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Sunday, March 1, 2015

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Dunya TV

Ukrainian photojournalist killed in shelling in restive east

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ARTEMIVSK, Ukraine: (AP) - A Ukrainian photojournalist was killed in shelling in eastern Ukraine on Saturday as the cease-fire deal brokered by Western leaders seems to fail to silence the guns completely.Fighting between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops has killed more than 5,600 people, displaced more than 1 million others and left the countrys industrial heartland in ruins.Despite the cease-fire declared earlier this month, fighting regularly erupts across the region.Serhiy Nikolayev, a staff photographer for the Segodnya newspaper, was killed Saturday in the village of Pisky on the Ukrainian side of the front, according to Kateryna Perepelitsa, an editor at the paper.Perepelitsa told The Associated Press that Nikolayev was injured in an artillery strike, was taken to the hospital in Krasnoarmiysk, about 45 kilometers (30 miles) west, and died of his wounds on arrival.Nikolayev, who was based in the capital, Kiev, is the seventh journalist to have been killed in eastern Ukraine since the conflict began in April.The newspapers editor insisted, however, that Nikolayev wasnt there on assignment, but refused to elaborate. Few Ukrainian media officially send their staffers to the east on assignment, with many going to the region on their own to operate as freelancers for their employers or other media.Pisky is just north of the airport in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk. Artillery strikes in the area have been reported in recent days although they have subsided since the airport fell to the rebels in late January.The situation across the region otherwise appeared calm. The city hall in Donetsk reported no fighting on Saturday or on Friday, while sporadic shelling was heard in the background in the town of Popasna on Saturday afternoon.

Lithuania signs US deal to replace Russian gas

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VILNIUS (AFP) - Lithuania said Saturday it had signed a trade agreement to buy liquified natural gas from the United States in a move aimed at reducing the EU Baltic states heavy dependence on Russian gas deliveries.Under the deal with Houston-based Chenier Energy company, the first LNG fuel is expected to arrive in Lithuania as early as next year, state-owned company Litgas said in a statement.This agreement entered into with Cheniere ... will provide us access to the prolific US natural gas market, Litgas General Manager Dominykas Tuckus said.Lithuanias first floating LNG terminal started commercial activity in January, becoming the first such facility to sever Moscows grip on gas deliveries to the Baltic states.The nation of three million will initially import 0.54 billion cubic metres of gas from Statoil in 2015, covering about one-fifth of its demand.The first US LNG export terminal is expected to starts its operations later this year.The Baltic states reliance on Russia for gas is a legacy of its five decades of Soviet rule, which ended in 1991.Members of the EU and NATO since 20014, Lithuania and fellow Baltic states Latvia and Estonia are concerned about Russias actions in Ukraine and fear that Moscow could attempt to destabilise its Soviet-era Baltic backyard.LNG exports by the US may weaken the position of Russia which uses its energy resources as an energy weapon to blackmail countries dependent on Russian gas, Lithuanias Energy Minister Rokas Masiulis said this week.

Businessman charged with defrauding billionaire AS Monaco owner

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MONACO (AFP) - A prominent Swiss businessman was on Saturday charged in connection with an alleged art fraud targeting Russian oligarch and football club owner Dmitry Rybolovlev.Yves Bouvier, who faces charges of fraud and money laundering, is suspected of having sold Rybolovlev dozens of paintings by Picasso, Modigliani, Gauguin and other masters for inflated prices with the help of false documents.Prosecutors have not revealed the amount of the alleged fraud.A Russian-speaking Swiss woman living in Monaco was also charged with money laundering.Both were granted bail after being taken into custody for questioning in the case.Bouvier is the head of Natural Le Coultre, a family business that stores, packs and ships works of art and other valuables.Rybolovlev moved to Monaco in 2011, where he bought a controlling stake in AS Monaco -- a prestigious football club that had then been relegated to the second division, and which he whipped back into shape.He is considered the worlds 160th wealthiest person according to Forbes, with a fortune estimated at $8.5 billion (7.6 billion euros).According to a source close to the case, Bouvier created false documents when arranging the sale of art works to the Rybolovlev family that bumped up the actual price asked by the sellers. The businessman, who was paid a commission for serving as middleman, allegedly kept the difference without the family knowing.The alleged accomplice, a friend of the Rybolovlev family, is suspected of being secretly paid by Bouvier once the sales were complete.Rybolovlev made headlines last year when a Swiss court awarded his ex-wife the equivalent of half of his fortune in their divorce.The Russian oligarch has an estate in the southern French resort of Saint Tropez, owns the Greek island of Skorpios, which he bought from the Onassis dynasty, a villa in Miami that previously belonged to business magnate Donald Trump, and one in Hawaii that was purchased from Hollywood star Will Smith

Substitute Crouch scores winner for Stoke vs Hull

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HULL, England: (AP) - Peter Crouch scored the winner a minute after coming off the bench as Stoke defeated Hull 1-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.Crouch made an instant impact at the Britannia Stadium after being thrown on with 20 minutes to go.The striker rose in the box to meet a delivery from fellow substitute Charlie Adam and send a header over Allan McGregor into the net for his ninth goal of the season and fourth in four appearances in all competitions.Adam following his introduction at halftime went close to breaking the deadlock in the 58th minute with a free kick that whistled narrowly wide.Its the sixth win in 11 league games for 10th-placed Stoke, while Hulls recent unbeaten run has been halted at three games.

Football: Rooney fires Man United after Brown goes red

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MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) - Wayne Rooney scored twice as Manchester United beat Sunderland 2-0 on Saturday in a game notable for referee Roger Easts error in sending off the wrong visiting player.Sunderland kept the hosts at bay until the 64th minute, when East correctly adjudged that Radamel Falcao had been brought down in the area by former United defender John OShea.But the referee inexplicably decided that fellow centre-back Wes Brown had made the telling foul and showed him a straight red card before Rooney clinically converted the penalty low into the bottom-left corner.The England forwards second goal came six minutes from time when a shot by substitute Adnan Januzaj was parried by Costel Pantilimon and Rooney stooped to head in, unopposed, from six yards.Victory sent United up to third place in the Premier League table, two points above Arsenal, having played a game more.Rooneys goals, his 10th and 11th of the season, were particularly welcome given another sub-par performance by Louis van Gaals side, and particularly record signing Angel di Maria.The first half was one of frustration for United and their supporters, seeking to bounce back after defeat at Swansea City last weekend, with the hosts perhaps able to count themselves lucky not to have fallen behind.Just six minutes had gone when Di Maria was dispossessed by Patrick van Aanholt, whose pass allowed Connor Wickham to advance from just inside the United half.He reached the edge of the area before shooting and his low shot was well saved by United goalkeeper David de Gea.Moments later, Rooney was caught in possession by Lee Cattermole, leading to an 18-yard Jermain Defoe shot that flew just over.In similar fashion, Falcao lost the ball to Brown to set another Sunderland counter-attack in motion, this time ending in a Defoe shot that De Gea saved comfortably.It was an uninspiring start from United, although Rooney threatened early, heading wide from eight yards at a Di Maria corner, and OShea might have been punished after tangling in the area with Falcao.By the mid-point of the first half, a badly aimed Ashley Young corner ended with United passing the ball all the way back to their own goalkeeper, causing consternation and jeers among their supporters.But United began to threaten, with Young controlling an Antonio Valencia cross on his chest and turning a powerful shot towards goal that was deflected onto the crossbar by OShea.Rooney also had a free-kick punched over by Pantilimon and Marcos Rojo saw a scrambled attempt blocked near the line by Sebastian Larsson.Di Maria had endured a miserable first half and it was no surprise that Van Gaal opted to replace him at the interval, with young winger Januzaj thrown on in an attempt to enliven proceedings.Soon after the restart, Chris Smallings driven cross was headed back by Falcao for Rojo, whose shot flashed just over and Januzaj was on hand, after Anthony Reveillere headed clear, to drive an effort high.The penalty and red card drama naturally reduced Sunderlands ambition and hopes of taking anything home with them from their visit to Old Trafford.Januzaj, in particular, seemed eager to take advantage of their fatigue and after twice forcing Pantilimon into action, he let fly with the shot that yielded Rooneys second goal.

8 convicted over Harry Winston jewel heists in Paris

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PARIS: (AP) - Eight people have been convicted in connection with a spectacular 2008 holdup at a Harry Winston jewelry shop in Paris, in which three cross-dressing gunmen stole about $92 million in loot, a defense lawyer said Saturday.Lawyer Philippe Stepniewski said sentences ranged from nine months to 15 years in prison with the heaviest penalty handed to Douadi Yahiaoui, a 50-year-old repeat offender and alleged ringleader of the heist.In the robbery, the gunmen wore silky wigs, skirts, stockings and high heels, and took less than 20 minutes to steal hundreds of jewelry pieces and watches.The eight were convicted late Friday on charges including armed robbery in an organized gang, criminal association, and receiving stolen goods in the 2008 heist, and another a year earlier at the same store. In that one, thieves dressed as building painters slipped in through the stores service entrance. All told, authorities estimated the two heists netted over 100 million euros ($113 million) in luxury watches, necklaces, earrings and other valuables.Stepniewskis client, Mouloud Djennad, was a security guard at the Harry Winston store and an inside accomplice who tipped off the thieves to the amount of the bounty inside, according to court documents. Djennad received a two-year prison sentence, and was one of two defendants in the case to be released for time served, the lawyer said.Many of the jewels havent been found. Some turned up after police detained 25 people in a 2009 sweep. Two years later, 19 rings and three sets of earrings worth some 18 million euros ($20 million) were dug out from a Paris-area rain sewer near Yahiaouis house hidden in a plastic container set in a cement mold.Over the years, France has faced a number of brazen jewelry robberies, including three in the southern resort town of Cannes in 2013. In one of those, a lone gunman sneaked into a posh hotel, held up a diamond show, and made off with a breathtaking $136 million worth of valuables in about one minute.

Afghan president pledges relief fund for avalanche victims

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KABUL (AFP) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Saturday pledged to set up a relief fund for the victims of avalanches that claimed over 280 lives, and called for international help with the relief effort.Avalanches killed at least 286 people across Afghanistan last week, the bulk of the them in the mountainous province of Panjshir, around 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Kabul.Some 1,250 homes were also destroyed by the huge sheets of snow, which engulfed whole villages as they swept down from the Afghan peaks after days of heavy blizzards.The losses caused by this natural disaster are huge and there is a need for massive assistance, Ghani said in a televised address.On Saturday, the president announced three days of national mourning after visiting worst-hit Panjshir province, where at least 195 people lost their lives.He also postponed a planned trip to neighbouring Iran to try to help with relief efforts.Neighbouring Pakistan on Saturday sent two plane-loads of emergency relief goods for victims of the disaster.I have ordered the relevant authorities to set up a new relief fund, so that the people and the national entrepreneurs can donate to the affected people, said Ghani.We also open a relief fund for international assistance. The damages and losses caused are so huge that dealing with it is not something the government can afford on its own, he said.The blizzards have also cut power supplies to Kabul and neighbouring provinces after heavy snowfall damaged cables running through the Salang Pass, part of the Hindu Kush mountain range that connects the capital to the north.Afghan authorities said it will take them at least three weeks to restore normal power to the capital.Deadly avalanches are common in Afghanistans mountainous areas in winter. One in the remote far northeast in 2012 left 145 people missing, presumed dead.Despite the billions of dollars in aid from the international community after the collapse of the Taliban in 2001, Afghanistan remains among the worlds poorest nations after decades of conflict.Rescue efforts after disasters such as avalanches and flash floods, which often hit as snow melt in the spring, are frequently hampered by lack of equipment.Poor infrastructure makes it difficult for rescue teams to reach isolated areas.

Maldives opposition resolves to continue protests

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: (AP) - An opposition lawmaker in the Maldives says her party has resolved to continue protests in the streets and in parliament until the government frees a former president and current opposition leader from police detention.Eva Abdulla says her Maldivian Democratic Party and another ally decided Saturday that Mohamed Nasheed, the Indian Ocean archipelago nations first democratically elected president, must be released immediately.Nasheed was arrested this past week for his alleged role in the 2012 arrest of a senior judge while he was president. The prosecution has accused him of kidnapping Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed in 2012 and has charged him under the countrys anti-terrorism law.Thousands of opposition supporters paraded in the streets of the capital, Male, on Friday demanding Nasheeds release.

Greek PM vows no retreat in battle with creditors

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ATHENS (AFP) - Greeces premier on Saturday vowed no surrender in his battle with the countrys creditors and accused other eurozone stragglers of trying to undermine its negotiations with Brussels.The battle will continue, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told the central committee of his hard-left Syriza party. Anybody thinking that we are going to go away will be disappointed.Tsipras said that in the talks that landed Greece a four-month extension to its bailout on Tuesday, the pressure from certain other European countries had the character of blackmail.Conservative forces (in Europe) tried to set a trap for us, to drive us into financial asphyxia, the 40-year-old said.But Athens would not retreat from the difficulties or from our own principles, he vowed.According to Tsipras, Greece came up against an axis of powers led by Spain and Portugal who tried to scupper the negotiations to avoid internal political risks.His remarks were seen as a reference to the rise of anti-austerity parties in Spain and Portugal, who have been buoyed by Syrizas arrival to power.In Spain, which did not receive a full bailout but whose banks got emergency support in 2012, Podemos, a close Syriza ally, is leading polls ahead of general elections expected later this year.Syriza won January elections on a promise to ease the hardship caused by past government spending cuts imposed in return for two bailouts in 2010 and 2012.Tsipras reiterated Friday that once the current bailout expires on June 30 there would be no third memorandum as the previous agreements tying aid to spending cuts are known.Is it unclear, however, whether Tsipras can avoid another rescue package.His government of social salvation faces a major challenge in keeping both voters and Greeces international creditors happy by providing relief for the poor while also keeping government spending in check.Thursday saw the first protests in Athens since the bailout extension, with several hundred anti-capitalists and anarchists taking to the streets, some smashing shop windows and setting fire to rubbish bins.Greece, whose two bailouts are worth 240 billion euros ($270 billion) must also repay billions of euros in debt maturing in the coming months.Tsipras has said he wants to renegotiate the countrys 320-billion-euro debt pile, despite fierce opposition, particularly in Germany, to any new debt haircut.Meanwhile, Greeces nascent recovery from six straight years of recession also looks in trouble, with official data on Friday showing a contraction of 0.4 percent in the fourth quarter.Initial estimates had forecast a 0.2 percent drop in gross domestic product.After winning four months of breathing space from its creditors, the government now has until the end of April to provide them with more details of its reform programme in order to receive the final bailout tranche.A list of reforms submitted by Athens this week, which focused on tackling tax evasion and excessive bureaucracy, was described by German Chancellor Angela Merkel as just a starting point.Germanys parliament approved the bailout extension Friday, despite a minor rebellion by members of Merkels party, surveys suggesting German voter unease and the countrys Bild daily saying greedy Greece should get no more money.On Saturday, Yanis Varoufakis, Greeces maverick new finance minister, promised no pity in tackling tax evasion and said that the government might impose a one-off levy on the rich to help fill government coffers.What interests us is those who have money but who have never paid (tax). They are our target and we will show no pity, Varoufakis told the TV channel Skai.Tsipras said Friday the government would table legislation early next week aimed at alleviating poverty and putting the country of 11 million on a more equitable road to recovery.His plans include free electricity for 300,000 poor families, housing for 30,000 people and measures to protect people at risk of losing their homes.

US envoy in Syria to seek Aleppo truce

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DAMASCUS (AFP) - A UN envoy arrived in the Syrian capital Saturday for talks with the regime to try to finalise a deal to freeze fighting in the war-ravaged second city of Aleppo.Staffan de Mistura visited Damascus as the army and pro-regime fighters regained territory in southern Syria from forces opposed to President Bashar al-Assad.De Mistura hopes to set in motion as soon as possible his project to halt fighting in Aleppo for six weeks, said a member of his delegation who spoke on condition of anonymity.The envoy has met government officials and opposition chiefs in recent weeks to promote his plan for a temporary truce in Aleppo in order to move aid into the northern city.Once Syrias commercial hub, Aleppo has been devastated by fighting that began in mid-2012, and the city is now split between loyalist forces and rebels.Last week De Mistura said the government had shown a willingness to suspend aerial bombardment of Aleppo for six weeks to allow a humanitarian ceasefire.Under the plan, rebels would be asked to suspend rocket and mortar fire there during the freeze.De Mistura incurred the wrath of the opposition earlier in February by describing Assad as part of the solution to the conflict.About 220,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests that spiralled into a multi-sided civil war drawing foreign jihadists.In Daraa province southwest of Damascus, regime troops backed by Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, Iranian advisers and Iraqi militiamen gained territory from opposition rebels and Al-Nusra Front, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday.The pro-regime forces took control of three villages and several hills in Daraa in clashes that left seven rebels dead, the Britain-based monitor said.Hezbollah and regime forces launched an operation earlier this month to try to reverse sweeping gains in the south made by anti-Assad rebels and Al-Qaedas Syria affiliate Al-Nusra Front.The strategically important region is near Damascus, the border with Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.The Observatory estimates that 5,000 Hezbollah fighters are deployed in Syria.Iran has also acknowledged sending military advisers and high-ranking officers from the elite Revolutionary Guard to help its ally Assad.In northern Syria meanwhile, dozens of people were killed in fierce fighting that broke out on Friday between Al-Nusra Front and US-backed rebels for a strategic northern military base.At least 29 fighters from the Western-armed Hazm movement died along with six Al-Nusra Front jihadists, according to the Observatory.Al-Nusra captured Base 46, said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.Base 46 is a sprawling military compound that rebels seized in November 2012 from troops loyal to Assad.The Observatory also reported that a court of the Islamic State group near Tal Tamr in Hasakeh province had ordered the release of 28 Assyrian Christians out of a group of at least 220 abducted by the jihadists this week.De Misturas visit to Damascus coincides with a meeting of the main opposition National Coalition in the Turkish border town of Kilis to discuss the Aleppo freeze plan, an alliance spokesman said.Those at the meeting -- including coalition chief Khaled Khoja, opposition figures and representatives of Aleppos civil society -- would declare a position on De Misturas proposal.It would run into Sunday and conclude with an announcement on the creation of a follow-up committee that will make contact with De Mistura about his project, said the spokesman.When he revealed his plan this month, De Mistura said he had asked the Syrian government to allow a UN team into Aleppo to identify a district for a trial ceasefire.Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad told Al-Watan newspaper that the envoy suggested the trial begin simultaneously in the Salaheddin and Saif al-Dawla neighbourhoods.The two battleground districts in southwestern Aleppo are divided between loyalist forces and rebels.French parliamentarians who met Assad on Wednesday have said the embattled leader expressed support for the plan which De Mistura has been mulling since his appointment in July.

Reichelt leads Austrian World Cup downhill sweep

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GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany: (AP) - Hannes Reichelt led an Austrian sweep of a shortened downhill race on the Kandahar slope for his 10th career World Cup victory on Saturday.Reichelt, the super-G world champion, had been quickest in both training sessions and he completed the course in 1 minute, 11.90 seconds, edging Romed Baumann by one hundredth of a second and Matthias Mayer by 0.24 seconds.Its wonderful, also to tick off the Kandahar, said Reichelt, who claimed silver in the super-G at the 2011 Worlds in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Id have liked if it had been the longer course because the Kandahar offers everything - difficult turns and long straights.The challenging course was shortened to the super-G starting point after several delays due to persistent fog.Mayer had been bidding for three straight victories after winning both the downhill and super-G at Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, last weekend but the Olympic downhill champion had to skip Fridays training session due to a cold.I had man flu - it lasted three days. So I was actually quite happy that the course was shortened, Mayer said.Italys Silvano Varettoni and Dominik Paris were fourth and fifth, respectively.Downhill leader Kjetil Jansrud missed the opportunity to pressure overall leader Marcel Hirscher after finishing a disappointing three-quarters of a second off the pace in joint-19th.For us its better to race than call it off and thats why we have to accept the shorter course, said Jansrud, who shrugged his shoulders and shook his head with disappointment.I had a good start but then made a couple of minor mistakes, which isnt ideal. Of course Im annoyed because were talking about the overall World Cup, the Norwegian said.Technical specialist Hirscher, who is attempting to become the first man to win four consecutive overall titles, does not race downhill, and the Austrian holds a commanding 104-point lead over Jansrud ahead of Sundays giant slalom.The three of us stole a few points from Kjetil with our triple success, said Baumann, referring to the Austrian dominance. Now we have to work out with Marcel what our reward is and see what springs out of it for us.With two downhills remaining, Reichelt narrowed the gap on Jansrud in the discipline standings to 84 points, while Paris is 112 behind.Marco Sullivan was the highest-placed American, 0.39 behind in sixth, ahead of Austrians Vincent Riechmayr and Georg Streitberger, while fellow U.S. skiers Steven Nyman, Travis Ganong and Andrew Weibrecht were 17th, 22nd and 33rd, respectively.Downhill world champion Patrick Kueng of Switzerland finished 12th.It seemed nobody but the cold-afflicted Mayer was happy there was less distance to ski.Unfortunately the cool part of the course was cut out through the shortening - thats where you have to risk everything, said Austrias Max Franz, who was 10th. Its a pity because the course is really in a great condition.

Dress that 'greatly resembles' stolen Nyong'o gown recovered

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LOS ANGELES: (AP) - A white dress that strongly resembles the custom gown taken from Lupita Nyongos hotel room earlier this week turned up Friday under a bathroom sink in the same hotel, a Los Angeles County Sheriffs official said.The dress found at a West Hollywood hotel greatly resembles the pearl-adorned Calvin Klein Collection by Francisco Costa dress the actress wore to Sundays Academy Awards, sheriffs spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said.Detectives were trying to verify whether the recovered dress is the same one Nyongo wore, she said.One of the actress representatives reported the dress was stolen from her room at the London Hotel late Wednesday.Authorities placed its value at $150,000, although experts say it could have fetched more on the black market.In a statement to Womens Wear Daily, Costa said everyone at Calvin Klein was thrilled to learn that the dress may have been found.Once its returned to us, we will be able to have the dress restored and archived, as it now represents an important moment for the brand, Costa said in his statement.The recovery of the dress was first reported by TMZ.com, which said that a person claiming to have taken the gown gave the celebrity website information about where to find the dress.Detectives found it in a black garment bag stashed underneath the bathroom counter.Nyongo won an Oscar in 2014 for her role in Twelve Years a Slave and was a presenter at Sundays ceremony.Im happy that it has been potentially recovered, Nyongo said in the statement to Womens Wear Daily. Its a timeless and priceless piece of art.The 31-year-old actress has become a darling of Hollywoods red carpets in the past two years, with commenters and fans praising her fashion choices. She accessorized the dress with Chopard diamond earrings and diamond rings.There are a lot of collectors out there who are very private and have private collections of stolen merchandise, said style expert and fashion commentator Mary Alice Stephenson. Some of these dresses have global fame as big as any Van Gogh.

Isolated skimishes hamper Ukraine truce

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KIEV (AFP) - Ukraine announced the completion of an initial phase of military pullback in east Ukraine Saturday as isolated clashes rattled a shaky truce with pro-Russian rebels and observers warned the country was at a crossroads.Ukraine said Saturday that isolated clashes were rattling a shaky truce with pro-Russian rebels after international monitors warned that the conflict in the country stands at a crossroads.Kiev military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said that fighting had halted along most of the frontline but rebels were attacking government positions around Donetsk airport, one of the most fiercely contested locations in the conflict.No soldiers were reported killed over the past 24 hours, after Kiev said Friday that three servicemen had died after several days without a fatality.The two warring sides both said that they were continuing the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front -- a key next step in a stuttering European-brokered peace plan to end fighting that has cost at least 5,800 lives since April.Ukraines military told AFP that it had completed the first stage of the withdrawal by pulling back its 100-mm cannons and was waiting for the order to start moving bigger calibre weapons.Rebels claim they have already shifted the bulk of their heavy arms.But while monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have reported weapons movements on most sides they say it is too early to confirm a full pull-back.As the fragile peace deal seemed to gain traction, the OSCEs envoy to Ukraine told the UN Security Council on Friday that while there were encouraging signs, the country still risked all-out war.We seem to be at the crossroads, where we are facing the risk of a further escalation of the conflict or where common sense, responsibility, and humanity shall prevail and we may be able to walk on the road to peace, envoy Heidi Tagliavini told the 15-member council.The Security Councils meeting on the conflict came a year to the day after Russian and pro-Moscow forces began occupying strategic sites on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.Russia formally annexed the territory in March 2014, triggering an international furore. The uprising in Ukraines east began the following month.The UN said Friday there was a crisis in rebel-held areas, where people were living in extraordinarily difficult circumstances.We really do have a humanitarian crisis in the separatist-held areas, UN aid coordinator in Ukraine Neal Walker said in Brussels.Weve been really hoping that the ceasefire will hold over time and that that will enable us to respond more rapidly to those critical humanitarian needs, said Walker, as the UN this week launched an appeal for $316 million in humanitarian aid.The UN estimates 4.7 million people in or near the combat zones need help while another 300,000 people have fled to other parts of the country and a million abroad.Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko cautioned Friday that the withdrawal of heavy weapons was just a first, test step.At any moment our soldiers are ready to return our weapons to their previous positions and rebuff the enemy, he told a group of soldiers.Kiev accuses Russia of continuing to pile in weapons and men to bolster the rebels and Poroshenko warned that even if the peace held, Russia would continue to threaten Ukraine.Even if there is a lengthy truce that leads to a political solution and long-term peace, the military threat from the east will unfortunately remain.Russias annexation of Crimea sparked the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War.The West is hoping the UN-backed truce deal negotiated by Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France in Minsk earlier this month can prevent a further escalation.The United States and European Union have warned Russia -- which has been hit by successive rounds of sanctions over Ukraine -- could face fresh economic punishment if the peace process unravels.Moscow has itself ratcheted up the pressure by warning it could cut off gas supplies to Ukraine -- and, by extension, to parts of the EU.Moscow last year cut off gas deliveries to Ukraine before turning the taps back on in December after making cash-strapped Kiev pay in advance for its supplies.

UK's first 'anti-Islamisation' rally dwarfed by counter-demo

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NEWCASTLE, United Kingdom (AFP) - An estimated 375 people turned out for the Germany-based PEGIDA movements first demonstration in Britain on Saturday, but were outnumbered by a 2,000-strong crowd of counter-protesters, police said.PEGIDA has drawn large crowds in Germany to protest against what it calls the Islamisation of Europe, and small demonstrations have also taken place in Austria and Sweden.Police in the city of Newcastle, northeast England, said five men were arrested during the days events but insisted these were isolated incidents, and said both the PEGIDA march and the Newcastle Unites protest passed off smoothly.It was not clear from which sides the five arrested men came from. Their alleged offences included assault, being drunk and disorderly, and breach of the peace.Extra police had been deployed in the city, which was also hosting a Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Aston Villa, and had kept the two sides apart.One steward said there was a brief scuffle involving members of far-right groups which temporarily damaged PEGIDAs PA system, but no wider disturbances.Both demonstrations passed without any problems, Police Chief Superintendent Laura Young said.PEGIDAs spokeswoman in Britain, Marion Rogers, earlier insisted that the group was not racist or against Muslims.Its about integration. We are not anti-Islam. We are not here to split up any communities, she told the BBC.Weve invited Muslims to join us against extremism, extremism of any kind. I dont think its wrong to stand up to terrorism. Is that hate?PEGIDA -- which stands for the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West -- drew up to 25,000 people in German street rallies last month.Among those attending the counter-rally in Newcastle was left-wing firebrand lawmaker George Galloway.It is absolutely extraordinary that a German organisation sets up in the UK -- its not as if there is a lack of right-wing nutter organisations here, he said beforehand.They have got to be opposed, wherever they are.The English Defence League, a homegrown British group that protested against the perceived threat from Islamic extremism, held a number of protests throughout 2013, which often ended in clashes with anti-fascist demonstrators.But the group has lost momentum since its leader Tommy Robinson quit in October that year, saying he could no longer keep extremist elements in the group at bay.

FIFA wary on video tech, calling it 'biggest decision ever'

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HOLYROOD, Northern Ireland: (AP) - There is no prospect of referees being allowed to defer to video replays soon, with soccers rule-makers saying more information on the technology is required before in-game trials can go ahead.Although the International Football Association Board took the groundbreaking decision in 2012 to allow high-tech aids to rule on disputed goals, the FIFA panel wont rush into expanding the use of technology.The Dutch federation has been testing technology where officials watching on television could feed live information to referees but there now wont be official trials.FIFA is cautious about allowing technology to help to decide on such decisions as red cards and penalties.Its a question of making the biggest decision ever in the way football is played, FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke said.It needs a lot of discussion, in terms of what we are looking at. We talked about the fact if the referee relies on information he is getting (from the video referee), is there a risk that the referees become not as strong as they are today because they will always ask for confirmation of any decision in the course of the game?The English Football Association, which holds one of the eight IFAB votes, has been pushing for greater use of technology. After years of lobbying for goal-line technology, the FA gained FIFA approval following a glaring error at the 2010 World Cup when Englands Frank Lampard was denied a clear goal.Instead of waiting until you get a Frank Lampard to change the rules, as with goal-line technology, we should go on the front foot, Dyke said, advocating trials.I think were going to look back in 20 years time and say, Wasnt it quaint that we didnt use video technology when it was available.But IFAB did agree in principle to relax the so-called triple punishment rule where a player can make a challenge that results in a penalty kick, a red card and suspension. Now FIFAs disciplinary and legal committees will look at the feasibility of removing the automatic one-match ban in these cases.IFAB did agree that this punishment is too harsh and that we must find a solution to the matter, said Patrick Nelson, chief executive of the Irish FA, which was hosting the meeting.A proposal to allow an additional fourth substitute in extra time was not approved, but will be looked at in further depth by IFABs advisory panels.IFAB includes delegates from the four British football associations and FIFA. Since last year, it takes advice from panels of technical and football experts selected from across the world.

Posted by IMRAN ALI SOOMRO (DARVESH) at 3/01/2015 08:35:00 AM

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