Dunya TV

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• Nawaz to oversee foreign, defence portfolios himself
• Sindh, KPK assemblies' opening session today
• US drone strike kills four in North Waziristan
• Some Canadians claim new currency smells like maple syrup
• Apology for cyclone named after Sri Lankan king
• Woman using purple toilets to fight cancer
• Traders stress early negotiations with IMF
• Traders stress early negotiations with IMF
• World observes UN Peacekeepers Day on May 29
• 16 killed in Iraq violence
• Two killed, 18 hurt in Peshawar blast
• Czech nuclear plant project in jeopardy
• Chicago man pleads guilty in NY hacking case
• Six killed as rival groups clash in Khairpur
• Four more children fall prey to measles in Punjab

Nawaz to oversee foreign, defence portfolios himself Posted: ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif will oversee the sensitive foreign and defence portfolios as he seeks to forge a working partnership with the all-powerful military in the early days of his tenure, sources close to him said on Tuesday.Sharif, ousted in a bloodless military coup in 1999, has decided not to appoint defence and foreign ministers in the cabinet he is putting together. He led his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), back to power in May 11 elections.Instead, he will select a retired civil servant as an adviser on foreign affairs - Tariq Fatemi, a former ambassador to the United States and the European Union, the sources said.The army has ruled Pakistan for more than half its history since partition with India in 1947 and critics say generals have jealously guarded the right to dictate foreign policy.The move to defer appointing a foreign minister suggests that Sharif wants to get to grips with the government's relationship with the army.The incoming government and the army need to be on the same page on key foreign policy issues, not least Pakistan's relations with Afghanistan, India and the United States, a PML-N insider told Reuters, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media about the issue.The United States wants ally Pakistan to help rein in the Afghan Taliban before most NATO combat troops pull out of Afghanistan in 2014. Pakistan's arch rival, India, with which Pakistan has fought three wars since 1947, is constantly a perceived threat.Pakistan is beset by high unemployment, a failing economy, widespread poverty, a Taliban insurgency and sectarian violence. The United States is troubled by elements in the country supporting Islamic militants fighting U.S. troops in neighbouring Afghanistan.Supporting Western-backed attempts to engage with Taliban leaders in Afghanistan; what to do about India - until the government's policy contours are crystal clear, the prime minister is not willing to take any risks, the insider said.Sharif was a protege of military dictator General Zia ul-Haq in the 1980s. But he was overthrown by General Pervez Musharraf because he refused to allow an airliner carrying the army chief to land in Pakistan.In the last days of his election campaign, Sharif spoke openly against what he called a flawed U.S. war on terror, raising questions about which direction he would try to push the trajectory of bilateral relations.Pakistan backed the Taliban's rise to power in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s and is seen as a crucial gatekeeper in attempts by the U.S. and Afghan governments to reach out to insurgent leaders who fled to Pakistan after the group's 2001 ousting.Handling the U.S., Afghanistan and India after foreign troops withdraw from Afghanistan will be a very tough job, another PML-N source said.Right now, Sharif has decided he's the best man to do this delicate dance. He won't take the chance of someone else making a mess in the early days of his government.

Sindh, KPK assemblies' opening session today Posted: KARACHI (Dunya News) - The opening session of the Sindh Assembly and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly is being held today. On the inaugural day‚ the newly elected members of both the Houses will take oath of their membership.Outgoing Speakers of Sindh Assembly, Nisar Ahmed Khoro, and Kiramatullah Khan of KPK Assembly will administer the oath of the Houses.Nomination papers for the office of the new Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Provincial Assembly will also be filed in the session.In Sindh Assembly, Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP)‚ being the majority party in the Sindh Assembly has again nominated Syed Qaim Ali Shah as the new Chief Minister.The party has nominated Aga Siraj Durrani as Speaker and Syeda Shehla Raza as the Deputy Speaker of the House.

US drone strike kills four in North Waziristan Posted: MIRANSHAH (Dunya News) - A US drone strike destroyed a compound here on wee hours of Wednesday, killing at least four persons. Four people were also reported to be injured.The injured have been shifted to a local hospital.The covert strikes are publicly criticised by the Pakistani government as a violation of sovereignty but American officials believe they are a vital weapon in the war against militants.

Some Canadians claim new currency smells like maple syrup Posted: TRONTO Web Desk To some, the allure of money is irresistible, but even the most frugal spender may be drawn to Canada’s new plastic bills if the rumors are true: A significant number of Canadians claim the currency smells like maple syrup.The Canadian Press, however, went directly to the source, the Bank of Canada, which says there is no truth to the rumor.Nonetheless, the news outlet obtained copies of requests sent to the bank that demand to know how the bank managed to add the delicious scent to the bills.“I would like to know ... once and for all if these bills are in fact scented, as I do detect a hint of maple when smelling the bill,” reads one email.The new plastic bills were released in November 2011, and rumors about the scent began almost immediately.Canada has made headlines several times over the past two years with its ever-changing currency, first when it announced plans to pull the penny from circulation back in March 2012, and a month later, when it released a limited edition glow-in-the dark dinosaur coin.Still, even if the government didn’t intentionally add the alleged maple syrup scent, it appears not too many citizens would be complaining if it did. In fact, the Canadian Press notes that some emails sent to the government bank actually complain that their bills don’t smell like syrup.“The note ... lost its maple smell,” said one writer. “I strongly suggest the Bank increases the strength of the ... maple smell,” reads one such email.For the record, bank official Jeremy Harrison says no scent has been added to any of the new bank notes.

Apology for cyclone named after Sri Lankan king Posted: COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankas top meteorology official on Tuesday apologized for naming a deadly cyclone after a king who built massive irrigation tanks well over a millennium ago and was venerated as a god.Political leaders and civil groups have protested the naming of a cyclone after King Mahasen, who ruled Sri Lanka in the 4th century. At least 18 deaths related to Cyclone Mahasen were reported in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka before it weakened by May 16. Bangladesh alone evacuated 1 million people from coastal areas.S.H. Kariyawasam, director general of the meteorology department, said Tuesday that he apologizes if any insult was caused to King Mahasen or the countrys proud history.Mahasen built 16 large reservoirs, including the massive Minneriya tank, and two irrigation canals that even today are part of the irrigation system in the north-central region. After his demise, people started venerating him as God of Minneriya.Groups such as the National Council for the Protection of Historical Irrigation Cultural Heritage, Buddhist monks and political leaders have said it was an insult to name a cyclone after Mahasen. The council even threatened to take legal action if the meteorlogy department fails to conduct a proper inquiry.The department decided to drop the name Mahasen from the cyclone May 13 and requested that other countries follow suit, but the name continued to be used across the region.In a letter addressed to the council Tuesday, Kariyawasam said Mahasen was among 23 names submitted by Sri Lanka in 2003 to the Panel on Tropical Cyclones for the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, which is responsible for naming tropical storms in the region. Eight other Asian countries also submitted names.He wrote that the names were merely proposed as Sri Lankan names and their selection did not have any basis, explanation or intention.The president of the council, Buddhist monk Kamburugamuwe Vajira, accepted the apology but said Sri Lankans were greatly saddened by the use of the kings name.

Woman using purple toilets to fight cancer Posted: EASTON (AP) - Rebecca Szabo-Silfies and her two young sons have been leaving the commodes on lawns around Upper Nazareth Township as part of the Flush Out Cancer effort. She chairs Saturdays American Cancer Society Relay for Life event at Nazareth Area High School.She stakes out a home, leaves a toilet and then waits for the homeowner to find it. The person can then pay $10 to have it taken away, $20 to send it to a friend or $30 to send it to a friend and guarantee it never comes back.The two purple toilets have made 18 stops so far, raising $400. Szabo-Silfies says she found the idea on the Internet.

Traders stress early negotiations with IMF Posted: ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - Early negotiations with the international lender will be good for reputation of the country while delay will hurt standing, currency and rating of Pakistan, they said.President All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajran Khalid Pervaiz and President Anjuman-e-Tajran Lahore Shahid Bilal said that the economic managers of the incoming government should not pin hopes on expected inflow of money.Speaking at a discussion at Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW), they said that economic managers should take decisions in the national interest based on the ground realities.Pervaiz and Bilal said that FBR has again failed to fulfil collections target and it has given lame excuse which is not acceptable.Similarly, ignoring negotiation for an IMF on the pretext that Pakistan will auction 3G licence, get $800 million from Etisalat, 1.6 billion dollars as CSF reimbursement and aid from friendly countries are all expectations.They said that energy crisis is not going to go away anytime soon which will keep exports and forex reserves down and balance of payments situation unstable which can result in a doomsday scenario in absence of IMF loan.Speaking on the occasion, Dr Murtaza Mughal, President of the PEW expressed concern over the impression that the new government does not need to seek an immediate IMF programme.He said that masses have pinned high hopes on the nest government but the PML-N cannot reverse damage done by PPP-led coalition in last five years.Economic managers of the next government should plan to overcome staggering economic challenges and take proper decisions lest Pakistan faces a default, warned Dr Mughal.

Traders stress early negotiations with IMF Posted: ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - Early negotiations with the international lender will be good for reputation of the country while delay will hurt standing, currency and rating of Pakistan, they said.President All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajran Khalid Pervaiz and President Anjuman-e-Tajran Lahore Shahid Bilal said that the economic managers of the incoming government should not pin hopes on expected inflow of money.Speaking at a discussion at Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW), they said that economic managers should take decisions in the national interest based on the ground realities.Pervaiz and Bilal said that FBR has again failed to fulfil collections target and it has given lame excuse which is not acceptable.Similarly, ignoring negotiation for an IMF on the pretext that Pakistan will auction 3G licence, get $800 million from Etisalat, 1.6 billion dollars as CSF reimbursement and aid from friendly countries are all expectations.They said that energy crisis is not going to go away anytime soon which will keep exports and forex reserves down and balance of payments situation unstable which can result in a doomsday scenario in absence of IMF loan.Speaking on the occasion, Dr Murtaza Mughal, President of the PEW expressed concern over the impression that the new government does not need to seek an immediate IMF programme.He said that masses have pinned high hopes on the nest government but the PML-N cannot reverse damage done by PPP-led coalition in last five years.Economic managers of the next government should plan to overcome staggering economic challenges and take proper decisions lest Pakistan faces a default, warned Dr Mughal.

World observes UN Peacekeepers Day on May 29 Posted: ISLAMABAD (Agencies): International Day of the United Nations Peacekeepers is going to be celebrated today across the globe. The United Nations General Assembly in its resolution No. 56/225 B of 22 May 2002 designated 29 May as the International Day of United NationsPeacekeepers, to be observed annually to pay tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in United Nations peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.Please find below and attached the message of the United Nations Secretary-General on the International Day of the United Nations Peacekeepers for your kind placement.This year’s International Day of Peacekeepers is an opportunity to raise awareness about new developments in the field while honouring those who lost their lives over the past year serving under the blue flag.United Nations peacekeeping is increasingly called on to deploy multi-dimensional operations to help countries transition from conflict to peace, with a significant focus on protecting civilians, including the most vulnerable among them: women and children.To meet emerging threats and rise to new challenges, United Nations peacekeeping is adapting its policies to better fulfil its mandates to bring lasting peace to war-torn countries.We see one example of a new approach in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the Security Council has authorized the deployment of an “Intervention Brigade” as well as unarmed, unmanned aerial vehicles to improve our ability to operate in this vast region.Peacekeepers in Mali will operate under tough conditions marked by armed groups that threaten national and regional security. The mission will help stabilize the country, foster national reconciliation and protect civilians.UN peacekeeping is also working to help reform national rule of law institutions. By strengthening the police, courts, and corrections, UN peacekeeping forges trust in local authorities. A fair and predictable rule of law system contributes, in turn, to stability and sustainable development long after our troops leave.While we welcome these advances, we acknowledge that peacekeeping will always carry risks. Unidentified assailants have recently ambushed and killed peacekeepers in the DRC, Sudan and South Sudan, while blue helmets serving in the Middle East have been detained.One hundred and eleven peacekeeping personnel died last year, and more than 3,100 have lost their lives during the UN’s 65-year history of peacekeeping. We salute their bravery and mourn their passing.On this International Day, let us pay solemn tribute to those who have fallen, support the more than 111,000 serving soldiers and police from 116 countries, and continue adapting our operations to better help civilians who need protection and support.

16 killed in Iraq violence Posted: BAGHDAD (AFP) - Attacks killed 16 people in Iraq on Tuesday, officials said, as the cabinet discussed how to curb violence that has left over 500 dead this month and raised fears of all-out sectarian conflict.The UN envoy to Iraq meanwhile urged the countrys feuding leaders to meet to resolve long-running political crises that have paralysed the government and been blamed for its inability to reduce the violence.As of Tuesday, 519 people have been killed and over 1,300 wounded in May, making it the deadliest month in at least a year, according to AFP figures based on reports from security and medical sources.May is the second month in a row in which more than 400 people have been killed, for a total of almost 1,000 dead in less than two months -- a toll that continued to mount on Tuesday.In the deadliest attack, a bomb exploded on a bus in Sadr City, a Shiite area in north Baghdad, killing five people and wounding at least 26, security and medical officials said.In Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad, a suicide bomber driving an explosives-rigged truck killed four people and wounded eight, while gunmen killed two Sahwa anti-Al-Qaeda militiamen and wounded two more near Tikrit.And four police died in clashes in Mosul, while a bombing near the northern city killed senior police intelligence officer Lieutenant Colonel Faris al-Rashidi and wounded three other police.The attacks come a day after a wave of violence, including bombings in Baghdad that mainly targeted Shiite areas, killed 58 people and wounded 187.As the violence raged, the Iraqi cabinet discussed the countrys security challenges and ways to address them, afterwards announcing a series of measures aimed at stemming the bloodletting.These measures included pursuing all kinds of militias, calling for a meeting of the countrys political powers to discuss developments, providing unspecified support to security agencies, and warning the media against inciting sectarian strife, a cabinet statement said.Iraq has already suspended the licences of 10 satellite television channels for allegedly inciting sectarianism, although an official in the countrys media regulator said on Tuesday that at least some of those channels would have their licences restored soon.It was not clear what immediate impact the announced measures would have on security, if any, especially given that authorities have unsuccessfully struggled for years to curb the violence plaguing the country.United Nations envoy Martin Kobler called on Tuesday for Iraqs leaders to engage in dialogue and stop the bloodshed.Iraq is faced with various long-running political crises over issues ranging from power-sharing to territorial boundaries, that have paralysed the government.The country has seen a heightened level of violence since the beginning of the year, coinciding with rising discontent among Iraqi Sunnis that erupted into protests in late December.Although the violence has fallen from its peak at the height of the sectarian conflict in 2006 and 2007, when thousands died each month, the body count has begun to rise again in recent months.Members of Iraqs Sunni minority, which ruled the country from its establishment after World War I until Saddam Husseins overthrow by US-led forces in 2003, accuse the Shiite-led government of marginalising and targeting their community.Analysts say government policies that have disenfranchised Sunnis have given militant groups in Iraq both fuel and room to manoeuvre among the disillusioned community.The government has made some concessions aimed at placating protesters and Sunnis in general, such as freeing prisoners and raising the salaries of Sunni anti-Al-Qaeda fighters, but underlying issues have yet to be addressed.

Two killed, 18 hurt in Peshawar blast Posted: PESHAWAR (Dunya News) – According to police, the blast occurred in Imamia Colony in Gulbahar area killing at least two persons and injuring 18 others.The terrorists used two to three kilograms of explosive material that was planted in a motorcycle.The injured were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital for medical treatment where three are stated to be in critical condition.

Czech nuclear plant project in jeopardy Posted: PRAGUE (AFP) - A project costing billions of euros to expand a Czech nuclear plant has been undermined by the effects on energy prices of the shale gas revolution in North America, and is splitting the government.Several politicians are echoing experts who say that the tender process for the huge contract should be delayed or abandoned.A fall in energy prices, driven largely by the huge expansion of shale gas in North America, has thrown the economics of the Temelin expansion project into controversy.The International Energy Agency said this month that the shale-oil and gas revolution in North America is a shock for global energy markets.The Temelin plant, built with technology from the time of the Soviet Union, is also problematic in neighbouring Austria where there are concerns over the safety of the facility.The Czech state-run power group CEZ has opened the tender to build two new units at the Temelin plant, and this has lured American, Russian and French bidders.The eventual contract would be worth an estimated 200 billion to 300 billion koruna (8-12 billion euros, $10-15 billion).But the benefits of the two units due to come online in 2025 are questionable, experts say, pointing to a fall of the price of energy and particularly of coal, and of the price of carbon pollution permits.These factors raise the economic benefits of other sources of energy.It would pay off to consider expanding energy sources cheaper than nuclear plants, David Marek, an analyst with Prague-based investment bank Patria Finance, told AFP.Temelin simply doesnt pay off with the current energy prices. The market is regulated through carbon permits, and if they are as cheap as they are, coal-fired plants are more profitable, he added.In the tender, US industrial giant Westinghouse is up against the MIR-1200 consortium, made up of Russias Atomstroiexport and Gidropress and the Czech Skoda JS. Frances Areva was eliminated from the running in October but has appealed against the decision.The winner is due to be announced in autumn, but the centre-right coalition government, which comes to the end of its four-year term in 2014, is torn over whether to continue.To sign something this huge, Id have to be sure the investment is efficient, Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek, vice-chairman of the junior coalition right-wing TOP 09 party, said recently.And Im not sure about that at all, he said, adding the expansion plan was originally calculated on the basis of much higher power prices than the current level.Prime Minister Petr Necas, chairman of the right-wing Civic Democrats and a fierce advocate of expanding Temelin, said the Czech Republic could not do without nuclear energy.Having dubbed the tender the contract of the century, Necas insisted the move to expand Temelin was a strategic decision as the countrys coal-fired plants are likely to be shut down by 2020 under European Union rules.Theres a big difference between an accountant...and a statesman, Necas said last week in reaction to Kalouseks words.Kalousek replied that at a time when the guaranteed price is twice the market price, the statesman becomes a megalomaniac.Although the industry ministry refuses to confirm this officially, more and more experts advise politicians to consider putting the Temelin project off at least by a few years, writes the Respekt weekly.

Chicago man pleads guilty in NY hacking case Posted: NEW YORK (AP) Jeremy Hammond pleaded guilty to hacking charges on Tuesday.The government says the attacks were carried out by the loosely organized worldwide hacking group Anonymous. Targets included the U.S. Senate.Prosecutors say the hackers stole confidential information, defaced websites and temporarily put some victims out of business. Authorities say their crimes affected more than 1 million people.Hammond was caught with the help of Hector Xavier Monsegur, a famous hacker known as Sabu who later helped law enforcement infiltrate Anonymous.

Six killed as rival groups clash in Khairpur Posted: KHAIRPUR (Dunya News) - Two groups of Lashari tribe exchanged harsh words during the gathering of the local elders to settle an old enmity due to land dispute.Later both groups exchanged firing killing six persons and injuring five others.The injured were shifted to local hospital for treatment.

Four more children fall prey to measles in Punjab Posted: LAHORE (Online) - At least four children of a family died of deadly measles disease in Ferozewala town of Punjab on Tuesday.Contrary to tall government’s claims, there is no let up in measles-caused deaths in the Punjab.According to media reports, four children, all from one family, succumbed to the disease at a hospital in Ferozewala today (Tuesday).Another girl is said to be battling for life despite getting anti-measles vaccination.The number of children killed by the disease so far in Punjab has risen to 124.

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