Dunya TV

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• Kerry calls Karzai to ease anger on Taliban office
• World powers to meet on Syrian rebel demands
• Bombings kill 7 people in Iraq
• Bus falls into river in Peru, killing at least 30
• Neymar leads Brazil to 2-0 win over Mexico
• Blatter says protesters shouldn't 'use football'
• FIFA considers scrapping 3-D coverage of World Cup
• Wawrinka downs Lorenzi in 2 sets to advance
• Tennis: Bartoli out of Eastbourne with illness
• Study: Half of Canada's aboriginal children poor
• Oil down slightly as Fed signal easing of stimulus
• Sri Lanka will face India in 2nd semi-final today
• Lahore: Fire breaks out at PIC
• FBR issues list of items exempted from GST
• Elizabeth Taylor's first wedding dress up for sale

Kerry calls Karzai to ease anger on Taliban office Posted: WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday made his second call to the Afghan president in 24 hours to ease Hamid Karzai's anger over the rollout of the Taliban's new political office in Qatar a rift that temporarily delayed U.S. talks with the militant group set to begin later this week.Karzai was upset that when it opened its new office Tuesday in Qatar, the Taliban used its formal name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which is what it used when they were in power more than a decade ago. Afghan officials said that violated an agreement that the office should open only for negotiations, not as a political entity like a parallel institution to the Afghan government.In anger, Karzai halted negotiations with the U.S. on a future bilateral security agreement, which will govern U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan after the end of 2014 when most international forces will have completed their withdrawal from the country. And he said he would no longer send representatives from his High Peace Council to Qatar for talks with the Taliban, presumably to be held a few days after Taliban talks with the Americans.On Tuesday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said James Dobbins, U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was scheduled to leave Washington to visit Turkey, Qatar, Afghanistan and Pakistan, focusing primarily on reconciliation efforts. But then on Wednesday, she said Dobbins had not yet left Washington and she acknowledged that the turmoil over how the office was opened had affected Dobbins travel plans.An American official, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to disclose the information, said a U.S. official still expects to have the first public meeting with Taliban representatives and the first meeting between the two in more than 1½ years in the next few days in Qatar, but that no exact meeting date has been set.The Obama administration said the U.S. and Qatar had never agreed to allow the Taliban to use that name on the door and blamed the Taliban for engaging in a game of one-upmanship.Psaki said that in calls to Karzai Tuesday night and Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated that the U.S. does not recognize the name Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.He (Kerry) noted that the government of Qatar has taken steps today to ensure that the political office is in compliance with the conditions established by the government of Qatar for its operations and noted also that we are pleased that the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement clarifying that the name of the office is the Political Office of the Afghan Taliban and not the Political Office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and has had the sign with the incorrect name in front of the door taken down, Psaki said.The consensus among U.S. officials was that the government of Qatar was as surprised as the Obama administration that the Taliban hoisted its flag at the opening of the office on Tuesday and used a banner that named it: Political Office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.Psaki did not react to Karzai's decision to suspend talks on the U.S.-Afghan bilateral security agreement, saying only that the U.S. remains committed to continuing negotiations to craft a pact that supports shared objectives.Asked if the Obama administration was taken aback by Karzai's reaction, Psaki replied: Taken aback would be an overstatement. I don't think we went into any of this process here expecting that everything would be a smooth and sunny road.

World powers to meet on Syrian rebel demands Posted: PARIS (AP) - World powers will meet this weekend in Qatar to decide on how to answer a list of requests for help from Syrian rebels, a French diplomat said Wednesday.The U.S., France, Britain and Germany are among 11 countries meeting in Doha as part of the Friends of Syria group. Foreign ministers will be attending the discussions.A precise list of demands from Syrian rebels was set out Friday during a meeting in Ankara, Turkey, with Free Syrian Army Gen. Salim Idris, who spelled out urgent needs ranging from equipment to sophisticated arms, the diplomat said on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to be publicly named while discussing sensitive diplomatic issues.The U.S. decided last week to send arms to the rebels, and Britain and France have stressed the need to level the playing field for the rebels against Syria's military. A balance of power on the ground between rebels of the Free Syrian Army and forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad is considered crucial to holding planned peace negotiations in Geneva. No date for those talks has been set, but leaders at the Group of Eight meeting this week in Northern Ireland all agreed talks should start soon.The French diplomat refused to provide details of what exactly was on the broad list except to say it covers anti-aircraft weapons, and he refused to hint what France might be prepared to provide. However, he stressed that a collective and complementary approach by 11 nations is an optimal way of exploring the list and, ultimately, delivering.It's a list that corresponds to needs of Free Army joint chiefs to respond to challenges posed by the growing ... regime forces and their allies ..., he said. He was referring to the forces of Iran-backed Hezbollah which have joined Russian-backed Syrian government troops, fighters from Iraq, which the official placed at several hundred and climbing, and Iranians on the ground, too.Assad's troops dealt a major blow to rebels earlier this month, changing the balance of power by pushing rebels out of the strategic town of Qusair near the Lebanese border, with Hezbollah's help.The U.N. says Syria's more than two-year-old civil war has killed more than 93,000 people.

Bombings kill 7 people in Iraq Posted: BAGHDAD (AP) - Bomb attacks in Iraq have killed seven people, including a local political leader and four of his relatives, authorities said Wednesday.Violence has risen sharply in Iraq in recent months as sectarian tensions increase, reviving fears the country is headed back toward the widespread sectarian bloodshed that pushed it to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007.The deadliest attack came when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside politician Younis al-Rammah's guest house in the northern province of Ninevah, a provincial police officer said Wednesday. Al-Rammah and four relatives were killed, and six others were wounded.The slain leader headed a political list competing in provincial elections this Thursday. Iraq's April provincial elections were delayed in the Sunni-dominated provinces of Ninevah province and Anbar because of what Iraqi officials said were security concerns.Candidates are frequent targets for insurgents who aim to disrupt the political process.Shortly after sunset Wednesday, police said a bomb placed near a juice cart exploded in the Shiite neighborhood of Shula in Baghdad, killing two people and wounding eight others.Insurgent attacks against Shiites are frequent. Sunni extremists such as al-Qaida consider Shiites as heretics.Medical officials confirmed the deaths. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information to reporters.

Bus falls into river in Peru, killing at least 30 Posted: LIMA (AP) - Police in central Peru say a bus veered off a highway and fell into a river, leaving at least 30 people dead and nine missing.Highway Police chief Col. Rodorico Cubas says the bus was believed to be carrying 54 passengers when it went off the road on a curve and fell into the Tarma river in Junin province.Cubas says emergency crews have recovered 30 bodies and rescued 14 or 15 injured survivors. He says nine people are unaccounted for and rescue efforts are continuing because there could be more bodies in the wreckage.Television images of Wednesday's accident show a destroyed bus in the river.Bus accidents on Peru's highways are common because of driver imprudence, the poor state of roads and the informality of the transportation sector.

Neymar leads Brazil to 2-0 win over Mexico Posted: FORTALEZA (AP) - Neymar made the difference for Brazil again on Wednesday, scoring in the ninth minute and making one for Jo to give the hosts a 2-0 win over Mexico and virtually secure a spot in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup.The Brazilian striker scored his second goal of the tournament with a left-footed volley from just inside the penalty box after Mexican defenders failed to clear a cross, then slipped past two defenders at once to set up Jo for an easy goal in second-half injury time.I'm happy to have played well again, Neymar said. But what was more important was that the team had a good performance. We are improving game after game and we are getting better. This gives us more confidence for the next matches.Mexico, which had won two of its last three matches against Brazil, fought strongly but had little finishing power up front. The result leaves the Mexicans in a near impossible position to advance in the World Cup warm-up competition.Brazil opened with a 3-0 win over Japan, while Mexico lost 2-1 to Italy.Brazil leads the group with six points, three more than Italy. Mexico and Japan remain without a point. The top two teams in each of the groups advance to the next round of the eight-team tournament among continental champions.One of Brazil's recent loss to Mexico was in the Olympic final last year, when the team led by Neymar and Oscar were considered favorites to win Brazil's first gold medal in football but failed to come out victorious.We had been having problems with Mexico recently and that Olympic final was still in the mind of some of our players who were there, Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. It was important to get this victory against them.Backed by loud home fans packing the Arena Castelao in the northeastern city of Fortaleza, Brazil came out attacking from the beginning and it took a while before Mexico could get into the game. The Brazilian players were constantly getting the crowd involved and had their support throughout the match.Mexico had few chances but came close to scoring an equalizer late in the second half. The best chance was a shot by Andres Guardado that was deflected by a defender in front of goal.Brazil opened the scoring after a run by Barcelona right back Daniel Alves down the right side. His cross to striker Fred inside the area was partially cleared by Mexico captain Francisco Rodriguez and the ball went toward Neymar, who struck a difficult shot on the volley.With the clock running down and Mexico pressing desperately for an equalizer, Neymar wriggled through two defenders near the touchline and crossed for Jo to score from five yards. Neymar was named man of the match for the second time in a row.It was Brazil's first match since the players publicly expressed their support to a historic wave of protests that has swept across the South American nation in recent days to demand for better public services to the population.Neymar, recently signed by Barcelona and Brazil's biggest star, has been criticized for not being able to replicate his Santos success with the national team, but he has played well in the first two games at the Confederations Cup.He was the Brazilian player who threatened the most on Wednesday, creating chances and imposing difficulties on the Mexican defense throughout the match.Neymar has the skills and he created problems for the players from Mexico the entire match, Scolari said. He did what we needed him to do to help us break through the Mexican defense.Neymar almost scored his second goal of the day with a shot that went over the crossbar in the 23rd. In the 56th, he sped past a defender and shot just wide, and in the 66th his low right-footed shot was tipped away by Mexico goalkeeper Jose Corona after a powerful run by midfielder Paulinho.Daniel Alves nearly added to Brazil's lead in the 14th with a remarkable lob shot that forced Corona to make a difficult save with the tip of his gloves. Oscar had a goal disallowed just five minutes into the match because Neymar was caught offsides before making a cross the cross to the Chelsea playmaker. Captain Thiago Silva also had a goal called off for offsides in the 47th.Hulk had his chance after a pass by Neymar in the 55th, but his shot from close range struck the side of the net.Mexico's only significant chance in the first half came with a low cross shot by Hiram Mier that just missed the target in the 16th.

Blatter says protesters shouldn't 'use football' Posted: RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - FIFA President Sepp Blatter has urged protesters flooding the streets of Brazil to stop exploiting football to express their anger against the government, maintaining that the country is benefiting from investment ahead of the 2014 World Cup.Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of several cities in the last week just as the world is focused on Brazil for the Confederations Cup, which serves as a test event for the World Cup.The mass demonstrations, with pockets of violence, are swelling in a collective expression of frustration at government corruption, and the lack of investment in woeful basic public services amid high taxes and heavy spending on staging FIFA's showpiece events.They are linking them (the protests) to the Confederations Cup, Blatter said in an interview with Brazil's Globo TV network. I can understand that people are not happy, but they should not use football to make their demands heard.In the northern city of Fortaleza on Wednesday, protesters blocked the main access road to the stadium hosting Brazil's game against Mexico in the Confederations Cup group stage, forcing official FIFA vehicles to be diverted away from the Arena Castelao.To lose control is something that is impossible, Cezar Alvarez, Brazil's deputy Communications Minister, said through a translator at a briefing. I would not say we have lost control.Banners at the demonstrations in Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro have highlighted lavish spending on the World Cup compared with an apparent lack of improvement to Brazil's notoriously poor infrastructure.The government is projecting that $13.3 billion will be spent on stadiums, airport renovations and other projects for the World Cup, with an estimated $3.5 billion on venues.Brazil asked to host the World Cup, Blatter said. We did not impose the World Cup on Brazil. They knew that to host a good World Cup they would naturally have to build stadiums.But we said that it was not just for the World Cup. Together with the stadiums there are other constructions: highways, hotels, airports ... items that for the future. Not just for the World Cup.With the biggest demonstrations since the end of Brazil's 1964-85 military dictatorship showing no sign of receding, authorities are bracing for thousands of people to take to the streets of Rio de Janeiro on Thursday outside the Maracana stadium before Spain plays Tahiti.The government maintains that any unrest has been criticized by the great majority.We will not allow some violent protests to disturb the legal protests of a strong and growing democratic country, Alvarez said.

FIFA considers scrapping 3-D coverage of World Cup Posted: RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - FIFA is considering scrapping 3-D broadcasts of the next World Cup, describing ESPN's decision to abandon the format as another setback for the technology.The sports network said earlier this week that there weren't enough viewers in the United States to make 3-D broadcasts worth the investment, and ESPN's dedicated channel will close by the end of the year.We know that the technology has had a few setbacks in recent days, if you refer to some of the statements by (ESPN), Niclas Ericson, FIFA's director of television, said Wednesday at a briefing during the Confederations Cup.It's clear when a big sports broadcaster like ESPN makes an announcement like that it creates a lot of extra tension (for the technology), Ericson added.The 2010 World Cup in South Africa was the first to be broadcast in 3-D, with 25 of the 64 matches screened in the format fueled, by what FIFA described at the time, as rapidly growing consumer interest.But demand for 3-D television sets doesn't appear to have taken off globally. Only an estimated 6 percent of TVs in the U.S. can show 3-D programming, according to the latest statistics.FIFA has sent questionnaires to rights holders to assess their interest in 3-D coverage for its showpiece tournament in Brazil next year.We are still reviewing whether we should do 3-D for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the number of matches, Ericson said.Ericson said there is interest from several broadcasters to retain 3-D feeds but he added that FIFA is still reviewing the cost of it.The cost and inconvenience for consumers appears to have limited the appeal of 3-D televisions.Viewers must wear so-called active shutter glasses, which are battery-powered and work by stopping the image to each eye alternately at a high rate.Whether this (limited appeal for 3-D) is temporary and this will come back in a few years in a new way we don't know, Ericson said.We are spending most of our efforts (on high definition coverage) and that's most important for us, he added.

Wawrinka downs Lorenzi in 2 sets to advance Posted: ROSMALEN (AP) - Simona Halep continued her strong recent form to humble top-seeded Roberta Vinci 6-0, 6-1 on Wednesday and advance to the quarterfinals of the Topshelf Open grass court tournament.Halep is looking to make it two titles in as many weeks after beating Andrea Petkovic 6-3, 6-3 to win the inaugural Nurnberger Versicherungscup on Saturday in Germany, the 21-year-old Romanian's first WTA title.Halep, ranked 45 in the world, had few problems against the No. 11-ranked Vinci, completing the rout in just under an hour to set up a quarterfinal against Lesia Tsurenko.Second-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka reached the men's quarterfinals by beating Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 7-6 (8), giving himself more time to acclimatize to playing on grass in the week before Wimbledon.The Italian never managed to seriously threaten Wawrinka's serve until the 12th game of the second set, when he broke the Swiss to force a tiebreak.He then fought off three match points before finally succumbing 10-8 to the No. 10-ranked Wawrinka, who next plays Jeremy Chardy.Second-seeded Dominika Cibulkova reached the women's last eight by coming from a set down to beat Anabel Medina Garrigues 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.Earlier, the last two remaining Dutch players lost their second-round matches. Kirsten Flipkens beat Michaella Krajiceck in two hard-fought sets 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3), and Evgeny Donskoy overcame Robin Haase 6-4, 7-5.Haase looked likely to force the match to a third set when he went 5-3 up in the second, but the Russian reeled off four straight games to book a quarterfinal match against Nicolas Mahut of France, who beat Andrey Kuznetsov 6-2, 6-4.

Tennis: Bartoli out of Eastbourne with illness Posted: EASTBOURNE (AFP) - France's Marion Bartoli withdrew before her second-round match at the Eastbourne International on Wednesday, sending second-seeded Li Na of China into the quarter-finals of the pre-Wimbledon event.Bartoli, the 2011 champion on the English south coast, pulled out with a viral infection, she said in a statement.I'm really disappointed to have to withdraw, since it's so nice here and I've always done well at this tournament, she said.I have a virus and a fever and am really feeling terrible. I started feeling this way on Monday but it has gotten worse.I'm hoping to be back on the court after a few days of rest to get ready for Wimbledon.Bartoli was ranked 15th for Wimbledon in the seedings announced by competition organisers on Wednesday.The Grand Slam grasscourt tournament begins on June 24 and ends on July 7.

Study: Half of Canada's aboriginal children poor Posted: TORONTO (AP) - Half of Canada's aboriginal children are living in poverty, triple the national average, according to a new analysis of census statistics released Wednesday.The study by the left-leaning Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives said indigenous children trail the rest of Canada's children on practically every measure of well-being: family income, educational attainment, water quality, infant mortality, health, suicide, crowding and homelessness.The report points out First Nation children often live in communities that are impoverished when it comes to services and infrastructure.The analysis is based on Canada's latest census in 2006. The low income measure amounts to $38,000 a year for a family of four.The study urges an increase in government spending but also says the key is to remove barriers to education, training and employment.David Macdonald, the economist who co-authored the study for the policy center, said the situation is even worse in the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where almost two out of three status First Nations children live in poverty.The study also found that a third of immigrant children and almost one-quarter of visible minority kids live below the low income line.Study co-author, Daniel Wilson, said the indigenous population is the fastest growing in Canada.If we refuse to address the crushing poverty facing indigenous children, we will ensure the crisis of socio-economic marginalization and wasted potential will continue, Wilson said.

Oil down slightly as Fed signal easing of stimulus Posted: NEW YORK (AP) - The price of oil fell slightly Wednesday as the Federal Reserve indicated its closer to easing up on economy boosting measures that have been a boon for commodities.Oil swung in a range of about $1 after the Fed delivered a mixed message: The central bank said it would continue buying bonds at a pace of $85 billion a month, which helps keep interest rates at low levels. But chairman Ben Bernanke offered a more optimistic outlook for the U.S. economy and said the Fed could start scaling back on the bond purchases later this year if conditions continue to improve.Timothy Duy, a University of Oregon economist who tracks the Fed, called the statement an open door for scaling back asset purchases as early as September.U.S. benchmark oil for July delivery dropped 20 cents to finish at $98.24 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.Meanwhile the nations inventory of crude oil grew by 300,000 barrels, or 0.1 percent. At 394.1 million barrels, supplies are 1.8 percent above year-ago levels, the Energy Information Administration said in its weekly report. Analysts expected supplies to drop by 1 million barrels.Brent crude, a benchmark for many international oil varieties, rose 10 cents to end at $106.12 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

Sri Lanka will face India in 2nd semi-final today Posted: CARDIFF (AFP) - Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene is under no illusions about the scale of the task confronting his side when they face India in a Champions Trophy semi-final in Cardiff on Thursday.The latest high-profile one-day international contest between the teams is a repeat of the 2011 World Cup final in Mumbai.That clash saw the 36-year-old Jayawardene make unwanted history by becoming the first man to score a century in a World Cup final yet finish on the losing side, with India victorious by six wickets.On Monday, Jayawardene was in the runs again, but on the winning side, with his unbeaten 84 helping secure a 20-run victory over defending champions Australia at The Oval that booked Sri Lanka's place in the last four.Jayawardene saw India beat Sri Lanka in a warm-up match at Edgbaston earlier this month and has been impressed by their form in the tournament proper.I think they're playing some really good cricket, he said. Their batting looks really strong, so that's a key area we need to focus a bit on.The India team set to take the field in Cardiff has been transformed so dramatically in the past two years it will likely feature just three players -- captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni plus batsmen Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli -- who appeared in the World Cup final.India were the only side in the group stage of this Champions Trophy with a perfect record following wins over South Africa, the West Indies and arch-rivals Pakistan.Hard-hitting opener Shikhar Dhawan, the mainstay of the India batting praised by Jayawardene, is the tournament's leading scorer so far with 264 runs including two hundreds.The influx of youth has also seen a marked improvement in India's fielding and this has backed up a well-balanced attack featuring left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja and seamers Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav.However, with yorker specialist Lasith Malinga leading the way, Sri Lanka can tame any top order.Jayawardene, who in the course of his innings against Australia became the eighth player to score 11,000 ODI runs, added: Warm-up games, or whatever, don't count right now.We are playing hard and passionate cricket. That has been the mantra of our success in the past and I hope it continues in the future also.India's recent results have been a tonic for fans at home reeling from a spot-fixing scandal in the Indian Premier League that led to the arrest of three players, including Test fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.But, regardless of India's off-field problems, the national side's prospects look bright.This is the team of the future, Kapil Dev, India's 1983 World Cup-winning captain, told AFP. They are playing fearless cricket.Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhoni, demonstrated the calm approach admired by Kumar, among others, when he said: There are, hopefully, still two more matches to go and we must play with the same intensity that we have shown so far.The one thing that could spoil an intriguing match is rain.Bad weather in Cardiff saw South Africa knock out the West Indies on a Duckworth/Lewis tie and cut England's eventual 10-run win over New Zealand to a 24 overs per side contest.There is provision for a 'super over' in the event of a tie on Thursday but if rain causes a no-result, India will go through to face either England or South Africa, who meet on Wednesday, in Sunday's final at Edgbaston on account of having won Group B, with Sri Lanka runners-up in Group A.

Lahore: Fire breaks out at PIC Posted: LAHORE (Dunya News) – According to details, fire erupted at the Angiography Ward of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology on Thursday morning.Patients present in the wards were safely shifted to other wards of the hospital by hospital staff and attendants of the patients.Firefighters and rescue teams were trying to extinguish the fire till filing of this report. No casualty was so for reported in the incident.

FBR issues list of items exempted from GST Posted: ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Chairman FBR has issued directions to all tax offices to strictly monitor that no Sales Tax is collected on exempted essential items and take proper action under the law against violators.On the instructions of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar‚ the FBR has also identified these items for the benefit of the general public.The items that continue to enjoy exemption from Sales Tax include vegetables‚ meat‚ milk‚ eggs‚ red chilies‚ fish‚ drugs‚ pulses‚ fruits‚ poultry‚ ginger‚ turmeric‚ cereals and products of milling industry‚ ice‚ poultry feed‚ butter‚ yogurt‚ salt‚ potato‚ onions‚ bread‚ nan‚ and rusk.

Elizabeth Taylor's first wedding dress up for sale Posted: LONDON (AP) - Youll need at least 30,000 pounds ($47,000) to buy it and a tiny waist to wear it.Christies auction house is offering the seed pearl-encrusted satin dress compete with waist-cinching built-in corset designed by costume designer Helen Rose.Taylor was 18 when she wore the gown to marry hotel heir Conrad Nicky Hilton Jr. in May 1950 an event, studio MGM boasted, attended by more stars than there are in heaven.The couple divorced months later and Taylor went on to wed seven more times. She died in 2011, aged 79.The dress will be sold June 26, with an estimated price of 30,000 pounds to 50,000 pounds ($47,000 to $78,000).

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