Tuesday 27 January 2015

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Dunya TV

Stragglers Scotland desperate to end losing streak

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LONDON (AFP) - Scotland arrive at what will be their third World Cup desperate for a maiden tournament victory after eight defeats combined at the 1999 and 2007 editions.For a non-Test nation, the Scots World Cup record may not seem that surprising but the fact they bowed out of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean with a crushing eight-wicket defeat by fellow associate country the Netherlands tells its own story.For many years Scotland were regarded as one of the premier non-Test nations, supplying an England captain in the late Mike Denness during the 1970s and county stalwarts such as Essexs Brian Hardie.However, recently theyve had to look on enviously as Ireland, the Netherlands and Afghanistan have all shone on the world stage, with Bangladesh making the transition from associate to Test status.Weve underachieved over the last five to ten years, Scotland all-rounder Calum MacLeod told the CricInfo website. We need to beat some Full Members (Test nations). If we manage to do that then the exposure of the game will increase, he added, conscious of how such victories have been a catalyst for the growth of Irish cricket.Scotlands squad for the World Cup features seasoned Northamptonshire batsman Kyle Coetzer while a change in qualification regulations, which allows British passport holders with Scottish parentage to play for them, has paved the way for the likes of Leicestershire all-rounder Rob Taylor, Sussex batsman Matt Machan and Yorkshire seamer Iain Wardlaw to be included in the 15-man party.The backroom staff is even more cosmopolitan with head coach Grant Bradburn, a former New Zealand Test cricketer, assisted by ex-England all-rounder Paul Collingwood.Both Bradburn and Collingwood will be looking to defeat their native countries, with New Zealand, the tournament co-hosts, and England the Scots opening two pool opponents.Collingwood, still playing county cricket for Durham, has forged a reputation as a tough, competitive professional and has been helping Scotland with the mental side of their game in particular.I always felt in the past that if you got on top of Scotland, then there was no fight, said Collingwood.I was just being honest and allowing them to come up with a brand of cricket that they wanted to play. Grasping that has been an important step forward for them.Collingwood, renowned for his fielding skills, added: Scotlands fielding is world-class and its an area where we should shine in Australia and New Zealand.But there is only so much coaches can do and the way Scotland suffered an eight-wicket defeat by Afghanistan in the opening match of the recent associate warm-up series in the UAE would have been a concern.Scotland though later beat their fellow minnows by 150 runs in Abu Dhabi, a heartening result for skipper Preston Mommsens side ahead of the countries World Cup pool clash in Dunedin.

Girls consuming excessive sugary drinks start menstruating at younger age: Study

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PARIS (AFP) - Girls who consume lots of sugary drinks start menstruating at a younger age, a study said Wednesday.The findings are important because early onset of menstruation is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer in later life, the paper said, although other experts saw flaws in the probe.Writing in the journal Human Reproduction, researchers said they had monitored the health of more than 5,500 American girls between 1996 and 2001. They had been part of a wider study involving nearly 17,000 children.The girls were aged between nine and 14 when they joined the project and had not yet started their periods.During the five-year study, those who drank between one-and-a-half servings of sweetened drinks per day had their first period 2.7 months earlier than those who had two or fewer sweet drinks a week, the investigators found.The earlier menstruation occurred regardless of the girls height-to-weight ratio -- their body mass index (BMI) -- their calorie intake and exercise.Our study adds to increasing concern about the widespread consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks in the USA and elsewhere, said Karin Michels of Harvard Medical School, who led the probe.The average age for first menstruation was 12 years and seven months.A 2.7-month earlier onset translates into a modest impact on breast cancer risk, the study said. Previous work had found that starting menstruating one year earlier increases the cancer risk by about five percent.Doctors are already concerned about a separate issue -- the ever-earlier onset of puberty in young girls, which remains unexplained.The latest study was based on statistics, and was not powered to explore the causes.The authors point to previous research that says high, swift doses of sugar cause a rapid increase in levels of the hormone insulin, which in turn has a knock-on effect on concentrations of sex hormones.The group of girls in the study was 93 percent white, and the amount of sweetened drinks they consumed is likely low compared with that of other groups, the researchers said.Sweetened beverages comprised non-diet sodas, non-carbonated fruit-based drinks and sweetened ice tea. A serving was classified as one can or glass.Independent commentators were cautious of the findings, pointing in particular at the source of the data.It was the girls themselves, or their parents, who reported on body size and drink consumption -- a method famously prone to error.Its fair to ask whether the self-reporting on height is a bit over-estimated and whether on weight it is under-estimated, said Michel Colle, a paediatrician in Bordeaux, southwestern France.If so, this would completely distort the BMI and thus the conclusions themselves.Ieuan Hughes, a paediatrician at Britains University of Cambridge, said the study also failed to factor in the childrens location, parents occupation and whether they were migrants -- other potential factors.The reference to breast cancer is overly alarmist, he added.

Tennis: Teenager Keys downs Venus to make Open semis

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MELBOURNE (AFP) - American teenager Madison Keys defeated her childhood idol Venus Williams to make the Australian Open semi-finals on Wednesday and end the seven-time Grand Slam champions stirring run at Melbourne Park.The unseeded Keys, 19, beat her 18th seeded compatriot 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, overcoming a thigh injury to set up a final four clash with either top seed Serena Williams or last years finalist Dominika Cibulkova.Keys said she had to beat nerves facing the 34-year-old Williams, who started her Grand Slam career when the teen was two years old, in her first quarter-final at a major.The moments definitely sweeter being able to play Venus, the world number 35 said after a rollercoaster three setter.Its amazing, obviously I was very nervous coming out but I had to embrace the moment and I did and I get to enjoy another moment in the next round.Keys, who is coached by former Australian Open champion Lindsay Davenport, had a lengthy time out in the second set and said she feared the return of an injury that ended her Wimbledon campaign last year.It wasnt as bad as Wimbledon but it was that nightmare of I dont want this to happen again so it was a little overwhelming, she said.Keys took a tight first set but was trailing 4-1 in the second when she had the lengthy medical timeout, with Williams going on to take the set.The third was a see-sawing affair featuring four breaks of serve, with Keys finally winning in one hour 55 minutes when Williams netted a return on match point.

Intellectually disabled Hill, 54, executed throwing out last-minute pleas

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US state of Georgia executed a double killer Tuesday whose lawyers said he was intellectually disabled, after last-minute pleas for his life were thrown out.The Supreme Court turned down the final appeal from lawyers of Warren Hill, 54, who was pronounced dead from lethal injection at 7:55 pm (0055 GMT), a prison spokeswoman said.The court voted 7-2 not to take up the petition arguing Hill shouldnt be executed because he was intellectually disabled.Hill, whose advocates say he had an IQ of 70, was sentenced to death after killing a fellow inmate with a nail-studded board in 1990 while serving a life sentence for the murder of his girlfriend.A number of experts and state doctors had testified to Hills mental disability.The European Union, lawyers and doctors -- as well as public figures including former US president Jimmy Carter -- had also called for mercy for Hill.This execution is an abomination, Hills attorney Brian Kammer said after the Supreme Court decision that condemned his client.Today, the court has unconscionably allowed a grotesque miscarriage of justice to occur in Georgia.The memory of Mr. Hills illegal execution will live on as a moral stain on the people of this state and on the courts that allowed this to happen.Execution of intellectually disabled people was prohibited by the top court in a 1986 decision under the US Constitutions Eighth Amendment that prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.But the court left the interpretation of what intellectually disabled means to the states.Georgia has one of the strictest definitions of the term, requiring defense attorneys to prove without a reasonable doubt that a defendant is intellectually disabled to be spared capital punishment.Hill had his execution delayed several times before for a variety of appeals.

Afghanistan look to repeat Ireland shock factor

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KARACHI (AFP) - Afghanistan hope to follow the World Cup giant-killing blueprint drawn up by fellow outsiders Ireland when they make their debut at the games showpiece tournament.Ireland defeated mighty Pakistan to reach the Super Eights stage at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean before defeating England in a high-scoring match in the 2011 tournament in India.My wish would be to emulate what Ireland have done in the last couple of World Cups. They have caused shocks by playing positive, entertaining cricket, said Andy Moles, who replaced former Pakistan paceman Kabir Khan as Afghanistan coach in September last year.It was Kabir who lifted the nascent cricket nation from division five in 2008 to narrowly missing out on a berth in the 2011 World Cup.Another former Pakistani international, Rashid Latif, then helped Afghanistan reach the the 2010 World Twenty20 and take the silver medal at the 2010 Asian Games in China.Latif believes Afghanistan should not worry about results in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand where they will face both co-hosts as well as Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh and Scotland in the group stages.I have faith in them. The way they are investing money, the Afghanistan team will beat top teams in the next five years, said Latif.But he also cautioned: I dont want them to go down like Kenya. The African nation reached the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup but their fall from grace led them to losing their one-day international credentials.For me they should gain more and more experience and with that learn to play better after the World Cup.I want them to play in a manner that if the kids are watching on television back home they will feel proud of them.With two channels pledging live coverage, Afghanistan will begin their maiden World Cup campaign against Bangladesh in Canberra on February 18.Afghanistan will take heart from their shock win over Bangladesh in the Asia Cup in Dhaka last year.It was their first win in 10 one-day internationals against a Test-playing nation.But like most of the Asian and Associates teams, batting on bouncy Australian pitches and coping with swing in New Zealand will be the main challenge.Afghanistans batsmen know one way of batting -- to attack.The biggest challenge is going to be how the batsmen handle the quicker bowlers. Playing in Australia is going to be quite brutal for some of these guys who arent used to those conditions, said Moles.I will work hard to get them as much confidence as possible, to play without fear of failure and, if they see an opportunity at any stage in a game, to take it.Id like them to enjoy the challenge that lies ahead of them.With experienced players like Nowroz Mangal, Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah Shinwari, Najibullah Zadran, Shapoor Zadran and Hamid Hasan, Afghanistan will hope they can show their talent in the big league.

Zimbabwe pack up their problems at World Cup

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JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - If they are to reach the World Cup quarter-finals, Zimbabwe will need to beat Ireland and the UAE, the non-Test nations in Pool B, and find a way to defeat at least one of India, South Africa, Pakistan and the West Indies.It shapes as a tough but not impossible task and the Zimbabweans will have been encouraged by the dismal form of the West Indies during their series in South Africa.For a small cricketing country, Zimbabwe have occasionally punched above their weight at World Cups, most notably when they defeated Australia in their first appearance in the tournament in 1983 when they were still an associate nation. They reached the Super Six stage in both 1999 and 2003 before an administrative upheaval which resulted in many leading players quitting the game, eventually resulting in Zimbabwe withdrawing from Test cricket for six years.Without again reaching the heights that were achieved when the likes of Andy Flower and Heath Streak were playing, Zimbabwe have shown they are capable of causing the occasional upset against leading teams, such as when they beat Australia in Harare last August.Realistically they will rely on a handful of proven players such as Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Sean Williams and captain Elton Chigumbura, while Solomon Mire is regarded as a promising all-rounder.Provided Masakadza and Taylor are in form, Zimbabwe are capable of posting reasonable totals. The bowling lacks major penetrative power but Tinashe Panyangara and Tendai Chatara lead a steady bowling attack in which left-arm spinner Williams could play an important role. Zimbabwe are usually a good fielding team.Recent form is not encouraging. Although Zimbabwe beat Australia in one of two matches and performed respectably against South Africa in a triangular tournament in Harare, they then underwent a disastrous tour of Bangladesh, losing all three Test matches and five one-day internationals.In the aftermath of the Bangladesh debacle, coach Stephen Mangongo was replaced by Dav Whatmore, the much-travelled Australian, and six players who did not go to Bangladesh were brought into the World Cup squad.Whatmore was coach of Sri Lanka when they won the World Cup in 1996 and was at the helm when Bangladesh had their most successful World Cup campaign in 2007, eliminating India at the group stage and defeating South Africa in the Super Eights.Unlike most of the other teams, Zimbabwe have not played any one-day internationals during the build-up period to the World Cup -- they were last in action in Bangladesh on December 1. Their preparation consisted of domestic cricket, an A series against Canada involving five of the players, and a training camp in Dubai.The lack of international game time means that Zimbabwes warm-up games against New Zealand and Sri Lanka will be important.In a recent interview, Whatmore said he was impressed with the determination of the players to turn things around. It will be a tall order.

Ireland target more shocks, Test status

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LONDON (AFP) - It is a measure of Irelands success at the last two World Cups that it will no longer count as a stunning shock if they defeat a Test nation in Australia and New Zealand.Whether it was knocking Pakistan out of the 2007 edition in the Caribbean or seeing Kevin OBrien produce the fastest-ever World Cup century in a memorable victory over England in Bangalore four years ago, the games elite have learnt to respect the men in green. The Irish have got a good structure and good facilities, former England all-rounder Paul Collingwood, now a member of Scotlands backroom staff, told the ICC website.Theyre always a well-drilled unit and a lot of their players have got county experience so you know theyre going to cause teams problems. The win against England in 2011 was huge. It will be their goal to have an Irish Test team to keep hold of the players that have come over to England to do that, he added.And therein lies the problem for Ireland. Their plight is summed-up by the fact the best Irish batsman of his generation, Eoin Morgan, wont be playing for his native country at the World Cup but will, in fact, be captaining England instead.So long as Ireland dont have Test status, there is always the chance the very best Irish players will follow in Morgans footsteps.Ireland have done everything that could reasonably be asked of them in making a case to become a Test nation and former Australia fast bowler turned Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie was in no doubt, saying the ICC should be making it a priority.Unfortunately for Ireland, they lack the political clout that saw Bangladesh become a Test country and the rest of the world game, having seen how the Tigers have struggled since, are in no hurry to make the Irish a permanent member of the elite.Meanwhile the Irish players soldier on in the hope another World Cup scalp will aid their quest for Test status, with the West Indies, South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates in their sights.Experienced campaigners William Porterfield and brothers Kevin and Niall OBrien are at the heart of an experienced squad coached by former West Indies batsman Phil Simmons.The trio, along with Ed Joyce and John Mooney, will be playing at their third World Cup while the 15-man squad also includes several tournament debutants in Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, Andrew McBrine, Stuart Thompson, and Craig Young, although Middlesex paceman Tim Murtagh has been ruled out through injuryWeve produced some wonderful performances over the years in World Cups, and theres no reason why we cant claim further successes in Australia and New Zealand, said captain Porterfield, one of several players in the squad who earns his living in the English county championship.While we may have lost the surprise factor over the years, weve certainly gained a lot of respect for our brand of cricket which has been pretty pleasing.

I stood by my decision to award Prince Philip knighthood: Tony Abbott

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MELBOURNE (AFP) - Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Wednesday he stood by his controversial decision to award Britains Prince Philip a knighthood and was taking the firestorm of criticism on the chin.Several ministers have walked away from Abbotts appointment of the nonagenarian Duke of Edinburgh to the ranks of the Order of Australia, MPs on all sides have mocked the move and the media condemned it severely.Abbott had kept quiet since Australia Day on Monday when social media lit up with repeated ridicule of his announcement.On Wednesday he tried to calm the storm by taking questions from reporters and admitting he would consult more widely on future appointments.But he did not back down.I stand by the decision, Abbott insisted.I understand why some people do not like it. I respect their right to be critical. I take it on the chin.He defended the princes role in Australia, calling him a distinguished servant of this country throughout a long and active public life.However Abbott, with his opinion poll ratings plunging after a series of political faux pas in recent months, suggested he had learnt his lesson.I do want to assure people I have heard and there will be considerably more consultation around these awards in the future, he said.Obviously there are some lessons in these things and the lesson that I learn is there does need to be wider consultation about these sorts of awards in the future.The prime minister said he consulted only with the chairman of council of the Order of Australia and the governor-general, the Queens representative in the country.I did what I thought was appropriate, he said.Outside pro-royal circles Abbott has found little support after raising republican heckles last year when he re-introduced British imperial honours Down Under.Australian-born media baron Rupert Murdoch, who was himself made a Companion of the Order of Australia under the previous system, tweeted that the knighthood was a joke and an embarrassment.Time to scrap all honours everywhere, he added.Treasurer Joe Hockey, Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann all made it clear the decision was the prime ministers alone.This is my call and Im happy to take these things on the chin. I accept that this has been a distraction for the government over the last couple of days, Abbott admitted.The Australian newspaper, which has supported the prime ministers government, ran a damaging editorial asking: Tony Abbott is in office but is he prime minister?The decision to turn a distant duke into a knight Down Under suggests a prime minister who is tone deaf or, worse, complacent in his power to push through a personal preference indifferent to the fact that it is bound to enrage and bewilder many, it said.

Red Bull outfit will give Mercedes closer-run in Formula One season: Team principal

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LONDON (AFP) - Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Tuesday his outfit would give Mercedes a closer-run contest than they did last year come the new Formula One season.Mercedes won the Constructors Championship last season and although Red Bull were runners-up they were still nearly 300 points behind the title-winners.That followed a poor pre-season testing session in Jerez, Spain, with the UK-based Red Bull managing a mere 21 laps in four days.However, Red Bull improved as the campaign wore on, with Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo winning three races.But although new regulations prevent development of the engine, teams can fine tune their systems via the use of tokens and Horner expects Red Bull to push Mercedes from the off this season.Mercedes are the benchmark, as the reigning champions, as favourites for this year after having a significant advantage at the end of last year, said Horner, ahead of this seasons first test in Jerez from Sunday.Hopefully we will have made significant inroads into that advantage, but the question is What have they done over the winter? What have the other teams done?.But we have an opportunity this year. You can strategically upgrade over the year on your different power units, added Horner, with French manufacturer Renault supplying Red Bulls engines.Renault are taking an aggressive development approach to this year, and strategically we just need to decide when we use the tokens in the four engines we have available to us, said Horner, whose team are based in Milton Keynes, north of London.After the first test last year, hopefully this one cannot be any worse than that.We managed very few laps over the four days, with the car either stopping on track or setting on fire, so hopefully weve made progress from that point.Its at least been the most impressive winter weve had as a team in terms of everything coming together, with the car being produced in the shortest time ever, the design staff hitting all their headlines and targets.With four-time world champion Sebastien Vettel having joined Ferrari, Ricciardo now finds himself the senior of Red Bulls two drivers alongside new boy Daniil Kvyat.The target this year is to win more races and have better results for the title fight, a proper one because last year I was hanging on by a thread, said Ricciardo.The engine development changes are going to definitely help us.Everyone is going to improve, thats a fact, but youd like to think Mercedes room for improvement is small because they made so much of it last year.I hope Im right and they dont have a 50 percent step on top of what they already have, but there is certainly more room for us and Ferrari to make that gap.

SC to hear petitions against 21st amendment today

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - A three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan will start hearing the petitions filed against the 21st Constitutional Amendment and establishment of military courts today (Wednesday).Chief Justice SC Nasirul Mulk is heading the bench while Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Mushir Alam are the other two judges.The petition, filed by the Lahore High Court (LHC) Bar Association at the Supreme Courts Lahore registry, challenges the 21st Constitutional Amendment and establishment of military courts. Seven similar petitions have been filed in the apex court.The petitioners maintain that the Constitution does not provide any room for military courts, and that the 21st Amendment deviates from the basic structure of the Constitution.

Google's super-fast broadband to reach 4 more US metropolitan areas

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SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Googles super-fast Internet service -- up to 100 times quicker than basic broadband -- is heading for four more US metropolitan areas as the technology titan ramps up pressure on cable service giants.A Google Fiber program launched nearly five years ago will expand to 18 cities in the Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and Raleigh-Durham areas.We cant wait to see what people and businesses across the southeast US do with gigabit speeds, Google Fiber vice president Dennis Kish said in a blog post announcing the expansion Tuesday.Google Fiber is live in Kansas City, Provo and Austin.Google is meanwhile working on a new generation of applications designed to capitalize on Internet speeds available using Fiber, but did not disclose details.Today, we arent the only ones talking about gigabit broadband, Kish said.From the White House to main street, a chorus of new voices is standing up for speed.Some US telecommunications firms stepped up with higher-speed Internet plans of their own after Google started weaving Fiber into cities.Expansion of the Fiber program comes amid media reports that Google is getting ready to sell wireless telephone services directly to US consumers after reaching deals with carriers T-Mobile and Sprint.The move would have a big impact on the US wireless industry, potentially resulting in price cuts and improved speeds.Google is already in a powerful position in the wireless world, with its Android operating system running on more than 80 percent of the worlds mobile phones.US cellphone service is currently dominated by Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.

US to drill oil, gas reserves of western Atlantic

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US government announced plans to open swathes of the western Atlantic to oil and gas drilling Tuesday, while simultaneously protecting seas off Alaskas coast.President Barack Obama called for 9.8 million acres in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas to be off limits, while his Interior Department announced plans to drill in the Atlantic from Virginia to Georgia.Obamas White House said the proposals were part of a balanced approach that judged the debate over drilling in each area on its own merits.The White House called the designated part of the Alaskan coast part of one of the last great marine wildernesses left untouched by development.That move is sure to anger the energy industry and its supporters, who have long sought to further tap Alaskas oil and gas wealth.But they will have some consolation from plans to open up new areas to leasing, including an area in the Mid-and South Atlantic, as well as areas in the already heavily taped Gulf of Mexico.At this early stage in considering a lease sale in the Atlantic, we are looking to build up our understanding of resource potential, as well as risks to the environment and other uses, said Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell.That proposal is likely to anger environmentalists.

World remains unprepared for pandemics: World Bank President

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - World Bank President Jim Yong Kim warned Tuesday that the world remains dangerously unprepared for deadly pandemics like the Ebola outbreak that has killed thousands in West Africa.The Ebola outbreak has been devastating in terms of lives lost and the loss of economic growth in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Kim said in a speech at Georgetown University in Washington.We need to make sure that we get to zero cases in this Ebola outbreak.At the same time, we need to prepare for future pandemics that could become far more deadly and infectious than what we have seen so far with Ebola, he said, according to excerpts from his speech.Kim said that a mix of international organizations like his own, governments, businesses, non-governmental groups and donors need to put more efforts into planning for future possible pandemics, by building stronger health systems, improved surveillance and chains of supply and transportation, and fast-acting medical response teams.We must learn the lessons from the Ebola outbreak because there is no doubt we will be faced with other pandemics in the years to come.He also said the World Bank and other multilateral groups are working on a concept financial facility aimed partly at encouraging countries to prepare better for disease outbreaks and partly to indemnify them.This could work like insurance policies that people understand, like fire insurance, Kim said.Ebola surfaced in West Africa less than one year ago and has since killed nearly 9,000 people despite intense international efforts to contain it.

Apple profit soars to at least $18 billion

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SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Apples quarterly profit soared to a record $18 billion on the back of booming iPhone sales, especially in China.The California-based tech giant also announced Tuesday that its highly anticipated Apple Watch wearable devices unveiled last year are on track to begin shipping in April.Wed like to thank our customers for an incredible quarter which saw demand for Apple products soar to an all-time high, said chief executive Tim Cook.Apple posted record revenue of $74.6 billion in the quarter, during which 74.5 million iPhones were sold.In the same three-month period at the end of 2013, Apple reported profit of $13.1 billion on $57.6 billion in revenue.Analysts credited freshly released larger screen iPhone 6 models along with a partnership with China Mobile as powering sales.Sales of iPhones doubled in Greater China, its number two smartphone market, according to chief financial officer Luca Maestri.Apple chief executive Tim Cook described the excitement around the debut of iPhone 6 models in China as phenomenal.We are a big believer in China, Cook said. It is an incredible market; I think people there love Apple products.IPhone sales leapt 44 percent in the United States and doubled in Brazil.Demand for iPhone has been staggering, shattering our expectation, Cook said.About 65 percent of Apples overall revenue came from sales outside the United States.Sales of iPads dipped but Apple set new records in the quarter for sales of Macintosh computers and revenue from digital goods bought from its Apple Store.The iPhone 6 was the most popular Apple smartphone during the quarter, but the phablet style iPhone 6 Plus also did incredibly well, Cook said.Cook remained optimistic about the long-term potential for Apples iPad line.He noted that the ranks of first-time iPad buyers remain strong China, Britain, the US and elsewhere and that the devices account for the bulk of online activity and shopping seen from tablets.I believe that, over the arc of time, the iPad is a great business, Cook said. I am thinking over the long run.Apple and others are still trying to tune into the rhythm of the market when it comes to how long people typically own tablets before replacing them.Cook also noted that large-screen iPhones might be nibbling at one edge of iPad sales and Macintosh computers at another edge.He was confident that an alliance between Apple and IBM announced last year will lead to iPads becoming more enticing devices for workplaces.Cook also said Apple is seeing rapid adoption of the Apple Pay mobile financial transactions system, which is synched to the latest generation of iPhone.Apple Pay is limited to the United States, but the company has been barraged with requests for it from businesses in other countries, according to Cook.I think this is the year of Apple Pay, Cook said.Apples board of directors declared a cash dividend of 47 cents per share to be paid on February 12.Apple shares rose more than five percent to $115.33 in after-market trades that followed release of the earnings figures.

Tokyo stocks open 0.86% down

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TOKYO (AFP) - Tokyo stocks opened 0.86 percent down on Wednesday after Wall Street finished sharply lower following a disappointing stream of corporate earnings and mixed US economic data.The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange fell 152.37 points to 17,615.93 at the start.In New York the Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 1.65 percent on Tuesday as heavy equipment maker Caterpillar sank 7.2 percent on weak sales for the oil sector.Other big companies also dropped following poor results.Investors were also troubled by a 3.4 percent drop in US durable goods orders in December, which offset a Conference Board report that said US consumer confidence jumped in January to its highest level in more than seven years.The euro bought $1.1360 and 133.87 yen early Wednesday, down from $1.1380 and 134.19 yen in New York Tuesday afternoon.The dollar was at 117.86 yen against 117.90 yen in US trade.
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