Friday 18 April 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Obama signs law aimed at barring Iran UN envoy

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Barack Obama signed into law Friday a bill designed to bar Iran's pick for UN ambassador from US soil over his links to the 1979 American embassy hostage siege.But Obama also issued a statement saying that he would only regard the legislation as guidance, warning it could infringe upon his executive powers as president.The spat over Hamid Aboutalebi's nomination has blown up amid a cautious thaw in relations between the US and Iran as Tehran's new leadership seeks to negotiate a nuclear treaty with global powers.The United States said earlier this week that it would not issue a visa to Aboutalebi because he was involved in the hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran.The move followed outrage in Congress over his selection by Iran and reflected the extent to which the episode in 1979, which was seen as a humiliation for the United States, still challenges Obama's efforts to improve relations with Tehran.The law bars from US soil any representative to the United Nations who the president determines has been engaged in terrorist activity against the United States or its allies and may pose a threat to US national security interests.Despite signing the bill Obama made plain his reservations about its implications in other potential cases. Citing precedent established by former president George H.W. Bush, Obama wrote that the law could restrict his powers to accept or reject the credentials of foreign ambassadors.Acts of espionage and terrorism against the United States and our allies are unquestionably problems of the utmost gravity, Obama said in signing the measure.I share the Congress's concern that individuals who have engaged in such activity may use the cover of diplomacy to gain access to our nation.But he added that he would treat the new law as an advisory only.Presidents sometimes release signing statements when they believe that a new law infringes on their executive powers as defined by the US Constitution.In 1979, dozens of American diplomats and staff were held for 444 days by radical Iranian students at the US embassy in Tehran.The protracted standoff profoundly shocked the United States and led to the severing of all diplomatic ties between the US and Iran for the past three decades.As the host government, the United States is generally obliged to issue visas to diplomats who serve at the United Nations. Aboutalebi, a veteran diplomat who currently heads Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's political affairs bureau, has insisted he was not part of the hostage-taking in November 1979, when a Muslim student group seized the US embassy after the overthrow of the pro-Western shah. He has acknowledged he served a limited role as a translator for the students who took the Americans hostage.

At least 58 killed in attack on UN base in South Sudan

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JUBA (AFP) - The United Nations said Friday at least 58 people were killed and more than 100 others wounded in an attack against one of its bases in South Sudan sheltering thousands of civilians.The top UN official in the war-torn nation, Toby Lanzer, praised peacekeepers from India, Nepal and South Korea for preventing what could have been a massacre of up to 5,000 people, and vowed the world body would use lethal force again to protect civilians under their protection.We will do everything necessary to protect the lives of people in our protection, including the use of lethal force, Lanzer told AFP.In the clearest account yet of Thursday's incident in the government-controlled town of Bor, Lanzer described how a group of around 350 armed youths in civilian clothes used extremely violent force to breach the perimeter of the UN base.He said they opened fire on terrified civilians, who have sought shelter with the UN from a wave of ethnic violence, with the apparent aim of killing as many people as possible.When we realised we were under attack we responded... the quick actions of the peacekeepers saved lives, Lanzer said.Forty-eight bodies, including children, women, men, have been recovered from inside the base. The bodies of 10 attackers have been found outside the base. The total death toll is 58, but that could increase as over 100 people were wounded, some of them very seriously, he said.Lanzer said measures had been taken to boost security at other UN bases in the country, which are sheltering close to 60,000 people from different ethnic groups, and that the South Sudanese government was also being asked to ensure such attacks are not repeated.This past week has been the most bleak in South Sudan's history, Lanzer said, citing the attack on the UN base as well as reports of renewed atrocities further north in the oil-hub of Bentiu, which fell to rebel forces during the week.He said South Sudan's conflict, which began on December 15 following a clash between army units loyal to President Salva Kiir and troops backing ousted vice president Riek Machar, had now descended into a cycle of revenge.It's vital that all communities realise that they are taking this country nowhere fast, he said.The UN's aid agency UNOCHA said it was particularly outraged by deliberate and targeted killings of civilians in hospitals, churches, UN peacekeeping bases and other places where people's rights should be sacrosanct.Most of the civilians hiding in the UN base in Bor are thought to be ethnic Nuer, the same tribe of Machar, who now leads a rebel force comprised of ethnic militia and army defectors. During the week the rebels captured the town of Bentiu, a key oil hub in the north.Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, still controls the capital and maintains the loyalty of a large part of the army. He is also backed by troops from neighbouring Uganda.The conflict in South Sudan, which only won independence from Sudan in 2011 and is the world's youngest nation, has left thousands dead and forced around a million people to flee their homes.The fighting has been marked by reports and allegations of atrocities by both sides, with ethnic massacres, child soldier recruitment and patients raped and murdered in hospitals by attacking forces.

Powerful quake rattles Mexico

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MEXICO CITY (AFP) - A powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake rattled Mexico's capital and Pacific coast on Friday, shaking buildings, bringing down walls and prompting people to rush into the street.The country, however, appeared to have escaped major damage and casualties.The US Geological Survey said the earthquake's epicenter was 36 kilometers (22 miles) northwest of Tecpan, near the Pacific resort of Acapulco in southwestern Guerrero state.The quake struck at a depth of 24 kilometers.Mexico's National Seismology Service gave the same magnitude for the quake, saying it was followed by dozens of weaker aftershocks of up to magnitude 4.8.Tourists in Acapulco for Holy Week streamed out of hotels. Buildings were also evacuated in Mexico City as helicopters buzzed overhead to check for damage.The earthquake was also felt in the eastern state of Veracruz and the southern states of Oaxaca and Chiapas.Angelica Lasso, a 30-year-old website designer, grabbed a jacket and ran out of the first floor of her three-story apartment building in Mexico City.The furniture moved and my CDs fell from the disc storage tower. I got out quickly and even forgot my house keys, Lasso said as she bought a sugary bread from a street vendor.Authorities were working to restore electricity in several city neighborhoods.Fortunately, what we have are collapsed walls and no reports of deaths or injuries, said federal civil protection director general Ricardo de la Cruz.Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said some walls collapsed and a few roads were damaged but nobody was injured.The metropolis of 20 million people is sensitive to distant earthquakes because it was built over soft soil from a drained lake.In 1985, thousands of people were killed in Mexico City when buildings collapsed after an 8.1-magnitude temblor struck the Pacific coast.In Guerrero state, rocks fell on Pacific highways, while cracks were seen in churches and the offices of the region's capital, Chilpancingo.In Acapulco, 105 kilometers south of Tecpan, holidaymakers fled hotels and jumped out of swimming pools.The swimming pool was moving. I was afraid for my kids, so I took them out and we left the hotel, said Ulises Yam Loye of central Hidalgo state.It scared us a lot to see the palm trees and lampposts moving.

South Korea ferry captain 'arrested'

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SEOUL (AFP) - The captain of a South Korean ferry that capsized three days ago, leaving 28 people confirmed dead and 268 missing, was arrested early Saturday, Yonhap news agency reported.Lee Joon-Seok faces five charges, including negligence of duty and violation of maritime law, the agency said.A joint investigation team of police and prosecutors on Friday had sought arrest warrants for Lee, 52, and two of his crew without specifying charges, the coastguard had said.Yonhap Saturday said a local court in Mokpo had issued warrants for him and two other crew members, citing the possibility that they may flee or destroy evidence.Earlier, prosecutors said Lee had handed the helm to his third officer before the ferry capsized.

Djokovic sets up Federer clash in Monte Carlo

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MONTE CARLO (AFP) - Defending champion Novak Djokovic defeated Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 to reach the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals on Friday.Djokovic, the second seed, looked to be heading towards the same possible upset fate which befell eight-time champion Rafael Nadal earlier in the day when the Spaniard lost to David Ferrer 7-6 (7/1), 6-4.But Djokovic held his nerve, saving two key break points in the seventh game of the second set to turn the tide against the winner of the Casablanca claycourt title last weekend.Djokovic will face off in a Saturday semi-final against Roger Federer, whom he beat in last month's Indian Wells final but lost to in Dubai in February.Meanwhile Federer, bidding to win the title for the first time, squandered his first 15 break points before finally coming good on a 16th on his way to a 2-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 defeat of French ninth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.Defending champion Djokovic was then taken to three sets by Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain before the Serb second seed finally won 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 on his fourth match point and more than two hours of battle.Federer, seeded fourth, won his 950th career match in a topsy-turvy clash against Tsonga, winning the second set on a fourth set point before running away with the third.But Federer admitted he will need to step up his game when he faces Djokovic against whom he lost in the final at Indian Wells in March.I was frustrated, let's be honest, said Federer, who briefly lost his famous cool against Tsonga when he fired a ball out of the stadium.I did chuck a ball out of the stadium, I did scream sometimes. I was aggravated to a degree, but not to the extent where I totally lost it.I was not actually playing poorly or terribly, I was just taking wrong decisions sometimes. That kind of matched up with Jo's genius play sometimes, and his erratic play as we know it.I was just hoping my game was not going to go down because I was missing break points. So I was very happy with the composure overall. That got me home at the end, I think.Djokovic also struggled to make the last four against Garcia-Lopez who had won the Casablanca claycourt title last weekend.I started out very poorly, said Djokovic. There are no easy quarter-finals. Garcia-Lopez played well and I had to work for this win.I finally started to play as I wanted in the second set. I began to play more aggressively and I'm very content with this win.Djokovic held his nerve with new coach Boris Becker looking on, saving two key break points in the seventh game of the second set to turn the tide.

Tennis: Cibulkova scrapes into Malaysian Open semis

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KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - World number 10 Dominika Cibulkova narrowly beat Kazakhstan's Zarina Diyas Friday to advance into the semi-finals of the Malaysian Open.The Slovakian top seed struggled against sixth seed and world number 93 Diyas, losing the first set before eventually gaining the upper hand for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win.Cibulkova, 24, who is seeking her fifth career WTA Tour title, will now meet third seed and defending champion Karolina Pliskova.The Czech world number 75 defeated Turkey's Cagla Buyukakcay 6-4, 6-4 in her quarter-final.Second seed Zhang Shuai of China secured her semi-final place and will face seventh seed Donna Vekic Saturday.Zhang, the world number 45, defeated Magda Linette of Poland 6-2, 2-6, 6-1, becoming the first Chinese to reach the competition's semi-finals.I was emotional after winning, said the 25-year-old, who has come back after suffering from a shoulder injury. Croatia's Vekic, who at 17 is the youngest player in the main draw, beat fourth seed Patricia Mayr-Achleitner of Austria 6-4, 7-5.

Golf: Choi grabs lead at storm-hit PGA Heritage

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HILTON HEAD ISLAND (AFP) - South Korea's K.J. Choi fired a four-under par 67 to seize a one stroke lead in the clubhouse before heavy rain halted play Friday at the US PGA Heritage tournament.Choi made three birdies and a bogey on both the front and back nines to stand on five-under 137 after 36 holes before play was stopped with half the field unable to finish the second round.We can't play anymore. It's pretty bad out there, tour competition vice president Slugger White said. We'll try to turn it around and get the third round in and get back on track Sunday somewhere.The second round was due to resume Saturday morning.Australia's Robert Allenby, who had a birdie-birdie start, was second on four-under after five holes of his second round when play was halted.England's Luke Donald was in the clubhouse on 139 along with Americans Billy Hurley and Scott Lang with Americans Bo Van Pelt and Ben Martin on the course also at three under.Choi birdied the par-5 second and fifth holes but followed a birdie at the eighth with a bogey at nine. He birdied 11 and 13 but took bogey at the par-5 15th before responding with a birdie at 16.American Bill Haas, the first-round leader at last week's Masters, withdrew Friday with a wrist injury after firing a 72 Thursday. It was his first career withdrawal from a PGA event.

Football: World Cup ticketing centers open

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RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - World Cup ticketing centers opened in Brazil on Friday allowing fans who have managed to purchase match tickets for the June 12 to July 13 extravaganza to claim them.Centers opened in ten of the 12 host cities -- fans will only be able to pick tickets up in the capital Brasilia and the southern city of Porto Alegre from next month.More than 2.5 million -- or three quarters of those available -- have been sold to date via the FIFA web platform set up for the purpose and each bears the name of the buyer in an attempt to limit scalping.Dozens of fans queued up at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, venue of the final, after the center opened at midday (1500 GMT).Joao Bosco, 67, and Vanderson Balbino, 27, were both in place by 9 a.m to ensure they were first in line.I have tickets for four matches -- including two at the Maracana, Balbino told reporters.As I want to see a Brazil game I am going to try (to get a ticket) in one of the cities where they are playing. Ill go with my brother so Ill have to pay double.Ive already spent double 8,000 reais ($3,000 2,575 euros).Bosco, collecting two tickets bought as birthday gifts for his daughter, Andrea, will watch Spain play Chile on June 18 at the Maracana where his father, now in his 90s, saw Brazil lose the 1950 final against Uruguay.My dream would be to see Brazil win in the Maracana, but it will be difficult, Bosco told AFP.

SpaceX launches Dragon capsule to ISS

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Private US firm SpaceX launched its unmanned Dragon capsule to the International Space Station on Friday, its third trip carrying supplies and equipment to the orbiting lab.After three earlier delays, the Falcon 9 rocket and its Dragon capsule finally blasted off as planned at 3:25 pm (1925 GMT) from Cape Canaveral in Florida.About 10 minutes after liftoff, the capsule separated from the second stage of the rocket before going into orbit.THAT. WAS. AWESOOMEEE, one person with the handle Petar Le Grand wrote after watching the launch live on SpaceXs website.It marks the California-based companys third commercial resupply mission and fourth visit to the ISS, where it is due to deliver 2.2 tonnes of cargo.Dragon is due to meet up with the space station on Sunday at 2314 GMT.The mission had originally been scheduled for mid-March and was delayed due to a helium leak.In all, SpaceX is due to complete 12 missions for the US space agency NASA.Its first successful pilot launch, completed in May 2012, marked the first time a private vessel had docked at the ISS. It was followed by the companys first cargo mission in October 2012.

Moores set for England recall: reports

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LONDON (AFP) - Peter Moores is set to be recalled as England coach five years after being dramatically axed from the job, the BBC and The Times both reported Friday.Earlier, a brief statement issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board said manging director Paul Downton and England captain Alastair Cook would hold a media conference at 10:30am local time (0930GMT) at Lord's on Saturday accompanied by the new head coach. England have been without a head coach since Andy Flower stepped down as team director in January following the 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia.Limited overs coach Ashley Giles, the former England spinner, appeared to be in pole position to replace Flower but his cause was not helped by the team's embarrassing loss to minnows the Netherlands at the recent World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.Moores, now at Lancashire, Nottinghamshire's Mick Newell and Sussex's Mark Robinson, all of whom have overseen County Championship success, are understood to have been interviewed during the past week as has Australian Trevor Bayliss, the former Sri Lanka coach.In a two-year spell from 2007 to 2009, former Sussex wicketkeeper Moores led England in seven Test series, starting with a 3-0 win over West Indies, after replacing Duncan Fletcher.However, he was forced out in 2009 following a rift with Kevin Pietersen that cost the star batsman the England captaincy, although other players were said to be unhappy with Moores' management style.But whoever is appointed won't have to deal with Pietersen this time around after the ECB sensationally terminated the international career of their all-time leading run-scorer following the Ashes debacle -- a decision they've still to explain fully.Shortly after his England exit, Moores joined Lancashire in February 2009, having previously guided Sussex to the County Championship title in 2003.Lancashire had not won the championship outright since 1934 but their long wait ended in 2011.They were though relegated the following season but returned to the First Division in 2013.There have also been reports that England are considering a role for current Sri Lanka coach Paul Farbrace, the former Kent and Middlesex wicketkeeper.In his five months in charge, Sri Lanka have won both the Asia Cup and the World Twenty20.In a newspaper interview this week, Farbrace said he wasn't ready for the head coach role but there have been suggestions he could be installed as a deputy, possibly renewing a partnership with Bayliss or working under Moores.Part of me would like the next coach to be English, but Trevor would do an excellent job, Farbrace said.He is very calm and a hands-on coach. He's not someone you would see a lot of, he will be working in the background.He coaches people to make decisions and sort it out for themselves...England's biggest task is to make sure the new coach matches well with Cooky because the captain needs to be the leader.However, were Bayliss, currently the coach of Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders, to be appointed it would be seen as a smack in the face for England's attempts to provide a home grown successor to Flower.The former Zimbabwe batsman remains in the ECB hierarchy, having been appointed to the newly-created post of technical director of elite coaching last month.England's next match, a one-day international against Scotland in Aberdeen on May 9, is less than a month away.

Trott to take 'immediate break' from cricket: ECB

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LONDON (AFP) - The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday confirmed that batsman Jonathan Trott is to take another break from all cricket with immediate effect.Trott, who pulled out of England's tour of Australia and spent four months out of the game with what the ECB described as a stress-related illness, experienced a repeat of the same symptoms after playing for his county Warwickshire against Sussex on Wednesday.A statement released jointly by the ECB and Warwickshire said Trott will now undergo further treatment to assist with his long-term rehabilitation.Trott himself said: It was with the best intentions and hope that I returned to cricket with Warwickshire this month.Much to my disappointment, since my first game, I have felt the same anxieties that occurred during my time in Australia.It is not fair on my team-mates or myself to continue when I am unable to function at 100 percent. In order to play at the highest level you have to be at 100 percent and be able to concentrate fully at all times. Sadly I am unable to do this.With this in mind I have decided it is best for all involved that I continue my recovery on the sidelines for the time being.Trott, who turns 33 next week, pulled out of the Ashes tour after the first Test in Brisbane and spent four months away from the game working with a psychologist and the ECB's medical team in a bid to rebuild his career.The South African-born player later described his Ashes exit as a case of burn-out, rather than depression, and said last month he hoped to return to England duty this season.But his comeback with Warwickshire has lasted one game, in which he scored 37 and 26.Trott has played in 49 Tests for England, scoring nine centuries and 18 half-centuries.He has scored 3,763 Test runs at an impressive average of 46.45, with a highest score of 226 against Bangladesh at Lord's in 2010.Trott was twice dismissed cheaply by fast bowler Mitchell Johnson in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane and appeared to struggle with the short ball.He was also struck on the helmet by Australian paceman Steve Magoffin against Sussex last week and was twice hit by short balls from Chris Jordan in the second innings, before falling to a pull shot off the England bowler. Trott also put down a slip catch off Ed Joyce when he was on 91. Joyce went on to make a match-winning 151.Speaking weeks before news of Trott's relapse, former England captain Michael Vaughan had criticised the batsman for playing down the illness in a television interview.I feel a little bit conned we were told Jonathan Trott's problems in Australia were a stress-related illness he had suffered for years, Vaughan said.We were allowed to believe he was struggling with a serious mental health issue and treated him with sensitivity and sympathy.He was obviously not in a great place but he was struggling for cricketing reasons and not mental, and there is a massive difference.However, Vaughan tweeted on Friday: Just hearing the Jonathan Trott news.... Very sad and I wish him a full recovery.

Attackers will face consequences, govt responds to Taliban's threat

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Responding to Taliban threats, government sources said that government will not deter by threats adding that attacks will be reciprocated, Dunya News reported.The government source said that establishing government’s writ is government’s priority adding that no one will be allowed to compromise government’s writ.Government also said that the attacks on government will be severely reciprocated.The government source also indicated that government still wants negotiations to work, however, all options are open.Earlier, outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said on Friday that ceasefire has not been extended because of government’s ‘cruel steps’ adding that Taliban will target government sites instead of public places from now on.Shahid also suggested that the doors of negotiations have not been closed.Taliban spokesman claimed that government arrested 200 Taliban members and killed over 50 after taking them out of the jails in the name of root out operation.He said that Taliban will now attack government oriented places instead of public places in the post-ceasefire period. He said that government is now that target because government did not fulfill a single condition of the negotiation.He warned that some other elements could target public places in the meantime.Shahid said that there’s no dispute in Tehreek-e-Taliban and that there was a minor rift among some Taliban members claiming it now has been resolved.Shahidullah Shahid reiterated that the doors of negotiations are still not being closed.

Have deep respect for Pak Army: Khawaja Asif

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Friday that a misunderstanding has been created by mixing his old footages with recent statements about Pakistan Army in the past 2 weeks. He said that he did not intend to degrade any institution, Dunya News reported.Khawaja Asif said in a statement that Pakistan Army is a strong and honourable asset of the country, adding that he has great respect for the armed forces being a Pakistani.He said that he is proud of Pakistan Army’s sacrifices made for the defence of motherland.He said that propagating the impression of dispute between government and Pakistan Army at this point is regrettable.It merits mentioning here that Khawaja Asif, while addressing during the session of the National Assembly on April 9, said every institution protects its dignity and its personnel, but Parliament is the supreme institution of the country.Khawaja Asif’s controversial speech targeting army at the floor of National Assembly in 2006 has also been making rounds on TV and internet media. He had lamented at army for demanding an increase in the military budget and for toppling of Nawaz’s government by the then army chief Pervez Musharraf.Talking about Musharraf case, Khawaja Asif claimed in an interview to a local TV that former army chief Musharraf was seeking pardon from the case.

Tech workers seek to use Steve Jobs evidence in upcoming trial on no-hire accords

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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Four large technology companies should not be allowed to limit evidence about Apple Inc co-founder Steve Jobs at an upcoming trial over no-hire agreements in Silicon Valley, according to a court document filed late on Thursday by employees suing the firms.Tech workers brought a class action lawsuit against Apple, Google Inc, Intel Inc and Adobe Systems Inc in 2011, alleging they conspired to avoid competing for each other's employees in order to avert a salary war. Trial is scheduled to begin at the end of May on behalf of roughly 64,000 workers in the class, and plaintiffs say damages could top $3 billion.The case, which is closely watched in Silicon Valley, is largely built on emails among top executives, including Apple's late chief executive Jobs and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.In one instance, after a Google recruiter solicited an Apple employee, Schmidt told Jobs that the recruiter would be fired, court documents show. Jobs then forwarded Schmidt's note to a top Apple human resources executive with a smiley face appended.Earlier this week, the four companies asked U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh to prevent plaintiffs from unfairly portraying Jobs as a bully at trial. The companies said they did not seek to bar Jobs' communications about the no-hire agreements, but rather evidence gleaned from sources like Walter Isaacson's bestselling biography about Jobs.However, in the filing on Thursday, the employees said such material had been used in separate antitrust litigation involving Apple over e-books.That the jury might draw conclusions about Mr. Jobs' character based on evidence showing the manner in which he pursued the conspiracy at the heart of this case is not grounds to exclude such evidence, they wrote.A Google spokesman declined to comment. Representatives for Apple, Intel and Adobe could not immediately be reached for comment, nor could an attorney for the plaintiffs.The four companies agreed to settle a U.S. Department of Justice probe in 2010 that barred them from entering into such no-hire agreements in the future. They have since been fighting the civil antitrust class action, arguing that the plaintiffs cannot successfully prove an overarching conspiracy to impact wages.In addition to evidence about Jobs' character, the tech companies also asked Koh to prohibit discussion of the government probe at trial. However, on Thursday the plaintiffs argued that the jury should know the reason the companies eliminated their no-hire agreements.Additionally, the plaintiffs seek to introduce evidence about the personal wealth of executives like Google co-founder Sergey Brin - and how it could be enhanced by holding down workers' salaries and boosting margins, according to the filing.At a hearing last month, attorneys for Google and the plaintiffs said they were making progress in settlement talks.Walt Disney Co's Pixar and Lucasfilm units and Intuit Inc were also defendants in the original lawsuit but agreed to a settlement, with Disney paying about $9 million and Intuit paying $11 million. A hearing on final settlement approval is scheduled for May 1.The case in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California is In Re: High-Tech Employee Antitrust Litigation, 11-cv-2509.

LinkedIn membership hits 300 million

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SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - The career-focused social network LinkedIn announced Friday it has 300 million members, with more than half the total outside the United States.While this is an exciting moment, we still have a long way to go to realize our vision of creating economic opportunity for every one of the 3.3 billion people in the global workforce, said LinkedIn vice president Deep Nishar in a blog posting.Nishar said that for future growth, the company believes it will be more important to get people using the network on mobile devices.We know mobile is critical, he said.Later this year, we are going to hit our mobile moment, where mobile accounts for more than 50 percent of all global traffic. Already, our members in dozens of locations including Costa Rica, Malaysia, Singapore, Sweden, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, use LinkedIn more on their mobile devices than on their desktop computers.LinkedIn has its headquarters in the Silicon Valley city of Mountain View, California, and is available in more than 200 countries.Earlier this year, LinkedIn launched a Chinese language version, attempting to tap the huge market while navigating a strict censorship regime that has seen other foreign social media giants banned.Our goal is to connect the more than 140 million Chinese professionals with each other and the global workforce, Nishar said.In China, LinkedIn allows users to post public comments, but unlike its English-language counterpart it does not currently allow group discussions.The social network launched in 2003 allows members to create professional circles that help their career path, and allows employers and recruiters to locate people with needed skills.The company went public in 2011 with one of the hottest public offerings in the sector at the time. Its share price has jumped to $175.42 from the IPO price of $45.
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