Dunya TV

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• Martyred Pak soldier to be buried today
• Taxila: 6 terrorists arrested, arms recovered
• Shahbazs political approach different from Nawaz: Kaira
• Faisalabad: R B Canal breach repaired
• Rain in different parts turns weather cold
• Asteroid whizzes safely past Earth
• US Army could extend deployments in Afghanistan
• Israel, Hamas negotiating truce agreements: report
• Photos of Hugo Chavez shown after 2-month absence
• IOC gives Pakistan another chance
• Federer stunned by Benneteau in Rotterdam
• Tearful Serena becomes oldest world number one
• IOC calls conference to discuss role of WADA
• Weeping Pistorius denies girlfriend's murder
• Oil prices fall on profit-taking

Martyred Pak soldier to be buried today Posted: Martyred Pakistani soldier, Akhlaq Ahmed, will be laid to rest with full military honour in his hometown village Bainso, tehsil Kalar Sadian, Rawalpindi today (Saturday).Pakistani soldier Akhlaq Ahmed was martyred on Thursday night after he inadvertently crossed LoC in Khoi Ratta sector.India on Friday handed over soldier’s body to Pakistani authorities. According to the statement of the ISPR, the body was handed over to Pakistani authorities during flag meeting in Laam Sector.Meanwhile, Pakistan has strongly condemned killing of the soldier and called upon the India government to carry out a thorough investigation into this unfortunate incident and to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

Taxila: 6 terrorists arrested, arms recovered Posted: According to police sources, the alleged terrorists are members of Tehreek-e-Taliban who were planning to target sensitive installations.Police also recovered hand grenades, explosive material and arms from the arrested suspects. The sources also informed that the arrested terrorists were shifted to some undisclosed location for further investigation.

Shahbazs political approach different from Nawaz: Kaira Posted: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said Friday that political approach of Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif was different from that of his brother PML-N President Nawaz Sharif. Speaking in meet the press programme of Lahore Press Club, he said the Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif’s policies could bring about a positive change in politics and stabilise the country. “However, his brother Shahbaz Sharif is following the policy of opposition leader in the National Assembly Ch Nisar Ali Khan that can only destabilise the institutions,” he said. Commenting on the decision of the Supreme Court in Tehrik-e- Minhajul Quran chief’s petition, he said it disappointed overseas Pakistanis, adding several had telephoned him about the verdict.He said the PPP did not believe in surveys about popularity as people cast their votes on the basis of performance.The minister said the PPP-led government tried its best to deliver during the past five years. Recounting achievements of the PPP government, Kaira said thousands of contract workers were regularised, employees’ salaries were doubled besides devolving powers to provinces and restoring 1974 constitution to its original democratic form.He said, “The PPP government did not spend all government funds in only one city like the Punjab government and provided equal funds to the province.”Criticising Punjab CM for spending huge funds on projects like Sasti Roti (cheap bread), metro bus service and Sasta Ata (cheap flour) scheme, he said he will face accountability for it.The minister said corruption was rampant in Punjab and those trying to deceive public would face public wrath in the next general elections.About caretaker set-up, the minister said a procedure was laid down in the Constitution that would be followed.To another question, he said life of every Pakistani soldier was precious and Pakistan would lodge protest at the proper forum on the martyrdom of its soldier by Indian forces.

Faisalabad: R B Canal breach repaired Posted: According to details, 20-foot breach was caused in RB Canal near Abdullahpur during construction work of an underpass. Fore labourers were reported missing in the incident.Help was sought from Irrigation Department, Town Administration and police to start rescue operation. The rescue teams succeeded in repairing the breach but missing labourers were not yet found.

Rain in different parts turns weather cold Posted: Intermittent rain was recorded in different parts of the country including Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.According to the Met Office, a western disturbance is affecting most parts of the country and likely to persist during next 36 hours.Widespread rain-thunderstorm (with snowfall over the hills) is expected in Northeast Punjab including Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sahiwal divisions.Mostly cloudy weather expected in most parts of Sindh and Balochistan however rain-thunderstorm is expected at scattered places of Upper and Central Sindh, North Balochistan including Quetta, Zhob, Sibbi and Kalat divisions with snowfall over the hills during next 12 hours.Widespread rain-thunderstorm (with snowfall over the hills) is expected in Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan during next 24 hours.

Asteroid whizzes safely past Earth Posted: A closely tracked asteroid, about 150-feet (46-metre) wide, whizzed safely past Earth on Friday, the same day a much smaller, previously undetected meteor hit Russia, injuring nearly 1,000 people.Live images from a telescope at the Gingin Observatory in western Australia showed the asteroid looking like a white streak, moving across against a backdrop of black sky.Astronomers said the objects speed and proximity made it a challenge to track, because telescopes had to be aimed precisely or risked missing it.The asteroid, dubbed 2012 DA 14, passed around 17,200 miles (27,000 kilometers) above the Earth at the time of closest approach, about 2:25 pm EST (1925 GMT), NASA said.The US space agency had said in a statement on its website that this was the closest-ever predicted approach to Earth for an object this large.The asteroid isnt nearly as large as the 10-kilometer (six-mile) wide object that took out the dinosaurs, but astronomers said it was large enough that, had it struck the Earths surface, it could wipe out a large urban area.However, the asteroids path kept it well away from Earth and from the ring of communications satellites in Earths orbit, and NASA said the objects orbit would keep it further from the planet in the foreseeable future.NASA said the flyby provided a unique opportunity for researchers to study a near-Earth object up close.Among other projects, the Goldstone Solar System Radar, located in Californias Mojave Desert, was taking radar images of the asteroid Friday and over the coming days to determine its exact size and shape.The 2012 DA 14 was discovered by chance by astronomers after passing nearby last February.NASA estimates a smallish asteroid such as 2012 DA 14 flies close to Earth every 40 years on average, but only hits our planet once every 1,200 years.Astronomers have detected some 9,500 celestial bodies of various sizes that pass near Earth, but they estimate thats only one tenth of whats out there.Even 2012 DA 14 was almost missed last year because of how quickly it passed through the observable sky, according to Jaime Nomen, one of the astronomers who spotted it from the La Sagra observatory in southern Spain.

US Army could extend deployments in Afghanistan Posted: Soldiers deployed to Afghanistan next year may see their war tours extended because budget cuts will drastically limit training for brigades to replace them, the top U.S. Army general said Friday.Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno said the military will be able to fund training and operations for combat units in Afghanistan now and for those deploying in the summer and fall. But he says there will be delays in training for those deploying in 2014.If those training delays cant be made up, Odierno said he would have to send forces to war that arent ready or extend deployments of units already there. A number of combat brigades will be deploying later this year and next year, even as the U.S. winds down the war.We will try to divert money so we do not have to extend people in Afghanistan, Odierno told a conference at the Brookings Institution in Washington. Thats a very big concern of mine.He said that right now the Army is facing a shortfall of as much as $8 billion in operating funds for Afghanistan, and there could be another $5.4 billion in cuts if Congress cant resolve the ongoing budget standoff and automatic reductions go into effect.President Barack Obama announced earlier this week that he will cut the size of the U.S. force roughly in half by a year from now. There are currently about 66,000 U.S. troops at the warfront, and he said he will withdraw about 34,000 by this time next year.Longer deployments have been a difficult issue for the Army.In 2007, the Army extended the yearlong deployments to 15 months in order to meet the demands of the Iraq war, including the surge of troops ordered by then-President George W. Bush. In many cases combat brigades returned home and were ordered to deploy again 12 months later, leading top military leaders to worry that the force was being strained almost to the breaking point.Over time, as the Iraq war ended, the Army deployment times were scaled back to a year, and most are now about nine-months long.Among the units scheduled to deploy later this spring is the 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, but the Army has not announced what units will go to Afghanistan later in the summer and autumn.

Israel, Hamas negotiating truce agreements: report Posted: Israel and Gaza-rulers Hamas have been holding indirect talks on easing the blockade on the Palestinian enclave, Channel 2 television reported Friday, under the terms of a truce deal reached last year.The report said the talks have been going on for a number of weeks, and involved Israeli army officers. Both sides speak only via Egyptian mediators, it said.The report on the privately owned channel noted that these negotiations were part of the agreements reached between Israel and Gaza after the deadly week-long conflict in and around the Gaza Strip last November.Talks included opening the Rafah crossing on Gaza's border with Egypt to enable the transfer of construction materials from Qatar, as well as enabling agricultural produce from Gaza to enter Israel.A Hamas spokesman on Friday said that in the past two weeks there have been no talks, but in the past there has been contact between their representatives and the Egyptians on implementing the truce.In November, senior Hamas official Mussa Abu Marzuk said an Israeli delegation was due in Cairo for indirect talks with Hamas on easing the Gaza blockade.Israel has restricted the import of goods into Gaza since 2006, when Palestinian militants captured an Israeli soldier in a cross-border raid.The blockade was tightened a year later after Hamas seized Gaza from its secular Fatah rivals in fighting that erupted after the Islamist group won legislative elections.In December, Israel announced it was to begin allowing materials for private construction into Gaza for the first time since 2007.

Photos of Hugo Chavez shown after 2-month absence Posted: The world got its first glimpse of Hugo Chavez since he underwent a fourth cancer-related surgery in Cuba more than two months ago, with photos released Friday showing the Venezuelan leader alongside his daughters in Havana.Along with images of the puffy-faced Chavez came a government explanation for why no one has heard from the longtime president since his surgery: Hes breathing through a tracheal tube that makes speech difficult.Chavezs government described his condition as delicate and said he continues to undergo vigorous treatment for his fundamental illness. The images and new details filled a vacuum of information about Chavezs condition that has spurred rampant speculation in Venezuela. Government officials say Chavez has been recovering in Cuba since undergoing cancer surgery on Dec. 11.The four photos show Chavez reclining on what appears to be a bed, a blue pillow behind his head. He smiles broadly, while his daughters Rosa and Maria lean in close to him.Three of the images show Chavez looking at Thursdays issue of the Cuban Communist Party newspaper Granma, his daughters still flanking him. Chavezs son-in-law, Science and Technology Minister Jorge Arreaza, showed the photos on Venezuelan state television.Speculation has been widespread in Venezuela about Chavezs condition, with the president not publicly seen or heard from since he left for Cuba on Dec. 10. During previous treatments in Havana, Chavez spoke on Venezuelan TV or appeared in photos.Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said Friday that the tracheal tube makes talking difficult for Chavez.After two months of a complicated post-operative process, the patient remains conscious, with his intellectual functions intact, in close communication with his government team, Villegas said, reading from a statement on television.Villegas reiterated that Chavez has overcome a respiratory infection that arose after the surgery, although a certain grade of (breathing) insufficiency persists.Given that circumstance, which is being duly treated, Comandante Chavez is currently breathing through a tracheal cannula, which temporarily hinders speech, Villegas said.Villegas also said Chavezs doctors are applying vigorous treatment for his fundamental illness, an apparent reference to cancer. He said that treatment isnt free of complications.Government opponents have been demanding more information about Chavezs condition, and have asked why he hasnt spoken to the nation to explain his condition.

IOC gives Pakistan another chance Posted: The International Olympic Committee has given Pakistan another chance to resolve differences between its government and the countrys national Olympic association.Despite being invited by the IOC, no representative from Pakistans government attended Fridays meeting, with only Pakistan Olympic Association President Syed Arif Hasan and IOC member Syed Shahid Ali meeting with IOC officials.The IOC says it still recognizes Hasan as the POAs president and asked the former general to establish fruitful dialogue with the government of Pakistan and find good solutions for the future which are fully compatible with the principles and rules which govern the Olympic Movement...At least 20 sports federations formed their own interim committee within the POA and, with the support of the government, called Tuesday for fresh elections within a month.

Federer stunned by Benneteau in Rotterdam Posted: Frenchman Julien Benneteau sent defending champion Roger Federer crashing out of the Rotterdam World Tennis tournament on Friday with a stunning 6-3, 7-5 quarter-final upset.Federer, who lifted the trophy in his last two appearances in 2005 and 2012, last suffered defeat in the event against Tim Henman in 2004.Im very disappointed, I have some regrets about this match, said Federer, who came back from two sets to love down to beat Benneteau in the third round of Wimbledon last year.He played great and created more chances than I did. He deserved to win. It was a tough loss, but they do happen.Being broken so many times (five) indoors wont get the job done. My game was up and down overall.He made it difficult and generated pressure. That made you try to serve harder. When I had some chances I didnt take them. I was maybe a point or two away from taking it into a third set and then the clock resets.Benneteau, the world 39, will play a Saturday a semi-final against fifth-seeded compatriot Gilles Simon who was 3-0 ahead in the final set against Martin Klizan when the Slovak player quit with an injury.This was a dream match, and I played like a dream, said Benneteau after his second career win over the world number two.This is for sure my biggest win. He was the favourite, but maybe he played a bit tight. Ive been playing well all week, improving with each match.Ive had a great week here so far and I hope its not finished.

Tearful Serena becomes oldest world number one Posted: Serena Williams was in tears on Friday after snatching an historic victory at the Qatar Open which ensured that she would become the oldest woman to hold the WTA Tours world number one ranking.The 31-year-old Americans 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Petra Kvitova in the quarter-finals put her back on top of the world after an interval of two and a half years during which she sometimes thought she might never play again.Williams had been 1-4 down in the final set of an outstanding match against the Czech, and her relieved smile, heavenward gesture and tears in her moment of triumph gave lie to her earlier statement that the number one position no longer mattered.I am so sensitive nowadays -- I am always crying, but I never thought I would be here again you know, said Williams in a reference to the pulmonary embolism from which she suffered in 2011, threatening her life as well as her career.I have been through so much and I never thought I would be here, she repeated.The victory, which was due to her very special competitive spirit and instinct for finding a way when no clear direction is evident, earns her the top spot at an age six months older than her fellow American Chris Evert did at 30 years and 11 months.That was more than 27 years ago, underlining Williams status as one of the all-time greats, and possibly the finest woman player there has ever been.When I was down I heard people cheering for me and I dont get that all the time, said Williams, who will start her 124th career week at number one on Monday.Thats a total only bettered by Steffi Graf (377), Martina Navratilova (332), Evert (260), Martina Hingis (209) and Monica Seles (178).

IOC calls conference to discuss role of WADA Posted: The IOC has decided to hold a conference on the role of the World Anti-Doping Agency amid increasing tensions over how the fight against performance-enhancing drugs is being run.IOC director general Christophe De Kepper tells The Associated Press the meeting will be held in Lausanne, Switzerland, in late April or early May with international sports federations, national Olympic committees and athletes.The decision was made by the IOC executive board this week in Lausanne, but was not publicly announced. The board acted after a formal request was made to IOC President Jacques Rogge by Francesco Ricci Bitti, head of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, which represents the 26 sports in the games.

Weeping Pistorius denies girlfriend's murder Posted: Olympic star Oscar Pistorius broke down in tears in the dock on Friday as he was charged with the Valentines Day murder of his model girlfriend, a charge he denied in the strongest terms.The 26-year-old South African Paralympian gold medallist sobbed as Pretoria magistrate Desmond Nair announced a single charge of killing his lover, blonde covergirl Reeva Steenkamp.The double amputee was an inspirational hero of last years London Olympics, but on Friday he sat hunched and sobbing as the court heard that prosecutors will argue the murder was premeditated, meaning he could face a life sentence.He was to remain in custody after a bail hearing was delayed until Tuesday to allow the defence more time to prepare.In a statement issued by Pistoriuss family and management company after the court appearance, the fallen star said the alleged murder is disputed in the strongest terms.He also offered his condolences to those close to his former lover.Our thoughts and prayers today should be for Reeva and her family -- regardless of the circumstances of this terrible, terrible tragedy.Steenkamp, 29, was shot four times at Pistoriuss upmarket Pretoria home in the early hours of Thursday.She had been due to appear in a celebrity reality show filmed in Jamaica from this weekend and producers said its broadcast would go ahead despite her death.It has taken much deliberation to come to the decision to continue screening Tropika Island of Treasure 5 as planned, executive producer Samantha Moon said in a statement. This weeks episode will be dedicated to Reevas memory.Steenkamp was killed with a 9mm pistol registered to Pistorius, suffering wounds to the head and hand and dying at the scene.

Oil prices fall on profit-taking Posted: A barrel of West Texas Intermediate settled at $95.86, down $1.45 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.In London, a barrel of European benchmark Brent crude settled at $117.66, 34 cents lower.Friday's move followed a rally earlier this week during which the WTI price hit $98.11 a barrel Wednesday.Kyle Cooper, managing partner at Houston consultancy IAF Advisers, said Friday's economic data was neutral overall, as a weak number for US January industrial production was offset by strong results in a leading consumer confidence index and a better-than-expected Empire State Manufacturing report.It is a little difficult to ascertain the reason for the drop in oil prices, said Cooper. It appears to be a little more profit-taking rather than anything in particular.Andy Lebow, senior vice president for energy futures at Jefferies Bache, said the weak January industrial production number was a catalyst for the drop.Industrial production is something that oil traders watch pretty closely. As industrial production increases, so does demand for petroleum products, Lebow said. Phil Flynn, analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago, pointed to a heavy market in crude characterized by copious supply and tepid demand. This was evident because crude didn't rally despite a run-up of 15 cents in US gasoline prices over the last two days.We had a big move in gasoline that crude didn't really react to, Flynn said. That's a sign that the market is pretty well supplied on the oil front.

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