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Dunya TV http://www.dunyanews.tv Dunya TV RSS en-us Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:30:20 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:30:20 +0500 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:30:20 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:30:20 +0500 http://www.dunyanews.tv http://www.dunyanews.tv/newsite/images/logo.jpg Dunya TV http://www.dunyanews.tv 200 79 India telecom sector in turmoil after court ruling http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MyNOaWQ9NjM4MDg= &nbsp;When Norwegian telecom giant Telenor entered India&nbsp;s overcrowded and fiercely competitive mobile market in 2009, the Scandinavian firm insisted it would be one of the survivors.&nbsp;Now its investment and those of other foreign firms that jumped into the world&nbsp;s second-largest telecom market lie in tatters after the Supreme Court Thursday cancelled second-generation (2G) mobile licences issued in 2008.&nbsp;&quot;It&nbsp;s a shock for the foreign operators, especially as this was a ruling on a government policy decision,&quot; Kamlesh Bhatia, India research director at global consultancy Gartner, told AFP.&nbsp;&quot;They stand to lose a sizeable investment.&quot;&nbsp;Telenor&nbsp;s joint venture, Uninor, complained that the company was being &quot;unfairly treated&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;We are shocked to see Uninor is being penalised for faults the court has found in the government process,&quot; it said.&nbsp;The Norwegian firm paid $1.10 billion for a majority stake in the venture with Indian property developer Unitech, which bought a licence in a distribution process that was under-priced and allegedly corrupt.&nbsp;Unitech was among a number of Indian companies with no telecom experience that sold stakes in their new mobile operations to foreign investors, including Gulf-based Etisalat and Russia&nbsp;s Sistema JSFC, for hefty sums.&nbsp;The licensing sales are at the heart of one of India&nbsp;s biggest corruption scandals in which former telecom minister A. Raja is alleged to have mis-sold the licences and favoured some firms, costing the treasury up to $39 billion.&nbsp;Raja and a number of company executives, including a Unitech director, have been charged in the scandal which has cast a shadow over Premier Manmohan Singh&nbsp;s Congress government and triggered nationwide anti-corruption drives.&nbsp;Indian law allows the affected firms to seek a review of the court order and companies are weighing what action to take. &quot;The company would like to state that being a law-abiding organisation, it reserves the right to protect its interests by using all available judicial remedies,&quot; Russia&nbsp;s Sistema said in a statement.&nbsp;The court ruling said the licenses must be put up for re-bidding, but it remained unclear whether the firms &quot;will have the stomach or resources to invest more to defend businesses which are still in start-up mode,&quot; said Fitch ratings agency.&nbsp;Telenor, which has been struggling in the Indian market, and other overseas companies &quot;will have to decide whether they want to continue to do telecom business in India,&quot; said Gartner&nbsp;s Bhatia.&nbsp;The ruling affects about 70 million subscribers -- out of India&nbsp;s 894-million odd mobile users -- who are clients of the operators which lost their licences, forcing users to seek out other providers.&nbsp;The decision also raises new uncertainty about India as an investment destination at a time when the country is seeking to raise about $1.0 trillion over the next five years to upgrade its dilapidated infrastructure.&nbsp;&quot;This (decision) could mean that investors may shy away from other priority sectors such as roads and highways, energy and power utilities,&quot; Naveen Mishra, lead telecoms analyst at CyberMedia Research, told AFP.&nbsp;The licence cancellation follows on the heels of a high-profile government U-turn late last year on allowing foreign supermarkets to enter India.&nbsp;&quot;There is no regulatory consistency,&quot; said Ashish Basil, partner at consulting firm Ernst &amp; Young India&nbsp;s telecom group. The court ruling&nbsp;s big winners are local phone service providers such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India whose unaffected licences were awarded before 2008.&nbsp;The ruling may also result in a long-anticipated industry consolidation as weak operators fall by the wayside or are swallowed up by stronger rivals. &nbsp;Business Train arrives in Karachi http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MiNOaWQ9NjM4MDQ= &nbsp;Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani inaugurated first Business Train in Lahore on Friday.&nbsp;The luxury Business Train has completed its first journey from Lahore to Karachi in 18 hours.&nbsp;The Business Train is being operated under public-private partnership. The train will travel between Lahore and Karachi daily. &nbsp;Rawalpindi: 6 sustain burn injuries in gas cylinder explosion http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MiNOaWQ9NjM4MDE= &nbsp;According to rescue sources, six persons got injured when a gas cylinder exploded and fire erupted in a house at Girja Road in Rawalpindi.&nbsp;All the injured persons have been shifted nearby hospital.&nbsp;The house partially damaged due to the blast. &nbsp;Eid Milad arrangements finalised http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MiNOaWQ9NjM3OTg= &nbsp;Faithfuls have decorated public and private buildings, roads, bazaars and markets across the country tastefully with colourful lights, buntings and flags to celebrate Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH) which falls on Sunday.&nbsp;Foolproof security measures have been made on the routes of Milad processions which will be taken out in different cities to mark the day. &nbsp;CNG stations in Sindh to remain open today http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MiNOaWQ9NjM3OTY= &nbsp;The CNG stations across Sindh were scheduled to remain shut from 9:00am on Saturday till 9:00am of Sunday but Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad has directed the CNG stations owners to keep their stations open on the occasion of Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH).&nbsp;The SSGC has been directed to continue supply to all CNG stations in Sindh today. &nbsp;Quake measuring 5.4 jolts Chitral http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MiNOaWQ9NjM3OTU= &nbsp;According to Geological Department the epicenter of 5.4 earthquake which jolted Chitral on night between Friday and Saturday was on Afghan-Tajik border.&nbsp;Panic spread in the area after the earthquake. According to Dunya News correspondent in Chitral no casualty was reported from any part quake-hit area. &nbsp;West Indies switch venue of 3rd Test vs Australia http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9OSNOaWQ9NjM3OTI= &nbsp;The West Indies Cricket Board says it has moved the venue of its third Test against Australia from Guyana to Dominica because of interference by Guyana&nbsp;s authorities.&nbsp;The WICB says in a statement Friday that it moved the Test scheduled April 23-27 because of &quot;the Government of Guyana&nbsp;s push to take over the management and governance of cricket in the country.&quot;&nbsp;It added that the Guyana Cricket Board &quot;the legitimate cricketing authority&quot; had been &quot;prevented from undertaking the necessary tasks needed to ensure the successful hosting of the match.&quot;&nbsp;Australia is playing a three-Test series in West Indies, along with one-day and Twenty20 series in March and April. &nbsp;US embassy warns against use of Efroze Pharma drugs http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MiNOaWQ9NjM3OTA= &nbsp;The United States embassy in Islamabad has issued an advisory for its citizens and diplomatic staff. The embassy in its advisory has asked the US citizens not to use 127 medicines manufactured by Efroze Pharma.&nbsp;The embassy further advised its nationals not to use these medicines until clearance from WHO. According to embassy advisory the drug called Isotab is extremely hazardous for health. Those US citizens who have used the Efroze Pharma have been advised to immediately contact their doctors. &nbsp;Berdych, Simon, Monfils reach Open Sud semis http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9NCNOaWQ9NjM3ODg= &nbsp;Tomas Berdych finished off Nicolas Mahut of France with his 14th ace in a 6-3, 6-4 victory Friday to reach the semifinals of the Open Sud de France.&nbsp;The top-seeded Czech outplayed Mahut in the first set, hitting 18 winners and making only two unforced errors. Mahut fought back in the second but double-faulted to give the 2010 Wimbledon finalist a 4-3 lead.&nbsp;Berdych will next face Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany, who edged fourth-seeded Richard Gasquet 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.&nbsp;Kohlschreiber hit 18 aces, taking a 3-0 lead in the final set to play his second semifinal this season after reaching the last four of the Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand, last month.&nbsp;Meanwhile, second-seeded Gilles Simon outlasted French wild card Guillaume Rufin 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-2, and will meet compatriot and defending champion Gael Monfils, who cruised past Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6-3, 6-3.&nbsp;Simon won the all-French match when a backhand from Rufin sailed long.&nbsp;Rufin was let down by his serve in the final set, double-faulting five times and landing only 38 percent of his first attempts.&nbsp;Simon took the first-set tiebreaker on a forehand error from Rufin.&nbsp;Rufin hit two consecutive forehand winners to lead 6-2 in the second tiebreaker and leveled at one set apiece when Simon netted a backhand.&nbsp;The third-seeded Monfils broke serve twice to win the first set when Nieminen sent a backhand volley into the net.&nbsp;Nieminen, who won the Sydney International last month, hit a forehand wide to trail 3-1 in the second set.&nbsp;Monfils did not face any break points and clinched victory when Nieminen netted a backhand return. &nbsp;Golf: Dufner, Palmer share lead at Phoenis Open http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9NCNOaWQ9NjM3ODc= &nbsp;American Jason Dufner completed a round of seven-under-par 64 to seize a share of the lead after the first round of the PGA Tour&nbsp;s Phoenix Open on Friday.&nbsp;Dufner is the co-leader of the $6.1 million event with Ryan Palmer, who barely got his 18 holes in on Thursday before darkness halted first-round play.&nbsp;Dufner made birdies on two of his first five holes on Friday morning at the TPC Scottsdale. He finished second here last year, losing in a play-off to fellow American Mark Wilson.&nbsp;Bo Van Pelt, Spencer Levin and Webb Simpson were one stroke behind the leaders at 65 as 42 golfers completed their rounds on Friday morning.&nbsp;For the second consecutive day, the start of play was delayed an hour because of frost.&nbsp;Last year, frost and freezing overnight temperatures delayed play nine hours during the week, leading to a Monday play-off finish. &nbsp;Mullah Omar sent letter to Obama http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MyNOaWQ9NjM3ODY= &nbsp;Current and former US officials said that reclusive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar wrote to President Barack Obama last year indicating an interest in talks key to ending the war in Afghanistan.&nbsp;The previously undisclosed communication was considered authentic by people who saw it, but skeptical administration officials say they cannot determine if it actually came from Omar. The unsigned letter was passed through a Taliban intermediary in July. An administration official says it represented views consistent with what Taliban emissaries had been telling U.S. officials.&nbsp;The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the letter and its contents are part of sensitive diplomacy.&nbsp;A direct message from Omar could be a strong signal that the Taliban movement is interested in negotiation at the highest levels. &nbsp;Security Council to vote on Syria today http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MyNOaWQ9NjM3ODU= &nbsp;Members of the UN Security Council will meet at 9:00 am (1400 GMT) today (Saturday) for a vote on a resolution condemning the violent repression in Syria, a diplomat said.&nbsp;The text is the same as a draft resolution sent to the council&nbsp;s 15 members on Thursday which highlights the UN body&nbsp;s support for an Arab League plan while leaving out explicit references to calls for President Bashar al-Assad to step down, the diplomat said Friday. &nbsp;Gunmen attack police station in Cairo: security http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MyNOaWQ9NjM3ODQ= &nbsp;Gunmen torched a police station in eastern Cairo on Friday and freed detainees, security officials told AFP, amid nationwide unrest following football-related violence that left scores dead.&nbsp;The gunmen, carrying automatic weapons, stormed the police station in the Al-Marg district, freeing the detainees before setting fire to the building. &nbsp;217 civilians die in Syrian 'massacre' http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MyNOaWQ9NjM3ODM= &nbsp;Syrian forces killed at least 217 civilians, including women and children, in a &quot;massacre&quot; in the central city of Homs, a rights group said Saturday, ahead of a UN vote on the repression.&nbsp;The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 138 of the fatalities were caused by mortar fire in the Al-Khalidiya district of Homs, which has become a flashpoint of the 10-month revolt against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.&nbsp;Another 79 people were killed in other parts of town. Following violence elsewhere, including Damascus, during the day, Friday&nbsp;s overall death toll was around 250 and could still rise, the Observatory said.&nbsp;&quot;It&nbsp;s a real massacre,&quot; the observatory&nbsp;s director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP, calling for the &quot;immediate intervention&quot; of the Arab League to end the killing.&nbsp;The Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya television channels showed images of dozens of bodies on the ground.&nbsp;The violence broke out after thousands of people across Syria defied the government crackdown to mark the 30th anniversary of a notorious 1982 massacre in the central city of Hama that killed thousands.&nbsp;News of the latest deaths came as a diplomat in New York said members of the UN Security Council would meet Saturday morning for a vote on a resolution condemning the violent repression in Syria.&nbsp;The text is the same as a draft resolution sent to the council&nbsp;s 15 members on Thursday.&nbsp;It highlights the UN body&nbsp;s support for an Arab League plan for a democratic transition while leaving out explicit references to calls for Assad to step down, the diplomat said Friday.&nbsp;The Syrian rights group, called on the people &quot;to take to the streets in the towns and villages and to rise up against the regime which is committing a real massacre right now in Homs.&quot;&nbsp;The Homs violence followed an already bloody day in which, the Syrian Observatory said, at least 35 other people were reported killed across Syria, among them 16 civilians.&nbsp;The Britain-based group said 14 soldiers were killed in clashes with the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) and that five army deserters also lost their lives.&nbsp;In addition, one person died of wounds sustained on Thursday, and the bodies of three other people were either found or returned to their families. &nbsp;US closely monitoring contempt case against PM http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MiNOaWQ9NjM3ODA= &nbsp;The United States administration is keeping a close eye on the contempt of court proceedings against the Pakistani Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gillani, in which he faces the threat of conviction on the next hearing before the Supreme Court on February 13.&nbsp;The US State Department&nbsp;s deputy spokesperson, Mark Toner Friday said &quot;although this is clearly Pakistan&nbsp;s internal political matter, but we are following as the situation unfolds.&quot; He, however, did not answer whether the US was concerned at the internal situation of Pakistan.&nbsp;&quot;This case (NRO case) in the Supreme Court is not new and we expect the situation in Pakistan to be resolved as per the Pakistani law and constitution, in a democratic manner.&quot;&nbsp;He did not reply to another question whether the US government agreed with the assessment that the existing Pakistani government was on its way out in this case.&nbsp;When asked to comment if the current impasse in Pakistan was limiting the ability of US administration to engage with the Pakistani leadership at a crucial juncture, he disagreed and said &quot;we are in constant touch with Pakistan and Ambassador Munter in Islamabad is engaged with Pakistani leadership regularly on a variety of levels.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;On a broader bilateral relationship level, we understand that Pakistan is still working on a parliamentary review,&quot; Toner said while assuring of the US administration&nbsp;s intent &quot;to sit down and talk to Pakistan about all the issues as and when they are ready.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;We have said many times after the tragic attacks of November 26 that we are ready to discuss all issues,&quot; he stressed. A NATO airstrike on Salala check-post in Pakistani tribal area of Mohmand had killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on November 26, sparking an escalation of bilateral tension.&nbsp;When the spokesman&nbsp;s attention was drawn to President Obama&nbsp;s first on-the-record admission of drone strikes in Pakistan and foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar&nbsp;s statement during Afghan visit about trying to bring Haqqani network to peace, he said &quot;both countries are trying to bring greater focus on threats that we both face.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;Terrorists operating in those areas are an existential threat for Pakistan, Afghanistan and the whole region&quot;, he warned and stated that cooperation in terrorism-related issues was in national security interest of both Pakistan and the United States.&nbsp;&quot;As long as we can come together to discuss these issues, that&nbsp;s a good thing.&quot; he pointed out while expressing the hope that discussion on parliamentary review recommendations will provide a way forward for both countries, who have been more like estranged allies of late.&nbsp;- Contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington, DC &nbsp;