Dunya TV
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- Pakistani Taliban threatens attack on military
- Bhalwal: 8 of family gunned down over land dispute
- Karachi violence claims four more lives
- Lahore: Doctors alleged negligence kills youth
- US seizes $150 mn in Hezbollah-linked funds: officials
- 8 killed, several wounded in south-east Turkey blast
- Syria airstrikes, shelling kill 100 during holiday
- 25 killed in Venezuela prison riot, dozens wounded
- Olympic champions Sanchez, James win in Austria
- Smith hails 'perfect' victory as Proteas go to No 1
- Oil prices dip amid Mideast, eurozone worries
- Euro rises as European leaders meet
- US disturbed at blasphemy case against Christian girl
- Obama slams Todd Akins rape remarks
- Russia may send Kasparov to jail
| Pakistani Taliban threatens attack on military Posted: The Pakistani Taliban on Monday warned the countrys military it had set up a suicide bombers squad to hit troops if an offensive is launched in a restive tribal area bordering Afghanistan.In an email message sent to media, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella militant group, said it had received an exclusive intelligence report about the offensive in North Waziristan from its sources in army headquarters.TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan outlined details about the regiments and units and the possible commander for the campaign, said to be launched on August 26 for one month.TTP has also prepared itself for resistance, we have set up a suicide bombers squad to welcome (the) army. We will defeat our enemy, whom is defending secular, unIslamic system of Pakistan by punching them back hard InshaAllah (God willing), Ehsan said.Military officials were not immediately available to comment on the claim.On August 3, The Wall Street Journal reported Pakistani and US officials were considering joint counter-terrorism campaigns in Afghanistan and Pakistan against Haqqanis and Taliban fighters.The report said the campaigns would mark an upturn in cooperation between the two countries after more than a year of rancorous relations, since the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden.Pakistani officials later denied any agreement with Washington for a joint operation in North Waziristan, and said routine actions on each side of the border should not be mistaken for joint operations.Washington has long demanded Pakistan take action against the Haqqanis, which the United States accused of attacking the US embassy in Kabul last September and acting like the veritable arm of Pakistani intelligence.Pakistan has in turn demanded Afghan and US forces do more to stop Pakistani Taliban militants crossing the border to launch attacks on its forces.Pakistan says 35,000 of its people, including more than 3,000 soldiers, have been killed as a result of terrorism since the 9/11 attacks and the US-led invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan.
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| Bhalwal: 8 of family gunned down over land dispute Posted: At least eight people, including five women, of a family were gunned down and 4 others sustained injuries over a land dispute in Chak No 6 in Bhalwal tehsil of Sargodha.According to details, Munawar, resident of Sialkot, had a land dispute with his sister Naseem Bibi of Chak No 6 in Bhalwal.The police said that Munawar, along with his nine armed accomplices, attacked his sister’s house in Bhalwal and opened fire on the family when they were sleeping in their home.SSP Sargodha said that bodies and injured had been shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital while the investigations are being carried out. He added that the accused would be arrested soon.“Five members of the family died at the spot while three others succumbed to their injuries during treatment in hospital,” the police said.
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| Karachi violence claims four more lives Posted: According to details, Son unidentified persons opened fire and shot dead a man in Orangi Town area. The deceased was identified as Shahid.Gunmen also shot dead a man in Pehalwan Goth while police have recovered two dead bodies from Shorab Goth and Gulshan Iqbal.Meanwhile, four people sustained injuries in a clash between two rival groups in Landhi. Another four people were injured in firing incidents in Korangi Industrial Area and Memon Goth. At least three people received bullet injuries when dacoits opened fire in Muzaffarabad Colony of Landhi.
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| Lahore: Doctors alleged negligence kills youth Posted: According to details, Muhammad Asif of Temple Road got injured when his motorcycle collided with a car. He was rushed to Services Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.The heirs of the deceased blamed that the doctors at the hospital did not provide treatment to Asif as a result he died. The heirs of Asif also blocked the Jail Road in protest against negligence of doctors.
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| US seizes $150 mn in Hezbollah-linked funds: officials Posted: US authorities on Monday announced the seizure of $150 million allegedly linked to a scheme by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to launder proceeds from drug trafficking and other crimes.The money came from a US bank account used by the Lebanese Canadian Bank to conduct US currency transactions, US Attorney Preet Bharara and US Drug Enforcement Admistration chief Michele Leonhart said.As we alleged last year, the Lebanese Canadian Bank played a key role in facilitating money laundering for Hezbollah controlled organizations across the globe, Leonhart said in a statement.Our relentless pursuit of global criminal networks showed that the US banking system was exploited to launder drug trafficking funds through West Africa and into Lebanon.DEA and our partners are attacking these groups and their financial infrastructure, while establishing clear links between drug trafficking proceeds and terrorist funding, she said.
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| 8 killed, several wounded in south-east Turkey blast Posted: A car bomb exploded Monday, killing eight people and wounding 50 others in a city in south-east Turkey, the mayor of Gaziantap, Asim Guezelbey, told local television.The powerful blast went off close to a police station, setting fire to several vehicles including a city bus, the mayor told NTV news channel which broadcast images of firefighters racing to put out the flames.Gaziantap, a main city in the region, has so far been spared from the violence wrought by rebels from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) since they began their battle for autonomy in Turkeys Kurdish-majority south-east in 1984.The conflict with the PKK, considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey and much of the international community, has claimed some 45,000 lives over nearly three decades.
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| Syria airstrikes, shelling kill 100 during holiday Posted: Government forces pummeled the battered city of Aleppo with airstrikes and tanks and shelled parts of Damascus and southern Syria Monday, killing at least 100 people during a major Muslim holiday, rights groups and activists said.The violence escalated dramatically after a one-day lull on Sunday, the start of the three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The renewed fighting showed President Bashar Assads regime is not letting up on its drive to quell the 17-month-old uprising out of respect for the occasion.In Washington, President Barack Obama said U.S. thinking on military involvement in Syria would change if chemical or biological weapons came into play in the civil war. He told reporters the use of such weapons of mass destruction would widen the conflict considerably.It doesnt just include Syria. It would concern allies in the region, including Israel, and it would concern us, Obama said, warning the Assad regime and other players on the ground that the use or movement of such weapons would be a red line for the United States. The U.S. has been reluctant to intervene militarily so far.Last month, the Syrian regime confirmed for the first time that it possessed chemical weapons by threatening to use them in case of any foreign aggression. The warning was seen as a sign of desperation as Assads grip on power slipped. It came shortly after rebels assassinated four of the presidents top security officials, the biggest blow to the regime in the entire uprising.Since the holiday began on Sunday, an air of gloom has blanketed the nation and activists said there have been no signs of jubilation.Adding to the despair, two main activist groups The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees said that 12 bodies shot execution style were found in the Qaboun district in the capital Damascus. Activist Omar al-Khani said the bodies, which included two children, were found on the side of a road with clear signs of torture on their bodies. Some were naked, others handcuffed.The discovery of bodies in similar condition is not uncommon in Syria, particularly in the last few months as the uprising descended into a civil war with heavy sectarian undertones.Most of the deaths Monday were a result of tank and mortar shelling as well as clashes in the Damascus suburbs of Daraya and Moadamiyeh, where some activists reported the regime used helicopter gunships. The Observatory and others said up to 31 people were killed.An activist, El-Said Mohammed, said some 30 troops along with a tank defected to the rebels side in Moadamiyeh on Sunday, which may have been the reason for Mondays shelling.Mohammed spoke by Skype from the Damascus area. His information could not be verified.Both the Observatory, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, and the LCC, reported at least 100 civilian deaths across the country, a heavy toll for a single day. Anti-regime activists say some 20,000 people have been killed since the revolt against Assads rule began in March 2011.The rights groups and activists said the latest assaults by tanks and warplanes caused two houses to collapse in Aleppo, Syrias largest city, killing at least 14 people. The buildings were in the Al-Sakhour and Qadi Askar neighborhoods, said activist Mohammed Saeed, reached by Skype inside the city. The reports could not be independently confirmed.Aleppo has been the scene of daily battles for several weeks now, with forces loyal to Assad trying to wrest control from the rebels without making much headway.In the southern city of Daraa, birthplace of the uprising, intense fighting between government troops and rebels killed 16 people, including two children and two women, the activist groups said.As it battles for survival against the rebels, the regime has increasingly resorted to the use of airstrikes, particularly in the north around Aleppo where rebels have seized large swathes of territory.Fighter jets on Monday bombed the town of Tel Rifat, 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Aleppo. The town serves as the headquarters of one of the largest rebel groupings.The bombing punched a crater six feet deep in the courtyard of a high school and vocational school for girls and leveled five nearby homes. An adjacent elementary and middle school for girls was also damaged, apparently by strafing from fighter jets.
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| 25 killed in Venezuela prison riot, dozens wounded Posted: Twenty-five people were killed during a prison riot and dozens were wounded when two groups of inmates waged a gunbattle inside the penitentiary while hundreds of relatives were visiting, Venezuelan officials said Monday.The violence erupted at Yare I prison south of Caracas on Sunday, and at least one of those slain was a relative of an inmate, said Iris Varela, the governments prisons minister.It was the latest and deadliest in a series of bloody clashes that have flared in Venezuelas overcrowded prisons and become a major problem for President Hugo Chavezs government.Varela told state television Monday afternoon that 17 of the 25 dead had been identified so far. She said some of them had been shot multiple times in the head. Forty-three other people were wounded, including 29 inmates and 14 visiting relatives, Varela said.About 900 women who were at the prison to see inmates when the fighting broke out were still inside, she said. It wasnt immediately clear why they werent coming out.Varela indicated the situation had stabilized by Monday morning and said authorities planned to talk with inmates to try to impose order there. The mother of one prisoner said armed inmates still held the facility.Varela said those behind the killings are going to have to answer for this. She didnt provide details about how the inmates relative died.Carlos Nieto, an activist who monitors human rights in Venezuelan prisons, said the gunbattle lasted about four hours and involved groups fighting for control.Yajaira Morroy, the mother of a 27-year-old inmate at the prison, said her son suffered a gunshot wound in a leg and had been trying to help a relative of another inmate who was wounded and then died. She said her son managed to reach a guard post and was taken to a hospital.Morroy said during a telephone interview that the situation inside the prison had calmed and that some relatives who had been stranded inside were able to come out. But she said that armed inmates were still in control of the facility and that National Guard troops had not gone inside.Nieto said the riot shows that the most serious prison problem, the weapons possessed by inmates, hasnt been solved. He noted that less than a month ago, another bloody riot erupted at another prison in Merida state.Violence has proliferated inside Venezuelas prisons, where inmates often obtain weapons and drugs with the help of corrupt guards.The watchdog group Venezuelan Prisons Observatory says 560 people were killed in Venezuelan prisons last year. It also says the pace of the violence increased during the first half of this year, with at least 304 inmates killed.Venezuela currently has 33 prisons built to hold about 12,000 inmates, but officials have said the prisons population is about 47,000. Hundreds are held in Yare I, though a precise count wasnt immediately available.
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| Olympic champions Sanchez, James win in Austria Posted: Olympic champion Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic won the 400-meter hurdles at the Gugl Games on Monday, three days after he was beaten at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm.Sanchez finished in 48.13 to defeat Leford Green of Jamaica, who timed 48.89 in second place. Michael Tinsley of the United States, who beat Sanchez on Friday, took third in 49.49.Kirani James won the 400 meters in his first race since winning at the London Games two weeks ago.The Grenadian sprinter finished in 44.46 seconds to beat second-place Jonathan Borlee of Belgium by 0.64. Calvin Smith of the United States was 0.88 back in third.Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius was sixth in 46.91 seconds.
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| Smith hails 'perfect' victory as Proteas go to No 1 Posted: South Africa captain Graeme Smith was delighted by the perfect way his side replaced England as the worlds number one Test side as they held their nerve in a 51-run win at Lords on Monday.Victory gave South Africa the three-match series 2-0 after theyd crushed England by an innings and 12 runs in the first Test across London at The Oval before the second Test in Leeds was drawn.England, set an imposing victory target of 346 to win, were bowled out for 294 on Mondays final day, with man-of-the-match Vernon Philander taking two wickets in two balls to end the contest as he finished with an impressive innings return of five for 30.But there was a period when Matt Prior, who made a typically dashing 73 and Graeme Swann, with a rapid 41, threatened to take the match away from the tourists during an eighth-wicket partnership of 74 at better than a run-a-ball.Previously the Proteas, who only needed to avoid defeat in this match to replace England at the top of the International Cricket Council Test rankings, might have stumbled or even choked -- a derogatory term for squandering a winning position that has been applied to many other South Africa sides.But they still had the new ball up their sleeve and with Smith, who took the slip catch to remove dangerman Prior off Philanders bowling, calmly leading his side there was no panic out in the middle.The way it finished was perfect for us, said Smith, who led South Africa to victory in England in 2008 -- the last time England lost a home Test series.The biggest thing for us is to win when its tough and you are not always ahead of the game.We came here with England the number one team in the world. They are an outstanding team in their own conditions and to beat them at home is one of the great achievements of my career.The opener was wearing a shirt bearing the words We miss you Bouch, a tribute to former South Africa wicket-keeper Mark Boucher who was ruled out of the series after suffering a career-ending eye injury in a warm-up match against Somerset in Taunton.This was meant to be his 150th Test. Hes been such an integral part of getting us to this point and been an integral part of the Protea family for so long, said Smith.South Africas two previous tours of England have seen Smiths opposite number resign, with Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan both giving up the England captaincy.Andrew Strauss, the current Test skipper, was equivocal about his own future.Ive great faith in the team; Ive great faith in the set-up. Ive still got a lot of desire there. Well see how things go.The build-up to this match, Strausss 100th Test, was dominated by Englands controversial decision to axe star batsman Kevin Pietersen.England dropped the South Africa born shotmaker, despite a superb 149 in the second Test, after it was revealed hed sent provocative texts to Proteas players, allegedly including criticisms of Strauss.Pietersens place was taken by Jonathan Bairstow, who impressed with innings of 95 and 54.I dont think anything is going to be happening straight away, Strauss said of the chance of showdown talks with Pietersen.I said before the match, the issues that need to be resolved will take a while to be resolved and well be looking to do that away from the public eye as much as possible in the coming weeks.
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| Oil prices dip amid Mideast, eurozone worries Posted: Oil prices eased slightly in cautious trade Monday as investors kept a close eye on Middle East tensions and the eurozones economic uncertainties.New Yorks main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) light sweet crude for delivery in September, closed at $95.97 a barrel, dipping four cents from Fridays close and snapping a four-day rise.Brent North Sea crude for delivery in October edged down one cent to settle at $113.70 a barrel in London trade.The New York session lacked direction and volumes were relatively thin, said Phil Flynn, an energy analyst at Price Futures Group.Traders were following developments in the eurozone, where Germany and the European Central Bank slapped down a Der Spiegel report that the ECB plans to limit the borrowing costs of debt-wracked eurozone countries, Flynn said.New York oil prices, which have climbed sharply since early May, now seem slightly too high, said Rich Ilczyszyn at iiTrader.com.We need a catalyst to get the market going, unfortunately, like geopolitical risks, he added.Analysts at JBC Energy research group said growing tensions in the Middle East and hints of new economic stimulus measures were supporting prices.Israeli saber-rattling about an imminent unilateral strike being prepared by the country against nuclear sites in major oil producer Iran had markets on edge.Israel, like its close ally the United States, accuses Iran of seeking to develop an atomic arsenal.Tehran insists its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful, while its military chiefs warn that they will destroy Israel if it attacks.Flynn also said that traders were preferring to stick close to the sidelines ahead of the US Federal Reserves minutes of its last policy-setting panel, which will be scrutinized for signs of fresh economic stimulus.The minutes of the Federal Open Market Committees July 31-August 1 meeting are slated for release Wednesday.
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| Euro rises as European leaders meet Posted: The euro is trading higher against the dollar as traders watch a series of meetings by European leaders this week.Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is visiting Germany and France and is expected to ask for an extension for Greece to meet fiscal targets as it carries out painful reforms.And German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet with French President Francois Hollande later this week to talk about the debt crisis.On Monday, Germanys central bank again questioned the idea of buying bonds to lower borrowing costs for troubled European nations.The euro rose to $1.2342 in afternoon trading from $1.2322 Friday.
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| US disturbed at blasphemy case against Christian girl Posted: The US State Department has called for a transparent investigation into the case of an 11-year-old Christian girl arrested in Pakistan on charges of alleged blasphemy.The spokesperson of the US State Department, Victoria Nuland, when asked about the said arrest during a briefing on Monday, termed the development as ‘deeply disturbing’.This case, the arrest of a young Pakistani girl on blasphemy charges, is deeply disturbing, she maintained while calling for an independent investigation in light of the statement from President Asif Zardari.An 11-year old Christian girl, reportedly suffering from Downs syndrome, was arrested from the outskirts of Islamabad last Thursday, which led to an outcry in the civil society groups about her release from prison on what apparently appears a dubious charge. President Zardari has since taken notice of the case and asked the authorities concerned to look into the details.The State Department also welcomed the move. Our understanding is that President Zardari has now asked the interior ministry to look into the arrest and has underscored that vulnerable populations have to be protected from the misuse of the blasphemy law, Ms Nuland recalled. So we are going to call on the Pakistanis to have that investigation in a transparent way and the presidential statement is very welcome, she added.When asked to explain her statement about vulnerable groups in Pakistan suffering because of the blasphemy law, she said these involved women and children. Whether you are talking about kids or girls, or in this case, theres some information that she may be having some issues, she stated while referring to reports that the arrested girl might be suffering from Downs syndrome.On another question about the criticism of blasphemy law in Pakistan because of its alleged misuse, she declined to give a specific answer. I am not in a position to parse his law and how it might stand up to other laws around the world, but as a general matter concern, like in this case, it is being touted as an abuse, you know, an intentional act for religious purposes may in fact have been something else, she opined.The spokesperson was unsure whether the US authorities had spoken to somebody in Pakistan about this case. I dont know whether our embassy has been in on it, I think President Zardari, to his credit, went out very quickly, so conceivably we have been welcoming of that move in Islamabad as well, she pointed out. But I dont have specifics on it, she added.Ms Nuland did make use of the opportunity to impress upon the Pakistani government to take steps for protection of the rights of minorities. We encourage the government of Pakistan to protect not just its religious minorities citizens but also women and girls, she stressed.It may be noted that this case, along with other reports of migration of Hindus to India and discrimination against other minority groups in Pakistan, have attracted global attention after these were reported in the media recently. This has again raised the question of minority rights in Pakistan into sharp focus for the authorities concerned and the public at large.- Contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington, DC
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| Obama slams Todd Akins rape remarks Posted: Todd Akin had said whether legitimate rape can lead to pregnancy, and defended his own campaigns stance on abortion law.Well, first of all the views expressed were offensive. Rape is rape, and the idea we should be parsing and qualifying and slicing what types of rape we are talking about doesnt make sense to the American people, he said.President Barack Obama called comments from Republican Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin about rape and abortion offensive and way out there on Monday, and said politicians should not be making healthcare decisions on behalf of women.The views expressed were offensive. Rape is rape and the idea that we should be parsing and qualifying and slicing what types of rape we are talking about doesnt make sense to the American people and certainly doesnt make sense to me, Obama told reporters in the White House briefing room.Akin, a member of the US House of Representatives, said in a television interview on Sunday that women have biological defenses to prevent pregnancy in cases of legitimate rape, making legal abortion rights unnecessary.
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| Russia may send Kasparov to jail Posted: He was questioned over claims that he bit a policeman at the sentencing of the Pussy Riot punk rockers.The bizarre but serious charge could put the 49-year-old behind bars for five years and deliver even graver harm to Moscows deteriorating relations with the West in President Vladimir Putins third term.Kasparov has been a seminal figure of the opposition who has used his global fame to publish articles in the Western press detailing the difficulties human rights encountered during Putins previous 12 years in power.His impact on home politics has been limited almost entirely to failed efforts to merge the various forces of Russias protest movement into a cohesive unit that could meaningfully take on Putin at the polls.But he remains a constant presence at Moscow protests and was one of dozens detained in confrontations that broke out during Fridays sentencing to two years in prison for the three feminist protest band members.Kasparov had defended their punk prayer stunt performance as political speech that should be unconditionally protected -- a view unanimously shared by Western powers but not the Kremlin or Russias powerful Orthodox Church.No charges against Kasparov have yet been filed and he only appeared Monday at a Moscow district police station to give initial testimony.The Moscow police department said it had handed over the evidence to the federal Investigative Committee that leads almost all high-profile cases against Russian opposition members.But the charges -- if pursued -- could deal one of the biggest blows yet to Russias ties with the West that are already strained from opposing views of the Syria conflict and what is believed to be Putins firm decision to allow no more dissent.Kasparov dismissed the biting allegations with characteristically bitter irony on his Twitter account.I am sorry if the policeman who was beating me on the head had hurt his hand, the man widely regarded as historys greatest chess player tweeted.He also promised to file slander charges on Tuesday against the officer who was allegedly bitten as well as a second suit claiming illegal detention.The worlds highest-rated chess player for nearly two decades was pulled into a waiting police van while talking to a group of reporters.The biting claims appear to revolve around evidence volunteered by a man who heads Officers of Russia -- a fringe nationalist group that on its own website sets out its mission as providing support to the law enforcement authorities.Officers of Russia leader Anton Tsvetkov said he had been asked by bailiffs to keep an eye on who was breaking order at Fridays explosive Pussy Riot verdict reading and report any incidents to the police.I did not personally see the bite, Tsvetkov admitted to AFP in a telephone interview.But one of my assistants was told by a reporter that Kasparov had bit a policeman. She went out to investigate and eventually found the bitten policeman, he added.The bite was on the hand.The story has gained broad attention in part because it has been played up by Kasparov himself.He gave a host of interviews to both US and Russian media over the weekend citing the allegations as evidence that human rights under Putin were approaching a terminal state.
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