| 16 die in Iraq assaults, a month before April polls Posted: BAGHDAD: A series of attacks in Iraq, including a shooting at a security checkpoint and a suicide car bomb, killed 16 people and destroyed a bridge on Sunday ahead of legislative elections, said officials.The violence came hours after seven soldiers were shot dead at a checkpoint in a late-night attack by militants in the north, the latest in a months-long surge in bloodshed that has killed nearly 500 people so far this month.Police officials said the deadliest attack took place when attackers sprayed with bullets a group of troops manning a checkpoint early Sunday, near the city of Mosul, 360 km northwest of Baghdad. Police said seven soldiers were killed in the attack.Hours later, a suicide bomber set off his explosive-laden car on the main al-Houz bridge near Ramadi city, killing five people and wounding seven. Police said parts of the bridge fell into the Euphrates river. Ramadi is 115 km west of Baghdad.Fierce clashes pitting government security forces and allied tribal militias against a coalition of insurgents have been raging in Anbar province since late December.Also, a bomb explosion at the entrance of an out-door market killed four shoppers and wounded nine others in Baghdad’s southern suburb of Youssifiyah, according to the police.Medics confirmed the casualties for both attacks. All officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to talk to the media.The Iraq security forces have been a favorite target for insurgents who want to undermine the government in Baghdad. Violence has escalated in Iraq over the past year, with 2013 seeing the country’s highest death toll since the worst of the country’s sectarian bloodletting began to subside in 2007, according to the UN figures.A suicide bomber detonated a vehicle packed with explosives on a major bridge in Ramadi, a city west of Baghdad where security forces are still grappling to retain full control after militants took over several neighbourhoods two months ago.The blast killed seven people and wounded 10 more, and also badly damaged the Hauz Bridge, a key crossing used by civilians connecting the north and south of the city.Ramadi originally had five bridges across the Euphrates River before a militant surge earlier this year.But two are used exclusively by security forces, and two others, including the Hauz Bridge, have now been damaged to the point they can no longer be used.Civilians in Ramadi are now able to use only the Albu Faraj bridge in the north of the city.Ramadi is the capital of Anbar province, a predominantly Sunni desert region in west Iraq that shares a border with Syria.In early January, anti-government fighters seized control of parts of the city and all of nearby Fallujah, also in Anbar.But while security forces have managed to take back most of Ramadi, a stalemate persists in Fallujah, which remains in militant control.Elsewhere on Sunday, two police officers were killed by a roadside bomb that exploded near their car in Tikrit north of Baghdad. Like Ramadi, Tikrit’s population is made up mostly of Sunni Arabs.The attacks came just hours after militants opened fire on an army checkpoint near the restive northern city of Mosul, killing seven soldiers in a late-night shooting.In Mosul city itself, gunmen also killed a doctor.Violence has surged in Iraq in the past year, with nearly 500 people killed so far this month, and upwards of 2,200 this year, according to an AFP tally.Analysts and diplomats have urged the Shiite-led authorities to do more to reach out to the Sunni community to undermine support for militancy, but with the elections looming on April 30, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other Shiite leaders have taken a hard line.The polls, however, have been thrown into disarray by the mass resignation last week of Iraq’s nine election commissioners, citing parliamentary and judicial interference.Though lawmakers say their resignations are unlikely to be accepted, and the commissioners have not left their posts, the sudden decision has raised the possibility of Iraq’s first elections since 2010 being delayed.“If IHEC stays this way, that means... the election will be delayed,” Maliki warned last week, referring to the Independent High Electoral Commission.“We will enter a tunnel we might not be able to get out of,” the premier said. “Troubles will come, one after another, against the state.”The IHEC board has been frustrated with what it says is a vague provision in the electoral law that requires parliamentary hopefuls to be “of good reputation”.Based on that article, a judicial panel has barred several prospective lawmakers, including Maliki opponents such as former finance minister Rafa Al-Essawi, with no obvious avenue of appeal.Parliament has meanwhile reportedly ruled that the IHEC must not bar any candidates unless they have criminal convictions, a decision an electoral official said was at odds with that of the judicial panel.  |
| Kerry says Russia creating fear, intimidation in Ukraine Posted: PARIS (AFP) - Secretary of State John Kerry says the Russian buildup of troops on its border with Ukraine is creating a climate of fear and intimidation in that country.Kerry spoke after meeting Sunday night in Paris with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and said he told the diplomat that Ukrainians must be allowed to decide their own future.The United States is consulting with Ukraine at every step of this process, and we will not accept the path forward if the legitimate government of Ukraine is not at the table,'' Kerry said.Kerry described his talks with the Russian diplomat as a frank conversation about Russia's moves in Crimea and the large gathering of troops along the border with Ukraine.I made clear the United States still considers the Russian actions to be illegal and illegitimate,'' Kerry said.Lavrov called the meeting very, very constructive.'' But he said Ukraine cannot function as a unified state and should be a loose federation of regions choosing their own economy and language.Lavrov also made his case in a Saturday interview on Russian-controlled TV, saying a federation is the only way to guarantee Ukraine's neutrality.We can't see any other way to ensure the stable development of Ukraine but to sign a federal agreement, Lavrov said in the interview. He reiterated Russian claims that the deployment of tens of thousands of troops near the Ukraine border were solely to conduct military exercises.We have absolutely no intention of, or interest in, crossing Ukraine's borders, Lavrov said.U.S. officials have insisted that any changes to Ukraine's governing structure must be acceptable to the Ukrainians. Ukrainian officials are wary of decentralizing power, fearing that pro-Russia regions would hamper its western aspirations and potentially split the country apart. However, they are exploring political reforms that could grant more authority to local governments.Kerry had been headed home from Saudi Arabia on Saturday when he abruptly headed to Paris after a refueling stop in Shannon, Ireland.Also Saturday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told Fox News there remained a huge possibility that Russia could invade and seize Ukrainian territory.Yatsenyuk also told Fox that there was reason for optimism after an hour-long phone call between President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. Diplomacy is always the best way forward, he said.It was Putin's phone call — reports of which varied, depending on whether U.S. or Russian officials were delivering the details — that set off the latest efforts at diplomacy.Russian officials said Putin had complained about activities of what he called extremists in Kiev, Ukraine's capital, and other regions.Steven Pifer, a Russia expert at the Brookings Institute and a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said Kerry's U-turn back to Europe was a good sign. But he expressed skepticism about Russia's moves and motives.It's a good thing that there's a conversation going, Pifer said. But he noted that we continue to see the Russian massing of forces along the eastern Ukraine border. The question will be, does Lavrov have something new to say?What many foreign policy experts have called the gravest risk to East-West relations since the Cold War began just five weeks ago with the fall of Ukraine's pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, after months of protests.Since then, Russia invaded and, after a hastily called referendum, annexed Crimea, an ethnic Russian region of Ukraine. U.S. and European nations, along with the United Nations and NATO, condemned the move and have imposed increasingly tough economic sanctions on Russian government leaders.  |
| Erdogan party takes strong lead in Turkey polls Posted: ANKARA (AFP) - The party of Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan took a strong lead in local elections Sunday, despite turbulent months marked by mass protests, corruption scandals and Internet blocks.If the national trend holds up, it would considerably brighten the outlook for Erdogan, who had gone on a weeks-long campaign marathon ahead of the vote widely seen as a referendum on his 11-year-rule.Nationwide, his Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) had a 46-27 percent lead in municipal polls over the secular main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), with a third of votes counted, CNN-Turk reported.While the AKP was also far ahead in the sprawling metropolis Istanbul and many other cities, the race looked tight in the capital Ankara, with Erdogan's party narrowly leading at 45 against the CHP's 43 percent, CNN-Turk said.Results show us that Erdogan has survived these scandals with very little damage, Mehmet Akif Okur of Ankara's Gazi University told AFP.Voters believe that if Erdogan falls, they will fall with him. No matter how serious the corruption allegations are, the voters supported Erdogan to keep the status they have acquired under his rule.Erdogan has been eyeing a run for the presidency in August -- the first time voters will directly elect the head of state -- or may ask his party to change rules and allow him to seek a fourth term as premier.Despite much criticism at home and abroad over what has been labelled his increasingly authoritarian rule, Erdogan and his party have drawn large crowds cheering the man sometimes dubbed the sultan.Earlier Sunday, casting his own vote in Istanbul, former city mayor Erdogan had voiced confidence in a broad victory, saying that our people will tell the truth today... what the people say is what it is.Anticipating a poll triumph, a boisterous crowd of his flag-waving followers were watching TV coverage on a large screen outside AKP headquarters in Ankara, waiting for Erdogan to give a balcony speech.  |
| Afghan voters rush to register for poll despite attacks Posted: KABUL (AFP) - Crowds queued up outside voter registration centres in Afghanistan on Sunday and presidential candidates held large campaign rallies, six days ahead of elections that have been shaken by Taliban attacks.The vote, which will choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai, comes as US-led foreign troops withdraw after 13 years of fighting the fierce Islamist insurgency raging across the south and east of the country.One Romanian soldier was killed on Sunday by an improvised explosive device (IED) in the southern province of Zabul, taking the US-led coalition death toll to 3,429 since operations began in 2001.On Saturday, the Kabul headquarters of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) was attacked when five Taliban militants occupied a nearby building and unleashed rockets and gunfire towards the fortified compound.All five attackers were killed by Afghan security forces six hours after the attack began, and there were no other casualties.Our vote is our responsibility, people want change and we will bring that change through voting, said Abdul Waris Sadat, a 21-year-old student waiting with several hundred people for hours outside a voter registration centre in Kabul.The attacks by the Taliban have motivated people to come to this centre, register and vote, he said. This is only answer that they give to the Taliban.Rassoul Khurami, a 60 year-old shopkeeper, added: I know my vote counts, and this time even if I get killed I will go and vote, I'm not scared of Taliban threats.According to the latest IEC figures, nearly 3.7 million new voters have registered for Saturday's presidential and provincial council elections.Afghan officials, the United Nations and foreign donor nations have struck a defiant note ahead of the vote after recent attacks on IEC centres, Kabul's most prestigious hotel and a guesthouse run by a US-based anti-landmine charity.Thousands of people are queuing every day behind IEC offices to get voter cards, showing strength and determination that nothing will stop us, said interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi.Former World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani and Karzai loyalist Zalmai Rassoul held rallies in the northwestern province of Herat on Sunday, while Abdullah Abdullah, who came second in the 2009 vote, campaigned in the southern province of Kandahar.We will be victorious in this election -- not through fraud, but based on the votes of the people, Abdullah told thousands of flag-waving supporters.These attacks cannot stop the people of Afghanistan, who want to have the election.Rassoul is widely seen as Karzai's favoured candidate, and Ghani has drawn big crowds to his rallies, but the two could split the Pashtun ethnic vote while Abdullah retains strong support from non-Pashtun communities.Eight candidates are running in the April 5 presidential election, with a second round run-off between the two leading contenders expected in late May.The IEC announced on Sunday that 748 polling stations would stay closed as they were in dangerous insurgent strongholds, leaving a total of 6,757 stations to open on Saturday.The sites that will remain closed are in places where the observers cannot go, or there are landmines, said Ziaulhaq Amarkhil, head of the IEC secretariat.We want to the people to go to polling... we want the candidates to respect the people's votes and we want the candidates to avoid fraud.A repeat of the violence and corruption seen in previous elections would undermine international donors' claims that the expensive 13-year US-led intervention has made progress in establishing a functioning Afghan state.A small European Union monitoring team will assess the election, and will issue a preliminary report two days after voting.The Romanian government confirmed that one of its soldiers was killed and five injured on Sunday on a patrol with Afghan forces along the main highway from Kabul and Kandahar.On March 20, four Taliban gunmen smuggled pistols into Kabul's high-security Serena hotel and shot dead nine people including four foreigners.The victims included Agence France-Presse journalist Sardar Ahmad, his wife and two of their three children.  |
| New quake rattles Los Angeles Posted: LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A 4.1 magnitude earthquake rattled Los Angeles on Saturday, a day after a similar seismic shock spooked the sprawling Californian metropolis. The building housing AFP’s office on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood swayed gently after the latest temblor, which hit at 2:32pm local time (2132 GMT), 2km southeast of the suburb of Rowland Heights. The quake was initially reported as a 4.5 magnitude event before being revised down to 4.1 by the US Geological Survey. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage following the temblor, which came less than 24 hours after the biggest earthquake to hit the Los Angeles area in six years. Friday’s 5.1 magnitude quake caused power cuts, gas leaks and burst water mains and halted rides at Disneyland. No injuries were reported, but objects fell from shelves and furniture toppled over, according to photos posted on social media, while TV pictures showed a car flipped over by a rockslide. Friday’s quake followed one measuring 4.4 earlier this month. The quake, which lasted up to half a minute, was preceded and followed by a number of smaller ones. California has long braced for the “Big One.”The western US state is on the so-called Ring of Fire, which circles the Pacific and has produced a number of devastating quakes including Japan’s March 2011 quake-tsunami, which killed thousands of people. Seismologists say a quake capable of causing widespread destruction is 99% certain to hit California in the next 30 years. A 6.7-magnitude earthquake in 1994 in Northridge, north west of LA, left at least 60 people dead and caused an estimated $10bn damage, while a 6.9 quake in San Francisco in 1989 claimed the lives of 67 people.  |
| Djokovic downs Nadal to win fourth Miami title Posted: MIAMI (AFP) - Six-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic claimed his fourth Miami Masters crown with a dominating straight sets win over world number one Rafael Nadal on Sunday.Second seed Djokovic cruised to a 6-3, 6-3 win in the men's final of the combined ATP and WTA Tour hardcourt tournament.I played a great match everything was working really well, Djokovic said. I didn't give him a chance to come back in the match. I am really excited.Djokovic, who benefitted from two walkovers, didn't drop a set winning his third Miami title in four years and fourth in total to add to triumphs in 2007, 2011, and 2012.Djokovic clinched the victory on his first championship point, capping a long rally with a clever volley that landed in the open court at the Crandon Park Tennis Center.The 26-year-old Serbian had a relatively easy time beating Nadal. His serve was bigger and his defence stronger as he came in with the perfect game plan to collect the $787,000 (572,000 euros) winner's cheque.He blasted five aces, won 30 of 35 points on his first serve and had no double faults in the 83-minute contest.Djokovic captured his second straight Masters title having won two weeks ago in the California desert at Indian Wells. He has fond memories of playing in the US and especially on the hardcourts in Florida.We come here to play in the United States for four weeks, Djokovic said. It gives you plenty time to recover. I love the hardcourts and it is my most preferred surface. In 2007 I won my first big title here in Miami.The match started evenly until Djokovic broke Nadal in the first set to go up 3-2. He took the set when Nadal failed to return a serve.Djokovic broke to open the second set then broke the Spaniard again in the final game of the match.Djokovic said once he got into a good flow the shots were falling right where he wanted them to.I just started swinging freely and had good percentages on my first serves, Djokovic said. He had a hard time reading my serve.I had a few game plans. I wanted to get out there and see what works the best.He serves and likes to move to the backhand corner. He runs around his backhand so that he opens the court for his opponent on forehand side.Thirteen-time major winner Nadal was looking for his maiden win in Miami after losing in the final in 2011, 2009 and 2008.Nadal, who has won two titles in 2014 in Doha and Rio de Janeiro, had two aces and won just 59 percent of his first-serve points.Djokovic's route to the final did include a 7-5, 6-3 win over defending champion Andy Murray where he benefitted from a blown call when he claimed he didn't realize he had broken the rules by sticking his racquet across the net to hit a shot.Sunday was just the second time the top two players in the world have faced each other in the Miami final. In 1995, Andre Agassi squared off against Pete Sampras.  |
| Liverpool tops Premier League after crushing Spurs Posted: LONDON (AFP - Liverpool overwhelmed Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 at a fervent Anfield on Sunday to take over at the top of the Premier League table with six games of the season remaining.Spurs never recovered from an early Younes Kaboul own goal, with further strikes from Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson securing an eighth successive victory for Brendan Rodgers’s in-form side.The win took Liverpool two points above previous leaders Chelsea, beaten 1-0 by Crystal Palace on Saturday, and left the 18-time champions on course for a first English league title since 1990.Third-place Manchester City, four points below Liverpool, have two games in hand, but both they and Chelsea must visit Anfield before the season’s end.Tottenham had been thrashed 5-0 by Liverpool in December’s reverse fixture, precipitating the departure of coach Andre Villas-Boas, and Sunday’s defeat left Tim Sherwood’s side eight points below the top four in sixth place.Liverpool have made a habit of scoring early in recent weeks and it took them under two minutes to take the lead against Spurs, with Kaboul inadvertently knocking Glen Johnson’s low cross into his own net.Spurs’ cause was not helped by an injury to centre-back Jan Vertonghen and his replacement, Michael Dawson, was to play an unfortunate role in Liverpool’s second goal in the 25th minute.His volleyed pass towards Kaboul allowed Suarez to pounce and the Uruguayan ran away from the Spurs centre-backs before driving a left-foot shot across visiting goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.The goal was Suarez’s 29th in the league this season, eclipsing the Premier League club record of 28 set by Robbie Fowler in 1996.Roberto Soldado threatened to give Spurs a foothold in the game with a curling shot that drew a flying save from Simon Mignolet, but Liverpool ended the first half on top, with Lloris brilliantly touching a header from Suarez onto the post.Coutinho killed the game off 10 minutes into the second period, drilling a low shot into the bottom-left corner from 22 yards.Henderson added a fourth in the 75th minute with a free-kick from wide on the left that eluded everyone on its way into the net, leaving the home fans to serenade their side with chants of “We’re gonna win the leagueEarlier, substitutes Kevin Mirallas and Steven Naismith scored as Everton won 3-1 at bottom club Fulham to close to within four points of the top four.Everton took a 50th-minute lead at Craven Cottage when Fulham goalkeeper David Stockdale unwittingly diverted a deflected volley from Naismith into the net for an own goal.Ashkan Dejagah came off the bench to score a stunning equaliser for Fulham in the 71st minute, cutting inside from the left flank and letting fly with a rising shot that flew into the top-left corner.Mirallas restored Everton’s lead eight minutes later, though, running onto a pass from fellow substitute Aiden McGeady and coolly beating Stockdale, before Naismith stabbed home the visitors’ third in the 87th minute.Victory took Roberto Martinez’s side to within touching distance of fourth-place Arsenal, on whom they have a game in hand, ahead of next weekend’s meeting between the sides at Goodison Park.“The fresh legs of the subs were the reason we got the three points — they gave us the spark to score the three goals,” said Everton manager Martinez.“We would love to win the league, but we have got our targets and it is an exciting end to the season and we are fighting to be as high in the table as we can.” Fulham’s chances of avoiding relegation appear increasingly remote, meanwhile, as they remain five points adrift of safety with only six matches to play.“It was a good game. If we can take this performance with us, we will make it good,” said Fulham manager Felix Magath, who handed a first start to 17-year-old French striker Mousa Dembele.“We have six games left. I still believe we can stay up.”  |
| Messi penalty lifts Barca back to La Liga summit Posted: MADRID (AFP): Barcelona rounded off a fine week to move top of La Liga as they overcame stiff resistance from local rivals Espanyol to win 1-0 thanks to a penalty from Lionel Messi. The Argentine scored the only goal of the game 14 minutes from time at Cornella El Prat after Javi Lopez was adjudged to have handled inside the area. Espanyol were then reduced to 10 men when goalkeeper Kiko Casilla saw a straight red card for blocking Messi's goalbound effort with his hands outside the area.Victory moves Barca two points clear of Atletico Madrid and five ahead of Real Madrid with both sides from the capital in action later on Saturday against Athletic Bilbao and Rayo Vallecano respectively.Knowing his side would be in for a difficult afternoon, Barca boss Gerardo Martino named almost his strongest side despite Tuesday's upcoming Champions League quarter-final clash with Atletico. Andres Iniesta was left on the bench after having to come off during Wednesday's 3-0 won over Celta Vigo with a slight muscular problem, whilst Jose Manuel Pinto replaced the injured Victor Valdes in goal.The visitors started brightly and would have been in front had their star forwards been at their best as both Neymar and Messi wasted good headed chances when well placed inside the area. Neymar then missed a glorious opportunity on 19 minutes when he blazed Dani Alves' cross over from point-blank range with an open goal to aim at. Pizzi was next to pass up a wonderful chance as just two minutes later he fired over with just Pinto to beat from Sergio Garcia's inviting cross.Javier Mascherano was lucky not to concede a penalty as he appeared to catch Javi Lopez with a stray arm as the Espanyol full-back broke into the box.Neymar came close to breaking the deadlock once more before the break as he prodded Jordi Alba's through ball beyond Casilla but the ball rolled passed the far post. There was far less in the way of goalmouth action in the second-half, but Barca upped the pressure as Espanyol started to tire in the final 20 minutes and Gerard Pique struck the crossbar from Sergio Busquets' flick-on.Moments later Martino's men did get the all-important goal as Lopez handled whilst contesting a cross with Neymar at the far post and this time referee Clos Gomez did point to the spot. Messi stepped up and, just as in scoring twice from the spot in Barca's 4-3 win over Real Madrid last weekend, showed no sign of nerves as he calmly slotted home his 36th goal of the season. Espanyol finished the game with 10 men as Casillas then saw red for handling outside the area as he blocked a lob from Messi that appeared to heading goalwards.Lopez ended an eventful afternoon by going in goal as the hosts had already made all three substitutions and made a fine save in stoppage time to prevent Alexis Sanchez doubling Barca's lead.  |
| Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton wins Malaysian Grand Prix Posted: SEPANG (Malaysia) (AFP) - Britain's Lewis Hamilton led the first Mercedes one-two in 59 years on Sunday as he stormed into the title race with a commanding victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix.Hamilton streaked away from pole position and was never pressured as he finished ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg with four-time defending world champion Sebastian Vettel third for Red Bull.It was the first time both Mercedes drivers have led the field since 1955, when the German marque departed the sport before returning in 2010 and now confirming themselves as the team to beat in F1's new era.Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was fourth and Nico Hulkenberg placed a creditable fifth for Force India.The win was sweet for Hamilton, who ended an eight-month win drought since Hungary last July and who was frustrated at the season-opener in Australia when he had to retire early.Rain disrupted qualifying but Malaysia's notorious downpours were largely absent as the 2008 world champion finished 17 seconds ahead of Rosberg, who leads the overall standings with 43 points to Hamilton's 25.Afterwards, Hamilton paid tribute to the victims of the mysterious MH370 plane disappearance, which cast a shadow over the race and was blamed for poor ticket sales with the Sepang circuit only about half-full.Incredible, incredible, Hamilton said of the win. I just feel so grateful particularly after such a tragedy three weeks ago. I would like to dedicate it to those people and their families.After a sombre minute's silence for the MH370 missing, Hamilton got away smoothly from pole as his team-mate Rosberg squeezed inside Vettel and into second position on the starting straight.Behind the leaders, McLaren's Kevin Magnussen clipped Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen's right rear tyre, leaving him with a flat, and Pastor Maldonado crashed with Jules Bianchi.Hamilton was streaking away in front and he had a 5.2-second lead by lap nine, with Rosberg nearly four seconds ahead of Vettel in third and Daniel Ricciardo fourth in the second Red Bull.Williams' Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas, who was warned over the radio to stop attacking his team-mate, moved up a place when Magnussen had to come in for a stop-go penalty for his collision with Raikkonen.Hamilton pitted after lap 15 and rejoined behind Force India's Hulkenberg, who had yet to make his first stop, and he quickly regained the lead with an eight-second advantage over Rosberg.Mercedes' relaxed instructions to Hamilton were just keep doing what you're doing as the former world champion extended to a 10-second lead by halfway and with Rosberg comfortably ahead of Vettel.As rain started falling on parts of the track, the two leaders were the last to come in for their second pit stops and Hamilton regained with a healthy 12-second lead.Red Bull reported trouble with Ricciardo's fuel sensor but then disaster struck the Australian as after his third pit stop, he drove off with a loose front left wheel and had to go back to the garage.It got worse for Ricciardo, disqualified from second place for a fuel sensor issue in Melbourne, when his front wing came loose and he had to return to the pits again, finally rejoining in 16th.And the officials compounded the misery of the troubled Australian when they pulled him in for a 10-second stop-go penalty for the unsafe pit stop release. He retired before the finish.  |
| Positive developments on Taliban talks underway: PM Posted: LAHORE (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday. Prime Minister said that Taliban negotiations process is heading towards positive directions and that nation will soon be given ‘good news,’ Dunya News reported.It merits mentioning here that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday to brief him about the developments regarding the Taliban negotiations process.Reportedly, Ch Nisar explained the developments in details and took Prime Minister into confidence. Government’s next strategy regarding the negotiations also came under discussion.Prime Minister and Interior Minister also discussed the overall national security situations.Earlier, Chaudhry Nisar convened a joint meeting of government and Taliban dialogue committees today (Saturday).It merits mentioning here that Taliban had expressed satisfaction on Thursday over government committee’s explanation, that no women are being held in government’s custody, in a meeting with Taliban Shura.According to sources, in a meeting with Taliban which took place a day earlier, government committee explained that if family members of Fazlullah can be released, government has no reason to hold other women and children.Government committee also offered further investigation if Taliban provide any evidential information. Reportedly, Taliban expressed satisfaction over government’s position.Sources reveal that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was also mentioned repeatedly during the meeting. At one point, an unnamed member of government committee reiterated that Nawaz Sharif wants political solution to the conflict; to which Taliban leader Maulvi Bashir responded by saying “you people are obsessed with Nawaz Sharif.”Government committee also met Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar and debriefed him about the developments on Taliban meeting. Next meeting is expected to take place in next two to three days.  |
| Court to be presented with medical report instead of Musharraf: Reports Posted: ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) where former president Pervez Musharraf is seeking treatment for past three months has reportedly prepared a medical report saying Musharraf cannot leave hospital, Dunya News reported.According to sources, the report that will be presented before court instead of Musharraf also seeks permission for former president to go abroad to visit ailing mother whose condition also deteriorated on Saturday.The report also says Musharraf is suffering from severe depression for not being able to visit ailing mother.Earlier, Musharraf’s lawyers met him at AFIC to discuss possible appearance before court due on Monday.The security plan for former president Pervez Musharraf’s expected appearance in court in high treason case was finalized earlier on Sunday. Musharraf’s route has been given the status of VVIP route.According to police sources, 2,650 police and Rangers personnel will be deployed in the twin cities. Over 650 personnel will be posted in Rawalpindi while 2,000 policemen will be deployed at different points of the route. Four different routes have been designed to take Musharraf to the court while the final route will be decided in morning. It is pertinent to mention here that former president’s ailing mother was admitted to Sharjah Hospital on Saturday when her condition worsened suddenly.According to a UAE paper, Pervez Musharraf’s 95-year-old mother Zarin Musharraf was taken to W. Wilson Hospital in Sharjah when her condition deteriorated all of a sudden. Reportedly, she is suffering from a breathing difficulty which can lead to heart problem.The spokesperson of All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) had appealed the public to pray for recovery of Musharraf’s mother. Spokesperson said it is unclear as of now whether or not former president Musharraf will be given permission to visit his mother.  |
| World T20: India brutally beat Australia by 73 runs Posted: DHAKA (AFP) India defeated Australia by 73 runs in Dhaka on Sunday to end the Super-10 round of the World Twenty20 with four successive wins.India, who had already qualified for the semi-finals, scored 159-7 after being sent in to bat and then bowled out Australia for 86 in 16.2 overs to top group two.It was Australia's third loss in a row, leaving them at the bottom of the table along with Bangladesh.Pakistan, who beat Bangladesh by 50 runs earlier on Sunday, will clash with the West Indies on Tuesday to decide the second semi-finalist from the group.  |
| Rehman Malik wrote threat letter to Bilawal to defame Punjab govt: Rana Sanaullah Posted: FAISALABAD (Dunya News) -- Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah alleged on Sunday that the threat letter to Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Chair Bilwal Bhutto Zardari was actually written by Former Interior Minister Rehman Malik, also of PPP, Dunya News reported.Talking to media in General Hospital after opening ceremony of Thalassemia centre here in Faisalabad, provincial minister claimed that Rehman Malik had written the threat letter to Bilawal to defame Punjab government.Rana said that Malik had been involved in such acts in the past to malign Punjab government, and alleged that former interior minister is a liar.He said Bilawal Bhutto would be welcomed and provided foolproof security if he comes to Punjab.The minister said Taliban do not seem serous in dialogue process and that for success of peace process TTP should announce unconditional ceasefire.  |
| Lahore: Man kills wife, toddler over petty dispute Posted: LAHORE (Dunya News) – A ruthless man killed his Hafiz-e-Qur’an wife and two-year-old son in Lahore on Sunday. He was later arrested by police and confessed to the double homicide, Dunya News reported.The incident took place in Lahore’s Noor Colony, where according to police and rescue officials, Javed, a rickshaw driver, murdered his wife Farzana and Tayyab, 2, apparently due to domestic quarrel.Reportedly, the accused who was living in a single-room house in Ghaziabad area, killed his wife using a sharp-edged weapon and strangled the child following a petty domestic dispute. He also injured himself with the sharp-edged weapon in a failed suicide attempt.Javed later called Rescue 1122 and informed about the killings. Meanwhile, he was arrested by the police who claimed that the accused have confessed to killing his wife and minor child over a domestic dispute.Police took the bodies into custody and launched an investigation.  |
| Old enmity claims seven lives in Shikarpur Posted: SHIKARPUR (Dunya News) – At least seven persons of the same family, including women and children, were killed Lakhi Ghulam Shah area of in Shikarpur on Sunday.The incident took place in Lakhi Ghulam Shah area of the city in the limit of Rustam police station, where a man killed them over old enmity issue.According to police, the two groups of Marfani community are at war for several years and in continuation of that an armed gang of one group storming into the house of the other group opened indiscriminate firing that killed seven inmates including two women, while one was severely injured.Dead bodies and the injured persons were shifted to the Shikarpur Government Hospital.Police have started investigation of the case.  |
