of Somalia. As early as 2009, it began courting al-Qaida, issuing recordings with titles like, At Your Service Osama.Until the Westgate attack, the group made no effort to spare Muslim civilians, hitting packed restaurants, bus stations and a government building where hundreds of students were awaiting test results. And until his death in 2011, Osama bin Laden refused to allow Shabab into the al-Qaida network, according to letters retrieved from his safehouse in Pakistan. The letters show that the terror leader was increasingly troubled by regional jihadi operations killing Muslim civilians.In a letter to Shabab in 2010, bin Laden politely advised the Somali-based fighters to review their operations in order to minimize the toll to Muslims. Shabab did not get the green light to join al-Qaida until February 2012, almost a year after bin Ladens death.In an email exchange this week with The Associated Press, it made its intentions clear: The Mujahideen carried out a meticulous vetting process at the mall and have taken every possible precaution to separate the Muslims from the Kuffar before carrying out their attack. However, even at Westgate, al-Shabab still killed Muslims, who were among the more than 60 civilians gunned down inside.Their attack was timed to coincide with the highest traffic at the upscale mall after 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 21, a Saturday.More than 1,000 people, including diplomats, pregnant women with strollers and foreign couples, were inside when the fighters armed with grenades and AK-47s burst in and opened fire. At first the attack had the indiscriminate character of all of Shababs previous assaults.Rutvik Patel, 14, was in the aisles at Nakumatt, the malls supermarket which sells everything from plasma TVs to imported kiwis, when he heard the first explosion. They started shooting continuously, and whoever died, died, he said. Then it became calm and they came up to people and began asking them some questions. If you knew the answer, they let you go, he said. They asked the name of the Prophets mom. They asked them to sing a religious verse.Just across from the Nakumatt supermarket, a 31-year-old Jewish businessman was cashing a check inside the local Barclays branch when he, too, heard the shooting. The people there ran to the back and shut themselves in the room with the safe, switching off the lights. They learned, via text messages, that the extremists were asking people to recite an Arabic prayer called the Shahada.One of the women who was with us got a text from her husband saying, theyre asking people to say the Islamic oath, and if you dont know it, they kill you, said the businessman, who insisted on anonymity out of fear for his safety.He threw away his passport. Then he downloaded the Arabic prayer and wrote it on his palm.Al-Shababs attempts to identify Muslims are clear in the 16-page transcript from the conference of Islamic scholars held in the Somali town of Baidoa, an area known to be under Shabab control in 2011, according to Somalia specialist Kenneth Menkhaus, a political science professor at Davidson College in North Carolina. The scholars issued several fatwas defining exactly who was a Muslim and who was an apostate.The document states it is halal, or lawful, to kill and rob those who commit crimes against Islam: The French and the English are to be treated equally: Their blood and their money are halal wherever they may be. No Muslim in any part of the world may cooperate with them in any way. ... It leads to apostasy and expulsion from Islam, it says. Further on it adds: Accordingly, Ethiopians, Kenyans, Ugandans and Burundians are just like the English and the French because they have invaded the Islamic country of Somalia.Former FBI supervisory special agent Ali Soufan, who investigated the bombing of the United States embassies in East Africa as well as the attack on the USS Cole, said that the gathering of dozens of religious scholars in an area under Shabab control harkens back to an al-Qaida conference in Afghanistan around 1997.That conference defined America as a target, Soufan said, leading to the bombing of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.You see something very similar here, said Soufan. Its the same playbook.In a second document dated Feb. 29, 2012 just two weeks after al-Shabab joins al-Qaida the organization warns Muslims to stay away from buildings occupied by non-Muslims, chillingly predicting and justifying the death of Muslims at Westgate.And so all Muslims must stay far away from the enemy and their installations so as not to become human shields for them, and so as not to be hurt by the blows of the mujahedeen directed at the Crusader enemies, it says. There is no excuse for those who live or mingle with the enemies in their locations.Yet at the same time it says: The mujahideen are sincere in wanting to spare the blood of their brother Muslims, and they dont want a Muslim to die from the bullets directed at the enemies of God.

Russia jails 7 more Greenpeace crew

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MOSCOW (AFP) - A Russian court on Sunday ordered seven more crew members of a Greenpeace ship to be detained for two months over an open sea protest against Arctic oil drilling, as part of a probe into alleged piracy.The court in the northern city of Murmansk on Thursday had already ordered the two-month detention of 22 Greenpeace activists pending the investigation into suspected piracy after a protest at a Gazprom oil rig on September 18.The same Lenin district court in the city above the Arctic Circle nearly 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) north of Moscow had also remanded in custody eight crew members for 72 hours until a new hearing on Sunday.The judge has ordered seven of those activists including Dmitri Litvinov, a Greenpeace spokesman and a Swedish-American dual citizen of Russian origin, to remain in pre-trial detention for nearly two months.Ruslan Yakushev, a Ukrainian cook from Greenpeaces Arctic Sunrise icebreaker, Sini Saarela, a Finnish activist who tried to scale the platform, and Frank Hewetson from Britain were among the crew members ordered to remain in detention until November 24, a Greenpeace representative, Andrei Petrov, told AFP from Murmansk.The hearing on the detention of the eighth activist was still continuing.The court was on Sunday holding simultaneous hearings in several different courtrooms to decide whether to extend the detention for the activists.The hearings were running behind schedule, and Greenpeace said there were problems with English and Dutch translation.Diplomats from several countries were in attendance.The total of 30 detained crew members of Greenpeaces Dutch-flagged Arctic Sunrise icebreaker include six British citizens, four Russians and nationals of 16 other countries including Argentina, Italy, France and Australia.Russian investigators have accused the activists of piracy after Saarela and another activist tried to scale state energy giant Gazproms Prirazlomnaya oil platform in the Barents Sea.The group has denied committing piracy and accuses Russia of illegally boarding its ship in international waters.President Vladimir Putin has said that the activists are of course not pirates but stressed they had broken international law by getting dangerously close to the oil rig.Charges of piracy carry a maximum prison term of 15 years but the Investigative Committee said that the charge against the group could be reduced in the course of the probe.Among those detained for two months is the vessels captain, Peter Willcox, who was also the skipper of Greenpeaces Rainbow Warrior ship, which French secret services bombed and sank in New Zealand in 1985.Another is photographer Denis Sinyakov, a former staff photographer at AFP and Reuters who was working for Greenpeace as a freelancer.The Netherlands government called on Moscow to release the activists immediately and said it was considering legal action.The arrests also sparked outrage from Russian and international rights activists, with Reporters Without Borders saying Russian investigators were criminalising both journalists and environmental activists.Cellmate with Russians accused of robberyFourteen of the 22 detained are being held in a pre-trial detention centre in Murmansk, while the other eight have been transferred to the nearby city of Apatity.In violation of the law according to which foreign suspects should be held separately from Russian nationals, a British activist is being held with two Russians suspected of robbery, said Irina Paikacheva, the head of a state-connected regional prisoner rights watchdog.

Home improvement stores in France opened on Sunday

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PARIS (AFP) - Braving a court ban, 14 home improvement stores in France opened to the public Sunday in an increasingly bitter tug of war with the government over a law prohibiting trading on the traditional day of rest.The move comes amid intense debate over Frances labour practices.The government is seeking to continue a long tradition ruling out Sunday and late-night work, but at a time of record high unemployment, many employees regard the ban as antiquated.Last week, both Leroy Merlin and Castorama, two home improvement chains, were ordered by a court to stop opening their stores in the Paris area on Sundays or face a fine of 120,000 euros ($162,000) per shop and per day.But on Sunday, they opened anyway amid anger among employees and customers.Im outraged by the court decision: All of a sudden, I risk ending up without a salary, which threatens my studies, said Eleanor Leloup, a 24-year-old chiropractic student who works every weekend at one of the affected Leroy Merlin stores in Ivry-sur-Seine, next to Paris.Smahene, another employee at the store, wore a T-shirt blazoned with the words Yes week-end, in a nudge to the Yes we can slogan used by US President Barack Obama in his 2008 campaign.Spokespeople for both chains denounced a confusing ban that allows some stores to open in certain cases.Under French law, retailers can only open on a Sunday under very specific conditions -- if they are located in a tourist area, for instance.Any shop selling food, such as a butcher, can also do trade until 1 pm.Some stores can open on Sundays without a problem and others must ask for special dispensations. It would be good if everyone received equal treatment, a Castorama spokeswoman told AFP.Leroy Merlin, meanwhile, blasted a staggering imbroglio when it came to permits given to some stores to open, and not to others.Some ministers have acknowledged that changes need to be made, and early Sunday evening, the government announced a special meeting would take place on Monday to make things evolve.In an interview with Sundays Journal du Dimanche newspaper, Sylvia Pinel, minister for commerce and the crafts industry, acknowledged that there was a complexity in the law that demanded clarification.And Bruno Le Roux, head of the ruling Socialists lower house National Assembly faction, said on Radio J that retailers should be given the possibility of working Sundays.But other politicians have rebuked the two home improvement chains.Benoit Hamon, Consumer Affairs Minister, said Saturday it was unacceptable that a brand does not implement a judicial decision.Justice Minister Christiane Taubira, meanwhile, said rules must be respected as we are a state ruled by law.By-and-large, customers who came to the DIY stores on Sunday said they supported the decision to remain open.Im ashamed, I think its outrageous that in this country, people are not being allowed to work. And then people are surprised that there is unemployment, said Elisabeth Armani, a Parisian DIY lover shopping at the Ivry Leroy Merlin store.Wheres the petition? I came here on purpose to encourage these young people who want to work Sundays, we support you, Philippe Dafit, another customer, told employees who were distributing leaflets at the entrance to the store.The Sunday controversy comes on top of another similar debate that emerged last week in France -- this time over a law banning late-night work.A court ruled Monday that cosmetics retailer Sephora must close its flagship Paris store by 9 pm after it had been keeping it open until midnight on weekdays and up to 1 am on Fridays and Saturdays, to capitalise on demand for late-night shopping.Employees of the store have since blasted the unions that brought the case for preventing them from opting to work longer hours for extra pay, at a time when unemployment stands at a record 10.9 percent.The retailer has said it will appeal the court order.

Boko Haram gunmen kill 28 school students in Nigeria

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KANO (AFP) - Boko Haram gunmen on Sunday opened fire in a college dormitory in northeast Nigeria as the students slept, killing at least 28 people, in the latest violence blamed on the Islamist insurgents.The early morning assault targeted the College of Agriculture in the town of Gujba, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) from Damaturus capital of Yobe, said area military spokesman Lazarus Eli.Boko Haram terrorists went into the school and opened fire on students while they were sleeping, he told AFP.An official at the Damaturu Specialist Hospital, who requested anonymity, said 28 bodies had been received so far from the Gujba massacre.We have been asked to expect more, he told AFP.Yobe state, where the college is located, has seen a spate of attacks on schools and universities, all blamed on Boko Haram, an extremist group that has killed hundreds in its four-year insurgency.The name Boko Haram means Western education is forbidden and the group has become notorious for slaughtering students of various ages in recent years.In July in the town of Mamudo in Yobe, Islamists threw explosives and sprayed gunfire into dormitories in the middle of the night, killing 41 students.Presumed Boko Haram gunmen shot dead seven secondary school students and two teachers in Damaturu in June.The military has described the recent school attacks as a sign of desperation by the Islamists, claiming they only have the capacity to hit soft targets.The defence ministry has said that an offensive launched against Boko Haram in mid-May has decimated the group and scattered their fighters across remote parts of the northeast, the insurgents traditional stronghold.While many of the recent attacks have occurred in more remote areas, often targeting defenceless civilians, the unchecked killing has cast doubt on the success of the militarys campaign.Scores have been killed this month, including in the northeastern town of Benisheik in Borno state, where at least 142 people were slaughtered by presumed Boko Haram fighters who came disguised as soldiers, set up checkpoints and fired on motorists and bystanders.Some of the recent violence has targeted vigilante groups which have formed to help the military.The northeast remains under a state of emergency imposed on May 14.The phone network has been switched off in much of the northeast since the emergency measures were declared, a move the military said would help prevent the Islamists from coordinating attacks.Some have suggested that the lack of phone service has prevented civilians from sounding the alarm during attacks.While the phones remained down in Gujba, calls to Damaturu were going through on Sunday.Boko Haram has said it is fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigerias mainly Muslim north, but the group is believed to made up of different factions with varying aims.The group has attacked churches, mosques, newspaper offices, the security forces, politicians and a United Nations building, among other targets.A toll earlier this year said the conflict is estimated to have cost more than 3,600 lives, including killings by the security forces. The current figure is likely much higher.Nigeria is Africas most populous country and top oil producer, roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south.

Syria airstrike hits school, killing 12

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BEIRUT (AP) - A Syrian government air raid struck a high school in a rebel-held city in the countrys north on Sunday, killing at least 12 people, most of them students, activists said.The airstrike took place in the city of Raqqa, which is located on the Euphrates River and is the only provincial capital under rebel control in Syrias civil war, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Right said. President Bashar Assads regime has relied heavily on its air force to strike opposition-held areas, including Raqqa.The attack appeared to hit the yard in front of the school early Sunday morning, which is the first day of the work week at public schools in Syria.Observatory director Rami Abdul-Rahman said at least eight of the dead were students, and that the death toll is likely to rise because many of the wounded are in critical condition.Amateur videos posted online showed at least nine bodies, some of them missing limbs, lying on pockmarked-pavement strewn with rubble.At least four of the bodies appeared to be of young people. Another video shows pools of blood on the ground and a concrete-block wall destroyed in the bombing.The videos appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting of the events depicted.

Syria: UN experts set to launch most perilous mission

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DAMASCUS (AFP) - International chemical weapons experts were preparing to launch an ambitious and dangerous disarmament mission in Syria on Sunday even as its relentless conflict raged on.In the latest violence, an air strike on a high school in a rebel-held city of northern Syria killed 12 people, most of them students, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.And ahead of the start of the disarmament mission on Tuesday, UN chemical arms investigators left their Damascus hotel to carry out a new inspection on the ground.The United Nations has said the experts, who have been in Syria since last Wednesday, are investigating seven alleged chemical weapons attacks and expect to wind up their work on Monday.They hope to have a comprehensive report ready by late October.The UN mission is separate from a team of Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons inspectors due to start work the next day to destroy Syrias chemical arsenal.The mission is also still investigating an August 21 attack in Damascus suburbs that coincided with an earlier visit to Syria. The experts have already confirmed the use of the nerve agent sarin in the area.Both the Syrian regime and the rebels seeking its overthrow have repeatedly accused each other of using chemical weapons.But in the wake of the August 21 attack, which allegedly left hundreds dead, the United States threatened military action against the Syrian regime, which it accuses of responsibility.The regime denies involvement but agreed soon afterwards to relinquish its chemical arsenal, averting a strike, under a US-Russian deal which was enshrined in a landmark UN Security Council resolution on Friday.UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Saturday held his first meeting with Syrias opposition National Coalition chief to press for a peace conference aimed at ending the 30-month conflict that has cost more than 110,000 lives.Coalition leader Ahmad Jarba told Ban the opposition group was ready to send a delegation to a conference, according to UN spokesman Martin Nesirky.Ban has set mid-November as the target date for convening the conference which aims to build on the work of a previous one held in in June 2012.In his talks with Jarba, Ban stressed the importance of embarking on a serious dialogue as soon as possible as well as the need to ensure accountability for war crimes, his spokesman said.Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, meanwhile, signalled there could be no talk of President Bashar al-Assads departure, as the opposition and Western governments have demanded.There can be no discussion of the future of President Assad. It is in the constitution, he said at UN headquarters in New York.As fighting between Assads forces and rebels raged, his air force bombed a technical high school in the city of Raqa, killing 12 people, most of them children under 18, the Syrian Observatory said.The Britain-based group posted video footage showing mangled bodies, one of them lying under schoolbooks. Its authenticity could not immediately be verified.Raqa, on the Euphrates valley 160 kilometres (100 miles) east of the main northern city of Aleppo, is the only provincial capital entirely in rebel hands.Captured from government forces on March 6, the city is now largely controlled by Al-Qaeda loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.The air strike came after rebels launched an overnight attack on army positions in Nasseriya al-Qalamun, north of Damascus, killing at least 19 soldiers and wounding 60, the Observatory said.In one of the biggest and most dangerous operations ever staged, international chemical weapon troubleshooters are due to enter war-torn Syria on Tuesday.With more than 1,000 tonnes of sarin, mustard gas and other banned horror chemicals stocked across the country, the United Nations and the global chemical weapons watchdog have launched an urgent appeal for scarce experts to join the mission.Final details of the US-Russia plan to dispose of stockpiles at an estimated 45 sites by a target date of mid-2014 have still not been agreed, UN diplomats said.The Syrian government has submitted an initial list of chemical sites and weapons. It has until Friday to send more information to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons tasked with the cleanup.

Hagel in South Korea for security talks

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SEOUL (AP) - Amid escalating threats from North Korea, US and South Korean defense officials will meet over the next few days and discuss whether to extend Americas wartime control over the Souths armed forces, 60 years after a truce ended the Korean War.Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel flew to Seoul on Sunday, and said there will be conversations about the possible extension of the 2015 deadline, but likely no decisions will be made.Were constantly re-evaluating each of our roles, Hagel told reporters traveling with him. That does not at all subtract from, or in any way weaken, our commitment the United States commitment to the treaty obligations that we have and continue to have with the South Koreans.US officials have acknowledged that the South Koreans have informally expressed an interest in delaying the deadline when Seoul is supposed to assume wartime control of the forces that would defend the country in the event of an attack by North Korea.The target date initially was in 2012, and was pushed back to 2015.Defense officials said they expect to have discussions about it with the South Koreans that will help map out the way ahead.Officials said that South Koreas military capabilities have continued to improve, including its ability to communicate and coordinate with the US on missile defense, particularly with American Navy ships deployed to the region.But the South still needs to strengthen a number of military and intelligence capabilities, including surveillance and reconnaissance as well as its missilesUS control of the forces is a holdover from the Korean War, and America has been trying for years to build South Koreas capabilities. But it has proved difficult to wean the South off its dependence on the U.S. military, particularly as the threat from North Korea has escalated.Earlier this year, Pyongyang conducted another nuclear test in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions. The detonation at a remote underground site was seen as a key step toward the Norths goal of building a bomb small enough to fit on a long-range missile capable of striking the US.And, earlier this month a US research institute said that recent satellite images appeared to show that North Korea was restarting its plutonium reactor at the Nyongbyon nuclear facility.That facility was closed in 2007 under the terms of the six-nation disarmament agreement.On Friday, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se urged the UN General Assembly to make a united effort against North Koreas nuclear program, as it has against the use of chemical weapons in Syria.Bonnie Glaser, an Asia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that its time to complete the transfer of wartime control to South Korea.This is not going to in any way weaken the ability of US forces to work with South Korean forces, she said. I think you could argue it could strengthen it. It would make it more similar to the kind of arrangement that we have between American and Japan forces.She said that the recent saber-rattling by Pyongyang, including the nuclear test, represent more of an escalation in the threat to the U.S. than to South Korea.The North has long had highly capable short-range missiles that can hit South Korea.Hagel will spend several days in South Korea, then head to Japan, where he and Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Japanese leaders. This is Hagels third trip to Asia this year.

Hezbollah hands over 2 checkpoints to Lebanon army

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BEIRUT (AP) - Lebanese security officials say Hezbollah has handed over control of two checkpoints in an eastern city to the countrys army.The move Sunday comes a day after a gunbattle in Baalbek between members of the Shiite militant group and residents left at least three people dead. Hezbollah still has at least three other checkpoints in the city.Lebanons state news agency said army troops have deployed throughout Baalbek, including in the neighborhoods where Saturdays fighting took place.Hezbollah set up checkpoints in its strongholds, including Baalbek, after a deadly Aug. 15 bombing in Beiruts southern suburbs. Many people resent the checkpoints.Lebanon has been on edge as a result of the civil war in neighboring Syria, and is divided between supporters of the regime and the opposition.

Militants kill 6 in Kurdish region of Iraq

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ARBIL (AFP) - Militants killed six people in the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq on Sunday, officials said, in a rare attack on an area usually spared violence plaguing the country.Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Malikis spokesman said the deadly attack may be linked to the bloody civil war in neighbouring Syria, where jihadists have battled Kurdish forces.A senior Kurdish security official said two militants opened fire at the headquarters of the asayesh security service in Arbil, then entered and blew themselves up.An explosives-rigged ambulance also detonated at the scene, the official said on condition of anonymity.Kurdistan region health minister Raykot Hama Rashid told journalists that six asayesh members were killed and more than 60 people wounded in the attack.An AFP journalist heard three blasts in Arbil, and heavy gunfire. Smoke could be seen rising in the air, as ambulances raced to the scene.While much of Iraq is plagued by near-daily violence that kills hundreds of people each month, the three-province Kurdistan region in the countrys north has largely been spared the deadly unrest.Sundays blasts were the first to hit Arbil since May 2007, when a truck bomb exploded near the same asayesh headquarters, killing 14 people and wounding more than 80.Syria has affected all of us, the Iraqi premiers spokesman Ali Mussawi told AFP, adding that the attacks may be one of the offshoots of the Syrian crisis.Iraqi security analyst Ali al-Haidari agreed.The attack is linked to the differences between the Kurds and Al-Nusra Front, Haidari said, referring to a rebel jihadist group that operates in Syria.Todays attack is Al-Nusra Fronts revenge against the Kurds inside Kurdistan, he said.Iraqs autonomous Kurdish region has become increasingly embroiled in the bloody conflict raging across the border in Syria.Clashes last month between Kurdish forces and jihadists seeking to secure a land corridor connecting them to Iraq pushed tens of thousands of Syrian Kurds across the border, seeking refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan.Region president Massud Barzani has threatened to intervene in the Syrian conflict to protect Kurdish civilians, although officials have since backtracked on those remarks.The blasts came a day after results were announced for the regions parliamentary elections, which saw an opposition movement in second place ahead of Iraqi President Jalal Talabanis party.Iraqi Kurdistan enjoys a high level of autonomy from Baghdad, and the regional parliament has passed laws on a wide range of issues. The Kurdish region also operates its own security forces and visa regime.

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Sunday, September 29, 2013

DINA for the issue of September 29,2013


September 29, 2013 | Ziqa`ad 22, 1434
The DAWN Internet News Alert (DINA) is a free daily news service from Pakistan’s largest English language newspaper, the Daily DAWN.

Another quake jolts Awaran; 15 dead

Saleem Shahid


QUETTA, Sept 28: Another earthquake of 7.2 magnitude struck the Awaran district of Balochistan on Saturday afternoon, killing at least 15 people and leaving over 50 injured.

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Pakistan is epicentre of terror: Singh

By Masood Haider and Anwar Iqbal

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 28: A day before an important meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accepted Nawaz Sharif’s offer for a new beginning, but at the same time repeated his accusation that Pakistan continued to be an “epicentre of terrorism”.

This was the third time in a week that the Indian premier hurled incendiary remarks against Pakistan.

Four Karachi policemen killed in attacks

By Our Staff Reporter

KARACHI, Sept 28: Four policemen were killed and one was injured in grenade and gun attacks in different parts of the city on Saturday.

Two policemen were killed in a grenade-cum-gun attack on a police mobile in Korangi Industrial Area while a third policeman was critically injured, senior police officials told Dawn.

Swat TTP claims it carried out Dir attack

By Hasan Abdullah

LAHORE, Sept 28: The Swat chapter of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the killing on Sept 15 of a major general, a lieutenant colonel and an army soldier. The two officers and the soldier lost their lives when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Upper Dir.

The claim was made in a 20-minute video, which is exclusively available with Dawn. It purports to show a military jeep driving up a mountainous track while a Taliban cameraman tracks the shot. Suspected militants can be heard in the background praying for “success”.

Taliban reiterate preconditions

By Pazir Gul

MIRAMSHAH, Sept 28: The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s spokesman Shahidullah Shahid has said that withdrawal of the army from the tribal areas, cessation of drone strikes and release of prisoners are prerequisites for peace talks with the government.

“The government should pull out army troops from the tribal area and halt US drone strikes before starting talks,” he said while talking to Dawn by phone on Saturday.

Four FC men, five Baloch militants die in clash

By Our Staff Correspondent

QUETTA, Sept 28: Four members of the Frontier Corps and five Baloch militants were killed in an armed clash in Proom area of Panjgur on Saturday.

Official sources said that one FC soldier was seriously injured in the attack.

NAB deadlock: PM, Shah likely to meet next week

By Amir Wasim

ISLAMABAD, Sept 28: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah are set to have another meeting soon after Mr Sharif’s return from the US in an effort to break deadlock over the appointment of chairman of the National Accountability Bureau.

Sources said that Finance Minster Ishaq Dar called the opposition leader from New York and told him that the prime minister wanted to have a meeting with him after his return to the country on Oct 1.

US, India sign commercial nuclear deal

Dawn Report

WASHINGTON, Sept 28: The United States and India have signed two landmark agreements -- their first commercial nuclear deal and an accord between the two governments to enhance defence cooperation.

The two countries had signed a historic agreement five years ago, paving the way for India’s ultimate recognition as an atomic power. But a dispute over India’s nuclear liability law had delayed a commercial deal.

Rouhani’s chat with Obama draws cheers, jeers

TEHRAN, Sept 28: Hundreds of Iranians cheered President Hassan Rouhani on his return from New York on Saturday after his historic phone call with US President Barack Obama but a smaller number of people shouted “Death to America” and threw eggs and shoes at his official car leaving the airport, Iranian media reported.

While an anticipated handshake between Mr Rouhani and Mr Obama at the UN headquarters failed to materialise, they held a 15-minute call on Friday at the end of the new Iranian president’s visit to the UN General Assembly.

All to benefit from peace, says Sharif

Dawn Report

NEW YORK, Sept 28: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has emphasised the need for peace in the South Asian region, saying that all will benefit if India and Pakistan were to improve their ties.

“We should stop interfering in India’s internal affairs and they should stop interfering in our internal affairs,” he told a gathering of Pakistani-Americans. “If there’s peace in the region, everybody will benefit.”

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DAWN Media Group, Haroon House, Karachi 74200, Pakistan Copyright © 2013 Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd.

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Dunya TV

Dunya TV


Syria vows to abide by UN resolution

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BEIRUT (AP) - Syria's prime minister says Damascus will fully cooperate with U.N. inspectors charged with destroying the country's chemical weapons stockpile.Wael al-Halqi's comments Saturday come a day after the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to purge Syria of its chemical weapons program.Al-Halqi said in an interview with Lebanon's Al Manar TV that Syria welcomed the resolution and will fulfill its international duties. He also said the government will facilitate the work of the inspectors.The U.N. resolution passed on Friday allows the start of a mission to rid Syria's regime of its estimated 1,000-ton chemical arsenal by mid-2014. It also calls for consequences if Syria fails to comply, but those will depend on the council passing another resolution in the event of non-compliance.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.Syrian rebels including members of an al-Qaida-linked group captured Saturday a military post on the border with Jordan after four days of fighting, an activist group said.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 26 soldiers were killed in the battle as well as a number of rebels, including seven foreign fighters. The post served in the past as the customs office on the border with Jordan. It was turned into an army post years ago.The post is on the outskirts of the southern city of Daraa where the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime began in March 2011. The uprising later turned into a civil war that killed more than 100,000 people, according to the U.N.Rebels control multiple areas along the borders with Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and Lebanon as well as the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.Also Saturday some U.N. inspectors left their hotel in Damascus in one vehicle to an unknown location, according to an Associated Press photographer at the scene.The U.N. said Friday its team of weapons experts currently in Syria will investigate seven sites of alleged chemical attacks in the country, four more than previously known. The announcement came hours before the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to secure and destroy Syria's chemical weapons stockpile.The team initially visited Syria last month to investigate three alleged chemical attacks this year. But just days into the visit, the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Ghouta was hit by a chemical strike, and the inspectors turned their attention to that case. The inquiry determined that the nerve agent sarin was used in the Aug. 21 attack, but it did not assess who was behind it.The U.S. says more than 1,400 people were killed in the attack while activists gave a smaller number but still in the hundreds.The UN team of investigators expects to finalize its activities in the country by Monday, a U.N. statement said.On Thursday, the world's chemical weapons watchdog adopted a U.S.-Russian plan that lays out benchmarks and timelines for cataloguing, quarantining and ultimately destroying Syria's chemical weapons, their precursors and delivery systems.The Security Council resolution enshrines the plan approved by Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, making it legally binding.The agreement allows the start of a mission to rid Syria's regime of its estimated 1,000-ton chemical arsenal by mid-2014, significantly accelerating a destruction timetable that often takes years to complete.A draft of the OPCW decision obtained by The Associated Press calls for the first inspectors to be in Syria by Tuesday.

Shoe thrown as Rouhani returns after historic Obama call

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TEHRAN (AFP) - A shoe was thrown at Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's motorcade Saturday as he arrived home to a mixed reception after his historic call with Barack Obama, an AFP correspondent reported.Iranian newspapers hailed the first contact with a US president in more than three decades as the ending of a long taboo.But his 15-minute conversation with the leader of a country long derided as the Great Satan was too much for some hardliners.Nearly 60 gathered outside Tehran's Mehrabad Airport, chanting Death to America and Death to Israel as his motorcade passed.They were outnumbered by 200 to 300 supporters of the president chanting: Thank you Rouhani, who were separated from the protesters by a small contingent of police.The shoe was thrown as Rouhani stood up through the sunroof of his car to acknowledge the crowd. It failed to hit its target.There have been no diplomatic relations between Tehran and Washington since radical students took hostages at the US embassy in the aftermath of the 1979 revolution.Dubbed the nest of spies by the regime, the old embassy site has since been the scene of annual commemorations which have been the focal point for hardline anti-US sentiment.The airport protest contrasted with the plaudits Rouhani received from the Iranian press for the historic telephone call.Rouhani told reporters at the airport that it had been Obama's initiative to make the call.We were going to the airport, when I was informed that the White House had called the cellphone of our ambassador to the UN, his office quoted him as saying.I was informed President Obama wanted to speak to me for a few minutes.Iranian newspapers crowed that Rouhani had wrong-footed the world's media by taking the US president's call after coverage of his keenly-awaited visit to the United Nations in New York had focused on the lack of a face-to-face meeting.The world caught unawares, crowed reformist daily Arman. International media in shock over the telephone call.The Etemad newspaper carried a photomontage of Rouhani and Obama side by side. Historic contact on way home, read a banner headline taking up the whole front page.

White House: Obama will veto House shutdown bill

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WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House says President Barack Obama would veto House Republican legislation that would delay much of the president's health care overhaul for a year and cancel a tax on medical devices.The White House statement comes as the Republican-run House prepares to debate a bill averting a government shutdown Tuesday morning, but delaying the health care law and repealing the tax as the price for doing so. The medical device tax helps finance the health care law.The Democratic-run Senate has approved legislation preventing the shutdown and leaving the health care overhaul alone. That 2010 law has been Obama's proudest domestic achievement.The White House says the House bill would advance a narrow ideological agenda and threaten the economy. It says the bill pushes the government toward a shutdown.

Iraq says Iran's shift toward West is serious

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UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Iraq's foreign minister said Saturday that the new Iranian government led by President Hassan Rouhani offers the best chance after 34 years of animosity to improve relations with the United States and should be taken seriously.Hoshyar Zebari also told The Associated Press in an interview that he is working behind the scenes to try to unite disparate Syrian opposition groups ahead of a November peace conference and to promote a thaw in Tehran's relations with the United States.Zebari said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked Iraq at their meeting Saturday to press the opposition to come with one delegation and one position. The U.N. chief also told him he heard no opposition to Iran, an ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, participating in the upcoming Geneva peace conference.Before he would hear outright rejection, Zebari said. This time, everybody was quiet. Nobody objected.Iraq is in a unique position in the Middle East. Its Shiite-dominated government has comfortable ties to Shiite Iran an important ally of Bashar Assad's Syrian regime. And according to Zebari, Iraq also has good relations with both sides in the Syrian conflict. It also has strong ties to Washington following the 10-year, American-led war that ousted dictator Saddam Hussein.Zebari said Iraq had numerous discussions with the Americans and the Iranians after Rouhani's June election.Our role I would not claim to be decisive or instrumental, but it was helpful, he said.When Rouhani won by a landslide in the first round, he said Iraq understood before many other people that this is real, this is genuine, because if the regime wanted to scuttle it, they could have forced a second round election. They didn't.Iran's hard-line Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who calls the shots on all important matters of state, appears to be giving his critical backing to Rouhani's rapprochement with the West. On Friday, President Barack Obama and Rouhani spoke on the phone for 15 minutes, the highest level contacts between the two countries since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.It capped Rouhani's debut on the world stage this week at the U.N. General Assembly, where he repeatedly advocated for moderation and an easing of tensions.Ahead of the General Assembly, Zebari said he told the Americans and Europeans: Take this leadership more seriously. Don't think that they are the same, that they are just playing games. ... We see they are serious.Zebari said another important indication of Rouhani's seriousness was that he appointed Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as lead nuclear negotiator, taking that key role out of the hands of security agencies with the apparent blessing of ruling clerics.Iran's eagerness to resume stalled negotiations over its disputed nuclear program is another sign of a real shift, Zebari said.He said he told the Americans and Europeans that before you were after them to have these talks ... just to give the impression you are doing something. Now they are eager also, and primarily because of the sanctions, because of the isolation.Tehran insists its nuclear activities are purely peaceful but the U.S. and its allies believe it is aimed at producing nuclear weapons. The U.N., the U.S. and Europe have imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Iran for its refusal to curb suspect nuclear activities and Iran's economy has been devastated by the measures.If the U.S.-Iran relationship develops, Zebari said there should be direct talks.I think this could be more helpful, and I think on the American side they embrace that idea, but I think it's too early, he said.

Iraq violence kills 14

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BAGHDAD (AFP) - Violence that included attacks on security forces and their families killed 14 people in Iraq on Saturday, officials said.In Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad, militants blew up four houses belonging to police and soldiers as people slept inside, killing four including a soldier, and wounding 15.To the southeast, a roadside bomb in a market killed one person and wounded eight, while a magnetic sticky bomb on a police vehicle killed a policeman and wounded another.In Baghdad itself, another sticky bomb killed an electricity ministry employee, and two bombs exploded near a cafe, killing at least one person and wounding six.A roadside bomb also killed a civilian in Baiji, north of the capital, and two gunmen and a soldier were killed when militants attacked a checkpoint near the town.Afterwards, authorities announced a curfew in the area.Gunmen also attacked a local council member's convoy near Baquba, north of Baghdad, killing one of his guards and wounding two, while militants also shot dead a primary school teacher near the city.Iraq is witnessing its worst violence since 2008, when the country was just emerging from a brutal sectarian conflict that killed tens of thousands of people.There are persistent fears, bolstered by a spate of sectarian attacks this year, that the country is slipping back towards all-out Sunni-Shiite conflict.Militants, including those linked to Al-Qaeda, frequently attack Iraqi security forces and other government employees.The latest violence brings the death toll to more than 740 people in September and upwards of 4,550 this year, according to AFP figures based on security and medical sources.

Tennis: Djokovic vows to defend No 1 spot in China

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BEIJING (AFP) - World number one Novak Djokovic Saturday warned a resurgent Rafael Nadal that he won't give up the top spot without a fight as he prepares to defend his China Open crown.Nadal has been in sizzling form this season -- moving to third on the all-time list of Grand Slam champions after claiming victory over Djokovic at this month's US Open -- and the Spaniard could become the world number one for the first time since July 2011 with a good performance in Beijing.Djokovic acknowledged that the current number two has had a more consistent season, but said he is confident he can reproduce the form in Beijing which has seen him unbeaten in three visits to the tournament, following up wins in 2009 and 2010 with victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in last year's final.As long as there is a chance, I will fight for that top spot, he said at the dual ATP and WTA event, which is being staged at Beijing's Olympic Park.But, again, with no doubt he has the best results this year. This year he's been the best player in the world. I have been having ups and downs throughout this year. But still it was a quite good season for me, but it's not over. I want to focus on this week's China Open because this is where I traditionally play well, and I would like to have another successful week.Djokovic is the top seed in Beijing, ahead of number two Nadal, the ATP said on its website Saturday.The reigning champion will play Czech Lukas Rosol, who is ranked 46th in the world, in his opening game, while Nadal will face a qualifier who is yet to be named.The men's competition of 32 players is still at the qualification stages, and organisers are yet to announce the tournament schedule. The women's tournament, which has 64 competitors, began on Saturday with former champion Agnieszka Radwanska saying that she wanted to emulate her 2011 success.The Polish world number four is seeded third in Beijing, and arrives on the back of winning the Korea Open last week, before crashing out of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in the quarter-finals on Thursday.The 24-year-old is up against a strong women's field in China, including world number one Serena Williams, and Victoria Azarenka, the current world number two and reigning China Open champion.But Radwanska said she was relaxed despite the tough competition, particularly as she had already booked her place in the $6 million end-of-season grand finale, next month's WTA Championships in Istanbul, which features the top eight women's players.I'm always very, very happy that I still can be one of the top seeds here, she told reporters in Beijing. It's never easy here, so I am just really trying not to think about any pressure, especially that I made the qualifying already for Istanbul.She added that she was just going to try to play my best tennis here and trying to win it again.Radwanska faces Switzerland's Stefanie Voegele in her opening game at the tournament on Monday.The China Open will reach its climax on October 6.

Tennis: Berdych, Raonic to play for Bangkok title

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BANGKOK (AFP) - Top seed Tomas Berdych and number three Milos Raonic both battled through for three-set wins to set up a Sunday final at the Thailand Open.Berdych struggled for nearly three hours before finally defeating Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 7-5. Raonic put out defending champion Richard Gasquet in the second loss of the day for France, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.The Canadian winner hammered 23 aces in a fightback lasting for just under two hours.Czech Berdych had his troubles with the game of the 14th-ranked Simon, 2012 losing finalist.Berdych is looking for his first title since Stockholm last October -- he is currently the lone member of the ATP top 10 without a trophy this season. Raonic owns four career trophies - three of them won indoors in the now defunct San Jose event.Berdych beat Raonic in their only previous meeting.Berdych lost the opening set after 74 minutes against Simon, known for long matches and extended passages of play.After being treated on court for back pain on Friday, Simon did not use his courtside chair during changeovers in the Berdych match.It was a very tough match and very tight at the end, said Simon, the 2009 champion. I played well in the beginning and then Thomas was very strong coming back in the second set and ultimately was too good in the end.Berdych squared the match at a set each but had to keep up the pressure in the third before finally getting past the Frenchman who beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga late week for the Metz title.Berdych ended with 18 aces and six breaks of serve, saving 11 of the 14 break points he faced and coming from 0-40 down as he served for victory.I was a bit unlucky in the first set, said Berdych, winner of his third match from eight played against Simon. I stuck to my tactics, which had been successful.I just tried to keep going in the same way, used the same strategy - it was a good option in the end.With Gilles you always expect a long match, that is his game. He likes long rallies. I tried to deal with that, Berdych said. In the end it was very close but finally my serve helped me out and I was able to finish the win.The Czech, playing in his seventh semi-final of the year and third in Bangkok after 2007-08, had lost his past three meetings against Simon.Raonic made a strong recovery after being out-played by Gasquet in the first set.There are things I must do better for sure, said the world number 11. I competed well but he played better and had more opportunities.Gasquet had defeated Raonic in five sets at the US Open fourth round as Raonic fired 39 aces in the loss.Raonic is into his third final of the season and his ninth overall.

Messi scores before injury in Barcelona win

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BARCELONA (AP) - Lionel Messi scored before being substituted due to injury to help Barcelona win 2-0 at Almeria on Saturday and set a club record with a seventh straight victory to start the Spanish league.Messi netted his league-leading eighth goal to open in the 21st minute, but he asked to be replaced eight minutes later after hurting a muscle in his right leg.Adriano sealed the result in the 56th from a pass by Cesc Fabregas while Messi watched from the bench.Messi's injury leaves him in doubt for Tuesday's Champions League match at Celtic.While Barcelona may be missing Messi for the trip to Glasgow, it should have Neymar well rested after the striker didn't play a minute at Juegos Mediterraneos Stadium.Barcelona's first-year coach Gerardo Martino has guided Barcelona to its best start in 82 leagues. Five other managers, including Pep Guardiola (2009-10) and predecessor Tito Vilanova (2012-13), had reached six wins.I have only latched on to one of the records that these players have broken and continue to break, said Martino. They have been doing so for years both individually and as a team. The fact that I formed a part of this one is circumstantial.Elsewhere, Jonas scored his third winning goal for Valencia this week to secure a 1-0 victory at home over Rayo Vallecano.The Brazilian forward netted the decisive goal in recent wins against Sevilla and Granada, and he stepped up once again to produce the 36th-minute winner after intercepting a poor pass by Rayo's Saul Niguez.Real Sociedad, meanwhile, was held to 1-1 at home by Sevilla before its Champions League game at Leverkusen on Wednesday.

Arsenal moves top of Premier League

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SWANSEA (AP) - Arsenal took a two-point lead at the top of the Premier League after beating Swansea 2-1 on Saturday with goals from Serge Gnabry and Aaron Ramsey.The 18-year-old Gnabry got his first league goal for the London club in the 58th and Ramsey doubled the lead four minutes later.Ben Davies got one back for Swansea at the Liberty Stadium in the 81st after being set up by Wilfried Bony.Arsenal has 15 points from six games, ahead of Tottenham provisionally second with 13.

Uihlein grabs 2-shot lead at Alfred Dunhill Links

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ST. ANDREWS (AP) - Peter Uihlein holed his second shot for an eagle on the 18th hole Saturday to grab a two-shot lead after the third round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.Having missed an eagle putt that would have given him a 59 on the Kingsbarns course on Friday, the American managed a more spectacular finish on St. Andrews when his 47-yard wedge shot on the 18th found the bottom of the cup. That gave him a 7-under 65 for a 20-under total of 196.I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with my second shot but it worked out well and when I saw it go in, it was pretty sweet and a nice way to sign off, Uihlein said.Ernie Els shot a 64, also on St. Andrews, to be among six players to sit two shots back. The group also included Martin Kaymer (63) and Joost Luiten (68).England's Paul Casey equaled the Old Course record with a 10-under 62 but finds himself back in a share of 25th place, seven shots back.Uihlein's putt for 59 on Friday came up just inches wide, leaving him a tap-in for a 60 that had two shots behind overnight leader Tom Lewis. However, Lewis only managed a 73 on Carnoustie to drop down the leaderboard.Uihlein was playing on the Old Course for the first time, and is looking forward to coming back on Sunday.It's always tough backing up after shooting a low round like I had yesterday at Kingsbarns but I managed to get off to a great start today with four birdies in a row from the fifth and then to eagle the last was a real bonus, Uihlein said. And to play the Old Course for a first time was awesome and it's one of the best, if not the best golf course in the world.Uihlein is looking for his second European Tour victory of the season after winning the Madeira Open, having managed three top-10 finishes since then.However, there are 16 players within five shots of the lead with Els among those who have a lot more experience playing at St. Andrews.I am in a great position but then there are a lot of guys up there and we'll see what happens on the back nine, Els said. But then I've finished second in this event before and it would be nice to finally get my name on the trophy, though there is a lot of hard work to do.

Pakistan govt appoints new PCB secretary

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ISLAMABAD (AP) - A government official has been appointed secretary of the Pakistan Cricket Board with the task of reducing its number of employees.Irfanullah Khan, a legal adviser in the ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC), told The Associated Press on Saturday that Amir Tariq Zaman, additional secretary for sports in the ministry, will take charge next week.Khan says the appointment is in line with the Islamabad High Court order which instructed the IPC to remove all superfluous officials on the cricket board. The court said 68 employees were appointed unnecessarily during Zaka Ashraf's 20-month period as the PCB chief.Najam Sethi is the interim chief of the PCB and has until Oct. 18 to conduct fresh elections.We will visit PCB headquarters early next week where we will meet top officials of the cricket board, Khan said.Our task is not only to reduce the employees, but also recover money from them which they received from the cricket board during their employment period.The PCB has around 900 employees all over the country, who work at various regional cricket associations and at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. Last month, the cricket board reportedly approved a budget of 3 billion rupees ($29 million) and will be facing a deficit of 500 million rupees in the year 2013-14.The deficit is mainly because the PCB has not been able to host any major international team for the last four years after gunmen attacked the team bus of Sri Lanka, killing six police officials and a van driver.The reshuffling at the top of the PCB took place earlier this year when Ashraf got himself appointed for the next four years, triggering a challenge in the Islamabad High Court .The court not only suspended Ashraf but asked the interim chief to conduct fresh elections and look into the day-to-day affairs of the PCB. However, it stopped Sethi who was appointed by prime minister Nawaz Sharif from taking any major decisions such as the appointment of the selection committee.

Man cheats death after pickaxe in hits his skull

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WEST YORKSHIRE (Web Desk) - A man working in his garden cheated death by millimetres after he swung a pickaxe which bounced off the washing line and flew into his forehead, entering his skull.Sheldon Mpofu, 37, was turning soil when he swung the massive tool but hit his washing line on the way down. The pick-axe swung back and the pointed end hit him in the middle of the head, missing his brain and entering a sinus - an empty space in the skull.Despite his injury he still took a bus to hospital where doctors were stunned the pickaxe had not killed him.Medics did not immediately realise how serious the injury was but an X-ray and CT scan showed how far the tool had penetrated.Sheldon, of Morley, West Yorkshire, said: They said there are sinuses in the forehead which are essentially empty spaces. It was just a few millimetres from entering my brain.How it didnt go through was amazing. They told me I was a celebrity around the hospital. The doctor said do you realise how lucky you are?. Everyone was telling me Id been so lucky.After the accident, and with blood pouring from his head, Mr Mpofu called the non-emergency NHS 111 number for advice.They told him an ambulance was not necessary but he should go to hospital within an hour, so he bandaged the wound and took a bus to St Jamess Hospital in Leeds. He was transferred to Leeds General Infirmary by ambulance where specialists in the field are based.Mr Mpofu had five stitches under local anaesthetic and was kept in hospital overnight and given antibiotics and a tetanus injection.He said a string of doctors came to see him after hearing about his unbelievable escape.He has been suffering headaches but the wound is healing well and he has been told he does not need an operation.He added: I feel like Ive had a second lease of life. Its made me value life because anything can happen. I will definitely use my pickaxe again - but very carefully.It still amazes me. We are short of miracles. Im a Christian and I want to let people out there know that miracles can happen.

School asks grieving dad why dead son isn't in class

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NEW YORK (Web Desk) - Jean Fritz Pierre, 16, drowned during a school field trip. His father, Jonas Pierre, says his dead sons school still calls him to complain that he is skipping class.Seen here from his Facebook memorial page, Jean Fritz Pierre, 16, drowned during a school field trip. His father, Jonas Pierre, says his dead sons school still calls him to complain that he is skipping class.The father of a New York City teen who died on a school field trip said hes had to deal with more heartache after he received phone calls recently informing him his son was skipping class. But Jean Fritz Pierre, 16, drowned in June while on a field trip to Bear Mountain State Park with his classmates from Prospect Heights International High School.His grieving father, Jonas Pierre, 39, said the phone calls about his sons attendance have left him even more devastated by his loss.I think, why are you calling, why are you telling me this, Pierre told the New York Daily News. Dont you know my son is dead?In a statement to ABCNews.com, New York City Department of Education spokeswoman Marge Feinberg said officials would make sure Pierre no longer received the phone calls.We apologize for any pain or suffering this may have caused the family and are checking all data systems to ensure that the family doesnt receive these calls anymore, Feinberg said.A probe of Jean Fritzs death cleared school officials of any wrongdoing. However, his father filed a notice of claim earlier this month for a $5 million lawsuit against the Department of Education and the City of New York.

United's woes intensify with 2-1 loss to West Brom

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MANCHESTER (AP) - Manchester Uniteds early season problems intensified by losing 2-1 at home to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, leaving the champion in the bottom half of the English Premier League after six games.Saido Berahino buried a 67th-minute winner for West Brom at Old Trafford to cap another sluggish display by United that has typified David Moyes short tenure as Alex Fergusons replacement.Wayne Rooney scored from a free kick for the third straight league game in the 57th to cancel out Morgan Amalfitanos stylish solo goal for the visitors three minutes earlier, but United was run ragged at times as Moyes decision to rest key players ahead of the Champions League next week backfired.United has just seven points from a possible 18 and has already lost three league games, piling the pressure on Moyes.Boos rang out at the final whistle, with Moyes facing up to Uniteds worst six-game start in the league since 1989. West Brom, just outside the relegation zone coming into the match, hadnt previously won at Old Trafford in 35 years.In the northwest of England for a charity function, former world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield was a special guest at Old Trafford and entertained the crowd in a pre-match interview on the pitch.But United lacked any punch throughout to further highlight the teams attacking deficiencies so far this season.United hasnt scored in open play since the opening day of the campaign and looked lightweight going forward without the threat of Robin van Persie, who came on for the final half-hour to little effect after recovering from a groin injury.West Brom played some brilliant football at times, its slick approach play often embarrassing a United defense without the rested Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Rafael da Silva.Danny Welbeck, Marouane Fellaini and Antonio Valencia started on the bench with Wednesdays match at Shakhtar Donetsk in mind.Rooney twice headed over when well-placed and Brazilian midfielder Anderson planted a header against the bar in the 33rd, but Uniteds build-up play was too slow in the first half to worry a packed visitors defense. It got even worse after the break.Indeed, West Brom had the better early chances, with substitute Berahino heading a golden opportunity wide and Stephane Sessegnon blasting a volley over from close range before they eventually took the lead.Minutes after Sessegnon sashayed his way through some flimsy attempted tackles to set up a chance for Berahino, Amalfitano embarked on a similar solo run and this time there was an end product.After breezing past Michael Carrick and nutmegging Rio Ferdinand, the on-loan Marseille midfielder had the clear thinking to wait for goalkeeper David de Gea to make the first move before chipping the ball in over the goalie.The lead lasted barely three minutes as Rooney bent in a low free kick that evaded everyone, including a stooping Javier Hernandez, and crept into the far corner.United fans were further encouraged by the immediate introduction of Van Persie but they were soon out of their seats in disgust as Amalfitano applied a deft lay-off to Berahino, who buried a low left-footed shot into the corner.Fellaini had a goal disallowed for offside in the closing stages, one of the few decent chances United created in the whole match.

Pakistan must wipe out terror centers for better ties: Manmohan

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned Saturday that Pakistan must stop being the epicenter of terrorism if it wants better ties ahead of his first meeting with Nawaz Sharif.Singh will sit down for breakfast Sunday on the sidelines of the United Nations summit with Sharif, Pakistans newly elected premier, who appealed Friday for a new beginning with the historic rival.Addressing the UN General Assembly, Singh said he shared Sharifs hopes for better relations but warned that Pakistan must no longer be the epicenter of terrorism in our region in the wake of another deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.For progress to be made, it is imperative that the territory of Pakistan and the areas under its control are not utilized for aiding or abetting terrorism, Singh said.It is equally important that the terrorist machinery that draws its sustenance from Pakistan be shut down, he said.Singh said he supported resolving questions over Kashmir -- which is divided between the South Asian powers and is claimed by both -- but stood firm that the Himalayan territory is an integral part of India.There can never, ever, be a compromise with the unity and territorial integrity of India, he said.A raid by militants on an Indian army base in Kashmir killed 10 people on Thursday. Omar Abdullah, chief minister of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, said the attack aimed at derailing dialogue between India and Pakistan.Sharif, who in the past has cooperated with Islamist groups, has quickly sought to reassure the United States and India after sweeping to power in May with promises to rebuild Pakistans troubled economy.Sharif, addressing the UN General Assembly on Friday, said he was looking for a substantive and purposeful dialogue with Singh to offer a chance for a new beginning with India.Our two countries have wasted massive resources in an arms race, Sharif said. We could have used those resources for the economic well-being of our people.Sharif also reiterated calls for greater international attention on Kashmir, a longstanding position of Pakistan.Pakistan followed India in developing nuclear weapons.The presence of atomic arms has raised fears over the repercussions of conflict between India and Pakistan -- caused either by a major attack inside India or an escalation of conflict over Kashmir.While Sharif has returned to office, Singh -- who turned 81 on Thursday -- is seen to be on his way out. He has led the worlds largest democracy since 2004 and is not expected to lead his Congress Party in next years elections.Singh, who was born in what is now Pakistan before Indias partition at independence in 1947, has supported stable relations with Pakistan but has warned that any substantive improvement in ties requires Islamabad to crack down on virulently anti-Indian Islamic militants, some of whom operate openly.Singh resisted domestic pressure for military retaliation after a 2008 raid on a luxury hotel in Mumbai killed 166 people, but he has repeatedly urged Pakistan to prosecute extremists over the attack.In a valedictory visit to the White House on Friday to see President Barack Obama, the Indian leader voiced weariness about his decade of dealing with Pakistan.The expectations have to be toned down given the terror arm which is still active in our subcontinent, Singh told Obama of his meeting with Sharif.A quiet diplomatic bid a decade ago to reach a comprehensive solution over Kashmir failed, but India and Pakistan have since taken goodwill steps.Last month, Pakistan freed nearly 340 Indian fishermen who had been detained for mistakenly straying into the neighboring countrys waters.

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