Wednesday 7 January 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Gas pipeline blown up in Jafarabad

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JAFARABAD (Dunya News) - According to details, some unidentified persons blew up a 6-inch diameter gas pipeline in Jafarabad in Balochistan province on early Thursday morning.Gas supply to different parts of the country was suspended after the incident. Security officials reached the spot and started investigation.

India reach 122-2 at lunch on 3rd day of 4th Test

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SYDNEY (AP) - India made good use of a placid Sydney Cricket Ground pitch to move steadily to 122-2 at lunch on the third day of the fourth Test, still 450 runs behind Australia.Resuming his innings Thursday, Rohit Sharma moved to a patient 53 before being bowled by spinner Nathan Lyon in the only wicket of the morning session.Lokesh Rahul survived a missed run out and a dropped catch to be unbeaten on 50 at the interval, with Virat Kohli 16 not out.India had lost its first wicket on day two, before scoring a run, when Mitchell Starc had Murali Vijay caught behind in the first over.Australia declared its first innings at 572-7 just after tea Wednesday, with its top six batsmen all scoring above 50 for the first time, including centuries for Steve Smith (117) and David Warner (101).Australia bowled a disciplined line and length throughout the morning, limiting Indias scoring opportunities and Lyon thought he had made the breakthrough shortly after the drinks break when he appealed for a bat-pad catch off Rahul but was turned down by umpire Richard Kettleborough.Infrared video replays showed Lyons delivery had lightly flicked Rahuls glove before hitting his thigh and popping up for Joe Burns to catch, but neither Burns or wicketkeeper Brad Haddin appealed, which may have influenced the umpires not out decision.Lyon was not left disappointed for long as he bowled Sharma for 53 next over, catching the bottom edge of Sharmas bat as he attempted to sweep the off-spinner to the leg side.Australia should have removed Rahul on the next ball as Lyon beat new batsman Kohli with the ball deflecting off Haddins leg to Starc at short fine leg. Rahul set off for a quick single, before turning back, slipping over and scrambling back to safety at the bowlers end before Starc and Haddin were aware of the simple opportunity to run the batsman out, much to captain Smiths frustration.Rahul, who made his 50 off 161 balls, also survived a dropped catch just before lunch when he skied a Watson delivery. Smith ran back from slip to take what looked a regulation catch only to drop the chance. Smith gestured immediately afterward that the wires of the aerial camera above the field interfered with the play.Australia has an unassailable 2-0 series lead, and regained the Border-Gavaskar trophy, with two wins and a draw in the first three Tests.

French police release pictures of brothers wanted over magazine massacre

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PARIS (AFP) - French police on Thursday published photos of two brothers wanted as suspects over a bloody massacre at a magazine in Paris as they launched an appeal to the public for information.Paris police said arrest warrants had been issued for Cherif Kouachi, 32 and his 34-year-old brother Said who were likely armed and dangerous.Police hunted for three heavily armed men with possible links to al-Qaida in the military-style, methodical killing of 12 people Wednesday at the office of a satirical newspaper.President Francois Hollande, visiting the scene of Frances deadliest such attack in more than half a century, called the assault on the weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo an act of exceptional barbarism.France raised its terror alert system to the maximum Attack Alert and bolstered security with more than 800 extra soldiers to guard media offices, places of worship, transport and other sensitive areas. Fears had been running high in France and elsewhere in Europe that jihadis returning from conflicts in Syria and Iraq would stage attacks at home.Two officials identified the suspects as French brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi, in their early 30s, and 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad, whose nationality wasnt immediately clear.Heavily armed police moved into the city of Reims, in Frances Champagne country east of Paris, apparently searching for the suspects. Video from BFM-TV showed police dressed in white apparently taking samples inside an apartment. It was not immediately clear who lived there.One of the police officials said they were linked to a Yemeni terrorist network, and Cedric Le Bechec, a witness who encountered the escaping gunmen, quoted the attackers as saying: You can tell the media that its al-Qaida in Yemen.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the sensitive and ongoing investigation.Cherif Kouachi was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being convicted of terrorism charges in 2008 for helping funnel fighters to Iraqs insurgency. He said he was outraged at the torture of Iraqi inmates at the U.S. prison at Abu Ghraib near Baghdad.The masked, black-clad men with assault rifles stormed the offices near Paris Bastille monument in the Wednesday noontime attack on the publication, which had long drawn condemnation and threats it was firebombed in 2011 for its depictions of Islam, although it also satirized other religions and political figures.Shouting Allahu akbar as they fired, the men used fluent, unaccented French as they called out the names of specific employees.Artist Corinne Rey told the French newspaper LHumanite that she punched in the security code to the Charlie Hebdo offices after she and her young daughter were brutally threatened by the gunmen.Eight journalists, two police officers, a maintenance worker and a visitor were killed, said prosecutor Francois Molins. He said 11 people were wounded four of them seriously.After fleeing, the attackers collided with another vehicle, then carjacked another car before disappearing in broad daylight, Molins said.Among the dead: the papers editor, Stephane Charbonnier.The staff was in an editorial meeting and the gunmen headed straight for Charbonnier widely known by his pen name Charb killing him and his police bodyguard first, said Christophe Crepin, a police union spokesman.Rey said the assault lasted five minutes. I hid under a desk.Two gunmen strolled out to a black car waiting below, one of them calmly shooting a wounded police officer in the head as he writhed on the ground, according to video and a man who watched in fear from his home across the street.The witness, who refused to allow his name to be used because he feared for his safety, said the attackers were so methodical he first thought they were members of Frances elite anti-terrorism forces. Then they fired on the officer.They knew exactly what they had to do and exactly where to shoot. While one kept watch and checked that the traffic was good for them, the other one delivered the final coup de grace, he said.Hey We avenged the Prophet Muhammad We killed Charlie Hebdo, one of the men shouted in French, according to video shot from a nearby building.The other dead were identified as cartoonists Georges Wolinski and Berbard Verlhac, better known as Tignous, and Jean Cabut, known as Cabu. Also killed was Bernard Maris, an economist who was a contributor to the newspaper and was heard regularly on French radio.Le Bechec, the witness who encountered the gunmen in another part of Paris, described on his Facebook page seeing two men get out of a bullet-ridden car with a rocket-launcher in hand, eject an old guy from his car and calmly say hi to the public, saying you can tell the media that its al-Qaida in Yemen.

Football: Atletico beat Real Madrid again on Torres's return

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MADRID (AFP) - Fernando Torres tasted victory against Real Madrid as an Atletico Madrid player for the first time as the La Liga champions downed their city rivals 2-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last 16 tie on Wednesday.Despite a disappointing performance from Torres on his first appearance since rejoining Atletico on loan from AC Milan, the hosts beat Real for the third time in four attempts this season thanks to Raul Garcias penalty and a thumping header from Jose Gimenez after half-time.Last seasons Cup winners will now have it all to do when the two sides meet again for the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on January 15.Both coaches signalled that their priorities lay elsewhere prior to kick off as Cristiano Ronaldo was left on the bench by Carlo Ancelotti, while Diego Simeone made seven changes to the side that beat Levante 3-1 at the weekend.However, the hosts were indebted to one of those coming into the side after just two minutes when Jan Oblak brilliantly parried a towering header from Sergio Ramos, reminiscent of his equaliser in the Champions League final between the two sides in May which swung the match in Reals favour.The visitors then had a goal rightly ruled out from another setpiece as Gareth Bale was flagged offside when he headed James Rodriguezs free-kick into the far corner.Straight from the free-kick, Atletico then had their first effort on goal as Oblak released Antoine Griezmann with a long ball and his low effort was turned behind by Keylor Navas. Griezmann was then presented with Atleticos best chance of the opening 45 minutes when he robbed Rafael Varane and closed in on goal, but his French international team-mate recovered to avert the danger with a fine last-ditch challenge.Torres, meanwhile, was enduring a nightmare opening half as he consistently gave the ball away and was caught offside on numerous occasions.Real passed up a couple of half chances to go in ahead at the break as Benzema fired straight at Oblak before Sami Khedira headed over when unmarked inside the area.The visitors also had the first opening of the second period when Bale prodded wide from a narrow angle.However, it was Atletico who finally made the breakthrough when Garcia was adjudged to have been pulled down by Ramos and the midfielder composed himself to fire low into Navass left-hand corner.Torress disappointing evening ended early as he was replaced by Koke, while Ancelotti quickly summoned Ronaldo from the bench in the bid for an away goal, with Rodriguez making way.Yet, the World Player of the Year made little impact on Atleticos well-marshalled defence and centre-back Gimenez then proved to be a hero at the other end as he rose highest to power home Kokes corner 13 minutes from time.

Football: Liverpool legend Gerrard inks MLS Galaxy deal

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will join the Los Angeles Galaxy after the Premier League season, confirming Wednesday he will follow David Beckhams footsteps by joining the Major League Soccer dynasty.The 34-year-old midfielder will move in the July transfer window, arriving at mid-season in the American campaign, and try to help bring the Galaxy a fourth title in five seasons.At this stage of my career I think the timing is right to move on to a fresh challenge, Gerrard said in a video on the league website. Im going to be moving to the most successful team in the United States.Gerrard made it clear he still considers himself talented enough to contribute at a top level, a notion some with Liverpool questioned, leading him to look elsewhere.I still feel like a player, still know I can perform well for the next couple of years, so I want to go in to a setup with a winning mentality, a team thats used to winning and with people that also want to win in the future, Gerrard said.Im not going over there for a holiday or to endear myself. Im going over there to win.Terms of the deal were not announced, but Gerrard is believed to have signed an 18-month contract, which British media reports suggest will be worth around 6 million pound ($9.1 million, 7.6 million euros).Gerrard said last Friday that he will leave Liverpool at the end of the current campaign, ending a 25-year association with the club that has seen him make 696 appearances and score 182 goals.The relationship with Liverpool doesnt end in the summer. In fact it will never end, the Anfield legend said. Ive still got a few things to try and achieve before I go so my focus is on that. There will be plenty of time to get excited after the (English) season.Liverpool are eighth in the Premier League after 20 matches, seven points adrift of fourth-place Southampton in the final Champions League place.Joining Galaxy will reunite Gerrard with former Liverpool team-mate Robbie Keane, the standout Irish striker who was named MLS Most Valuable Player this season and who scored the winning goal in the championship match against the New England Revolution last month.Former England teammate Beckham, who spent five years with the Galaxy, blazed a path to late-career North American clubs that has also seen French star Thierry Henry join New York Red Bulls, Frank Lampard set to play for debuting club New York City FC later this year and Jermain Defoe move to Toronto.Gerrard was courted by Galaxy coach Bruce Arena and team president Chris Klein before taking the new deal.Their pursuing me was very aggressive, Gerrard said. All the talks with them have been very positive. It was them telling me what I wanted to hear, told me about the winning mentality of the club, about their aims and goals are for the future.That basically suits me at this stage of my career. They want success and thats what I want to finish my career. They all seem to me like they are winners and thats how I see myself.The Galaxy won their fifth MLS title in December and have a vacancy in a non-salary-capped position thanks to the retirement of long-time star Landon Donovan.Were very pleased to acquire a player of Stevens caliber, experience and character, Arena said.He is one of the most decorated players in the world and will join our team with a wealth of success playing at the highest level of the sport.Steven will be an excellent example to our young players and were excited to add him and his leadership to an already talented roster.Gerrard famously inspired Liverpool to glory in the 2005 Champions League final, when they came from 3-0 down to beat AC Milan on penalties, and has also won two FA Cups, three League Cups and the UEFA Cup.But he has never won the Premier League title, with Liverpool having narrowly lost out to Manchester City last season.He won 119 caps for England and captained his country at three major tournaments before retiring from international football after last years World Cup.In an interview with a British regional newspaper, Gerrard explained that he had decided to leave Liverpool after manager Brendan Rodgers told him he was no longer guaranteed a starting place.Ive never wanted to be a squad player, Gerrard told the Liverpool Echo. If I was missing games now, Id be sitting out even more next season. I knew it would get worse and worse as time went on.

Muhammad Ali released from hospital: reports

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LOUISVILLE (AFP) - Boxing legend Muhammad Ali has been released from the hospital after being treated for a urinary tract infection, media reports said Wednesday.Ali, 72, was admitted more than two weeks ago with what was then thought to be pneumonia.But doctors ultimately determined he had a severe urinary tract infection, and he was released Tuesday night, the Courier-Journal newspaper reported, quoting Ali spokesman Bob Gunnell.Ali is a three time world heavy-weight champion and Olympic gold medalist. He has suffered from Parkinsons disease since the 1980s.The boxing legend has fully recovered and is now at his home. Ali looks forward to celebrating his upcoming 73rd birthday on January 17th with his family and friends, Gunnell said in a statement, according to www.allsports.com.The Ali family greatly appreciates the outpouring of support and continued well wishes. They also want to thank the team of doctors and nurses for their exceptional care.

Tennis: Karlovic targets Ivanisevic's career aces record

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DOHA (AFP) - Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic took his career aces total to 9,041 on Wednesday and admitted he dreams of beating the all-time record of 10,183 held by compatriot and former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic.Karlovic, 35, fired 17 aces in a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 win over Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili to make the Qatar Open quarter-finals.That is not only the most aces of any active player but Karlovic is now a mere 33 behind Andy Roddick, the former US Open champion whose total is the second highest of all time. Its my ambition to overtake Goran before I retire, said Karlovic.

Golf: Tiger eyes return to Phoenix after 14 years - report

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PHOENIX (AFP) - Tiger Woods is looking to play later this month at the PGA Phoenix Open, an event the former world number one has skipped since 2001, Golf magazines website reported Wednesday.Woods has not played in the tournament, known for rowdy fans and loud cheers, since a spectator tossed an orange onto a green while he was putting. Woods was heckled by a spectator in 1999 who was later found to have a gun at the time.Citing unnamed sources, the report said Woods has reserved a courtesy car for the event and booked rooms at a hotel in the area.Tournament officials say Woods is not on the confirmed players list and the 14-time major winner, chasing the all-time record of 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, has not announced any of his planned schedule for the year.Last month, Woods made his return from a four-month layoff due to a back injury at the Hero World Challenge in Florida and said he was planning some different events than his usual schedule for this year, but would not be specific about his intentions.The event in Scottsdale finishes on February 1, just ahead of the National Football Leagues Super Bowl championship spectacle in another nearby Phoenix suburb, Glendale.Woods would have until January 23, the Friday before the start of the event, to commit to the tournament, known for its boisterous crowds and an epic scene at the par-3 16th hole with fans cheering and yelling rather than the usual quiet decorum found at golf events.Woods famously delighted the crowd with an ace at the 16th in 1997.The US PGA Tour stop the week after Phoenix is at Torrey Pines, where Woods has won eight times and where he collected his most recent major title at the 2008 US Open.

Rallying: Al-Attiyah, Barreda extend Dakar lead in Chile desert

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COPIAPO (AFP) - Former champion Nasser Al-Attiyah mounted a late charge to extend his Dakar Rally lead on Wednesday as the gruelling 9,000km event climbed the Andes and then crossed Chiles Atacama desert.Qatari driver Al-Attiyah, the 2011 champion, finished 2min 40sec ahead of Mini team-mate Nani Roma, the defending champion, whose hopes had disappeared on a disastrous opening stage on Sunday when he lost eight hours.In third place on Wednesdays fourth stage was South Africas 2009 champion Giniel De Villiers behind the wheel of a Toyota.De Villiers was 2:57 behind Al-Attiyah as he claimed a fourth successive stage podium finish and is now second in the overall title chase, more than eight minutes behind his Qatari rival.Saudi Arabias Yazeed Alrajhi, also in a Toyota, was fourth on the 315km timed stage Wednesday to sit third overall, 23:33 behind Al-Attiyah.The man to beat is Giniel, said Al-Attiyah after giving Mini, who swept the podium in 2014, their fourth stage win out of four so far.He is always a threat on the Dakar, always amongst the top places. We had a three-minute advantage on him. I need to keep going like this, be careful but also attack from time to time.Peugeot, returning to the race after a 25-year absence, endured another disappointing day with 11-time champion Stephane Peterhansel finishing fifth having looked on course for victory until the closing kilometres.He is 10th overall but Carlos Sainz, the 2010 champion, suffered a series of technical setbacks and was still to finish.Spanish motorcyclist Joan Barreda rode to his second stage win of this years race, taking his Honda to victory ahead of defending champion Marc Coma on a KTM with Chiles Pablo Quintanilla, also on a KTM, in third.In the overall standings, Barreda now leads by 12min 49sec from Coma with Honda teammate Paulo Goncalves of Portugal back in third place, 20min 29sec off the lead.Hondas Laia Sanz was eighth on Wednesday to be the best-placed female rider and moved into 12th overall.The motorcycle stage was held as race organisers hunted for clues to the cause of the death of Michal Hernik.The 39-year-old Polish riders body was found 300 metres (yards) from the desert track with no apparent injury on Tuesday and no damage to his motorbike that would indicate an accident, according to race director Etienne Lavigne.Lavigne added that there was no helmet on Hernik when the body was found.Organisers sent a helicopter to look for Henrik after he failed to arrive at the finish line of Tuesdays stage between the Argentinian towns of Villa Carlos Paz and Chilecito. His satellite tracker had stopped sending signals.His was the fifth death since the rally was moved to South America in 2009 over security concerns in the Sahara region and the 24th since the race was created in 1979.

'US supports Pakistan's efforts to counter terrorism'

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WASHINGTON (Agencies) – Briefing the media in Washington on Wednesday, State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said that the US supports Pakistan’s efforts to counter terrorism and bring perpetrators to justice, but we believe its important efforts be consistent with principles of due process.The US has sought additional information from Pakistan on its decision to establish military courts for trial of suspected terrorists as it wants to ensure that due process of law is followed, Jen Psaki said.We have seen the reports (of the Pakistani parliament passing legislation allowing military courts for trial of suspected terrorists), and were seeking additional information as the Pakistani government adopts measures necessary to institute them, she said.

Leave coal, oil in ground for climate's sake: study

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PARIS (AFP) - The Middle East must leave 40 percent of its oil reserves in the ground, and China, the US and Russia most of their coal if global warming is to be curbed, researchers said Wednesday.Globally, a third of oil, half of gas and over 80 percent of coal reserves must be left untouched until 2050, according to a novel breakdown of unburnable fossil-fuel stocks published in the journal Nature.This is the sole way to meet the UN target of limiting warming to 2.0 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels, said co-author Christophe McGlade of University College London.Policymakers must realise that their instincts to completely use the fossil fuels within their countries are wholly incompatible with their commitments to the 2 C goal, he warned.The UNs Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that for a good chance of meeting the target, further emissions of Earth-warming greenhouse gases must be limited to about 1,000 billion tonnes (gigatonnes).But global fossil fuel reserves, on current estimates, would emit three times this total if used, said the study.UN members are negotiating a global carbon-cutting climate pact to be signed in Paris in December. At current rates, emissions are steering the world towards potentially catastrophic warming of 4 C or more, scientists say.Companies spent over $670 billion (565 billion euros) last year searching for and developing new fossil fuel resources, said McGlades colleague and co-author Paul Ekins.They will need to rethink such substantial budgets if policies are implemented to support the 2 C limit, especially as new discoveries cannot lead to increased aggregate production.For their project, McGlade and Ekins made a best estimate of quantities and locations of oil, gas and coal resources, and then assessed how much could be safely used, per region, up to 2050.They used two scenarios -- one with widespread deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities, a technology in its infancy, and one with no CCS.Even if CCS is widely implemented, over 430 billion barrels of oil must be left unburned, the pair said. Under this scenario, the Middle East has over half the worlds unburnable oil -- more than 260 billion barrels or 38 percent of its stock -- equal to about eight years of global production calculated at 2013 levels of 87 million barrels per day.Central and South America must leave 58 billion barrels alone, Canada 39 billion and the former Soviet states 27 billion.About 95 trillion cubic metres (3,354 trillion cubic feet) of gas should remain unburned, the study found -- again the bulk (46 trillion cubic metres) is held in the Middle East and 31 trillion by former Soviet states.Countries with large stocks of coal, including developing nations that rely heavily on the resource to fuel their fast growth, also face challenges.China and India would have to leave nearly 70 percent of their reserves under a scenario with CCS, and Africa almost 90 percent, according to the findings.Among developed nations, Europe would have to leave 78 percent of its coal and the United States 92 percent.These results demonstrate that a stark transformation in our understanding of fossil-fuel availability is necessary, said the study.Although there have previously been fears over the scarcity of fossil fuels, in a climate-constrained world this is no longer a relevant concern: large portions of the reserve base... should not be produced if the temperature rise is to remain below 2 C.Experts Michael Jakob and Jerome Hilaire, in an analysis published with the study, said the uneven distribution of unburnable reserves highlighted challenges to finding a carbon-cutting pact.Only a global climate agreement that compensates losers and is perceived as equitable by all participants can impose strict limits on the use of fossil fuels in the long term, they wrote.

Ebola death toll hits 8,235: WHO

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GENEVA (AFP) - The global death toll from the Ebola outbreak centred in west Africa has jumped to 8,235 out of 20,747 recorded cases, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.Almost all the deaths and cases have been reported in the three west African countries worst hit by the outbreak: Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.Elsewhere, six people have died in Mali, one in the United States and eight in Nigeria, which was declared Ebola-free in October.Spain and Senegal, which have both been declared free of Ebola, had one case each but no deaths.In Britains first confirmed case of Ebola, a nurse recently returned from Sierra Leone was on Monday said to be in a critical but stable condition.Sierra Leone, which has overtaken Liberia as the country with the most infections, counted 9,780 cases and 2,943 deaths as of January 4.The country reported 248 new confirmed cases in the week leading up to Sunday, with the west of the country, including the capital Freetown, hardest hit.The WHO said however there were signs that case incidence may have levelled off in the country.- Liberia - Liberia, long the hardest-hit country, has seen a steep decrease in transmission in recent weeks.As of January 2, the country had recorded a total of 8,157 cases and 3,496 deaths.Liberia, which in August and September was reporting more than 300 new cases each week, only reported eight new confirmed cases and 40 probable cases from Monday to Friday last week.The district of Montserrado, which includes the capital Monrovia, continues to account for most cases, with six confirmed and 33 probable cases reported there during the five-day period.- Guinea - In Guinea, where the outbreak started in December 2013, 2,775 Ebola cases and 1,781 deaths were recorded as of January 4.The WHO said Wednesday the case incidence there continued to fluctuate, with no identifiable downward trend.It warned that the virus was continuing to spread geographically in the country, with 19 districts now affected.In the week leading up to January 4, 74 confirmed cases were reported in the country, with Conakry the worst-hit district.- Healthcare workers - Ebola, one of the deadliest viruses known to man, is spread only through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person showing symptoms such as fever or vomiting.People caring for the sick or handling the bodies of people infected with Ebola are especially exposed.As of January 4, a total of 838 healthcare workers were known to have contracted the virus, and 495 of them had died, the WHO said.

Oil ends higher after Brent briefly slips below $50

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Brent oil Wednesday briefly slipped below $50 a barrel for the first time since 2009, but crude finished higher on a strong day for US and European equity markets.European benchmark Brent oil for delivery in February gained five cents to $51.15 a barrel in London after earlier sliding to another 5.5-year low at $49.66 a barrel.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in February advanced 72 cents to $48.65 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.Analysts said the oil market benefited from better investor sentiment towards riskier investments. US and European stocks jumped following strong US trade and jobs data and weak European inflation figures that lifted speculation of more monetary stimulus from the European Central Bank.The oil market got a little bit of a boost because the stock market is up pretty substantially, said Phil Flynn, analyst with the Price Futures Group.About 30 minutes before the closing bell, US stocks were up about one percent.Flynn said oil also received some support from a US Department of Energy inventory report that showed crude supplies dropped 3.1 million barrels last week. At the same time, Flynn said higher inventories of gasoline and distillate products were kind of disappointing.Analysts cautioned against reading much into Wednesdays rise in oil prices given overall supply-demand dynamics.Oil prices remain under pressure from OPECs stance on maintaining its current production levels, market oversupply, weak demand and the strong dollar.Several analysts said the brief drop in Brent below $50 a barrel could be a harbinger of even lower prices.The move below $50 shows how momentum is everything here, CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson told AFP.With no sign that OPEC will do anything about overproduction, it seems likely that we could well see further declines towards $40 in the coming weeks -- particularly given that demand shows no signs of picking up.

Euro falls vs dollar on negative eurozone inflation

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The euro slid against the dollar Wednesday after eurozone inflation turned negative, raising hopes for fresh stimulus from the European Central Bank.Consumer prices dropped by 0.2 percent in December in the eurozone, the first time inflation has been in negative territory since October 2009 amid the financial crisis, European Union data showed.The weak inflation number, reflecting in part the collapse of global oil prices, raised fears that the ailing eurozone is on the brink of deflation, the pernicious long-running fall in prices that undermines growth and is difficult to correct.Oil prices have continued to fall in January and have lost more than half their value since June, with the US benchmark contract firmly below $50 a barrel.The specter of deflation was expected to pressure the European Central Bank to launch a bond-purchase program stimulus, or quantitative easing, as early as its January 22 monetary policy meeting.With inflation contracting in Europe, it makes it more difficult for the ECB to say no to more stimulus, said Joe Manimbo of Western Union Business Solutions.Meanwhile the minutes of the Federal Reserves December meeting highlighted risks to the US economy from international developments. Policymakers also appeared willing to look past inflation that is below target in pursuit of hiking interest rates this year.The Fed is determined to tighten, though several participants urged for more data-dependent criteria so that investors would get away from a conviction the hike will be in the middle of the year. The Fed may hike rates even if headline inflation runs well below target for a time, said Chris Low of FTN Financial.

Sri Lanka take Malinga gamble for World Cup

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COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lankas selectors provisionally picked sling-arm fast bowler Lasith Malinga for the World Cup on Wednesday, hoping the spearhead will recover fully from ankle surgery four months ago.The 31-year-old, the only bowler in history to claim three hat-tricks in one-day internationals, was named in the 15-man squad announced by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in Colombo, pending a fitness test.The injury-prone Malinga, who has 271 wickets from 177 one-dayers, missed the last two series against India and England after going under the knife in September.His fitness will be tested when he takes part in the later stages of the seven-match series against New Zealand starting on Sunday.The SLC statement announcing the squad did not mention Malingas replacement if he was declared unfit.If Malinga is available for the World Cup, he will boost an already experienced squad which includes veteran batsmen Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, and spinner Rangana Herath.The team, led by Angelo Mathews, also has off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake, whose bowling action was recently cleared by the International Cricket Council after he was suspended in June.Sri Lanka, who won the World Cup in 1996, reached the final of the last two editions but lost to Australia in 2007 and to India in 2011.Sri Lanka are drawn in pool A alongside co-hosts Australia and New Zealand, England, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Scotland. The top four in the pool will advance to the quarter-finals.Mathews men begin their campaign with the tournament opener against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on February 14.The World Cup ends on March 29.Sri Lankas squad: Angelo Mathews (capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Sachithra Senanayake.Coach: Marvan Atapattu.
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