Dunya TV

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• Football: 'Aussies out' - Cup hosts hit by shock AFC revolt
• Comic festival honours cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo
• Woods stumbles with chipping in return to golf
• Moscow: Mother of 7 accused of treason for giving details about Russian military movements
• Nigerian fighter jets bomb town held by Boko Haram: Military
• Alibaba loses $4.45 revenues expected by analysts
• PM Nawaz to visit Karachi today
• Google profit jumps, short of market expectations
• Health of Saudi blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes worsening: Wife
• US warns Russia to mull fresh sanctions over Ukraine issue
• South Korean: State report shows industry output rose 3% in Dec
• UN to open inquiry into killings in northern Mali
• Sydney: Clarke to bat local game after hamstring surgery
• Tokyo: Stocks up at least 1.04%
• Targeted operation to continue in Karachi: DG Rangers

Football: 'Aussies out' - Cup hosts hit by shock AFC revolt Posted: SYDNEY (AFP) - Australias football body reeled from shock revelations about a movement to oust it from the Asian confederation on Friday as the Socceroos prepared to play the Asian Cup final.The head of Australian football said he was extremely surprised after Asias soccer chief said some countries want Australia out and advised them to raise the issue formally.Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), told the Arabic-language Al Ittihad newspaper there was discontent about Australia in the Gulf region and more widely.Yes, it is true there are indications that there is a desire among West Asian federations to kick Australia out, the Bahraini royal was quoted as saying.But I also know that the Arabs are not the only ones who are not convinced of the usefulness of the continuation of Australia in Asia.Shaikh Salman also referred to Australias presence as an experiment. An AFC spokesman declined to comment on the report, which comes as the Socceroos prepare to play Saturdays Asian Cup final against South Korea in Sydney.Australia joined the AFC in 2006 and its teams have enjoyed success, qualifying for two straight World Cups and two Asian Cup finals, and winning the Champions League club showpiece last year.Australia also won the Womens Asian Cup in 2010. Victory on Saturday would make Australia the first country to hold both the Asian Cup and the Champions League titles.But their presence also appears to have caused disquiet with other nations missing out on a World Cup spot and other honours. As examples, Western Sydney Wanderers beat Saudi Arabias Al Hilal in the Champions League final, and the Socceroos ousted UAE in the Asian Cup semi-finals.The issue could come to a head at the AFC Congress expected in Kuala Lumpur in May, when Shaikh Salman will seek re-election. He was first elected in 2013 by a landslide.This decision (Australia joining the AFC) was made years ago, before my arrival to the presidency of the AFC, Shaikh Salman was quoted as saying. At that time there were no conditions talking about the AFC Congresss assessment of the experiment to see whether Australia will stay in Asia or not.He added: There are other Asian associations in different regions of the continent that see the need of disengagement between us and Australia.Therefore we cant just monitor the feedbacks or statements, but the movement and the decision should be from within the AFC Congress, because its the authority that can make the decision of reconsidering Australia joining Asia or any other decision.Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop expressed surprise over the comments, which come at the end of an Asian Cup described within the AFC as the best yet.We were extremely surprised to hear of these press reports from west Asia, Gallop told Fairfax newspapers. We are newcomers to AFC but our commitment to participate in competitions, membership of important AFC committees and general sharing of ideas and programs increases every year.We celebrate the diversity of the Asian region and this tournament has shown our contribution can go beyond football to create and foster social and political bridges between key trading partners in the region.Star forward Tim Cahill also defended Australias contribution, with the Asian Cups total attendance set to touch 650,000 over 32 games in five cities. Politically for us I think weve brought a lot (to Asia), Cahill told reporters. If you look at all the nations thats come to Australia and every stadium that weve filled together. The multi-culturalism that we have in this country and the way weve embraced football I feel is very important for the growth of the game.But I feel that being Australian and being who we are will always help to grow the game any country we play regardless of AFC or Europe or wherever it may be.

Comic festival honours cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo Posted: ANGOULME (AFP) - One of the worlds leading comics festivals opened in France on Thursday under tight security as it dedicated this years event to the murdered cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo.The festival in the southwestern town of Angouleme also created a first when it gave its coveted Grand Prix lifetime achievement award to a manga artist, with Japans Katsuhiro Otomo scooping the prize.This years guests -- including some of the biggest names in comics and graphic novels from around the world -- found themselves under unprecedented protection after the attacks on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris on January 7 that left 12 dead.The 2015 festival will be a time for remembering but we also want to show that life goes on, festival director Franck Bondoux said.Graphic novel writers, press cartoonists and animators were among the stars in attendance at the festival, which this year features special displays on Asian cartoons and Jack Kirby, creator of Captain America, Hulk and the X-Men.Comic books are hugely popular in France, with 35 million sold in the country last year.But three weeks on from the attacks in Paris, it was the spirit of Charlie that weighed heaviest on this 42nd edition of the festival.A number of special commemorations were planned, including the inauguration of a new Charlie Award for Freedom of Expression.The prize will this year go to the cartoonists killed in the assault on the magazine, whose past caricatures of Prophet Mohammed have sparked controversy and were cited by the attackers as the reason for their killing spree.In the future, the prize will be awarded to artists fighting for free speech around the world.The festival organisers also collected over a thousand contributions from artists around the world in homage to Charlie Hebdo and a special album entitled Comics are Charlie was being prepared with the help of 173 well-known cartoonists.Past front pages from the magazine were plastered all over the town in the style of an electoral campaign.And an exhibition gathering together documents and drawings by Charlie Hebdos cartoonists -- dead and alive -- attracted the crowds.Priests, rabbis, the pope, imams, presidents, left-wing and right-wing politicians. Everyone was a target for satire in cartoons that denounced issues as serious as homophobia, paedophilia or racism.Their death had an awful impact on the world of cartoonists. Some called me in tears. For many, they were role models, Jean-Pierre Mercier, one of the managers of the exhibition, said.On Thursday night, Japans Otomo, creator of the cult manga series Akira, was awarded the Grand Prix, which last year went to Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson.Set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo built on the ashes of a city that was destroyed by a blast that triggered World War III, the Akira series are known the world over.The awarding of the prize to Otomo highlights the importance of mangas in France, where they represent a quarter of all comic book sales.The festival also awarded a special Grand Prix to the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists killed in the attack -- Cabu, Wolinski, Charb, Tignous and Honore.Among other stars in attendance was godfather of manga Jiro Taniguchi, presenting a retrospective in Europe for the first time.In an interview with AFP before he left Japan for Angouleme, Taniguchi said he constantly had in mind the impact his drawings may have on others.The human being is an animal for whom the visual sense reacts first, and words and analysis come after, he said in his little Tokyo workshop.I know the expressive power of drawings and their risks, which is why I always did my utmost to handle them with precaution by always keeping in mind the impact that my story and my way of drawing may have on certain people.

Woods stumbles with chipping in return to golf Posted: SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Tiger Woods helped attract a record, raucous crowd to the Phoenix Open on Thursday, the first big event in a week that concludes with the Super Bowl.They didnt see much of a game at least not from Woods.In his first appearance at the TPC Scottsdale in 14 years and only his second tournament in six months Woods couldnt hit the green with three chip shots and was near the bottom of the leaderboard until two key shots on the back nine salvaged a 2-over 73.It was the first time in his career that Woods shot over par in his first round of the year. And he already was nine shots behind Ryan Palmer, who opened with a 7-under 64 to build a one-shot lead when play was suspended by darkness.This is my second tournament in six months, so I just need tournament rounds like this where I can fight through it, turn it around, grind through it and make adjustments on the fly, Woods said.He was 5 over through 11 holes when Woods hit a 5-iron to a foot for a tap-in eagle on the 13th hole. After making it through the par-3 16th hole, where he twice had to back off shots when someone shouted as he stood over the ball, he hit his best drive of the day that bounded onto the green at the par-4 17th and set up a two-putt birdie.The fans didnt seem to mind. They were happy to see golfs biggest star at their outdoor party for the first time since 2001, back when Woods was No. 1 in the world and headed for an unprecedented sweep of the majors.The attendance was 118,461 more than the Super Bowl will get on Sunday and broke the Thursday record at the Phoenix Open by just over 30,000.What they saw was a player who suddenly has developed grave issues with his short game particularly his chipping.Woods is working with a new swing consultant, Chris Como, who is not in Phoenix this week. He still has trouble taking his game from the practice range to the golf course, which is nothing new. But when he last played, at the Hero World Challenge, what stood out was a series of chips that he either stubbed or bladed.Two months later, nothing changed.The focus on Woods quickly shifted from a chipped tooth to simply his chipping.Woods twice chipped with 4-irons, which he called my old-school shots from Augusta. On two other occasions, one after a chip he knocked across and over the green, he opted for a putter. It wasnt a bad play, but it used to be rare to see Woods choose to putt from the fairway instead of chip.He attributed it to the change in his swing.Im just having a hard time finding the bottom, Woods said. Because of my old pattern, I was so steep on it that I have a new grind on my wedge and sometimes its hard to trust. Some of my shots were into the green with tight pins and either Ill flop it or bump it, one of the two. I chose to bump it.Palmer was 10-under par through 10 holes last week in the Humana Challenge and settled for a 61. He was 7 under through 12 holes on Thursday and then closed with six straight pars for a 64.That gave him a one-shot lead over Keegan Bradley, who made seven birdies in the morning, and Masters champion Bubba Watson, whose tee shot on the 17th hole rolled a few inches from the cup and settled 4 feet away.Woods was in the group ahead of him, and its customary for players to step aside when theyre on the 17th green to let the others hit their tee shots. Woods smiled when Watson approached and told him, Good shot.Watson also got caught up in the crowd, a benefit of playing so close to Woods.I could feel his crowd was really big, Watson said. You could feel it, the energy, even with the weather the way it was. People still showed up. People still had a blast. And obviously, Tiger created a lot of that.Bradley could sense it, too, even though he played on the opposite side of the draw. Bradley finished his round on No. 9 and hit what he thought was a great approach, except that he wasnt sure because no one was clapping. He turned to his caddie and asked him if it went over the green, or maybe even short of the green. And then he walked up to the green and saw it was 10 feet away. Thats when the light came on.Tiger was on the second green. No one was watching me, Bradley said with a laugh. Its just amazing to see the draw that Tiger has. Wow, there was a lot of people.They saw some good golf just not very often from Woods.The crowd rose to its feet as Woods walked from the putting green to the first tee, and the anticipation began to build when the starter announced him as the winner of 79 PGA Tour events and 14 majors. He had 24 wins and five majors the last time he played.And then Woods sent his tee shot off the backyard wall of a house and back into the desert. He made the turn in 39 his age.But he didnt have to chip again on the back nine, played better, hit two great shots (for eagle and birdie) and walked off with reasonable hopes of making it to the weekend. Woods hasnt played much of late from back injuries and recovery time. Even so, he made it clear that it could take time to heal certainly quicker than getting his teeth fixed.

Moscow: Mother of 7 accused of treason for giving details about Russian military movements Posted: MOSCOW (AFP) - A mother of seven has been accused of treason for calling the Ukrainian embassy about Russian troop movements in the latest sign of Moscow attempting to cover up its intervention in its neighbouring state.Svetlana Davydova, 36, was arrested last week by a group of men in black uniforms who burst into her apartment in the town of Vyazma, west of Moscow, her husband Anatoly Gorlov told AFP.She was still breastfeeding their youngest child, a two and a half month old girl, when she was taken away, he said.The woman -- who faces between 12 and 20 years in prison -- is being held at the high-security Lefortovo jail in Moscow, her lawyer Andrei Stebenev told AFP.She called where she was not supposed to call and said what she was not supposed to say, said Stebenev, who has been appointed by the state.He said he could not comment further because the Russian General Staff said details of the case constituted a state secret.He added that the woman managed to keep her composure in detention. She is keeping her chin up.A spokeswoman for Moscows Lefortovo district court confirmed the existence of the secret case.The FSB security service, successor to the Soviet-era KGB, whose investigator is in charge of the case, declined to comment.Davydovas husband told AFP that his wife, who had taken an anti-war stance over the Ukraine conflict, phoned the Ukrainian embassy last April and apparently told them the local military base in Vyazma was empty, suggesting soldiers there had been deployed across the border.She also apparently informed embassy staff she had overheard a serviceman saying troops of the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU, would be sent on a mission.The troops would wear plainclothes and remain away at least until elections.Davydova suspected the troops would be deployed to Ukraine which held presidential elections last May, Gorlov said.The fighting between Moscow-backed separatists and government troops broke out in eastern Ukraine in April.The Kremlin has denied Russian troops have been fighting alongside insurgents.Last year Russia charged an elderly rights activist with fraud after she challenged Moscows denials that its troops were on the ground in Ukraine.Lyudmila Bogatenkova was released in October after an outcry but her criminal case remains open.Davydova has four children with Gorlov and they are also raising three children from his previous marriage.He insisted that his wife did not betray her country.She does not want our military to take part in some kind of plot, Gorlov said, adding that they both opposed Russias seizure of Crimea last March.He said he was told to cooperate with the investigation or risk losing custody of his children.We were in shock, said Davydovas sister, Natalya Gorlova, This is a monstrous mistake.I first thought they were bandits, she added, referring to the men who raided the familys apartment.Vladislav Yusupov, a lawyer and rights activist, said the case was an embarrassment for authorities who have enforced a virtual blackout on any information related to Russias intervention in Ukraine.The opening of this case is an acknowledgement that troops have been deployed to Ukraine.President Vladimir Putin said in December that any Russians fighting in Ukraine had gone there following the call of the heart.The case brings to mind some of the worst excesses of the Soviet repressive machine.When reports of the arrest first appeared online, some appeared reluctant to believe such a case was even possible in modern Russia.There is no war but there are spies, one woman, Tatiana Tutaeva, wrote on Facebook.Opposition lawmaker Dmitry Gudkov said he had requested that the General Prosecutors Office provide more details about the case, while a leader of the opposition party Yabloko, Sergei Mitrokhin, said he had filed an inquiry with the FSB security service.

Nigerian fighter jets bomb town held by Boko Haram: Military Posted: KANO (AFP) - Nigerian fighter jets have bombed the northeast town of Malam Fatori, controlled by Boko Haram Islamists, the military said Thursday.Witnesses and some media reports said troops and airforce planes from neighbouring Chad were involved in the operation on Nigerian soil but Abuja neither confirmed nor denied the claim.There was no initial word on casualties or whether Boko Haram fighters had fled the area.Malam Fatori is within the area of operation covered by the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) of which Chad has always been a part, defence spokesman Chris Olukolade told AFP in a text message.The Nigerian airforce has also been conducting (an) air mission there for two days now, he added. It is all part of the ongoing efforts against terrorism.The MNJTF was set up more than a decade ago to combat smuggling in the remote region but as the Nigerian Islamist insurgency in the area intensified, the mandate of the force changed.Residents in the town of Bosso, which lies next to Malam Fatori but across the border in Niger, said the bombardment began early on Wednesday and lasted for several hours.At around 8:00 am (0700 GMT) we started seeing three military jets encircling Malam Fatori and soon after (they) began dropping bombs, said Idrissa Ari, a Bosso resident.Reaching locals inside Malam Fatori is difficult given the collapse of the mobile phone network on the Nigerian side of the border.The authorities in NDjamena did not respond to requests seeking comment on their alleged involvement in the operation.The Boko Haram uprising has become a regional crisis, with the four directly affected countries -- Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria -- agreeing to boost cooperation to contain the threat.The African Unions annual summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is this week expected to focus heavily on the threat from Boko Haram.AU chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has called the insurgency a threat to the whole continent.A brutal attack this month on the Nigerian town of Baga, near Chad and Niger, killed several hundred people and raised fresh questions about the Nigerian militarys capacity to face Boko Haram alone.An aerial bombardment inside Nigeria by the Chadian airforce, if confirmed, would mark a major development in bilateral security cooperation.While it was unclear whether Chadian troops had begun operating in Nigeria, security sources said soldiers from Chad had arrived in Cameroon ahead of an expected campaign against the Islamists.The first Chadian soldiers were deployed yesterday (Wednesday) in Fotokol, a Cameroonian security source told AFP, requesting anonymity.Fotokol is just 500 meters (0.3 miles) from the Nigerian town of Gamboru, currently controlled by Boko Haram.A senior Cameroonian officer said the deployment was part of preliminary action for the Chadian army to take on Boko Haram alongside troops from Yaounde.The insurgents control large parts of Nigerias Borno state, which shares borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger.Meanwhile, local sources in three areas of Cameroons far north reported that 10 people had their throats slit by suspected Boko Haram militants this week.

Alibaba loses $4.45 revenues expected by analysts Posted: NEW YORK (AFP) - Alibaba shares plunged Thursday as the Chinese e-commerce giants quarterly report showed weaker-than-expected sales growth.Alibaba shares closed down 8.8 percent at $89.77.The online shopping platform posted a 40-percent jump in sales to $4.219 billion, but that missed the $4.45 billion in revenues that analysts were expecting.Net profit for the three months ending December plunged 28 percent to $964 million, while earnings per share rose 13 percent to 81 cents.Alibaba performed very well this quarter, with revenue growing 40 percent year on year, chief financial officer Maggie Wu said in a statement.We continue to execute our focused growth strategy, and the fundamental strength of our business gives us the confidence to invest in new initiatives to add new users, improve engagement and customer experience, expand our products and services and drive long-term shareholder value.But investors and analysts gave a less enthusiastic response.Analyst Youssef Squali at Cantor Fitzgerald called the results mixed and added, While we expect Alibaba to continue to dominate the rapidly growing Chinese e-commerce market for years to come, we believe that near-term predictability of growth and margins has deteriorated given the companys continued transition to mobile and changes to its user experience.China makes up by far its biggest market with sales of $3.429 billion, as Alibaba operates the countrys most popular online shopping platform Taobao.Alibaba meanwhile hit back against unfair Chinese government allegations that it failed to crackdown on illegal transactions.The State Administration for Industry & Commerce (SAIC), charged with maintaining market order in China, Wednesday accused Alibaba of allowing illegal operations to flourish on its online shopping websites and ordered the companys executives to overcome arrogance.The sharp criticism came after a SAIC survey published last week on Taobao that found only about a third of products sampled to be genuine.We believe the flawed approach taken in the report and the tactic of releasing a so-called white paper specifically targeting us was so unfair that we felt compelled to take the extraordinary step of preparing a formal complaint to the SAIC, Alibaba Vice-Chairman Joe Tsai said Thursday.Headquartered in the eastern city of Hangzhou, Alibaba completed the worlds biggest IPO with its $25 billion listing on the New York Stock Exchange in September, making its founder Jack Ma Chinas richest man overnight.Ma, who started the company in 1999, last week told business and political elites gathered in Davos that he wants to take Alibaba beyond China and turn it into a global e-commerce platform serving two billion customers.Alibaba now counts 334 million active buyers.In November, Ma said he planned a global version of Taobao, allowing buyers and sellers in different countries to connect with each other.Taobaos foreign efforts to date have focused mainly on overseas Chinese communities but Alibaba has launched a US shopping website, 11 Main.Although Alibaba is often described as the Chinese version of eBay, it bested the US platform more than a decade ago.Its earnings also far surpass that of US e-commerce giant Amazon.Alibaba has been investing in apps to attract users of mobile devices like smartphones.Revenues generated from such mobile devices leapt five-fold (448 percent) to $1.035 billion for the third quarter, to make up 42 percent of total sales. This figure has been rising steadily, from 36 percent in the previous quarter and from 20 percent one a year ago.Earlier this week, Yahoo, which owns a 15 percent share in Alibaba, announced a spinoff to create a separate investment group to hold that stake worth nearly $40 billion.

PM Nawaz to visit Karachi today Posted: KARACHI (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will reach Karachi today to personally review the law and order situation in the city.The Prime Minister were also chair a high level meeting which will also be attended by Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ebad, Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah and top officials from law enforcement agencies.Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday called Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Babar Ghauri and vowed to console with the family of the deceased MQM worker Sohail Ahmed in person. In a telephonic conversation with Ghauri, PM vowed to address all concerns of MQM.

Google profit jumps, short of market expectations Posted: SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Google on Thursday reported that its profit in the recently ended quarter jumped, but the leap fell short of market expectations.The Internet colossus reported net profit up 41 percent from last year at $4.76 billion in the final three months of last year.Revenues were up 15 percent in the quarter to $18.1 billion, also slower that anticipated as Google saw slowdowns in some of its online advertising metrics such as costs per click.Google shares fell 1.7 percent in after-hours trading on the news.Even though Google is the leader in online advertising and search, it faces increased competition and has been diversifying in services and investing in projects such as Google Glass and self-driving cars.

Health of Saudi blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes worsening: Wife Posted: OTTAWA (AFP) - The health of a Saudi blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam and whose case attracted international concern is worsening, his wife said Thursday.Raef Badawi, who could receive a round of 50 lashes on Friday, is suffering from hypertension and more flogging could weaken him further, his wife told reporters and lawmakers in Ottawa.Raefs health condition is bad and its getting worse. I am very concerned about him, said wife Ensaf Haidar, who sought asylum in Canadas French-speaking province of Quebec with her three children after Badawi was jailed in June 2012.It is impossible for a human being to withstand 50 lashes every week, she added, surrounded by representatives from the Amnesty International charity.Badawi, also sentenced to 10 years in prison, is expected to have 20 weekly whipping sessions until his punishment is complete.He received the first 50 lashes outside a mosque in the Red Sea city of Jeddah on January 9. Two subsequent sessions were postponed due to health concerns.Haidar urged Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to press Saudi authorities to release her husband.Liberal lawmaker Irwin Cotler, Badawis international legal counsel, denounced what he called a standing violation of Saudi Arabias obligations under international law, a frontal assault on the fundamental freedoms of religion and speech.

US warns Russia to mull fresh sanctions over Ukraine issue Posted: WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States warned Russia on Thursday that it is mulling fresh sanctions over the fighting in Ukraine and welcomed an EU move to broaden existing measures imposed on Moscow.State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the agreement by EU foreign ministers to expand existing European sanctions is just a further sign that the actions of the last several days and weeks are absolutely unacceptable and that there will be new consequences put in place.The move in Brussels, where EU foreign ministers were meeting, was building on a large sanctions effort thats been going on for months now, Psaki said, dubbing Thursdays announcement a positive step.She had no prediction about when the next round of US sanctions would come into force, or who would be targeted.Sometimes we add names, sometimes we add sectors or companies, and thats the same thing for the EU, Psaki said.Well continue to consider others that we could add.Earlier this week President Barack Obama pledged to increase pressure on Russia and, in cooperation with US allies including Europe, to look at other options to tackle the issue.I will look at all additional options that are available to us, short of military confrontation, and try to address this issue, he said.Psaki also condemned intensifying attacks on Debaltseve, in eastern Ukraine, where rebels have almost surrounded the town.The town lies 13 kilometers (about eight miles) beyond the ceasefire line set in a September accord, she said.Over the past week, the separatists have fired countless rockets at the city, killing and wounding scores of innocent people and prompting the Ukrainian government and local NGOs to organize a city-wide evacuation, Psaki told reporters.There can also be no mistake about Russias role in the escalation of violence, she said, adding Moscow had equipped the separatists with tanks, armored vehicles, heavy artillery, rocket systems and other military equipment.

South Korean: State report shows industry output rose 3% in Dec Posted: SEOUL (AFP) - South Korean industrial output rose 3.0 percent in December from a month earlier for a second consecutive monthly increase, state data showed Friday.Thanks to increases in automobiles, semiconductor memory chips and their parts and components, the industrial output grew for the second straight month, Statistics Korea said.From a year earlier, industrial output in December was up 0.4 percent.The increase in production in the mining, manufacturing, gas and electricity industries followed a 1.3 percent on-month rise in November.For the whole of 2014, industrial output was flat from a year earlier, as growth in auto and metals was offset by cuts in transport machinery and video, audio and telecom equipment.The service sector remained flat on-month but expanded three percent from a year earlier.

UN to open inquiry into killings in northern Mali Posted: UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will open an inquiry into the fatal shootings allegedly by UN troops of three protesters during demonstrations in northern Mali, his spokesman said Thursday.Witnesses said the three Malians were shot in Gao by UN troops during protests on Tuesday against a UN plan to assert control over an area north of the town.Ban said he was saddened by the violence and that an inquiry would determine the facts surrounding this tragic incident, spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.The UN mission MINUSMA initially denied it was behind the deaths but later said it would investigate to establish its role in the violence.A UN peacekeeping official said UN police forces used tear gas and fired warning shots in the air, but it is unclear how the three protesters were killed.The protesters were angry about a UN plan to create a buffer zone in the northern town of Tabankort, which they said would undermine loyalist armed groups fighting rebels in the area.The UN official said the plan was under discussion and leaked by one side apparently to whip up tensions ahead of a new round of peace talks on northern Mali starting in Algiers on February 8.The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident underscored the low level of trust between the multiple factions seeking a settlement to end the violence in northern Mali.Tabankort is part of a large swathe of desert which is the cradle of a Tuareg separatist movement that wants an independent homeland it calls Azawad, and from which several rebellions have been launched since the 1960s.Mali descended into crisis in January 2012 when an insurgency by Tuareg rebels led to a coup in the capital Bamako. Militants linked to Al-Qaeda then overpowered the Tuareg to seize control of Malis northern desert.A French-led military operation launched in January 2013 drove the extremists into the bush, while the Tuareg rebels remain active throughout the northeast of the country.The Islamists also remain active, launching attacks on UN forces, with 34 peacekeepers killed since MINUSMA was deployed in July 2013 - the highest toll for any UN peace mission.Malis President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita scrapped plans to attend an African Union summit to visit Gao on Thursday.

Sydney: Clarke to bat local game after hamstring surgery Posted: SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia captain Michael Clarke will bat in a local game this weekend as he embarks on a gradual return to competitive cricket in a bid to be fully fit for the World Cup after hamstring surgery.Cricket Australia said the 33-year-old, who also suffers from a chronic degenerative back condition, would turn out for Sydneys Western Suburbs on Saturday and Sunday.Then, if all goes well, for a Cricket Australia XI against a Bangladesh XI on February 5, adding a limited fielding capacity to his batting.He remains on track for a return in Australias second ICC Cricket World Cup match on 21 February, a statement said Friday.Michael is making good progress following his injury and the subsequent surgery six weeks ago, said physiotherapist Alex Kountouris.Clarke had surgery in December after badly tearing his right hamstring during the first Test against India.That ruled him out of the following three Tests and threatened his involvement in the world one-day tournament which begins on February 14 in Australia and New Zealand.Kountouris said Clarke was on track to play the second match of Australias World Cup campaign against Bangladesh in Brisbane on February 21.Clarke said the weekend knock was a positive step on my road to a return to full fitness.It is exciting to be at this stage where I can consider walking onto a cricket field again ... the signs are positive.I know I need to take things one step and one day at a time and so, for now, all I am doing is focusing on things day by day and with a belief in a positive outcome.The news came after a week of headlines suggesting Clarke was on a collision course with Cricket Australia over World Cup selection if he failed to regain fitness in time.Fairfax Media has also reported that the team are very settled and successful under laid-back young stand-in captain Steve Smith, raising questions about whether the more aggressive Clarke would get his place back.A Cricket Australia XI will also play against the Bangladeshis on February 3 as part of the tourists build up to the World Cup.

Tokyo: Stocks up at least 1.04% Posted: TOKYO (AFP) - Tokyo stocks opened 1.04 percent higher on Friday, helped by gains on Wall Street and the dollars rise against the yen.The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange rose 182.52 points to 17,788.74 at the start.Investors seemed to largely shrug off Japanese government data released early Friday showing consumer inflation slowed for a fifth straight month in December with household spending falling.In New York on Thursday the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 1.31 percent after two days of losses, following generally solid corporate earnings and a gain in oil prices.The dollar rose against the yen on upbeat expectations for the first estimate of fourth-quarter US gross domestic product, due out Friday.The dollar was at 118.25 yen early Friday, slightly down from 118.34 yen in New York Thursday afternoon but still up from 117.70 yen in Tokyo earlier Thursday.A weak yen is positive for Japanese exporters as it makes them more competitive abroad and inflates profits when repatriated.The euro bought $1.1327 and 133.91 yen against $1.1317 and 133.93 yen in US trade.

Targeted operation to continue in Karachi: DG Rangers Posted: KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, Director General (DG) Rangers, Major General Bilal Akbar has said that targeted operation will continue without any discrimination in Karachi.This was decided in a high level meeting which was presided over by DG Rangers on Thursday. It was also agreed in the meeting to ensure protection of citizens, traders and industrialists.DG Rangers also urged the people to inform at Rangers helpline about any suspicious activity. He further said that the name of the informer will be kept secret.

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