KPK cabinet approves establishment of anti-terrorism task force

Posted: PESHAWAR (Dunya News) - The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Cabinet at its meeting on Thursday approved to establish anti-terrorism task force, which will be led by the Inspector General, to control the law and order situation in the province.The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak presided over the meeting.Cabinet demanded of the federal government to send back FC personnel deployed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.The cabinet also demanded of the federal government to immediately start peace talks with Taliban. Cabinet has also ordered property dealers to submit data of the tenants living in rented houses in the city to nearby police stations.

Pakistani soldier martyred in Indian firing at LoC Posted: SIALKOT (Dunya News) – According to details, Indian Border Security Forces switched off security lights installed at the working boundary at Chirara Sector and tried to send terrorists into Pakistan from Indian territories of Chandwan Chak, Sadoon, Taili and Manihar.The Chinab Rangers thwarted Indian attempt upon which Indian Border Security Forces opened unprovoked firing Chirara Sector near Sialkot, Sajeet Garh Sector, Shakar Garh Sector and check posts in Chamana, Jagwal and Abyal Dogar.A Chinab Rangers soldier was killed during Indian firing at Chirara Sector. The Chinab Rangers retaliated in a befitting manner, silencing the Indian guns.

Khushab: 5 killed in motorcycle rickshaw, bus collision Posted: KHUSHAB (Dunya News) – According to details, a motorcycle rickshaw going to Joharabad from a nearby village Roda was hit by a rashly driven bus coming from Multan at the Muzaffargarh Road, killing five people on the spot and injuring three others.The dead included three real sisters, Farwa, Lubna and Noureen. The injured were shifted to Districts Hospital Joharabad.The driver of the bus managed to escape from the spot after the accident.

Iraq: Wave of car, suicide blasts kill at least 51 Posted: BAGHDAD (AP) - A barrage of car bomb and suicide bomb blasts rocked Baghdad and two northern communities Thursday, killing at least 51 people during a major holiday period and extending a relentless wave of bloodshed gripping the country.The bulk of the blasts struck the Iraqi capital shortly after nightfall. Authorities reported seven car bomb explosions across Baghdad, including one near a playground that killed two children.Iraq is weathering its deadliest outburst of violence since 2008, raising fears the country is returning to the widespread sectarian killing that pushed it to the brink of civil war in the years after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.The bloodshed began early Thursday when a suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden car among houses in an ethnic minority village in northern Iraq. That attack, in the Shabak village of al-Mouafaqiyah near the restive city of Mosul, 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad, killed at least 15 and wounded 52, police said.The United Nations envoy to Iraq condemned the attack and said rising violence in Ninevah province requires urgent action and strengthened security cooperation between regional authorities and the central government.The United Nations pays particular attention to the protection of minority communities who continue suffering from heinous attacks (and) economic and social barriers, envoy Nickolay Mladenov said.Another suicide bomber struck hours later, setting off an explosives belt inside a cafe in Tuz Khormato, killing three and wounding 28, police chief Col. Hussein Ali Rasheed said.The town, a frequent flashpoint for violence, sits in a band of territory contested by Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen about 200 kilometers (130 miles) north of Baghdad.The attacks struck as Muslims around the world this week mark the religious holiday of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice. It is often a time for family celebrations and outings.The Baghdad explosions went off in quick succession as families were heading out to parks, coffee shops and restaurants in the evening, police said.Back-to-back car bombs exploded about two blocks away from each other in the mainly Shiite neighborhood of Husseiniyah, killing a total of 11 and wounding 22, authorities said.Other mainly Shiite neighborhoods hit were the southeastern New Baghdad, where four died and 12 were wounded, and the eastern Sadr City, where a bomb near a playground killed five, including two children, and wounded 16, officials said.Police also reported that a suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into a police checkpoint in the southern district of Dora, killing five people, including three police officers, and wounding nine.Two parked car bombs exploded near an outdoor market and shops in the mixed Shiite and Christian neighborhood of Garage al-Amana, killing eight and wounding 15, officials said.Hospital officials confirmed the casualties. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they werent authorized to release the information.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Thursdays blasts, though suicide bombings and car bombings are a favorite tactic of Al-Qaidas local branch. It frequently targets Shiites, whom it considers heretics, and those seen as closely allied to the Shiite-led government in Baghdad.The U.N. reported 979 people killed violently in Iraq last month. More than 300 more people have died in attacks in Iraq so far this month, according to an Associated Press count.

Syria rebels kill top intelligence officer: state TV Posted: DAMASCUS (AFP) - Rebels have killed a top intelligence officer in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, Syrian state media said on Thursday.Major General Jamaa Jamaa was martyred while carrying out his national duties to defend Syria and its people and pursuing terrorists in Deir Ezzor, state television said in a breaking news alert.Jamaa was head of military intelligence in the province, where the regime has been battling armed opposition fighters seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.State media gave no immediate details on where in the province Jamaa was killed or how, but jihadist forums said he died during clashes with jihadist fighters in the city of Deir Ezzor.Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights NGO, said initial reports suggested Jamaa had been shot by a sniper in the Rashdiya district of Deir Ezzor city, but there was no confirmation.The group also reported fierce fighting between regime troops and rebels in several parts of the province, including the city, which is the largest in eastern Syria.Jamaa was one of Syrias top security officers in Lebanon during Damascuss military deployment in the country between 1976 and 2005.He was interrogated over the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri though he was not charged in connection with his death.In 2006, the US Treasury Department announced it was blacklisting him and another Syrian general for their role in supporting terrorist groups and over the presence in Lebanon.He is believed to be from Jableh, a town in coastal Latakia province, a stronghold of the Syrian regime.

Saudi Arabia gets landmark Security Council place Posted: UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Saudi Arabia on Thursday won a UN Security Council seat for the first time in a new show of determination to make its voice heard, joining Chad, Chile, Lithuania and Nigeria in taking places on the key body.All five countries stood unopposed in an election by the 193 member UN General Assembly. They will replace Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo on the 15-nation council on January 1.Saudi Arabia, despite its oil power and standing in the Muslim world, has never competed for a place on the United Nations most powerful body which has a key role pronouncing on conflicts such as that in Syria.The conservative kingdom has several times expressed alarm at what it considers international inaction over Syria. It has been a major backer of the rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad. The Saudi government also remains a fierce critic of Israel.Saudi Arabia is seeking a more active role in key international bodies even though its own record on womens rights and human rights has been criticized, according to diplomats and observers.Saudi Arabias UN ambassador Abdullah Al-Mouallimi said: Our election today is a reflection of a long-standing policy in support of moderation and in support of resolving disputes in peaceful means.He told reporters that Saudi Arabia supported the Syrian peoples struggle for freedom and prosperity and unity.But Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal refused to speak or even hand out a copy of his speech at the UN General Assembly in September in anger at Security Council deadlock on Syria and Palestine.It was a sign of the frustration felt, said Nawaf Obaid, a visiting fellow at Harvard Universitys Belfer Center and an advisor to Saudi officials.There is a conscious decision to be more aggressive and vocal on the international stage, he added.Saudi Arabia, which takes over from Pakistan as an Asia-Pacific representative, deliberately held back from standing for the Security Council in the past. But it wants to be a voice for those worried about Assad in Syria, Iran and other issues, Obaid said.The tightly controlled kingdom has been criticized by rights groups and some governments for its executions, action against opponents of the monarchy and rigid policing of women who are not even allowed to drive.Saudi Arabia would inspire greater confidence in its leadership abilities at the UNs top body if it was to clean house on human rights issues, starting with granting women their rights and ending the crackdown on human rights advocates, said Phlippe Bolopion, UN specialist for Human Rights Watch.But Security Council powers have cautiously welcomed having a major Middle East voice on the body.Having them on the Security Council allows you to debate those issues in a way which you cant if they are not on the council, said one UN diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.Chad is also serving on the council for the first time as one of Africas two representatives. It has also been criticized as it is on a UN list of shame for using child soldiers. It has promised to take action, though, and diplomats highlighted Chads key role in UN peacekeeping.Five countries have permanent seats on the Security Council -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China. The other 10 seats are awarded for two year periods by the General Assembly, which holds a vote every year for five of the seats.This year was the first time since 2009 that there has not been a contest for one of the temporary seats.Gambia had been challenging Nigeria, which was on the council in 2010-2011. The small West African country withdrew last week in face of Nigerias diplomatic weight.Lithuania will take Azerbaijans place for Eastern Europe. As a member of the European Union and NATO its accession will reinforce the western group on the Security Council. Its 187 votes were the most secured by any country in Thursdays election. Saudi Arabia got 176 votes.Chile takes over from Guatemala. This will be its fifth term on the council, the last in 2003-2004. It got 186 votes like Nigeria. Chad secured 184 votes.

Germany shuts Kabul embassy: ministry Posted: BERLIN (AFP) - Germanys foreign ministry said Thursday that its embassy in Afghanistan was shut but declined to comment on a media report it had been closed in response to a security threat.It is correct that the German embassy in Kabul is currently closed, a foreign ministry spokesman told AFP, confirming a report in the Die Welt daily.However, the spokesman would not be drawn on the Die Welt information that the embassy had been closed for several days after warnings of an Islamist terrorist attack from the German secret service (BND).According to our information, the BND recently warned the foreign ministry of a risk of a terrorist attack by Islamists in Kabul, wrote the daily.The indications of a looming attack were concrete and serious, added the paper.With some 4,000 troops stationed in Afghanistan, Germany is the third-largest contributor to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

Nadal can beat Federer's 17-Slam haul, says Becker Posted: PARIS (AFP) - Rafael Nadal is capable of beating Roger Federers record haul of 17 Grand Slams, former German number one Boris Becker told AFP on Thursday.If youd asked me that a few years ago, Id have said no. But this year he (Nadal) has returned to his top form and now has 13 titles to his credit, Becker said.Hes 27 and doesnt intend to stop there.Hes capable of getting more, added the London-based star.Nadal is a great competitor. After all that happened to him last season (a long lay-off with a left knee injury) to return and have the success hes had this year in becoming world number one again is almost a miracle.Becker was talking about Nadal, who has won 10 titles including the French Open and US Open, at an event linked to the Germans participation in the Doha Goals sports forum in Qatar in December.

Top-seeded Tsonga joins Haas, Fognini in quarters Posted: VIENNA (AP) - Top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame an awful second set to beat Daniel Brands of Germany 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 and reach the quarterfinals of the Erste Bank Open on Thursday.No. 2 Tommy Haas and No. 3 Fabio Fognini also advanced from the second round, but No. 4 Philipp Kohlschreiber was upset 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (0) by Ruben Bemelmans of Belgium.Tsonga, who won the event in 2011, scored just five points on Brands serve in the second set before dominating the third.A first match is always tough, said the eighth-ranked Frenchman, who had a bye in the first round. After he broke me early in the second set, I decided to save my energy for the finish of the match. ... The most important thing is that I came through. I feel great here, I have never lost on this court.Tsonga will next meet 149th-ranked Dominic Thiem of Austria, who needed 47 minutes to beat Jaroslav Pospisil of Czech Republic 6-1, 6-1.It was one of the best matches Ive ever played, said Thiem, who also reached the last eight at Kitzbuehel in July.Haas reached his 12th quarterfinal of the season by defeating Miloslav Mecir of Slovakia 7-5, 7-6 (8).Playing in his first ATP event, Mecir missed three set points on the Germans serve at 5-4 in the opening set and two in the tiebreaker of the second.The 240th-ranked Slovak, the son of 1988 Olympic champion Miloslav Mecir, came through three qualifying rounds and stunned Spains Pablo Andujar in the first round.I had not seen him before but I was told he plays like his father, said Haas, who won the event in 2001 and next plays fifth-seeded Radek Stepanek.It was a tough match. I had to get used to the slow court and the slow balls here. I have to be satisfied as I made the important points.The 176th-ranked Bemelmans reached the last eight for the first time in his career. He will face eighth-seeded Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic. Kohlschreiber missed out on his first quarterfinal since reaching the final in Stuttgart in July.Also, Robin Haase of the Netherlands missed a second-set match point against seventh-seeded Vasek Pospisil of Canada before closing out a 7-6 (3), 6-7 (5), 6-2 win.Haase, who earned both of his career titles in Austria, lined up Fognini, who defeated Lukasz Kubot of Poland 7-5, 6-2. The Italian failed to serve out the opening set at 5-4 but won eight of the next 10 games to reach his 10th quarterfinal of the year but only his second on hard court.

Wozniacki, Stephens in Luxembourg Open quarters Posted: LUXEMBOURG (AP) - Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki beat two-time finalist Monica Niculescu of Romania 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the Luxembourg Open on Thursday.Wozniacki joined second-seeded Sloane Stephens of the United States, who advanced by beating Yvonne Meusburger of Austria 7-5, 6-4. Sabine Lisicki made it a perfect day for the top three seeds when the German defeated Tereza Smitkova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-0.Stephens, ranked 12th in the world, has yet to lose a set in Luxembourg and will play Stefanie Voegele on Friday. The 54th-ranked Swiss player struggled to beat Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.In another second-round match, Karin Knapp of Italy beat Andrea Petkovic of Germany 7-5, 7-5.

Barcelona pursues '22 or '26 Winter Olympic bid Posted: MADRID (AP) - On the heels of another failed Madrid bid for the Summer Olympics, Barcelona is hesitantly inching forward with its desire to host the Winter Games. Whether it bids for the 2022 or 2026 Games is the question.The Mediterranean coastal city is planning a Barcelona-Pyrenees candidacy, with the nearby mountains as an alpine venue. The issue has gained urgency ever since Madrid failed in its attempt to land the 2020 Summer Games last month.Barcelona Mayor Xavier Trias said he backs a 2022 bid but if thats not possible, then well try for 2026.Trias will meet with the municipal parties on Friday when they should tell us what their position on the bid is, and after that well take a decision.The IOC must receive 2022 bid applications by Nov. 14.Almaty, Kazakhstan, has already officially lodged a bid for the 2022 Games. Other potential contenders include Oslo; Munich; a city in Ukraine; and a joint bid from Poland and Slovakia. The IOC will select the 2022 host city in 2015.Barcelona and Munich have each hosted the Summer Olympics, in 1992 and 1972, respectively. Both are hoping to become the first city to host both a summer and winter games.Trias met with 50 representatives of the Pyrenees, the Catalan government and Barcelona-Pyrenees 2022 officials on Thursday to gauge the level of support.The entire territory, without any detractors, showed great enthusiasm and really want us to bid on 2022, said Trias, whose next challenge is to reach across party lines to the citys opposition parties.We want a Winter Olympics that has maximum support from all of the parties and every chance of winning, whether its in 2022 or 2026, Trias said, according to a statement.Trias traveled to Lausanne, Switzerland, on Wednesday to consult with IOC President Thomas Bach, who is German, about a possible Barcelona bid.His advice wasnt criticism but aid aimed at giving us a better chance of winning, Trias office said in a statement. Some of that was to explain the project in more detail, so that the links between Barcelona and the mountains can be better understood, to show how close these two sites are to one another, and a bigger push to promote winter sports.Barcelona is adamant its candidacy is not much different to previous ones, with the 2006 Turin Olympics and 2010 Vancouver Games as examples.The Pyrenees, where the majority of alpine events would be held, are just 150 kilometers (90 miles) away, much like in those previous host cities.But Barcelona also has beaches and summer-like weather in February, with the average temperature reaching nearly 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit).One problem the city is facing is time.The Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) must lodge the bid with the IOC by Nov. 14, but before that must hold an extraordinary general assembly to ratify a decision, an event that needs 20 days advance notice. That leaves Barcelona up against the clock to communicate the decision to the countrys Olympic body.And the COE is not pressing to submit a candidacy following Madrids humiliating defeat in Buenos Aires last month, when the Spanish capital finished third behind winner Tokyo and Istanbul in the three-city vote for 2020.Barcelona used the 1992 Olympics to remodel the citys seafront and invest heavily in transportation and other improvements. Thanks to the success of the games, Barcelona was transformed from a postindustrial town into one of Europes leading tourist destinations.

Golf: Sparkling 60 gives Henry early PGA Las Vegas lead Posted: LAS VEGAS (AFP) - JJ Henry eagled his last hole to complete a flawless 11-under par 60 and seize the early first-round lead in the US PGA Tours Shriners Hospital Open.Henry, who teed off on the 10th hole at TPC Summerlin, rolled in a 50-foot eagle putt at the par-five ninth to cap his round.It was one of those days, said Henry, a two-time PGA TOUR winner whose effort included nine birdies.There wasnt much wind and the greens were pretty soft. It was nice to make that putt on the last hole to make lunch taste that much better.On a day when birdies abounded, Henry had a one-stroke clubhouse lead over Argentinas Andres Romero -- who had six birdies and two eagles in his 10-under 61.With the afternoon starters still on the course, Americans James Driscoll and Jonathan Byrd were in the clubhouse on eight-under 63.I played solid on the front nine, said Henry, who hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation and played his last six holes in six-under.I was just trying to get my feet wet and shoot a couple under par.Henry is coming off a 16th-place finish at last weeks Frys.com Open, which marked the official start of the US PGA Tours 2013-2014 season.Six tournaments are scheduled before January, offering FedEx Cup playoff points and a coveted Masters berth to the winner.With the changes (to the schedule), I thought it was important to get myself off to a good start, Henry said.

Sleep helps brain stay fit by cleaning waste Posted: WASHINGTON (AFP) - Like a janitor sweeping the halls after the lights go out, major changes occur in the brain during sleep to flush out waste and ward off disease, researchers said Thursday.The research in the journal Science offers new answers to explain why people spend a third of their lives asleep and may help in treating dementia and other neurological disorders.In lab experiments on mice, researchers observed how cellular waste was flushed out via the brains blood vessels into the bodys circulatory system and eventually the liver.These waste products included amyloid beta, a protein that when accumulated is a driver of Alzheimers disease.In order to help remove the waste, cerebral spinal fluid is pumped through brain tissue.The process is sped along during sleep because the brains cells shrink by about 60 percent, allowing the fluid to move faster and more freely through the brain.The whole operation takes place in what researchers call the glymphatic system, which appears to be nearly 10 times more active during sleep than while awake.The brain only has limited energy at its disposal, said lead author Maiken Nedergaard of the University of Rochester Medical Center.You can think of it like having a house party. You can either entertain the guests or clean up the house, but you cant really do both at the same time.Co-authors of the study, which was funded by the US National Institutes of Health, came from Oregon Health and Science University and New York University.

Skull discovery suggests early man was single species Posted: WASHINGTON (AFP) - A stunningly well-preserved skull from 1.8 million years ago offers new evidence that early man was a single species with a vast array of different looks, researchers said Thursday.With a tiny brain about a third the size of a modern humans, protruding brows and jutting jaws like an ape, the skull was found in the remains of a medieval hilltop city in Dmanisi, Georgia, said the study in the journal Science.It is one of five early human skulls -- four of which have jaws -- found so far at the site, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the capital Tbilisi, along with stone tools that hint at butchery and the bones of big, saber-toothed cats.Lead researcher David Lordkipanidze, director of the Georgian National Museum, described the group as the richest and most complete collection of indisputable early Homo remains from any one site.The skulls vary so much in appearance that under other circumstances, they might have been considered different species, said co-author Christoph Zollikofer of the University of Zurich.Yet we know that these individuals came from the same location and the same geological time, so they could, in principle, represent a single population of a single species, he said.The researchers compared the variation in characteristics of the skulls and found that while their jaw, brow and skull shapes were distinct, their traits were all within the range of what could be expected among members of the same species.The five Dmanisi individuals are conspicuously different from each other, but not more different than any five modern human individuals, or five chimpanzee individuals, from a given population, said Zollikofer.We conclude that diversity within a species is the rule rather than the exception.Under that hypothesis, the different lineages some experts have described in Africa -- such as Homo habilis and Homo rudolfensis -- were all just ancient people of the species Homo erectus who looked different from each other.It also suggests that early members of the modern mans genus Homo, first found in Africa, soon expanded into Asia despite their small brain size.We are thrilled about the conclusion they came to. It backs up what we found as well, said Milford Wolpoff, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Michigan.Wolpoff published a study in the journal Evolution last year that also measured statistical variation in characteristics of early skull fossils in Georgia and East Africa, suggesting a single species and an active process of inter-breeding.Everyone knows today, you could find your mate from a different continent and it is normal for people to marry outside their local group, outside their religion, outside their culture, Wolpoff told AFP.What this really helps show is that this has been the human pattern for most of our history, at least outside of Africa, he added.We dont have races. We dont have different subspecies. But it is normal for humans to vary, and they have varied in the past.But not all experts agree.I think that the conclusions that they draw are misguided, said Bernard Wood, director of the hominid paleobiology doctoral program at George Washington University.What they have is a creature that we have not seen evidence of before, he said, noting its small head but human-sized body.It could be something new and I dont understand why they are reluctant to think it might be something new.In fact, the researchers did give it a new name, Homo erectus ergaster georgicus, in a nod to the skull as an early but novel form of Homo erectus found in Georgia.The name also retracts the unique species status of Homo georgicus given to the jaw that was found in 2000 along with other small, primitive skulls.The jaw lay a few meters (yards) from where Skull 5, belonging to the same owner, was later discovered in 2005.Co-author Marcia Ponce de Leon of the University of Zurich said Skull 5 is perfectly preserved and the most complete skull of an adult fossil Homo individual found to date.Its discovery, in such close quarters with four other individuals, offered researchers a unique opportunity to measure variations in a single population of early Homo, and to draw new inferences on the evolutionary biology of our ancestors, she said.

DNA links mysterious Yeti to ancient polar bear Posted: LONDON (AP) - A British scientist says he may have solved the mystery of the Abominable Snowman the elusive ape-like creature of the Himalayas. He thinks its a bear.DNA analysis conducted by Oxford University genetics professor Bryan Sykes suggests the creature, also known as the Yeti, is the descendant of an ancient polar bear.Sykes compared DNA from hair samples taken from two Himalayan animals identified by local people as Yetis to a database of animal genomes. He found they shared a genetic fingerprint with a polar bear jawbone found in the Norwegian Arctic that is at least 40,000 years old.Sykes said Thursday that the tests showed the creatures were not related to modern Himalayan bears but were direct descendants of the prehistoric animal.He said, it may be a new species, it may be a hybrid between polar bears and brown bears.The next thing is go there and find one.Sykes put out a call last year for museums, scientists and Yeti aficionados to share hair samples thought to be from the creature.One of the samples he analyzed came from an alleged Yeti mummy in the Indian region of Ladakh, at the Western edge of the Himalayas, and was taken by a French mountaineer who was shown the corpse 40 years ago.The other was a single hair found a decade ago in Bhutan, 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) to the east.Sykes said the fact the hair samples were found so far apart, and so recently, suggests the members of the species are still alive.I cant imagine we managed to get samples from the only two snow bears in the Himalayas, he said.Finding a living creature could explain whether differences in appearance and behavior to other bears account for descriptions of the Yeti as a hairy hominid.The polar bear ingredient in their genomes may have changed their behavior so they act different, look different, maybe walk on two feet more often, he said.Sykes research has not been published, but he says he has submitted it for peer review. His findings will be broadcast Sunday in a television program on Britains Channel 4.Tom Gilbert, professor of paleogenomics at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, said Sykes research provided a reasonable explanation for Yeti sightings.Its a lot easier to believe that than if he had found something else, said Gilbert, who was not involved in the study. If he had said its some kind of new primate, Id want to see all the data.Sykes findings are unlikely to lay the myth of the Yeti to rest.The Yeti or Abominmable Snowman is one of a number of legendary ape-like beasts along with Sasquatch and Bigfoot reputed to live in heavily forested or snowy mountains. Scientists are skeptical, but decades of eyewitness reports, blurry photos and stories have kept the legend alive.I do not think the study gives any comfort to Yeti-believers, David Frayer, a professor of biological anthropology at the University of Kansas, said in an email. But no amount of scientific data will ever shake their belief.If (Sykes) motivation for doing the analyses is to refute the Yeti nonsense, then good luck, he said.Sykes said he was simply trying to inject some science into a rather murky field.The Yeti, the Bigfoot, is surrounded in myth and hoaxes, he said. But you cant invent a DNA sequence from a hair.