Dunya TV

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• G7 countries urge oil producers to increase output
• Oil rises as Isaac plows through Gulf
• Brazil to deploy world's first floating oil terminal
• Clinton to visit China next week
• Tennis: David Nalbandian out of US Open
• Damascus blast death toll rises to 27
• Somalia's parliament elects former labour minister as speaker
• Ecuador court rejects extradition for Belarusian
• 1st ODI: Australia beats Pakistan by 4 wickets
• Bajaur: 11 miscreants killed in fresh clashes
• Two political workers among seven killed in Karachi
• Thul Railway tracks blast leaves 2 dead, 15 injured
• 7 killed, 80 injured as two buses collided in DG Khan
• Chiniot: Man killed as landlord unleashes dogs
• Underwater robots to 'repair' Scotland's coral reefs

G7 countries urge oil producers to increase output Posted: With growth weakening in key economies and tensions over Iran worrying major oil importers, finance ministers of the powerful group also hinted they were ready to push for the release of strategic oil reserves to prevent a tightening of the market.The current rise in oil prices reflects geopolitical concerns and certain supply disruptions, the Group of Seven finance ministers said in a statement.We encourage oil-producing countries to increase their output to meet demand, while drawing prudently on excess capacity.We remain vigilant of the risks to the global economy, the ministers said in the statement, which was released by the US Treasury.In this context and mindful of the substantial risks posed by elevated oil prices, we are monitoring the situation in oil markets closely.The statement applauded Saudi Arabias commitment, made at the Group of 20 summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, in June, to mobilize spare capacity when necessary to ensure supplies to the market are adequate.But it also suggested the leading industrial democracies were ready to tap into global strategic oil reserves to keep price pressure down.We stand ready to call upon the International Energy Agency to take appropriate action to ensure that the market is fully and timely supplied, the statement said.We remain committed to well-functioning and transparent energy markets. The statement came four days after the Petroleum Economist magazine reported that the IEA, which represents oil-consuming nations, was reluctantly backing the idea of a release of strategic oil stockpiles by major importers in September.The IEA came behind the idea after Washington signaled it would move alone on a release. The loss of supplies from sanctions-hit Iran will be used to justify the move, the magazine said. It added that the move could involve as much or more than last years release of 60 million barrels from stockpiles.Sanctions on large crude exporter Iran to pressure the government to curtail its nuclear activities -- accused by the West to be aimed at developing nuclear weapons -- have tightened oil markets and helped boost prices.Many worry that a military attack on Iran by Israel and/or the United States to wreck its nuclear installations could result in sharp disruptions of the flow of supplies from the oil-rich Gulf on Irans southwest coast.Oil prices nevertheless remain around 13 percent below their peak of the past year.The US benchmark WTI crude closed in regular New York trade Tuesday at $96.33 a barrel, and fell only slightly in after-market trade following the G7 announcement.That price compared with the years low in late June of around $77 a barrel, but still well beneath the 52-week high of $110.65 and far below the July 2008 all-time peak of $145 a barrel.The London benchmark, Brent crude, was at $112.58, compared with its June low of around $89. In July 2008 Brent spiked to $147 a barrel.

Oil rises as Isaac plows through Gulf Posted: Oil rose as Isaac gathered strength on its way into the heart of the Gulf of Mexicos oil and refinery operations.The price got a boost after midday when forecasters said Isaac had strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph (120 kph) winds.Benchmark oil rose 86 cents to end at $96.33 per barrel in New York as traders waited to see how much and for how long the storms powerful winds and driving rains will affect oil production and refinery operations in the region.Nearly 94 percent of oil production in the Gulf, or 1.3 million barrels per day, has been halted, the U.S. government said Tuesday. At least 1 million barrels per day of refining capacity is expected to be shut down, which is about half the refining capacity in the storms predicted path. The U.S. consumes about 19 million barrels of oil products per day.Isaac is expected to make landfall over southeastern Louisiana, possibly the New Orleans area, either late Tuesday or early Wednesday.We have to wait and see. A lot of refinery capacity was taken down and the key is going to be how the restart goes, said Andrew Lebow, senior vice president of energy derivatives at Jefferies Bache LLC.Refineries should escape significant damage if Isaac remains a Category 1 storm. The bigger issue is whether theyll have access to electricity. Some analysts say they could be up and running within hours without damage or a loss of electricity. Others say they likely will remain out of operation for about three days.Price Futures Group analyst Phil Flynn said that oil producers will take more oil out of inventory in the coming weeks to make up any lost production. The storm also will slow imports of oil into the Gulf.U.S. pump prices continued to increase ahead of Isaacs landfall. The national average for a gallon of gasoline rose less than a penny to $3.756 per gallon ($1 a liter), according to AAA, Wright Express and the Oil Price Information Service. Thats nearly 4 cents more than a week ago.Gas prices in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Louisiana states in Isaacs path have tallied even bigger increases.In a related development, a fire was extinguished at Venezuelas biggest oil refinery after burning for three days, officials said. Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said officials expect to restart operations in two days. The U.S. imports about 360,000 barrels per day of gasoline from Venezuela, which is delivered to the East Coast.That helped sink gasoline futures. They fell 2.87 cents to settle at $3.126 per gallon a day after rising nearly 8 cents on Monday.

Brazil to deploy world's first floating oil terminal Posted: Brazils state-owned energy giant Petrobras said Tuesday it will deploy the worlds first floating oil terminal capable of refueling tankers on the high seas.The new technology will ensure lower costs, by reducing the distance covered by oil transport vessels, the company said in a statement.Currently, crude oil must be ferried from offshore rigs to the coast where tankers come to fill up. But the new Transfer and Storage Offshore Unit will make it possible to store oil on the high seas and to transfer it to export vessels, the statement said, adding that the first terminal will be operational in June 2014, 90 kilometers (55 miles) off Rio de Janeiro.The terminal will sit on a vessel stationed near the drilling rigs and be capable of storing two million barrels, equivalent to Brazils daily production. The unit, under construction in China, is expected to cost $318 million, plus the cost of chartering the vessel.Brazilian press reports said the Petrobras project should secure speedy official approval as its socio-environmental impacts will not be assessed.The project was developed due to the need for new logistical solutions to export Brazilian oil, the statement said.Brazil, the worlds sixth largest economy, hopes to boost its oil production from around two million barrels a day currently to nearly five million by 2020, largely thanks to the huge offshore oil reserves it discovered in 2006.The National Petroleum Agency estimates that the so-called pre-salt reserves could hold more than 100 billion barrels of high-quality recoverable crude and could turn Brazil into one of the worlds top exporters.Less than 10 percent of oil production currently originates in the pre-salt layer.

Clinton to visit China next week Posted: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will warn against the use of force between China and its neighbors on a tour of Asia that comes amid mounting tension over sea disputes, officials said Tuesday.On her third visit to Asia since May, Clinton will become the first US secretary of state to take part in a summit of Pacific islands -- an area where Chinas influence has been growing -- and to stop in East Timor.Clinton will hold talks in Beijing on September 4 and 5, the United States and China announced. Friction has been rising both in the South China Sea, where Beijing is building a controversial new garrison, and in the East China Sea, where activists have sailed to islands claimed by both Japan and China.We dont want to see the disputes in the South China Sea, or anywhere else, settled be intimidation, by force. We want to see them settled at the negotiating table, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.Nuland called for military transparency by China and said Clinton would seek progress on an elusive goal of setting up a code of conduct to manage conflicts in the South China Sea, through which half of global cargo flows.We continue to think that thats the best way to address these disputes, so I think you will see it come up on many of these stops, Nuland said of the code of conduct.On Clintons last visit to Asia in July, Southeast Asian nations meeting in Cambodia failed to overcome divisions to move ahead on a code of conduct, with the Philippines and Vietnam seeking the toughest line over disputes with China.In between her talks in Beijing, Clinton will stop in Indonesia and Brunei, two countries which Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi toured earlier in August.President Barack Obamas administration on taking office eyed Indonesia as a growing US partner due to its size, democratic values and mostly moderate practice of Islam, although momentum for stronger ties has since slowed down.Nuland said that Clinton would also seek a peaceful resolution of disputes involving Japan, whose relations with China and South Korea have rapidly deteriorated in recent weeks.Clinton will leave on Thursday for the tiny Cook Islands to take part in the Pacific Islands Forum, leading the highest-level US delegation ever to go to the 41-year-old summit.China has devoted growing attention to the South Pacific, offering assistance with few strings attached in contrast to the regions traditional donors Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the United States.Clinton, already the most-traveled secretary of state in US history, will on September 6 become the most senior US official ever to visit East Timor, an impoverished half-island which became independent from Indonesia in 2002.The top US diplomat will end her tour by taking part in the September 8-9 summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in the Russian port of Vladivostok.She will represent the United States instead of President Barack Obama, who has told Russia that he will skip the summit to focus on the home stretch of his re-election bid.Clinton -- who narrowly lost the Democratic nomination for president to Obama in 2008 -- will miss the partys convention in Charlotte, North Carolina for the Asia trip.In Vladivostok, Clinton is expected to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Russia is the main supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has butted heads with the United States over the raging fighting in the Arab country.

Tennis: David Nalbandian out of US Open Posted: David Nalbandian was ruled out of the US Open after suffering a rib injury, the organisers confirmed.Nalbandian, the former world number three and Wimbledon runner-up in 2002, had been due to face Argentine compatriot, and 2009 champion in New York, Juan Martin del Potro in the first round on Wednesday.I suffered the injury in training. I am sorry that I could not attend the US Open, Nalbandian later tweeted.But I hope to be fit for the Davis Cup semi-final against the Czech Republic in September.

Damascus blast death toll rises to 27 Posted: A car bomb rocked the funeral of two government loyalists in a Damascus suburb killing 27 people on Tuesday as the army kept up its bombardment of rebel strongholds in the east of the capital.The bombing hit Jaramana, a mainly Druze and Christian town on the southeastern outskirts of Damascus that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described as generally supportive of the government of President Bashar al-Assad.The number of people killed in a funeral held for two supporters of the regime has risen to 27, said the Observatory. Earlier, state television had put the toll at 12, adding that another 48 were wounded.At around 3:00 pm (1200 GMT), a funeral procession was making its way to the cemetery, when a car parked on the side of the road exploded, an army official told AFP.The funeral was held for two supporters of Assad who were killed in a bomb attack on Monday, the Britain-based Observatory said.The force of the explosion completely demolished the facade of one building and caused heavy damage to others nearby, an AFP photographer reported.State media blamed rebel fighters for the bombing, which came amid an intensified bombardment by government troops of eastern districts of Damascus that shelter some of the Free Syrian Armys best organised battalions.But the opposition Syrian National Council accused Assads regime of staging the bombing against its own supporters in a bid to divert attention from the killings of hundreds of people during an army assault on a largely Sunni Muslim suburb of the capital last week.The regime wants to cover up for its massacres, SNC spokesman George Sabra said, alluding to the discovery of more than 300 bodies in the town of Daraya that sparked an international outcry.It also wants to punish residents of Jaramana -- who are of mixed religious backgrounds -- for welcoming people who were displaced from nearby towns. Sabra told AFP by telephone.It wants to turn the revolution... into a bloody civil war fought along sectarian lines, he said.Some 80 percent of Syrians are Sunni Muslim, while around 10 percent belong to Assads Alawite community, five percent are Christian, three percent Druze and one percent Ismaili.The opposition draws much of its support from the Sunni majority, who have borne the brunt of the governments crackdown.Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt warned Tuesday of the risks of Syria descending into bloody sectarian conflict after what he said was the inevitable fall of Assads regime.Whether it will be replaced by a secular democracy, an Islamic one or by a sectarian fragmentation remains to be seen, Bildt said. The longer the conflict lasts, the greater the risk that we will see the latter development.The Observatory reported fierce shelling of northeastern neighbourhoods of Damascus as the army pressed its drive to push rebel fighters out of the capital.

Somalia's parliament elects former labour minister as speaker Posted: The process to select Somalias next government has been criticized for corruption and threats of violence, international observers say. Nonetheless, some praise it as a watershed moment in the Horn of Africa nations road to peace and stability.While Somalia has had transitional administrations since 2004, it has not had a functioning central government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a longtime dictator and turned on each other, plunging the impoverished nation into chaos.The last day of the eight-year U.N.-backed transitional government was Aug. 20 and the U.N. wanted a new president in place by then. But political bickering, violent threats and seat-buying schemes delayed progress toward the selection and seating of 275 members of the new Parliament that will select a president.Jawari was elected the speaker of Parliament on Tuesday by just 228 legislators.A group of Somali elders has been tasked with selecting the full list of 275 parliamentarians, but the election of the speaker went ahead without the complete number.Jawari was challenged by Ali Khalif Galaydh, who had been Somalias prime minister in 2000-2001 but led in the first round of voting. Galaydh pulled out in the second round, saying he favored Jawari for the post and Jawari was then declared the winner.The U.N. special representative for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, called Tuesdays election of a speaker a moment of progress and optimism and an important step on the road to restoring accountable and participatory governance.He said that some 260 members of Parliament have either been sworn in or are pending imminent ratification, and he urged that the 15 remaining lawmakers be selected and seated quickly so the election of a new president can take place within 10 days.Mahiga said the election of deputy speakers of Parliament will take place in the immediate future.The new federal Parliament must be allowed to exercise its authority with independence, transparency and free from undue influence and coercion, he said in a statement.In a report to the U.N. Security Council circulated Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the final months of the transitional government were fraught with setbacks but also characterized by formidable Somali and international efforts to establish a more legitimate and representative government with new leadership and representative government with new leadership and institutions.He said the election of the speaker, deputy speakers and a president will offer Somalia a leadership with a new mandate to continue working on the peace process and the reconstruction of the country.But Ban predicted a rough and unpredictable road ahead and expressed serious concern at reports of corrupt practices and intimidation by those seeking to influence the political process.The secretary-general warned that establishing and maintaining stability and security in Somalia will not be easy.Many spoilers fear that an orderly society with established institutions of governance and rule of law will compromise their ill-gained privileges, he said.Ban urged Somalis to rise up to the challenge and, jointly with their leaders, start building a peaceful and prosperous country.

Ecuador court rejects extradition for Belarusian Posted: A high court judge in Ecuador has rejected the extradition request for a former financial crimes investigator from Belarus who has been jailed since June and ordered him freed immediately.A court official notified The Associated Press of the judges order. The official was not authorized to be identified by name.Barankovs case drew attention after Ecuador granted political asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange earlier this month.The 30-year-old Barankov had argued he could be killed if sent back to his former Soviet bloc homeland, whose president, Alexander Lukashenko, has been nicknamed Europes last dictator.Barankov says he fled Belarus after unearthing high-level corruption involving relatives of Lukashenko.

1st ODI: Australia beats Pakistan by 4 wickets Posted: Captain Michael Clarke and George Bailey hit half-centuries after fast bowler Mitchell Starc took five wickets to lead Australia to a four-wicket win against Pakistan in the first of three one-day internationals.Starc claimed 5-42 and was helped by James Pattinsons 3-19 as Australia bowled out Pakistan for 198 in the 46th over at Sharjah Stadium.Spin then gave Pakistan a chance. Mohammad Hafeez bowled David Warner, Shahid Afridi dismissed Matthew Wade and Saeed Ajmal removed the Hussey brothers to leave Australia on 67-4.Clarke, the teams best batsman against spin, struck 66 off 96 balls in a 54-run stand with Bailey, who made 57.Bailey and newcomer Glenn Maxwell put on a 58-run partnership to take Australia within sight of victory.

Bajaur: 11 miscreants killed in fresh clashes Posted: Fresh clashes in Pakistans northwestern tribal area along the Afghan border left three soldiers and 11 militants dead, security officials said.The latest fighting occurred as part of a Pakistan army operation to repel Taliban militants who had crossed over from Kunar province in Afghanistan early Friday and occupied the village of Batwar in the Bajaur tribal district.The fighting has so far left 50 dead including 31 militants, three soldiers and two members of a government backed peace committee who were killed on Monday.During the ongoing clashes in the Batwar border area of Bajaur, 11 militants were killed today while several were injured, a senior security official based in the regions main city of Peshawar told AFP.Three security personal have also embraced shahadat (martyrdom) while some are missing, he said.Pakistani troops arrested eight militants while the dead bodies of some militants are in the custody of security forces, he added.Another government official from Khar, the main town of the Bajaur tribal district, confirmed the latest fighting and new death toll. He requested anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the media.The area is cut off to journalists and aid workers and it was not possible to confirm the death toll independently.Bajaur is one of seven districts in Pakistans semi-autonomous tribal belt, where Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants have carved out strongholds used to plot attacks on Pakistan.Pakistan has lost more than 3,000 soldiers in the fight against homegrown insurgents but has resisted US pressure to do more to eliminate havens used by those fighting the Americans in Afghanistan.

Two political workers among seven killed in Karachi Posted: As per details Azam, former in-charge of MQM unit 56 Jamshed Quarters, was killed in Martin Quarters within the jurisdiction of Jamshed Quarters police station.In another incident, a local Awami National Party (ANP) office-bearer, Amanullah was shot dead by unknown bike riders in Orangi Town’s MPR Colony. Severe tense prevailed in the locality following the assassination. The party works later got closed shops in the area.A woman was reported killed in a firing incident at Baldia-8 area.On the other hand, two Sunni Tehrik (ST) activists, Munna Qadri and Sohail Qadri, who had suffered bullet wounds in Saeed Abad two days back, breathed their last during the treatment this evening.Police claimed to have killed three suspected members of gang-war in an alleged encounter in Karachi’s Malir area. The suspected criminals were identified as Fida alias Fiddu, Khalil Baloch and Imam.

Thul Railway tracks blast leaves 2 dead, 15 injured Posted: The explosion, which caused two of the trains cars to derail, occurred in the town of Thul at around 2:00 am, police official Murtaza Mirani told AFP.Thul is some 500 kilometres (300 miles) north of Karachi, the regions main city, while the train was headed for the northwestern city of Peshawar.Fortunately, the bogies did not overturn as the train was slow, thus averting a bigger catastrophe, Mirani said.Ashraf Soomro, a local railway official, said that the injured had been taken to a hospital, while the other passengers were being looked after.We are busy repairing the damaged tracks and will send the passengers to Peshawar as soon as possible, he said.Mirani said so far no terrorist groups had claimed responsibility for the attack, adding: We cant comment right now until our investigation is complete.Thul lies in the Jacobabad district of the southern Sindh province. Terrorist attacks blamed on Islamist militants are less frequent in the south than in the countrys restive northwestern border area with Afghanistan.

7 killed, 80 injured as two buses collided in DG Khan Posted: According to reports, the mishap came to pass after a Karachi-bound bus rammed into another, which was on its way to Peshawar.All the injured persons have been shifted to District Headquarter Hospital where conditions of at least twenty injured were stated to be critical.According to rescue officials, the accident occurred due to over-speeding.

Chiniot: Man killed as landlord unleashes dogs Posted: As per details, Allah Ditta and Aslam had an old enmity over a murder case. On Tuesday, Allah Ditta was irrigating his land when Aslam set his dogs free to attack Allah Ditta and he expired on the spot after bitterly bitten by those.Amir, brother of deceased Allah Ditta, said that police had not registerd a case of the incident.

Underwater robots to 'repair' Scotland's coral reefs Posted: Dubbed coralbots, they are being designed to work in groups, in a similar manner to bees and ants.The team is still training the software that will control the bots to recognise corals and distinguish them from other sea objects.Corals are easily damaged by pollution and destructive fishing practices, and it takes decades for them to re-grow.They are colonies of tiny living organisms, most commonly found in warm shallow waters in the tropics.But the depths of the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland are home to cold-water reefs.When they get damaged, scuba divers re-cement broken fragments, helping them re-grow - but it is tricky for divers to reach depths over 200m.Coralbots, the researchers hope, will be a lot more efficient, able to repair the reefs in days or weeks.The team, which consists of a marine biologist, an artificial intelligence scientist, a roboticist, and a machine vision scientist, said it was trying to raise £2m to hold a first demonstration.It is much harder for divers to reach deep water corals to repair them.The scientists said that if they got all the cash they needed, the bots could be embark on their first mission within a year.Initially, the robots would be adaptations of those already developed at the universitys Ocean Systems Lab.They would be about a metre long, with built-in video, image-processing and simple manipulation tools, such as scoops and arms, and would operate in swarms.Swarming in nature is collective action of a large number of agents that are individually stupid but collectively can complete complex tasks.Besides insects, birds and fish also swarm, as well as the smallest and simplest micro-organisms, such as bacteria.Its an ideal task for swarm robotics. Our key idea is that coral reef restoration could be achieved via swarm intelligence, which allows us to exploit co-operative behaviours we see from natural swarms of bees, termites and ants that build complex structures such as hives and nests, said marine biologist Lea-Anne Henry who is lead scientist on the project at Heriot-Watt.She said the robots would be intelligent enough to navigate and avoid obstacles.We are developing new intelligent object recognition routines, exploiting the data from hundreds of coral reef images, to enable each swarm member to recognise coral fragments and distinguish them from other materials and objects in the environment in real-time, she said.One AI expert not involved in the project called it very worthwhile.I think they have a very good chance of being successful, Prof Noel Sharkey of the University of Sheffield told the BBC.The Mingulay reef complex in Scottish waters was discovered in 2003.And its an ideal task for swarm robotics. Look at termites - a termite follows a simple rule, pushing a little ball of dirt until it meets another ball of dirt. And you end up with these huge mounds that termites build and live in.Its the same here - these robots will have micro-rules, and even though each robot is dumb, collectively they will move and do something - and in the end, a reef will be repaired.Corals in dangerA quarter of all marine life on the planet inhabits corals, according to the World Wildlife Fund.In coastal areas, they also provide an important barrier against natural disasters such as storms, hurricanes, and typhoons.There are fears that coral reefs may begin to disappear within 50 years.Besides destructive fishing practices, other contributing factors are careless tourism and carbon dioxide emissions that make seawater more acidic, leading to the death of key coral species.

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