Wednesday 8 October 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Australia launches first airstrike in Iraq

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CANBERRA (AP) - Defense officials say an Australian jet fighter has made the countrys first airstrike against an Islamic State target in Iraq since the Australian government committed its air force to combat missions last week.An Australian Defense Force statement said on Thursday: Two bombs were dropped from an F/A-18F Super Hornet on to an ISIL facility overnight.It added that: All aircraft exited the target area safely and returned to base.Defense did not say what type of facility had been attacked or where in northern Iraq it was.Australia has six Super Hornets based in the United Arab Emirates.Defense Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin said Wednesday the Australian Super Hornets had flown several missions over northern Iraq without firing their weapons.

At least 29 dead in attacks, clashes in Yemen

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SANAA (AP) - Suspected al-Qaida militants carried out simultaneous attacks Wednesday on a half-dozen Yemeni security and government offices in a province south of the capital Sanaa, setting off clashes that left at least 29 people dead, security officials said.In a statement, the Interior Ministry said 14 troops and 15 assailants died in the attacks and ensuing clashes in central Baida province. Other security officials told The Associated Press that at least three civilians also were killed.The ministry said the attackers besieged the provinces security headquarters, a special forces camp, an intelligence agency office and other government offices using car bombs and gunfire. Troops fired back and thwarted the assailants attempt to take over the offices, it said.The security officials who spoke to AP said the targets included a government communication office and an Education Ministry administrative building. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.Yemen, an impoverished nation in the southern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, is home to an active branch of the al-Qaida terror network. It has long suffered attacks blamed on al-Qaida militants against security, army and intelligence personnel.The United States has been aiding the embattled Yemeni government in the fight against the militants, using drones to target al-Qaida operatives, their camps and hideouts across much of Yemen.

Top-seeded Bouchard wins opener at Generali Ladies

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LINZ (AP) - Top-seeded Eugenie Bouchard overcame a slow start to beat Patricia Mayr-Achleitner of Austria 6-4, 6-1 in the opening round of the Generali Ladies on Wednesday.Bouchard dropped her opening service game and the Wimbledon finalist failed to shrug off her 100th-ranked opponent until 4-4. The sixth-ranked Canadian then won six straight games and smoothly closed out the win.Bouchard and No. 7 Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic are the only seeded players left in the tournament after the first round.No. 2 Ana Ivanovic pulled out injured while No. 3 Dominika Cibulkova and No. 5 Sabine Lisicki both slipped to three-set defeats on Wednesday.Two-time former champion Ivanovic withdrew with a hip complaint one day after receiving medical treatment during her first-round win over Pauline Parmentier of France.This injury has been plaguing me the whole summer, and it got worse during the recent tournaments in Asia, Ivanovic said in a statement on the tournament website. I am sorry but I cant play on.The eighth-ranked Ivanovic, who won the indoor hard-court event in Austria in 2008 and 2010 and reached the final last year, has qualified for the WTA Finals in Singapore.Her withdrawal advanced Madison Brengle of the United States to her first career quarterfinal.Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany rallied to defeat Cibulkova 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. The 94th-ranked Friedsam missed two match points while serving at 5-2 but converted the fourth chance in her next service game.Karin Knapp of Italy beat Lisicki 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (1) after failing to serve out the match at 5-3 in the final set.In second-round play, Camila Giorgi of Italy saved 10 of 11 break points while defeating Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 6-3, 6-2 to set up a quarterfinal against Marina Erakovic of New Zealand, who routed Klara Koukalova of Czech Republic 6-0, 6-2.Erakovic had six aces to earn her first quarterfinal since reaching the semifinals in Washington in July.

Ivanovic pulls out of Linz with hip injury

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LINZ (AP) - Ana Ivanovic pulled out of the Generali Ladies with a left hip injury on Wednesday, one day after receiving medical treatment during her first-round win over Pauline Parmentier of France.In a statement on the tournament website, the two-time former champion from Serbia says, This injury has been plaguing me the whole summer, and it got worse during the recent tournaments in Asia. I am sorry but I cant play on.Ivanovic, who was seeded second, defeated Parmentier 6-3, 6-2 but asked for a medical time-out while trailing 2-1 in the second set.The eighth-ranked Ivanovic, who won the indoor hard-court event in Austria in 2008 and 2010 and reached the final last year, has qualified for the WTA Finals in Singapore in November.

Samuels stars in West Indies big win over India

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KOCHI (Agencies) - West Indies put behind an acrimonious pay dispute with their Board to spank number one ranked India by a huge margin of 124 runs in the first one-dayer to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series here on Wednesday.The Caribbeans, who were on the verge of boycotting the ODI, rode on Marlon Samuels career-best equalling 126 not out to post 321 for six and then shot out the Indians for 197 in 41 overs in a rather one-sided contest at the Nehru Stadium.India paid the price for some mediocre bowling and shoddy batting as they were outplayed by the crisis-hit visiting team in all departments of the game to suffer a heavy defeat.Indian bowlers gave away too many runs at the second part of West Indies innings to allow the visitors pile up a big total after being put into bat and then the much-vaunted home batsmen, except for Shikhar Dhawan (68), failed to fire on a batting pitch.Most of Indian batsmen were out on poor shot selection and they could not stitch any substantial partnership in the face of some tight bowling by the visiting bowlers, the highest being the 49 in 8.4 overs for the opening wicket between Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane (24).Dhawans scratchy 68 came from 92 balls with the help of nine fours. Ravindra Jadeja (33 not out) was the other Indian batsman who scored more than 20 runs.West Indies, even without their mystery spinner Sunil Narine, could tie down the top Indian batsmen who failed to get the runs when required.Chasing a huge target of 322 for a win, India could not get to a good start as Rahane was run out in a bizarre mixed-up in the ninth over with just 49 on board.Rahane tapped the length ball off Ravi Rampaul on the pads between short fine leg and square leg and after taking the first run quickly, he wanted a second and continued to run hard.But, Dhawan went back after taking a step and both found themselves at the keepers end and Rahane had to depart to the dressing room.

2 off-spinners suspended for having illegal action

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DUBAI (AP) - Bangladeshs Sohag Gazi and Zimbabwes Prosper Utseya have been suspended from bowling in international cricket after independent analysis found the off-spinners actions to be illegal.The International Cricket Council says Wednesday that the analysis undertaken last month showed that all of their deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations.The suspension is indefinite and takes effect immediately.Gazi was reported after the second one-day international against West Indies in August, the same month as Utseya was reported following the third ODI against South Africa.The ICC says the two players can apply for a reassessment after modifying their bowling actions.

Federer, Djokovic win as Nadal crashes in Shanghai

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Shanghai (AFP) - Roger Federer joins Novak Djokovic in the third round of the Shanghai Masters after winning by the skin of his teeth Wednesday, while Rafael Nadal crashed on a day of shocks.World number three Federer will unseat second-placed Nadal in the ATP rankings on the back of his incredible victory.The Swiss player saved five match points, including three at a third set tie-break, before converting his first chance to seal a gripping 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory against Leonardo Mayer.The 17-times Grand Slam winner needed to draw on all his years of experience to remain level-headed as he closed out the game, leaving his Argentine opponent distraught as he trudged off the court.Second seed Nadal, meanwhile, battled the early stages of appendicitis and a ruthless Feliciano Lopez in his 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) opening game loss.The current world number two was diagnosed with appendicitis on Sunday but did not show any obvious signs of suffering from it in the match.But he was still far from his world-beating best as he returns to competition following three months on the sidelines.The Spaniard was competing in his second tournament since his exit from Wimbledon in July, after being dumped out of the China Open in the quarter-finals last week by a qualifier.Rafael Nadal of Spain hits a return against Feliciano Lopez of Spain during their mens singles second round match at the Shanghai Masters 1000 tennis tournament held in the Qizhong Tennis Stadium in Shanghai on October 8, 2014 Nadal lost the first set, but looked to be proving the doubters wrong as he led 5-2 in the second. But Lopez, who is ranked 21st, powered back to force a tie-break and claimed victory with his first match point.I lost. Feli played better than me. Thats it, Nadal said afterwards when asked about his condition.I talked about that yesterday, so I dont need to talk again about my health.Elsewhere, Serbian world number one Djokovic claimed a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Austrian Dominic Thiem, the youngest player in the top 50.The top seed in Shanghai broke his 21-year-old opponent in his final service game in the first set, and then again early in the second.Thiem, who is ranked 39th, then forced two break points in Djokovics next two service games, but failed to capitalise, leaving his opponent to close in on victory in one hour 28 minutes.But it was agony for Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka, who crashed out of his second successive tournament at the first stage -- despite leading his final set 3-0.The fourth seed was in need of a morale-boosting victory after his last outing resulted in a first round exit at the Japan Open to 103-ranked Tatsuma Ito.The world number four started brightly in Shanghai, taking the first set in his tightly-fought battle with Gilles Simon of France.But his 29th-ranked opponent fought back to earn a 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 victory.- Its never easy -Serbias Novak Djokovic reacts after winning against Dominic Thiem of Austria during their mens singles second round match at the Shanghai Masters 1000 tennis tournament in Shanghai on October 8, 2014 The results in Tokyo and Shanghai could undermine Wawrinkas bid to book his place at the end of season ATP World Tour Finals, which features the worlds top eight players.Two first rounds. Its never easy, for sure, Wawrinka said.Two weeks. Didnt win matches. But you have to accept that and see what was the problem.I need to accept, go back home, try to focus on the rest of the year because there are so many to play, so many big challenges for me, that I want to be fresh and ready mentally for that.The fifth seed in Shanghai, David Ferrer, also faced a tough battle in his opening match, but finally overcame Slovak Martin Klizan 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.Klizan dumped Nadal out of the China Open, but could not repeat his heroics against his Spanish opponent at the Masters 1000 event.Ferrer will play Andy Murray in the next round, after the British 11th seed won his match against Polands Jerzy Janowicz 7-5, 6-2.Meanwhile, seventh seed Kei Nishikori and 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov both crashed out in their opening matches.The Japanese star looked injured during the closing stages of his 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 defeat to American Jack Sock, and received treatment with the scores at 4-3 in his opponents favour.The US Open finalist won his next service game, but appeared slightly in pain as he lost the next two, which ended his participation in the tournament.Bulgarias Dimitrov was dumped out by Julien Benneteau of France 7-5, 6-3.Eighth seed Canadian Milos Raonic also failed to make the next round, after he withdrew from his match with Juan Monaco of Argentina suffering from fever as he was trailing 5-2.The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event concludes in Shanghai on Sunday.

French Formula One driver under constant supervision following weekend smash

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Yokkaichi (Japan) (AFP) - It could be weeks before doctors know how badly damaged Jules Bianchis brain is after his sickening crash in the Japanese Grand Prix, a specialist warned Wednesday.The French Formula One driver was under constant supervision following the weekend smash, with his worried parents regularly by his bedside.Jules remains in the Intensive Care Unit of the Mie General Medical Center in Yokkaichi. He has suffered a diffuse axonal injury and is in a critical but stable condition, said a statement issued by the family and the hospital.The medical professionals at the hospital are providing the very best treatment and care and we are grateful for everything they have done for Jules since his accident.The 25-year-old Bianchi was knocked unconscious in a horrific high-speed crash into a recovery vehicle during Sundays rain-sodden Japanese Grand Prix.He underwent emergency brain surgery, with doctors saying he was critically ill.Motor racing governing body the FIA, meanwhile, said Wednesday it had ordered a report into the crash to be supervised by its top race director.Nicolas Todt (2nd R), manager of Jules Bianchi, with the drivers parents Philippe (L) and Christine (2nd L) and Gerard Saillant (R), President of the FIA Medical Commission, at the Mie General Medical Centre in Yokkaichi on October 8, 2014 FIA president Jean Todt has asked Charlie Whiting, the Formula One race director, to carry out a report on the precise circumstances which led to the accident, the federation said in a statement sent to AFPA diffuse axonal injury describes trauma that is spread across the brain, rather than in one place, and is caused by the shockwave from the sudden impact of the crash travelling through the brain. This causes bruising and kills cells.The bodys response to the injury -- swelling -- exacerbates the problem because it restricts blood flow to the brain, causing more damage.Experts say recovery rates from this kind of injury, which is frequently caused by vehicle crashes, are not encouraging.Whether a patient regains consciousness and recuperates fully or suffers after-effects depend on the degree of the injury and which part of the brain was hurt, said Shinji Nagahiro, professor of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tokushima in western Japan.Some have to stay in bed for years with their bodies paralysed, while others respond to rehabilitation, said Nagahiro, incoming chairman of the Japan Society of Neuro-traumatology.Generally speaking, doctors have to wait weeks or at least a month to give a prognosis of the injury or its after-effects, he said.French driver Jules Bianchi leads Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka on October 5, 2014 - World class care -Bianchis parents Philippe and Christine, who flew to Japan after the race, spent some of Wednesday morning with their son.Doctors at the hospital have waived normal restrictions on visiting hours, to allow them to see him at any time, a hospital source told AFP.Japanese medical care is world class, and both the family and visiting clinicians have expressed their confidence in local physicians.The family statement said Professor Gerard Saillant, who treated Michael Schumacher after his near-fatal skiing accident last year, and Professor Alessandro Frati, a neurosurgeon from the University of Rome La Sapienza, were there.They... met with the medical personnel responsible for Jules’ treatment, in order to be fully informed of his clinical status so that they are able to advise the family.Messages for French driver Jules Bianchi outside Mie General Medical Centre in Yokkaichi on October 7, 2014 Professors Saillant and Frati acknowledge the excellent care being provided by the Mie General Medical Center and would like to thank their Japanese colleagues.The hospital will continue to monitor and treat Jules and further medical updates will be provided when appropriate.The race on Sunday was stopped shortly after Bianchis accident with championship leader Lewis Hamilton, who was in front at the time, declared the winner.Organisers have come in for criticism over both the timing of the race, which went ahead despite torrential downpours caused by an approaching typhoon, and because a recovery vehicle was on a circuit run-off area, not behind a the tyre wall, without a safety car.The heavy-lifting vehicle was trying to remove Adrian Sutils stricken Sauber, which had crashed at the same spot on the circuit a lap earlier.Bianchis smash was captured on camera by a spectator, whose film shows the stomach-churning moment his Marussia ploughs into the recovery vehicle.Sparks fly as metal is sheared and the drivers head appears to bounce off the tractor-crane.Former world champion Alain Prost on Tuesday said the removal truck should never have been there.The entry of this crane (onto the circuit) without the safety car is totally unacceptable. Its a real mistake that should not be repeated, he said.

New Manhattan Project documents released

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ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (AP) The U.S. Department of Energy has declassified documents related to a Cold War hearing for the man who directed the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bombs and was later accused of having communist sympathies.The department last week released transcripts of the 1950s hearings on the security clearance of J. Robert Oppenheimer, providing more insight into the previously secret world that surrounded development of the atomic bomb and the anti-communist hysteria that gripped the nation amid the growing power of the Soviet Union.Oppenheimer led the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos National Laboratory, which developed the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. The secretive projects involved three research and production facilities at Los Alamos, New Mexico, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Hanford, Washington.The once-celebrated physicist lost his security clearance following the four-week, closed-door hearing. Officials also alleged that Oppenheimers wife and brother had both been communists and he had contributed to communist front-organizations.Steven Aftergood, director of the Project on Government Secrecy for the Federation of American Scientists, said the release of the documents finally lifts the cloud of secrecy on the Oppenheimer case that has fascinated historians and scholars for decades.This was a landmark case in U.S. history and Cold War history, Aftergood said. It represents a high point during anti-communist anxiety and tarnished the reputation of Americas leading scientist.The Energy Department had previously declassified portions of the transcripts but with redacted information.Aftergood, who had only scanned the hundreds of pages of newly declassified material, said the documents provided more nuanced details about the development of the atomic bomb, debates over the hydrogen bomb and reflection on atomic espionage.The documents also show how unfairly Oppenheimer was treated immediately following World War II, Aftergood said.Most of the material would be of more interest to scholars because of the inside debates and discussions, he said.After the Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer served as director of Princetons Institute for Advanced Study until he retired in 1966.President Lyndon B. Johnson later tried to erase the embarrassment of Oppenheimers treatment by honoring him with the Atomic Energy Commissions Enrico Fermi Award in 1963.

New Ebola measures add layer of protection:Obama

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WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama describes says new screening measures at key international airports are intended to add a layer of protection to measures already employed.He says the new measures will include more screening questions for passengers arriving from the countries worst hit by the outbreak Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. He says the procedures will allow United States officials to isolate, evaluate and monitor travelers and collect any information about their contacts.He says the case of Ebola in the U.S.illustrates that we dont have a lot of margin for error. But he said the chance of an Ebola outbreak in the U.S. remains extremely low.

Jihadists trespass Syria border town despite air strikes

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Mursitpinar (Turkey) (AFP) - Jihadists fighting to take the strategic Syrian border town of Kobane advanced Wednesday despite intensified US-led air strikes, as deadly protests over the fate of its Kurdish residents shook neighbouring Turkey.With pressure growing for international action to halt the advance of the Islamic State (IS) groups fighters, France threw its weight behind calls for a buffer zone on the Syrian-Turkish frontier.The top US and British diplomats said they were willing to examine the idea of a safe haven, but the White House later denied it was considering such a move.And the Pentagon said air strikes alone were not enough to prevent Kobane from falling.Ultimately, capable ground forces -- rebels in Syria and Iraqi government troops -- would have to defeat IS, spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said.Kobane has become a symbol of resistance against IS, which proclaimed an Islamic caliphate across swathes of Iraq and Syria, carrying out beheadings and other atrocities.Turkish residents walk through a damaged street in Diyarbakir on October 8, 2014, following overnight clashes between pro-Kurdish demonstrators and riot police Demonstrations in Turkey over Ankaras lack of action to support Kobanes predominantly Kurdish residents have triggered clashes in which at least 19 people were killed.For the first time in more than two decades, a curfew was declared in six Turkish provinces after the unrest.In Germany, police used batons, pepper spray and water cannon as Kurds and Yazidis clashed with radical Muslims in two northern cities in violence that injured at least 23 people.The three-week IS group assault on Kobane has sent some 200,000 people flooding across the border into Turkey, and some residents said hundreds more remained two days after jihadists breached the towns defences.There are 1,000 civilians who refuse to leave, said activist Mustafa Ebdi.One of them, aged 65, said to me: Where would we go? Dying here is better than dying on the road.- Plea for weapons -US and coalition aircraft targeted IS fighters near the town Wednesday, launching six attacks, the US military said.The strikes destroyed an armoured personnel carrier, artillery and several vehicles, Central Command said.Protesters and policemen face each other during a demonstration against the jihadist group Islamic State on early October 8, 2014 in Hamburg, northern Germany.The sounds of heavy gunfire and mortar shells were heard from the Turkish side of the border, an AFP reporter said, as fierce street battles raged.The raids helped prevent the fall of the town, but what is needed now is weapons, said Ebdi.An IS fighter launched a suicide truck bombing in east Kobane, but there was no immediate news of casualties, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.Observatory directory Rami Abdel Rahman said IS forces had advanced around 100 metres (yards) towards the town centre Wednesday evening, but that fighting had subsided slightly.But he added that IS group reinforcements were heading from Syrias Raqa province.The Observatory says about 400 people, more than half of them jihadists, have been killed in and around Kobane since the assault began in mid-September.- Turkish balancing act -Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, would be a major prize for the jihadists, giving them unbroken control of a long stretch of Syrias border with Turkey.A Kurdish man watches smoke rising from the Syrian town of Kobane after an air strike, on October 8, 2014, seen from the Turkish village of Mursitpinar France said it supported a proposal by Ankara to create a safe zone along its frontier with Syria to ensure security and to host fleeing refugees.In a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President Francois Hollande gave his support to the idea... of creating a buffer zone between Syria and Turkey to host and protect displaced people, the French presidency said.In Washington, US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters: The buffer zone is an idea thats out there. Its worth examining; its worth looking at very, very closely.And British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said after meeting Kerry: We are at the stage of exploring this... Wed have to explore with our other allies and partners what is meant by a buffer zone, how such a concept would work. But I certainly wouldnt want to rule it out.But White House spokesman Josh Earnest said its not something that is under consideration right now.Ankara has come under increasing pressure to act in Kobane, but its response has been complicated by concerns over emboldening Kurdish separatists, who have waged a deadly insurgency in Turkey for the past three decades.Turkish soldiers patrol along the border with Syria, near the southeastern town of Suruc, on October 8, 2014 Turkey has detained dozens of Kurds who crossed the border from Kobane on suspicion of having links with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), officials said Wednesday.The United States, along with Arab, European and other allies have launched nearly 2,000 air raids against jihadists in Iraq and Syria.US President Barack Obama was due to meet military chiefs later Wednesday to discuss the battle.More than 180,000 people have been killed in Syria since an uprising against President Bashar al-Assads regime began in 2011, morphing into a several-sided civil war that has drawn thousands of jihadists from overseas.

Fed officials link rate increase to economic data

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WASHINGTON (AP) Federal Reserve officials, worried about weak growth overseas, agreed last month that they would begin raising interest rates only when measures of the economys health and inflation signaled the time was right.Minutes of the Feds discussions at the Sept. 16-17 meeting released Wednesday showed that officials expressed rising worries about lackluster growth in Europe, as well as slowing growth in Japan and China.Stocks surged after the release of the minutes. Investors appeared to take the revealed discussion as a sign that the Fed was in no hurry to raise interest rates. The Dow Jones industrial average was up more than 270 points in afternoon trading.The markets like the news that there is no urgency on the part of Fed officials to stop doing what they are doing, said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at MUFG Union Bank in New York.Fed officials also discussed the potential adverse impacts of a stronger dollar, which has gained strength recently against the euro, yen and British pound. A stronger dollar makes U.S. goods more expensive overseas and foreign goods cheaper in the United States, a development that can dampen inflation.Some participants expressed concern that the persistent shortfall of economic growth and inflation in the euro area could lead to a further appreciation of the U.S. dollar and have adverse effects on the U.S. external sector, the minutes said.At the September meeting, the Fed voted 8-2 to keep its key short-term interest rate at a record low near zero and retained language that it expected the rate to remain at that level for a considerable time after it ends monthly bond purchases. The minutes showed that some officials didnt think that was clear enough.The current language could be misunderstood as a commitment rather than as data dependent, the minutes said.But the minutes also showed that officials worried that any tweaks to the wording of the policy guidance could be misinterpreted as a fundamental shift in the Feds stance on interest rates, which could trigger an unintended rise in market rates.Many participants indicated that they wanted to clarify that monetary policy changes would be closely linked to the countrys economic performance.The Fed has emphasized that the timing of an interest rate hike will depend on officials views on how close the economy is to achieving the Feds goals for maximum employment and inflation running at an annual rate of 2 percent.For the past two years, inflation has been running well below 2 percent, giving the Fed room to keep rates at a record low in an effort to bolster the economy and generate more jobs.The government reported last week that the unemployment rate in September fell to a six-year low of 5.9 percent, closer to the Feds goal of an unemployment rate in a range of 5.2 percent to 5.5 percent.The minutes were released with the customary three-week delay following the Feds last meeting.The consensus view among private economists is that the first rate hike will not occur until around June of next year. The Feds short-term rate has been at a record low near zero since December 2008.The Feds bond purchases, designed to keep long-term interest rates low, have been trimmed in seven consecutive $10 billion reductions at each meeting starting last December. The purchases are currently at $15 billion and a final reduction to zero is expected at the next meeting on Oct. 28-29.The two Fed officials who voted against the September action were Charles Plosser, president of the Feds regional bank in Philadelphia, and Richard Fisher, president of the Dallas Fed.Both objected to the decision to signal considerable time before the first rate increase. Plosser and Fisher are leading hawks, Fed officials who are concerned that low interest rates could generate unwanted inflation pressures in the future.They are also worried that the Feds policies could be inflating asset bubbles that could burst and destabilize financial markets.

US stocks rise sharply as Fed sees more low rates

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NEW YORK (AP) The U.S. stock market is rising sharply after the Federal Reserve signaled that its not in a hurry to raise interest rates.The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 200 points, or 1.2 percent, to 16,923 as of 2:30 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday.The Standard and Poors 500 rose 24 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,959. The Nasdaq rose 59 points, or 1.4 percent, to 4,444.Indexes had meandered between gains and losses earlier in the day, then turned higher after the Fed released minutes from its latest policy meeting at 2:00 p.m.Fed officials agreed that they would begin raising rates only when measures of the economys health signaled the time was right.The Dow had plunged 272 points Tuesday as investors worried about a slowdown in global growth.

France sets stage for clash with Germany

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Milan (AFP) - France on Wednesday stepped up its fight for a relaxation of the budget rules for members of the eurozone, setting the stage for a clash with Germany.Speaking at an informal meeting of European Union leaders that was overshadowed by the simmering spat, President Francois Hollande ruled out any further austerity measures to ensure Frances budget deficit is brought into line with EU targets earlier than 2017.Instead, Hollande said, the rules should be eased to reverse flagging growth across the eurozone.Hollande also made it clear he intends to place Frances demand for more time to rein in its deficit at the centre of a summit of EU leaders in Brussels on October 23-24.We have to adjust the rhythm of budgetary policy in relation to the challenge of growth, Hollande said. If everyone imposes austerity, which is not the case of France, there will be an even greater slowdown of growth.- Two wasted years -German Chancellor Angela Merkel has made it clear she will resist any watering down of the requirement for EU governments to bring budget deficits under three percent of GDP and to keep them there.In slightly cryptic remarks at the end of the summit, Merkel underscored that the euro rules had been agreed by everyone.French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrive at a press conference on October 8, 2014 in Milan France has said it will respect its commitments, I think Italy thinks the same thing, she said. I am confident that everyone will be conscious of their responsibilities.Aides to Merkel have made no secret of their belief that Hollandes deeply unpopular government has wasted two years in office and has ducked tough challenges on spending curbs and labour market reforms.Last week, Hollandes government announced that it would fail to meet the deficit target until 2017 at the earliest and ruled out any deepening of a 50-billion-euro ($63.4 billion), three-year programme of spending cuts.The move was widely interpreted as publicly flouting the ground rules for the single currency. Germany believes the budgetary rigour they impose is key to economic recovery in the eurozone.The European Commission is currently considering whether to use new powers it acquired last year to force France to rewrite its deficit-busting budget -- a nuclear option most Brussels insiders regard as unlikely to be used.Frances latest bid to change the eurozones economic agenda is backed by Italy but is likely to be given short shrift by Germanys hard-money allies in northern Europe.Ireland and Spain may also have little sympathy for France, having endured painful restructuring programmes to get their financial houses in order as the price of being bailed out of the mess created by debt and banking crises since 2008.Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi arrives to attend an European Union extraordinary summit on Growth and Employment on October 8, 2014 in Milan Hollandes move to go on the offensive over austerity came at an informal summit organised by Italys prime minister, Matteo Renzi, who shares the French leaders thinking and last week told Merkel to stop wagging her finger at the rest of Europe.The gulf between the EUs warring camps was underlined by comments from Jens Weidmann, the president of the Bundesbank, Germanys influential central bank, in which he backed action by Brussels against France.France, as the second-largest euro-area country, it is decisive and needs to serve as a role model, Weidmann, who is also a member of the European Central Banks governing council, told the Wall Street Journal.Renzi called the Milan meeting in response to a shock deterioration of the economic outlook in the eurozones major economies over the summer.The gloom deepened this week with new data showing a sharp fall in industrial output in Germany and a lowering of IMF growth forecasts for all of Europe.Weak demand and confidence have brought the French and Italian economies to a standstill while German confidence and exports have been hit by the fallout from the crisis in Ukraine and the resulting EU sanctions on Russia.- Youth guarantee -Members of Italian unions pose in front of a poster of Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi wearing Pinocchio noses and holding a placard reading the big Europeans gather for jobs on October 8, 2014 in Milan The leaders talks here were preceded by brainstorming sessions involving directors of national employment agencies and labour ministers.Among proposals on the table is a scheme to help governments provide guaranteed activities to 15-24 year-olds who have been out of work, study or training for four months.Six billion euros was earmarked for this a year ago but bureaucratic barriers have ensured the bulk of it is still sitting in EU coffers.France is pushing for the scheme to be extended and the funding to be upped to the tune of 20 billion euros, which Germany opposes.

Major Apple overhaul on Oct 16 event

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Apple is expected to step up its efforts to boost recently slumping iPad sales with the unveiling of its latest tablet computer at an Oct. 16 event.The showcase also is expected to feature an update to the operating system for its Mac computers and the possible release of a new digital payment service called Apple Pay. The companys new iPhones released last month include a wireless chip equipped to make the payments, but the service isnt available yet.In keeping with its usual practice, Apple Inc. isnt saying whats on the agenda. Instead, a cryptic invitation sent Wednesday to reporters and analysts simply said: Its been way too long.This is the time of the year that Apple typically releases its latest products to cash in on the holiday shopping season. The companys last tablet, the iPad Air, came out nearly a year ago.Although its Apples sleekest tablet yet, the iPad Air hasnt proven compelling enough to accelerate the companys tablet sales. After a solid performance in last years holiday shopping season, Apples iPads have faltered. Through the first half of this year, Apple had shipped 29.6 million iPads, a 13 percent drop from the same time last year.Since the first model was released in April 2010, Apple has sold more than 225 million iPads. Many people are still using iPads that they bought several years ago because the recent generations havent prompted them to spend another $500 to $700 for a new tablet. Apple also has been facing tougher competition from a variety of tablet makers using Googles free Android software, as well as from Microsoft Corp.s rival device, the Surface.Speculation about the next iPad has centered on the possible inclusion of a sensor that enables a device to be unlocked with a users fingerprint instead of a password. The feature, called Touch ID, has been available on Apples last two iPhone models. Apple also might offer an iPad with a gold-colored casing, another option already available on iPhones.Apples most recent iPhone includes a hot-selling model with a 5.5-inch display screen. Some analysts believe the bigger iPhone might siphon sales from Apples iPad Mini, which has a 7.9-inch screen. The standard iPad boast a nearly 10-inch screen.An operating system update called Yosemite is also due out for Apples line of Mac computers, making it likely that the software will also be a part of the Oct. 16 event to be held at the companys headquarters in Cupertino, California.
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