Thursday 20 March 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Twitter blocked in Turkey after PM's threat to 'wipe out' the service

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ANKARA (AFP) - Twitter went dark in Turkey late Thursday, just hours after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to wipe out the social network -- one of several highlighting corruption allegations in his inner circle.Twitters public policy team responded by saying on its official @policy feed that Turks could get around the block by tweeting through mobile telephone text services.Opposition media outlets said the block was implemented by Erdogans government, after the prime minister told a rally he would eradicate Twitter access in the country.There was no official confirmation from the government.But the website for the countrys telecommunications authority (TIB) turned up four separate court rulings referencing twitter.com that suggested official action had been taken.One of them says: The protection measure has been taken for this website (twitter.com) according to the decision... of the Istanbul chief public prosecutors office and has been implemented by the TIB.In Thursdays rally to drum up voter support ahead of March 30 local elections, Erdogan had told supporters: We will wipe out Twitter. I dont care what the international community says.Erdogans office said in a statement that Twitter remained indifferent to Turkish court rulings demanding some links be removed and that the premier was turning his attention to the matter.The state-run Anatolia news agency said the only solution to address the unjust treatment of our citizens deemed in violation of Turkish law was to employ technical measures to block access to Twitter.Erdogan, Turkeys charismatic and increasingly autocratic leader since 2003, has come under mounting pressure since audio recordings spread across social media that appeared to put him at the heart of a major corruption scandal.

Russia promises not to attack east Ukraine: US

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu promised his US counterpart Chuck Hagel in a telephone call Thursday that Moscow would not assault eastern Ukraine.Hagel voiced concern about Russian military movements but Shoigu assured him that the troops he has arrayed along the border are there to conduct exercises only and they have no intention of crossing the border into Ukraine and that they would take no aggressive action, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters.The US defense secretary also asked how long the military exercise would last but Shoigu didn't have a firm time frame for that, Kirby said.Shoigu had pledged that Russia would not send troops into Ukraine's east and Hagel's expectation is that he'll live up to those words, he said.Washington has watched a Russian build-up on Ukraine's eastern border with growing dismay after Moscow's military intervention in Crimea.Moscow's promise to Washington came as Ukraine warned it would respond with military action if Russia tries to seize the country's mainly Russian-speaking eastern regions.NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Wednesday the alliance was concerned Russia might push beyond Crimea into eastern Ukraine.Hagel meanwhile renewed US calls for Russia to de-escalate tensions and restore Ukraine's territorial integrity.Asked if a steady increase in the number of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border had triggered Hagel's phone call, Kirby said: I think it was prompted by a number of things, yes, that they kept reinforcing, and that we didn't believe we had a clear indication of intent.He added that the Pentagon chief was mindful of the Russian military presence in Crimea, the attack on a Ukrainian naval base, the death of a Ukrainian officer and concerns raised by Kiev's defense minister.It was a lengthy call, lasting about an hour, and I think it's fair to say that at times it was direct, according to Kirby. The two leaders agreed to keep up a dialogue despite the tensions, he said.President Barack Obama announced fresh punitive sanctions on Thursday over Moscow's annexation of Crimea, while Russia responded by issuing its own list of sanctions against nine US officials.Amid the worst East-West crisis since the end of the Cold War, Obama has ruled out the use of military force in Ukraine while vowing to isolate Moscow through diplomacy and sanctions.

Obama urges Iran to seize opportunity of nuclear talks

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama Thursday called on the entire government in Tehran to seize on nuclear talks with world powers to end Irans economic isolation.Obama made a direct effort to build political support among Iranians in favor of the nuclear diplomacy led by the government of President Hassan Rouhani in an annual video message marking Nowruz, new year celebrations.Obama noted that Iranians elected the comparatively moderate Rouhani last year to strengthen the economy, improve their lives and engage constructively with the world.I hope that the entire Iranian government hears that message too, he said.Blaming Irans economic pain on the choices of Iranian leaders, he said you deserve better, as he made a case to the Iranian people on the importance of reaching a final nuclear deal, which could loosen the grip of sanctions on Irans economy.But, a day after the latest round of talks between P51 powers and Tehran wrapped up, Obama warned he was under no illusions and knew building on an interim deal, in which Iran froze aspects of its nuclear program in return for limited relief from sanctions, would be difficult.There is a chance to reach an agreement if Iran takes meaningful and verifiable steps to assure the world that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, Obama said.The US leader said a permanent nuclear deal would mean more trade with the rest of the world for Tehran, higher economic growth, jobs for young Iranians and the chance for students to travel.If Iran seizes this moment, this Nowruz could mark not just the beginning of a new year, but a new chapter in the history of Iran and its role in the world, he said.Obama has battled to convince critics in the US Congress about the wisdom of his diplomatic approach and fought off a bid by lawmakers to impose new sanctions which he said could scupper diplomacy.Israel has expressed extreme skepticism over the interim deal and said a final agreement must include a complete dismantling of all Irans nuclear infrastructure.Obama says such a perfect solution to the years-long standoff is not practical, but that a way could be found to verifiably ensure that Tehran is not producing nuclear weapons.The Nowruz message was the latest in an annual series that Obama began in the first year of his presidency in 2009. But until the election of Rouhani -- with whom he spoke in a historic telephone call during UN meetings in New York last year -- his advances were rejected.Secretary of State John Kerry, who was instrumental in opening the talks, said in his own statement that although America and Iran had suffered harsh winters in the past, a new opportunity was at hand.Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Wednesday he saw signs a long-term nuclear deal could be reached after the latest talks in Vienna.The next meeting will come in April and will begin drafting the text of an agreement.Under the interim deal struck in November, the two sides are aiming for a long-term deal by July 20.There are four key issues in any agreement -- the status of Irans Arak heavy water reactor -- which Israel fears could offer an alternative route to a bomb -- its enrichment of uranium, civil nuclear cooperation and the lifting of Western sanctions.The six powers -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany -- want Iran to reduce permanently, or at least long-term, the scope of its nuclear activities to make it extremely difficult for it ever to develop nuclear weapons.Iran has always denied any such ambition.

Four gunmen killed in attack on luxury Kabul hotel

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KABUL (AFP) - Four teenage Taliban gunmen opened fire inside a luxury hotel in Kabul on Thursday before being shot dead, officials said, adding that three people were wounded as guests rushed to reinforced safe rooms.Just weeks before Afghanistans presidential election, the attackers hid small pistols in their socks and penetrated several layers of security at the Serena hotel, a prestigious venue favoured by foreign visitors to the Afghan capital.I heard some gunshots, and we all were taken by guards to the safe rooms, a front-desk clerk told AFP on condition of anonymity.The Taliban, who have vowed a campaign of violence to disrupt the election on April 5, claimed responsibility for the attack.No guests were reported to have been injured as intense bursts of gunfire erupted inside the hotel and security forces rushed to the scene.The four young attackers entered the hotel at about 6:00 pm pretending to be guests and started to attack at 9:00 pm, Sediq Sediqqi, the interior ministry spokesman, told reporters, adding the gunmen were all under 18 years old.Two guards have been taken to hospital, as well as one foreign employee of the hotel. All four attackers were gunned down, two of them after they resisted in a bathroom in the hotel.Jane Ferguson, an Al Jazeera television journalist staying at the hotel, said on Twitter she had just got out of Serena hotel safe. Horrible few hours with furniture against my door.The attack occurred on the eve of Nawroz, the Persian New Year which is a major holiday in Afghanistan, and the hotel was hosting special celebrations.The Serena, the most upmarket accommodation in Kabul, has been targeted by militants in the past, including a Taliban suicide attack in 2008 that left eight people dead.

Tennis: Serena survives first-set scare to win opener

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MIAMI (AFP) - Six-time winner Serena Williams survived a first-set scare before overcoming Yaroslava Shvedova 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 Thursday to power into the third round of the ATP and WTA Miami Masters.The top-seeded defending champion will next face France's Caroline Garcia after dispatching her Kazak rival in one hour, 45 minutes.The first set was really tough. She can make you play. She was hitting the ball well, Williams said.I had to relax and try to keep my intensity and just try to get the win.Williams lost a 3-1 lead and trailed 3-5 as Shvedova shifted her game up a gear.Williams got back on track in the nick of time with a break for 5-all. A love game then ended with an ace for Williams before the set went to a tie-breaker.In the decider, the 32-year-old Williams saved three set points as a nervous Shvedova missed her big upset chance in front of a screaming house full of her rival's supporters.In one dramatic moment, a fight broke out in the upper deck of spectators, forcing a pause for security to intervene after Shvedova had double-faulted on her second set point.After she also missed on a third, the Kazak handed over a set point to Williams, who finally finished off the 63-minute set on her second opportunity.Williams tried to steady the second after a pair of breaks and finally won going away as she aced on her first match point to book a date with Garcia, who beat Czech Klara Zakopalova 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/3).I'm just happy for another win, said a relieved Williams, who was playing for the first time in a month while healing back pain.Fourth seed Maria Sharapova, the 2013 runner-up to Williams, was to take on Kurumi Nara of Japan in her opening match later.German Angelique Kerber, seeded fifth, beat China's Peng Shuai 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7/5) while 2011 Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, the number eight, defeated Argentine Paola Ormaechea 6-3, 6-4.Ana Ivanovic, the 12th seed, hammered American Lauren Davis 6-1, 6-1 while 14th-seeded Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki ousted Nadia Petrova 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 and 16th-seeded Aussie Samantha Stosur beat Kiki Bertens 6-3, 6-2.Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt captured his 600th career victory while countryman Bernard Tomic became the fastest loser in ATP history.Former number one Hewitt rallied to defeat Dutchman Robin Haase 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the second round while Tomic fell in his first match since January hip surgery 6-0, 6-1 to Finland's Jarkko Nieminen.Tomic, ranked 74th, crashed out in 28 minutes, 20 seconds, believed to be the ATP's shortest match by a minute. Tomic was playing for the first time since a retirement against Rafael Nadal in a first-round match at the Australian Open.Hewitt, 33, turned in another of the trademark fighbacks which have characterized a career that included Grand Slam crowns at Wimbledon in 2002 and the US Open in 2001.The 44th-ranked Australian reversed course in the second set to reach the second round in just under two hours, with Haase saving a match point before exiting.It's not something you focus on, to tell you the truth. I totally forgot, Hewitt said of his 600th triumph. Today was just like another match and an opportunity to go out there and play well.Obviously afterwards, it's a great milestone. Not many people get to achieve that. Not many people get the opportunity to get close to that, so it means I've been around for an awfully long time as well. I'm getting old.A few years ago when I had the last couple lot of surgeries I probably would have doubted I'd get to this stage anyway. I'm still grateful I'm out there and able to compete with the best guys.

Football: Benfica survive Spurs fright, Juve edge Fiorentina

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PARIS (AFP) - Tottenham crashed out of the Europa League on Thursday but not before giving Benfica a huge scare as English interest in the continent's second-tier tournament ended.Benfica survived a dramatic late onslaught in Lisbon to reach the quarter-finals with a 2-2 draw having won the first leg 3-1 at White Hart Lane last week.Jorge Jesus's team appeared to be cruising towards the last eight when Ezequiel Garay scored in the first half at the Estadio da Luz.But Nacer Chadli struck twice in quick succession late in the second half to give Spurs hope of forcing extra-time.Benfica barely managed to hold out before Rodrigo Lima's penalty in stoppage-time sealed a 5-3 aggregate success which secured the Portuguese club's spot in Friday's quarter-final draw.We had them where we wanted them. They were running scared, weren't they? said Spurs manager Tim Sherwood.I think it's evident the players are on my side. They have showed real character and real guts and they need to do that until the end of the season.It was good to see their manager sweating. I did not see a suave character on the side, I thought someone who was really flustered, which was good to see.An Andrea Pirlo free-kick secured Juventus's ticket to the quarter-finals after a 1-0 win over 10-man Serie A rivals Fiorentina.Fiorentina had high hopes of making the last eight after a 1-1 draw in Turin last week when Mario Gomez levelled Arturo Vidal's third-minute strike.But the Florence-based side, who are the only team to have beaten Juventus in Serie A this season, failed to capitalise on what was a poor performance from Juve before the interval.Fiorentina suffered a huge blow on 68 minutes when defender Gonzalo Rodriguez saw red for a second bookable offence after hauling down Fernando Llorente on the edge of the area.It gave Juve a free-kick in Pirlo's preferred territory and the Italian playmaker smashed the ball past Brazilian 'keeper Neto and into the top right-hand corner.Meanwhile, Dutch side AZ Alkmaar drew 0-0 at Russia's Anzhi Makhachkala to go through 1-0 on aggregate while Valencia enjoyed a 1-0 home win over Bulgaria's Ludogorets Razgrad for a 4-0 aggregate score.French side Lyon lost 2-1 at Viktoria Pilsen in the Czech Republic but still went into the quarter-finals 5-3 over the two legs.Later, Napoli will look to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit when they entertain Porto at the San Paolo.There is another derby in Spain, where La Liga's bottom club Real Betis will hope to see through a 2-0 first-leg advantage when they entertain city rivals Sevilla at the Benito Villamarin.In the night's other tie, Salzburg of Austria and Swiss side FC Basel start their second leg at 0-0.The draw for the quarter-finals takes place on Friday with ties on April 3 and 10.

Golf: Tiger suffering from bulging back disc: report

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MIAMI (AFP) - World number one Tiger Woods is suffering from a bulging disc in his back that will not require surgery, Golfweek magazine reported Thursday on its website.Woods, a 14-time major champion chasing the all-time record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, withdrew Tuesday due to back spasms from the Arnold Palmer Invitational, his typical fine warm-up event for next month's Masters and one that he has won eight times.According to the report, which cited an unnamed source, the news was actually better for Woods than if he had suffered a ruptured disc, which likely would have required an operation.Mark Steinberg, the agent for Woods, told ESPN after the report that nothing has changed since the announcement on Tuesday, adding that Woods was resting and would be evaluated again in the next few days.Woods has never missed the Masters since winning his first major title there in 1997. He was won four green jackets but has not taken the title at Augusta National since 2005.It's too early to know about the Masters, and I will continue to be evaluated and work closely with my doctors, Woods said Tuesday.Woods has played four events this year, with his best showing a share of 25th at the World Golf Championships event at Doral where he was visibly bothered with back pain during a final-round 78.A week earlier, he withdrew from the Honda Classic in the final round due to back spasms.Woods has not won a major title since the 2008 US Open and has not broken 70 on the weekend at a major since the 2011 Masters.

Athletics: Bolt 'let down' by Jamaica, says US anti-doping chief

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LONDON (AFP) - Usain Bolt is suffering from Jamaica's much-criticised drugs policy, according to United States Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart.Bolt's fellow Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown, the two-time Olympic 200 metres champion tested positive for the specified substance hydrochlorothiazide last May, but she argued the urine sample collected had been compromised and saw a two-year ban overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.Tygart said it was wrong that Bolt, the world record-holder at both the 100 and 200m and a multiple Olympic champion, was constantly having to protest his innocence of drug-taking because of doubts over the reliability of Jamaica's anti-doping programme.Absolutely it lets him down, Tygart, speaking at the Tackling Doping in Sport conference at London's Wembley Stadium, said Thursday.It's really unfair to question athletes' performances just because of an inspiration (unsubstantiated) story or whatever it may be, there's a legal process for that.That said, it happens unfortunately, and I think it's really unfair to those athletes that it does happen.Bolt's 9.58 seconds world-record time over 100 metres and his 19.19s 200m landmark have made him one of the most scrutinised athletes of all time.And while Bolt has never tested positive for a banned substance, Tygart said the sprinter's position would be bolstered by a more robust anti-doping regime in his native Jamaica.Those athletes ought to be able to stand up, and in addition to being able to say they are clean, also have people believe that, Tygart explained.Furthermore they ought to be able to say 'I am held to the highest standard, so there's some credibility and cooperation behind my statement that I am clean'.And that's where athletes are being let down by the Jamaican authorities.They deserve to have the right to be able to do that. Every athlete and all of us who love sport ought to be pushing for change.However, World Anti-Doping Agency chief executive David Howman speaking at the London conference on Wednesday, was encouraged by Jamaica's changes to its testing procedures.They've done exactly what we've asked them to do to put their programme back into place, he said.Meanwhile Tygart warned time was short for cycling to rid itself of the sophisticated scheme to defraud that lay behind the drugs scandal centred around disgraced US rider Lance Armstrong.,The UCI, cycling's global governing body, has set up the Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) in a bid to eradicate doping from the sport. Time is of the essence, we've been pounding this issue in the press, in front of the (US) Senate, the EU, said Tygart.Now is the time to take and fulfil the promise that the UCI leadership made at that point to take decisive and transparent action. In my opinion another day can't go by until it's put in place in a proper fashion and the process starts. It took baseball close to two years in the early 2000s. I don't think it needs to take that long, it can be done in a shorter period of time.

Motorcycling: Marquez, Lorenzo struggle, practice perfect for Espargaro

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DOHA (AFP) - World champion Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo, the two-time winner, gingerly returned to business after surgery on Thursday in the first free practice session for the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix.Marquez, who became the youngest MotoGP champion in his rookie year in 2013, broke his right leg just six weeks ago in a dirt-bike accident in his native Spain.Not surprisingly, the 21-year-old opted for a softly-softly approach under the desert floodlights of the Losail circuit, ending the session on his Honda down in 11th place.I am fairly happy with how the first session went, because I havent been on the bike in a while, said Marquez.I didnt think my foot would bother me so much -- especially on the right hand corners -- although at the end of the session I felt better and this gives me hope of improving on Friday.Lorenzo, who was second in the championship in 2013 despite twice breaking his collarbone which required three surgeries over the winter, was down in ninth spot on his Yamaha.Im a little disappointed because hearing the comments of the riders that were here two weeks ago it seemed the tyres were working really well, said Spanish rider Lorenzo.Having arrived here it seems the track is a little worse, the feeling of the rear tyre is more or less the same as in Sepang, with little grip and traction.We didnt have three days to test here like the top five so our problems are bigger. We must hope that the tyre gets better and we can improve the grip on the rear.It was left to Aleix Espargaro on a Yamaha to set the pace in a time of 1min 55.201sec with Honda rider Alvaro Bautista taking second spot at 0.615sec behind while rookie Yamaha Tech3 rider Bradley Smith of Britain was third.The top five was filled out by Ducatis Andrea Iannone and rookie Pol Espargaro on a Yamaha Tech3. The younger Espargaro brother put in a smooth performance despite breaking his collarbone 10 days ago at the same track.Dani Pedrosa on a Honda and nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi, the Yamaha teammate of Lorenzo, were sixth and seventh -- the best-placed factory riders -- while the top ten was completed by Colin Edwards, Lorenzo and Nicky Hayden.Rossi said the track was a challenge as sand made grip difficult to achieve.The track is in quite a bad condition but I think its quite normal for a first practice, said the charismatic Italian.There is a lot of sand and not a lot of rubber down. Also a lot of riders except the factory riders have been here for three days and have done a lot more kilometres and a lot more laps so its normal they are stronger than us. Now the work for the weekend will be hard to reduce the gap.

Humans can detect 1 trillion smells: study

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The human nose can distinguish at least one trillion different odors, millions more than previously estimated, US researchers said Thursday.For decades, scientists accepted that humans could detect only 10,000 scents, putting the sense of smell well below the capabilities of sight and hearing.Our analysis shows that the human capacity for discriminating smells is much larger than anyone anticipated, said study co-author Leslie Vosshall, head of Rockefeller Universitys Laboratory of Neurogenetics.The previous estimate for the noses capabilities -- which are carried out with the help of 400 olfactory receptors -- dated to the 1920s and was not backed by data.Researchers have estimated that the human eye and its mere three receptors can distinguish several million colors and that the ear can discriminate 340,000 sounds.For smell, nobody ever took the time to test, Vosshall said.To conduct their research, scientists subjected 26 participants to mixtures made with 128 different odorant molecules that individually might evoke grass, citrus or various chemicals, but were combined in groupings of up to 30.We didnt want them to be explicitly recognizable, so most of our mixtures were pretty nasty and weird, Vosshall said.We wanted people to pay attention to heres this really complex thing - can I pick another complex thing as being different?Volunteers would sample three vials of scents at a time -- two that were the same and one that was different -- to see if they could detect which was the outlier, completing 264 such comparisons.Researchers then extrapolated how many odors the average person could detect if all possible combinations of the 128 odorants were sampled, coming to their estimate of at least one trillion.Lead researcher Andreas Keller, also of Rockefeller University, said the number is almost certainly too low given that there are numerous other odorants that can mix in countless ways in the real world.He said our ancestors relied more on the sense of smell, but that refrigeration and the development of personal hygiene have limited odors in the modern world.This could explain our attitude that smell is unimportant, compared to hearing and vision, Keller said.The sense of smell is closely linked to human behavior and the researchers stressed that studying it could shed light on how the human brain processes complex information.The study was published in the journal Science.

Oil mixed; US price falls below $100 on stronger dollar

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NEW YORK (AFP) - US oil prices slid below $100 a barrel on Thursday as the dollar strengthened on raised expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike sooner than previously thought.New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in April, fell 94 cents to close at $99.43 a barrel.Brent North Sea crude for May rose 60 cents to $106.45 a barrel in London.Markets were still digesting Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen's comments on Wednesday that the US central bank could begin increasing its key federal funds interest rate about six months after it ends its stimulus program.With the asset-purchase program likely to wrap up by year-end, Yellen's comments suggested to some that the Fed would raise its main rate in the first half of 2015. Expectations had been for an increase later in the year.We see a spillover effect from Yellen's comments, said John Kilduff of Again Capital.The more hawkish outlook for interest rates put the dollar back on rally mode, he said. That seems to be pressuring commodities generally, and crude oil as part of that.The dollar reached a two-week high against the euro Thursday, trading at $1.3747. A stronger greenback makes dollar-priced commodities more expensive for buyers using other currencies.Traders kept an eye on the escalating Ukraine crisis, as the West and Russia dug in their heels over Moscow's absorption this week of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.US President Barack Obama announced Thursday expanded sanctions against Russian officials, and minutes later the Kremlin struck back with travel bans against US officials and lawmakers, including the leaders of the two chambers of the US Congress.The new US sanctions notably target Russian billionaire Gennady Timchenko, a co-founder of Gunvor, one of the world's largest independent commodity trading companies involved in the oil and energy markets.Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research, said the US sanctions against Gunvor raised some market worries, and oil prices bumped up a bit after the announcement.The fear is that customers will think that if they buy from Gunvor, the financial transactions might be interfered with, that banks may not want to handle the transactions because the US would threaten sanctions against those banks, Lynch said.

Dollar gains further on Fed rate expectations

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The US dollar added to gains against the euro Thursday as fresh positive US economic data followed a slightly accelerated monetary tightening outlook from the Federal Reserve.At 2200 GMT the dollar was at $1.3779, compared to $1.3827 late Wednesday.The dollar edged higher to 102.42 yen from 102.32 yen, while the euro slipped to 141.14 yen from 141.53.The British pound fell to $1.6506 from $1.6536, while the dollar rose to 0.8835 Swiss francs from 0.8807.The dollar got support from a positive report on weekly US jobless claims and an in-line report on February existing-home sales.Meanwhile the Conference Boards Index of Leading Indicators and the Philadelphia Feds manufacturing index both solidly beat Wall Street estimates.On Wednesday the dollar shot up after Fed Chair Janet Yellen said that a rate hike may begin around six months after the Feds stimulus program ends, which could put it in the first half of 2015. Many rate watchers had expected the hike to come in late 2015.

Boeing books 71 orders for 737s in week

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US aerospace giant Boeing said Thursday it had won 71 new orders for its best-selling 737 commercial jetliner in a week, with more than half for its new 737 MAX.Boeing did not disclose the name of the buyer or the buyers of the short- to medium-haul aircraft in the week through March 18.The Chicago-based company said it had a total of 176 net new orders since the year started, including 170 orders for the single-aisle 737.A Boeing spokesman said that 40 of the 71 new 737 orders were for the 737 MAX, a new, re-engined model that will improve fuel efficiency. He said the future airplane already has more than 1,800 orders. The 737 MAX is Boeing's response to European rival Airbus's new A320Neo.The first flights of both planes are scheduled in 2016, with deliveries to customers beginning in 2017.Boeing said it had completed Wednesday its first Next-Generation 737 made at the increased production rate of 42 airplanes per month. Due to continued strong market demand for jetliner, it plans to ramp up production to 47 airplanes a month in 2017.Dow member Boeing shares climbed 1.2 percent to $123.73 in New York trade.

Police officer shot dead in Karachi

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - Some unknown motorcyclists opened firing on a car near Coast Guard Chorangi killing Anwar Jafri, a crime branch police officer, and injuring his driver.Rescue teams rushed to the scene and shifted the driver and dead body of Awar Jafri to Jinnah Hospital.According to police, Anwar Jafri was killed an ambush and two accused were involved in the attack while 9mm pistol was used in the incident.Colleagues of Anwar Jafri reached Jinnah hospital after the news of the incident.Jafri had been perform duty as an SHO at different police stations in the city where as he was serving at Crime Branch 2.In another incident, a guard along with his accomplices looted Rs 8 million from a private bank in Yusuf Plaza area after taking the staff hostage.According to police, CCTV footage of the incident was safe while search had been launched to arrest the accused after obtaining their data.On the other hand, a case had been registered against two men namely Chakib and Nadeem who were injured in firing by Rangers on Wednesday.Police said a case was registered in Site-A police station on the complaint of a Rangers official.

T20 World Cup: Bangladesh in Super-10 despite losing to Hong Kong

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CHITTAGONG (AFP) -- Bangladesh sneaked into the Super-10 stage of the World Twenty20 despite losing to minnows Hong Kong by two wickets in their last first-round match in Chittagong on Thursday.Bangladesh, sent into bat, fell to a below-par total of 108 all out in 16.3 overs before Hong Kong reached the target for the loss of eight wickets in 19.4 overs.Hong Kong needed to knock off the target in 13.1 overs to oust the home team in favour of Nepal, who earlier in the day upset Afghanistan by nine runs.Hong Kong could not achieve that and had almost lost the match before Munir Dar hit a match-turning 27-ball 36 and number nine Haseeb Amjad hit the winning six during his 12 not out.It marks only the fourth occasion when an Associate side has beaten a full Test-playing country in a World Twenty20.Shakib Al Hasan, who top-scored with 34, turned his left-arm over for 3-9 in his four overs, much to the joy of a capacity 18,000 fans at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.Bangladesh won two of their three matches to qualify on a better net-run rate than Nepal for the next round starting from Friday.Bangladesh join defending champions the West Indies, Pakistan, India and Australia in Group 2.Ireland, Zimbabwe and the Netherlands compete for the second qualifying spot from Group B on Friday.Bangladesh, sent into bat, had themselves to blame as they spurned a good chance of posting a big total, losing their last seven wickets for a mere 23 runs after being well set at 85-3 by 11th over.It was Shakibs wicket that triggered a collapse with left-arm spinner Nadeem Ahmed taking a career best 4-21 and leg-spinner Nizakat Khan grabbing 3-19.Hong Kong started off well with opener Irfan Ahmed hitting three towering sixes and as many boundaries in his 28-ball 34 but once he was dismissed in the eighth over made the task difficult.Munir Dar brought Hong Kong back with three boundaries and a six.There are two qualifying round matches in Sylhet on Friday, while arch-rivals Pakistan and India kick off the Super-10 stage in a match in Dhaka.
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