Dunya TV

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• US, Afghanistan clinch Bagram prison transfer deal
• Kerry, Abbas discuss 'new' peace efforts: envoy
• Syrian gunfire hits military vehicles in Israeli Golan
• Hailstorms kill 12 people in southern China
• Gunmen attack west Ivory Coast village, 6 killed
• Murray, Tsonga reach Sony Open 3rd round
• Li advances to fourth round at Miami
• Messi magic leaves Argentina in charge
• Tiger takes over at Bay Hill
• Motorcycling: Lorenzo fastest in rain-hit testing
• Pakistan, South Africa 5th ODI today
• Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 8 wickets in 1st ODI
• President confers awards on Pakistan Day
• Imran makes six pledges to people
• Syria rebels seize air defense base

US, Afghanistan clinch Bagram prison transfer deal Posted: WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States has reached an agreement on a deal that will see Bagram military prison handed over to Afghan authorities next week, the Pentagon announced Saturday.The accord to transfer total responsibility for the facility was reached following discussions between US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.Secretary Hagel spoke with Afghan President Karzai this morning about an agreement reached today to transfer (the facility) to the sovereign control of Afghanistan on Monday, a statement said.The agreement followed intense discussions between US and Afghan officials, according to the statement.Bagram prison was originally due to be turned over to Afghan forces on March 9, but the transfer was postponed at the last minute after comments from Karzai that innocent prisoners held at the facility would be released.In September, the United States gave Afghan authorities control of more than 3,000 detainees at Bagram, a sprawling detention center north of Kabul once dubbed the Guantanamo Bay of Afghanistan.But the Americans continued to guard 50 foreigners not covered by the agreement as well as hundreds of Afghans arrested since the transfer deal was signed in March 2012.In November, Karzai accused the United States of breaching the deal, saying prisoners found innocent by courts were still being held and more people had been captured by American forces against the provisions of the agreement.Karzai and President Barack Obama pledged in January to place all detainees under the sovereignty and control of Afghanistan, while ensuring that dangerous fighters remain off the battlefield.Human rights campaigners have regularly criticized Bagram, saying it fails to comply with international norms because some inmates are detained without trial or knowledge of the charges against them.

Kerry, Abbas discuss 'new' peace efforts: envoy Posted: AMMAN (AFP) - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Saturday told US Secretary of State John Kerry that Israeli settlements endanger peace efforts, at a meeting in the Jordanian capital to discuss a new peace push, the Palestinian ambassador said.Kerry and Abbas discussed possible steps to revive a new political process for peace, Palestinian ambassador in Amman Attallah Kheiry told AFP.Abbas stressed that Israeli settlements endanger the peace process and that Israel should free Palestinian prisoners.The two sides, Kheiry said, evaluated US President Barack Obama's visit to the Palestinian territories.During his four-day visit to the region, Obama, met top Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem and Ramallah, but there was no visible breakthrough in the impasse between the two sides.Kerry, who accompanied Obama, was to hold a separate meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the evening.The US secretary of state will be Obama's new pointman on the Middle East, as part of the renewed US efforts to push the sides back to negotiations.Israel and the Palestinians have not had direct talks for over two years.

Syrian gunfire hits military vehicles in Israeli Golan Posted: JERUSALEM (AFP) - Gunfire from Syria hit Israeli army vehicles travelling in the southern Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday, causing some damage but no casualties, the army said.A short while ago, military vehicles travelling in the Golan Heights were lightly damaged by bullets fired from Syria, a spokeswoman told AFP. No one was injured, and the incident is currently being reviewed.She could not say whether the shots were aimed at the Israeli army or stray bullets from fighting in Syria between rebels and army troops.Three weeks ago a mortar shell from Syria hit the Golan Height after nearly three months of no spillover from the fighting in Syria. In November, Israeli troops responded with artillery in the first such instance of Israeli fire at the Syrian military since the 1973 war.Israel is closely monitoring its border with Syria and fears that jihadist elements from among the rebels fighting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad might attempt to attack the Jewish state. Earlier this month, Israel expressed concern that the UN peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights could pull out altogether after Syrian rebels snatched 21 of their troops in the ceasefire zone bordering Israel.Since 1974, the UN's Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has been monitoring the Syrian side of the armistice line with a force of 1,200 troops, although its number has recently dropped to 1,000.Israel seized the Golan from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981, in a move never recognised by the international community.It is currently upgrading its security fence along its armistice line with the work expected to be finished by the end of the year.

Hailstorms kill 12 people in southern China Posted: BEIJING (AP) - Hailstorms that hit southern China this week have killed 12 people, injured hundreds more and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage.The official Xinhua News Agency says nine people were killed in the city of Dongguan in southern Guangdong province after a Wednesday hailstorm. It says 272 others were injured from the storm, which caused economic losses of 357 million yuan ($57.5 million).Three other people died from hailstorms that began Tuesday in neighboring Hunan province, where 1,900 houses have collapsed, according to Xinhua's report Saturday.Southern China has seen thunderstorms, hurricanes and hailstorms in the past few days. China's Meteorological Administration says the severe weather is expected to continue through the weekend.

Gunmen attack west Ivory Coast village, 6 killed Posted: ABIDJAN (AP) - Unidentified gunmen attacked a village in western Ivory Coast and set it ablaze early Saturday, killing three people and prolonging a spate of recent violence that has displaced thousands, a U.N. official said.Sylvie van den Wildenberg, spokeswoman for the country's U.N. peacekeeping mission, said the dead were two civilians, three assailants and one member of the dozos, a group of traditional hunters that have assumed an unofficial security role in the west.The attack targeted the village of Petit Guiglo, located 15 miles (25 kilometers) southwest of Blolequin.The attack is the third in less than two weeks in Ivory Coast's western region, where some of the worst atrocities were committed during the country's 2010-11 postelection conflict.Ute Kollies, head of the U.N.'s humanitarian agency, said the fighting may have caused significant human and material damage, but that a complete assessment was unavailable Saturday evening because of the remoteness of the attack's location.An internal security notice from the U.N. peacekeeping mission said the attack began at 6 a.m. and ended around noon.Ivory Coast was rocked by five months of postelection violence after former President Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down despite losing the November 2010 presidential runoff to current President Alassane Ouattara.Gbagbo, who ruled Ivory Coast for a decade, is awaiting trial on allegations of crimes against humanity at The Hague.After the conflict, many pro-Gbagbo fighters along with Liberian mercenaries who supported Gbagbo fled into neighboring Liberia, where they are believed to have launched cross-border attacks dating back at least to July 2011. An attack in June 2012 killed seven U.N. peacekeepers and 10 civilians.

Murray, Tsonga reach Sony Open 3rd round Posted: KEY BISCAYNE (AP) - Former champion Andy Murray needed only 56 minutes to beat Bernard Tomic of Australia 6-3, 6-1 and reach the third round of the Sony Open on Saturday.Second-seeded Murray was the champion four years ago. Tomic fell to 2-15 against top-10 opponents.On a sunny, humid afternoon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Viktor Troicki on hard-court for the first time by 7-6 (6), 6-3.The No. 6-seeded Frenchman evened his record at 3-3 with Troicki, the Serb who'd won their three previous matches on hard-courts.Troicki had set point at 5-4 and again in the tiebreaker, but Tsonga staved off both and broke Troicki twice in the second set.Another Frenchman, No. 8 Richard Gasquet, defeated Belgian qualifier Olivier Rochus 7-5, 6-2.Sam Querrey won for the first time as the top-ranked American man, rallying past Lukasz Kubot 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Querrey, ranked 20th, this week moved ahead of fellow American John Isner, 23rd.No. 18 Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany lost to David Goffin of Belgium 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-2.In women's play, defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska, seeded fourth, lost serve seven times and needed nearly 2½ hours to beat Magdalena Rybarikova 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-3. No. 9 Caroline Wozniacki lost to wild card Garbine Muguruza of Spain, 6-2, 6-4.

Li advances to fourth round at Miami Posted: MIAMI (AFP) - China's fifth-seeded Li Na smacked 19 winners and fought off a late comeback bid to defeat American Varvara Lepchenko 6-2, 6-4 Saturday to reach the fourth round of the WTA and ATP Miami Masters event.Li had been sidelined for seven weeks after hurting her left ankle in the Australian Open final, which she lost to Victoria Azarenka.With her second victory at the $8.5 million hardcourt event, she improved to 16-2 this season and booked a round-of-16 date with the winner of a later match between Danish ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki and Spain's Garbine Muguruza.Lepchenko made 19 unforced errors in falling to 4-7 for the season.Li dominated the opening set, dropping only five points on her serve while Lepchenko managed only one winner against 10 unforced errors.Li jumped ahead 4-2 in the second set before Lepchenko managed her first break-point chance. The American took advantage with a net cord winner to break back and then held to level the set at 4-4.After holding, Li ended matters in the 10th game. Lepchenko hit a backhand winner and Li netted a backhand attempt on the Chinese star's first two match points but Li smashed a forehand winner on her third match point for the victory.

Messi magic leaves Argentina in charge Posted: BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - Lionel Messi scored once and set up two goals as Argentina beat Venezuela 3-0 to remain in control of the South American qualifying race for the 2014 World Cup Friday.The Argentinian skipper was the architect of two Gonzalo Higuain strikes which came either side of an emphatic Messi penalty on the stroke of half-time at the Monumental Stadium.The Barcelona superstar was Argentina's best player throughout, twice forcing Daniel Hernandez into scrambled saves early on before producing the pass which enabled Higuain to break the deadlock on 29 minutes.Messi then harried Venezuela defender Gabriel Cichero into conceding a penalty, which the diminutive play-maker lashed into the roof of the net for 2-0 in first half stoppage time.A trademark jinking run and through ball for Higuain gave Argentina their third in the 59th minute as Venezuela kissed goodbye to any chance of repeating their shock 1-0 win over the Argentinians in 2011.The victory leaves Alejandro Sabella's side four points clear of second-placed Colombia at the top of the standings with 23 points after 10 matches.With just six games remaining, only an unthinkable collapse will prevent the Albicelestes from taking their place at next year's finals in Brazil, with a trip to La Paz to face Bolivia on Tuesday their next game.

Tiger takes over at Bay Hill Posted: ORLANDO (AP) - Tiger Woods is one round away from returning to No. 1 in the world.Woods made an eagle for the third straight day at Bay Hill on his way to a 6-under 66 to race by Justin Rose and take a two-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Rickie Fowler (67) and John Huh (71) also were two shots behind.With a victory on Sunday, Woods will be No. 1 in the world ranking for the first time since October 2010.Fowler will play in the final group with Woods and he faces a daunting task. Woods has a 41-2 record on the U.S. PGA Tour when he has the outright lead going into the final round.Rose shot 39 on the back nine to lose a three-shot lead. He shot 72.

Motorcycling: Lorenzo fastest in rain-hit testing Posted: PARIS (AFP) - World champion Jorge Lorenzo was fastest in Saturdays rain-hit testing at Jerez in Spain, the final weekend session before the season-opening MotoGP in Qatar on April 7.Yamaha rider Lorenzo was more than a second quicker than Honda duo, Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez after completing 39 laps on the first day of the three-day session where riders struggled with the overcast conditions and water-logged track.We stayed on the track the whole day in the wet conditions and it was good to see how the bike performed, said Lorenzo, who clocked 1min 47.423sec.We are quite good in the wet here in Jerez. Its the first time we are in these conditions so its important to understand what our levels are. Its important to be competitive in this situation.Teammate Valentino Rossi was sixth fastest with a best lap of 1min 49.443sec.The conditions today were very bad so we had to work on the wet, said the former world champion Italian, who put in 36 laps.The feeling with the bike was not so bad but we had some problems with the life of the tyre, after some laps we started to spin a lot. It will be hard in a wet race to do 27 laps in a row.We also have an issue with the quantity of wet tyres as we have only two today, we have four in total so we keep two for tomorrow but we hope tomorrow will be dry.

Pakistan, South Africa 5th ODI today Posted: BENONI (Online) - The 5th and final One-Day International cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa will be played at Benoni today (Sunday).Both the teams have won 2 matches each.Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq is confident that his team will win deciding ODI against South Africa in Benoni.South Africa opener Graeme Smith has been ruled out of the fifth ODI between South Africa and Pakistan due to ankle injury. The 32-year-old suffered the injury during defeat in the fourth ODI at Kingsmead.

Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 8 wickets in 1st ODI Posted: HAMBANTOTA (AP) - Tillakaratne Dilshan cracked an unbeaten 113 as Sri Lanka thrashed Bangladesh by eight wickets in the first of three one-day internationals on Saturday.Sri Lanka required 238 to win in 41 overs under the Duckworth/Lewis method after a lengthy stoppage because of a floodlight failure at Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium. The hosts reached the target with more than five overs to spare.Dilshan hit 11 boundaries in scoring his 15th ODI century. Kumar Sangakkara made 63 before being caught in the deep.Dilshan and fellow opener Kushal Perera took off in sharing 106 runs off 73 deliveries. Perera made 42 including a six and five boundaries off 36 deliveries.Later, Dilshan and Sangakkara put on 128 for the second wicket, ruling out any comeback from Bangladesh.A loss of 99 minutes in total due to a power failure meant Sri Lanka's target was revised. Sri Lanka Cricket in a statement apologized for the failure and said an investigation will be carried out.Contrary to analysts, the second half of the match proved easy for batting with the spin bowlers struggling with a slippery ball because of the dew which also gave the batsmen an easy pace.Tamim Iqbal earlier smashed an entertaining 112 and Nasir Hossain cracked 73 not out to lift Bangladesh to 259-8.Asked to bat first after Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews won the toss, Bangladesh started positively by scoring 44 for the first wicket at nearly six runs per over. However, the tourists were struggling at one stage in losing 3-19 to reach 63-3.Iqbal held the innings together in recording his fifth ODI century as Hossain hit out at No. 6 to ensure Bangladesh posted a competitive score.Iqbal and Hossain shared 75 for the fifth wicket after Bangladesh slumped to 129-4 before Iqbal was run out.Mathews and fast bowler Lasith Malinga took two wickets each.Iqbal was injured while fielding and will play no further part on this tour which includes two more ODIs and a Twenty20.The second one-dayer will be at the same venue on Monday.

President confers awards on Pakistan Day Posted: ISLAMABAD (Online) - President Asif Ali Zardari has conferred civil‚ military awards on eve of Pakistan Day celebrations on Saturday.As per details, an investiture ceremony was held at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad to award civil and military awards as part of the Pakistan Day celebrations.President Asif Ali Zardari decorated the recipients.The ceremony was attended among others by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf‚ Chairman Senate Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari‚ Speaker National Assembly Dr. Fehmida Mirza‚ former members of the Federal Cabinet‚ Senators‚ services chiefs‚ foreign diplomats and senior civil and military officials.Major Mujahid Ali was awarded posthumous Sitara-e-Jurrat.Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz included Saadat Hassan Manto‚ late Mehdi Hassan‚ late Munir Ahmad Khan‚ Muhammad Irfan Burney‚ Sherry Rehman and Dr. Asim Hussain.Hilal-e-Imtiaz was given to late Fauzia Wahab‚ Ansar Burney‚ Abida Parveen‚ late Josh Malih Abadi‚ Ansar Parvez‚ Ahmad Chinnoy‚ Anwar Maqsood‚ Fatima Surriya Bajiya‚ Masood Khan‚ Major-General Ahmad Bilal‚ Zia Mohiuddin‚ Khalid Abbas Dar‚ Hamid Mir‚ late Abdul Hafeez Kardar and late Fazal Mahmood.Sitara-e-Shujaat was awarded to Maulana Hassan Jan Shaheed.Recipients of Sitara-e-Imtiaz included Air Commodore Muhammad Khalid Banori‚ Dr. Qamarul Haq‚ Dr. Sarfraz Khan Niazi‚ Dr. Muhammad Ali Jawwad‚ Prof. Dr. Muhammad Al-Tamash‚ Dr. Wajid Ali Khan‚ Dr. Aamer Ali Syed‚ Dr. Shaista Masood Khan‚ Shaista Zaid‚ Sarmad Ali and Tariq Malik.Presidents Pride of Performance was awarded to Shahida Minni‚ Shah Pari Naghma and Shahida Latif.Tamgha-e-Shujaat was awarded among others to Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz.

Imran makes six pledges to people Posted: LAHORE: Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf started his address at the Minar-e-Pakistan by thanking the citizens of Lahore for organizing a splendid rally.He said future of Pakistan was in the hands of the youth.He said he was not afraid of anyone and took his decisions without any fear.“I faced many difficult situations during my 17 years’ of politics but I did not lose heart because I seek inspiration from Holy Prophet PBUH.“People advised me to leave Pakistan because I do not know the art of political dealing.“Nawaz is entering into alliances with everybody but I will not enter alliance with any corrupt politician.He urged youth to learn from his life and not to fear anybody expect Allah.“Change is not coming, it has already come,” he said.He made six pledges to the people of Pakistan.Imran pledged that he would always speak truth to the people and would promise anything that he could not fulfill.“Every promise I make will be fulfilled,” he said.He made the second pledge that justice would done with people and PTI would launch Jihad against oppression and injustice.He promised that he would end exploitation of the downtrodden peasants and workers, and law would be same for the weak and the powerful.The experts of PTI have designed a comprehensive programme for the welfare of the poor sections of society.“I will have no property outside the country, I will live and die in this country and will never leave it.“I will neither benefit from power myself, nor will I allow any of my relatives to do so.”“I will protect the tax money of the people.Governor House would be turned into sports ground, he said.Stating his 6th promise, he said PTI would stand with the people of Pakistan.He also took pledge from the people that they would support him against the oppressors and would always speak the truth. Earlier, PTI leader Mehmood Qureshi said the country is passing from a crucial period.He added that the people are dying of hunger and starvation whereas rulers are busy in collecting wealth by hooks of crooks.He said due to criminal negligence of the rulers, agricultural and industrial sectors have been destroyed, leaving no hope for the common man.He said that the challenge to uplift the entire nation is very hectic and heart rending but not impossible.“It needs only a bold and courageous leadership, equipped with true spirit of responsibility and sincerity in order to take the country out of substantial problems”, said Mehmood Qureshi.He said that PTI chief has graceful past when he rendered revolutionary steps for social welfare projects particularly in education and health sectors.

Syria rebels seize air defense base Posted: BEIRUT (AP): Syrian rebels on Saturday seized a major air defense base in a strategic region of southern Syria near the Jordanian border in the latest battlefield triumph for fighters seeking to topple President Bashar Assad, activists said.Fighters with a rebel group active in the south stormed and seized control of the air defense base used by the 38th Division after a 16-day siege, according to a statement posted on websites of the group known as the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade.The base near the village of Saida is situated along the international highway linking the Syrian capital, Damascus, with Jordan to the south.Fighting in Syrias southern provinces bordering Jordan and Israel has increased sharply in the past few days. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said dozens of people, mostly opposition fighters, were killed in heavy clashes this week in the Quneitra region along the cease-fire line between Syria and Israel in the Golan Heights.The Britain-based group, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, said it had documented the deaths of 35 opposition fighters and the loss of contact with more than 20 others believed to have died in the fighting. Dozens of others were wounded, the group said.The fighting in the area intensified midweek after rebels seized a village and parts of other villages, closing in on the strategic plateau that Israel captured from Syria in 1967 and later annexed.If the rebels take over the Quneitra region, it will bring radical Islamic militants to a front line with Israeli troops. The rebel force comprises dozens of groups, including the powerful al-Qaida-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, which the Obama administration labels a terrorist organization.The Observatory said al-Nusra was among fighters who seized the air defense base in Daraa province. Both the rebels and the observatory reported that the opposition fighters killed the base commander.In Damascus, supporters of Assad gathered in downtown amid tight security for the funeral of one of Syrias best-known clerics who was assassinated in a brazen mosque bombing earlier this week.Security forces sealed off all roads leading to the eighth century Omayyad Mosque where the funeral for Sheik Mohammad Said Ramadan al-Buti, an 84-year-old pro-government cleric, was held.Al-Buti, his grandson and 48 others were killed Thursday when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside a mosque where al-Buti was giving a religious lesson.His assassination was a blow to Assad, who vowed Friday to avenge his death, saying he would purge the country of the militants behind the attack in the heart of the capital.Both Assad and the rebels seeking to topple him have blamed each other for the bombing at the mosque.Al-Buti, the most prominent religious figure killed so far in the 2-year-old conflict, had supported the regime since the early days of Assads father and predecessor, the late President Hafez Assad, providing legitimacy to their rule. Sunnis are the majority sect in Syria while Assad is from the minority Alawite sect an offshoot of Shiite Islam.Mourners carried al-Buti and his grandsons coffins, draped in white cloth, on their shoulders amid shouts of God is Great.Al-Buti was imam of the Omayyad Mosque, a landmark in Damascus. Church bells tolls and mosque minarets in the ancient city blared God is Great during the funeral procession.Syrian state TV said Assad was being represented at the funeral by one of his cabinet ministers.Al-Buti was being buried in a courtyard at the rear of the mosque near the tomb of Saladin, a medieval Muslim ruler.In a show of support, a delegation from the Lebanese Shiite Muslim Hezbollah group, a staunch ally of Assad, drove to Damascus for the funeral. A delegation from Iran was also present.We will continue on the same path, said Sheik Mohammed Yazbeck, a member Hezbollahs highest decision-making body, the Shura Council. We will return the blow to the enemies of Syria and the enemies of the nation, he added.

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