Wednesday 2 October 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

UN urges immediate humanitarian access to Syria

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UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. Security Council moved quickly Wednesday to follow through on its newfound resolve to deal with Syria, issuing an urgent appeal for immediate access to all areas of the country to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to millions of civilians enduring the 2 ½-year-old conflict.The council adopted a presidential statement addressing what it described as the significant and rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Syria five days after unanimously approving its first legally binding action since violence erupted in Syria a resolution ordering the elimination its chemical weapons.British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant called the international focus on Syria in recent days a very welcome, positive step after years of paralysis in the Security Council. He cited the humanitarian statement, the chemical weapons resolution and agreement to hold a peace conference on Syria in mid-November.The statement, aimed at helping the nearly 7 million Syrians affected by the fighting, urges the Syrian government to facilitate safe and unhindered humanitarian access to people in need through the most effective ways, including across conflict lines and, where appropriate, across borders from neighboring countries.Without urgent increased humanitarian action, the council warned that the lives of several million Syrians will be at risk.A presidential statement is a step below a resolution. Some diplomats consider presidential statements legally binding but others do not.U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos praised the council for addressing the horrifying humanitarian situation in Syria.She said she would have preferred a resolution, and still hopes the council will pass one, but negotiations on a resolution take much more time and speedy action was critical as humanitarian situation deteriorated.If the commitments and practical steps in this statement are implemented, humanitarian workers will be able to reach over two million people who have been unreachable for many months, Amos said. Our operations will be faster and more effective, delivering more supplies like lifesaving medicines, food for children, and chlorination tablets to provide clean water to more people in need.Australian Ambassador Gary Quinlan, who drafted the statement with Luxembourg envoy Sylvie Lucas, said they decided to move quickly to address the humanitarian crisis after Friday's first united action by the council on chemical weapons.Quinlan praised the council's strong, unified ... unanimous message to all parties in Syria ... that humanitarian access, humanitarian assistance must not be impeded.Lucas said the humanitarian situation is dire: over 2 million refugees, almost 5 million Syrians displaced within the country, one-third of Syria's housing destroyed, and 6,000 new refugees every day.The presidential statement urges Syrian authorities to take immediate steps to expand humanitarian relief operations by lifting bureaucratic impediments and other obstacles.It calls on Syrian authorities to approve the entry of additional domestic and international humanitarian organizations, to expedite visas for aid workers and permits for convoys, equipment and armored vehicles needed for humanitarian operations, and to immediately demilitarize medical facilities, schools and water stations.The statement condemns all violence in Syria and increased terrorist attacks ... carried out by organizations and individuals associated with al-Qaida, and it demands an end to all terrorist attacks.It condemns the widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by the Syrian authorities and any similar abuses by armed groups. It stresses the obligation under international law to distinguish between civilians and combatants and the prohibition against indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks against civilians and using chemical weapons.Syria's U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari welcomed the council's first-ever reference to violations of human rights and humanitarian law carried out by terrorist groups, calling it a positive development. President Bashar Assad's government calls all rebels fighting to topple the regime terrorists.Ja'afari said the government is committed to a humanitarian agreement signed with Amos, so the Syrian government is part of the overall collective effort aiming at providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people, wherever they are. He said the government will study Wednesday's statement and then respond to it.The issue of the cross-border provision of humanitarian aid is a sensitive one.Ja'afari stressed that the statement requires respect for Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.Amos said the U.N. is already carrying out humanitarian operations in Syria from neighboring Lebanon, and was also conducting operations from Jordan until the security situation deteriorated.The Security Council emphasized that the humanitarian situation will continue to deteriorate in the absence of a political solution to the crisis, a point Amos stressed.The statement reiterated the council's support for a new Geneva peace conference to try to agree on a transitional government based on a plan adopted in that city in June 2012.The council also urged all 193 U.N. member states to contribute to a U.N. humanitarian appeal to meet the spiraling needs of people inside Syria.Britain's Lyall Grant said over $1 billion was raised in new pledges over the past month, but there is still a $3 billion funding gap.

Russian Embassy in Libya attacked, 1 Libyan killed

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TRIPOLI (AP) - An armed mob broke into the Russian Embassy compound in the Libyan capital of Tripoli on Wednesday, climbing over walls, breaking down a metal gate and shooting in the air. One of the attackers was killed by the random gunfire, and four more were wounded.The Russian Foreign Ministry said none of the embassy staff was wounded.Libyan officials said they believed the break-in was in response to the death of a Libyan air force pilot, who they said was killed by a Russian woman.Wednesday's violence briefly raised fears of a repeat of last year's deadly attack on a U.S. compound in the eastern city of Benghazi, in which the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed. In that instance, on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attack, militants fired mortars at the consulate, surrounded it and set it on fire.The Libyan official said Wednesday's attackers took down the Russian flag that was hanging from the balcony of one of the buildings. But they did not enter the embassy buildings, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.Russia's Foreign Ministry Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed the attack, saying on Ekho Moskvy radio that according to preliminary information no one among the embassy personnel was wounded.The attackers were apparently reacting to the killing of a Libyan air force pilot Tuesday. Libyan authorities arrested a Russian woman and accused her of killing him writing offensive graffiti in his blood. The woman also is accused of stabbing and wounding the pilot's mother.Authorities said they did not know what the woman's motives might be, but noted that in the graffiti on the walls, she expressed sentiments against the Libyan uprising that drove longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi from power after an eight-month civil war in 2011.Libya has been hit by a months-long wave of targeted killings against activists, judges and security agents.On Wednesday, gunmen in Benghazi shot dead a naval officer and his 7-year-old son before fleeing the scene. Most killings are presumed to be the work of armed factions, often acting out of revenge.

Iraqi helicopter shot down as 18 killed nationwide

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KIRKUK (AFP) - Militants shot down an Iraqi military helicopter on Wednesday, killing four security forces members, as at least 14 people died in other violence, officials said.The helicopter was shot down during a large-scale operation against militants in a desert area west of Baiji, north of Baghdad, killing two crew members and two soldiers who were on board, army officers said.Helicopters are periodically hit by gunfire during operations, including one last month in which a pilot was wounded.In the northern city of Kirkuk, a car bomb detonated near the governorate headquarters, killing two people and wounding 15.In Nineveh province, also in the north, attacks killed three people, and soldiers shot one militant dead. Violence in Diyala province left two people dead and two wounded.Three bombings in Baghdad, including one near an ice cream shop and another close to a park, killed at least four people and wounded 17, while another bomb exploded near a vegetable market southeast of the capital, killing two people and wounding six.Violence has reached a level unseen since 2008, and there are fears Iraq is slipping back toward the intense Sunni-Shiite bloodshed that peaked in 2006-2007 and killed tens of thousands.Iraq saw a sharp spike in violence including a series of bloody sectarian attacks in September, with the UN putting the monthly death toll at almost 1,000.The Iraqi government on Tuesday approved temporary hazard pay for security forces in seven hot areas including Baghdad, in a sign of the worsening security situation.

Rouhani: Iran to discuss nuke details, not rights

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TEHRAN (AP) - President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that Iran is open to discussing details of nuclear activities including the enrichment of uranium, hinting that the Islamic Republic is willing to broaden the terms of negotiations with world powers. He spoke shortly after receiving support from a wide range of legislators for his policy of reaching out to the West.Rouhani emphasized Tehran's longstanding position that its fundamental right to enrich uranium, a key ingredient of nuclear weapons that Iran says it needs for peaceful purposes, is not up for discussion. But his statement was a veiled hint that Iran is open to negotiating on the level of uranium enrichment as part of a deal in return for lifting of sanctions.Rouhani was elected this summer with the backing of centrists and reformists, pledging a new approach to relations with the West. During a visit to New York for the U.N. General Assembly last week, he held a historic phone conversation with President Barack Obama, a gesture aimed at ending three decades of estrangement between the two countries.In his remarks Wednesday after meeting with the Cabinet, Rouhani said Iran has drawn up a precise plan to put on the table at the next round of talks with the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany in Geneva later this month.Iran's enrichment right is not negotiable but we must enter into talks to see what would the other side proposes to us about the details, he said.Uranium enrichment is a technology that can be used to produce nuclear fuel but further enrichment makes it suitable for use in nuclear weapons.The U.S. and its allies fear that uranium enrichment could be used in developing a nuclear weapons capacity. Iran says its program is peaceful and geared toward generating electricity and producing isotopes to treat cancer patients.Foreign ministers of Iran and the six-nation group the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China met in New York last week in a first meeting since Rouhani was elected president in June. The next round of talks will be held Oct. 15-16 in Geneva.Rouhani has reached out to the West, hoping that his policy of moderation and easing tensions with the outside world will lead to a nuclear deal.Over 230 lawmakers, out of a total of 290, signed a statement Tuesday to endorse Rouhani's policy of détente and interaction, signaling that he enjoys support from both moderates and conservatives within the ruling establishment.Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, has supported a strategy of heroic flexibility in foreign policy, opening the way for Rouhani's outreach.Rouhani reiterated Iran's pledge that it's not seeking nuclear weapons, and that it will keep its nuclear facilities open to inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog group.This is our principle: to keep doors of our nuclear facilities open to IAEA inspection, he said. We have nothing to hide. Our record is clean and our hands are open.Iran is living under U.N. sanctions as well as tough U.S.-led oil and banking sanctions that have slashed oil exports by half and shut Tehran out of the international financial system.Rouhani said he was not surprised to see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing anger at Iran's charm offensive.Netanyahu on Tuesday called Rouhani a wolf in sheep's clothing and accused the leader of being a loyal servant of the regime who has done nothing to stop Iran's nuclear program since he took office in June.Such remarks show that we are moving in the right direction, Rouhani said. When Israel sees that its sword doesn't work and that wisdom has prevailed in the world and that the Iranian people's message of peace is heard . they definitely get angry.

Gambia pulls out of Commonwealth

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BANJUL (AFP) - The Gambian government on Wednesday announced it was pulling out of the Commonwealth with immediate effect, without providing further details.The general public is hereby informed that the government of the Gambia has left the Commonwealth of Nations with immediate effect, it said in a statement.(The) government has withdrawn its membership of the British Commonwealth and decided that the Gambia will never be a member of any neo-colonial institution and will never be a party to any institution that represents an extension of colonialism.The Commonwealth bloc is a voluntary association of more than 50 countries, many of them former territories of the British empire.No government officials could be reached for comment late on Wednesday.But a foreign ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the decision came after the government rejected a proposal by the Commonwealth last year to create commissions in Banjul to protect human rights, media rights and fight against corruption.The proposal followed an April 2012 visit to the Gambia by Commonwealth secretary-general Kamalesh Sharma, during which he met with President Yahya Jammeh and other top government officials.Jammeh, who is regularly accused of rights abuses, has ruled mainland Africa's smallest country with an aura of mysticism and an iron fist since seizing power in 1994.Earlier this year, the Gambia was singled out for its poor rights record in Britain's annual Human Rights and Democracy Report, which cited cases of unlawful detentions, illegal closures of newspapers and radio stations and discrimination against minority groups.

Tennis: Nadal, Li, Radwanska through in China

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BEIJING (AFP) - Rafael Nadal's bid to return to the top of the world rankings remained on course Wednesday as he progressed to the quarter-finals of the China Open, overcoming stubborn resistance from Philipp Kohlschreiber.The current world number two could return to the top spot for the first time since July 2011 if he reaches the final in Beijing, and he moved a step closer following his 6-4, 7-6(7/3) victory.But his German opponent ensured the second seed Spaniard had to dig deep to ensure his passage to the last eight in a game that lasted 1 hour 55 minutes.Nadal took an early 2-0 lead before being pegged back at 3-3. But he took the first set by breaking Kohlschreiber's serve in the final game.The intense competition continued into the second set, where neither opponent broke serve, forcing the tie-break.Nadal paid tribute to his opponent after the match.He played great. I didn't serve bad, but his return was amazing, he told reporters.When you have a player in front of you that has decided to play completely aggressive, and the balls are going with the right directions, it's very difficult to stop.Nadal could unseat Novak Djokovic from the top spot, no matter what the Serb does in the competition.He will face Fabio Fognini in the quarter-finals, after the Italian ruthlessly swept aside Australia's former world number one Lleyton Hewitt in a crushing 6-0, 6-2 defeat.Elsewhere in the men's tournament, eighth-seed American John Isner beat Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-7, 6-4.In the women's tournament, Li Na's bid to claim her first major tournament on home soil remained on course as she progressed to the quarter-finals after defeating Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki.The home crowd favourite dumped out her German opponent 7-5, 6-4 in a cool-headed display of efficiency at a packed National Tennis Centre in Beijing.The world number five drew loud applause within the first five minutes after she broke Lisicki's serve with the first game of the match.Lisicki broke back to level the scores at 5-5, but Li powered ahead and took the decisive final two games, with her coach Carlos Rodriguez signalling at her from the stands to maintain her mental strength.A Mexican wave began as Li won the set. When she broke Lisicki's serve on the fifth game of the second set, the result never looked in doubt as the 2011 French Open winner closed in on victory.Li said she was satisfied to have maintained her composure when having to score valuable points at the end of each set. I was very glad to see that no matter how the score went on the court, I can stay calm and control the match, she told reporters after the match.In the quarter-finals the fourth seed will face Czech Petra Kvitova, who defeated Italian Sara Errani 6-4, 6-7(7/3), 6-3 in their third-round match.World number four Agnieszka Radwanska had earlier powered through to the third round with a convincing victory over American teenager Madison Keys.The Polish third seed took one hour and 15 minutes to claim a 6-3, 6-2 victory over the 18-year-old, who is being tipped as one of the rising stars of women's tennis.Radwanska, a previous winner in Beijing in 2011, had defeated Keys at Wimbledon in the summer.Elsewhere, Andrea Petkovic continued her stunning form at the tournament by dumping out former Roland Garros winner Svetlana Kuznetsova 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in her second-round match.The German, who is ranked 43 in the world, took just over two hours to claim victory over the 25th-ranked Russian, a previous winner in Beijing in 2006 and 2009.Petkovic's victory over the 2009 French Open singles champion follows her stunning first-round defeat of second seed and current Beijing champion Victoria Azarenka.The 26-year-old said claiming the scalps of both the Belarusian -- who won the Australian Open for the second time earlier this year -- and Kuznetsova had given her confidence a massive boost.For me, just personally, it's really important to see that I can still beat the players on the top level, two past Grand Slam champions, she said.It's just a big boost for my confidence, no matter what happens now in the future.Elsewhere, eighth seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia booked her place in the last 16 with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory over Kazakhstan's Galina Voskoboeva, and Slovenia's Polona Hercog defeated 14th seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia 6-4, 6-4.

Dominant Ronaldo scores twice in Real victory

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MADRID (AP) - Cristiano Ronaldo continued his sparkling form in the Champions League with two goals in Real Madrid's 4-0 victory over FC Copenhagen on Wednesday.Ronaldo scored with two headers, first meeting Marcelo's long, precise cross in the 24th minute and then capping a creative buildup in the 65th.He scored a hat trick in Madrid's opening 6-1 win over Galatasaray two weeks ago.Angel Di Maria made up for several first-half misses against Copenhagen by scoring Madrid's third goal, in the 71st minute, before scoring again in stoppage time.The key was the desire we put into the match, Madrid defender Pepe said. The whole team has worked hard to win the game, and that makes the job easier.Madrid, under pressure following a poor domestic run and without the injured Gareth Bale, completely dominated the Danish champions at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and now leads Group B with six points.Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said he was pleased with the match, saying it had a good beginning, intensity and balance. We tried to carry on scoring right into the last minutes, there was a good attitude in the team.Even Copenhagen coach Stale Solbakken praised Ronaldo, calling him a match-winner. He is the man of the match with his two goals.Juventus drew 2-2 against Galatasaray in the other group match on Wednesday and is in second spot with two points.Madrid took the game to their Danish opponents from the start, with Karim Benzema heading wide with only goalkeeper Johan Wiland to beat.But the hosts were rewarded for constant pressure when Marcelo's cross dipped over the outstretched arms of Wiland to find Ronaldo at the far post for the opening goal.Both Benzema and Di Maria had glaring misses in the first half as Di Maria's pace and verve opened up space in the attack and Marcelo continued to provide pin-point crosses.Copenhagen needed 28 minutes to test Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who played his first full game of the season after injuring his hand in the win over Galatasaray.Rurik Gislason headed a 40th-minute corner past Casillas but Luka Modric cleared it off the line not before Copenhagen coach Stale Solbakken did a cartwheel along the sidelines thinking his side's best opportunity of the period had gone in.Benzema's deft backheel pass found Di Maria's run into the box, leading to a short cross that Ronaldo headed home for his 55th goal in the competition on his 100th appearance in the Champions League.After holding Juventus to a draw at home in the last round, Copenhagen was outplayed in the Spanish capital and had little chance of a comeback after Di Maria cut inside to unleash a left-foot shot beyond the diving Wiland.The Argentina forward found similar space in added time, when Casillas made a pair of saves to keep a clean sheet.Ancelotti said the club was not worried about Bale's injury. He's had a scan and has nothing special. He has to recover his condition because his pre-season wasn't so good.

Shakhtar holds Manchester United to 1-1 draw

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DONETSK (AP) - Manchester United allowed a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar to take a point from their Group A clash on Wednesday, giving David Moyes more than any other manager of an English club returning from Donetsk in the Champions League.Moyes didn't get the morale-boosting win United needed after sluggish start in the Premier League, but the point was more than Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea managed in previous Champions League trips to Shakhtar.Danny Welbeck gave United an unexpected lead in the 18th as he slid in between two players to finish off after defender Yaroslav Rakitsky failed to clear Marouane Felliani's low cross.But the highlights were rare for United. Shakhtar's Brazilian attacking quartet of Douglas Costa, Alex Teixeira, Luiz Adriano and Taison created numerous chances and the constant threat paid off in the 76th minute, when Taison finally broke through with a powerful volley after Nemanja Vidic failed to clear a cross from Rakitsky.United took advantage of our mistake, it was a chance goal, Shakhtar coach Mircea Liucescu said. United then sat on its half of the pitch and played for counterattack. It was our plan to bring it on in the last 25 minutes, which is why the ball ended up in the penalty area of United often. Too bad we scored only once.Both teams had opportunities early. Robin Van Persie tried his luck first in the 9th with a volley that sailed over the cross bar. Three minutes later Rakitsky seized possession and sparked an attack that lead to Luiz Adriano's narrow miss. A minute later Teirxeira fell to the pitch in the area but his appeal for a penalty was ignored.Rakitskiy's free kick from 40 meters went just wide in the 50th minute and, despite relentlessly pressing forward, Shakhtar was held in check by the stubborn United defense until Taison's goal.It wasn't until the last 5 minutes that Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea was forced into making more meaningful saves.Yes, tonight I'm disappointed not to have won 1-0, but Shakhtar played a good game and deserved a draw, Moyes said.

Bayern outclasses Man City 3-1 in Champions League

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MANCHESTER (AP) - Bayern Munich produced an ominously powerful display to outclass Manchester City 3-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday, earning the German champions a second straight convincing victory in the defense of its title.Dominant in all departments, Bayern took a 1-0 halftime lead after City goalkeeper Joe Hart let Franck Ribery's shot slip through his grasp, before Thomas Mueller and Arjen Robben piled on the misery with goals in a four-minute span just before the hour in the Group D game.It was a sobering night for the English team, which grabbed a 79th-minute consolation through Alvaro Negredo before Bayern had defender Jerome Boateng sent off for a professional foul on Yaya Toure.No team has retained the Champions League since its inception in 1992 but Bayern will surely go close.

Klitschko says he will beat Povetkin

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MOSCOW (AP) - Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko is confident that will put an end to Alexander Povetkin's undefeated record when he defends his WBA and IBF belts against the Russian at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday.After open training sessions in front of numerous media on Wednesday, Klitschko (60-3, 51 KO) said he came to Moscow to win any way he could.That's what I will do on Oct. 5, Klitschko said. Believe me, I will do everything for my victory.However, Klitschko made it clear he would not underestimate Povetkin.He hasn't lost or drawn a fight and was never knocked down, Klitschko said. So, I think the night will be a complicated one for those who will watch, as well as for Alexander and me. Each sportsman has his chance and each of us will try to capitalize on it. How, we will see it.Povetkin (26-0, 18KO) avoided sending the usual pre-bout banter, and said he was just preparing for the fight.There's no need for extra words, the Russian said. I could have said that I would bury him or something like this. But you will see it on Saturday.The WBA heavyweight belt became vacant when Klitschko was elevated to super champion status in 2011 after beating David Haye. Povetkin became the mandatory challenger for Klitschko when he beat American Hasim Rahman last September.A sell-out crowd of 14,000 is expected to attend.

Oil rises on news of pipeline expansion

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NEW YORK (AP) - The price of oil rose the most in two weeks Wednesday, on the prospect of more oil shipping between a key U.S. Midwest hub and the Gulf Coast.Benchmark oil for November delivery rose $2.06, or 2 percent, to close at $104.10 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.Reports said that Transcanada is close to completing work on the southern portion of its Keystone pipeline expansion. That could mean as much as 700,000 barrels a day moving out of Cushing, Oklahoma, the pricing point for U.S. benchmark oil. The additional demand is seen as positive for oil prices.The market shrugged off a report from the Energy Department showing bigger than expected increases in U.S. oil and gasoline supplies. It also ignored, at least for a day, the partial shutdown of the federal government.Demand for oil in the U.S. could weaken if the shutdown curbs economic growth and continues to stop 800,000 federal workers from commuting. The workers were furloughed after U.S. lawmakers failed to agree on a budget measure to fund government operations after the fiscal year ended Monday.Brent crude, a benchmark used to price imported crude used by many U.S. refineries, gained $1.25 to $109.19 in London.

Washington paralysis sends dollar to 8-month low

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NEW YORK CITY (AFP) - Washington's budget paralysis and worries it will lock up talks on increasing the US debt ceiling sent the dollar to an eight-month low against the euro Wednesday.The second day of a government shutdown, because Democrats and Republicans have not agreed a budget for the fiscal year that began October 1, continued to erode confidence in the greenback and other financial markets.At 2100 GMT, the euro traded at $1.3580, compared with $1.3527 late Tuesday.The yen gained, meanwhile, despite concerns that a new sales tax hike, seen as crucial to shrinking Japan's debt, would derail a budding economic recovery.The dollar fell to 97.34 yen from 97.94, while the euro dropped to 132.21 yen from 132.51.Most attention was focused on the growing drift of Washington's budget stalemate toward rolling into the crucial issue of raising the country's borrowing ceiling, necessary to cover a monthly budget deficit of about $60 billion.The Treasury and White House have warned that if the debt cap is not raised from the current $16.7 trillion by October 17, the country could be forced to default on its obligations.But some congressional Republicans have threatened to block the limit increase to extract political concessions from the White House.President Barack Obama warned Wednesday that Wall Street should be concerned about an impasse over the debt limit.When you have a situation in which a faction is willing potentially to default on US government obligations, then we are in trouble.The British pound rose to $1.6223 from $1.6193, while the dollar fell to 0.9026 Swiss franc from 0.9054 franc.

Afghanistan 1 win away from cricket's World Cup

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SHARJAH (AP) - Afghanistan's cricket team is one win away from qualifying for the World Cup and probably the war-weary nation's finest sporting achievement.Afghanistan beat Kenya by eight wickets on Wednesday and needs to defeat the Kenyans again in their second one-day international to join Ireland as the two qualifiers from the lower-level ICC World Cricket League Championship.If Kenya wins Friday's ODI, United Arab Emirates will progress to the World Cup in 2015 instead.Afghanistan captain Mohammed Nabi said we've got one more game left and if we win on Friday ... the team will be celebrating and the whole nation will be celebrating.Cricket World Cup qualification would follow closely on Afghanistan's first football title after winning the South Asian Football Federation Championship last month.

South Africa to consider franchise 'quotas'

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CAPE TOWN (AFP) - South African cricket officials are set to consider a proposal forcing professional franchises to include at least two black Africans in every team.Another item expected to be discussed at an October 11 Cricket South Africa (CSA) meeting will be the need for second-tier, semi-professional provincial sides to select three black Africans.CSA have not commented officially on the proposals, but an official who attended recent transformation talks told AFP both issues would be debated.While the six top-tier franchises have picked numerous mixed-race or Asian-origin cricketers in recent seasons, there has been a dearth of black Africans on view.Fast bowler Makhaya Ntini carried the black African banner in the Test, one-day international (ODI) and Twenty20 (T20) teams for many seasons.Since Ntini retired two years ago, black African fast-medium bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe has been in and out of Proteas teams in various formats.Faced with constant criticism for not picking black Africans, national selectors' convenor Andrew Hudson has pointed to a shortage of stars from that race group.

Bangladesh starts building its first nuclear power plant

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DHAKA (AP) - Bangladesh has begun work on its first nuclear power plant, which is to have two Russian-designed reactors and cost up to $4 billion.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone Wednesday for the nuclear plant in Rooppur in the countrys northwest.An initial reactor is expected to start generating 1,000 megawatts of power by 2018. A second reactor would later double that capacity to 2,000 megawatts.Bangladesh signed a deal with Russian state-owned nuclear giant Rosatom in 2011 to build the plant. Russia agreed to provide low-cost loans to finance 90 percent of the project.Bangladeshs decades-old gas-fired power plants are unable to generate enough electricity for the countrys 150 million people, with a daily shortfall of about 2,000 megawatts.The Asian Development Bank said Wednesday in its annual economic outlook that Bangladeshs growth is being constrained by poor infrastructure and electricity shortages.There have been growing global concerns about the safety of atomic power since a powerful earthquake and tsunami damaged a nuclear plant in Japan in 2011.Hasina said her government is giving the highest importance to safety issues, and that Russia would take back the nuclear waste produced by the plant.Russia also will train workers to run the plant. Relations between the two countries have been close since Russia backed Bangladesh in its 1971 war of independence with Pakistan.The International Atomic Energy Agency gave Bangladesh approval in 2007 to build a nuclear power plant.
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