Sibbi: 3 terrorists killed in encounter with FC

Posted: SIBBI (Dunya News) – According to details, some unidentified miscreants torched NATO containers in Notal area near Sibbi and also injured a container driver.The miscreants fled from the scene after the incident. On getting information, FC personnel chased the militants. An encounter between FC and militants took place at Jandan area in which three militants were killed while another was arrested.

7 target killers among 31 held in Karachi Posted: KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details rangers and police conducted raids in Lyari, Liaquatabad, Chenisar Goth, Malir, North Nazimabad, Sikandar goth and mominabad and arrested 22 suspects.In a separate development, police arrested three target killers after an encounter in Maripur area. Those who were arrested were identified as Anjum alias Sohail, Sharf-ud-Din alias Sharfu and Ali alias Shabu.According to police, the arrested target killers were involved in killing of 30 people.Police also arrested two extortionists during raids in Orangi Town and Maripur.On the other hand, Rangers and police arrested four target killers during a joint operation in Sohrab Goth. According to law enforcement agencies, the arrested target killers belonged to a political party.

Karachi: 4 more killed in Karachi violence Posted: KARACHI (Dunya News) – After a few days pause, target killing and other acts of violence started again in Karachi and four more people were killed during night between Monday and Tuesday.According to details, police have recovered bodies of a man and his wife from a house in Muhalla Shah Faisal in Orangi Town. Police have said that Raees and his wife Sehzadi were strangulated to death and their bodies were dumped in the water tank of the house.A man was also shot dead and another sustained bullet wounds in firing incident in Qasba Colony while police have recovered a dead body from Baldia Ittehad Town. On the other hand police have arrested two suspects in a raid in Sharafi Goth area of Malir.Earlier, at least nine people were killed in a wave of target killing in different parts of Karachi. According to details, some unidentified miscreants shot dead Nadeem Raza and Shahbaz in FC Area of Liaquatabad.Some unidentified gunmen shot dead Dr Sher Ali in Manghu Pir area when he was on his motorcycle. Deceased Dr Sher Ali was performing his duty at KMC Hospital, Manghu Pir.In another incident Dr Naseem Abbas was gunned down by some unidentified attacker at Tariq Road while he was going to hospital.A man was killed in Orangi Town, Dabba Morr, another in Manghopir area, third person was found brutally murdered and dumped in Mawach Goth.

US admits to tension with Pakistan Posted: WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States Monday admitted to tensions and occasional misunderstandings in its relations with Pakistan, but implicitly defended the killing of a key extremist leader in a drone strike.The government in Islamabad reacted angrily to the attack on Hakimullah Mehsud, leader of the Pakistani Taliban on Friday, saying it would scuttle its peace talks with the group.There inevitably will be some tensions and occasional misunderstandings between our two countries, White House spokesman Jay Carney said.We hope to continue to make progress in the relationship, and we continue to seek ways for our countries to cooperate on the entire range of shared interests that we have, from economic to security issues.Carney would not confirm the drone strike that killed Mehsud, in line with normal practice in such attacks, but he said the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader had a long list of extremist credentials, including a failed bombing in Times Square, New York, in 2010.Carney charged that Mehsud and other TPP leaders had publicly vowed to continue targeting the United States and Americans.Mehsud was also wanted in connection with the killings of seven Americans at a US base in Khost province, Afghanistan.The suicide bomb attack was one of the CIAs deadliest days in decades, as five of the agencys anti-terror officers and two contractors were killed.The killing of Mehsud came just over a week after Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif asked President Barack Obama in Oval Office talks to stop drone strikes.Pakistans Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar on Saturday accused Washington of sabotaging peace efforts with the drone strike on Mehsud.Anti-American sentiment runs deep in Pakistan and drone strikes are hugely unpopular, with many criticizing them both for civilian deaths and as a violation of sovereignty.While expressing public fury, partly for domestic political reasons, Pakistani leaders will have to carefully weigh how to respond to the drone attack and may be unwilling to again alienate Washington as they try to reheat the economy.As Sharif visited the White House last month, the State Department announced the release of $1.6 billion in aid, including $1.38 billion for the countrys powerful military.The money had been frozen as relations plummeted amid a series of crises in 2011 and 2012 including the US raid to kill Osama bin Laden at his hideout in Pakistan -- carried out without Pakistani knowledge.

Iran says Pakistan must finance own gas pipeline Posted: TEHRAN (AFP) - Irans deputy oil minister, Ali Majedi, said Monday that Pakistan must finance a controversial pipeline that would enable it to buy gas from the Islamic republic.Majedis remarks come after Pakistans Oil Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi asked Iran to stump up $2 billion (1.45 billion euros) to finish the construction of the pipeline.The $7.5-billion project launched in 2010 has drawn threats of US sanctions and run into repeated problems, including major financing issues.We did not make such a commitment to help Pakistan with $2 billion for the construction of the pipeline, Majedi said, quoted by Fars news agency.He argued that based on initial agreements each side must bring its own share in financing the project, adding the Pakistanis need Irans gas and they should accelerate their work.Construction on the Iranian side of the border is almost complete, but Pakistan has run into repeated problems financing the 780-kilometre (485 miles) section to be built on its side.Investors and other governments are reluctant to get involved in the project because of the threat of breaching international sanctions against Iran.Once completed, the project which aims to ease Pakistans chronic gas and electricity shortages would allow Iran to export 21 million cubic metres of gas per day.Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh said last week he had no hope for the gas supply deal with Pakistan because of the financial problems.Zangenehs comments prompted his Pakistani counterpart to insist the project would be completed and there was no chance to abandon the pipeline project, because we need it.Iran, which has the worlds second-largest gas reserves, currently produces about 600 million cubic metres (21.2 billion cubic feet) of gas per day, almost all of which is consumed domestically.Its only foreign client is Turkey, which buys about 30 million cubic metres per day.

Shootings, bombings kill 12 in Iraq Posted: BAGHDAD (AP) - A double suicide bombing and other attacks killed 12 people in Iraq on Monday, said officials, while Iraqi legislators passed a law laying the groundwork for next years parliamentary elections.Violence has spiked in Iraq since April, with the pace of killing reaching levels unseen since 2008. U.N. figures released last week showed that at least 979 people, mostly civilians, were killed last month alone.The latest attacks came two days after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki returned from a trip to Washington in which he sought assistance fighting the insurgency, including weapons and help with intelligence.President Barack Obama pledged Friday to help combat an increasingly active al-Qaida in Iraq but stopped short of announcing new commitments of the assistance al-Maliki sought.Al-Malikis trip sparked criticism in Iraq, where he faces discontent from across the sectarian divide. Shiites are upset with his failure to provide security, and Sunnis are angry at their perceived second-class citizen treatment.One of al-Malikis harshest critics is Muqtada al-Sadr, a firebrand Shiite cleric who is also trying to build an alliance with Sunni parties. According to the Iraqi media, Sadr criticized the trip to the country whose troops occupied Iraq from 2003 to 2011, playing on anti-American sentiment that remains strong in many communities.On Monday, al-Malikis office lashed back in an unusually harshly worded statement, recalling the human rights abuses of both Sunni insurgents and militias associated with the Sadrist movement.Sadr has the right to exercise early electoral campaigning, but he should not belittle the Iraqis minds and memory... They also remember the control of (Sadr)s militia that fostered murder, kidnapping and theft in Basra, Karbala, Baghdad and other provinces, the statement said.In a statement issued on Monday, Iraqs Vice President Khudeir al-Khuzaie set April 30, 2014, as the date for the next national elections. Al-Maliki has not ruled out seeking a third term next year despite charges from opponents that his administration is a dictatorship in the making.In the evening, Iraqs parliament passed legislation to govern those elections. It increased the number of seats to 328 from the current 325, but otherwise was little different than the previous elections law.Meanwhile, a roadside bomb hit two civilian cars near the town of Taji some 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Baghdad, killing four and wounding three. Police said the road was often used by military convoys.In the northern town of Hawija, two police officers were killed and seven wounded when two suicide bombers set off their explosive belts at the police station gate.Gunmen opened fire on a group of government employees waiting for their bus in the northern city of Mosul, killing three people. Also in Mosul, gunmen using pistols with silencers shot dead a judge in a restaurant.In the northern suburbs of Baghdad, officials said, two soldiers were killed by a hand grenade at a security checkpoint.Medical officials confirmed all casualty figures. All officials spoke anonymously as they werent authorized to release information.

Defiant Morsi tells Egypt court to try coup leaders Posted: CAIRO (AFP) - Egypts deposed president Mohamed Morsi appeared in court Monday on the first day of his trial for incitement to murder, rejecting its legitimacy and demanding that coup leaders be prosecuted.In his first public appearance since the military toppled him in July, Morsi was indignant and outraged in the makeshift courtroom at a police academy in east Cairo, where his trial was adjourned until January 8.I am Dr Mohamed Morsi, the president of the republic, the defiant Islamist told the court.In the nearly three-hour hearing the judge heard requests from the defendants lawyers, who demanded to see all the case files and be allowed to meet their clients privately.Morsi, held at a secret location since July 3, was then flown to Borg al-Arab prison outside Egypts second city, Alexandria.He and 14 co-defendants are accused of inciting violence and the murder of protesters outside the presidential palace in December, charges that could lead to the death penalty or life in prison.The Islamist leader branded as criminal his overthrow after mass protests against his single year of turbulent rule.This was a military coup. The leaders of the coup should be tried. A coup is treason and a crime.I cannot accept for the judiciary to become a cover for the military coup, he yelled. I am here involuntarily, and through force.Morsi, wearing a dark blue suit, was brought by helicopter and then driven to the heavily fortified police academy.State television showed Morsi smiling as he stepped out of a white van, buttoning his blue blazer and entering the dock to applause from fellow defendants in white prison uniforms.Muslim Brotherhood co-defendants Essam al-Erian and Mohammed al-Beltagui chanted Down with military rule at the hearing, as Morsi, his greying beard closely trimmed, smiled and waved at supporters packing the courtroom.Judge Ahmed Sabry Youssef banned cameras and recording equipment.Morsis supporters, battered by a bloody and sweeping police crackdown, accuse the army-installed government of fabricating the charges against him.They staged anti-military rallies across Cairo, including outside the police academy where dozens brandished posters of Morsi and signs bearing anti-military messages.Thousands also protested outside the constitutional court and some rallies were held in Alexandria.Morsis trial is a farce. The criminals are trying the legitimate president, one supporter, Ibrahim Abdel Samd, said.Security forces sealed off Nahda Square -- site of a bloody crackdown on Morsi supporters in August -- and Cairo University, as military vehicles guarded police stations.The authorities deployed 20,000 policemen for the trial, and warned they would deal with any violence. At least 53 pro-Morsi protesters were arrested, security officials said.

Yemen: 4 dead in renewed clashes in north Posted: SANAA (AP) - A spokesman for an ultraconservative Muslim movement says clashes between his group and rebels in Yemens restive north have left four dead, breaking a fragile ceasefire.Serour al-Wadie of the Salafi movement said Monday that the rebels shelled their district in Damaj, in Saada province.Animosity runs deep between the Salafis and the Hawthis, rebels from a branch of Shiite Islam fighting against the government. Each camp has been accusing the other of breaching a fragile two-day government-brokered ceasefire.Defense Ministry officials said a U.N. envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, was in contact with both camps to end the fighting. The officials spoke anonymously because they were not allowed to brief reporters.Since Wednesday, at least a hundred people have reportedly died in fighting between the two groups.

Norway: Bus hijacker stabs 3 to death Posted: STAVANGER (AP) - A knife-wielding man hijacked a bus Monday in rural Norway and killed the driver and two passengers before he was detained by authorities, officials said.Police in Sogn and Fjordane county in western Norway gave few details about the suspect, but described him as a local resident originally from South Sudan. Police attorney Trine Erdal said the suspect was in his early 30s, not in his 50s as police had earlier reported.The motive for the stabbing rampage was not immediately clear.The victims were two men in their 50s the Norwegian bus driver and a Swedish passenger and a 19-year-old Norwegian woman, Erdal said. All had been stabbed. There were no other passengers on the bus, she said.The suspect was initially apprehended by rescuers from the fire department who were the first to arrive on what they thought was an accident scene, police said. He was later arrested by police and taken to a hospital for treatment of cuts but was not seriously injured, Norwegian news agency NTB reported.Oslo police said they called off the deployment of an anti-terror unit after receiving reports that the suspect had been arrested.The same bus route was attacked in 2003 when an Ethiopian man stabbed to death a bus driver, NTB said. He had earlier that day killed a Congolese asylum seeker at a refugee center.Multiple killings are rare in Norway, though the country was shocked by its worst peacetime massacre two years ago when Anders Behring Breivik, a Norwegian right-wing extremist, killed 77 people in a bomb and gun rampage.

Syria government vows to vaccinate all children Posted: DAMASCUS (AP) - Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad has vowed that authorities will vaccinate all Syrian children after cases of polio emerged in the countrys northeast.Mekdad said the government will cooperate with U.N. agencies and aid groups to reach children, particularly those who live in rebel-held areas.Mekdads statements came days after the U.N. health agency confirmed 10 polio cases in northeast Syria, the first confirmed outbreak of the disease in the country in 14 years, raising a risk of it spreading. The confirmed cases are among babies and toddlers, all under 2, who were under-immunized, according to the World Health Organization.He didnt say when the vaccination campaign would occur, or how it would reach rebel-held areas.Mekdad spoke Monday at a press conference in the Syrian capital Damascus.

Nadal wants ATP to change surfaces for Tour Finals Posted: LONDON (AFP) - Rafael Nadal has called on ATP chiefs to be fairer to their star players by providing a different surface each year for their flagship World Tour Finals.World number one Nadal is unhappy that the prestigious season-ending event has been staged indoors on hard courts for the last nine years, with the tournament held in Shanghai and then at Londons O2 Arena since 2009.The Spaniard believes that is unfair to players who dont thrive indoors but have already proved the class by qualifying for the eight-man competition by succeeding on a variety of surfaces throughout the year.Speaking on Monday a pre-tournament press conference before his Tour Finals opener against compatriot David Ferrer on Tuesday, Nadal suggested playing the tournament outdoors on a different surface each year, giving clay, grass and hard court specialists at least one good chance to win every few years.Asked why he has never prospered in the Tour Finals, the 13-time Grand Slam champion said: It is not only fatigue. One of the small reasons was fatigue, one of the main reasons was I have never been a fantastic player on the indoor surface. Also I have been unlucky.The Tour Finals have been indoors from 2005 until now, so I am a bit unlucky with this. For me it is more fair to have it outdoors on different surfaces.In this tournament we qualify by playing on all surfaces, but the Tour Finals are always on hard courts.Nadal insists he has no problems with the standard of the facilities in London or the quality of the tournament as a whole.Still, it clearly grates on him that he has never won the Tour Finals, reaching the final just once in 2010 when he was defeated by six-time champion Roger Federer, whose game is far more suited to the quicker indoor conditions.Given that the Tour Finals has been staged on either hard courts or carpet for all but one of its 43 editions, Nadals wish may never be granted.It has never been played on clay -- eight-time French Open champion Nadals preferred surface -- and with the O2 Arena contracted to host the Tour Finals until at least 2015, there is no chance of any immediate change to an event which was last staged outdoors in Houston in 2004.I know it wont happen in my generation. Its not for me. I say it for the next generation and because it would be interesting for the fans, Nadal said.This is a great place to play, I have never been to a tournament with a better atmosphere, but that doesnt mean the ATP cant be a little bit more fair with the players.We could change every year to play it on the surfaces we qualify for the Finals.That means, for example, a good clay-court player would have the chance to play on his best surface.While Nadal wants the Tour Finals surface changed, defending champion Novak Djokovic believes a switch in venues after 2015 is also important to keep the tournament fresh.World number two Djokovic has won the Tour Finals twice -- once each in Shanghai and London -- and he thinks it should have a new host city every three years.I think this tournament should definitely be organised at different places more often. Not to be held in one city for more than three years. This is my opinion, Djokovic said.It is in the ATPs hands, obviously, to think about this kind of thinking that I have, and I know various players share the same opinion, because of the promotion of tennis, popularising the sport in a place where maybe tennis isnt as popular.If we are looking to expand the consciousness about our sport, then we should look into that.

Djokovic doesn't care about race for top ranking Posted: LONDON (AFP) - Novak Djokovic insists he isnt concerned about winning the race to finish 2013 above Rafael Nadal at the top of the world rankings.Djokovic goes into the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals at Londons O2 Arena still in with a chance of snatching pole position from current world number one Nadal.When Nadal beat Djokovic to win the US Open, it seemed the Spaniard was certain to take top spot at the end of the year.But the world number two has won all of his 17 matches since New York, with his third straight title coming on Sunday at the Paris Masters, and he still has a slim chance of overtaking Nadal depending on their results in London this week.For that to happen, the Serb must retain the Tour Finals title he won for the second time last year and then gain maximum points in the Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic, while Nadal would have to fail to win two of his three group matches in London.But for Djokovic, who begins his Tour Finals campaign against Roger Federer on Tuesday, the most important thing is that he is again playing at the level that made such an unstoppable force 2011 and 2012.It doesnt make sense for me to get into the number one calculations, Djokovic said.What is important for me is that I know winning three tournaments in a row, 17 matches in a row, gives me a lot of confidence coming into this week and the closing weeks of the season and opening up the next season also.Im building something for whats coming up and, if I finish number one, that would be an incredible achievement and I would be very happy but of course its not at the top of my priority list right now.I know the rankings will follow if I have good results.After winning the Australian Open in January, Djokovic has suffered painful defeats in the semi-finals of the French Open and the Wimbledon and US Open finals.Those losses caused some to question whether the 26-year-old was hungry enough after winning five Grand Slam titles from January 2011 to January 2013, and he conceded he may have lost a little consistency for a while.I dont want to sound arrogant but I felt the summer was too much up and down. I could have had a little bit more consistency, Djokovic said.But after the US Open I managed to feel well on the court again, to connect with myself, to enjoy it and to get the right stability and consistency throughout all the matches.Results have helped of course to build that confidence and now Im feeling good about myself on the court.

Wawrinka beats Berdych in opener at ATP finals Posted: LONDON (AP) - Stanislas Wawrinka marked his first appearance at the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals with a 6-3, 6-7 (0), 6-3 win over Tomas Berdych in their opening round robin match Monday.Wawrinka the only debutant in this years tournament got off to a strong start and then recovered from a slump in the second-set tiebreaker to win a hard-fought contest that lasted nearly 2 ½ hours.Wawrinka and Berdych are playing in Group A, which also includes top-ranked Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer. Group B features Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin del Potro and Richard Gasquet.After the round robin stage, the top two finishers in each group reach the semifinals.My first impression was really, really nice to be here, Wawrinka said. I saw that tournament so many times on TV. To win my first match here was something really special.The 28-year-old Wawrinka served well throughout the match, hitting 11 aces and winning 66 percent of points on his second serve. He also saved the five break points he faced.The Swiss No. 2, who spent his career in the shadow of Roger Federer before reaching the semifinals at the U.S. Open this year, broke in the sixth game of the first set when Berdych sent a backhand wide. He then opened up a 5-2 lead before earning two set points on his serve with a forehand winner.However, Wawrinka showed nerves as he missed three consecutive easy shots to offer Berdych his first break point of the match. But the Swiss raised his game at the right time and converted his fifth set point.Berdych, who reached the semifinals of the season-ending tournament two years ago, hit his racket against the floor in anger after wasting a break point by fluffing a forehand in the fourth game of the second set. He missed three other chances to break but won the tiebreaker without dropping a point as Wawrinka made several unforced errors.The Swiss recovered in the decider, breaking Berdych for a 3-1 lead after he double-faulted and sent a forehand long. Wawrinka, who had his thigh massaged in the decider, sealed the victory on his first match point as Berdych sent a forehand wide.As I saw the match, well, it was a very close game again, Berdych said. Its been really about the small chances.

Athletics: Bolt, Bondarenko, Farah battle for IAAF award Posted: PARIS (AFP) - World and Olympic champions Usain Bolt of Jamaica and Mohamed Farah of Britain have been named along with Ukrainian high jumper Bohdan Bondarenko as the three mens finalists for the IAAF 2013 World Athlete of the Year Award.All three starred at this years World Athletics Championships in Moscow where the Jamaican won gold in the 100 and 200 metres, Farah clinched a rare 5,000-10,000 metres double and Bondarenko took gold in the high jump.Bolt will be bidding for a fifth IAAF Athlete of the Year Award after 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012.The three womens finalists will be named on Tuesday with top Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as well as Ethiopian long-distance stars Meseret Defar and Tirunesh Dibaba in the running.The winners will be announced by the IAAF at a ceremony on November 16.

With Games in view, Rio begins demolition of ring road Posted: RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - City authorities in Rio de Janeiro began demolishing an elevated ring road skirting the citys port area on Monday as part of a huge makeover for the 2016 Olympics.A seven kilometer (4.5 mile) tunnel will replace a road carrying some 70,000 vehicles a day, which obscured the view to the picturesque vistas over Guanabara Bay and towards Sugarloaf Mountain.The road was closed off on Saturday night in preparation as Rio undergoes urban regeneration ahead of the 2016 Games, the first to be staged in South America.The closure is expected to lead to bottlenecks in a city of more than six million and Transport Minister Carlos Roberto Osorio warned that a protest by port workers demanding a salary hike, coupled with a burst pipe in the area would only add to the problem.But, long term, the new access route is expected to allow a near doubling of traffic capacity while also reducing congestion.Authorities were left scratching their heads last month when six huge steel columns weighing 20 tons each were stolen from an access road to the ring road, which will be dynamited on November 17.Police are still investigating the theft.