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Abbottabad: Gas cylinder explosion kills two
Woman among two shot dead in Peshawar
Lahore: Police torture victim laid to rest
Hala: Womans nose chopped off
Cyclone kills 65 in Madagascar
FIFA says consensus near on fixture-cutting deal
Cycling: Boonen takes 2nd stage of Paris-Nice
DCO Gwadar gunned down in Karachi
Pakistan has high hopes for Whatmore
Clarke says bowlers have work to do
Oil prices rise on Iran tensions
IMF moves to resume financing for Kosovo
Senates 79th session today
ANP demands Senate Deputy Chairman slot
PPP, allied parties discuss post-Senate situation

Abbottabad: Gas cylinder explosion kills two

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According to initial report, a gas cylinder exploded in a house in Kaghan Colony area of Abbottabad on Tuesday morning, killing two people and injuring two others. Police and rescue teams have reached the spot and started recue operation. The injured were shifted to nearby hospital in critical condition. The dead were identified as Rasheed and a two-year-old girl Shumaila.

Woman among two shot dead in Peshawar

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According to details, the first firing incident occurred at the Ring road where some unidentified persons opened indiscriminate firing car, killing one person and injuring three others, including two women. In another incident, a man entered the house of his relatives in Nauthia Jadeed and shot dead a woman and injured her husband over a domestic dispute. Police have registered separated cases and started investigation.

Lahore: Police torture victim laid to rest

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Earlier, touching scene were witnessed when the dead body of the security guard of Punjab University Imran, who died on Sunday due to police torture, reached his house. Talking to media soon after the funeral prayers, the heirs of the deceased’s family blamed the PU administration for his death. They were of the view that Imran was handed over to police by the PU administration without conducting a departmental inquiry where he was brutally tortured by police which resulted in his death. The heirs of Imran and employees of the university have also demanded registration of murder case against the university administration.

Hala: Womans nose chopped off

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According to details, the five bandits armed with daggers tried to molest Naheed Chana, failing which they attacked her and injured her severely and also chopped off her nose. Hala police have arrested one accused of the attack and search is on to arrest his accomplices. Meanwhile, Naheed’s son Sheraz Chana has appealed higher authorities to provide early justice.

Cyclone kills 65 in Madagascar

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Cyclone Irina has killed at least 65 people in Madagascar, most of them residents of the Ifanadiana district in the southeast of the island, weather authorities said on Monday. Three people were also reported missing, according to the national bureau of natural catastrophes (BNGRC), which did not provide any other details. Earlier it was reported that only one person had been killed when the storm passed over Madagascar last week before lashing the coasts of Mozambique and South Africa with heavy winds and rains at the weekend.

FIFA says consensus near on fixture-cutting deal

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World governing body FIFA said on Monday it believed a general consensus had been reached with European governing body UEFA, leagues and clubs on a deal to cut the number of international fixtures. Last week, European football clubs announced a deal with UEFA to trim the schedule amid claims of overload for players although FIFA, which has the final say, appeared to question their stance. However, in a statement from its Zurich headquarters, FIFA indicated "major" progress had been made following a meeting opened by FIFA President Sepp Blatter and conducted by FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke of confederations, clubs, leagues and players. The participants "unanimously stated that much progress has been made on reaching a consensus." Essentially, the agreement in principle validates proposals backed by the European Club Association (ECA), grouping 201 teams from all 53 UEFA member nations, to cut the annual number of international matches from the current 12 to nine. The ECA agreed that scenario with UEFA after an ECA general assembly in Warsaw last week and termed the move - scrapping August friendlies and introducing rules allowing player release for international duty for no more than one senior tournament per year - "a major breakthrough for European club football." UEFA and ECA have agreed that players should not play more than one international tournament per year - though FIFA has not gone down that route, saying instead that "a player may play more than one international tournament per year." In addition, players from African and North and Central American countries who have played their regional tournaments - the Cup of Nations and the Gold Cup respectively - in a Confederations Cup year would also be allowed to play the latter event if their nation has qualified. FIFA also acknowledge that the Olympics and youth tournaments "are not included in the international match calendar." A further pillar of the ECA-UEFA proposals would see international championships end by mid-July and the Africa Cup of Nations start in early January to avoid the current schedule which extends into February and leaves European clubs, who have no winter break, shorn of their African stars for over a month. The ECA-UEFA deal, valid from June 1 to May 30, 2018, further covers injury insurance for European clubs  players on international duty.

Cycling: Boonen takes 2nd stage of Paris-Nice

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Belgium s Tom Boonen on Monday won the 185.5-kilometre (115-mile) second stage of the Paris-Nice classic in Orleans but Britain s Bradley Wiggins moved up from second to take the leader s yellow jersey. Omega Pharma rider Boonen outsprinted 20 other riders to cross the line first, beating challengers including Spain s Alejandro Valverde, Americans Levi Leipheimer and Tejay Van Garderen, as well as French champion Sylvain Chavanel. The leading group broke away with 80 kilometres to go on a wind-affected route and put nearly two-and-a-half minutes between themselves and the chasing pack. Spain s Jose Joaquin Rojas and Germany s John Degenkolb were second and third behind experienced Boonen, a former world champion in 2005 who has won the Paris-Roubaix classic three times. Monday s stage win was the 100th of the 31-year-old s career and his fifth this season. Sweden s Gustav Larsson had been in yellow after the first stage time-trial, with Wiggins second just one second behind him. Britain s Olympic champion from the Team Sky outfit, though, is now six seconds ahead of Leipheimer. Boonen said it was never a given that they would hold off the chasing pack, even though his team was the best-represented in the breakaway. "We even nearly fell off the back of the pack because of a roundabout and had a real battle to get back. The objective was to win the stage," added Boonen, who insisted he was still at the top of his game and was confident of a great year ahead. For his part, Wiggins also said that it was an important stage for him. "You ve got to have the legs for a stage like this and a bit of luck to avoid any falls," he added.

DCO Gwadar gunned down in Karachi

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The bullet-riddled body of Gwadar Abdul Rehman Dashti was found from a car in Karachi’s Defence Phase-V late on Monday night. Abdul Rehman Dashti was on an official visit to Karachi to attend a meeting. According to police, the body of Abdul Rehman was recovered from a black Toyota Corolla car bearing number plate GR-002 parked outside the bungalow of Mir Imam Bizenjo, hailing from Turbat and father of MNA Yaqoob Bizenjo, on Khayaban-e-Tanzeem. Police have shifted the body to a local hospital. They arrested two servants of Mir Imam while Imam managed escaped from the spot. Police claimed that the deceased was possibly killed inside the house of Mir Imam and later the vehicle moved away from the residence. Police also raided MNA Yaqoob Bizenjo’s house, son of Imam, in Defence area and recovered heavy weapons while no arrest was made there.

Pakistan has high hopes for Whatmore

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Pakistan hopes new cricket coach, Australia s Dav Whatmore, can find a magic formula to transform the country s talented players into a team that enjoys sustained, match-winning success. The team s peaks and troughs are infamous. Last month s Test whitewash of England was followed by a flop in the limited overs series, losing 4-0 in the one-day games and 2-1 in the Twenty20s. Frequent changes in the Pakistan Cricket Board and sackings of captains and coaches have halted progress. But Sunday s appointment of Whatmore -- who guided Sri Lanka to World Cup victory in 1996 -- could change all that. Former captain and ex-coach Intikhab Alam is pinning his hopes on Whatmore. "I think the missing  more  in Pakistan cricket will be achieved through Whatmore," Alam told AFP. "With his perfect record in the past I hope he will enhance the team s performance, though it will take some time." The 57-year-old, who played seven Tests and one limited over international for Australia, also guided Bangladesh to the second round of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean where they beat giants India. Alam said a lot will depend on the players, some of whom resisted Whatmore s appointment in 2007 when an inexperienced Geoff Lawson was chosen instead. "It is the coach s responsibility to bring more consistency, which is missing, but at the end of the day it is important players also do their best and listen to the coach," said Alam. Pakistan has also signed Julian Fountain as fielding coach, which Alam believes will help in their weakest area. "Fountain comes with rich experience and has served England, the West Indies and Bangladesh so I hope with him around, much-needed improvement in fielding will also come about," said Alam, coach of Pakistan s World Cup-winning team in 1992. Another former captain, Aamir Sohail, also believes Whatmore can help the team overcome recent mistakes, even if the challenge is huge. "I wish him the best of luck in his endeavours and hope that he will take notice of our recent mistakes in one-day cricket," said Sohail. "When you take responsibility in international cricket you are bound to face pressure but you need to be objective and I hope everyone rallies behind him in support to achieve the targets," he said. Whatmore himself on Sunday acknowledged the enormity of the task ahead. "We want to be consistent. We don t want peaks and troughs," Whatmore said. "We want the team to be at a good level for a long period. When we re brilliant there will be peaks, but we want to still perform and win games when we re not brilliant. "We want to eliminate the bad performances. But you can t do that by focusing on the result. You have to focus on the process." Whatmore s first task is the four-nation Asia Cup in Dhaka later this month, an event that includes a high-profile match against India on March 18. A positive performance will give a first hint of Whatmore can bring to Pakistan cricket, but defeat will bring immediate pressure from fans and media.

Clarke says bowlers have work to do

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Australian skipper Michael Clarke berated his much-vaunted bowling attack as not good enough ahead of the second one-day international final against Sri Lanka in Adelaide. Australia beat Sri Lanka by just 15 runs in the first of the best-of-three finals series on Sunday in Brisbane despite setting 322 for victory, and Clarke admitted his team s bowling had been disappointing. "A win is a win, but we have a lot of work to do with our power play and death bowling," a frustrated Clarke said after the match. "It hasn t been good enough all series. It continues to let us down. "We are the number one one-day team and we have to be better than that." Australia reduced Sri Lanka to 144-6 in the run chase under lights at the Gabba before Nuwan Kulasekara (73) and Upul Tharanga (60) attacked Australia s pace quartet of Brett Lee, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Pattinson and Dan Christian. The tourists came close and only some tight bowling by Shane Watson in the final overs denied the Sri Lankans an unlikely victory. "Hopefully that (scare) allows us to understand that we have to be better than that," Clarke said. Pace spearhead Lee went for three for 59 from his nine overs, but the efforts of Hilfenhaus and Pattinson will be causing Clarke the most concern ahead of Tuesday s game in Adelaide. Hilfenhaus conceded 46 runs from just four overs and Pattinson was only slightly better, going for 49 runs from five. "I just think we are not executing our skills to be honest," Clarke said. "They practise all their different variations in the nets, but under pressure, at the moment, we are not executing. "That s been the difference, I think, between us playing some great cricket throughout this series and playing (only) good enough cricket to win the games." The Australian skipper said Kulasekara played cleanly in Brisbane to hit seven boundaries and three sixes and help bring his team back into contention. "Credit to him, he batted really well, but we have got to find a way to hit our areas better under pressure," he said. Clarke will be sweating on the fitness of opener David Warner, who suffered a groin injury during his magnificent 163 on Sunday. Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene, who has had to deal with a raft of injury problems in his squad, including big hitting Angelo Mathews, was more upbeat after the game than the winning captain. "It shows a lot of character that we got back into it," Jayawardene said. "Obviously we didn t play a perfect game today, with the ball. The first five/six overs we didn t put enough pressure on them." "Some of the boys showed some real character and kept fighting, which is something you want to cultivate in the team. "But unfortunately we are 1-0 down in a three-match final and we need to improve to beat them."

Oil prices rise on Iran tensions

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World oil prices rose in volatile trading on Monday, as worries over Iranian supplies helped to offset a cut to China s growth outlook and weak eurozone data, traders said. New York s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in April, rose 16 cents to $106.86 a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for April climbed 59 cents to $124.24 in late London deals. "While slower economic growth in China and across Europe lowers demand expectations, there are still concerns over supply," said Fawad Razaqzada, an analyst for traders GFT Markets. "Sanctions are affecting the amount of Iranian crude that is coming to market and geopolitical tensions remain elevated." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Barack Obama on Monday that Israel must remain the "master of its fate" in a firm defence of his right to mount a unilateral strike on Iran. Netanyahu and Obama held talks in Washington amid clear differences on the imminence of the nuclear threat from Iran and after weeks of speculation that Israel may mount go-it-alone military action. "Israel must have the ability always to defend itself, by itself, against any threat," Netanyahu said in a short, but impassioned comments to cameras at the start of a meeting with Obama. The Obama administration has signaled that it does not yet believe Iran has taken a choice to develop a nuclear weapon, or that the time is right for military action, preferring to give biting new sanctions time to work. The Islamic republic is the world s fifth largest oil exporter and the second biggest producer in the OPEC cartel. Oil prices had fallen earlier on Monday after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said his country was targeting growth of 7.5 percent in 2012, a third straight reduction for the world s number two economy. Elsewhere on Monday, a key survey showed that eurozone private sector activity fell back in February after returning to growth in January, underlining predictions of recession. The composite purchasing managers  index (PMI) for services and industry compiled by the research firm Markit fell to a lower than initially thought 49.3 points in February from 50.4 points in January but was still up from 48.3 points in December. Any score in the survey of 4,500 manufacturing and services firms above 50 points indicates growth, while a score below indicates contraction.

IMF moves to resume financing for Kosovo

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The International Monetary Fund said Monday it was planning to resume financial aid to Kosovo after cutting off funding last year in a dispute over raises for civil servants. The IMF said it had reached agreement with Kosovar authorities on a new 20-month, 107 million euro ($141 million) programme aimed at helping the Balkans country stabilize its budget and strengthen the financial sector. The IMF board will consider the new programme for confirmation in late April, the Fund said. It comes nearly a year after the Kosovar government s unilateral increase of public sector wages sparked objections in the IMF and led to it cutting short its previous 109 million euro programme set in July 2010, with only 22 million euros disbursed. At the time the IMF said Kosovo had "deviated from programme commitments" with the up to 50 percent raises for civil servants. Since then, the IMF said in a statement Monday, implementation of reforms pushed by the Fund "has been broadly satisfactory." "Significant overperformance has been achieved with respect to fiscal targets," it said. "Most structural conditionality has also been met, with important progress especially in the area of financial sector reforms." The economy had largely withstood the eurozone s turbulence and inflation had eased, leading the Fund to raise its 2012 growth target for Kosov to 3.8 percent.

Senates 79th session today

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It will be the last session for 50 Senators who are going to retire on March 11. Sources at Senate Secretariat said that although the House would have lengthy agenda for discussion, however, opposition parties would press for suspension of routine business of the House to discuss matters of urgent public importance. Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have already submitted adjournment motions showing their concerns on target killings in Karachi and price-hike of petroleum products respectively. So, these parties may likely stress for immediate discussion in the House on their adjournment motions. However, agenda before the Senate, sources said that would comprise presentations of reports of the Standing Committees on Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs, Statistics and Planning and Development by their respective Chairmen namely Muhammad Kazim Khan and Ahmed Ali. Sources further added that the reports would be about bills further to amend the Delimitation of Constituencies Act, 1974 [The Delimitation of Constituencies (Amendment) Bill, 2011], bill to provide for setting up and operation of special economic zones in Pakistan [The Special Economic Zones Bill, 2011 as well as bill to provide control of prices of essential commodities and price-hike [The Control of Prices of Essential Commodities and Price-hike Bill, 2010]. ‘Similarly, performance reports for the standing committees including States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), Ports and Shipping, Religious Affairs, Industries and Production and Rules of Procedure and Privileges for the period of January, 2011 to December, 2011. January, 2010 to December, 2011, August, 2009 to November, 2011, March, 2011 to February, 2012 respectively will be presented by their respective chairmen / chairpersons namely Hafiz Rashid Ahmad, Gulshan Saeed, Maulana Muhammad Saleh Shah, Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Col. (r) Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi,’ sources revealed. Sources added that Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination would also lay before the Senate the Annual Report of the Council of Common Interests for the period July 2010 to June 2011.

ANP demands Senate Deputy Chairman slot

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The Awami National Party (ANP) being key ally in the coalition government has demanded the Senate Deputy Chairman slot. The party spokesman Senator Zahid Khan while talking to Dunya News said that ANP is the second largest party in the Senate and it deserves the seat. It should be mentioned here that the ANP in the recent Senate elections secured seven seats. It was for the first time in the history of the country that ANP has 12 members in the upper house. The ANP leadership keeping in view strength of its members in Senate and part of the ruling collation has demanded deputy chairmanship, chief whip and chairmanship of six senate standing committees. The sources said if the deputy chairman slot goes to Balochistan, ANP member has been selected from the province, therefore, it should be given to it. The ANP was also desirous to appoint Shahi Sayed, the party provincial president, as chairman of one of the standing committees.

PPP, allied parties discuss post-Senate situation

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The ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and its allied parties, in a meeting on Monday, discussed overall political situation in the country with particular reference to the post-Senate elections situation and coalition matters. The meeting held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr with PPP co-chairperson President Asif Ali Zardari in chair. The spokesperson of the president house said that the heads of allied parties congratulated the President for the smooth holding of the Senate elections and also for the thumping majority secured by the coalition parties in the upper house of the parliament. They also thanked the President for the PPP support to coalition parties in the Senate elections. The President appreciated the role of the allied parties in strengthening democracy and democratic institutions. He said that the policy of reconciliation had strengthened political forces, which was necessary for strengthening democracy itself. He expressed satisfaction that with the help of coalition partners the government achieved the distinction of holding two consecutive Senate elections during its tenure despite numerous challenges that it faced. The President later hosted dinner for the heads of allied parties. The meeting was attended by Senator Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Mr Asfandyar Wali Khan, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Senator Afrasiab Khattak, Dr Muhammad Farooq Sattar, Senator Babar Khan Ghauri, Mr. Munir Khan Orakzai and Mr Noor-ul-Haq Qadri. PPP leaders, Senator Nayyar Hussain Bukhari , Syed Naveed Qamar, Raja Pervez Ashraf and spokesperson to the President Mr Farhatullah Babar were also present during the meeting.

PoliticusUSA

Cricket - Sports

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

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