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- France: Eiffel Tower shuts after workers go on strike
- Suspect swims two miles to avoid arrest
- Djokovic eases into 2nd round at Wimbledon
- Toy Industry to honour creators of toy models
- Indian journalist reports floods perched on victims shoulders
- 19 killed as rescue helicopter in India crashes
- Pak tourism industry reels after shootings
- Altaf sees new conspiracy against MQM
- US consumer confidence at five-year high in June
- Bank stops transfers to Somalia over terror financing fears
- Strike shuts down IHK as Singh visits
- Ex-SSP Operations robbed in Islamabad
- Imran Farooq murder: Police find more clues, widen scope of investigation
- Loadshedding makes life miserable for masses
- Clarke fitness gives Australia boost before Ashes
France: Eiffel Tower shuts after workers go on strike Posted: PARIS (AFP) - The Eiffel Tower was closed Tuesday following a strike by workers at the Paris landmark for better work conditions and more pay at the height of the tourist season.The influential CGT union called the strike after failed last-minute talks on Monday which lasted for seven hours. The tower normally opens at 9:00 am and closes after midnight during the peak tourist season that runs from June till September.The strike by the 300-odd workers is the first since a two-day shutdown in December 2010.The CGT also complained that one of the five lifts which was due to have been renovated and up and running following a decision taken in 2008 was still not ready, putting pressure on the employees.The waiting lines are growing longer, the visitors are growing more and more impatient and the work conditions are deteriorating, a CGT statement said.The Eiffel Tower had to be evacuated for two hours last Tuesday after a man threatened to throw himself off in the latest of a string of suicide bids.The 324-metre (1,063-foot) structure attracts about seven million tourists every year. |
Suspect swims two miles to avoid arrest Posted: CORONADO (Web Desk) - A man who tried to escape arrest by swimming more than two miles in chilly 65-degree water ended up in the cooler.Coronado Police arrested the suspect early Monday morning after a 7-hour standoff that started when an officer tried to approach him near the Hotel del Coronado.Cmdr. Jesus Ochoa of the Coronado Police Department told KFMB-TV that officers were trying to take the unnamed suspect into custody due to a felony warrant alleging narcotics violations.Instead, the shirtless man fled to a nearby water body and swam nearly 2.5 miles away to Silver Strand Beach, NBC San Diego reported.The suspect waded and swam near the surfline for hours and threatened to kill anyone who got near. Police waited him out, the Associated Press reported.Officiers from several agencies, including 2 divers and K-9 officers, surrounded him and he was finally taken into custody at about 5:30 am, SanDiego6.com reported.The suspect treated at the hospital for hypothermia. He faces a slew of charges in addition to the ones listed on the original arrest warrant, Fox5SanDiego.com reported. |
Djokovic eases into 2nd round at Wimbledon Posted: LONDON (AP) - Top-seeded Novak Djokovic eased into the second round of Wimbledon with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 win over Florian Mayer of Germany on Tuesday.Bidding to win his second title at the All England Club, Djokovic was playing his first match of the year on grass after losing in the semifinals at the French Open. He managed the switch from clay perfectly and controlled most of the match, saving the three break points he faced.Djokovic won his only Wimbledon title two years ago. |
Toy Industry to honour creators of toy models Posted: ROCHESTER (AP) - The great minds of the toy industry will be honored alongside the famous toys they created under a new partnership being announced at the Strong Museum in Rochester.Museum officials say the National Toy Hall of Fame housed at the museum is being combined with the Toy Industry Hall of Fame, which honors individuals. Past inductees include Milton Bradley, Frederick August Otto Schwarz and George Lucas.Officials say the groups have been talking for some time about combining their respective halls as a way to raise their visibility and exposure and to promote their educational missions.The new expanded hall is expected to open at the Strong Museum in the fall of 2015 after undergoing $4 million in renovations. |
Indian journalist reports floods perched on victims shoulders Posted: NEW DELHI (AFP) - Narayan Pargaien, who works for the local News Express channel, told Indian media website newslaundry.com that the criticism he has faced since the video was posted online was unfair.People are talking about us being inhuman and wrong but we were actually helping some of the victims there, Pargaien said.The reporter claimed that the slight man who carried him, who can be seen wobbling under the strain while standing in ankle-high water, had hoisted him onto his shoulders as a sign of respect.The man wanted to show me some respect, as it was the first time someone of my level had visited his house. So while crossing the river he offered to help by carrying me... between which, I thought of reporting, Pargaien said.The journalist also attacked his cameraman for framing the shot so it showed him sitting on the floods survivors shoulders and accused him of posting the video online.The report was supposed to be telecast only with footage of me chest-up. This was entirely the cameramans fault, who... tried to sabotage my career by shooting from that distance and angle and releasing the video, he said.I was wrong as well. That was the wrong thing to do, and the wrong time to have shot that sequence. But what my cameraman did was even more unacceptable.The video, which has been viewed more than 11,600 times since it was posted Saturday can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ieiuctQh01k.Some 1,000 people have died in flash floods and landslides caused by heavy downpours in Indias Uttarakhand state, known as the Land of the Gods for its revered Hindu shrines.Helicopters and soldiers have evacuated tens of thousands of people, but several thousand pilgrims and tourists remain stranded throughout the state since early rains struck on June 15. |
19 killed as rescue helicopter in India crashes Posted: RUDRAPRAYAG (AFP) - A helicopter helping victims of devastating floods in northern India crashed near a pilgrimage site Tuesday, killing all nineteen people on board, as fresh rains hampered the bid to rescue thousands still stranded.Around 60 air force helicopters are taking part in the rescue operation in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand where more than 1,000 people have been killed by floods and landslides since the beginning of last week.The helicopter which crashed on Tuesday afternoon was on a medical mission near the pilgrimage site of Gaurikund, air force officials told AFP .The eight persons on board including five crew members sustained fatal injuries, said a statement sent to AFP.Gerard Galway, a spokesman for the air force in Uttarakhand, said the reasons for the crash were being investigated.The military has been leading efforts to evacuate some 6,000 pilgrims and tourists still stranded throughout the state since the floods hit on June 15.Raging rivers have since swept away houses, buildings and even entire villages in the state, which was packed with travellers in what is a peak tourist season.More than 1,000 bridges have been damaged along with roads, cutting off villages and towns.The scale of the rescue effort has been prompted in part by fears that failure to act swiftly could trigger widespread disease from hundreds of bodies which have yet to be recovered.As well as trying to rescue stranded victims from remote parts of the mountainous state, relief workers have been busy spraying disinfectant and are preparing for a mass cremation in the holy town of Kedarnath which is one of the worst-hit areas.But although tonnes of wood have been flown by helicopter into the area for the cremation, the ceremony had to be postponed on Tuesday following more heavy downpours.Some 6,000 pilgrims and tourists are believed to be still stranded throughout Uttarakhand, known as the Land of the Gods for its revered Hindu shrines.They were caught unawares on June 15 when flash floods, triggered by earlier than expected monsoon rains, swept through the area.We are spraying disinfectant in the flood-affected areas to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases, state medical officer K.D. Sharma said.The move came as fresh rains and landslides hampered efforts by the military to evacuate people since the floods hit the state.The United States has pledged funds for the rescue effort and UN chief Ban Ki-moon voiced his sadness at the scale of the disaster.The secretary-general is saddened by the loss of life, and the damage to homes and infrastructure in India as a result of the torrential floods in the northern state of Uttarakhand over the last week, said his office.A police official in charge of organising the cremations said belongings and documents recovered from bodies will be used to help with identification while DNA samples will also be collected.Under no circumstances can we allow an outbreak of an epidemic, senior disaster management official K.N. Pandey told AFP.We have reports that many stranded people are suffering from diarrhoea and other ailments and have decided to cremate the corpses near the Kedarnath shrine, he said.A senior official warned that the death toll of 1,000 could rise dramatically as the grim task of collecting the bodies from rivers and from under flattened villages and other debris continues.From the feedback we are getting from people on the ground, people working in scavenging bodies, our estimate is the toll could be anything between 4,000 and 5,000, a senior disaster management official who did not want to be named told AFP.Helicopters and soldiers have evacuated tens of thousands of people from the floods, while tonnes of food and other emergency supplies have been dropped to those still stranded.Unmanned drones have also been deployed to scan the thick jungles to find those still awaiting rescue, officials said.Thousands of soldiers along with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police have been evacuating people by foot, using harnesses and erecting rope bridges across flooded rivers to help them to safety. |
Pak tourism industry reels after shootings Posted: ISLAMABAD (AP) - Pakistans already embattled tourism industry is struggling to deal with worried customers and cancellations after Islamic militants attacked foreign climbers preparing to challenge one of the worlds tallest mountains, killing 11 people.For years, intrepid climbers and mountaineers, lured by a collection of awe-inspiring peaks, were some of the only international tourists willing to come to Pakistan. The region has also attracted Pakistanis looking for a respite from the summer heat in the southern part of the country.Now hotel owners, tour operators and tourism officials worry that may be in danger after the vicious attack by militants Saturday on the climbing group at the base camp of Nanga Parbat, the second highest peak in Pakistan and the ninth highest in the world.The impact is huge, said Ghulam Nabi Raikoti, one of two brothers who run Raikot Serai, a resort in an area of northern Pakistan called Fairy Meadows. From the hotels cottages and tents, visitors can look up at the face of Nanga Parbat, which has been nicknamed the killer mountain for the number of people whove died trying to climb its 8,126-meter (26,660-foot) peak.Raikoti said a tour group of 50 Pakistani students already cancelled a stay at the resort.Pakistan has been beset by militancy for years, but this attack will likely be especially disruptive to tourism because it struck foreign tourists in what is usually one of the most peaceful regions of the country.The attack also demonstrated a high degree of planning. Just getting to the base camp takes roughly two days of hiking.The militants, disguised in paramilitary uniforms, first abducted two local Pakistanis to take them to the remote camp in Gilgit-Baltistan. Late Saturday night, a group of about 15 gunmen attacked the camp, beat the mountaineers and took away mobile and satellite phones and money. Some climbers and guides were able to run away, but those that werent were shot dead.By the end, 10 foreign tourists and a Pakistani cook employed by a tour company were killed.A faction of the Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the shootings.The remaining mountaineers who were at camps higher up on Nanga Parbat when the shooting happened have been evacuated to allow the authorities to freely comb the area for the suspects, said the president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, Manzoor Hussain.In that area it is difficult for someone to hide, said Hussain, who added that there will be no more expeditions to Nanga Parbat this summer.The Pakistani military evacuated 34 tourists Monday on a C-130 aircraft that flew them to Islamabad, said Muhammed Ajmal Bhatti, deputy commissioner of Diamer District near where the shootings happened; about a dozen left on Sunday. They were also evacuating the porters, guides and other Pakistanis from the area.About 30 to 40 of the foreign climbers are stuck in Islamabad, waiting for their equipment to be returned to them before they can go home.At a memorial service Tuesday in Islamabad for the slain tourists and cook, Polish climber Aleksandra Dzik said the mountaineers were evacuated from base camp by helicopter and allowed to take only one backpack with them because of weight restrictions.She said they hope army helicopters can bring their supplies down or porters allowed up to retrieve them. The climbing gear can cost thousands of dollars.Hussain from the Alpine Club of Pakistan said the club was working with authorities to get the equipment sent to Islamabad as quickly as possible.Those associated with the tour industry, including tour operators affected by the tragedy, faced worried customers.Mohammed Ali, owner of Karakoram Magic Mountain, with which the slain cook was working, said a trekking tour expected later this summer was already in doubt.I dont know if they will come or not. Last night they sent emails to me, and they want to know more information about this incident, he said.Several thousand foreign tourists a year come to the northern region known as Gilgit-Baltistan during the warmer summer months. Trekkers come for longer hikes that dont require technical skill or equipment. Climbers generally tackle the more serious peaks that require technical skills and a good deal of experience.Anyone planning to climb a peak 6,500 meters or higher or those climbing in sensitive areas, needs a climbing permit from the government of Pakistan, said Abu Zafar Sadiq, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan.Thousands of families in Gilgit-Baltistan depend on the seasonal tourist trade. Families often work for three to four months in the summer and then live off that income for the rest of the year. |
Altaf sees new conspiracy against MQM Posted: LONDON (Dunya News) – Addressing a joint meeting of London and Karachi Coordination Committee of the party Tuesday, MQM chief Altaf Hussain said that he was proud of brave and determined followers of his movement.He said false plots were being manufactured against the MQM at national and international level to defame the movement.Altaf said the new conspiracy against the movement would fail just like the previous ones.He urged the party workers to forge unity in their ranks and remain in touch with the members of coordination committee. |
US consumer confidence at five-year high in June Posted: WASHINGTON (AP) - Americans confidence in the economy rose to its highest level in more than five years, bolstered by a more optimistic outlook for hiring.The Conference Board, a New York-based private research group, said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index jumped to 81.4 in June. Thats the best reading since January 2008. And it is up from Mays reading of 74.3, which was revised slightly downward from 76.2.Consumers confidence in the economy is watched closely because their spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity.The report shows consumers are more positive about current economic conditions and have a more optimistic view of the economy and job market in the next six months.Lynn Franco, director of economic indicators at the Conference Board, said that suggests the pace of growth is unlikely to slow in the short-term, and may even moderately pick up.Employers added 175,000 jobs in May, nearly matching the average monthly gain for the past year. Thats enough to slowly lower the unemployment rate. The rate ticked up to 7.6 percent last month but has fallen 0.6 percentage points in the past year.More Americans see signs of hiring taking place. Nearly 12 percent describe the number of jobs available as plentiful, the most since September 2008.And nearly 20 percent of consumers expect there will be more jobs in six months, while only 16.1 percent expect fewer jobs. Thats the first time those expecting more jobs have outnumbered those expecting fewer since February 2012.Rising home prices are also likely making Americans feel wealthier and more confident about spending. Home prices jumped 12.1 percent in April compared with a year ago, according to the Standard & Poors/Case-Shiller home price index, also released Tuesday.Slightly more consumers said they planned to buy a car in the next six months. The percentage saying they planned to buy a home also ticked up.Americans have been resilient this year, despite tax increases and steep government spending cuts. Consumer spending rose at the fastest pace in two years in the first three months of the year. That helped the overall economy grow at a 2.4 percent annual pace during the January-March quarter.Economists forecast that overall economic growth is slowing to a 2 percent annual pace in the April-June quarter, in part because they expect consumers have eased up on spending from the robust first-quarter pace.Despite the recent gains, the confidence index remains well below the 90 reading that indicates a healthy economy a level it hasnt reached since the Great Recession began in December 2007.So far, reports on consumer spending for the second quarter have been mixed. In April, consumer spending fell as income was unchanged. But spending appears to have rebounded in May, based on a preliminary report on retail sales.Americans spent more on cars, home improvements and sporting goods, boosting retail sales 0.6 percent.The Commerce Department will release a more complete report on May consumer spending and income on Thursday.The Conference Board survey is conducted in the first half of the month. So the June report didnt capture the impact of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernankes comments last week after the Feds policy meeting.Bernanke said the Fed could begin to slow its bond purchases by the end of the year. Since then, stocks have plunged and interest rates have spiked. |
Bank stops transfers to Somalia over terror financing fears Posted: MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -That question is forcing one of Britains largest banks to cut ties with the largest cash transfer bank in Somalia, a company that brings in the majority of the countrys $1.2 billion in yearly remittances.Many in Somalia are in desperate need of money.Payments from family and friends overseas are how many get by, and thats why more than 100 aid workers and Somalia experts signed a letter this week pleading with the British government to find a solution.Barclays bank will no longer allow customers to send money to Somalia via the Somali bank Dahabshil.A financial power-house in Somalia, Dahabshil describes itself as the most trusted money transfer company for many immigrants willing to support their families and friends. But anti-terror laws hold banks like Barclays responsible if they transfer money to criminal or terror elements.As a result, fewer are willing to send money into Somalia.Such transactions for Somalis in the United States became more difficult in late 2011, when a bank in Minnesota closed accounts that facilitated such transfers.Sunrise Community Banks decided to halt the transactions after two women were convicted of sending money to the terrorist group al-Shabab.It is recognized that some money service businesses dont have the proper checks in place to spot criminal activity and could therefore unwittingly be facilitating money laundering and terrorist financing, Barclays said in a statement.We want to be confident that our customers can filter out those transactions, because abuse of their services can have significant negative consequences for society and for us as their bank.Dahabshil did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The companys website says that customers must provide government authorized identification and personal information for anti-money laundering compliance if amounts reach certain limits.The group of aid workers and researchers said the decision at stake here is a lifeline that provides essential support to an estimated 40 percent of the population of Somalia. The group said it has seen firsthand the impact remittances have on families in the Horn of Africa.My son is in the U.K. He sent us money every month for our sustenance and school fees for the children.Where are we going to get the money to pay our bills? said Dahabo Afrah, a longtime customer of Dahabshil in Mogadishu. This is unfair to us and will affect hundreds of thousands of Somali people.Many big banks in the U.S. have already stopped handling transfers to Somalia, saying the federal requirements designed to crack down on terrorism financing were too complex and not worth the risk. Last April, U.S. Bank confirmed it is working with Dahabshil to allow Somalis in Minnesota to send money back home. U.S. Bank spokeswoman Teri Charest said Monday that the bank is working closely with Dahabshil but the transactions have not yet started.Barclays said it remains happy to maintain a relationship with businesses that have anti-financial crime controls. Western Union operates in Somalia but does not have a presence in many places, including Mogadishu, the capital. |
Strike shuts down IHK as Singh visits Posted: SRINAGAR (AP) - Shops, businesses and schools were closed in Indian-controlled Kashmir after separatist groups called for a strike Tuesday to protest a visit by the Indian prime minister to the disputed Himalayan region.Large numbers of police and paramilitary forces were deployed in Srinagar, Kashmirs main city, a day after a daring rebel attack in which eight army soldiers were killed and 13 others were wounded.Police closed off several main roads in Srinagar. Paramilitary soldiers with automatic weapons swarmed a convention center where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was to meet local officials later Tuesday to review the progress of development projects in the state.The Himalayan territory of Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed entirely by both. More than a dozen rebel groups in Indian-controlled Kashmir have been fighting since 1989 for its independence or merger with Pakistan. More than 68,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the fighting.India accuses Pakistan of arming and training Islamic militants and sending them into Indian-held Kashmir to attack government forces and other targets a charge Islamabad denies.India and Pakistan have fought two of three wars over control of Kashmir since their independence from Britain in 1947.Late Monday, in a message to local news agencies, Kashmirs biggest rebel group, Hizb-ul Mujahedeen, claimed responsibility for the attack.Authorities have directed residents of Srinagars old quarters to stay indoors, a police officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.Meanwhile, the Indian army said Pakistani troops fired intermittently at Indian soldiers from across a cease-fire line in Kashmir on Tuesday.It was unprovoked firing and a violation of the 2003 cease-fire agreement, said Lt. Col. Rajesh Kalia, an army spokesman.Indian soldiers returned the fire. There were no casualties, Kalia said.The firing took place in Poonch sector, about 180 kilometers (110 miles) southwest of Srinagar, he said.Pakistan, however, accused India of firing across the cease-fire line without provocation.Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing today, the Pakistani military said in a text message to the AP. No loss reported.The longtime rivals signed a cease-fire accord in 2003 that has mostly held. Each side occasionally accuses the other of violating it by firing mortars or guns across the Line of Control dividing Kashmir between them.On Wednesday, Singh was expected to inaugurate part of an ambitious rail line that connects southern and northern Kashmir.However, separatist groups say the Kashmir dispute cannot be resolved by economic grants and developing rail services. |
Ex-SSP Operations robbed in Islamabad Posted: ISLAMABAD (Online) - A former SSP Operations Islamabad Malik Muhammad Yousaf became a robbery victim in Sector I-8 of Islamabad on Tuesday.According to sources, three men riding a car stopped former SSP Malik Yousuf on gunpoint and snatched his mobile phones, laptop and some cash.The accused escaped from the scene after the robbery. The Police cordoned off the area and started search operation.Malik Yousuf, who once served as SSP in Islamabad, is yet to report to the police about the robbery. |
Imran Farooq murder: Police find more clues, widen scope of investigation Posted: LONDON: London police have question Pakistani origin UK citizen Iftikhar Hussain about the financial matters pertaining to the murder of Imran Farooq.It has been learnt that some workers of political parties and a woman, reportedly the wife of a Pakistani politician, have been included in the investigation of the Imran Farooq murder case.British police said they had arrested a man at Heathrow airport on Monday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.The 52-year-old Iftikhar Hussain, a British citizen of Pakistani origin, was detained by counter-terrorism officers as he arrived on a flight from Canada and was taken to a West London police station, police added in a statement.According to sources the detained person is allegedly a close relative of a top Pakistan politician.Police have said that complete information cannot be disclosed, but they have reached close to the mystery of murder of Imran Farooq. |
Loadshedding makes life miserable for masses Posted: ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The duration of unannounced loadshedding has increased as electricity shortfall rises to 5,000 MW in country.The power crisis has worsened after the rise in gap between demand and supply of electricity due to hot weather.Electricity supply remains shut for hours continuously in almost all cities of Pakistan.In Faisalabad loadshedding has paralyzed not only the industries but also the normal living of the common people.Parts of Karachi are facing severe water shortage due to increased power outages.Similarly, the duration of loadshedding has increased in Lahore Sialkot, Peshawar and other cities.In the rural areas the situation is even worse where the duration of loadshedding has touched 20 hours a day. |
Clarke fitness gives Australia boost before Ashes Posted: BRISTOL (AP) - Australia captain Michael Clarke will play his first competitive match since March in a four-day Ashes warm-up against Somerset starting on Wednesday, a huge relief for the beleaguered tourists two weeks ahead of the first test against England.Australia vice captain Brad Haddin says on Tuesday that Clarke, who has been out with a lower back injury, is pretty excited about being involved and is in a good spot.Clarke has been sidelined since the 4-0 test series loss to India, forcing him to miss out on Australias defense of its Champions Trophy title this month.Clarkes return will boost an Australian batting lineup that has looked shaky so far on their tour of England.The first Ashes test is at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, from July 10.Australia fired coach Mickey Arthur on Monday and replaced him with Darren Lehmann. |
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