Indian Woman Miscarries 10 Babies In One Night

In what's being called a medical record in India, a 28-year-old woman in Madhya Pradesh miscarried 10 babies in one night this week.

The Indo-Asian News Service reports that Anju Kushwaha delivered nine of the babies late Sunday night before she arrived at a hospital, where she delivered the 10th.

Doctors revealed Monday that all of the babies were dead at 12 weeks.

It appears fertility drugs may have contributed to Kushwaha's conception and unusually high multiple pregnancy. According to the Business Standard, doctors at the hospital said the miscarriages followed ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome -- a complication from fertility medication.

"It seems that that there was no regular follow-up of her pregnancy after [in vitro fertilization]," Dr. Sumitra Yadav, a senior gynecologist, told The Times Of India. "At least three offspring could have been saved by reducing the pregnancy."

While the birth of 10 children at once is rare, there have been other reported cases of doctors delivering a high number of babies in a single delivery. As Xinhua News Agency notes, a doctor in Rome claimed to have removed 15 from the womb of a 35-year-old woman in 1971.

Nadya Suleman, the "Octomom" who gave birth to eight babies in 2009, currently holds the Guinness World Record for most surviving children delivered in a single birth.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated that the 10 babies were stillborn. Given the time frame, the correct term is miscarriage. We regret this error.

India expands nuclear weapons site: think tank

WASHINGTON: India has expanded a secretive site that could be used to enrich more uranium for nuclear weapons, a US think tank said Wednesday, citing satellite imagery.

The Institute for Science and International Security, a private group opposed to nuclear proliferation, said that India appeared to be finishing a second gas centrifuge facility at its Rare Materials Plant near the southern city of Mysore.

"This new facility could significantly increase India´s ability to produce highly enriched uranium for military purposes, including more powerful nuclear weapons," the institute said in a report that analyzed an image taken in April.

The institute said that India started building a second centrifuge plant near Mysore in 2010, but it was unclear whether it was a replacement for the first facility at the site or a supplement.

If it is a new facility, "India could have more than doubled its enrichment capacity, if the original building continues to function as an enrichment plant," it said.

India closely guards its nuclear sites and says little about them publicly. In the past, India has complained about footage of sensitive infrastructure taken by commercial satellite services such as Google Earth.

Indian officials have reportedly said that highly enriched uranium from Mysore would fuel its new nuclear-powered submarines. India´s nuclear weapons program has traditionally been based on plutonium, not uranium. (AFP)

India: What will 2014 be for Digital Marketers?

Whenever we start to look ahead, it’s always good to look how far we’ve come. This is not to carry baggage into the future, but take the experience forward.

I started to look at the last 3 years’ digital conferences content and the awards that have taken place in the country. They surprisingly look very similar - new shiny digital-object, best practices, an international speaker, and a few dated case studies. The folks who attended might have been the same. And the enthusiasm to grow digital has been quite the same as well. Even Sir Martin Sorrell has sustained his bullish stance about India (2012 and 2013). But the needle hasn’t moved much. And, here’s someone else who also echo’s the thought - Madhumita Dutta.

Bring the thought of digital to our friends who are advertisers and they’re still looking for their big idea on digital. Commonly used words are - innovation, viral, and low (no) budgets. No wonder digital still hovers at less than 10 percent of overall spend. A few of the changes have been social pages with contests, which used to be custom-built dedicated microsites a few years ago.

The most measurable channel, digital, is measured with the most simplistic approach, while the most vague traditional channels are subject to complex media mix modeling. I mean - why!

So I think next year, 2014 will challenge marketers to bring more focus and clarity to their efforts.

The fragmented use of channels is a self-created misery (thoda idhar; thoda udhar daal do - little bit here and little bit there), and hopefully is shown the door. This will be done by measuring the percentage of audience across channels. Insignificant channels should be dropped to bring focus. And if you have no clue what to do on a certain channel, step back. Really spend sometime to find out what really works for your brand/product/category. And, don’t under invest in a channel.

Once you have a few clear sets of touch points to reach out to your audience, this will drive better use of measurement tools. Attribution model and multi channel funnels should see some usage and adoption.

I'm pegging 2014 the year where display advertising will grow faster than search advertising. As it will become evident to advertisers that your customers consume content beyond search and social.

True advertising has always been about multimedia - visual, sound, interaction, etc. This will fuel conversations around data driven marketing as there is focus, clarity, and an ambition to maximize performance of digital campaigns, making CTR (click-through-rate) a metric of the past.

RTB (real time bidding) will simplify digital display buying, which is very complex as of today and keeps advertisers very wary of it. However, audience buying will remain a bit far fetched, if everything is going to sit on social pages or closely guarded websites by your IT Teams. CIO/CTO’s have to start understanding and including “digital marketing” as an important than just creating a website with navigation and content. Data has to be made interoperable between IT and Marketing; making your marketing strategy integrated.

Friends in the agency world will really have to look at different ways of making profits (making ends meet won’t do), this will lead to the emergence of trading desks in India. They will have to start the process of changing the way the agency model works in the digital scenario. Redundant tasks have to be automated, data has to be made more actionable and campaigns have to win more awards - all of this without charging less than the previous year or eating into other margins.

Hopefully, some of the best talent will flow into the agency world. Someone told me back in the 1990’s that the agency world had the best people than on the advertiser side. They were more strategic than operational; the chaps today are the “just do it” types.

The publisher ecosystem will start to become more transparent and will start to add more flavor to their offerings. No longer conversations will be about page views and impressionable inventory - but about audience, profiles and how they are open to collaborate more with the advertisers. RTB and audience will slowly creep into conversations as they invest in technology, change in privacy policy, and data usage.

In essence, 2014 will or should be able to have more clarity, unification, efficiency and doing more than the usual on digital. It will inspire confidence in the medium and put the best foot forward. And it will be the year that can make digital marketing a serious place to be in.

PCB in talks with BCCI for series: Sethi

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board chairman said he has hopes his country might play a cricket series with archrival India in late 2014 after discussions with his Indian counterpart during an Asian Cricket Council meeting in Hong Kong.

Pakistan cricket chief Najam Sethi said late Thursday after returning from Hong Kong that he was told by N. Sirinivasan, president of Board of Control for Cricket in India, that he would consider a series for next year following general elections in India.

The PCB chief said there's no written agreement between the two boards on when and where a series might be played.

If a series is planned, however, India would likely be the host as no foreign team has toured Pakistan since 2009 when gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore. India was due to tour Pakistan in 2009 and again in 2011, but both times the series were postponed due to security concerns.

India and Pakistan played their first bilateral series in five years late last year in India, comprising two Twenty20 matches and three one-day internationals.

Security was tight during the series, with thousands of soldiers and police posted outside the stadium in Bangalore where the opening Twenty20 match was contested on Christmas Day.

Sethi said he doesn't foresee any international teams visiting Pakistan in the near future due to the country's instability.

“There's no one ready to come to Pakistan because of terrorism, “ he said.

“We have to take some action ... and only then the world will listen to us.”

Last week, Sethi came under severe criticism at home for hosting Pakistan test and one-day captain Misbah-ul-Haq on his political talk show on a private television channel.

Misbah highlighted the various weaknesses in the Pakistan team after it drew its recent test series against South Africa 1-1 and lost its one-day series 4-1 and Twenty20 series 2-0.

Sethi said Misbah wanted to respond “in a controlled environment” to his critics after Pakistan's poor form against South Africa.

“We decided that he will be asked all the questions ... and there will be no follow up questions as he wasn't getting that chance on other TV channels,” Sethi said.

The PCB chief said he had no intentions to drop Misbah before the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand given the recent lackluster results of Pakistan team. “

Misbah will be the captain for 2015 World Cup,” he said.

He added that Pakistanis needed to have more patience with the team. “If you have to prepare team for the World Cup, you have to give time to youngsters, you have to experiment with them,” he said.

Source:Dawn News

India win sixth consecutive ODI title

KANPUR: India sealed a consecutive sixth ODI series win after beating the West Indies by 5 wickets in the third and final ODI played at Kanpur on Wednesday.

West Indies batting first, were propelled to 263 runs with late flourishes from Darren Bravo and Darren Sammy .

In reply, Captain MS Dhoni lived up to his reputation as India's designated finisher after Shikhar Dhawan's blistering knock of 119 setting up India's victory.

Dhawan also became the fastest cricketer to score five ODI centuries.

The Indian team was well supported by both Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina with solid contributions of 55 and 43 each.

Among the bowlers, Ashwin was at the top of the heap, taking 2 for 45 in his ten overs. Kumar and Shami too were miserly enough, picking up one apiece, with averages around five.
Source: Dawn News

For West Indies, Ravi Rampaul and Sunil Naraine stood out. While the former provided the early inroads, the latter bowled a stingy spell of 32 runs in 10 overs.

five yeras jailed to Lalu Yadav as India finally gets tough on corruption

Daily News Van Dijk wins women's time trial at cycling worlds

Van Dijk wins women's time trial at cycling worlds Posted: FLORENCE (AP) - Ellen van Dijk of the Netherlands dominated the women's time trial to win her second gold medal at this year's road cycling world championships on Tuesday.The time trial specialist, who was the pre-race favorite, posted a time of 27 minutes, 48.18 seconds, beating Linda Villumsen of New Zealand by 24.10 seconds.I dreamt of this jersey and I felt the pressure a lot in the last few days, so now I'm very happy, Van Dijk said. I started very fast, I slowed down only in the last kilometers. The Dutchwoman had also done her homework before the race.I'd studied the course carefully, training at five in the morning to avoid traffic and watching videos to get to know the turns better, she added.Carmen Small of the United States was third, 28.74 seconds behind Van Dijk. Both were part of the American squad Specialized-Lululemon squad which successfully defended its team time trial title on the opening day on Sunday.The powerful Van Dijk was one of the last down the ramp and the 26-year-old led from start to finish along the 21.8 kilometer (13.5-mile) course.It was her first individual world road cycling medal, while Villumsen made it onto the podium for the fifth consecutive year, following three bronze medals and a silver.Five times on the podium and not a single gold medal: I don't think it was bad luck, I just believe my opponents were stronger, Villumsen said. I'm always missing something, I'll try to figure out what it is and try again next year.Small, who considered retirement last season, edged out compatriot Evelyn Stevens by just four hundredths of a second for her first individual medal.Both medals made me happy: the gold medal because I won it with my team and this bronze because I won it representing my country, Small said. My teammate Ellen Van Dijk is a very special person, she's a hard worker and she's really strong.It's a very bittersweet feeling for me. Evelyn is a good friend, a teammate and a fellow countryman. We've spent a lot of time together this season and it's hard to have been beaten and have it be so close.Defending champion Judith Arndt retired last season.Earlier, Igor Decraene of Belgium won the junior time trial, beating favorite Mathias Krigbaum of Denmark.The 17-year-old Decraene won in 26 minutes, 56.83 seconds over the flat, 21.8-kilometer (13.5-mile) course, 8.66 seconds faster than Krigbaum.Zeke Mostov of the United States was third, 20.97 seconds slower than Decraene.Decraene, who is the Belgium national champion, finished second in the discipline in the European championships in July.

Netanyahu directs Israeli envoy to skip Rouhani's UN speech Posted: JERUSALEM (AP) - Israels prime minister has instructed Israeli diplomats to leave the U.N. General Assembly when Irans new president, Hasan Rouhani, addresses the gathering later Tuesday.In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that despite a new Iranian smile offensive, the policies of the Islamic republic remain the same. He accused Rouhani of refusing to recognize the Holocaust.Netanyahu says that when Irans leaders stop denying the Holocaust, halt their calls for Israels destruction and recognize Israels right to exist, then Israel will be ready to listen to their U.N. speeches.Israel accuses Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies. Israel fears that Rouhanis signs of moderation will ease international pressure on the suspect Iranian nuclear program.

Nod toward diplomacy with Iran changes UN tone Posted: DUBAI (AP) - A year after Iran and the West appeared headed for conflict over Tehrans nuclear program, a shift in the mood could be felt at the United Nations on Tuesday, and officials and commentators raised hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough under the Islamic Republics new moderate-leaning president.In a speech at the U.N., President Barack Obama reached out to Irans new president, Hasan Rouhani, as a possible force for positive change in relations with the West.He lauded the more moderate course endorsed by Rouhani, who succeeded the combative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June elections. Obama said Rouhani could be a partner in trying to break the impasse over Irans nuclear ambitions.The roadblocks may prove to be too great, but I firmly believe the diplomatic path must be tested, Obama told the General Assembly.Rouhani was scheduled to address the U.N. gathering later in the day. But in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said a new era was at hand for the stalled nuclear negotiations.Irans U.S.-educated Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is expected to meet on Thursday with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and counterparts from the other permanent Security Council members plus Germany to discuss the possibility of reviving the negotiations, which were last held in April after making little headway.Rouhani is seeking to restart the negotiations and appears to have crucial backing from Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with the aim of coaxing the U.S. and allies to ease painful sanctions. The West has previously resisted making such offers, believing that the pressure on Irans economy was the best way to force concessions.A post on Zarifs Twitter account noted a historic opportunity to resolve the nuclear issue. But it said Washington, along with other world powers, needs to adjust its posture commensurate with the new Iranian approach.A prominent Iranian blogger based in Washington, Negar Mortazavi, posted on Twitter: Even if Rouhani and Obama dont physically shake hands in public, the dialogue has already started behind the scenes.She said of Obamas outreach: Kudos.Iran insists it will not give up its ability to enrich uranium to make nuclear fuel, which the West fears could eventually provide material for a nuclear warhead. Iran says it is only seeking to produce energy and isotopes for medical treatments.Suzanne Maloney, an Iranian affairs specialist at the Brookings Institution in Washington, noted there were no major openings to Iran in Obamas address, but it was interesting to hear positive linkage.For Iranians, an important point in Obamas speech was the mention of the many tens of thousands of Iranians who suffered in chemical attacks during the 1980-88 war with Iraqi forces under Saddam Hussein, who was backed at the time by Washington. It is likely to be perceived as gesture of the respect demanded by leaders in Tehran.But Obamas address was seen live by only a limited audience in Iran. The main Farsi channels on state TV did not carry the speech, which was run by the state-run Arabic-language channel Al Alam and the English-language Press TV.Before the speech, Irans semiofficial Fars news agency reported that a group of students at Tehran University said possible direct talks with Washington should occur only after Obama makes an official apology to Iran for past policies, including Washingtons backing of a 1953 coup that toppled a democratically elected government and reinstalled the Western-friendly shah.The 1979 Islamic Revolution overthrew the shah and destroyed ties between Iran and the United States. Iranian militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held 52 hostages for 444 days.Diplomacy is in the air, said David Cortright, director of policy studies at the University of Notre Dames Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. Not only has a negotiated agreement replaced military threats in Syria, a diplomatic breakthrough with Iran now also seems plausible.

Workers strike slows car production in S Africa Posted: PORT ELIZABETH (AFP) - Component shortages during ongoing strikes have severely slowed car production at major manufacturers in South Africa, auto companies said Tuesday.Volkswagen, Ford, Mercedes and Toyota reported stopped or limited production since Monday, while General Motors has not produced since last week as component manufacturer stoppages over wages entered a third week.Billions of rands are being lost in the component and original equipment manufacturer sectors every single day but the bigger damage has already been done -- destroying investor confidence, said National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (Naacam) executive director Robert Houdet.A three-week strike by automobile workers in August cost the industry 50,000 cars in lost production, but just as it ended around 70,000 fuel attendants and component producers decided to down tools.Volkswagen SA would keep its plant in small town Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape province closed until further notice, spokesman Matt Gennrich told AFP.This does not augur well for our hourly paid employees on the production lines as they will not be earning any income, he added.General Motors South Africa has not been producing vehicles since last week, according to spokeswoman Denise van Huyssteen.Ford spokeswoman Alisea Chetty reported no production at the company's Port Elizabeth and Pretoria plants for two days, but was likely to restart on Wednesday.Meanwhile Mercedes Benz had limited production on its commercial vehicles line, said communications manager Lynette Skriker, while a Toyota SA spokesman also reported local manufacturing has stopped although assembly lines were operational.Car manufacturers said they pin their hopes on new wage talks Wednesday.Workers have rejected employers' offer of an eight percent increase the first year and seven percent annually the next two years, according to the National Union of Mineworkers of South Africa (NUMSA).They are demanding double digits, NUMSA general secretary Irvin Jim told AFP.The strikes follow stoppages in mining and construction as competing unions make increasingly radical demands.This may now spread to the automobile industry as militant labour group the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) has launched a massive membership drive in the auto sector.Car manufacturing contributes around six percent to Africa's biggest economy. But producers warned against ongoing stoppages.Potential investors will think twice before doing business with South Africa because of the labour instability, said Naacam's Houdet.

Carlo Janka to skip World Cup opener Posted: ZERMATT (AP) - Olympic giant slalom champion Carlo Janka will skip the season-opening World Cup race next month at Soelden, Austria.Janka tells The Associated Press it makes no sense at all to go to Soelden on Oct. 27 with such a high start number in GS after struggling last season.Janka had difficulty adapting to new GS ski specification rules and completed only one event, a 24th-place finish at Beaver Creek, Colorado.The 2009 world champion in GS acknowledges that I have some work to do when I compare with Ted (Ligety) or Marcel (Hirscher).Janka says he will begin the Sochi Olympic season focusing on speed events and then I see how it works in the GS.

US to sign global treaty on conventional arms trade Posted: UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry will this week sign the first global treaty to regulate the $80 billion annual trade in conventional arms, seeking to stem the flow of weapons used in war crimes and genocide.A source familiar with the diplomatic maneuvers confirmed to AFP that Kerry would sign the treaty on Wednesday after it was adopted earlier this year by the United Nations to regulate trade in tanks, armored combat vehicles, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, missiles as well as small arms.The treaty, which has been years in the making, was only adopted after tough negotiations at the United Nations. The talks had deadlocked last year after the United States asked for more time to pour over the draft text.Kerry praised the adoption of the treaty in saying it was strong, effective and implementable and insisted it would not infringe on the US Constitution and the Second Amendment right to bear arms.The pact can strengthen global security while protecting the sovereign right of states to conduct legitimate arms trade, he added in his statement in April.It is the first major arms accord since the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and covers all conventional weapons.It has no automatic enforcement. However, it seeks to force the weapons industry within accepted boundaries.Though the United States -- which is the worlds biggest arms producer -- has endorsed the treaty, the US Congress must still ratify it.The powerful arms lobby in the United States has already voiced objections, fearful that it could infringe on individual gun rights within US borders.But Kerry stressed in April that the pact only referred to international trade, and reaffirms the sovereign right of any state to regulate arms within its territory.The pact would create a common international standard for the national regulation of the international trade in conventional arms and require all states to develop and implement the kind of systems that the United States already has in place, Kerry said.It would also help reduce the risk that international transfers of conventional arms will be used to carry out the worlds worst crimes, including terrorism, genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.The United States is meanwhile embroiled in a heated domestic gun control debate, following a series of high-profile shootings.

No link with Jundullah, claims TTP Posted: ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has denied any link with Jundullah.According to TTP spokesman, the Taliban offshoot is Jundul Hafsa, however, it had not claimed responsibility of Peshawar Church attack.He said the group that claimed it is Jundullah, adding this group has no links with the Taliban or any Mujahideen group.It is pertinent to mention here that Jundullah had claimed the responsibility of Peshawar Church attack, in which at least 83 people were killed and dozens were injured.

Train collision claims 4 lives in Republic of Congo Posted: BRAZZAVILLE (AP) - A transportation official confirmed that four people were killed when two trains collided near Kinkembo, located 150 kilometers (90 miles) south of Brazzaville, the capital of Republic of Congo.Anatole Zobani Kimbouala, the press attache for the Republic of Congos Minister of Transport, said the accident occurred at around 1 a.m. on Tuesday. A delegation from the ministry of transport left the capital in the early hours to try to reach the site of the collision to begin an investigation.State radio said at least 25 people were also gravely wounded. They were transported to a hospital in Brazzaville.

UN chemical weapons inspectors returning to Syria Posted: GENEVA (AP) - The United Nations says the team of chemical weapons inspectors led by Swedish expert Ake Sellstrom will return to Syria on Wednesday.U.N. officials in Geneva say Sellstroms team will return to complete its investigation into pending credible allegations of chemical weapons use in the civil-war struck Arab state.In the statement Tuesday, the U.N. said the investigation will include gathering evidence from an alleged chemical weapons attack on March 19 on the village of Khan al Assal outside the city of Aleppo, which was captured by the rebels in July.On its previous trip to the country, the team compiled a report that said nerve agent sarin was used in an Aug. 21 attack near Damascus.

Colombian man stabbed to death in football fan fight Posted: BOGOTA (AFP) - A young Colombian man was stabbed to death in a fight between fans of rival football teams, police said Tuesday.Another death is being probed to determine if it stems from football violence, the police added.The mayor of Bogota warned of declaring the citys El Campin stadium off limits to teams whose fans have been involved in fights.In the latest incident, Carlos Medellin, 20, was killed Monday night outside a bus station in downtown Bogota.Medellin, a fan of Atletico Nacional, was stabbed in the chest by supporters of a team called Millonarios. Five people were arrested.The two teams were to have played Tuesday night in El Campin stadium in the latest chapter of a classic Colombian rivalry. But the mayor suspended the match because of Medellins death.This is not a day for celebrating, it is a day for mourning, said Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo, a town hall official.On Friday, a man aged 66 died of a stab wound when he intervened to defend his son in a fight between football fans.In yet another case, police said they are investigating whether the death of a youth Monday night in another part of town stemmed from a fight between fans of Millonarios and Atletico Nacional.Bogota mayor Gustavo Petro raised the possibility of restricting use of El Campin stadium as a way to punish and deter violent fans.If there is no peace in our neighborhoods because of football, there can be no football in the stadium, Petro wrote on Twitter. He convened a meeting of leaders of football fan clubs.Police chief Rodolfo Palomino suggested barring fans from visiting teams from wearing shirts with their team colors. He said this would be a protective measure.

PM Nawaz grieved over losses by earthquake Posted: NEW YORK (Dunya News) - Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Tuesday, expressed grief and sorrow over the losses of precious human lives and property due to an earth quake, which hit areas in Sindh and Balochistan provinces.The Prime Minister directed Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to keep him updated regarding the losses, relief and evacuation measures, on regular basis.He also directed the local administration to provide all necessary help and assistance to the affected people on priority basis.The PM said that the Federal Government would provide all possible assistance to the earthquake affectees and asked NDMA and Pakistan Army to assist the local administration in relief activities.The Premier prayed to Almighty Allah to bless the departed souls with eternal peace and grant courage to the bereaved families to bear the irreparable loss with fortitude.A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit a number of cities in Sindh and Balochistan province including Karachi‚ Hyderabad‚ Quetta and Kalat Tuesday.The epicenter of the quake was 120 kilometers away from Khuzdar. People came out from their houses‚ offices and buildings in panic.The worst hit area of quake was Awaran district of Balochistan‚ where thirty people were killed and several injured as a result of the quake.An emergency has been imposed in districts of Chaghi and Awaran.

Obama urges UN to adopt Syrian chemical weapons resolution Posted: UNITED NATIONS (AP) - President Barack Obama said Tuesday the U.N. Security Council must agree to a resolution on Syrian chemical weapons that includes consequences for President Bashar Assad if he doesn't meet demands to dismantle his stockpile.Obama challenged the U.N. to include such accountability in any resolution, saying the international body's reputation is at stake.If we cannot agree even on this, he said, then it will show that the United Nations is incapable of enforcing the most basic of international laws.The United States and Russia have brokered an agreement for Syria to give up its chemical weapons. But the countries are at odds on what the possible consequences would be if Syria doesn't comply.We believe that as a starting point the international community must enforce the ban in international weapons, he said in his address to the U.N. General Assembly.The agreement between Washington and Moscow came as Obama was pushing Congress to approve a military strike against Syria for a chemical weapons attack last month on civilians outside Damascus that the Obama administration says was carried out by Assad's regime. The subsequent diplomatic steps agreed to by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov placed the threat of force on hold.Still, The Russians have challenged the administration's claims of Assad culpability and Assad has blamed rebel forces for the attack.Obama aggressively pushed back against those claims in his speech Tuesday. It's an insult to human reason and to the legitimacy of this institution to suggest that anyone other than the regime carried out this attack, the president said.Obama also said that while the international community has recognized the stakes involved in the more than 2-year-old civil war, our response has not matched the scale of the challenge.Obama announced that the United States will provide $339 million in additional humanitarian aid to refugees and countries affected by the Syrian civil war, bringing the total American aid devoted to that crisis to nearly $1.4 billion.The White House said the aid will include $161 million spent inside Syria for medical care, shelter and sanitation projects, with the remainder going to help Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt.Obama reiterated his demand that Assad cannot continue to lead Syria, but said he would not use U.S. military force to depose him.That is for the Syrian people to decide, he said. Nevertheless, a leader who slaughtered his citizens and gassed children to death cannot regain the legitimacy to lead a badly fractured country. He called on Assad allies to stop supporting his regime.The notion that Syria can somehow return to a pre-war status quo is a fantasy, he said. It's time for Russia and Iran to realize that insisting on Assad's role will lead directly to the outcome that they fear: an increasingly violent space for extremists to operate.

Earthquake creates new island near Gwadar coastline Posted: GWADAR (Dunya News) - The earthquake has created a new island into the sea some 1.5 kilometers at the Jhanda coastline in Gwadar.According to DIG Gwadar, a similar island had appeared in Hangal in the coastal area of Lasbela sixty years ago.On Tuesday, a major earthquake that hit southwestern Pakistan killed more than 100 people, the countrys disaster response agency said, with fears the death toll could rise.The 7.7-magnitude quake which hit Awaran district of Balochistan province also injured at least 24 people, Brigadier Kamran Zia of the National Disaster Management Authority said.The 7.7-magnitude quake struck at 4:29 pm (1129 GMT) around 100 kilometres (60 miles) southwest of the city of Khuzdar in Baluchistan province, at a depth of 15 kilometres.Officials said the tremors had demolished dozens of houses in Awaran district, 350 kilometres southwest of the provincial capital Quetta.

Pak-Army starts rescue operation in quake-hit areas Posted: ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Pakistan army Tuesday dispatched its rescue teams along with helicopters for rescue operation in Quake-hit areas of Balochistan.According to ISPR, 200 Army personnel and helicopter were dispatched for rescue operation.“Khuzdaar will be base for Rescue operation, night flying helicopters with medics on their way while Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Khuzdaar has been alerted to cope with the situation” DG ISPR told media on Tuesday.According to reports, teams of Frontier Constabulary (FC) arrived at Libash, quake hit area and started rescue activities.A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit a number of cities in Sindh and Balochistan province including Karachi‚ Hyderabad‚ Quetta and Kalat Tuesday.The epicenter of the quake was 120 kilometers away from Khuzdar. People came out from their houses‚ offices and buildings in panic.The worst hit area of quake was Awaran district of Balochistan‚ where thirty people were killed and several injured as a result of the quake. An emergency has been imposed in districts of Chaghi and Awaran.

Imran Farooq murder case: Iftikhar Hussains bail extended till December Posted: LONDON (Dunya News) - Iftikhar Hussain, 52, arrested by Metropolitan police on June 4 in connection with murder, appeared before Court of North London on Tuesday.The court re-bailed Iftikhar Hussain till December this year.Legal experts say Iftikhar Hussain would be charged, released or re-bailed on his next appearance before the court in December.Earlier, British Home Secretary Theresa May in Islamabad said London Metropolitan police is moving forward in Imran Farooq murder case and culprits would be brought to justice.Sources said British home secretary sought access to two suspects detained in Pakistan during his meeting with her Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.British police investigating the 2010 murder of former MQM leader and had arrested Altaf Hussain’s cousin Iftikhar Hussain at Heathrow in connection with the case after he arrived in the city on a flight from Canada on June 04.

Latest News Imran stresses continuation of dialogue process

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NA passes resolution slamming attack on Peshawar church Updated 5 hours ago ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly has passed a unanimous resolution, strongly condemning the heinous and inhuman attack at Church in Peshawar in which more than 81 precious lives including women and ...

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Police detain 144 suspects Updated 5 hours ago KARACHI: Karachi police on Monday claimed to have arrested 144 accused, including 44 absconders and proclaimed offenders in different raids during the last 24 hours. A police report said that ...

IGP orders tight security for holy places Updated 5 hours ago KARACHI: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh Shahid Nadeem Baloch on Monday directed relevant officials to boost up security around churches, mosques, imambargahs and residents of minority ...

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Kvitova first to reach third round in Pacific Open Updated 6 hours ago TOKYO: Seventh seed Petra Kvitova, surprise Wimbledon champion in 2011, became the first player to reach the third round with a 7-5 6-4 winner over Swiss Belinda Bencic at the Pan Pacific Open on ...

Date-Krumm wins her opening match at Pan Pacific Open Updated 6 hours ago TOKYO: Japan's 'iron lady' Kimiko Date-Krumm won her opening match at the Pan Pacific Open on Monday, then all but ruled out playing in Tokyo at the 2020 Olympics when she will be almost 50. ...

Daily News From World Karachi unrest case: SC to resume hearing today

Karachi unrest case: SC to resume hearing today Posted: KARACHI (Dunya News) – A larger bench of the Supreme Court (SC), headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, will resume hearing of Karachi law and order case today (Thursday).Special reports by Federal Govt, Sindh Govt, DG Rangers and police will be submitted during today’s proceedings while notices have been issued to concerned parties including MQM Senator Babar Khan Ghauri, who has requested to become a party in the case.The SC was scheduled to hear the Karachi law and order case on September 18 at the Karachi Registry, however, the proceedings will now be held today (September 19) due to change in the court’s schedule.

PM invites Turkish businessmen to invest in Pakistan Posted: ISTANBUL (APP) - Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Wednesday invited the top executives of Turkish companies to invest in Pakistan in projects of low cost housing, energy, infrastructure and urban development.The Prime Minister was talking during a meeting with chairmen and chief executive officers of TAV, ALBAYRAK, LIMAK, Baynder, STFA and Zorlu Enerji.The Turkish businessmen showed keen interest to invest in Pakistan and they were assured, by the Prime Minister, of business friendly policies and initiatives of the government.The businessmen expressed satisfaction with the level of personal commitment shown by the Prime Minister towards taking steps for economic revival of Pakistan.The Prime Minister also performed soft inauguration of Zorlu Energy’s Wind Power Plant that has the capacity to generate over 50 MW electricity.Located at Jhimpir near Karachi, the power generated from this project has been added to the national grid, which will help reduce power shortage in the country.

Assad pledges to destroy chemical arms Posted: WASHINGTON (AFP) - Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad pledged to destroy his stockpile of chemical arms but warned it would take a year to do so, in an interview with Fox News broadcast Wednesday.I think its a very complicated operation, technically. And it needs a lot of money, about a billion, he said.So it depends, you have to ask the experts what they mean by quickly. It has a certain schedule. It needs a year, or maybe a little bit more.Bashar al-Assad insisted that Syria is not gripped by civil war but has been attacked by tens of thousands of foreign jihadist fighters allied to Al-Qaeda.The Syrian leader urged US President Barack Obama not to threaten Syria but to listen to the common sense of your people.What we have is not civil war. What we have is war. Its a new kind of war, he said, alleging that Islamist guerrillas from more than 80 countries had joined the fight.We know that we have tens of thousands of jihadists, but we are on the ground, we live in this country, he said, disputing an expert report that suggested 30,000 out of around 100,000 rebels were hardliners.What I can tell you that 80 -- and some say it is 90 -- to be precise, we dont have clear data and precise data, 80 to 90 percent of the underground terrorists are Al-Qaeda and their offshoots.Assad admitted that at the start of the uprising there were non-jihadi Syrian rebels, but alleged that since the end of 2012, due to funding and influence from abroad, extremists had become a majority.He added that tens of thousands of Syrians and 15,000 government troops had been killed mainly because of the terrorist attacks, assassinations and suicide bombers.And he also repeated his insistence that an August 21 sarin gas attack that killed hundreds of civilians in the suburbs of Damascus had been carried out by rebels, and not by government forces.Western capitals, most Arab states and several independent rights watchdogs say there is clear evidence that the attack was launched by Syrian government troops.

6 killed as Canada bus strikes passenger train Posted: OTTAWA (AP) - Passengers screamed Stop Stop seconds before their bus crashed through a crossing barrier and into a commuter train during morning rush hour in Canadas capital on Wednesday, killing six people and injuring 34.He smoked the train, witness Mark Cogan said of the bus driver, who was among those killed. He went through the guard rail and just hammered the train, and then it was just mayhem.It was not immediately clear what caused the bus to smash through the lowered barrier at a crossing in suburban Ottawa.The front of the double-decker bus was ripped away by the impact, and the trains locomotive and one passenger car derailed, though there were no reports of major injuries to train passengers or crew.Eight were still listed in critical condition late Wednesday. The crash brought trains on the national Via Rails Ottawa-Toronto route to a standstill.It was Canadas second major rail accident in less than three months. A runaway oil train derailed and exploded in a Quebec town on July 6, killing 47 people in the countrys worst rail disaster in more than a century.Tanner Trepanier said he and other passengers could see the four-car train bearing down on them as the bus approached the crossing.People started screaming, Stop Stop because they could see the train coming down the track, Trepanier said.But the driver didnt slow down, said Rebecca Guilbeault, who was on the bus with her 1-year-old son.I dont know if the bus driver blacked out, she said. Ive seen a few people dead, someone ripped in half.

Mexico floods kill 80, thousands stranded Posted: ACAPULCO (AP) - The toll from devastating twin storms climbed to 80 on Wednesday as isolated areas reported damage and deaths to the outside world, and Mexican officials said that a massive landslide in the mountains north of the resort of Acapulco could drive the number of confirmed casualties even higher.Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said federal authorities had reached the cutoff village of La Pintada by helicopter and had airlifted out 35 residents, four of whom were seriously injured in the slide. Officials have not yet seen any bodies, he said, despite reports from people in the area that at least 18 people had been killed.It doesnt look good, based on the photos we have in our possession, Osorio Chong said, while noting that up to this point, we do not have any (confirmed) as dead in the landslide. Osorio Chong told local media that this is a very powerful landslide, very big ... You can see that it hit a lot of houses.Mayor Edilberto Tabares of the township of Atoyac told Milenio television that 18 bodies had been recovered and possibly many more remained buried in the remote mountain village. Atoyac, a largely rural township about 42 miles (70 kilometers) west of Acapulco, is accessible only by a highway broken multiple times by landslides and flooding.Ricardo de la Cruz, a spokesman for the federal Department of Civil Protection, said the death toll had risen to 80 from 60 earlier in the day, although he did not provide details of the reports that drove it up.In Acapulco, three days of Biblical rain and leaden skies evaporated into broiling late-summer sunshine that roasted thousands of furious tourists trying vainly to escape the city, and hundreds of thousands of residents returning to homes devastated by reeking tides of brown floodwater.The depth of the destruction wreaked by Tropical Storm Manuel hit residents and visitors with full force as Mexicos transportation secretary said it would be Friday at the earliest before authorities cleared the parallel highways that connect this bayside resort to Mexico City and the rest of the world.Hundreds of residents of Acapulcos poor outlying areas slogged through waist-high water to pound on the closed shutters of a looted Costco, desperate for food, drinking water and other basics.Many paused and fished in the murky waters for anything of value piling waterlogged clothing and empty aluminum cans into plastic bags.If we cant work, we have to come and get something to eat, said 60-year-old fisherman Anastasio Barrera, as he stood with his wife outside the store. The city government isnt doing anything for us, and neither is the state government.Manuel re-formed into a tropical storm Wednesday, threatening to bring more flooding to the countrys northern coast. With a tropical disturbance over the Yucatan Peninsula headed toward Mexicos Gulf coast, the country could face another double hit as it struggles to restore services and evacuate those stranded by flooding from Manuel and Hurricane Ingrid, which hit the Gulf coast over the weekend.Mexicos federal Civil Protection coordinator, Luis Felipe Puente, said 35,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.Elsewhere in the verdant coastal countryside of the southern state of Guerrero, residents used turned motorboats into improvised ferries, shuttling passengers, boxes of fruit and jugs of water across rivers that surged and ripped bridges from their foundations over the weekend. Outside the town of Lomas de Chapultepec, the Papagayo River surged more than 30 feet during the peak of Manuels flooding, overturning a bridge that stretched hundreds of feet across the mouth of the river.In Acapulcos upscale Diamond Zone, the military commandeered a commercial center to use for tourists trying to get onto one of the military or commercial flights that remained the only way out of the city. Thousands lined up outside the malls locked gates, begging for a seat on a military seat or demanding that airline Aeromexico honor a previously purchased ticket.We dont even have money left to buy water, said Tayde Sanchez Morales, a retired electric company worker from the city of Puebla. The hotel threw us out and were going to stay here and sleep here until they throw us out of here.

Iran 'never' to seek nuclear weapon: Rowhani Posted: WASHINGTON (AFP) - Iran will never seek nuclear weapons, newly elected President Hassan Rowhani said in a US interview Wednesday ahead of a visit to the UN General Assembly.Under no circumstances would we seek any weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, nor will we ever, Rowhani told NBC News.We have never pursued or sought a nuclear bomb, and we are not going to do so, he said, according to the US network.Rowhani repeated Irans position that the clerical state -- slapped with US-led sanctions following sensitive uranium work -- was solely looking for peaceful nuclear technology.Rowhani, considered more moderate than his rivals, swept to power in June on promises to help repair Irans suffering economy and to ease tensions with the West.His stance has been met alternately with cautious optimism and skepticism in Washington, where experts note that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ultimately controls foreign policy.Rowhani told NBC News: In its nuclear program, this government enters with full power and has complete authority.The problem wont be from our side, he was quoted as saying. We have sufficient political latitude to solve this problem.

Former heavyweight champion Norton dies Posted: LAS VEGAS (AP) - Former heavyweight champion Ken Norton, who beat Muhammad Ali and then lost a controversial decision to him in Yankee Stadium, died Wednesday at a local care facility, his son said. He was 70.Norton had been in poor health for the last several years after suffering a series of strokes, a friend of the fighter said.Hes been fighting the battle for two years, said Gene Kilroy, Alis former business manager. Im sure hes in heaven now with all the great fighters. Id like to hear that conversation.Norton broke Alis jaw in their first bout, beating him by split decision in 1973 in a non-title fight in San Diego. They fought six months later, and Ali narrowly won a split decision.They met for a third time on Sept. 28, 1976, at Yankee Stadium in New York and Ali narrowly won to keep his heavyweight title.Norton won a heavyweight title eliminator the following year and was declared champion by the World Boxing Council. But on June 9, 1978, he lost a bruising 15-round fight to Larry Holmes in what many regard as one of boxings epic heavyweight bouts and would never be champion again.Norton finished with a record of 42-7-1 and 33 knockouts. He would later embark on an acting career, appearing in several movies, and was a commentator at fights.Norton lost only once in his early fights but had fought few fighters of any note when he was selected to meet Ali. At the time, Ali was campaigning to try to win back the heavyweight crown he lost to Joe Frazier in 1973.Few gave Norton much of a chance against Ali in the 1973 fight in San Diego, but his awkward style and close-in pressing tactics confused Ali and the win put him in the top echelon of heavyweight fighters.

Tennis: Tsonga wins in return from injury Posted: METZ (AP) - Defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made a winning return to tennis on Wednesday, beating fellow Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals of the Moselle Open.Sam Querrey of the United States and Tobias Kamke of Germany also advanced to the last eight.Tsonga was playing his first match since a troublesome left knee injury forced him to retire in the second round at Wimbledon and then pull out of the U.S. Open.Im very happy that my knee held up, Tsonga told Sport Plus television. I had a very good match. I didnt expect to play so well today.The top-seeded Frenchman, who split with Australian coach Roger Rasheed last month, broke serve once in each set.Step by step, Im raising my game, he added. I still choose the moments when I accelerate. In the next matches, Ill have to accelerate more and more often.Tsonga will now meet Kamke, who rallied from a set and a break down to see off Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.Kamke broke back at 3-2 in the second set and capitalized on four double faults from Fucsovics in the final set to win the last five games.The sixth-seeded Querrey led 6-2 when his opponent, French wild card Paul-Henri Mathieu, retired because of a right thigh injury.The American broke Mathieu twice and served an ace to take the first set. Querrey will play another Frenchman in the next round, either second-seeded Gilles Simon or Kenny De Schepper.Carlos Berlocq of Argentina, Benjamin Becker of Germany and Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Albano Olivetti advanced to the second round with straight-set wins.Berlocq, who won the Swedish Open in July, did not face any break points in his 6-3, 6-4 victory over Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic, while Becker upset fifth-seeded Benoit Paire of France 6-3, 7-5.Mahut beat Leonardo Mayer of Argentina 7-6 (2), 6-4 and wild card Olivetti defeated 2010 runner-up Mischa Zverev of Germany 7-5, 7-6 (3).Mahut won two titles in the summer and is enjoying his best season. He blew a 4-2 lead in the first set but still won the tiebreaker before breaking Mayer in the opening game of the second set.Ranked 254th in the world, Olivetti saved four break points in the first set and fired a total of 20 aces.

Messi hits hat trick; Mourinho mulls Chelsea loss Posted: ROME (AP) - Lionel Messi scored a hat trick as Barcelona opened its Champions League campaign with a dominant 4-0 win over Ajax on Wednesday.It was a different story for Jose Mourinho, though, as Chelsea made a losing start for the first time as Basel came from behind to win 2-1 in London and add to the difficulties of the Special One during his Stamford Bridge homecoming.Last seasons runner-up Borussia Dortmund also had a bad night, losing 2-1 at Napoli with both coach Juergen Klopp and goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller being sent off.Seven-time champion AC Milan struggled, too, before two late goals gave the injury-hit Rossoneri a 2-0 victory at home to Celtic.Meanwhile, Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey scored as Arsenal opened its 16th straight campaign in the top European competition with a 2-1 win at Marseille to join Napoli atop Group F.Elsewhere, it was: Atletico Madrid 3, Zenit St. Petersburg 1; Schalke 3, Steaua Bucharest 0; and Austria Vienna 0, Porto 1.At the Camp Nou, Messi scored his 60th, 61st and 62nd career goals in his 80th Champions League match.Barcelona is full of individual talents, Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino said. Today we can talk about Messi and Valdes, another day Xavi or Neymar. It is normal that one of them rises to the occasion.Messi, the four-time FIFA world player of the year, opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after he was fouled on the edge of Ajaxs area, then stepped up to fire in a perfect-placed free kick.The Argentina forward doubled the hosts advantage in the 55th by hitting on the break when Ajax was caught looking for the equalizer.Neymar, on his European debut, set up Gerard Pique to add Barcelonas third goal in the 69th before Messi completed his hat trick in the 75th.Messis treble leaves him nine goals short of Raul Gonzalezs all-time record of 71.Barcelona and Milan top Group H, although the Rossoneri didnt take the lead until eight minutes from time with an own goal before Sulley Muntari sealed the result two minutes later.In London, boos rang out at the final whistle after Marco Streller clinched Basels first-ever win in England in the 82nd minute by flicking a header past goalkeeper Petr Cech after seizing on slack defending.I am responsible for everything, Mourinho said. Especially after a bad result. In the good moments I want everyone to shine, in the bad moments I want everyone to keep calm.Although Oscar lit up a drab start by putting Chelsea in front before halftime, Mohamed Salah began the Swiss sides comeback in the 71st by bending in an equalizer before Streller ensured that Chelseas worst start to a season in the decade under Roman Abramovichs ownership was prolonged.Basel and Schalke share the Group E lead.In Italy, prized signing Gonzalo Higuain put Napoli ahead 29 minutes in on a rainy night at San Paolo stadium by heading home a cross from Camilo Zuniga, after which Klopp was sent off for protesting.Higuain was also at the center of the action when Weidenfeller was shown a red card for using his hands outside his area to deny the striker in first-half added time.Zuniga scored an own goal for Dortmund in the 87th with a poorly intercepted cross.Napoli and Arsenal meet next in Group F.

Arsenal beat Marseille 2-1 in Group F Posted: MARSEILLE (AP) - Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey scored as Arsenal opened its 16th straight Champions League campaign by defeating Marseille 2-1 in Group F on Wednesday.Walcott capitalized on a miscued clearance from Jeremy Morel to volley into the top corner in the 65th minute. Ramsey doubled the lead with a low strike in the 83rd.Marseille scored a consolation goal with a penalty from Jordan Ayew in stoppage time.It was Arsenals sixth straight victory in all competitions.The Gunners showed their attacking flair in the second half despite missing several players through injury.Napoli beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the other Group F match.Marseille put the Gunners under pressure in the opening minutes but Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny saved Pierre-Andre Gignacs close-range backheel flick and a curling shot from Mathieu Valbuena.Arsenal quickly replied with a header from Walcott, cleared by Nicolas NKoulou in the third minute, and a half-volley from the England winger that goalkeeper Steve Mandanda stopped in the sixth.Second in the Premier League, Arsenal struggled to find space as Germany playmaker Mesut Ozil had very little impact in midfield.A well-organized Marseille team had the better chances before halftime. Ghana winger Andre Ayew headed a cross from Dimitri Payet wide in the 21st before Arsenal centerback Per Mertesacker intercepted a low pass from Payet for Ayew in the 39th.Gignac capitalized on the lackluster Arsenal defense to connect with a corner from Payet in the 40th but sent his header over the bar. On the stroke of halftime, Szczesny came off his line to punch the ball into Gignacs head and was lucky to see the ball bounce his way.Both teams traded blows in a lively second half that could have gone either way.Marseille fullback Rod Fanni took a pass from Alaixys Romao in the 47th but fired wide from close range. The Gunners then threatened in the 53rd when Ozil set up Kieran Gibbs with a backheel flick. However, Mandanda saved the first-time effort from the Arsenal leftback.The Arsenal defense seemed shaky at times. A cross from Morel eluded the Gunners in the 56th, forcing Szczesny to stop a low half-volley from Payet.Mertesacker then failed to clear a cross from Payet, which looped over Szczesny in the 60th. It took a desperate clearance from Gibbs to clear the ball off the line.Despite its average defensive display, Arsenal somehow rediscovered its attacking touch. Unmarked at the far post, Jack Wilshere volleyed a cross from Bacary Sagna in the 58th but Mandanda made the save. Seven minutes later, Gibbs charged down the left flank to make a cross that Morel failed to clear. From eight yards, Walcott punished the Marseille defense.Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud in the 72nd and Ozil in the 83rd missed the target, but Ramsey then made a run and beat Mandanda with a low strike from 18 yards that deflected off NKoulous leg for his sixth goal this season for the Gunners.Ramsey was a little too confident inside his area in the 92nd. Betrayed by a poor touch, the Wales midfielder tripped Andre Ayew, whose brother Jordan Ayew converted the subsequent penalty.Arsenal hosts Napoli on Oct. 1 while Marseille visits Borussia Dortmund.

AC Milan beats Celtic 2-0 in Champs League opener Posted: MILAN (AP) - Two late goals saw injury-hit AC Milan earn a scrappy 2-0 victory at home to Celtic in their opening match in Champions League Group H on Wednesday.Cristian Zapata broke the deadlock eight minutes from time, with the aid of a deflection, before Sulley Muntari sealed the result two minutes later.Milan was clearly understrength and struggled to carve out opportunities against a side widely deemed as the weakest in the group, although Muntari missed an open goal from six yards. Anthony Stokes hit the woodwork for Celtic.Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri claimed before the match he had only 13 fit players available, with the likes of Riccardo Montolivo, Kaka, StephanEl-Shaarawy, Giampaolo Pazzini, Ignazio Abate, Matias Silvestre and Mattia De Sciglio all out injured.Barcelona beat Ajax 4-0 in the other group match.

Clarke confident of making India tour Posted: SYDNEY (AFP) - Captain Michael Clarke is confident the chronic back problem that has hampered him for years will not keep him out of Australias upcoming one-day series in India.Clarke arrived back in Sydney late Wednesday after a gruelling England tour that saw Australia humbled 3-0 in the Test series before they bounced back to win the one-day international series 2-1.His back flared up again before the final ODI in Southampton and Clarke said he would consult team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris and probably undergo scans, but remained hopeful he could go to India.No doubt its quite stiff and sore, he told reporters at Sydney airport.But Ill be guided by the experts on what I need to do now to try and get myself as fit as I can be.I would certainly like to go and continue to play. Im enjoying my cricket at the moment.It was a good win for us in the ODI series and we need to keep that momentum going, he added. The last couple of weeks were a good start and (I) hope we can keep that going in India.Australia are due to play seven ODIs and one Twenty20 international in India. The T20 game, which kicks off the tour, is on October 10 in Rajkot.The squad is yet to be announced but The Sydney Morning Herald said veteran wicketkeeper Brad Haddin was in line for a recall after Matthew Wade had a lean tour of England.Haddin, 35, was brought back into the Test side in place of Wade for the Ashes to serve as Clarkes vice-captain and he broke Rod Marshs 30-year-old record for the most dismissals in a series, but he was not in the one-day team.Before the final Test at the Oval he signalled a desire to play in the 2015 World Cup in Australia.Clarke insisted a lot of positives came out of the England tour, despite the Ashes disappointment. But he would not be drawn on where Australia needed to improve for the return series starting in November.I dont think its right to go into specifics, we just have to play better cricket more consistently, he said.In patches we played some really good cricket but over a five-Test series youve got to be at your best consistently throughout the whole time and we just didnt quite do that.

Oil prices surge after Fed keeps policy unchanged Posted: LONDON (AFP) - Oil prices surged Wednesday after the US Federal Reserve kept its massive monetary stimulus programme, dashing expectations that it would begin scaling it back.New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate for October, jumped $2.65 to close at $108.07 a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for delivery in November climbed $2.41 to finish at $110.60 a barrel in London trade.A decline in US crude oil supplies last week also helped fuel the rally, as the drop suggested stronger demand in the world's biggest economy.October crude oil advanced for the first time in four sessions, gaining support from strong inventory data and the Federal Reserve decision to maintain its current monetary stimulus, Briefing.com analysts said in a markets note.Oil prices pushed higher after the Federal Reserve surprised markets by keeping its $85 billion a month asset-purchase programme unchanged.Analysts had widely expected the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee to announce its first reductions to the programme at the conclusion Wednesday of its two-day meeting, a move that might have confirmed views that the economy was picking up strength.The FOMC said, in a post-meeting statement, that although the economy appears to be holding up amid government sequester spending cuts, it decided to await more evidence that progress will be sustained before adjusting the pace of its purchases.The dollar weakened sharply on the news, making dollar-priced oil more attractive for buyers using stronger currencies.Traders also reacted to the bullish weekly snapshot of energy inventories in the United States.The US Department of Energy said US crude inventories tumbled 4.4 million barrels last week. Analysts' consensus forecast had been for a much smaller drop of 1.2 million barrels.

Dollar falls as Fed maintains stimulus Posted: NEW YORK CITY (AFP) - The dollar Wednesday tumbled against other major currencies after the Federal Reserve's surprise decision to maintain its aggressive monetary stimulus programme.The euro traded at $1.3511 around 2200 GMT, up sharply from $1.3356 late Tuesday.The dollar bought 98.13 yen, down from 99.14 a day earlier.The euro traded at 132.55 yen, up slightly from 132.38.The dollar also skidded against the British pound and the Swiss franc.Heading into Wednesday, investors had been primed for the Fed to scale back its $85 billion per month bond-buying programme. Many experts predicted the programme would be reduced by $10-$15 billion per month.But the Fed lowered its economic growth forecast for 2013 and 2014, expressing concerns that reducing the stimulus would harm the economy.Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the Fed could still taper the programme later this year if economic conditions warrant.The Fed statement was dovish across the board, said Jens Nordvig, an analyst at Nomura Securities. The dollar's weakening move could continue for several days, accompanied by a renewal of flows into emerging market assets.The pound rose to $1.6140, compared with $1.5904 late Tuesday.The dollar fell to 0.9128 Swiss franc from 0.9259.

Nude protest outside Brazilian parliament against secret voting Posted: BRASLIA (AFP) - A small group of Brazilian youths got naked outside Congress Wednesday to demand an end to secret voting in the legislature.Democracy is not conducted with secret votes, so we need an open vote, said Michael Mohallem, one of the organizers of the protest by several dozen.We have nothing to hide or I am here and I exposed myself read some of the placards held by the protesters.In Brazil, it is not made public whether lawmakers have voted yes or no to a given bill.The nudity stunt came as the Senate's Constitution and Justice commission was to consider a bill on scrapping secret voting, particularly to remove lawmakers from office.The bill has already been approved by the House of Deputies.In a secret vote last month, the House of Deputies failed to secure the necessary votes to expel Natan Donadon, who began serving a 13-year jail term for corruption in June.This means that in effect Donadon, the first sitting congressman to be jailed in Brazil since the end of the military dictatorship in the mid-1980's, can continue legislating from his prison cell.I think the public has the right to know how we, senators, the representatives of the people, vote, said Senator Eduardo Suplicy, who joined the protesters.I am in favor of the open vote, he told the G1 news portal.Last June, Congress was one of the targets of the more than one million Brazilians who took to the streets nationwide to demand an end to endemic corruption.