Govt following IMF agenda, says Sherpao

US Navy SEALs raid Somali town Posted: MOGADISHU (AP) - US Navy SEALs carried out a pre-dawn raid Saturday on a coastal town in southern Somalia looking for a specific al-Qaida suspect linked to the Nairobi shopping mall attack, but did not get their target, a U.S. military official told The Associated Press.A former U.S. military official also confirmed the raid by the SEALs, but no other details have been provided. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the raid by name. The Pentagon declined comment.In Somalia, officials said international military forces carried out a pre-dawn strike Saturday against foreign fighters in the town of Barawe. Officials said the strike was aimed at high-profile targets.The strike was carried out in the hours before morning prayers in Barawe, the same town where Navy SEALs four years ago killed a most-wanted al-Qaida operative, the officials said.The strike comes exactly two weeks after al-Shabab militants attacked Nairobis Westgate Mall, a four-day terrorist assault that killed at least 67 people in neighboring Kenya.The leader of al-Shabab, Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr, also known as Ahmed Godane, claimed responsibility for the Nairobi attack and said it was in retaliation for Kenyas military deployment inside Somalia to prevent a takeover by the militant Islamic Somali group.In Kenya, a military spokesman released the names of four men implicated in the mall attack.A resident of Barawe a seaside town 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of Mogadishu said by telephone that heavy gunfire woke up residents before dawn prayers. An al-Shabab fighter who gave his name as Abu Mohamed said foreign soldiers attacked a house, prompting militants to rush to the scene to capture a soldier. Mohamed said that effort was not successful.The foreign troops attacked a two-story beachside house in Barawe where foreign fighters lived, battling their way inside, said Mohamed, who said he had visited the scene. Al-Shabab has a formal alliance with al-Qaida, and hundreds of foreign fighters from the U.S., Britain and Middle Eastern countries fight alongside Somali members of al-Shabab.A Somali intelligence official said the targets of the raid were high-profile foreigners in the house. The intelligence official also said the strike was carried out by an international military. A second intelligence official also confirmed the attack. Both insisted on anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.Foreign militaries often the U.S. but not always have carried out several strikes inside Somalia in recent years against al-Shabab or al-Qaida leaders, as well as criminal kidnappers.In Kenya, military spokesman Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir on Saturday confirmed the names of four fighters implicated in the Westgate Mall attack last month. Chirchir named the attackers as Abu Baara al-Sudani, Omar Nabhan, Khattab al-Kene and Umayr, names that were first broadcast by a local Kenyan television station.I confirm those are the names of the terrorist, he said in a Twitter message sent to The Associated Press.Matt Bryden, the former head of the U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea, said via email that al-Kene and Umayr are known members of al-Hijra, the Kenyan arm of al-Shabab. He added that Nabhan may be a relative of Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, the target of the 2009 Navy SEALs raid in Barawe.In September 2009 a daylight commando raid carried out by Navy SEALs in Barawe killed six people, including Nabhan, one of the most-wanted al-Qaida operatives in the region and an alleged plotter in the 1998 bombings at U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed more than 250 people.Military raids carried out by troops on the ground carry the risk of a troops being killed or captured, but they also allow the forces to collect bodies or other material as evidence. Missile strikes from sea of unmanned drones carry less risk to troops but increase the chances of accidental civilian deaths.A resident of Barawe who gave his name as Mohamed Bile said militants in Barawe closed down the town in the hours after the assault, and that all traffic and movements have been restricted. Militants were carrying out house-to-house searches, likely to find evidence that a spy had given intelligence to a foreign power used to launch the attack, he said.We woke up to find al-Shabab fighters had sealed off the area and their hospital is also inaccessible, Bile told The Associated Press by phone. The town is in a tense mood.The identities of the four men from the mall attack came as a Nairobi station obtained and broadcast the closed circuit television footage from Westgate. The footage shows four attackers calmly walking through a storeroom inside the complex, holding machine guns. One of the mens pant legs appears to be stained with blood, though he is not limping, and it is unclear if the blood is his, or that of his victims.Government statements shortly after the four-day siege began on Sept. 21 indicated between 10 to 15 attackers were involved, but indications since then are that fewer attackers took part, though the footage may not show all of the assailants.Its not yet known if the attackers managed to escape after the attack.Terrified shoppers hid behind mannequins, inside cardboard boxes, in storage rooms, in ventilation shafts and in the parking lot underneath parked cars.

Suspect in 1998 US embassy bombings seized: reports Posted: WASHINGTON (AFP) - US forces have captured in broad daylight in Libya a long-sought Al Qaeda operative indicted in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, US media reported.The operation to capture the suspect, known as Abu Anas al-Libi, took place with the knowledge of the Libyan government, a US official told CNN.His reported capture was part of apparent twin raids by US special operations forces, after US Navy SEALs were said to have staged a separate assault on a senior Shebab militant leader in southern Somalia, though it was unclear whether he was killed.The US government had put a reward of up to $5 million on Libi, who is on the FBIs Most Wanted Terrorists list and was born under the name Nazih Abdul Hamed Al-Raghie.He was indicted in US District Court in New York for allegedly playing a key role in the August 7, 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi.The bombings left more than 200 people dead.If confirmed, his capture would end a 15-year manhunt for a key Al Qaeda operative.It also paves the way for Libi, 49, to be brought to the United States to face trial.

Pentagon orders civilians back to work despite shutdown Posted: WASHINGTON, Oct 05, 2013 (AFP) - The Pentagon said Saturday it will recall most of its furloughed employees as a US government shutdown went into its fifth day with no signs of an end to the impasse.President Barack Obama used his weekly radio address to demand that Republican lawmakers end this farce and approve a budget to keep the government running.But Republican leaders charged it was the presidents refusal to negotiate that was to blame for the continuing stalemate.With public discontent building, the House of Representatives voted 407 to 0 to pass a measure to retroactively pay the hundreds of thousands of federal workers forced to stay home during the crisis.And US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that most of the estimated 400,000 furloughed Pentagon employees will be called back to work next week.Its very good news, rejoiced Republican Senator John Thune.I think that was what most of us intended when we moved that military pay bill, was that it applied not just to people who were directly members of the services but also people who were employed by them to carry out important functions and missions.Hagel said Pentagon lawyers had concluded the law allows employees whose responsibilities contribute to the morale, well-being, capabilities and readiness of service members to be exempted from the shutdown.I expect us to be able to significantly reduce -- but not eliminate -- civilian furloughs under this process, he said.The moves reflected deepening concern over the impact of the first federal government shutdown in 17 years, but both sides continued to point fingers at each other.Take that vote. Stop this farce. End this shutdown now, Obama exhorted the Republican-controlled House in his weekly radio and video address.Eric Cantor, the number two Republican in the House, said the impasse could be worked out but Obama seems to be unwilling to sit down and talk with us.It doesnt make any sense if the president has an ax to grind with the opposing party, why he would want to put the American people in the middle of that, he said.Still, with no compromise in sight and aides on both sides saying no backroom negotiations were taking place, there were growing fears of a protracted crisis as a budget battle focused on Obamas health care law merges with a related, and potentially more damaging, fight over raising the US debt ceiling.Obama is refusing to negotiate with Republicans over the budget issues until they pass a temporary bill to reopen the government and agree to raise the $16.7 trillion US statutory borrowing limit -- without which Washington could default on its debts for the first time ever starting on October 17.For as reckless as a government shutdown is, an economic shutdown that comes with default would be dramatically worse, Obama said.The US government closed all but its essential operations Tuesday when Republican lawmakers refused to approve money for government operations without first delaying or defunding the new health care law, commonly known as Obamacare.The US Senate has already approved a budget, and there are enough Republican and Democratic votes in the House of Representatives willing to do the same, and end this shutdown immediately, Obama said.But the far right of the Republican Party wont let Speaker John Boehner give that bill a yes-or-no vote.Obama said he wont pay a ransom in exchange for reopening the government. And I certainly wont pay a ransom in exchange for raising the debt ceiling.But some Republican pragmatists who have signaled they would vote to pass a fresh spending bill worried that such a resolution was no longer achievable.Secretary of State John Kerry, traveling in Indonesia, warned that the reckless political standoff threatened to weaken the US standing abroad.If it were prolonged, or repeated, people would begin to question the willingness of the United States to stay the course and its ability to, Kerry told reporters at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum on the Indonesian island of Bali.But thats not the case and I dont think it will be the case.Obama had been due to travel to Bali for an APEC leaders summit starting Monday, but canceled the trip -- which would also have taken him to Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines -- to deal with the government shutdown.Kerry insisted that Obamas so-called strategic pivot to the Asia-Pacific had not been weakened by the president canceling his trip.

Iraq violence kills 73 including pilgrims, journalists Posted: BAGHDAD (AFP) - Violence including an attack on Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad killed at least 73 people across Iraq on Saturday, among them two journalists gunned down in the north, officials said.Violence is at a level unseen since 2008, and there are persistent fears that Iraq will relapse into the kind of intense Sunni-Shiite bloodshed that peaked in 2006-2007 and killed tens of thousands of people.Accounts differed as to whether the attack on the pilgrims in the Adhamiyah area of north Baghdad, which killed at least 49 people and wounded at least 75, was a bomb followed by a suicide bombing, or a suicide attack alone.It came as pilgrims walked to a shrine to commemorate the death of Imam Mohammed al-Jawad, the ninth Shiite imam.Iraq is home to some of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam, and millions of pilgrims visit them each year.But crowds of pilgrims are frequently targeted by Sunni militants including those linked to Al-Qaeda, who consider Shiites to be apostates.Earlier on Saturday, gunmen killed two Iraqi journalists in the northern city of Mosul.The Sharqiya television channel said two of its journalists -- correspondent Mohammed Karim al-Badrani and cameraman Mohammed Ghanem -- were assassinated in Mosul.Police and a doctor confirmed the two journalists had been shot dead.Their reports on security forces and officials in Mosul had brought death threats from militant groups opposed to the government, a Sharqiya journalist told AFP on condition of anonymity.Iraq has come in for repeated criticism over shortcomings in media freedoms.Many Iraqi journalists are routinely exposed to threats, murder attempts, attacks, difficulties obtaining permission, denial of access, confiscation of equipment and so on, media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said this year.Journalists, even with government authorisation, are routinely barred from approaching the sites of attacks and prevented from otherwise freely reporting in Baghdad.Photographic and video equipment is also often viewed with suspicion by security forces.In the town of Balad, north of the capital, a suicide bomber struck a cafe, killing 12 people and wounding 35, police and a doctor said.The same cafe was attacked by a suicide bomber in August, killing 16 people.Militants have launched numerous attacks on cafes in recent months and have also targeted other places where crowds gather, including mosques, football fields, funerals and markets.In Muqdadiyah, a town northeast of Baghdad that is the site of frequent bombings and shootings, a roadside bomb exploded near a car, killing one person and wounding three.Another bombing in the Bayaa area of Baghdad itself killed two people and wounded at least 10.And the Iraqi defence ministry said that security forces killed five militants in clashes south of the town of Baiji, and two more in the northern province of Nineveh.Security forces have carried out wide-ranging operations against militants for more than two months, but have yet to succeed in curbing the wave of attacks plaguing Iraq.The latest violence takes this months death toll to more than 130, and more than 4,800 since the beginning of the year, according to AFP figures based on security and medical sources.

Small plane crashes in Colombia, 4 dead Posted: BOGOTA (AP) - A small plane has crashed in a remote region near the Panama border, killing four of six people aboard, the Colombian army said Saturday.Local farmers reported the accident that occurred about 1 a.m. local time, said Gabriel Jose Olivares, mayor of Acandi in Choco department.Gen. Nicasio de Jesus Martinez, commander of the armys Brigade IV whose troops traveled to the accident scene, ruled out any possibility that the plane was shot down by armed rebels still active in Colombia. There was no aggression, no impact ... it was a failure, said Martinez. He added that it was too soon to know if the accident was caused by a mechanical failure, human error, or the weather.In a statement confirming the four deaths, the army said two other occupants were injured.Carlos Ivan Marquez, chief of the national office for disaster response, said the pair received first aid in a nearby community before being transported to Bogota for treatment of injuries that include multiple bone fractures and burns over at least 40 percent of their bodies.Cesar Hernandez, disaster response director in neighboring Antioquia department, said earlier that he had received reports that five people on the plane were Americans and the sixth was Panamanian.Civil aviation officials say they have no information about the craft because it is not civilian.US Embassy officials did not immediately comment.

Tennis: Defending the No 1 spot in 'hard': Djokovic Posted: BEIJING (AFP) - Novak Djokovic spoke Saturday of the challenge he faced defending his number one ranking as he prepares to be unseated from the top spot by Rafael Nadal, his opponent in Sundays China Open final.The Serb is on his 101st week as the top-ranked player, but Nadal will return to number one on Monday after he made it into the final in Beijing when his semi-final opponent Tomas Berdych retired injured.Even if current China Open champion Djokovic reclaims the title at Sundays final, he cannot stop Nadal from being named as number one when the ATP announces its new rankings the day after.Nadals return to the top for the first time since July 2011 marks an astonishing comeback for the 13-time Grand Slam champion, who spent the second half of last year on the sidelines injured.Djokovic said that being number one is an ultimate goal and challenge for anybody.I know how hard it is because Ive been fighting for that place for last couple of years and I know what a player needs to do in order to end up (the) year at number one, he said.He also spoke of his desire to finish the season strongly.Its still not lost for me. Hes going to be number one for Monday, but as I said the season is still not over, he said.Djokovic has been in dominating form at the China Open, where he has an unbeaten run stretching back to 2009. He has won three of the four last tournaments, and did not attend in 2011 due to injury.But Nadal has had the beating of Djokovic this season, coming out on top at the semi-finals at Roland Garros and last months final at the US Open, as well as the Canada Masters.Whenever we play each other, very few details and points decide the winners, Djokovic added.

Football: Liverpool moves atop EPL Posted: LIVERPOOL (AFP) - Liverpool striker Luis Suarez made a goal-scoring return to Anfield as the Reds swept to the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 win over struggling Crystal Palace on Saturday.Suarez was appearing on home turf for the first time since completing his 10-match ban for biting Chelseas Branislav Ivanovic last season and the Uruguay forward marked the occasion with his third goal in two matches following his brace at Sunderland last weekend.He struck early in the first half and strike partner Daniel Sturridge added the second before Steven Gerrards penalty effectively sealed the points before the interval.Suarez has 19 goals in his last 22 games, while Sturridge has 19 in 24 matches since joining in January, including eight in nine this season.Their deadly form, combined with Gerrards 99th Premier League goal, helped lift Brendan Rodgers team one point clear of second placed Arsenal, although the Gunners can regain top spot with a draw at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.Palace, who got one back late on through Dwight Gayle, remain second bottom of the table after their sixth defeat in seven league matches.Liverpools first half demolition job was watched by Reds legend Kenny Dalglish, who has returned to the club as a non-executive director 17 months after he was sacked to make way for Rodgers.Suarez took just 13 minutes to make an impact when he took a Victor Moses pass and moved the ball onto Jose Enrique.The Spaniard got to the byline and cut back to Suarez, who improvised brilliantly as he fell to the ground under pressure from Jason Puncheon, hooking the ball home while on his way down on one knee.Within four minutes Liverpool had doubled their lead, with Suarez and Enrique playing a part again.The Reds left-back tried to pick out the Uruguayan with a long pass out of defence and, with Adrian Mariappa coming out to challenge, the ball went over their heads and put Sturridge in one-on-one with Damien Delaney in the inside-left channel.Sturridge changed directions three times on his way into the penalty area, leaving his marker all at sea, with the final switch giving the England striker just enough room to fire an angled shot across Julian Speroni and inside the far post.Liverpool have never lost a Premier League home game having led by two goals, winning a remarkable 311 of 313 and that record was never likely to be threatened.The match was over as a contest in the 38th minute when left-back Dean Moxeys pull on Raheem Sterling, starting his first league match since January in place of the suspended Lucas Leiva, was spotted by assistant referee Richard West.Referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot and Gerrard, making his 638th appearance to replace Tommy Smith in seventh place in the clubs all-time list, stroked home.Palace had a better second half and were eventually rewarded with a goal after taking advantage of Liverpools frailties at set-pieces in the 77th minute.Half-time substitutes Jose Campana and Gayle combined with the former curling in a free-kick from out wide on the left and the latter touching it in.Sturridge could have had his second when he hit a post late on and England manager Roy Hodgson, watching from the stands, will hope he can maintain that form in the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Montenegro and Poland.

Football: Real late show salvages win Posted: MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid salvaged their faltering La Liga title hopes with two goals in stoppage time to win 3-2 away at Levante on Saturday.Barcelona, meanwhile, extended their 100 percent start to the campaign with a 4-1 win over Valladolid.It was Barcas eighth win in eight Liga clashes.With Real trailing 2-1 entering stoppage time, Alvaro Morata slotted home from close range before Cristiano Ronaldos effort deflected in off the inside of the post with virtually the last kick of the game to hand Madrid victory.Baba Diawara had fired the hosts into a deserved lead 12 minutes after the break, only for Sergio Ramos to level four minutes later.Nabil El Zhar then thought he had handed Joaquin Caparros men all three points with a fine finish four minutes from time before the late drama.The victory was very important because it was a very difficult game, said Real boss Carlo Ancelotti.It was even more difficult at the end, but we didnt give up and we had the will to fight till the end.The game was complicated by us giving away two goals when we needed better concentration and more cover.It is true that we didnt play fantastic football, but we deserved to win given the chances we had in the second-half.Real were again without world record signing Gareth Bale due to a thigh injury, but Ancelotti did make five changes to the side that had beaten FC Copenhagen 4-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday.And the number of changes seemed to affect the visitors as they made a very slow start.Baba was the main threat for Levante and the Senegalese was unfortunate when his rasping drive from the edge of the area flew just over on 34 minutes.The hosts came close again through Baba before half-time when his piledriver forced Lopez into a stunning save a minute before the break.Ronaldo then clipped the outside of the post as the game opened up after the break.And with their next attack Levante caught Madrid short at the back on the counter-attack as Jordi Xumetras floated cross was swept home by Baba at the back post.The lead only lasted four minutes as Ramos outmuscled Xumetra to bundle home Angel di Marias corner at the back post to restore parity.Marcelo then somehow turned Di Marias precise cut-back over as Madrid piled on the pressure and Ancelotti threw on young strike duo Morata and Jese Rodriguez in a bid to find a winner.But instead it was Levante who retook the lead on 86 minutes remaining when El Zhar withheld pressure from a number of Madrid defenders to turn and fire across Lopez into the far corner.Madrid responded moments later with another equaliser when Jese teed-up Morata to slot low past the helpless Navas.And the comeback was complete deep into added time when Ronaldo received Modrics pass at the edge of the area and saw his left-footed strike deflect off Juanfran and into the net via the woodwork.Real remain five points behind Barcelona at the top of the table after they too had to come from behind to beat Valladolid at the Camp Nou.Barcas weakness at set-pieces was exposed again early on as Javi Guerra headed Valladolid into a shock 10th minute lead.Alexis Sanchez responded with a stunning strike just four minutes later to level.Neymar was playing as the central forward for the hosts in the absence of the injured Lionel Messi and he fed Cristian Tello, who in turn cut the ball back for Xavi to make it 2-1 just after the break.The Brazilian was involved again in the third goal as he released Sanchez to slot home his second of the evening 25 minutes from time.And the Chilean returned the favour six minutes later to allow Neymar to register his third Barcelona goal.

Golf: US seizes command at soggy Presidents Cup Posted: COLUMBUS (AFP) - Unbeaten Tiger Woods and Matt Kuchar edged Japans Hideki Matsuyama and Australian Adam Scott 1-up to give the United States a 10 1/2-6 1/2 lead over the Internationals on Saturday at the storm-hit Presidents Cup.World number one Woods and Kuchar improved to 3-0 in the team golf showdown at Muirfield Village, where heavy rain drenched the course for a third day in a row, draining energy from every player.Tiger is honestly beat up. But Tiger is playing his tail off, US captain Fred Couples said. Hes a little sore and a little battered and this course, the ball is not rolling, its playing much harder and much longer so its tougher on everybody.After splitting four foursomes matches ending Saturday morning following a Friday storm, the Americans went 4-1 in four-ball matches. Five more alternate-shot matches began on the soggy course with no hope to finish by dark.Its one thing to have rain delays but when youve got 36 holes in one day and youve got rain delays, thats a whole new story, Internationals captain Nick Price said.This is 36 holes of intense pressure for these guys. Its the end of the season and they are tired. I think they are doing phenomenally well. Theyve played their hearts out.Woods, a 14-time major winner and US PGA Player of the Year after five wins this season, is a five-time winner of the Memorial, the US PGA event played at Muirfield Village, and Kuchar is the reigning Memorial champion.Matsuyama, 21, birdied two of the first three holes for a 2-up lead. Woods answered with three birdies in a row to level the match.Matsuyama sank a five-foot par putt to win the 10th but Woods responded with a birdie at 13 and Kuchar birdied 14 to put the US duo ahead.Woods pumped his first in the fairway after putting his second shot four feet from the hole for a conceded eagle to win the par-5 15th for a 2-up edge.This guy is a horse. I was along for the ride for most of it, Kuchar said of Woods. He played some incredible golf.Matsuyama won the 16th with a 12-foot birdie but Kuchar birdied 18 to end the match.We made a little run and then Hideki made a bomb on 16 to make it a little interesting, said Woods, who has won a record 23 Presidents Cup matches.The overall 7 1/2-3 1/2 US edge in four-ball marks the first time in 17 years of Ryder or Presidents Cup play that the Americans had the edge in that format.Golfers were using lift, clean and place rules and at times playing in heavy downpours on a water-logged course.Play was halted for more than an hour after a downpour left bunkers flooded, pools on greens and rivers in fairways.When youve got 36 holes in one day and youve got rain delays, thats a whole new story, Price said.This is 36 holes of intense pressure for these guys.While course workers made the Jack Nicklaus-designed layout playable again, thunderstorms and up to three inches of rain are predicted Sunday, when 12 concluding singles matches are scheduled.Reigning British Open champion Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley edged South African Ernie Els and Zimbabwes Brendon de Jonge 2 and 1.Two-down after seven holes, Mickelson birdied eight and Bradley birdied nine to level the match. Mickelson birdied 12th and 13th, Bradleys three-foot birdie putt won the par-5 15th and the US duo halved 17 to close out the win.We played so good, Bradley said. We hung in there and we were able to turn it around. That was a big win for us.Aussie Jason Day, a member at Muirfield Village, and Canadas Graham DeLaet beat Steve Stricker and Jordan Spieth 2-up.Stricker sank a four-foot birdie putt to win the par-3 12th and equalize but DeLaet answered with a birdie at the par-3 16th and Day birdied 18 to seal victory.Bill Haas and Webb Simpson never trailed in downing Argentinas Angel Cabrera and South African Branden Grace 4 and 3.Hunter Mahan and Brandt Snedeker never trailed in a 2-up win over South Africans Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen.

Klitschko beats Povetkin by unanimous decision Posted: MOSCOW (AP) - Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko gave Alexander Povetkin his first loss by earning a unanimous decision to keep his WBA and IBF belts on Saturday.Klitschko knocked down Povetkin three times in the seventh round.All three judges ruled 119-104 each for Klitschko (61-3, 52 KO), handing Povetkin his first defeat in 27 fights.Klitschko stuck to his usual tactics, scoring frequently off his left jab and forcing Povetkin to attack, but the Russian rarely succeeded.Klitschko first knocked Povetkin down with a combination 51 seconds into the seventh round. He floored Povetkin again with a left hook 35 seconds later, and again with 57 second left, but the Russian recovered.Povetkin is a fighter with high spirit, said Klitschkos elder brother, Vitali. He fought till the end. I do not think the bout could have been finished earlier. If Wladimir could do it he would have certainly done it.Povetkin became the mandatory challenger for Klitschko when he beat Hasim Rahman last September. Povetkin lost his regular WBA title, which he had defended four times before falling to Klitschko.The latter gave up the belt in 2011 when he was elevated by the WBA to super champion after beating David Haye.

Pakistan outplays India to clinch Rugby trophy Posted: LAHORE (Online) - Pakistan downed India in the thrilling event of Rugby Final.Pakistan thrashed India 13-11 in the Asian U-19 Rugby tournament and qualified for the final round which will be held in Hong Kong the next year.The Chief guest was provincial minister Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan distributed the prizes among the players.The Director General Sports Punjab Usman Anwar,the representatives and officials of Pakistan Rugby Federation and a mass of spectators including female and children were present to witness the final rugby between the arch rivals Pakistan and India.Colorful bounties were distributed among the crowd who cheered both teams by waving off the flags and encouraging the teams. Pakistan did play a tri-score and dominated in the first half which India managed to make equivalent.The score was 8-8 on the end of first half. Tough competition was seen even more in the second half.National team performed excellent and took over two score to win the title. Daniyal of Pakistan gained two tri-score whereas Inder Gorov of India got successful in achieving score.“Though we have lost the trophy but the love and care we have attained while our stay in Lahore is unforgettable, Indian captain M.Sherma said.

Obama tells Republicans to stop shutdown farce Posted: WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Barack Obama called on Republicans Saturday to stop this farce as the US government shutdown entered a fifth day with no signs of an end to the impasse.With public discontent building, the House of Representatives voted 407 to 0 to pass a measure to retroactively pay the hundreds of thousands of government workers furloughed during the crisis.But there were no overt movements by Republicans and Democrats to negotiate a way out of the first federal government shutdown in 17 years, as both sides blamed each other.Take that vote. Stop this farce. End this shutdown now, Obama exhorted the Republican-controlled House in his weekly radio and video address.Eric Cantor, the number two Republican in the House, said the impasse could be worked out but Obama seems to be unwilling to sit down and talk with us.It doesnt make any sense if the president has an ax to grind with the opposing party, why he would want to put the American people in the middle of that, he said.The US government closed all but its essential operations earlier in the week when Republican lawmakers refused to approve money for government operations without first delaying or defunding the new health care law, commonly known as Obamacare.The US Senate has already approved a budget, and there are enough Republican and Democratic votes in the House of Representatives willing to do the same, and end this shutdown immediately, Obama said.But the far right of the Republican Party wont let Speaker John Boehner give that bill a yes-or-no vote.Obama said he wont pay a ransom in exchange for reopening the government. And I certainly wont pay a ransom in exchange for raising the debt ceiling.Obama is refusing to negotiate with Republicans over the budget issues until they pass a temporary bill to open the government and agree to raise the $16.7 trillion US statutory borrowing limit -- without which Washington could default on its debts for the first time ever starting on October 17.For as reckless as a government shutdown is, an economic shutdown that comes with default would be dramatically worse, Obama said.But some Republican pragmatists who have signaled they would vote to pass a fresh spending bill worried that such a resolution is no longer achievable. I think that ship has sailed, Congressman Michael Grimm said Friday.Were getting too close to the debt ceiling vote. It looks like the only thing thats going to work right now is a dialogue.Boehner on Friday appeared to be equally frustrated.This isnt some damn game, he said after a news report cited an unnamed official saying that the White House is benefiting from the shutdown.All were asking for is to sit down and have a discussion, reopen the government and bring fairness to the American people under Obamacare, Boehner said.Secretary of State John Kerry, traveling in Indonesia, warned Saturday that the political standoff was reckless and threatened to weaken the US standing abroad.If it were prolonged, or repeated, people would begin to question the willingness of the United States to stay the course and its ability to, Kerry told reporters at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum on the Indonesian island of Bali. But thats not the case and I dont think it will be the case.Obama had been due to travel to Bali for an APEC leaders summit starting Monday, but canceled the trip -- which would also have taken him to Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines -- to deal with the government shutdown.Kerry, who is filling in for Obama, made it clear he believed that the Republicans blocking government spending were playing a dangerous game.I think it is reckless, personally, to even provide those moments where you have these risks that are exposed, Kerry said, referring to areas of spending on global security hotspots that have been suspended because of the shutdown.Kerry also insisted that Obamas so-called strategic pivot to the Asia-Pacific had not been weakened by the president canceling his trip.Meanwhile Kerrys predecessor, former secretary of state and possible 2014 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, decried the scorched earth tactics in the government shutdown.We watch what happens in Washington with a certain amount of bewilderment, even disgust, she said late Friday in a speech at Hamilton College in the town of Clinton, in upstate New York.The rest of the world watches it closely. When we let partisanship override citizenship, when we fail to make progress on the challenges facing our country, our standing in the world suffers, Clinton said.

Referendum: Ireland Senate escapes scrap by narrow margin Posted: DUBLIN (AFP) - Ireland has narrowly rejected a proposal to scrap the upper house of parliament that would have saved the bailed-out eurozone nation millions of euros, referendum results showed Saturday.Final results revealed 51.7 percent in favour of keeping the Senate, while 48.3 percent backed Prime Minister Enda Kennys controversial proposal -- handing an embarrassing defeat to the coalition government.Ireland voted Friday on whether to scrap the Seanad, or Senate, which Kenny described as elitist and undemocratic, saying its closure could save the nation 20 million euros ($27 million) year.Opinion polls had suggested voters would likely back Kennys proposal, which had the support of the coalition government parties and some of the opposition. The turnout at the polls stood at just 39.2 percent.Kenny had taken many by surprise, even those in his own Fine Gael party, when he announced in the run-up to the last general election that he would put plans to scrap the upper house to the people.Opponents of Kennys plan admitted that the 60-member upper house in its current form did not work but said it should be reformed rather than closed.But critics accused Kennys party of hiding behind a promise of savings to centralise power in the governments hands -- and closing the door on wider political reform.In a message posted on YouTube Thursday, Kenny pointed out that other European Union nations had scrapped their upper houses without any negative effect on their democracies.A separate vote on whether to establish a new Court of Appeal has also taken place, with Dublin hoping the new institution will ease the heavy pressure on the heavily backlogged Supreme Court.Historically, many senators tend to be politicians who failed to gain a seat in a general election or those hoping to win a seat in the lower house at a future election.The upper house is the less powerful house of parliament, often reduced to rubber-stamping legislation from the lower house. Its ability to delay bills passed by the lower house for 90 days is its most powerful function, but that has only occurred twice in 75 years.Most of the Senate members are elected from vocational panels by local councillors and by university graduates. Eleven are appointed by the prime minister, generally ensuring a government majority.The referendum vote came ahead of another austerity budget in Ireland on October 14, almost three years since it entered an European Union-International Monetary Fund bailout in November 2010.The IMF on Friday slashed its growth forecasts for Ireland after predicting weaker consumer demand and export growth for the country.The IMF, which formed a central part of Irelands international rescue in 2010 that was worth 85 billion euros, said it expects Irelands economy to grow by 0.6 percent this year compared with a previous forecast of 1.1 percent.It added that gross domestic product (GDP) was forecast to expand by 1.8 percent next year compared with the Funds earlier prediction of 2.2 percent.The downgrades come despite Ireland exiting recession in the second quarter with economic growth of 0.4 percent thanks to solid expansion of its construction and export sectors.Its economy went through a period of turmoil in the run-up to the 2008 global financial crisis and after, amid soaring government debt, a property market meltdown, banking crisis and surging unemployment.Ireland had been known as the Celtic Tiger economy for its double-digit growth spanning a decade from the mid-1990s.

Govt following IMF agenda, says Sherpao Posted: PESHAWAR (Dunya News) - Chairman Qaumi Watan Party Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao Saturday asked the federal government to avoid anti-people policies.Addressing a press conference here he said government should engage in meaningful talks with the Taliban, and take these talks to a logical conclusion.He advised the government to work out a strategy to cope with the post-2014 scenario in the region.Speaking at a press conference here, he said that the year 2014 would have far-reaching effects not only for Afghanistan, but the whole region after the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.Aftab Sherpao maintained that peace in Pakistan was interlinked to the stability of Afghanistan so efforts should be made to remove misconceptions.“‘Pakhtuns’ on both sides of the Durand Line had suffered a lot”, he mentioned.The QWP leader suggested Afghanistan and Pakistan to ensure that their soil would not be used against each other.He disclosed that over 52,000 people were killed and thousands of others injured in acts of subversions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the last several years.Aftab Sherpao demanded cooperation of federal to reconstruct the damaged infrastructure in KP.Sherpao expressed sorrow over the recent acts of subversion in Peshawar and underscored the need for improving the intelligence gathering to avert untoward incidents.QWP provincial Chairman and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senior Minister Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao, provincial General Secretary and Minister for Industries, Commerce and Labour Bakht Baidar Khan, MPA Meraj Humayun and others were present on the occasion.On the occasion, former vice chancellor of University of Peshawar Dr Azmat Hayat Khan announced joining QWP along with scores of his supporters.Azmat Hayat reposed confidence in the leadership of QWP and vowed to work for strengthening the party.

NATO airstrike kills five Afghans including three children Posted: JALALABAD (AFP) - At least five civilians, including three children, were killed overnight in a NATO airstrike in eastern Afghanistan after they went hunting for birds with air guns, local officials said Saturday.In a separate incident in the south of the country a security guard shot dead a member of the US-led NATO forces at a coalition military base, an Afghan official said.After the airstrike near Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, Afghan men were seen by an AFP photographer burying their dead, shouting Death to America and Death to Karzai.But a NATO spokesman said Afghan and Coalition forces had responded to an attack with a precision strike and that initial reports indicate there were no civilian casualties.Civilian deaths have long been a source of friction between the Afghan government and US-led NATO troops, who are winding down operations as they prepare to withdraw by the end of next year.Last night around 11:00 pm, five civilians aged between 12 and 20 carrying air guns wanted to go hunting birds some eight kilometres (five miles) from the centre of the city of Jalalabad. They were targeted and killed by a foreign forces airstrike, provincial police spokesman Hazrat Hussain Mashreqiwal told AFP.Lt Col Will Griffin told AFP that while we are still assessing the situation, our initial reports indicate there were no civilian casualties.We can confirm that Afghan and Coalition forces responded to an attack and conducted a coordinated precision strike against insurgents in Behsud district, Nangarhar province yesterday, he said.Mohammad Atif Shinwari, a spokesman for the Nangarhar education department told AFP that three of the victims were school children and two were brothers.In a separate incident on Saturday, NATO said an alleged contracted security guard opened fire and killed a member of the US-led coalition forces in southern Afghanistan before he himself was shot dead.The statement did not provide any further details, including the nationality of the perpetrator or that of the victim.An Afghan official however said the shooting occurred at a coalition military base in the southern province of Zabul, which is known as a hotbed of Taliban insurgency.According to our reports, the security guard opened fire after some problems and disputes with the NATO forces inside the military base, provincial deputy police chief Ghulam Jilani Farahi told AFP.Attacks of this nature, locally known as insider or green on blue are common in Afghanistan where Afghan troops, some of them reportedly affiliated to insurgent groups, turn on NATO and US allies.Last year saw a surge in such attacks, with 48 recorded, undermining trust as NATO troops attempt to train local forces ahead of the coalitions withdrawal by the end of 2014.Last month, a NATO airstrike killed at least 16 civilians including women and children in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan, according to local officials. The airstrike hit a pickup truck and killed all on board, Afghan officials said. NATO said the strike had killed militants.Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in Afghanistan since the Taliban launched their insurgency in 2001 after being ousted in a US-led invasion.In another incident on Saturday, a roadside bomb ripped through a civilian vehicle in the western province of Farah killing at least three people, including a tribal elder.Unfortunately, three civilians, including an influential tribal elder, his son and a relative were killed in the explosion, provincial spokesman Abdul Rahman Zhawandai told AFP.No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but roadside bombs have been the Taliban weapon of choice.As Afghan security forces take charge of security responsibility countrywide, violence has been on the increase.More than 1,000 civilians were killed and around 2,000 others were injured in the first half of 2013, according to a UN report, a 23 percent increase from the same period last year.