Dunya TV

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• Deadline for degrees verification ends
• Fresh US waiver to Pakistan for arms sale
• Iran, world powers fail to make progress in nuclear talks
• NKorea warns embassies it can't guarantee safety
• Assad warns of regional instability if regime falls
• Attacks in Iraq kill 3 soldiers, 5 civilians
• 13 killed as bus plunges off cliff in Peru
• Djokovic gives Serbia 1-0 Davis Cup lead over USA
• Serena advances at Family Circle
• Football: Blatter backtracks on racism sanctions
• US let 2-goal lead slip in 3-3 draw with Germany
• Marseille beat Bordeaux 1-0 to cut PSG's lead
• Oil slide continues, natural gas soars
• Dollar drops after poor US jobs report
• Wasim says Pak bowlers need to improve swing

Deadline for degrees verification ends Posted: ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The deadline given by Supreme Court to 183 former parliamentarians to get their degrees verified has expired.Talking to the media Chairman of Higher Education Commission (HEC), Javed Leghari said that the SC had ordered verification of degrees of 183 former parliamentarians. He informed that degrees of 77 members had been verified while more than 100 ex-parliamentarians had not contacted the HEC.

Fresh US waiver to Pakistan for arms sale Posted: WASHINGTON (Agencies) - For the second time in six months, the US has issued a waiver for sale of major defence equipment to Pakistan likely to be worth $2 billion, citing national security interests. The waiver issued by the then deputy secretary of states Thomas Nides on February 15 would pave the way for some major defence equipment sales to Pakistan.“The department issued the waiver because we have determined that security assistance is important to the national security interests of the United States and is a critical component of US efforts to continue to build a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with Pakistan grounded in concrete action on areas of shared interest,” a State Department spokesman said.The waiver, issued within a fortnight of Secretary of State John Kerry taking the reins US diplomacy on February 1, allows for the execution of America’s Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme, and for the sale or export of certain Major Defence Equipment (MDE).

Iran, world powers fail to make progress in nuclear talks Posted: ALMATY (AFP) - Iran and world powers on Friday failed to reach a breakthrough in the Iranian nuclear crisis during talks that saw Tehran being criticised for failing to give a clear response to a proposal aimed at breaking the deadlock.The powers are seeking answers about a nuclear programme that Iran insists is peaceful but world powers fear may hide some military dimensions.The onus is now on Iran to accept a series of demands that include curbing enrichment activities in exchange for concessions which would ease UN sanctions that have choked the Iranian economy and seen its currencys value plummet.Iran said its chief negotiator Saeed Jalili opened the negotiations in the Kazakh city of Almaty with goodwill by presenting a three-point outline of its own vision for how the dispute may be resolved.At this mornings meeting, his excellency Dr. Jalili presented specific plans and proposals for starting a new round of cooperation between Iran and the world powers, his deputy Ali Bagheri told reporters after the first plenary session wound down after three hours.But Western officials said the plan was just a rehash of old ideas that had already been cast aside at a meeting last year in Moscow.There has not yet been a clear and concrete response to the E33 Almaty I proposal that the powers made at the last nuclear negotiations at the same venue in February, a Western official said in a statement to AFP also backed by a second source.Their presentation was pretty much a repetition of what they put forward in Moscow. There were some not fully explained general comments on our ideas, said the official on condition of anonymity.The days second plenary session ended after nearly three hours with the two sides at least agreeing to meet for another plenary session on Saturday.Irans Bagheri said Jalili presented detailed answers to a list of questions from the world powers.The answers prompted more questions, Russian news agencies quoted chief Russian negotiator Sergei Ryabkov as saying.But this proves that these talks are serious, he added.The last meeting at the same venue in February ended with unusual expressions of cautious optimism from both sides.Iran described those negotiations as positive while the world powers more coolly called them useful.But Jalili defiantly indicated going into Fridays session that Tehran had no intention of giving ground on the most important concession demanded by the West.He told the six powers -- comprised of the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany and known collectively as the P51 -- that Iran demanded an immediate recognition of his countrys right to enrich uranium.We think that they can open up tomorrows (Fridays) talks with one phrase -- and that is to accept Irans right, particularly its right to enrich, Jalili said in a speech Thursday at an Almaty university.The demand is inherently objectionable to the powers because Iran is prohibited from enriching uranium by the United Nations and is heavily sanctioned for its secretive work.Jalili also appeared to downplay the chances of his one-on-one meeting with chief US negotiator Wendy Sherman -- talks Washington has been seeking for years.

NKorea warns embassies it can't guarantee safety Posted: MOSCOW (AP) - North Korea has warned diplomats in Pyongyang that it cant guarantee the safety of embassies in the event of a conflict and suggested they may want to evacuate their staff, Russias top diplomat said Friday.Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is demanding an explanation from the North Koreans asking whether the warning is an order to evacuate the North Korean capital or merely a proposal to consider doing so.This proposal has been sent to all the embassies in Pyongyang, Lavrov said. We are now trying to clarify the situation.We asked our North Korean neighbors a few questions that need to be asked in this situation.About two dozen countries have embassies in North Korea. Lavrov said during a visit to Uzbekistan as saying that Russia is in touch with China, the United States, Japan and South Korea all members of a dormant talks process with North Korea to try to figure out the motivation behind the warning.We are very much worried by inciting of tensions, even though its verbal so far, Lavrov said. We would like to understand the reasons behind the proposal to evacuate the embassies, whether its a decision of the North Korean leadership or a proposal. We were told its a proposal.North Koreas government did not comment on the embassy warnings. Tensions have been roiling in the past few weeks following a North Korean nuclear test and the countrys subsequent warnings to South Korea and the United States that it would be prepared to attack.Britains Foreign Office confirmed that it had received the warning, which it called part of ongoing rhetoric from Pyongyang to portray the U.S. as a threat.The British Embassy in Pyongyang received a communication from the North Korean government this morning saying that the North Korean government would be unable to guarantee the safety of embassies and international organizations in the country in the event of conflict from April 10th, it said in a statement.Britain said it was considering next steps and had no immediate plans to withdraw from Pyongyang.Sweden said North Koreas foreign ministry had a meeting with foreign diplomats but didnt order them to leave.It was a meeting that dealt with the security situation in the country, where the North Koreans asked whether there was any need for assistance in case of an evacuation, Swedish Foreign Ministry spokesman Teo Zetterman said.Sweden also represents the United States, which doesnt have an embassy or any direct diplomatic presence in North Korea. Any Americans in North Korea would be NGO workers or tourists but its not officially known how many might be there.This is just an escalating series of rhetorical statements, and the question is, to what end? U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters in Washington.This is an unpredictable regime and an unpredictable situation, Nuland said. Our posture remains to be prudent, to take appropriate measures, in the defense and deterrence sphere, both for ourselves and for our allies, but to continue to urge the DPRK to change course, because this is not going to end their isolation.The U.S. Embassy in Seoul also issued a notice to Americans in South Korea, saying it had no specific information to suggest an imminent threat to U.S. citizens or facilities.The U.N. says its staff was continuing to work in North Korea while Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon studied the North Korean message to consider evacuating U.N. personnel.

Assad warns of regional instability if regime falls Posted: DAMASCUS (AFP) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned in comments broadcast Friday that the fall of his regime would produce a domino effect that would destabilise the region for many years.The whole world knows that if Syria is partitioned, or if terrorist forces take control of the country, there will be direct contagion of the surrounding countries, he said in an interview with two Turkish media outlets.Then there would be a domino effect on countries perhaps far from the Middle East, to the west, east, north and south.This would mean instability for many years, even decades, he said.Video of the interview, conducted earlier in the week, was posted on the Syrian presidencys Facebook page on Friday evening.In excerpts posted earlier in the week, Assad lashed out at the Arab League and its decision to hand Syrias seat to the opposition.The Arab League lacks legitimacy. Its a League that represents the Arab states, not the Arab people, so it cant grant or retract legitimacy.Real legitimacy is not accorded by organisations or foreign officials or other country... legitimacy is that which is granted by the people, Assad said.The interview, with Turkeys Ulusal television and Aydinlik newspaper, focused extensively on Syrias ties with Ankara, which has backed the two-year uprising against his regime.In extracts published on Wednesday, Assad accused Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of not having said a single word of truth since the beginning of the crisis in Syria.Damascus has regularly accused Ankara of financing, training and arming rebels fighting troops loyal to Assad. The UN says Turkey currently hosts more than 260,000 Syrian refugees.The UN says more than 70,000 people have been killed in a spiralling war that broke out in March 2011 after the army unleashed a crackdown on a peaceful revolt which morphed into an armed uprising.

Attacks in Iraq kill 3 soldiers, 5 civilians Posted: BAGHDAD (AP) - A series of bombs exploded Friday in Iraq, killing eight people in attacks that targeted members of both Sunni and Shiite Muslim sects, police said.In the first incident, attackers detonated a bomb as an army vehicle was traveling through the western Baghdad neighborhood of Abu Ghraib, killing three soldiers.Later, a bomb exploded near a vegetable stand, killing three civilians and wounding 15 in the Shiite-dominated city of Hillah, 95 kilometers (60 miles) south of Baghdad.Soon after Friday prayers in the city of Baqouba, 60 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of Baghdad, a roadside bomb exploded as worshippers left a Sunni mosque, killing two and wounding a dozen people.Health officials confirmed the casualties. All spoke anonymously because they were not allowed to brief reporters.There were no immediate claims of responsibility, but some of the attacks were typical of al-Qaidas Iraq branch, the Islamic State of Iraq. The militant Sunni group frequently uses car bombs, suicide bombers and coordinated blasts to target Shiites and those working with the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.It was not immediately clear who targeted the Sunni mosque.

13 killed as bus plunges off cliff in Peru Posted: LIMA (AFP) - At least 13 people were killed when a bus plunged off a cliff in the high Andes of Peru near the border with Bolivia, local police said Friday.Another 14 people aboard the vehicle where injured when the bus plummeted into an 80-meter (260-foot) abyss late Thursday, said Amador Vilca, of the Puno regional police.The bus driver drove off the cliff when he failed to handle a curve in the highway near the town of Iskaycruz, some 1,300 kilometers southeast of Lima.Passengers that were hurled from the bus by the powerful impact were scattered along the path of the buss 80-meter descent, Vilca told AFP.The wounded were taken to the Juliaca regional hospital.Last week at least 38 people were killed in two separate highway accidents in southern Peru.Road accidents are common in the Peruvian Andes due to poorly maintained roads, inconsistent vehicle maintenance, and the propensity of overworked bus drivers to speed.In 2011, 1,124 people were killed and 2,583 injured in 1,108 highway accidents, according to the latest official figures.

Djokovic gives Serbia 1-0 Davis Cup lead over USA Posted: BOISE (AFP) - World No. 1 Novak Djokovic beat big-serving John Isner in straight sets to give Serbia a 1-0 lead over the United States in their Davis Cup World Group quarter-final on Friday.Djokovic defeated Isner 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 7-5, recovering from an early break in the opening set and taking control from there.Djokovic saved the only break point he faced in the third set, and gained the break he needed in the 11th game to give himself a chance to serve out the match on the indoor court at Boises Taco Bell Arena.He finished off the two-hour encounter with a love game.American Sam Querrey was trying to get the hosts back on terms when he took on Viktor Troicki in the second singles match in the best-of-five tie.The winner will take on the victor of the quarter-final tie between Canada and Italy in Vancouver.

Serena advances at Family Circle Posted: CHARLESTON (AP) - Top-ranked Serena Williams gave her family a second victory Friday at the Family Circle Cup, halfway to what she and sister Venus need to set up their first showdown in four years.Serena Williams defeated American Mallory Burdette, 6-4, 6-2, a short time after Venus outlasted Ververa Lapchenko 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. Each Williams sister must win a quarterfinal contest later Friday for their own meeting on Saturday.Serena earned her 12th straight victory at the Family Circle, following titles in her last two appearances here in 2008 and 2012.Serena and Venus had their third-round matches postponed Thursday because of a 7 1-2 hour rain delay.The sisters have not played against one another since 2009 at the Sony Ericsson Championships. Serena holds a 13-10 lead on Venus, although the two have only played twice on clay with each claiming a victory.Venus faces 18-year-old American Madison Keys, a straight sets winner over Bethanie Mattek-Sands, in the quarterfinals.Serena will play sixth-seeded Lucie Safarova later Friday. Safarova, the Family Circle runner-up to Serena last year, ousted No. 11 seed Sorana Cirstea, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.No. 2 seed Caroline Wozniacki plays Stefanie Voegele for a spot in the semifinals Friday night.Venus Williams seemed to have her match under control, ahead 6-2 and 3-0 in the second set. Lapchenko rallied to win seven of the next eight games while a chilly drizzle fell in the middle of the second set and took a 1-0 lead in the decisive set. Thats when Williams again found her game and pulled away by winning six of the final seven games.Burdette, who won two NCAA doubles titles at Stanford, held her own against the worlds top player and was tied at 4-all in the opening set. Burdette had a chance to get to 5-all a few moments later, but Williams won the next three points to close out the set.Williams screamed loudly and pumped her fist after taking the set.Williams broke out again when the second set was tied at 2-all, winning the final four games.Burdette was proud of her effort against Serena Williams.I dont think you ever walk out on the court and say Im going to beat Serena today, she said. You just go out there and do your best.

Football: Blatter backtracks on racism sanctions Posted: ZURICH (AFP) - FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Friday backtracked on his call to dock points or relegate football clubs whose fans are found guilty of racist abuse and violence, claiming it would be difficult to enforce such measures.Blatter had said last January that slapping financial penalties on clubs or ordering them to play matches behind closed doors did not go far enough, indicating teams should instead be hit with a points deduction or even face relegation.But in comments Friday he appeared to recognise the practical difficulty of enforcing such hard-hitting measures.How far should we go? Where should we stop? the boss of world footballs governing body said at a meeting of the company Early Warning System, which monitors matches on FIFAs behalf to fight match-fixing.Can we bring an end to violence or racism by docking points or relegating a team? Or would such measures lead people to come to games to get the match abandoned, he said.We should do all we can but theres a danger that if we have matches replayed or if we punish clubs on the sporting front, it will open the door to hooligan groups who will come to deliberately cause trouble.FIFA said in a statement following Blatters comments that his view is prevention must go hand in hand with punishment, even if some fans might seek to abuse the system, no matter how challenging the implementation of tough sanctions might prove.Stressing Blatters zero tolerance towards any form of racism and commitment to pursue its eradication from the game, FIFA insisted that at no stage did the FIFA President say any words that could be interpreted as him backing away from his firm position to sanction actions of any form of racism.Blatters remarks at the time came after AC Milans Kevin-Prince Boateng and his team-mates walked off a pitch during a friendly match with fourth-division Italian side Pro Patria in protest at a solid hail of abuse from rival fans.After initially disagreeing with Boatengs decision to take the laws of the game into his own hands, Blatter swung behind the player and said tough action was needed and football should show the way because of its worldwide following.As mentioned previously the FIFA President underlined that fines achieve little, but points deductions and exclusion from competitions would be effective measures, added FIFA in its statement..Boateng was recently named a member of FIFAs anti-racism taskforce.On Friday, Blatter also said that a proposal for uniform sanctions across all of FIFAs 209 member associations would be put to a vote at its congress in May.The same standard must apply for each and every league and national association, he said.

US let 2-goal lead slip in 3-3 draw with Germany Posted: OFFENBACH (AP) - The United States womens team let a two-goal lead slip with five minutes remaining as Germany fought back to earn a 3-3 draw in an international friendly on Friday.Abby Wambach opened the scoring two minutes into a hectic second half, meeting Megan Rapinoes cross with a header to claim her 155th international goal and move within three of Mia Hamms all-time international record.Rapinoe sent a half-volley inside the far post in the 58th, but Kim Kulig pulled one back for Germany five minutes later after some sloppy defending.Lauren Cheney thought shed restored the Americans two-goal lead three minutes after that, only for her header to be ruled out for offside.Alex Morgan deservedly made it 3-1 with a wonderful finish from Lauren Cheneys deep cross in the 71st, coolly lifting the ball with her first touch over the stranded goalkeeper.But Celia Okoyino da Mbabi then scored from the penalty spot with five minutes remaining for Germany, and teammate Anja Mittag claimed an unlikely equalizer two minutes later after more poor defending.That was a really good team performance, Germany coach Silvia Neid said.Morgan almost claimed a dramatic winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time, only for Verena Faisst to clear the header off the line.Were all disappointed, said Wambach, who felt her side had done more than enough to win on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Soccer Federation.The Olympic champion Americans at least have the consolation of extending their 30-game unbeaten run and their 11-game unbeaten streak against the Germans, who are second to the U.S. in the FIFA rankings.

Marseille beat Bordeaux 1-0 to cut PSG's lead Posted: MARSEILLE (AP) - Marseille took advantage of a defensive howler to beat Bordeaux 1-0 and provisionally cut the gap to French leader Paris Saint-Germain to four points on Friday.Andre-Pierre Gignac scored in the 41st minute following a rapid counterattack. He beat the offside trap to run onto a long ball from Benoit Cheyrou before cutting inside. Ludovic Sane slipped as he raced back to cover, allowing the France striker to dribble around him and slot past goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso for his 11th league goal of the season.Bordeaux played well but struggled to create any real scoring opportunities. It has only won one of its past eight league matches.Marseille remains second following a fourth successive clean sheet and will be hoping PSG slips up in the match at Rennes on Saturday.

Oil slide continues, natural gas soars Posted: NEW YORK (AP) - The price of oil dipped below $93 a barrel Friday after a weak U.S. jobs report cast doubt on the strength of the U.S. economy.U.S. benchmark oil fell 56 cents to close at $92.70 in New York. Brent Crude, which sets the price of oil used by many U.S. refineries to make gasoline, fell $2.19 to close at $104.15. It was the lowest close for Brent since last July.It was the third straight day of declines for oil. U.S. benchmark oil has fallen 5 percent since closing Tuesday at $97.19.Oil fell earlier in the week after the Energy Department reported that storage levels were at their highest levels since 1990 even though refiners had begun to ramp up gasoline production to get ready for the summer driving season.Now the economy looks like it might not grow fast enough to churn through the nation's high supplies.The Labor Department reported Friday the economy added 88,000 jobs in March, the fewest in nine months and half as many as analysts expected. The slowdown may signal the economy will weaken this spring.When the economy slows, shippers and travelers burn less gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, reducing demand for crude oil needed to make those fuels.Oil analyst Jim Ritterbusch said that he expects oil prices to remain weak in the coming weeks. Along with what could be a slower U.S. economy, economic growth in developing markets seems to be slowing slightly and the European economy continues to struggle. At the same time, oil supplies in the U.S. and Europe are high.U.S. retail gasoline prices inched lower Friday, falling by a penny to $3.63 per gallon, according to AAA, OPIS and Wright Express. Pump prices have been slowly declining since reaching a winter peak of $3.79 on Feb. 27. Last year at this time, U.S. gasoline prices hit their high for the year of $3.94 per gallon.Natural gas prices have been rising quickly in recent months as cold weather blanketed the country through March and into early April. Half of U.S. homes use natural gas for heating.Natural gas rose 4.6 percent Friday to close at $4.13 per thousand cubic feet. That's the highest close for natural gas since August 2011. The price has doubled since last year at this time, when the nation was emerging from the warmest winter on record.

Dollar drops after poor US jobs report Posted: NEW YORK (AFP) - The US dollar took a hit against most major currencies Friday after a disappointing jobs report suggested the Federal Reserve's easy-money policies may not be reversed anytime soon.Near 2130 GMT, the euro traded at $1.2990, up from $1.2934 late Thursday.The dollar also weakened against the British pound and the Swiss franc.An exception was the Japanese yen, which continued to show weakness against major currencies after the Bank of Japan's exceptionally aggressive monetary policy was announced Thursday.The dollar traded at 97.54 yen, up from 96.33 late Thursday, while the euro bought 126.70 yen, up from 124.60.Some analysts expressed shock at Friday's US jobs report, which showed the US added just 88,000 jobs in March, less than half the number estimated.Data had begun to turn less bright the past several weeks for the world's largest economy, but no one expected to see a March labor market report of such a poor quality, said Christopher Vecchio, currency analyst at DailyFX. It is evident that the US labor market can no longer be viewed as improving, but instead, just barely treading water, Vecchio said.Kathy Lien, a managing director at BK Asset Management, said the weak jobs report could push back the Federal Reserve's timing for reversing its stimulus measures.A decline like the one seen today is the exact reason why the central bank is concerned about the sustainability of labor market improvements, Lien wrote in a research note.She added that the Fed could still shift policy away from stimulus if other economic indicators were stronger. She pointed to next Friday's retail sales report as especially important.Lien characterized the Bank of Japan's monetary policy moves this week as historic in nature.Basically what the Bank of Japan has done is officially eliminate any reason to buy yen over the next two years, Lien wrote, adding that the dollar would likely rise further against the yen.The British pound traded at $1.5337, up from $1.5237 late Thursday.The dollar fetched 0.9356 Swiss franc, down from 0.9396 franc.

Wasim says Pak bowlers need to improve swing Posted: LAHORE (AFP) - Famed paceman Wasim Akram Friday told Pakistani bowlers that they must master swing bowling to win internationally, as he readies to nurture the country's talent at a key training camp.I was disappointed the way our fast bowlers performed in South Africa, so I will try to teach the fast bowlers how to swing the ball which is important for performing well at international level, Wasim said at the launch of the camp.Known fondly as Sultan of swing for his mastery, the 46-year-old left-arm fast bowler will train around 15 current and upcoming bowlers at a camp in Karachi from April 20-29.Wasim was invited to do so by the Pakistan Cricket Board ahead of the eight-nation Champions Trophy in England in June, after Pakistani pacemen failed to impress on tour in South Africa earlier this year.Frontline paceman Umar Gul managed just five wickets in two Tests while lanky Mohammad Irfan took two in two. Rahat Ali was the best with six wickets in two matches after going wicketless in his debut Test.If someone wants to be a really good fast bowler he will have to bear with the scorching sun and heat. If he does that, only then he can become a good bowler and it's a continuous process of learning, said Wasim.Wasim said that Irfan, the world's tallest bowler who stands at seven feet one inch, has to work hard on his fitness.If he keeps fit then I am sure he can play for three-four years, said Wasim, who took 414 Test and 502 one-day wickets.Wasim also expressed hope that India would allow Pakistani players to feature in their lucrative Twenty20 Indian Premier League (IPL).I think politics should stay away from sports, said Wasim, who was the bowling coach of Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL until last year.Since Pakistani bowlers are better than India's, it will benefit the Indian league, he added.Pakistani players featured in the inaugural IPL in 2008 but India stalled all bilateral ties after the November 2008 attacks on Mumbai killed 166 people and were blamed on Pakistani-based militants.Despite a short, ties-reviving series with Pakistan in December-January, Pakistani players were not allowed to take part in the ongoing sixth edition of the IPL.

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