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Cricket - Sports

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

How to maximise savings while planning a trip this summer

How to maximise savings while planning a trip this summer
The tedium of juggling destinations, budgets and expectations can bog one down. Add to this the obsession to squeeze the best value for money.
What should you do if EMI turns out to be too high for you?
The amount of EMI to be paid depends on and varies with the amount of loan, tenure of loan and rate of interest.
Planning to buy property online? Research well before taking a decision
You may get sweet deals on the Internet, but they can also spell trouble. Conduct a thorough research before zeroing in on a property.
How to interpret non-verbal communication in office
Unspoken messages have the potential to make or mar your relationships in the workplace. Find out how to decode them.
Are women-only health insurance policies a good buy?
Given the low awareness for the need of health cover for women in India, should women opt for products tailored for them?
Quote of the week
"Use enhanced deduction to augment health cover"
Sandeep Patel,CEO and MD, Cigna TTK Health Insurance
How high debt and no equity exposure act as hurdles for the Kalambes

Family Finances

The Kalambes will have to repay their debts and find ways to raise their surplus be able to achieve their goals.
Why you should understand your needs properly before taking a loan

Financial Planning

A loan can help build assets and allow you to enjoy the perks of your income, but make sure it does not signal a disconnect between income and expenditure.
How Ashish & Manika Pal Sood turned Youshine into a growth engine in six years' time

Money-making venture

Youshine, the fashion jewellery and accessories brand for women, built by Monika along with her husband Ashish, has grown rapidly over the past six years.
How IT solutions start-up Softdive is diversifying through launch of apps

Entrepreneurs

Even as the firm's solutions business has seen impressive growth, the founders' focus on building a product-centric company is very much intact.

Financial Calculators

Plan your car
Plan your car
Car cart!
Use this calculator to find out if it is worthwhile to shift your home loan to another bank? Just enter the data and click next. It's that easy.
Home Loan Refinance
Home Loan Refinance
Should you refinance your home loan?
Find out how much you will have on retirement with different combinations of savings, percentage returns, time to go and tax rate.
Seven must-haves for comfortable travel
Find out how to up your convenience quotient with these unique add-ons.

Five mobile apps that can change the way you plan your vacations
These apps can change the way you plan your vacations, says Karan Bajaj.

Should equity investors turn cautious now?
Yes, they should, given the above-average valuations, slow revival in corporate earnings and the expected interest rate hike by the US Fed.

Use balanced mutual funds to tackle market uncertainty
Going with a normal equity or a balanced fund won't serve the purpose as few of them are willing to take active cash calls.

How to make cash investment in mutual funds
Cash applications can be made only in physical form at designated investor service centres of the fund houses which are authorised to accept cash applications.

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Dunya TV

Dunya TV


4 death row inmates hanged in various cities

Posted:

Mianwali (Dunya News) – 4 prisoners on death sentence were hanged in various citites of the country. Culprit Habdar Shah was hanged in Mianwali’s Central Jail. Shah was accused of killing 2 people in 2002.One death row prisoner was sent to the gallows in Attock’s District Jail. The culprit Ikram-ul-Haq was accused of kidnapping a 3 year old girl for ransom in 2002.Another prisoner was hanged in Sargodha’s District jail. Felon Mohammad Riaz was given death sentence by the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in 2002. Riazwas found guilty of killing 2 people during a bank robbery in 2000.A prisoner was sent to the gallows in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail. The accused Mohammad Amin was convicted of killing a person.

Husband provided with facilities in jail: Saulat Mirza's wife

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) member Saulat Mirza’s wife on Monday revealed that her husband was given a different treatment in jail as compared to other prisoners. Mirza’s wife stated that her husband was provided different facilities by jail officials on behalf of MQM. She stated that the MQM chief Altaf Hussain’s birthday was celebrated on the gallows in the jail.According to the details, she stated that MQM workers were provided the facility of phones. She said that she used to meet Mirza in his room in jail. Mirza’s wife further revealed that MQM chiefs birthday was celebrated every year with a great zeal and honor. She stated that the gallows were decorated with the political party’s flags and Hussain’s large portraits. She also revealed that cakes used to be cut and dhol was played.She stated that MQM’s prominent leaders used to visit the jails especially for that occasion and took pictures with the inmates. Mirza’s wife also showed colorful photographs some of which were of weddings attended especially by MQM leaders. Rest of the pictures was of MQM chief’s birthday celebrations being held at the jail’s gallows.

Karachi: Police becomes active against terrorists, 5 suspects killed

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Karachi’s police force became active against terrorists on Tuesday as 5 suspects were killed in action against suspects in various areas of the city. An exchange of fire occurred between the police and gangwar operatives in Layari. 3 suspects of Baba Ladla group were killed during the clash. According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Fida Hussain, killed operative Sameer Kaichi was a close partner of Baba Ladla. The suspect was also involved in the killing of 100 people.On the other hand, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) conducted a raid on an intelligence report In Orangi Town Tori Bangush area. Two terrorists of a banned organization were killed during the raid. The terrorists belonged to Tehreek-e-Taliban Khan Zaman Mehsud group. According to CTD Incharge killed suspects were involved in various activities of terrorism. He informed that a large amount of explosives was confiscated from them.Meanwhile, a person named Mohammad Khan was shot dead in Faqir Goth area.

Tennis: Djokovic advances to fourth round at Miami

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MIAMI (AFP) - World number one Novak Djokovic moved closer to a possible fourth Miami Open trophy Monday by defeating Belgiums Steve Darcis 6-0, 7-5 to reach the fourth round.Defending champion Djokovic, seeking his third March hardcourt double of Indian Wells and Miami in the same year, fired five aces and broke Darcis five times.Djokovic will next play Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov, who ousted Brazils Thomaz Bellucci 7-5, 6-4.Australian Open winner Djokoivic wrapped up victory with a break in the final game to earn his 21st victory of the season as he pursues his third title of the year.Djokovic needed less than half an hour to take the first set but had to come back from a break down in the second, trailing 5-4 before rallying for the triumph.The first set went completely my way, but I had a drop of intensity and didnt use opportunities early in the second set, made it close, Djokovic said.I managed to come back in the right moment. I elevated the intensity and started playing a little bit of depth on the ball. But I still complicated my life in the second set. Japans Kei Nishikori took just over an hour to defeat Serbias Viktor Troicki 6-2 6-2 to secure a fourth-round berth.Asias top player -- who reached the semi-finals in Miami last year -- could not fault his performance.I played good tennis today, almost perfect. Im excited that Im playing good here. Maybe he was hurting a little bit, but still I was giving him a lot of pressure with my return, Nishikori said.It was a great match today. I felt great on the court, so very happy to win.Nishikori hit five aces and 16 winners, breaking 39th-ranked Troicki on five of six chances.Nishikori, who reached his first Grand Slam final last year at the US Open, beat David Ferrer and Roger Federer on his way to the Miami semi-finals last year only to withdraw prior to a match with Djokovic due to a groin injury.Next up for Nishikori will be Belgiums David Goffin, who beat Polands Jerzy Janowicz 6-4, 6-3.Canadian fifth seed Milos Raonic overcame a second-set swoon before recovering to defeat Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (7/3) while Spanish sixth seed David Ferrer beat Lukas Rosol 6-4, 7-5.In womens play, Serena and Venus Williams advanced to the quarter-finals, each cruising to a straight-set triumph.World number one Serena Williams, seeking a third consecutive Miami crown and record eighth title at the hardcourt event, hammered Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-3 while 16th-seeded elder sister Venus defeated fourth seed Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 7-6 (7/1).Between them, the Williams sisters have won the Miami singles title 10 times. The only players to win the crown three years in a row are Serena, from 2002-2004, and Steffi Graf, who did it from 1994 to 1996.Serena, 33, took 73 minutes in beating 2006 Miami champion Kuznetsova, improving her overall Miami record to 70-7.I dont think Im cruising, Serena Williams said. I have my matches and Im really focused in my matches because all these players I play are really good.When Venus is playing before me Im always excited to see her results and hopefully (see) a win. But I dont usually watch her match because Im trying to focus on mine.Serena could face her sister in the finals. While Venus, who suffers from the chronic medical condition Sjogrens syndrome, has struggled in recent seasons, she has played well in 2015, winning her 46th career title in January at Auckland and making a run to the Australian Open quarter-finals, her deepest at a Grand Slam event since the 2010 US Open semi-finals.Shes playing really well, shes playing really aggressive, Serena Williams said of her sister. I have always said what Venus has gone through has really motivated me.Venus Williams, 34, is playing her home event for the 16th time and owns three titles. The American took the win despite 37 unforced errors in a match riddled with a dozen breaks of serve. Williams has never lost to former number one Wozniacki, now 7-0 against the Dane.Im persistent. I dont give up and I believe in myself no matter what the odds are and what you may experience, Venus Williams said. Ive always seen it as something to overcome and not something that could stop me.Having that perspective of glass half full helped me a lot.Spanish 12th seed Carla Suarez Navarro upset seventh seed Agnieszka Radwanska 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 and will play Venus Williams next.

Pakistan-born Fawad Ahmed named in Australian test squad

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MELBOURNE (AP) - Pakistan-born refugee Fawad Ahmed has been named in Australias test squad for tours of the West Indies and England later this year after an impressive domestic first class season.Legspinner Ahmed joins Nathan Lyon as Australias spin bowling options, while batsman Adam Voges will have a chance to press for a spot in the top order.Brothers Shaun and Mitch Marsh were also included, with all-rounder Mitch preferred ahead of World Cup star James Faulkner.World Cup player of the tournament Mitchell Starc has been rewarded for his efforts, while fellow paceman James Pattinson is ruled out of the West Indies tour with an injured left hamstring.Australia plays two tests in the West Indies from June 5, ahead of the five-test Ashes series starting in England from July 8.

Solar Impulse lands in China after 20-hour flight from Myanmar

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SHANGHAI (AFP) - Solar Impulse 2 landed early Tuesday in China, the worlds biggest carbon emitter, as it completed the fifth leg of its landmark circumnavigation of the globe powered solely by the sun.With pilot Bertrand Piccard at the controls, the revolutionary plane landed in Chongqing airport at 1:35 am (1735 GMT Monday) after a 20-and-a-half hour flight from Myanmar, its vast wingspan lit up by rows of led lights.The plane had been expected to make just a brief stop in the southwestern city and quickly travel on to Nanjing, about 270 kilometres (170 miles) from Shanghai, but that has been delayed due to weather and safety concerns, with the team now expecting to stay a few days waiting for better conditions for the trip east.We are tired but we are still very, very happy to be in Chongqing, said mission engineer Michael Anger on the projects website.In China it was demanding, this flight, especially for Bertrand but also for the team preparing two flights in a row and then this afternoon cancelling the second flight due to bad weather in Nanjing.Piccard, one of the two Swiss pilots of the solar-powered plane, battled extreme cold as low as -20 degrees Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) in the cockpit and the general unpredictabilities of flying above the mountainous Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan.On a previous circumnavigation, Piccard passed over China in a specially designed balloon, but only after he flew to Beijing personally to negotiate the trip with conditions the balloon avoid large swathes of the country.Flying at high altitude for most of the journey, Piccard had to use additional oxygen on the 1,375-kilometre (854-mile) route.The flight from Mandalay to Chongqing was the most difficult, Raymond Clerc, flight director for Solar Impulse, said on a video interview on the projects website.The team behind Solar Impulse 2, which has more than 17,000 solar cells built into its wings, hopes to promote green energy with the circumnavigation attempt.Ridiculed by the aviation industry when it was first unveiled, the venture has since been hailed around the world, including by UN chief Ban Ki-moon.Muscat was the first of the 12 planned stops on the planes maiden journey around the world from Abu Dhabi, with a total flight time of around 25 days spread over five months.

One dead as police fire on car in incident at US spy HQ

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FORT MEADE (AFP) - US police opened fire and one suspect died Monday after two men dressed in womens clothing tried to ram their car onto the grounds of the National Security Agency (NSA) outside Washington.One police officer and a second suspect were hurt in the incident, said the National Security Agencys director for strategic communications, Jonathan Freed.It was not immediately clear whether the suspects were shot or wounded when their car crashed into a police security vehicle. A US official confirmed reports the men were wearing womens clothing. An FBI spokeswoman said the incident at Fort Meade, the electronic eavesdropping agencys super-secure base in suburban Maryland, was not believed to be related to terrorism.Officials said the drama was quickly contained and NSA headquarters staff were not at risk, but it will inevitably recall similar recent security incidents at federal sites.According to Freed, a vehicle carrying two individuals was directed to turn back after it made an unauthorized attempt to enter the base.Instead, the car accelerated toward an NSA vehicle blocking the road. Police opened fire, but the car crashed into the security truck.One of the unauthorized vehicles occupants died on the scene. The cause of death has not been determined, Freed said, in a statement.One NSA police officer was injured and taken to a local hospital. The incident was contained to the vehicle control point.The FBI has taken charge of the investigation and the White House said President Barack Obama had been briefed on the situation. News footage from helicopters showed the crash-damaged police vehicle and a civilian vehicle outside a main gate, and an injured person being transferred to an ambulance. The FBI said it has opened an investigation, joining other law enforcement agencies and deploying agents to the scene to gather evidence and interview witnesses.The shooting scene is contained and we do not believe it is related to terrorism, said Amy Thoreson, a spokeswoman for the FBIs Baltimore office.We are working with the US attorneys office in Maryland to determine if federal charges are warranted, she said.About 11,000 military personnel and 29,000 civilians work at Fort Meade, which also houses the headquarters of the US Cyber Command and other military units.Fort Meade said all personnel and residents on the base were safe.Security at US federal installations has been under scrutiny in recent months after a number of incidents, including one in which a troubled veteran wielding a knife vaulted a fence and sprinted into the White House.In another incident, a private civilian drone crashed into the grounds of the executive mansion, leading authorities to ban their use within the capital.Most of the incidents have proved minor, but in September 2013, a lone gunman stormed a naval command center in the Washington Navy Yard and killed 12 people before he was in turn slain by police.The NSA specializes in code breaking and electronic surveillance, operating a global network of satellite surveillance, land listening stations and online data collection.It has been the focus of intense controversy since mid-2013, when former contractor Edward Snowden revealed the huge scope of its eavesdropping in a leak to the media.Washington has denounced Snowdens document dump and subsequent flight to Russia, but Obamas administration has agreed to reform some of rules governing data interception.

Family of death row prisoner protest outside Ch Nisars residence

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RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) – The family of a prisoner on death sentence protested outside Federal Interior Minister Chaudary Nisar’s residence located in Faizabad. The protest by the family of the death row inmate named Amin continued well into the night. The family protested that Amin’s hanging should be postponed for a day saying he was younger than 18 years of age and the relatives of the victim have even pardoned him. They stated that he was being hanged just because the case registered against him has terrorism provisions in it. They also stated that his Amin’s age at the time of the crime was 17 years and 5 months.According to the details, 2 men and women protested outside Federal Interior Minister’s residence.Station House Officer (SHO) Sadiqabad and a heavy contingent of the police arrived upon report of the protest. The protestors were shifted to Deputy Superintendent of Police’s (DSP) office in New Town. The negotiations went well into the night. The protestors were informed that their demands have been conveyed to high officials.

Pietersen shouldn't expect England recall says Stewart

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LONDON (AFP) - Exiled England star Kevin Pietersen shouldnt expect an international recall despite his return to county cricket, according to his Surrey coach Alec Stewart.Pietersen has rejoined Surrey to play in County Championship Division Two this season in a bid to win a Test recall for Englands Ashes showdown with Australia later this year.The 34-year-old South Africa-born batsman was sacked by the England and Wales Cricket Board after the 2013-14 whitewash in Australia.ECB managing director Paul Downton insists Pietersen will not be brought back into the fold, while Test captain Alastair Cook rated the prospect highly unlikely, and former England opener Stewart agrees.If England are winning, they have a good West Indies tour which we expect, then its going to take an injury or a huge loss of form for a vacancy to become available, Stewart told BBC Radio Five Live.But all Kevin can do and, thats what hes said to us, hes going to score runs, sit back and see what happens.Pietersen was reported to have fallen out with several senior members of the England squad before he was axed, but Surrey director of cricket Stewart claimed he has never had any problems with his attitude.Hes been as good as gold with us. If he was a bad character we wouldnt have had him, Stewart said.Whenever hes been with us he has been outstanding. Hes helped the youngsters, hes been in the nets, hes put on batting clinics and hes tried his heart out.So hopefully, and I have no reason to disbelieve it, he will be exactly the same this time, if not even more hard working and desperate to score runs.

Dollar resumes climb in wait on Greece deal

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar headed higher against the euro Monday, with markets on the watch for movement in talks on a new Greek bailout deal.Traders held out hopes for progress toward an agreement after a weekend of talks, but worries of a breakdown were also still in the air.Experts from the IMF and the EU are scrutinizing a list of proposed reforms put forward by Athens to try to unblock a new 7.2 billion euro ($7.81 billion) tranche of EU-IMF loans and avoid a debt default.But Greece was told the list needs more work and details.Were not there yet, European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas warned. However, he added, the fact that experts worked through the entire weekend and continue today is a positive sign.Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda trading group, was upbeat.I just dont think people are buying into the Grexit anymore, he said. A deal is always done and it would be truly bizarre if the same didnt happen this time.Also boosting the dollar -- which rose on the British pound and Swiss franc as well -- were hints from China that more easing might be in the works for the sagging Chinese economy.Peoples Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan told the Boao Forum on Sunday that we need to be vigilant to see if the disinflation trend will continue, and if deflation will happen or not.China can have room to act, both with interest rates and quantitative measures, he added in comments reported by Bloomberg News.

MQM Rabita Committee strongly condemns workers' arrest

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Rabita Committee on Monday strongly condemned the growing number of arrests of its workers by police and government officials. According to an issued statement, MQM Rabita Committee stated that consecutive arrests and unannounced ban on their political activities has been going on.MQM’s Rabita Committee mentioned the names of some of their arrested members which include MQM’s joint incharge of municipal sector unit C/112 Mohammad Zulifiqar, unit committees’ member Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Tariq and municipal sector C/112’s workers. The Rabita Committee stated that these members were arrested early in the morning on Monday from Musharraf Colony by government officials during a raid.Rabita Committee stated that no information about the arrests is being provided to any member of the party or families of the arrested.MQM’s Rabita Committee has demanded that Pakistan’s Prime Minister (PM), Federal Interior Minister Chaudary Nisar take notice of the unjustified arrests of their party members. The Rabita Committee has demanded that these arrests should seize immediately and a free environment should be provided to MQM for its political activities.

Jonathan, Buhari neck-and-neck in tense Nigerian elections

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ABUJA (AFP) - President Goodluck Jonathan was neck-and-neck with his main opposition challenger in Nigerias knife-edge general election on Monday, with tensions and fears of violence running high as results trickled in.The presidential election pitting Jonathan against former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari is the closest in Nigerias history, and the first with a credible opposition challenge.International election observers gave broadly positive reactions to the conduct of the vote, despite late delivery of election materials and technical glitches with new voter authentication devices.Nigerias Transition Monitoring Group, which had observers across the country, said: These issues did not systematically disadvantage any candidate or party.Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) won five states while Jonathan, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), took three plus the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja.But the 57-year-old Jonathan was marginally ahead on the overall number of votes won so far, with the next tranche of results expected later in the evening.The PDP and the APC on Sunday traded allegations of vote rigging and other irregularities, raising the possibility of a legal challenge to the results.Violence has often flared in previous Nigerian votes after the winner is announced and the United States and Britain warned against any interference with the count.So far, we have seen no evidence of systemic manipulation of the process, US Secretary of State John Kerry and British foreign minister Philip Hammond said in a joint statement.But there are disturbing indications that the collation process -- where the votes are finally counted -- may be subject to deliberate political interference.Kayode Idowu, spokesman for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), told AFP that there was no evidence of political interference.Jonathans campaign spokesman Femi Fani-Kayode told reporters in Abuja that the claims were absolutely balderdash and challenged Kerry and any other foreign powers to provide evidence. Nigerias central Kaduna state, one of the areas worst-affected by violence four years ago when some 1,000 people were killed in post-election clashes, was said to be calm.Awwal Abdullahi Aliyu, president of the Northern People Unity and Reconciliation Union, welcomed positive statements from foreign observers about the conduct of the election.But he warned that places such as Kaduna remained a powderkeg, particularly if electoral fraud is suspected in any ruling party victory.If it does happen that it is declared that President Jonathan is the winner, not General Buhari, looking at what has happened so far in Nigeria at this election, I can tell you that Kaduna will catch fire, he said.Some 2,000 women protesting against the conduct of the elections were teargassed as they tried to converge on the local electoral commission offices in the southern oil city of Port Harcourt.The protest over alleged vote rigging by the PDP -- and a counter-protest demanding the results hold -- forced the Rivers state government to impose an overnight curfew.The electoral commission is investigating the claims of electoral fraud.Political parties have been urged to take any disputes to the courts rather than the streets.Jonathans PDP has been in power since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999 but is being pushed to the wire by Buhari.The prospect of a democratic transfer of power -- plus economic woes caused by the slump in global oil prices, concerns about corruption and fears about insecurity -- energised the vote.The winning presidential candidate needs not just the most votes but at least 25 percent support in two-thirds of Nigerias 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to avoid a run-off.Voting was pushed into an unscheduled second day Sunday after failures in controversial new technology designed to read biometric identity cards to combat electoral fraud.Among those affected by the technical hitches was the president himself.Some 348 polling stations had to open again on Sunday to complete the vote, for which 68.8 million people are registered out of Nigerias population of 173 million.But election chief Attahiru Jega said the number of affected devices was minimal and the commission was confident of meeting its goal of a free, fair, credible and peaceful election.We appeal to all Nigerians to remain peaceful as they await the return of these results, he told a news conference on Sunday.Boko Haram has dominated the campaign, with military operations against the Islamist militants forcing a six-week delay to the scheduled February 14 election.On Sunday, residents and a military source said soldiers supported by two fighter jets had intercepted militants at Dungulbe village, seven kilometres (four miles) from Bauchi city in the northeast.A spokesman for the Bauchi state governor said a round-the-clock curfew had been imposed on three areas because of the fighting.The militants were believed to have come through the town of Alkaleri, 60 kilometres away, where there was a dawn raid on Saturday.A series of suspected attacks on polling stations in neighbouring Gombe state on Saturday killed at least seven.Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau had vowed to disrupt the election, calling it un-Islamic.

Iran talks stretch into the night hours before deadline

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LAUSANNE (AFP) - Marathon talks aimed at curtailing Irans nuclear programme stretched into the night Monday as negotiators grappled with the remaining tricky issues blocking a deal with a deadline just hours away.There still remain some difficult issues, Kerry told a CNN reporter in his luxury lakeside hotel in the Swiss town of Lausanne. We are working very hard to work those through. We are working late into the night and obviously into tomorrow.Global powers are racing against the clock to nail down the final pieces of a framework deal aimed at stopping Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb by Tuesdays midnight deadline.Adding to the drama, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov left the crunch talks with Iran in Switzerland after a series of meetings, Russian media reported. He will only return if there is a realistic chance of a deal, his spokeswoman said earlier.Kerry said there was a little more light ... today, but there are still some tricky issues. Everyone knows the meaning of tomorrow. State Department acting spokeswoman Marie Harf appealed to the Iranians to help overcome the last hurdles. Its sort of time to see whether they can make these decisions.German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said major points of contention were Irans very ambitious demands once a first phase of a deal lasting around 10 years expires.We must take precautions to ensure that what happens after the 10 years expire really is verifiable and transparent, he told German broadcasters. We cannot allow there to be a really explosive development after 10 years.Lavrov and his counterparts from the United States, China, Britain, France and Germany are trying to pin down the outlines of a deal which will then be fleshed out with technical annexes by June 30.They want Iran to scale back its nuclear programme to give the world ample notice of any dash to make the bomb and end a crisis that has threatened to escalate dangerously for 12 years.A Western diplomat said it was yes or no time, adding the talks remained blocked on three major issues -- the length of the accord, the lifting of UN sanctions and a mechanism to ensure both sides stick to the deal.The diplomatically isolated Islamic republic denies wanting atomic weapons and is calling for the lifting of sanctions that have strangled its lifeblood oil exports and its access to the global financial system.Global powers only want a gradual easing of the sanctions to ensure they can be snapped back into place if Iran reneges on the deal.The threat of new US sanctions, and domestic pressure on Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for his attempts at rapprochement with the West, all but rule out any further extension of the deadline.We had a very important meeting, and detailed discussions, Irans lead negotiator Abbas Araghchi said, while insisting we have solutions for most of the remaining issues.Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi said he was cautiously optimistic adding the differences between the parties were narrowing.With all eyes focused on Tuesdays deadline, Harf said she could not predict what would happen if the outlines of a deal were not agreed in time.Obviously we always are planning for contingencies, she told reporters, adding: We will have to take a very hard look at where we are and we will have to decide what happens next.The administration of President Barack Obama is facing a looming battle with rival Republicans who have threatened to try to slap new sanctions on Iran once they return from recess on April 14.Western diplomats say some areas in a highly complex jigsaw puzzle are tentatively agreed. One said Iran had more or less agreed to slash the number of its centrifuge enrichment machines from 20,000 to 6,000 and to ship abroad most of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium.Iranian officials dismissed the numbers as speculation, with Araghchi ruling out sending the stocks abroad, although he said other options were being examined, such as diluting low-enriched uranium or converting it to another form.The powers also want Irans remaining facilities to be subject to an unprecedented level of inspections by the UN atomic watchdog.Its underground facility at Fordo would also likely be barred from uranium enrichment, diplomats said, although it might be kept open for research purposes.

Karachi: 2 suspects killed in police clash

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – 2 terrorists were killed on Tuesday during a clash with the police near Kushti Chowk area of Napier Police Station in Karachi. Claim that ammunition was recovered from the suspects has been made.According to Station House Officer (SHO) Azam Khanm, joint action was conducted by Napier Police and Kalakot Police. He stated that information was received that gangwar operatives were busy in plundering in the area. Khan said that the suspects tried to flee as the police arrived and fired upon the police as well. He said 2 suspects were killed during the retaliatory fire.Khan also informed that 2 pistols were found from the terrorists. He stated that nothing was recovered from the suspect’s however which could be used to immediately identify the felons.The dead bodies were shifted to Civil Hospital.Meanwhile, Nabi Buksh police arrested an injured suspect Asif, son of Ahmed and confiscated ammunition from him.

16 dead in Peru bus accident: police

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LIMA (AFP) - At least 16 people were killed Monday when a bus went off a mountain road in southeastern Peru, plunging 1,000 meters into a ravine, police said.The bus belonging to the Sanchez line was on a road linking the cities of Nazca and Puquio in the region of Ayacucho when the accident occurred, highway police chief Orfiles Bravo told RPP radio.It apparently went off the road and has fallen some 1,000 meters (3,000 feet) he said.There are 16 dead and 49 injured, he added.Earlier officials had given a toll of 12 dead and 20 injured.Bravo said the death toll may still rise, as some of the injured are in serious condition.Rescue efforts were hampered by heavy rains in the area, police reported.The accident came a week after 37 people were killed and at least 70 injured in a multiple-vehicle collision in northern Peru.Deadly accidents are not uncommon in Peru. In the first half of last year, 1,406 people were killed in road accidents. The full-year death toll was 3,590 in 2013 and 4,138 in 2012.

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