newsviwes: July 2013

Wednesday 31 July 2013

Old newspaper era is over: Obama

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama acknowledged the problems facing the US newspaper industry on Wednesday, ironically in an interview that was distributed via online retail giant Amazon's Kindle e-reader.
With the Internet dominant and print sales in decline, Obama said traditional media was grappling with a new reality and, much like the manufacturing and retail sectors, the old way of doing business was gone forever."People trying to get into the middle class are having a tougher and tougher time," Obama said.

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has formed a high-level investigative committee to probe the Dera Ismail Khan Jailbreak which led to the escape of at least 253 prisoners on Monday night.
The Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) media cell, which has circulated the government orders, said on Wednesday the committee, headed by senior member of Board of Revenue Waqar Ayub, will also comprise Special Secretary Home and Tribal Affairs Syed Alamgir Shah, Additional Inspector General (Special Branch) KP Syed Akhtar Ali Shah and the nominee of 11 Corps Headquarters Peshawar.

HARARE: Crisis-weary Zimbabweans flocked to vote on Wednesday in a crunch election marked by accusations of rigging by President Robert Mugabe's allies to extend his 33-year rule.
Counting was due to begin shortly after polls began closing in the knife-edge race between Mugabe and his longtime political rival Morgan Tsvangirai.The 89-year-old Mugabe is Africa's oldest leader and is running for office for the seventh and perhaps final time, but his rivals hope the election will usher in a new era for the southern African nation.

PARIS: A subterranean "highway from hell" enables some volcanoes to erupt at super-speed, a discovery that also throws up options for predicting the peril, according to a study published in Nature on Wednesday.
Volcanoes disgorge molten rock generated within the mantle, the layer sandwiched between Earth's crust and fiery core.The magma gathers in a chamber beneath the volcano, progressively rising until the pressure -- detectable over time by rumblings at the surface -- becomes too great and an eruption occurs.

QUETTA: Three people were killed and five others injured during a firing incident on Prince Road here on Wednesday.
Unknown gunmen opened fire on a vehicle belonging to a tribal elder Mir Rauf near the Science College roundabout. Rauf was among the three people killed in the attack.The gunmen fled from after the attack. Police reached the site and cordoned off the area. The bodies of the deceased and injured were shifted to the Civil Hospital.

ECP forms special wing for local body elections

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has set up a special wing in order to prepare for the upcoming local bodies elections, Geo News reported Wednesday.
Following the Supreme Courts orders, the ECP has established a special wing and four 17-grade officers will be part of the special set-up.Sources told that the ECP has also issued notification in this regard.
According to the notification, the newly established wing will be responsible to coordinate with the four provinces in order to hold local bodies elections on time.

ISLAMABAD: The prices of petroleum products have been raised by up to Rs4.99 per litre from August 1, Geo News reported.
According to Ministry of Finance, with an increase of Rs2.73 the retail price of petrol has now reached Rs104.50 per litre.Analysts say it will adversely impact the poor masses as transport, which are unable to get CNG because of gas shortage in the country will charge more in the wake of this mammoth raise.
The ministry also increased per litre prices of diesel, kerosene oil, and light diesel oil (LD) by Rs3, Rs4.99, and Rs3.95 respectively.

WASHINGTON: The US Army could be reduced by a further 15 percent, with cuts to the numbers of full-time active soldiers as well as reserves, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Wednesday.
He said a review found that priority missions could be handled with between 420,000 and 450,000 active troops -- compared to the 490,000 currently envisaged after cuts.Presenting the results of a study to reporters at the Pentagon, Hagel said the additional cuts would help him make $150 billion in savings at a time when budgets are tight.

BEIRUT: Jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda have taken hostage around 200 Kurdish civilians after violent clashes with Kurdish fighters in two villages of eastern Syria, a monitoring group said.
"Fighters of Al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) have seized control of Tall Aren village in Aleppo province and are laying siege to another village nearby, Tall Hassel," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights."They have taken hostage around 200 civilians from the inhabitants of the two villages," it said, without giving details on their demands.

ISLAMABAD: The federal government of Pakistan has announced Eid-ul-Fitr holidays starting from August 8 to 10, Geo News reported.
The Ministry of Interior made the announcement to this effect in a statement issued Wednesday.In accordance with the lunar month of Shawwal, this year the holy month of Ramadan is likely to have 29 day and will conclude on August 8.The government offices will reopen on Monday, August 12.

LONDON: A billionaire Saudi prince was ordered by a British court on Wednesday to pay a $10-million commission linked to the sale of a private jet to Libya's Colonel Gaddafi, in a humiliating legal defeat for one of the world's richest men.
The High Court judgment was scathing about Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a nephew of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, who testified in person for two days at the trial earlier this month.Judge Peter Smith rejected the prince's evidence on all key points in the dispute, describing it in his written ruling as "confusing", "unreliable", "hopeless" and "pathetic".

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration on Wednesday declassified a court order authorizing collection of millions of US phone records, even as it faced new disclosures about the reach of its secret electronic surveillance programs.

Under mounting pressure from lawmakers, Deputy Attorney General James Cole said the newly declassified order spells out how the government can use the call data obtained from telecom giants like Verizon.

"The terms under which the government may access or use the records is covered by (a) detailed court order that the DNI declassified and released today," Cole told senators.

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Coordination Committee Wednesday, welcomed Fakharuddin G Ebrahim's decision of stepping down as Chief Election Commission (CEC), Geo News reported.
In an statement, MQM Coordination Committee stated that Ebrahim was left with no other option as he had been facing heavy criticism since general elections.MQM's Coordination Committee declared his resignation as better late than never.

Australia looks to avoid early end to Ashes series

MANCHESTER: Old Trafford has witnessed some memorable Ashes feats down the years, Shane Warne's so-called ''Ball of the Century'' in 1993 and Jim Laker's 19-wicket haul in 1956 high on the list. If Australia is to avoid an embarrassingly early end to the 2013 Ashes series, it will have to pull off another in the third test starting Thursday.

Down 2-0 in the five-match series, on a run of six straight test defeats and with their batting department in disarray, few are giving the embattled tourists a chance. Except Michael Clarke, that is.

ISLAMABAD: A drone strike in Pakistan this week killed three al Qaeda operatives who ran a training camp in neighbouring Afghanistan to prepare militants for attacks including this week's jail break in Pakistan, a Taliban commander said on Wednesday.

About 30 militants and more than 200 other inmates escaped from the Dera Ismail Khan jail after a squad of highly trained Taliban fighters armed with grenade launchers and dressed as police overran the facility in the early hours of Tuesday.

COLOMBO: Tillakaratne Dilshan narrowly missed a second successive century as Sri Lanka whipped South Africa by 128 runs in Colombo on Wednesday to wrap up the one-day series 4-1.
The hosts, already holding a decisive 3-1 lead, piled up 307-4 after electing to take first strike and then shot the Proteas out for 179 in 43.5 overs in the day-night match at the Premadasa stadium.

ISLAMABAD: The Council of Common Interests (CCI) on Wednesday approved the National Power Policy 2013 with the consensus of all the provinces.

The policy includes a raise in power tariff ranging from Rs3 to Rs7 for different categories of consumers.

The government's energy policy also approves the exploration of a 145coal corridor with an estimated capacity of 7000 MW to generate cheaper electricity in order to meet the existing power crisis.

LAHORE (Online): Ameer Jamaat e Islami Syed Munawar Hasan has strongly reacted to the proposed raise in the POL, gas and electricity prices terming it drone attack on the masses on the auspicious occasion of Eid.

In a statement, he said that mini budgets by the government every other day had made the life of the people miserable.

He said a number of new taxes were levied in the annual budget while the frequent raises in POL and energy prices were adding to the worries of the people.He counseled the government to desist from raising the POL and gas prices.

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan has refused to hold a meeting with US secretary of State John Kerry at United States Embassy.
According to PTI party, US diplomats have contacted Khan to arrange his meeting with Kerry who is due in the country on Wednesday evening.However, Khan has refused to meet the secretary at US Embassy and has offered to meet him anywhere except the embassy.
The PTI chief is likely to raise up the issue of war on terror and concerns over drones attack in the tribal belt of the country.

ISLAMABAD (Online) - Presidential Election has been challenged before the apex Court questioning the candidacy of both contestants.

A constitution petition asked as to how a former Judge of the Supreme Court receiving pension under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution could be a candidate for President.

Petitioner Shahid Orakzai stated in his petition that the Electoral College for the Presidential Election was still incomplete. Although two senators elected from Balochistan last week did cast their ballots, about 17 seats in the National Assembly and another 26 in the Provincial Assemblies were still vacant. The Constitution had emphasized the due constitution of the two Houses of Parliament and the Provincial Assemblies, the petitioner noted.

ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State John Kerry flew into Pakistan on Wednesday night for meetings to ease tension over US drone strikes, the war in neighboring Afghanistan and the fight against Islamic extremism.

Kerry is also expected to press the new Pakistani government of Nawaz Sharif on eliminating Islamist militant safe-havens as US-led troops prepare to leave Afghanistan.

He arrived in Islamabad shortly before 9pm (1600 GMT) on a trip that was not announced ahead of time because of security concerns. He is scheduled to meet with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief of staff General Ashfaq Kayani on Thursday.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistans top court on Wednesday issued a contempt of court notice to cricket legend-turned-politician Imran Khan over his critical and derogatory remarks against the judiciary and summoned him to appear before the court on August 2, DawnNews reported.
The Supreme Court, in the notice issued to the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chief, has said that Mr Khan apparently had tried to incite hatred against the apex court in one of his interactions with the media.

ISLAMABAD (Online) - Chairman Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf Imran Khan has warned that his party will not accept the results if the sitting rulers attempt to rig the bye-elections of national and provincial assemblies scheduled to be held on August 22.
In case of any kind of rigging in the bye-elections, our party would offer strong resistance as it would be tantamount to depriving the voters of their real democratic representatives, said Imran Khan while addressing an Iftar party arranged by Dr Shehzad Waseem, the Advisor to PTI Chairman on Foreign Political Parties, in his honour at his farm house here.

CAIRO: Egypt's military-backed government on Wednesday ordered the police to clear two Cairo protest camps packed with supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, saying they posed a threat to national security and were ''terrorizing'' citizens.

The move signaled an imminent crackdown against the heavily barricaded sit-ins, one outside a mosque in eastern Cairo and another on the other side of the city near the main Cairo University campus and raised the prospect of more violence after clashes broke out during previous action against the mainly Islamist protesters.

KARACHI: Pakistan's main stock exchange closed higher on Wednesday, with the benchmark 100-share index of the Karachi Stock Exchange falling 0.12 per cent or 27.96 points to 23,312.77.

The banking sector saw lacklustre activity particularly in United Bank Ltd and Muslim Commercial Bank Ltd. The cement sector also failed to perform, with investor expectation of low dispatches dampening sentiment.

KARACHI: All-rounder Shahid Afridi Thursday urged Pakistan to savour their one-day and Twenty20 wins over the West Indies and forget allegations of fixing.
Pakistan beat the West Indies 3-1 in the five-match one-day series, and clinched both the Twenty20s on the tour which finished on Sunday.But the wins were clouded by controversy after British newspaper The Mail on Sunday claimed the one-day matches could be investigated by the sport's international anti-corruption unit.

KARACHI: Pakistan's Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim resigned from his post on Wednesday, a week after the Supreme Court ordered the commission to hold presidential polls ahead of its original schedule.

In accordance with Article 215(3) of the Constitution, I hereby resign from the office of the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan, said Ebrahim in his resignation letter to the president, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani in Islamabad on Wednesday.
The two discussed the agenda for their meetings with US Secretary of State John Kerry upon his coming visit to Pakistan, sources said.During the meeting, the army chief apprised the prime minister of his recommendations on issues of strategic importance.
The two moreover decided that Pakistan's civil and military leadership take an integrated and unified stance during its dialogue with the US.

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has begun its preparations for the holding of local government elections. The commission on Wednesday issued a notification pertaining to the formation of a special wing in relation to local bodies146 polls that are to be held in the four provinces.

A spokesman for the ECP said the special wing includes four Grade 17 officers and has sections relating to local bodies elections to be held in the Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.The mandate of the ECPs special wing is to establish and maintain contact with the provincial administrations.

BAGHDAD: A Shia and a Sunni mosque in Baghdad were targeted in bombings that killed at least nine people, Iraqi officials said.

Police officials said a suicide bomber set off his explosives on Shia worshippers as they were leaving a mosque in the city's suburb of Hussainya late on Tuesday.

Seven people died and 11 were wounded in that attack.

And in western Baghdad, a bombing on Tuesday night near a Sunni mosque killed two worshippers.

LAHORE, July 30: A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside the Lahore High Courts decision about allocating Haj quota to the lowest bidders from among the newly-enrolled Haj Group Organisers.
The bench headed by Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jilani said the LHC decision was interference in policy matters of the government. The bench passed this order on petitions moved by old HGOs.

ISLAMABAD: Munir Qureshi, chairman of the Employees Old Age Benefit Institution (EOBI), informed the Supreme Court Wednesday that corrupt elements in the institution were under investigation and that the auditor general had been instructed to conduct a special audit.
A three-member of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, heard the case pertaining to corruption in the EOBI.The apex court had taken a suo motu notice of the EOBI scam over reports that the institution had caused a loss of Rs 40 billion to the national exchequer by investing huge amounts in private sector projects without approval of its board of trustees (BoT).

KABUL: Civilian casualties in the Afghan war rose 23 per cent in the first half of this year due to Taliban attacks and increased fighting between insurgents and government forces, the UN said Wednesday.

The increase reverses a decline in 2012 and raises questions about how Afghan government troops can protect civilians as US-led Nato troops withdraw from the 12-year war against the Taliban.

DUBAI: Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri said the group would spare no effort to free Aafia Siddiqui as well as the hunger striking inmates at Guantanamo Bay, according to an audio recording posted on the Internet on Wednesday.
The (hunger) strike by our brothers at Guantanamo unmasks the true ugly face of (the United States of) America,Zawahri said in an audio recording posted on an Islamist website and whose authenticity could not be verified.We will spare no effort to free all our prisoners, on top of whom are Omar Abdel Rahman, Aafia Siddiqui, Khaled Sheikh Mohammed and every oppressed Muslim everywhere..., he added.

KARACHI: Engro Foods (EFOODS) reported 1H2013 profit of Rs1.1 billion, translating into earning per share (eps) at Rs1.46.
Although the earnings represent increase of 9 per cent over the profit at Rs1.0 billion and eps at Rs1.35 for the first half of the previous year, the results were thought to be lower than market expectations.Revenues decreased by 4pc to Rs18.9bn yet the earnings improved mainly on account of 3.5pc improvement in gross margins and lower taxation.

LAHORE: Pakistan hockey team head coach and manager Akhtar Rasool termed participation of the team in the next years 20th Commonwealth Games very essential and advised all those at the helm of affairs to take a swift decision in this regard.
Talking to Dawn, Akhtar Rasool said he came to know that there were some hurdles in sending the national team to the Commonwealth Games which he said should be removed to pave the way for team participation in the tough competition.

KARACHI: Gold importers disappeared from the currency market which suddenly reduced the dollar price gap in open and inter bank markets to Re1 from Rs3.5 per dollar on Tuesday.
Informed currency dealers said that importers spent $500 million in July to import gold, causing a serious dent to countrys weak dollar reserves.Dealers said that the governments decision to put a temporary ban on gold for one month would surely help stabilise exchange rate in favour of local currency and lift pressure on the open market.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistans export of government services witnessed more than 111 per cent growth during the 11 months of the last fiscal year 2012-13 from a year ago.
In absolute terms, export proceeds from government services reached $3.219 billion in July-May period in 2012-13 from $1.522 billion over the corresponding months of previous year, suggested data compiled by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.As a result of this robust growth, share of government services in total services exports jumped to an all-time high of 52.34pc in 2012-13 from mere 33pc in 2011-12.

PESHAWAR: Security forces claimed on Wednesday that 45 of the escaped convicts, from the jailbreak in DI Khan, were rearrested by law enforcement personnel whereas DPO D I Khan was made OSD and four other police officers were suspended by Inspector General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police over the incident.

Security officials said that the rearrested convicts had voluntarily surrendered themselves to police and that a search was still underway to apprehend as many escaped prisoners as possible.

ISLAMABAD: A Chinese energy investment company has identified four energy projects in Pakistan for immediate investment, but informed the government that the start-up of these projects would depend on tariff approval from Nepra.

As a follow-up to the recent visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to China, the Vice President of China Power Investment Corporation, Zhiyig Wang, is in Islamabad as head of a 15-member delegation, and has started deliberations with officials of Ministry of Water and Power, Board of Investment (BoI) and the Planning Commission.

WASHINGTON:The Pentagon said Tuesday that ''substantial'' long-term military support will be needed to ensure that Afghans can hold off the Taliban insurgency after the US combat mission ends in December 2014.
The White House has not ruled out leaving no troops behind after 2014, although officials say the most likely option is a residual training force of roughly 9,000.

KARACHI: Pakistan were drawn in a tough Group A alongside defending champions and arch-rivals India, hosts Nepal and Bangladesh for the SAFF Championships scheduled to be held from September 1 to 15 in Kathmandu.

Zavisa Milosavljevics charges will open their campaign against India on the opening day of the event before playing their other group matches against Nepal and Bangladesh.

It is a tough group and a tough challenge for us, Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) secretary Col Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi told Dawn after Tuesdays draw, at the end of the SAFF U-16 Championship which was won by India.

ISLAMABAD, July 30: The government on Tuesday allowed sugar export to Iran against electricity import.It also allowed continued higher margins to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and petroleum dealers and put an immediate ban on import of gold and export of live animals.
The decisions were taken at a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, presided over by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar that also decided to strictly go by the procurement rules in import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to ensure transparency instead of seeking exemptions.

NEW DELHI: India's ruling Congress party approved a resolution Tuesday to create a new state in the southeast amid fears the decision could spark violence in the region which includes IT hub Hyderabad.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other senior party leaders agreed to grant longstanding demands for the state of Telangana to be carved out of Andhra Pradesh state.

A resolution was passed in the meeting where it was resolved to request the central government to take steps to form a separate state of Telangana,Congress spokesman Ajay Maken said.

ISLAMABAD: Mobile phone services would remain suspended in most cities of the country on Wednesday as part of security arrangements for Yaum-e-Ali being observed today, DawnNews reported.

Mobile phone services would remain blocked in Karachi from six am till 8pm whereas the services would remain suspended till 6 pm in certain areas of Lahore.Similarly the phone services would also remain suspended in Rawalpindi, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Khairpur, Jhelum, Hyderabad, Multan and Sialkot.

Security beefed up at Islamabad airport amid terror threat

ISLAMABAD: Security has been beefed up at the Benazir International Airport due to terror threats, sources said late Tuesday night.

The sources said that the intelligence agencies have provided information about potential terror attack on the airport.

Additional contingents of police and commandos were deployed at the airport while SSP operations also visited the facility to review the security arrangements.

ISLAMABAD (Online) - JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman has indicated that JUI-F could be a part of PML-N government
Talking to media here on Tuesday130 he described presidential election as a move forward to further strengthen democratic process in democratic way.He said it is good omen that decisions are being taken by the institutions in democratic way and according to the aspirations of the people.

ISLAMABAD (Online) - Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said that the government was committed to working for the welfare, progress and prosperity of Baluchistan province.
He was talking to former premier Mir Zafar Ullah Khan Jamali here at PM146s House on Tuesday.Overall political situation of the country and the presidential elections came under discussion during the meeting.

LAHORE - India has released 23 Pakistani prisoners who had completed their jail term.

The prisoners were logged in various jails of India and were released after the completion of the sentences as per the Indian law.

Most of them were arrested in India on the charges of inadvertent crossing. The prisoners were released and handed over to Pakistan Rangers at Wagah checkpost by BSF .The Rangers have handed the prisoners over to Edhi authorities to be taken to Edhi centre.

New DRS feed to be trialled in third Ashes Test

MANCHESTER: This week's third Ashes Test will see the International Cricket Council (ICC) trial an independent television feed with the aim of improving its controversial Decision Review System.

DRS, designed to eliminate the howler by on-field umpires, has been at the centre of several controversial decisions in the first two Test of the Ashes, both of which England have won to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.Former Australia captain Ian Chappell has been among those leading calls for the system to become a fully independent operation and not, as is currently the case, be reliant on the technology of the host broadcaster.

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Wednesday 31 July 2013

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