Tuesday 20 May 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Microsoft to press China after Windows 8 ban

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Microsoft said Tuesday it would maintain efforts to gain approval in China for its Windows 8 operating system after a ban announced by Beijing.We were surprised to learn about the reference to Windows 8 in this notice, the company said in a statement, referring to a Chinese government official notice.Microsoft has been working proactively with the Central Government Procurement Center and other government agencies through the evaluation process to ensure that our products and services meet all government procurement requirements, it said. We have been and will continue to provide Windows 7 to government customers. At the same time, we are working on the Windows 8 evaluation with relevant government agencies.News of the Chinese ban came amid a diplomatic row over an indictment in the United States of five members of a shadowy Chinese military unit for allegedly hacking US companies for trade secrets.Beijing has summoned the US ambassador and accused Washington of double standards.China at the same time suspended cooperation with the US on cybersecurity issues and banned the use of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system on all new government computers.

5.9-magnitude earthquake hits Taiwan

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TAIPEI (AFP) - A 5.9-magnitude earthquake jolted Taiwan Wednesday and shook buildings in the capital, the Seismology Centre said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.The quake struck at 8:21 am (0021 GMT) with its epicentre 33.3 kilometres (21 miles) southwest of the eastern city of Hualien, at a depth of 18 kilometres, the centre said.Residents on many parts of the island felt tremors, it said.The island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is regularly hit by earthquakes.A strong 6.3-magnitude quake which hit central Taiwan in June last year killed four people and caused widespread landslides.A 7.6-magnitude quake struck the island in September 1999 and killed around 2,400 people.

Google overtakes Apple as world's top brand: survey

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PARIS (AFP) - US search engine Google has overtaken rival technology titan Apple as the world's top brand in terms of value, global market research agency Millward Brown said Wednesday.Google's brand value shot up 40 percent in a year to $158.84 billion (115 billion euros), Millward Brown said in its 2014 100 Top BrandZ report.Google has been extremely innovative this year with Google Glass, investments in artificial intelligence and a range of partnerships, said Benoit Tranzer, the head of Millward Brown France.Google Glass is Internet-linked eyewear for which the firm has joined hands with Luxottica, a frame giant behind Ray-Ban and other high-end brands, to sell the new product in the United States.All these activities send a very strong signal to consumers about the essence of Google, Tranzer said.Apple, which dominated the top position for three straight years, saw its brand value fall by 20 percent to $147.88 billion.The top 10 of the 100 slots were dominated by US firms. IBM was in third place at $107.54 billion, a fall of 4 percent, followed by Microsoft at $90.19 billion -- a 29 percent rise.Fast food chain McDonald's ranked next at $85.71 billion, followed by Coca Cola ($80.68 billion), it said.China led in the insurance sector with Ping An valued at $12.4 billion and China Life ($12 billion).French luxury goods manufacturer Louis Vuitton ranked 30th overall but was the top luxury brand with a value of more than $25 billion.Brand value is calculated on the basis of the firms' financial performance and their standing among consumers.

ICC launches probe into corruption leak

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WELLINGTON (AFP) - The International Cricket Council (ICC) launched an urgent inquiry Wednesday into how Brendon McCullums testimony to a match-fixing investigation was leaked, while clearing the New Zealand captain of any involvement in corruption.ICC chief executive David Richardson admitted leaks of highly confidential information undermined confidence in the organisations anti-corruption drive, expressing deep regret that McCullums testimony became public.We recognise that this is a deeply concerning development for the stakeholders in the fight against corruption in the sport of cricket, and we wish to emphasise that Brendon McCullum is not under investigation in this matter, he said.We are taking all steps available to us to urgently investigate how certain information in the form of statements has come to find its way into the media, Richardson said he wanted to correct any misperception that he (McCullum) is somehow under suspicion.New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White reacted angrily to the leak this week, demanding answers from the ICC about how evidence to its crack investigative unit came to be splashed over newspapers worldwide.In McCullums evidence, reported by Britains Daily Mail, he said a high-profile cricketer dubbed Player X approached him in 2008 and offered him up to $180,000 a match to underperform.McCullum said he rejected the offer from a player he described as a hero who became a friend.Former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent, whose testimony to the ICC probe was also leaked, has reportedly admitted match-fixing for Player X, who he described as a world-famous international.Former New Zealand great Chris Cairns has acknowledged his name has been linked to Player X but denied any involvement with corruption or match-fixing.Richardson did not give any time-frame for the completion of the leak inquiry or the wider investigation into match-fixing, which reportedly involves games in at least five countries from 2008-2012.He defended the ICCs Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), which has failed to secure a major conviction in its own right since it was established in 2000, with all successful match-fixing prosecutions stemming either from media stings or local police investigations.We are confident that the ACSUs activities over the years have played an enormous role in limiting the opportunities for corrupt participants to involve themselves in untoward activity, he said.

Football: Chile lose Fernandez for World Cup

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SANTIAGO (AFP) - Fiorentina midfielder Matias Fernandez withdrew from Chile's World Cup squad on Tuesday with an ankle injury that is more serious than he initially suspected.Fernandez, 28, was retained in coach Jorge Sampaoli's 27-man squad, reduced from 30 at the weekend.He had only just arrived in the Chilean capital Santiago when he discovered that a partial rupture of ankle ligaments, which had been bothering him for several weeks, would require an operation.It is very sad but it would be irresponsible of me to go to the World Cup, Fernandez, formerly of Villarreal and Sporting Lisbon and who played for Chile at the 2010 World Cup, told a press conference.I never thought it was so serious.Sampaoli must reduce his squad to a final 23-man list by June 2 and also has concerns over Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal, who arrived in Santiago while still recovering from a knee operation.Chile kick off their World Cup campaign in Group B against Australia on June 13 in Cuiaba before facing Spain in Rio de Janeiro and the Netherlands in Sao Paulo.

46 killed in twin car blasts in Nigeria

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JOS, Nigeria (AFP) - Twin car bombings killed 46 people on Tuesday at a crowded market in the central Nigerian city of Jos, as emergency workers struggled to contain a raging fire, officials said.For now, we can authoritatively confirm that 46 people were killed in the blasts while 45 people were seriously injured, said Chris Olakpe, the police commissioner in Plateau state.The place has been cordoned off. Nobody should go there until we finish sweeping the place tomorrow (Wednesday).The first blast exploded from within a truck at roughly 3:00 pm (1400 GMT), with rescue teams rushing to the city's New Abuja Market, the military said.The second bomb came from a minibus some 20 minutes later and witnesses reported that many of the emergency workers were caught up in the second blast.Scores died. Mostly women, Pam Ayuba, spokesman for Plateau state's Governor Jonah Jang, said earlier.Boko Haram Islamists are widely believed to have active cells in Jos and have attacked the city before, but the area has not been heavily affected by the extremist uprising.The group claimed a July 2012 attack at a funeral outside the city that targeted mourners and the security services.Plateau state, which falls on the dividing line between Nigeria's mainly Christian South and mostly Muslim north, has however seen waves of sectarian violence that has killed thousands over the last decade.What we are doing now is (trying) to evacuate the dead bodies... many of them are burnt beyond recognition, said Mohammed Abdulsalam, are coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).The fire is still raging. Many shops are consumed by the inferno, he said. Kingsley Egbo of special military unit deployed in Plateau said rescue workers and the security services were struggling to control the crowd amid the chaos.The bombings follow two separate attacks on the same bus station in a suburb of the capital, Abuja, on April 14 and May 1, that killed more than 90 people. The first was claimed by Boko Haram.Four people were also killed on Sunday in a suicide car bomb attack in a predominantly Christian area of the northern city of Kano that had been previously targeted by the group.

Six dead, dozens injured in train collision near Moscow

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MOSCOW (AFP) - Six people were killed and several dozen injured on Tuesday after parts of a freight train derailed and collided with a passenger train south of Moscow, officials said.Seventeen people suffered serious injuries including one child, the Russian health ministry said.Speaking on Russian television, a ministry official said the accident occurred around 12:30 pm local time (0830 GMT) between the towns of Bekasovo and Naro-Fominsk, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) southwest of Moscow, as the passenger train was travelling from the Russian capital to Moldova's capital Chisinau.Five people died in the immediate aftermath of the accident and another died later in hospital, officials said.The health ministry said Tuesday evening that a total of 25 were hospitalised. The emergencies ministry said there were about 400 passengers on the train.Four of those who died and 13 of those hospitalised had been identified as Moldovan citizens, Moldova's emergency ministry said. The impoverished ex-Soviet state is largely Russian-speaking and many of its citizens work in Russia.Moldovan Prime Minister Iurie Leanca said he was deeply grieved by the deaths and sent a message of sympathy to the injured, the government website said.A picture released by the emergencies ministry showed one side of the passenger train completely torn away, with passengers emerging from the wreckage.One of the carriages of the passenger train was crushed by the freight train wagons, news agency ITAR-TASS quoted rescue coordinator Vadim Andronov as saying.At least 500 people were involved in rescue efforts, officials said, and seven helicopters were used to ferry the injured to hospitals.Russian Railways said in a statement that 15 wagons of the freight train had derailed, damaging at least two carriages of the passenger train.The cause of the accident was not immediately known. Investigators were on site and officials said a criminal probe had been launched.The investigation is looking at three possible causes for the accident: first, the poor condition of the freight train; second, the poor condition of the track at the location of the accident; and third, a violation by personnel on the train, Tatyana Morozova, the deputy head of the regional transport investigation department, told AFP at the scene.The driver of the passenger train, Anton Ivanov, told Life News website that his train was travelling at 95 kilometres (60 miles) per hour when he saw the approaching freight train throw up a cloud of dust and derail.We slammed on the emergency brakes. After that we couldn't see anything because there was a lot of dust, visibility was zero, he said.Several hours after the accident officials said the rescue operation was over and that the remaining passengers had been evacuated from the area. Service on the line was expected to resume late on Tuesday.The Interfax news agency quoted a local representative of French carmaker Renault saying the freight train had been carrying parts for use in its plant in Moscow.Accidents involving Russia's outdated infrastructure are frequent, though Russian Railways in 2010 announced it was investing $11 billion in upgrades across its network of 85,500 kilometres (53,000 miles).

Two meals a day may be best for diabetes: study

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PRAGUE (AFP) - Eating a hearty breakfast and lunch might benefit people suffering from Type 2 diabetes who are now encouraged to go with up to six small portions a day, according to a new study.We compared the efficiency of the classic model with five or six small meals a day with that of two larger meals, breakfast and lunch, having more or less the same daily calorie count, Hana Kahleova, a researcher at Prague's IKEM institute, told AFP on Tuesday.The research focused on a sample of 54 men and women aged 30-70 who suffer from obesity and Type 2 diabetes, which is not insulin dependent.Within three months, those who ate larger meals twice a day lost 1.4 kilos (three pounds) more than those who followed the classic model, Kahleova said.Levels of sugar, insulin and glucagon on an empty stomach also fell more rapidly in patients who ate in the morning and at midday, and their sensibility to insulin also improved.But she warned that anyone taking insulin cannot start on this diet without consulting a doctor, saying it would require a significant adjustment of the insulin dosage.She added that more extensive research was now needed to confirm the results of the study.We cannot draw general recommendations based on this single study, she told AFP.

11 soldiers killed in Iraq attacks

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BAGHDAD (AFP) - Attacks north of Baghdad killed 11 Iraqi soldiers on Tuesday, the latest in a protracted surge in bloodshed just a day after officials announced results from Aprils parliamentary election.Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who is seeking a third term in office, has been held responsible by critics for the deterioration in security but he has blamed external factors such as the civil war in neighbouring Syria.In Tuesdays deadliest attack, gunmen opened fire on a bus transporting soldiers from the restive northern town of Suleiman Bek, according to local official Talib Mohammed al-Bayati.Eight soldiers were killed and four were wounded, he said. The soldiers had been heading off on leave at the time.Elsewhere, a vehicle rigged with explosives was set off by a suicide attacker in Salaheddin province, killing three soldiers and wounding seven.Violence in Iraq is at its highest level since 2008, when the country was just emerging from a brutal Sunni-Shiite confessional war that killed tens of thousands of people.The authorities have trumpeted wide-ranging operations against militants and say that external factors are responsible for the surge in bloodshed.But analysts and diplomats say the Shiite-led authorities must also do more to reach out to disgruntled minority Sunnis in order to undermine support for militancy.

Malawi deploys army as riots mar heated vote

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BLANTYRE (AFP) - Malawi deployed the army Tuesday to contain violence that saw polling stations burnt and marred polls seen as the first true test of President Joyce Banda's scandal-tainted rule.As polling stations opened as much as 10 hours late, anger and speculation about the fairness of the vote spilled over into violence -- mirroring the country's volatile politics.On the outskirts of the commercial capital Blantyre, an AFP reporter saw the smouldering remains of a polling station that had been torched by voters protesting late delivery of balloting material.A tent used as a polling station was burnt in another Blantyre township, according the electoral commission chief Maxon Mbendera.In the city centre angry youths staged an impromptu mini-protest carrying branches and chanting anti-government slogans.Maybe they are trying to rig the election, said Paul Wind, 38. If they think they will frustrate us from voting, they are wrong, he added.Another voter Fanuel Kapenga says this causes doubt, especially if the ruling party wins.The stakes are high in this, the first election since hard-line president Bingu wa Mutharika died in office two years ago, with his rival heirs reprising their battle for power.In the days after his death, Mutharika's body was secretly flown around Africa as his brother Peter allegedly tried to prevent Joyce Banda -- then vice-president -- from being sworn in.Banda began her term as a darling of the West, feted as one of Africa's rare women leaders, but her government has since been ensnared in a $30 million corruption scandal that has seen foreign donors freeze vital aid.For 74-year-old Peter Mutharika winning would mean an end to his trial for treason.Analysts predict Banda will win albeit with a slender majority.I think the president still has a fighting chance of winning, said Boniface Gulani a political scientist at the University of Malawi.But with the victor expected to take 40 percent or less of the votes cast in a do-or-die political battle, the potential for further violence is high.Tensions are running very high, especially in Blantyre, and if Joyce Banda wins the vote then I expect there will be more trouble than we've already seen today, said Clive Gabay of the Queen Mary University of London.To try to calm tensions, election officials on Tuesday extended voting by three hours and deployed the army.Defence Force personnel will deploy to strengthen the presence and security already being provided by the Malawi Police Service, said Mbendera.We have this embarrassing situation but we are on top of it. It's an operational problem. I apologise to the nation, he said, adding there was no intention to disenfranchise any individual.- 'Cashgate' -Throughout her election campaign Banda has made a virtue of the fact she uncovered the Cashgate scandal, which saw money siphoned off from the treasury in to the hands of top officials, and critics say to Banda's party war-chest.I found this nation almost bankrupt, Banda, 64, said after voting in her home village of Domasi, near the former capital Zomba.I'm getting to the end of those two years, and Malawi is at a better place. We have grown by six percent economic growth, we have fuel, we have enough food.Malawi is at a better place, but the decision to give me the mandate to continue belongs to Malawians.Some 7.5 million people are eligible to choose a president, lawmakers and local government councillors in the fifth democratic polls since the end of decades of one-party rule in 1994.Twelve candidates are standing in the race for the presidency but pollsters say the victor will be one of three or four frontrunners.Another of Banda's closest competitors is political novice and former cleric Lazarus Chakwera, 59. His Malawi Congress Party led the country after independence from Britain for three decades under dictator Kamuzu Banda.He says the party has now been rebranded from its dark past.The election is closely watched and whoever emerges winner has their work clearly cut out already. It will likely take time before the international aid taps are re-opened as donors will need to be convinced there will not be any more leaks.Final results should be announced within eight days of voting.

KP govt's days numbered: Fazlur Rehman

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BESHAM (Dunya News) – Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Tuesday that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has given nothing but disappointment in one year since it formed the government. He said that KP government’s days are numbered, Dunya News reported.Addressing a rally in Besham, he said that no government can run without JUI-F. He said that inflation and unemployment is rising because of government’s failed foreign policy.He said that the government gave people nothing but disappointment in one year.Fazl said that no conspiracy against seminaries will be allowed to stand.He said that PTI chairman is doing politics of rallies and sit-in protests, adding that Imran Khan should focus on governing the KP province.He said that KP government’s days are numbered.JUI-F chief complained that federal government doesn’t take his party into confidence over governmental matters even though his party is government’s ally.

Conservative author D'Souza pleads guilty in campaign scheme

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Right-wing author and pundit Dinesh DSouza, a forceful critic of President Barack Obama, pleaded guilty Tuesday to using straw donors to boost contributions to a US Senate candidate in 2012.In January, DSouza was charged with violating laws which limit the amount individuals can donate to political campaigns, and with making false statements.At the time, he insisted on his innocence, and his backers, including nationally-known conservative pundits, stressed that the Republican firebrand was targeted for federal prosecution because of his anti-Obama views.But he pleaded guilty in New York federal court Tuesday to one campaign finance violation, avoiding a trial that was due to begin the same day.I deeply regret my conduct, DSouza, 53, told the judge, according to the New York Daily News.I knew that causing a campaign contribution to be made in the name of another was wrong and something the law forbids.DSouza is a best-selling author of several books on politics and the influence of religion on American society, and his film 2016: Obamas America was popular with conservative groups.His attorney Benjamin Brafman said the charges stemmed from DSouza arranging for two associates to contribute $10,000 each to the US Senate campaign of Wendy Long, who lost to incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand.Given the technical nature of the charge, there was no viable defense, said Brafman, who described DSouzas act as an isolated instance of wrongdoing.DSouza faced two years in prison and a $250,000 fine, but the defense team said that with the guilty plea it was hoping he could avoid imprisonment upon his sentencing in September.

Will go to court if Geo transmission not suspended: PEMRA member

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) member Israr Abbasi said on Tuesday that the decision made by PEMRA committee to suspend licences of three of Geo/Jang group’s channels was legitimate as it was as per the schedule and the law. He warned that he would take the matter to court if GeoTV’s transmission is not suspended, Dunya News reported.Earlier PEMRA’s session comprising five key members suspended licences of Geo News, Geo Entertainment and Geo Tez TV out of five TV channels owned and operated by Geo/Jang group and moved for revocation of licenses.PEMRA member Mian Shams said that PEMRA’s today’s session comprised members from all over Pakistan. He said that PEMRA members have full authority as per PEMRA rules.He said that a committee will be formed in next session to assert the authority of the chairman. He also recommended immediate suspension and sealing Geo’s offices.He alleged that Mir Shakil tried to influence PEMRA members and the due process.He said that PEMRA has also said the recommendations to Geo/Jang group seeking response by May 28 when the final decision will be taken. He alleged that Mir Shakil wanted private members of PEMRA to decide on the issue in order to influence the process and seek a favourable decision.Another member Israr Abbasi alleged that Mir Shakil tried to call PEMRA members individually but he refused to answer the call.Earlier, Council of Complaints Karachi chapter also recommended revoking GeoTV’s license over airing of allegedly blasphemous content.The recommendation was made by complaints council Karachi following the complaints and reports of allegedly blasphemous content on Geo’s morning show.PEMRA had slammed Geo TV with a show-cause notice for allegedly airing blasphemous content, seeking immediate explanation.The show-cause notice was issued by PEMRA over the objectionable content broadcasted in Geo Entertainment’s morning show ‘Utho Jago Pakistan’.According to PEMRA spokesperson, over 10,000 complaints were received against the show. The complaints were sent to the Complaint Council for review, seeking apt recommendations.

Kuwait warns deficit 'inevitable' as spending soars

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KUWAIT CITY (AFP) - Kuwaits finance minister warned Tuesday that the oil-rich Gulf state will face a certain budget deficit because growth in spending has outpaced a rise in public revenues.A budget deficit is inevitable... as the average annual growth in public spending was 20.4 percent during the past decade against a 16.2 percent average rise in revenues, mostly from oil, Anas al-Saleh told a special debate in parliament on government policy to diversify income sources.This is not only the view of the government but also that of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other institutions, the minister said.Finance ministry undersecretary Khalifa Hamada explained spending had soared mainly because of a sharp rise in public wages and subsidies on services and commodities. Dependence on oil income also increased.Between 2005 and 2013, government wages increased from $11.4 billion (8.3 billion euros) to $33.8 billion, a massive 25 percent annually on average, he said.Subsidies also rose more than fourfold, from $4.1 billion to $18 billion during the same period, an annual growth rate of 23 percent, Hamada said.At the same time, oil income share in public revenues grew from just 85 percent in 2001 to as high as 95 percent in 2013, boosting Kuwaits heavy dependence on oil, the official said.Oil income rose from $45.9 billion in 2005 to $106 billion last year.Hamada said if oil prices remain at the level of around $100 a barrel, Kuwait will post its first budget deficit estimated at $2.3 billion in 2017/2018 fiscal year. By 2035, the country is estimated to accumulate deficits worth as high as $633 billion.The scenario will be much worse if the oil price drops, he said.Hamada insisted it was impossible for the state to sustain growth in wages and continue subsidies, urging major cuts.Earlier this month, the IMF warned Kuwait to contain a rapid rise in public wages and subsidies to safeguard the economy against oil price shocks.The IMF said general subsidies, particularly on electricity and fuel, constitute a massive 7.0 percent of GDP and as high as a quarter of spending, which was around $70 billion last fiscal year.Kuwait has boasted a budget surplus in each of the past 14 fiscal years, helping to increase its sovereign wealth fund to over $500 billion, local media said.

Oil prices mixed on supply factors

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LONDON (AFP) - Oil prices were mixed on Tuesday as traders tracked the supply outlook amid unrest in Libya, the Ukraine-Russia crisis and on the eve of US inventory data.The US benchmark, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in June, dipped two cents to $102.59 a barrel as the US government was Wednesday set to publish energy stockpiles data for last week.Brent North Sea crude for July gained 37 cents to stand at $109.74 a barrel in late London deals.Further unrest in Libya is the main factor in the oil market at the moment, David Lennox, resource analyst at Fat Prophets, told AFP.An elite Libyan unit joined a renegade general Monday to battle Islamists in the east as rising lawlessness in the nations two largest cities edges it closer to civil war.Since the toppling of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, successive Libyan governments have struggled to impose order as heavily armed former rebel brigades carve out their own fiefdoms.The political crisis in the country comes just weeks after the resumption of oil exports following a nine-month blockade of sea terminals by rebels.Elsewhere, Russia, Ukraine and the EU plan to meet next week for talks to resolve a gas dispute between Kiev and Moscow, European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said on Monday.Russian energy giant Gazprom has warned Kiev it could suspend its gas deliveries on June 3 if the former Soviet republic does not settle by then its bill for June, worth $1.66 billion (1.21 billion euros).Moscow has started demanding pre-payments for gas shipments to Ukraine under new rules introduced in response to the Ukraine crisis.This threat has raised concern in the European Union, which imports a quarter of its gas from Russia, nearly half of which flows via Ukraine.
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