Dunya TV

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• Hina Khar meets UN delegation
• US welcomes new visa regime between India and Pakistan
• Factory fire: Sind govt announces day of mourning today
• General elections to be held on time: PM
• Venezuela considers effort on Syria: Chavez
• Zardari urges China to invest in Pakistan
• S Koreas unemployment rate remain unchanged
• US condemns attack on consulate
• Taliban sanctions can aid peace efforts: UN report
• Libya: American killed as mob attacks US consulate
• Egypt urges Iran to drop its support to Assad
• Pre-9/11, Haqqani group urged US ties: documents
• Multan: Punjab College wins first 16 positions in Inter exams
• Japan, Lebanon win 2014 WCup qualifiers
• Police officer killed in Turkey suicide attack

Hina Khar meets UN delegation Posted: Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar briefed team the delegations on the steps taken by Pakistan for protection of human rights.The minister said that Pakistan was taking serious steps in the wake of missing persons’ issue and hoped that the delegation would appreciate Pakistan’s effort in its report for promotion and protection of human rights across the country.

US welcomes new visa regime between India and Pakistan Posted: The spokesperson of the US State Department, Victoria Nuland Tuesday has said that the recent initiatives taken by the South Asian neighbours - Pakistan and India - to ease visa restrictions and bridge bilateral differences were encouraging.We strongly support increasing contact at the high level between Pakistan and India, she said. She termed Indian foreign ministers visit to Pakistan as a good omen for the future. We think the trip was a good thing, and we were pleased to see the visa progress that they made, which supports progress that they had made in the past on economic issues. This is very much in line with the Secretary’s New Silk Road vision that the connections in that whole neighborhood will grow stronger so that prosperity will grow for everyone, she remarked.Ms. Nuland believed that both the countries were moving in the right direction for peace and prosperity of the region.Obviously, there’s more work to do, but whenever we see the Indian side, whenever we see the Pakistani side, we offer support for their efforts to talk to each other, because it’s in the interest not only of those two countries but the whole region., she assured.When asked whether Secretary Clinton had spoken with the leaders in India or Pakistan about the recent trip, the spokesperson replied in the affirmative. Well, we certainly knew that they were planning to go. They both had talked to her about this trip, so we were obviously supportive, she maintained.The spokesperson, on the 11th anniversary of 9/11 attacks, also spoke about bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and US and the need to strengthen counter-terrorism efforts. We work hard in our bilateral relationship with Pakistan to maintain a strong focus and a strong effort on terrorism there and to offer our support to Pakistani efforts, she said while recalling that Pakistanis – some 30,000 in the last few years - had been victims of terrorism.She said the relationship was very much on the mend after a period of acrimony. In the context of having reopened the ground lines of communication, we are back in the business of trying to intensify our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan. For example, some of the working groups that the Secretary set up a year ago in October/November when she was in Pakistan, that work that got suspended is coming back online. We’re going to have a couple of those groups meeting, in fact, even this week, she pointed out.So we will continue to make the case, we will continue to offer our support, because we agree with you there is more work to do to counter terrorism inside Pakistan, she opined while hinting that this subject was likely to come up during the recent meetings between the officials of both countries as well.However, an another question about the credibility of an interview that Dr. Shakeel Afridi, sentenced in Pakistan for helping out CIA reach Osama bin laden, had given to an American news channel, Ms. Nuland was non-committal. Well, frankly, we can’t at this point verify the authenticity of the interview, she stressed.If we do find that it’s authentic, though, then the allegations would be extremely concerning. Pakistan obviously has international human rights obligations, including under the Convention Against Torture, and we would expect that the people and the Government of Pakistan would be interested in investigating such claims by Dr. Afridi if, in fact, it turns out that this tape is authentic. But at this point, I can’t verify, she explained.She, however, used the opportunity to once again call for the release of Dr. Afridi. The Secretary has been extremely outspoken on this case for many, many months; has called the sentence unjust, unwarranted; has called for his release. And we continue to do that at all levels, she argued.Ms. Nuland, on another query, was not sure regarding the whereabouts of the injured in the suicide bombing targeting a US consulate vehicle in Peshawar last week. She also refused to disclose if the attack had led to any security changes or thought to temporarily re-locate the Peshawar Consulate staffers to Islamabad.- Contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington, DC

Factory fire: Sind govt announces day of mourning today Posted: The government, however, announced that there would be no holiday for government offices and education institutions on the day of mourning today.Fire engulfed a five-storey building of a garment factory at Hub River Road on Tuesday, killing at least 60 people including 3 women and injuring dozens others.

General elections to be held on time: PM Posted: Talking to media in Tianjin, the PM said that the elections would be held in a fair and transparent manner. He pointed out that Election Commission of Pakistan‚ judiciary and media are independent. Raja said that completion of five years of coalition government was a big achievement.He stated that small and big dams were being in the country built to overcome energy crisis.

Venezuela considers effort on Syria: Chavez Posted: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he will evaluate a proposal to join in a team of non-aligned nations to solve the crisis in Syria.Chavez has remained a vocal supporter of Syrian leader Bashar Assad, who has been widely criticized for using Syrias military to fight a popular uprising in which thousands have been killed.Chavez said Tuesday that he will look at the proposal by Iran late last month to form a group with other non-aligned countries like Venezuela, Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq that would try to achieve peace in Syria.The Venezuelan leader has accused the U.S. government and its allies of provoking violence in Syria in an effort to topple Assads government.Venezuelas government says the conflict in Syria should be resolved peacefully without foreign intervention.

Zardari urges China to invest in Pakistan Posted: They discussed Pak-China bilateral relations‚ multifaceted mutual cooperation and regional situation.The president underlined the need for further enhancing cooperation among think tanks of the two countries to promote commonality of views on the matters of mutual concern.Zardari said that Pakistan greatly values Chinas economic support and assistance. He said that there was need to translate strong bonds of friendship between Pakistan and China into economic benefits of two countries.He said that Pakistan desires Chinese investors and business community to take maximum advantage of tremendous investment and business opportunities available in Pakistan. He urged the Chinese companies to invest in water & energy related projects including hydro-power projects.Zhang Deguang said that Chinese also value their friendship with Pakistan and are desirous to further strengthen the existing bonds of friendship with the people of the country.

S Koreas unemployment rate remain unchanged Posted: South Koreas seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.1 percent in August from a month earlier, despite a slowdown in job creation, official figures showed Wednesday.Statistics Korea said 364,000 new jobs were created in August from a year earlier, weaker than Julys 470,000 increase.The unadjusted jobless rate was put at 3.0 percent, slightly down from the July figure of 3.1 percent.

US condemns attack on consulate Posted: We can confirm that our office in Benghazi, Libya has been attacked by a group of militants, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.We condemn in strongest terms this attack on our diplomatic mission, she added in a statement issued before reports that one American had been killed in the attack, which came on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.US officials were working with the Libyans to secure the compound, Nuland said, adding that an earlier protest against the US embassy in Cairo, in which demonstrators scaled the walls, had now ended.Abdelmonoem al-Horr, a spokesman for the Libyan interior ministrys security commission, said the grenades were fired from a nearby farm at the building.Security forces and the interior ministry were trying to contain the situation, he added. Deputy interior minister Wanis al-Sharef said one American official had been killed and another was wounded.In Cairo, we can confirm that Egyptian police have now removed the demonstrators who had entered our embassy grounds earlier today, Nuland said.Protesters in both cities were said to be demonstrating against a film which they said had offended Islam. But officials said it remained unclear whether the two protests in Benghazi and Cairo had been coordinated or whether they were linked.We cannot confirm any connection between these incidents, said a senior State Department official, asking to remain anonymous.

Taliban sanctions can aid peace efforts: UN report Posted: A new U.N. sanctions regime targeting the Taliban has encouraged overtures by the militant groups leaders but many obstacles remain before talks with the Afghan government can begin, let alone end a war that continues to rage, a U.N.-appointed monitoring team said in its first report Tuesday.The Taliban ruled Afghanistan for five years before being driven out of power in the U.S.-led invasion in late 2001 and has been fighting President Hamid Karzais government since it took power. In a move aimed at supporting the Afghan governments reconciliation efforts and more effectively fighting global terrorism, the U.N. Security Council decided in June 2011 to treat the Taliban and al-Qaida separately when it comes to U.N. sanctions.In a report to the council analyzing the impact of the new Taliban sanctions regime, the monitoring team concluded that there will be many upsets before Afghanistan is firmly on the road towards peace, stability and security. But the team has no doubt that the sanctions regime can help clear the way, the report said.The Security Council imposed sanctions against the Taliban in November 1999 for refusing to send Osama bin Laden to the United States or a third country for trial on terrorism charges in connection with the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. The sanctions a travel ban, arms embargo and assets freeze were later extended to al-Qaida and remain in effect in the new Taliban sanctions regime.The report said implementing the sanctions is a challenge in a country which borders six nations and has many un-policed roads, where less than 7 percent of the population has a bank account, where large areas are too dangerous for the government to operate, and which is rife with corruption.In addition, 114 of the 131 Taliban and Taliban-associated individuals who are subject to the new sanctions regime have been subject to identical sanctions since 2001 under the al-Qaida and Taliban sanctions regime, the report said. Though not all are still active, the sanctions have clearly had limited impact on those who are.The monitoring team also found that the number of times any of the 192 other U.N. member states have applied any of the three sanctions is very low.Nonetheless, the team believes that the sanctions have had an important deterrent effect on listed individuals who may have wished to travel or use formal banking services, it said.The monitoring team noted that it was not long after the Security Council split the Taliban and al-Qaida sanctions regimes last year that the Taliban made public their decision to enter talks.As the emphasis in Afghanistan shifts from military activity to political activity and U.S. and coalition forces prepare to withdraw by the end of 2014, the team said, there is a greater chance that the sanctions will make a difference. Both the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban have set out their conditions for reconciliation.Essentially, the government conditions renouncing violence, breaking with al-Qaida, and accepting the constitution are the reverse of the criteria set by the Security Council for imposing sanctions, and mirror the requirements for a listed individual to have his name removed, the report said.The Taliban conditions for peace the withdrawal of foreign forces, the release of prisoners, and the removal of their names from the sanctions list suggest that sanctions matter, the report said.They will matter even more if implementation is effective, the monitoring team said. The new sanctions regime provides for exemptions to the asset freeze and travel ban, and the team predicted that decisions on granting exemptions are likely to have as big an impact on the promotion of a political process in Afghanistan as will the full implementation of the measures.

Libya: American killed as mob attacks US consulate Posted: Libya: An armed mob protesting over a film they said offended Islam, attacked the US consulate in Benghazi on Tuesday and set fire to the building, killing one American, witnesses and officials said.Libyas deputy interior minister Wanis al-Sharef told AFP: One American official was killed and another injured in the hand. The other staff members were evacuated and are safe and sound.He could not say if the dead man was a diplomat. Abdelmonoem al-Horr, spokesman for the Libyan interior ministrys security commission, said rocket-propelled grenades were fired at the consulate from a nearby farm. Security forces and the interior ministry were trying to contain the situation, he added.The attack happened on the same day as a similar group of hardliners waving black banners attacked the US embassy in Cairo and tore down the US flag, but it was not immediately clear if the two incidents were coordinated. The protests came on the eleventh anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, when US cities were targeted by hijacked planes.In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said: We condemn in strongest terms this attack on our diplomatic mission.US officials were working with the Libyans to secure the compound, Nuland said, adding that the earlier protest against the US embassy in Cairo, in which demonstrators scaled the walls, had now ended.Demonstrators attacked the US consulate in Benghazi. They fired shots in the air before entering the building, Libyas deputy interior minister, Wanis al-Sharif Sharif, who is in charge of the countrys eastern region, told AFP.Dozens of demonstrators attacked the consulate and set fire to it, said a Benghazi resident, who only gave his name as Omar, adding that he had seen the flames and heard shots in the vicinity.Another Libyan witness said armed men had closed the streets leading up to the consulate, among them ultra-conservative Salafists. The Libyan incident came as thousands of Egyptian demonstrators tore down the Stars and Stripes at the US embassy in Cairo and replaced it with a black Islamic flag, similar to one adopted by several militant groups.Nearly 3,000 demonstrators gathered at the embassy in protest over a film deemed offensive to the Prophet Mohammed which was produced by expatriate members of Egypts Christian minority resident in the United States.Officials said it remained unclear whether the protests in Benghazi and Cairo had been coordinated or whether they were linked.We cannot confirm any connection between these incidents, said a senior State Department official, asking to remain anonymous.Muslims consider depiction of the prophet sacrilegious.Arab League deputy secretary general, Ahmed Ben Helli, has condemned the film saying it contained insults against the prophet Mohammed and was denounced by Christians and Muslims across the Arab world.

Egypt urges Iran to drop its support to Assad Posted: Newly activist Egypt is trying to convince Iran to drop its unquestioned support of Syrias embattled President Bashar Assad in order to end that countrys bloody civil war in exchange for help in easing Tehrans regional isolation at a time of mounting pressure on it over its disputed nuclear program.The offer is the centerpiece of a diplomatic push by Egypts new Islamist president, who is hoping his Islamic Quartet grouping Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, all supporters of the Syrian rebellion, with Syrias top regional ally Iran can succeed where other initiatives have failed.The grouping is the first major effort to involve Iran in resolving the crisis. But it may be a tough sell. Tehrans influence in the Middle East is strongly tied to its alliance with Assad and his fall would be a major blow. Moreover, the quartet members themselves have their own divisions. Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, along with other Gulf Arab nations, has been staunchly opposed to any Iranian expansion and may resist ending Tehrans isolation.Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi made the offer when he met last month with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran, officials close to the Egyptian presidency said. Morsis visit to Iran, to attend a summit of the 120-nation Nonaligned Movement, was the first by an Egyptian president since the 1979 Islamic Revolution there, when diplomatic ties between the countries were cut.Morsi offered a package of incentives for Tehran to end its support of Assad, the officials said.Cairo would agree to restore full diplomatic ties, a significant diplomatic prize for Iran given that Egypt is the most populous Arab nation and a regional powerhouse. Morsi would also mediate to improve relations between Iran and conservative Gulf Arab nations that have long viewed Shiite Iran with suspicion and whose fears of the Persian nation have deepened because of Irans disputed nuclear program.Also, Morsi offered a safe exit for Assad, his family and members of his inner circle.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the terms of the offer. They did not give a timeframe for the offer or say what Ahmadinejads response was.Morsis argument is that neither Assad nor the rebels fighting his regime appear to be capable of winning the civil war, creating a stalemate that could eventually break up the Arab nation with serious repercussions for the entire region, the officials said.Egypt is convinced that what is ahead in Syria under Assad will be much worse than anything the world has seen there so far, said one of the officials. In view of this, Egypt believes that preventing more bloodshed will be a huge achievement.Morsi, who took office less than three months ago as Egypts first elected and civilian president, voiced his support for the rebels against Assads oppressive regime in a speech at the summit in Tehran. The move angered the Iranians, but won accolades across much of the Arab world and in Washington. It also drove the point home to the Iranians that continuing to support Assad was untenable.The Syrian conflict has defied diplomatic solutions. Cease-fires called for by the U.N. and Arab League have been still-born as Assads regime pushed ahead with its military campaign to stamp out the rebels, who drove ahead with their effort to bring him down.The Syrian conflict started in March last year with a wave of mostly peaceful protests calling on Assad to step down. The uprising has morphed into a ruinous civil war. Activists say at least 23,000 people have been killed so far and the U.N. refugee agency says more than a quarter of a million people have fled the country. The conflict also has a dangerous sectarian tone: Syrias Sunni majority make up the backbone of the rebellion, while the regime is dominated by minority Alawites, the Shiite offshoot to which Assad belongs.Diplomats from the Quartet met in Cairo for the first time Monday, and Egypt said foreign ministers from the four nations would meet in the coming days.One prominent Syrian anti-regime activist said Irans participation in the group suggests it realizes that supporting Assad may not be workable in the long run.There is a consensus among the four that the Syrian conflict must end before the country disintegrates. If this happens, the fallout will touch everyone in the region, said Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the British-based Observatory for Human Rights in Syria, an activist group that monitors violence and abuses in Syria.If left to its own devices, the war will continue for four or five more years, he said. But abandoning Assad would be difficult. Iran provides Syria with substantial financial aid and weapons, both key for Assad to continue in his crackdown on rebels.Syria is Irans gateway to Lebanon, where the Shiite Hezbollah group is a longtime ally. Syria has been a firm friend of Iran for decades the only Arab nation to side with it against Saddam Husseins Iraq during their ruinous war in the 1980s.

Pre-9/11, Haqqani group urged US ties: documents Posted: The founder of Afghanistans now-scorned Haqqani network voiced hope for cooperation in a meeting with US diplomats two years before the September 11 attacks, according to a declassified document released Tuesday.The United States decided last week to blacklist the Pakistan-linked network as terrorists following a wave of attacks in Afghanistan. The guerrilla group once enjoyed US support as it battled Soviet troops in Afghanistan.In a document released on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, a State Department cable said that US officials met in May 1999 with the groups founder Jalaluddin Haqqani, who was informally representing the Taliban regime.In the meeting, a diplomat from the US embassy in Islamabad urged the Taliban to expel Osama bin Laden who was wanted over the bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania three years before the September 11 atrocity.The cable said that Haqqani insisted the Taliban had placed tight controls on bin Laden and that the best solution for the United States might be for the Saudi-born Al-Qaeda leader to stay in Afghanistan.Haqqani appealed for dialogue with the United States and voiced frustration over US pressure on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- US allies that with Pakistan were the only nations to recognize the Taliban government.Iran, China and Russia want to take over Afghanistan and run it for their gain, the cable quoted Haqqani as saying. The US and Saudi Arabia could help Afghanistan maintain its independence. Do not turn away from us anymore, but deal with us, he was quoted as saying.The documents on the Haqqanis were released by the National Security Archive at George Washington University, which obtained them through the Freedom of Information Act. The 1999 cable said that Haqqani -- stroking his black beard and adjusting his white turban -- offered appreciation for US support against the Soviets but criticized the cruise missile strike ordered by president Bill Clinton after the embassy bombings.A hale and hearty Haqqani started the talks with US diplomats by darkly joking that it was good to meet someone from the country which destroyed my base, my madrassa and killed 25 of my mujahedin, the cable said, referring to Islamic schools and warriors.Hearing Haqqanis remarks, his assistants glared sullenly at the US diplomats, the document said.The cable did not specify the location of the meeting, although it appeared to take place somewhere in Pakistan. US officials often held Taliban meetings at the US embassy in Islamabad before the September 11 attacks.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, under pressure from Congress, last week agreed to declare the Haqqani network to be terrorists amid US outrage over a series of attacks attributed to the group, including a hotel assault in June that killed 18 people and a siege last year of the US embassy in Kabul.US officials had worried about the impact of relations with Pakistan. Admiral Mike Mullen said before stepping down last year as the head of the US military that the Haqqani network has become a veritable arm of Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence agency.Declassified cables said that Haqqanis brother Khalil and son Nasiruddin both had links to Al-Qaeda, charges that later became part of UN sanctions against the family members.Another declassified US document said that Haqqani was a military strategist and a comparative social moderate as his Zadran tribe of Pashtuns treated women more liberally than Pashtuns in Kandahar, the base of the Taliban whose 1996-2001 regime imposed draconian controls on women.In the meeting with US diplomats, Haqqani hit back at the criticism of the Taliban. He was quoted as arguing: Saudi Arabia, a friend of the US and Europe, treated women the same way as the Taliban.Jalaluddin Haqqani is now in his 70s and frail and has passed on his seat on the Taliban leadership council to his son Sirajuddin Haqqani, who runs a fighting force of at least 2,000 men.

Multan: Punjab College wins first 16 positions in Inter exams Posted: According to sources, 70,885 appeared in the examinations of Intermediate in BISE Multan where Punjab College’s intelligent student Muhammad Sohaib and Nayab Zohra secured second position with 1029 each.The winning students attributed their success to their parents and teachers.In the same way, Punjab College also beat other public and private institutions in medical, pre-medical, engineering, science, arts and commerce groups.The position holders also prayed for progress and prosperity of the institutions.The Education board also awarded the winning students and teachers with net cash and laptops.

Japan, Lebanon win 2014 WCup qualifiers Posted: Lebanon stunned Iran 1-0 to get its campaign on track and South Korea managed a 2-2 draw against Uzbekistan to extend its lead in Group A.Iraq performed creditably after fielding a very inexperienced team, with coach Zico formerly in charge of Japan changing the entire starting lineup from the previous qualifier and only using stars Younes Mahmoud and Nashat Akram as second-half substitutes.The visitors still created some genuine chances but couldnt hit back after Ryoichi Maedas 25th-minute goal, which resulted from some lax defending. Shinji Okazaki snuck in behind the defense from a throw-in and volleyed in a cross that an unmarked Maeda headed in from close range.We knew if we played our brand of football we could get the result we wanted, Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni said. Were happy to get the three points as we want to qualify as soon as possible.Needing to finish in the top two to automatically qualify for Brazil, Japan moved eight points clear on top of the standings after four of eight games, though group rivals Jordan and Australia can make up ground when they meet later on Tuesday.In Tashkent, Uzbekistan was in need of a victory after gaining only a point in two matches to sit bottom of Group A.It took the early lead through an own goal from Ki Sung-yuengi in the 13th minute. South Korea drew level thanks to Kwak Tae-hwi in the 44th and then took the lead after Lee Dong-gook scored in the 58th. But Uzbekistans Sanzhar Tursunov leveled just a minute later.Both teams pressed in the final half hour, with each having chances to win it in injury time. A shot from Tursunov rolled across the goalmouth and Kim Bo-kyungs free kick was punched out by goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov.Lebanon also needed a win to keep its campaign alive. The Middle East minnows have reached this stage of the competition for the first time but a string of injuries in recent months have seen it lose to Qatar and draw with Uzbekistan.Lebanon attacked from the start and went ahead when captain Roda Antar took a cross from midfielder Mohammad Haidar and headed home a shot from close range. That appeared to wake up the Iranians, who pressed forward for the rest of the half.The Iranians dominated possession in the second half and Mohammad Nori almost drew his team level when his header was just cleared off the Lebanon goal line in the 62nd minute. Nori had a second chance to equalize but his searing volley was stopped by Lebanon goalkeeper Abbas Hassan, who had several acrobatic saves in the match.South Korea now has a three-point lead in Group A, with Iran, Lebanon and Qatar on four points. Uzbekistan remains bottom of Group A on two points.

Police officer killed in Turkey suicide attack Posted: The attack killed a police officer and injured seven others, authorities said Tuesday.Police identified the bomber as a member of the Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Party-Front, also known by its Turkish acronym DHKP-C, which has claimed responsibility for a number of assassinations and bombings since the 1970s.Police said the man had participated in hunger strikes while serving a prison sentence for membership in the outlawed group.Ambulances raced to the scene of the blast in a suburb of Istanbul. Forensic investigators then moved in, combing the area for evidence.The DHKP-C has been relatively quiet in recent years, while fighting between Turkish forces and Kurdish rebels who seek self-rule has surged in recent months.The military announced Monday that it had conducted air strikes over the past week in northern Iraq, where Kurdish rebels have bases. Some 25 guerrillas were killed in the operation, according to the military.Authorities blamed the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party for a bomb last month that killed nine people near a police station in a city close to the Syrian border.Rebels denied involvement, though they have escalated attacks in what some analysts believe is an attempt to capitalize on regional uncertainty surrounding the civil war in Syria.

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