Dunya TV

Fairytale wedding for Chinese couples
Athletics: Bolt scorched fastest time of the year
Oil prices slump to new lows on demand worries
NASA: Cosmic smash-up expected; Earth will survive
IMF: no bailout plans for Spain in the works
Creation of new provinces: Zardari sends reference to Speaker
Seraiki province before elections, says Gilani
Cabinet reshuffle on the cards
PPP against division of Sindh: Fahim
Peshawar: 5 killed as car turned turtle
Federal Budget 2012-13 to be presented today
Pakistan, Sri Lanka gear up for first T20
Dhoni favours Pak-India series
Viswanathan Anand wins world chess championship
Rangers official among 5 gunned down in Karachi

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It s a dream come true for 15 Chinese couples. They traveled all the way to southern Germany to get married. And the fabled Neuschwanstein Castle setting did not disappoint. "The scenery in Germany is beautiful. The culture is also very interesting. The atmosphere is fantastic. My parents have been to Germany twice already. That s what gave us the idea to have our wedding here," said a participant of mass wedding. "I have always loved Germany. Germans are very romantic. To celebrate my wedding here is a childhood dream come true," he said The couples are spending just three days in Germany - so no honeymoons - at least not just yet.

Athletics: Bolt scorched fastest time of the year

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World record holder Usain Bolt stormed to the fastest time of the year in winning the 100m at the Diamond League meeting here on Thursday. Olympic champion Bolt ran 9.76sec, beating the time he set earlier this month in Kingston by six hundredths of a second. Compatriot and former world record holder Asafa Powell was second in 9.91sec with French European champion Christophe Lemaitre an impressive third in a high quality field in 10.04sec. World bronze medallist Kim Collins of St Kitts & Nevis was fourth in 10.05sec. The win, and more importantly the time, made up for Bolt s sluggish performance in Ostrava last week where he ran his slowest time in three years, 10.04sec.

Oil prices slump to new lows on demand worries

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Oil prices dived to fresh seven-month lows Thursday, driven by weak data in the United States and the dollar s rally against the euro amid worries of a possible Spain bailout, dealers said. New York s main contract, West Texas Intermediate crude for delivery in July, tumbled $1.29 to $85.53 a barrel, its lowest level since October 20. In London, Brent North Sea crude for July slumped $1.60 to settle at $101.87 per barrel. US data on first-quarter economic growth and the jobs market in May signaled that the economy continues to struggle to pick up speed, a sign that favored sellers in the oil market. The government s weekly US oil stockpiles report, for the period to May 25, added to that sentiment, with crude inventories significantly higher while gasoline consumption remained relatively weak. Despite pump prices falling steadily since March, gasoline shipments for the past four weeks were down 2.6 percent from a year ago, the Department of Energy said. "I don t know if the (inventory) figures were so bearish; it s more that the market is concerned over the global economy," Phil Flynn of Price Futures Group said of the overall New York market trend.

NASA: Cosmic smash-up expected; Earth will survive

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Don t worry about when the world as we know it might end. NASA has calculated that our entire Milky Way galaxy will crash into a neighboring galaxy with a head-on hit in 4 billion years. Astronomers in a Thursday NASA news conference announced that observations from the Hubble Space Telescope detail a long-anticipated galactic smash-up. Astronomers had seen the Andromeda galaxy coming at us, but thought there was a chance that its sideways motion would make it miss or graze the Milky Way. Hubble readings say there s no chance of that. Scientists say the sun and Earth should easily survive what will be a 1.2 million mile per hour (1.9 million kph) galactic merger, but likely will be in a different place in the cosmos.

IMF: no bailout plans for Spain in the works

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) spokesman Gerry Rice s comments Thursday come as Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria arrived for talks with IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. The Spanish official was discussing how Spain can finance an overhaul of its banking sector. The government nationalized a major bank earlier this month. It now says it will need to inject euro19 billion in public money into the bank  more than twice what the government had estimated. Doubts over how recession-hit Spain will handle the bailout have sparked concerns that the country will soon follow Greece, Portugal and Ireland in asking for financial assistance.

Creation of new provinces: Zardari sends reference to Speaker

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President Asif Ali Zardari sent a reference to Speaker National Assembly Thursday night calling for the constitution of a commission to look into the creation of two new provinces namely Multan and Bahawalpur in Punjab. The commission, to be comprised six Senators, six MNAs and two members from the Punjab Assembly, would initiate the process of amendments in the Constitution for the purpose. Spokesperson to President Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the Commission will submit its report within one month to be followed by the process of Constitutional amendments for making the two new provinces. He said that the reference drew attention of the Speaker to the resolutions passed by the National Assembly and the Punjab Assembly calling for the creation of the new provinces.

Seraiki province before elections, says Gilani

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Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Seraiki province will be established in the southern Punjab before the next election. This he said while speaking in an appearance on the monthly television programme during which he answers questions from people around the country. Answering a question regarding his conviction in the contempt court, he said that after the decision of the Speaker there is no need for any appeal... Parliament is the supreme institution and it has its own domain, and all the institutions derive power from the parliament, and after her decision the matter is over.

Cabinet reshuffle on the cards

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According to sources, reshuffle in the federal cabinet is on the cards and portfolio of Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar and Federal Minister for Water and Power Naved Qamar are likely to be changed. Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar has been serving as defence Minister since 2009 while Naved Qamar was made Minister for Water and Power in 2011.

PPP against division of Sindh: Fahim

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Talking to media in Lahore, Federal Minister Amin Fahim said that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is against the division of Sindh. He said that everyone must stay united in the province. Amin Fahim said that charges are leveled against every popular government and the government of PPP is very popular. He said Pakistan and the US need to work together on issues of mutual interest on the basis of a spirit of partnership and respect.

Peshawar: 5 killed as car turned turtle

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The car was coming to Peshawar from Mardan on Motorway. When it reached near Chamkani it turned turtle due to over speeding while overtaking another vehicle. The dead were identified as Yaro, Fawad, Asghar, Farhan and Saleem. The dead bosies were shifted to a nearby hospital.

Federal Budget 2012-13 to be presented today

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All the preparations had been finalized for the presentation of the national budget for the fiscal year 2012-13. Both the Houses of the Parliament have been fully prepared for today’s budget sessions separately. A lot of hue and cry from opposition benches, especially from lawmakers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is expected against Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani after his conviction from the Supreme Court in contempt of court case against him. Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh while responding to questions on the occasion of release of Survey of Pakistan Report 2011-12, asked the reporters not to end all of their questions as he would have to respond to them day after tomorrow. Both the Houses of the Parliament were summoned to meet separately by the Acting President Nayyar Hussain Bokhari almost on week ago. It is the 42nd session of the 5th Parliamentary year of the incumbent National Assembly. It will be the fifth and last budget of the sitting coalition government led by PPP and will be laid before the National Assembly by Finance Minister Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh. Similarly, as per agenda of the Upper House of the Parliament, copies of the finance bill containing the Annual Budget Statement, for making recommendations, if any, thereon to the National Assembly, will be presented in the House. Sources said that both the Houses would be adjourned for next two days after budget speech by the Finance Minister. Well placed sources informed that PM L-N members of the National Assembly of would continue their protest against Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani so lot of hue and cry is expected during budget speech of Finance Minister, however, PML-N Senators are likely to maintain their prestige and sanctity in today’s session.

Pakistan, Sri Lanka gear up for first T20

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Hosts Sri Lanka will swing into ICC World Twenty20 mood as they take on Pakistan in a two-match international series with both teams looking to move up in the ICC T20 Championship table. Today s match marks the start of a series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan that will encompass another Twenty20 at the same venue, five one-day internationals and three Test matches. Sri Lanka, who will host ICC World Twenty20, need to win the series 2-0 if they are to move up from third place in the ICC T20 Championship table. The two teams will also be keen to get some good match practice ahead of the World Twenty20 to be held from September 18 to October 7 in Colombo, Pallekele and Hambantota later this year. Mahela Jayawardene s side has the opportunity to rise to second in the table, and usurp South Africa who currently occupy second place, if the 2-0 scenario occurs. Sri Lanka s ratings points would rise to 124, while Pakistan s would drop to 107 and put the latter in seventh place just above India when the points are calculated to within the decimal point. If Pakistan, the ICC World Twenty20 2009 champions, beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in the series, then newly appointed Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez would see his side move up to fourth, one ratings point behind New Zealand. Should Sri Lanka lose the series 2-0, they would see the ICC World Twenty20 2009 runners-up drop to sixth in the Championship table, just below Australia when the points are calculated to within the decimal point. If both matches are tied, neither side will move up or down the table, while if one match is tied and Sri Lanka win the other match, Pakistan will drop to sixth in the table after losing two ratings points. If the scenario is reversed and Pakistan win one match, while the other is tied, this visitors will remain fifth, while hosts Sri Lanka will drop to fourth in the table.

Dhoni favours Pak-India series

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India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni endorsed the idea of resuming the bilateral cricketing ties with Pakistan, but expressed his doubts over the scheduling of matches. "If Pakistan come and play here, it s good for us. But I don t know about the scheduling... How they will fit it. We are open to it [the idea of playing with Pakistan again]," Dhoni said. Relationship between the two neighbours hit a low following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, and the bilateral cricket ties between the two countries were snapped since then. But the BCCI s invitation to PCB chief Zaka Ashraf to come to India and watch the IPL final and the inclusion of a Pakistan team in the Champions League Twenty20 indicated that things are on the mend now.

Viswanathan Anand wins world chess championship

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World chess champion Viswanathan Anand defeated Israel s Boris Gelfand in a tiebreaker in Moscow to retain his world chess championship title. Anand beat Gelfand in a four-round tie-breaker after the 12-match contest was tied at 6-6. Three of the four rapid chess games were drawn but the 42-year-old Indian edged out his challenger in the second game. "The match was so even that I had no sense of what shape the tie-break would take. And I think right now probably the only feeling I have is relief. I think I m too tense to be happy, I m really relieved," Anand said at a post-match news conference. "I wouldn t say there s some kind of justice in this or something, but you simply play the tie-break. I think given that we drew our first 12 games, deciding it by a tie-break is quite a reasonable situation. Obviously, I m not suggesting we start with it, but after such a long and tough match maybe it s the only thing that could separate us. Well, even just the tie-break, of course I was incredibly tense, I imagine I opened it as well. And well, things really went my way. That s all you can say. I think I can say that I won because I won, that s it," Anand added. Gelfand, 43, gained the right to be a contender for the world title after defeating Russia s Alexander Grischuk last May. He said his title match would help to raise the profile of the game in Israel. Viswanathan Anand, world champion since 2007, won the junior title in 1989 and became India s first Grand Master at the age of 16. Anand became the first Asian to win the FIDE world chess championship after defeating Spain s Alexei Shirov in Tehran in 2000. His title win on Wednesday was his fourth in a row -- he also won in 2007, 2008 and 2010.

Rangers official among 5 gunned down in Karachi

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Five people, including a Rangers official, were killed in different incidents of violence and target-killing in last 12 hours in Karachi. The renewed wave target killing continued in the metropolis, claiming 13 lives in 24 hours, sparking panic in various localities, with business activities suspended, police said. According to police, Abdul Hameed Chachar, the Rangers sub-inspector, was gunned down early morning by unknown bikers outside his home Korangi Dhai area. In Korangi, 35-year-old Asad was shot dead by some unidentified persons. In a similar incident, a man was shot dead in Maripur locality of the city near Dua Hotel. In Lea Market area, a man was shot dead during firing by unidentified persons while another received bullet wounds. Police also recovered a dead body from Lyari Stream near Pak Colony.