Dunya TV

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• Amnesty urges Pakistan to protect blasphemy charge girl
• Russia joins WTO after 18 years of talks
• Oil prices rise on hefty decline in US stockpiles
• Dollar trades in tight ranges ahead of Fed minutes
• Head Panjnad Boat mishap: Four bodies recovered
• Israel frees Syrian prisoner after 27 years
• 4 electrocuted as heavy rain lashes Rajasthan
• Star Wars hoverbike becomes a reality
• Sialkot: Flood in Nullah Deck inundates 50 villages
• Man lynched by mob in Tando Adam
• Third force behind sectarian violence: Malik
• Third force behing sectarian violence: Malik
• POL prices increased once again
• Australia ready for UAE heat, hopes Rixon
• Schools reopen on Thursday after summer vacations

Amnesty urges Pakistan to protect blasphemy charge girl Posted: Amnesty International has urged Pakistan to reform its blasphemy laws and protect a young Christian girl arrested for allegedly burning pages inscribed with verses from the Quran.The Muslim-majority nations strict anti-blasphemy laws make defaming Islam or desecrating the Quran illegal and potentially punishable by death.Rimsha, who is between 10 and 13 years old and is reported to have Downs Syndrome, was taken into custody in a low-income area of Islamabad on Thursday after furious Muslims demanded she be punished.Police said Wednesday they had registered a case against more than 150 people over the protest for damaging public property, a spokesman for Islamabad police told AFP.A report has been passed to senior officers who will decide what action to take, police said.Polly Truscott, Amnesty Internationals South Asia director, said the case showed the erosion of the rule of law in Pakistan and the dangers faced by those accused of blasphemy.Amnesty International is extremely concerned for Rimshas safety. In the recent past individuals accused of blasphemy have been killed by members of the public, Truscott said in a statement issued late Tuesday.President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday ordered officials to explain the arrest, while Christians fled the neighbourhood of Mehrabad in fear at Muslim anger over the incident.Truscott welcomed Zardaris response but warned it would count for little unless there were greater efforts to reform the blasphemy laws to ensure they cannot be used maliciously to settle disputes or enable private citizens to take matters into their own hands.There has been growing concern in the West over religious intolerance in Pakistan following the assassinations last year of a leading politician and a Christian cabinet minister who spoke out against the blasphemy law.The continued failure to reform these laws has effectively sent the message that anyone can commit outrageous abuses and attempt to excuse them as defence of religious sentiments, Truscott said.Neighbours said Rimsha had burned papers collected from a garbage pile for cooking in her family home and someone alerted the local cleric after spotting the remains being thrown out as rubbish.A Christian mother sentenced to death for blasphemy in late 2010 remains in prison, while last month, a mob snatched a mentally unstable man from a village police station and beat him to death in Punjab province after he allegedly burned pages from a Quran.

Russia joins WTO after 18 years of talks Posted: After 18 years of negotiation, Russia on Wednesday entered the World Trade Organization, which restricts import duties and subsidies in an attempt to create a level playing field for international trade.Analysts and politicians hope that Russia, which has long proven a formidable market to foreign investors because of its byzantine bureaucracy and protectionist tariffs, would be transformed by its entry into the WTO. Russia is one of the last major global economies to enter the group, which has long included other developing nations like China.While consumers here will benefit from the lower cost of imported goods, some worry that struggling industries long coddled by state subsidies, such as agriculture or the automobile industry, will suffer from foreign competition.Russians often complain about the burdensome cost of Western-imported consumer products, which range from refrigerators to jeans. With its entry into the WTO, the country will cut its average import tariff by 5.9 percent, making those imports cheaper.M. Video, one of Russias largest electronics retailers whose shelves are packed with foreign-made CD players and American movies, said Russias entry into the WTO would bring more customers into their stores.We believe that (entry into the WTO) is going to be a very good decision for our customers in the future, because they will be able to purchase goods with prices harmonized with other economies, said Enrique Fernandez, chief commercial officer of the company.But uncompetitive domestic goods, which have long been propped up by Soviet-style subsidies, could be threatened by the invasion of higher-quality imports. Nearly 100 major business leaders and industry groups including dairy and meat producers signed a petition earlier this summer addressed to the ruling United Russia party, asking that its deputies vote against ratification of the WTO treaty.Agriculture, the automobile industry, and Soviet-style Monogorods, or towns which revolve around a single factory or industry, are bound to suffer next to foreign competition unless they can reform quickly. These industries are based in regions that have often displayed the most support for President Vladimir Putin, but could easily turn into a hotbed for protest if already fragile industries were to collapse.At a car dealership in Moscow, 63-year-old engineer Alexei Tarakanov said he doubted that low-quality Russian cars could win on an open market.I already have a negative attitude towards our (Russian) cars, said Tarakanov, who was buying a Renault. I doubt that they can win the preference of the modern buyer.Because state-subsidized industries proved such a pivotal issue in Russias WTO negotiations, financial aid to struggling sectors will be gradually phased out, rather than abruptly cut off, over the course of seven years.The industry will not collapse immediately, (major Russian car-maker) AvtoVaz is going to continue steadily producing its 700,000 cars per year, said Ovanes Oganisyan, an analyst at the Moscow-based investment bank Troika Dialog. But eventually theres going to be more competition, and if AvtoVaz doesnt change in seven years it will have to go out of business.In addition to the challenges faced by unreformed industries, the Russian government expects to take a short-term financial hit from the loss of income from import duties and taxes. But the government emphasizes long-term gains, and the World Bank has estimated that WTO membership could increase Russias GDP by an extra 3.3 percent a year in the next three years.While the WTO will significantly open up the Russian market to foreign producers, the U.S. faces the threat of paying higher tariff rates than other WTO members to sell goods in Russia, leaving American producers at a competitive disadvantage compared to European or Asian industries.

Oil prices rise on hefty decline in US stockpiles Posted: Benchmark oil rose 27 cents to $97.11 per barrel Wednesday in New York.The government said crude inventories fell 5.4 million barrels to 360.7 million barrels last week. Thats more than twice as much as the 2-million barrel decline predicted by analysts surveyed by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos. Stockpiles remain plentiful.The decline isnt necessarily because of an uptick in demand. Production has been affected by some U.S. refinery and pipeline problems. And refineries are cutting production as they prepare to switch next month to processing winter blends of fuel.Benchmark oil prices are up about $8 per barrel since Aug. 1. There concerns about supply disruptions from any regional conflict in the Middle East. And traders are hopeful that Europe, the U.S. and China will take more steps to promote growth in their respective countries. That, in turn, would improve demand for oil.Yet, oil demand remains sluggish. The International Energy Agency earlier this month reduced its 2012 forecast for global crude demand to 89.6 million barrels a day from 89.9 million a day.The jury is way out on whether demand is, you know, truly improving, Jefferies Bache LLC energy analyst Andrew Lebow said.At the pump, the national average for gasoline fell less than a penny overnight to $3.716 per gallon, according to AAA, Wright Express and the Oil Price Information Service. Thats about a quarter more than a month ago and about 15 cents higher than a year ago.In other trading, Brent crude, which is used to price international varieties of oil, rose 5 cents to $114.69 per barrel in London.

Dollar trades in tight ranges ahead of Fed minutes Posted: The dollar is trading in tight ranges against most major currencies ahead of the release of the minutes from the Federal Reserves latest policy meeting.Traders are looking for hints that the central bank may be considering action to boost the U.S. economy.The euro was practically unchanged at $1.2466 in afternoon trading from $1.2467 late Tuesday.The dollar was flat at 0.9634 Swiss franc. It slipped to 79.18 Japanese yen from 79.25 yen.The British pound rose to $1.5794 from $1.5779. The dollar rose to 99.33 Canadian cents from 98.90 Canadian cents.

Head Panjnad Boat mishap: Four bodies recovered Posted: The rescue teams have recovered four dead bodies of those who were drowned when a boat was capsized in River Chinab near Head Panjnad on the second day of Eid-ul-Fitr while the search is on for the other eight missing persons.The DCO Muzaffargarh suspended the search operation for five hours due to high tide in the river. Meanwhile, the heirs of the missing persons have blamed that the search operation was suspended as the administration wanted to save the crops of some influential politicians of the area. They have also threatened to block Panjnad Bridge if the missing persons were not rescued.At least 17 persons were drowned when a boat capsized in River Chinab near Head Panjnad of Tuesday. Five people were rescued alive while the 12 were missing.

Israel frees Syrian prisoner after 27 years Posted: The longest serving Syrian prisoner in Israel has been freed after 27 years behind bars, the Israel Prison Service said on Wednesday.Sedki al-Maket was released today at the end of the prison term he served for militant actions against the state of Israel, the IPS said in a statement.A spokesman for the IPS told AFP Maket was imprisoned for 27 years, but was unable to elaborate on the nature of the crimes for which he was convicted.Syrian media reported that Maket, who was arrested in August 1985 for resisting the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights, had returned to his home town on the strategic plateau.Maket, 45, comes from Majdal Shams, the largest town on the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and unilaterally annexed in 1981.(Maket) was brought up within a family known for its struggle against the occupation in the Golan, SANA said.The vast majority of its 18,000 Syrian inhabitants, mostly Druze, who remained from the Golans original population of 150,000, have refused to take Israeli citizenship.Damascus demands a total Israeli withdrawal from the Golan as the price for a peace settlement.

4 electrocuted as heavy rain lashes Rajasthan Posted: Incessant downpour submerged several areas of Jaipur in Indias northwestern state of Rajasthan while the despair of the local residents was further aggravated due to water logging and pathetic state of roads in the area, also referred as the Pink City on Wednesday where four people were electrocuted.Over 160 mm of rain was recorded in Jaipur tehsil in two and half hours. With predictions of more rains in the next 48 hours the Rajasthan government declared red alert in several parts of the state and stepped up arrangements.Briefing the mediapersons, Collector of Jaipur, Naveen Mahajan said that the people in the low-lying areas had been relocated to safer areas and that food had been provided to the displaced families.Yesterday in particular, the slums in the low-lying areas were under high risk. Our first priority was to evacuate the people there into higher areas so that there is no loss of life. In the makeshift arrangements we provided 10-15,000 food packets to the people. Also, it may take time for the water level to decrease we are also arranging for lunch packets for the people, said Naveen Mahajan.

Star Wars hoverbike becomes a reality Posted: According to Innovation News Daily, a hoverbike was designed in the 1960s, but the plans were abandoned after engineers couldn’t make the aerial vehicle stable. Aerofex managed to fix the problem with a pair of control bars at the knee to give the bike a sense of natural stability.The LA Times reports that the low-level control bars allow the rider to control the hoverbike by leaning left or right.Aerofex has been working on the bike since at least 2008, and now they have a pretty impressive prototype.Mark De Roche, an aerospace engineer and founder of Aerofex, said: “Think of it as lowering the threshold of flight, down to the domain of ATV’s (all-terrain vehicles).”John M. Davis, a former technical director for the American Helicopter Society International, said that he was very impressed with the machine but wasn’t sure if it would find a market.

Sialkot: Flood in Nullah Deck inundates 50 villages Posted: Heavy rains in Sialkot and Narowal, which started on Tuesday night, caused flood in Nullah Deck. The flood water inundated 50 villages and submerged standing crop on hundreds of acres of LandIrrigation officials in Sialkot informed that 5,000 cusecs of water is passing through Nullah Deck. Traffic on Narowal-Pasroor Road was suspended. The low-lying areas of Narowal also submerged under flood water.Heavy rain in Wazirabad, which lasted for almost eight hours, caused flood in Nullah Palkhu. Standing crops were submerged under flood water while resident of nearby localities are moving to safer places. According to irrigation officials, 736 cusecs of water is passing through Nullah Palkhu and it is feared that the water level will rise.Meanwhile three people were killed in Kotli Satyan near Rawalpindi when a wall collapsed due to heavy rain. The rain has also damaged several houses in the area.

Man lynched by mob in Tando Adam Posted: In horrifying incident, a young man was lynched while another was critically wounded by a mob.According to reports, the angry residents beat up the two youth with sticks. Police and hundreds of other residents remained silent spectators as the mob attacked the youth.We are investigating the whole affair and the culprits will be arrested soon,” DPO Sangar said when contacted by Dunya News.

Third force behind sectarian violence: Malik Posted: Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that third force is hatching conspiracy to turn different sects against each other in order to destabilize and weaken the country.He was talking to media after meeting with a delegation of Ullemas of various schools of thought in Islamabad on Wednesday evening.Referring to the incidents of terrorism on Karakoram Highway‚ he said government will make all out efforts to protect the lives and properties of people.He said it has been decided to provide security escorts to the passenger vehicles traveling on Karakoram Highway. Malik said Islamabad Police will escort these vehicles upto Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from where KPK police will take the responsibility of their protection.He also said the experience of suspending mobile services for a brief period proved helpful in preventing terrorism at different places.He said deliberations will be held with all stakeholders including political leaders‚ ordinary people and government servants regarding introducing post paid mobile phone services in order to keep track of mobile users.

Third force behing sectarian violence: Malik Posted: Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that third force is hatching conspiracy to turn different sects against each other in order to destabilize and weaken the country.He was talking to media after meeting with a delegation of Ullemas of various schools of thought in Islamabad on Wednesday evening.Referring to the incidents of terrorism on Karakoram Highway‚ he said government will make all out efforts to protect the lives and properties of people.He said it has been decided to provide security escorts to the passenger vehicles traveling on Karakoram Highway.Malik said Islamabad Police will escort these vehicles upto Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from where KPK police will take the responsibility of their protection.He also said the experience of suspending mobile services for a brief period proved helpful in preventing terrorism at different places.He said deliberations will be held with all stakeholders including political leaders‚ ordinary people and government servants regarding introducing post paid mobile phone services in order to keep track of mobile users.

POL prices increased once again Posted: According Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), the price of petrol has been increased by Rs 3.21 per litre, High Speed Diesel (HSD) Rs 4.40 per litre, Light Diesel Oil (LDO) by Rs 3.19 per litre and the price of High Octane Blending Component (HOBC) by Rs 4.52 per litre.The price of Petrol after increment is Rs 96.78 per litre, High Octane is Rs 125.01, Kerosene oil Rs 96.35 and Light Diesel Rs 93.30 per litre.The new prices will be implementable after midnight tonight.

Australia ready for UAE heat, hopes Rixon Posted: Australias acting coach Steve Rixon said Wednesday he hoped his players would adjust to the hot conditions in United Arab Emirates during their upcoming matches against Afghanistan and Pakistan.Australias squad arrived with the temperature at 43 degrees Celsius (109 Fahrenheit), but Rixon said sleeping late and breakfast at noon would help during the series in which one-day games will start as late as 6pm.Australia take on Afghanistan in the first-ever one-day game between the two countries in Sharjah on Saturday before facing Pakistan in three one-day and three Twenty20 games.The pre-series hype focused on how Australia will cope up with the high temperatures but Rixon said a policy had been devised to combat it.Our guys will have to eat late in (the) night and just start the pattern. We need to start the patterns now so by the time the first game comes around, well be starting to build some sort of body clock thats going to work for us, Rixon told a press conference.The 58-year-old former Australian wicket-keeper batsman is standing in for head coach Mickey Arthur who will join the tour later, having been busy with plans for next months World Twenty20.Rixon said the team had prepared to combat heat.The weather was very warm up in Darwin where we camped but nothing as oppressive as over here. Were well aware of how hot its going to be. If we sit here and talk about the weather all day, were not getting the job done.We dont see the sun, he said. Well be in night-cricket mode, although it will be warm. But were not getting the (sun) rebound off the ground which is always a big problems at most cricket grounds.So to me, just get on with it.Rixon said the matches in UAE will help the team warm up for World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.Whatever happens here will be a very big stepping stone to us being successful in Sri Lanka, said Rixon of Australia who slipped to fourth in one-day rankings for the first time in three years.He said players were now accustomed to playing in heat.I think a lot of players in the modern day games playing a lot more in the sub-continent with IPL (Indian Premier League) and other forms of cricket played in the sub continent in places like Chennai where it is very warm.The acting coach agreed Afghanistan will be an unknown quantity, but was sure his team can beat them.Afghanistan has come in as a minor contender but they are now competing at the top and best level. So we have got to come in with every answer and respect for the opposition.We also like to think that we are going with the upper hand to be able to beat them in these sort of conditions with the sort of side we have with us.Rixon said Australia have prepared well to tackle Pakistans much vaunted spin-attack, led by Saeed Ajmal.The emphasis on Darwin camp was on spin. So we are looking at the strength of the opposition. We are trying to play to our strengths more importantly but we have prepared well for Pakistan, said Rixon.Pakistan and Australia will play the first one-day in Sharjah on August 28 followed by ones in Abu Dhabi (August 31) and Sharjah (September 3). All three T20 matces will be played in Dubai on September 5, 7 and 10.

Schools reopen on Thursday after summer vacations Posted: Students of most of the schools in Punjab will return to their classrooms after the summer vacation on Thursday.Some of the private schools will however reopen on Monday.

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