Wednesday 11 March 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

West boosts Ukraine aid as Russia bridles at sanctions

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The IMF handed Ukraine a $17.5 billion lifeline Wednesday as the United States agreed to send military aid to bolster its forces against pro-Russian rebels -- but stopped short of promising weapons.The United States also expanded the reach of its economic sanctions, targeting a Russian bank and separatist officials in eastern Ukraine -- a move Moscow branded a political provocation that would only worsen the crisis.Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko welcomed the increased US support in the face of what he called the separatists barbaric aggression, despite Washington snubbing growing calls for arms and ammunition.After a call with US Vice President Joe Biden and a meeting in Kiev with sympathetic US congressmen, Poroshenko thanked the United States for the offer to send military equipment -- but not weapons -- worth $75 million.Ukraine has asked Western powers for weapons to help it fight the rebellion, but Washington remains cautious and key ally Germany remains flat-out opposed to supplying munitions.Humvees, radar, dronesWhite House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama was concerned that sending more weapons to an already unstable region would lead to greater bloodshed.The president is mindful of the fact that there is not a military solution to this problem, he said.It is unreasonable to suggest that the United States would be able to provide enough military support to the Ukrainian military that they could overwhelm the military operations that are currently being backed by Russia.US officials said the package would include 230 Humvee vehicles, unarmed Raven drones, counter-mortar radars, night vision devices and various medical and communications gear.Meanwhile, new US sanctions targeted officials in the separatist self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic in Ukraine, as well as a Russian bank and a nationalist group.The Russian National Commercial Bank has become the largest bank in Crimea since Russia seized the region from Ukraine last year.Also listed was the Eurasian Youth Union, a nationalist Russian group said to recruit fighters to join the rebels.Three officials of the pro-Moscow government of former Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych, who was overthrown in an uprising in February 2014, were also added to US sanctions lists.The sanctions freeze any assets the individuals and institutions hold on US territory and ban Americans from doing business with them.Russias deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Washingtons allegations that Moscow is backing the separatist movement were dreary and pointless, as he slammed the new sanctions.Its difficult to understand what is guiding the US Treasury Department and other authorities in introducing sanctions and expanding the sanctions lists, he told the Interfax news agency.We see no logical link that would in some way explain such decisions, given Washingtons declaration that it is interested in the situation returning to normal.Shattered financesThe Washington-based International Monetary Fund, meanwhile, gave Kiev breathing room to rebuild its shattered finances, reeling from the fighting in its industrial heartland.The four-year, $17.5 billion (15.5 billion euro) aid plan replaces an existing IMF program, less than a year old, that proved inadequate to stabilize Ukraines finances.Five billion dollars will be disbursed immediately and a total of 10 billion in the first year. The heavily front-loaded program will support deep and wide-ranging policy reforms, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde said.First outlined by Lagarde in early February, after the IMF reached a preliminary agreement with Ukrainian authorities on economic reforms, the IMF aid is to be part of about $40 billion in assistance from the international community.The White House welcomed the plan and made it clear it saw it as part of the international effort to shore up Ukraine against its foes.The United States is working alongside international partners to provide Ukraine with the financial support it needs, it said.Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told a briefing in Kiev that the bailout was a reward for reforms already undertaken and he vowed the government would continue.It obliges us to keep going, not to stop, he said.Losing patienceDespite a February 12 agreement in Minsk to halt hostilities, fighting has continued around Debaltseve, Donetsk and the port of Mariupol, killing at least 65 Ukrainian troops.There has also been an escalation of tensions between Russia and the West.Moscow has withdrawn from the landmark Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe, and the United States has begun to deploy 3,000 troops on a three-month exercise to the Baltic region.If Russia continues to support destabilizing activity in Ukraine and violate the Minsk agreements and implementation plan, the already substantial costs it faces will continue to rise, the US Treasury warned.President Vladimir Putins Russia, meanwhile, denies allegations from Kiev and Western capitals that it has sent heavy weapons and thousands of troops to support the rebels.The separatist conflict has killed more than 6,000 people in 11 months -- Ukrainian troops, separatist militiamen, Russian volunteers and civilians caught in the crossfire.

Israel vote seen as referendum on Netanyahu years

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JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israelis vote next week in an election seen as a referendum on the tenure of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who could lose but still secure a new term in power.Netanyahu, 65, called for the March 17 vote late last year as his coalition government teetered on the brink of collapse. It will be Israels third election since 2009 and the premiers biggest challenge after six years at the helm.Netanyahu is the big question here, after having been in power for so long, said political analyst Tamir Sheafer.The veteran rightwing leader is not certain to win the vote, with the most recent opinion polls giving a three-point lead to the centre-left Zionist Union led by Isaac Herzog.But with polls showing Netanyahus natural allies on the right likely to win the most seats, he has a clear advantage in piecing together a coalition with smaller parties.The next prime minister will have to deal with a series of daunting domestic and foreign policy challenges including Irans nuclear programme, repairing ties with the United States and maintaining economic growth.And then there are the tricky issues of ties with the Palestinians following the collapse of peace talks last year, instability left over from the 2014 Gaza war and a looming legal challenge at the International Criminal Court.Contrasting personalitiesAs in previous elections, Netanyahu has framed himself as the only candidate capable of protecting Israel from Iran and the threat of Islamic extremism.Last week, he made a bellicose address to the US Congress in which he pilloried nuclear talks between world powers and Tehran, in a move that put severe strain on Israels relationship with the White House.It was also aimed at sending a message of strength to voters back home. But analysts are unconvinced that sabre-rattling is the best way to win votes this time.It has been a while since Israelis wanted a strongman; we want the next leader to be charismatic and to solve problems, Sheafer said.Netanyahus only realistic opponent is Herzog, who in pushing for social justice and fresh talks with the Palestinians is offering voters a stark alternative.A shrewd diplomat who has held several cabinet posts, Herzog has every bit the political pedigree to be the next prime minister but has been accused of lacking charisma, Sheafer says.Still, with many Israelis feeling the pinch from the soaring cost of living and a housing crisis, Herzog and his number two -- former chief peace negotiator Tzipi Livni who heads the centrist HaTnuah faction -- may have found a stick big enough to beat Netanyahu with.It was always said of me that I didnt have the resources, but I proved that I did. I am a lot stronger than people realise, Herzog has said.Arabs unitedWhen the polls open at 7:00 am (0500 GMT) on Tuesday, more than 5.8 million people will be able to vote in a race contested by 25 lists.Under Israels proportional representation system, any party can enter parliament if it receives more than 3.25 percent of the vote.Until last year, the threshold was two percent but legislation to raise it prompted Israels main Arab parties to unite into a Joint List, with polls predicting they will win around 12 seats in the 120-member Knesset.Several polls this week predicted the Zionist Union would win 24 seats, putting them three or four ahead of Netanyahus Likud which has seen a recent erosion in support.The last time Israel elected a Labour leader was in 1999.The polls close at 10:00 pm and results are due early Wednesday, after which President Reuven Rivlin has a week to ask the party leader who believes they can form a government to do so.The leader then has 28 days to present a government lineup.With 24 or 25 seats, the party of the next prime minister will be the weakest in all Western democracies. Thats less than 20 percent of the vote, said political scientist Denis Charbit.The leaders party is going to be a minority in its own government.Moshe Kahlon, a popular former Likud minister, has so far hedged his bets about which candidate he would back, making him and his centre-right Kulanu party -- which is slated to win eight seats -- a potential kingmaker.

South Korea cuts interest rate to record low 1.75 percent

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SEOUL (AFP) - South Koreas central bank made a surprise quarter-percentage point cut to its benchmark interest rate on Thursday, taking it to an all-time low of 1.75 percent, reflecting continued concerns over deflation and the pace of growth.It was the first cut since October when the Bank of Korea (BOK) took the rate down to a record-equalling low of 2.0 percent -- a level last seen in 2009-10 when Asias fourth-largest economy was seeking to recover from the global financial crisis.The countrys inflation has remained stubbornly below the central banks target rate of 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent for almost three years.Slumping oil prices saw on-year inflation fall to 0.5 percent in February, the lowest rate for 15 years, deepening fears of Japan-style deflation that could hammer an overgrown property market.The central bank in January slashed its economic growth forecast for this year to 3.4 percent from the previous 3.9 percent, while it lowered its inflation outlook to 1.9 percent from the 2.4 percent previously stated.Seouls finance minister Choi Kyung-Hwan also voiced deflation concerns earlier this month, warning that Seoul risked following a similar step taken by Japan during its Lost Decade.Thursdays unexpected rate cut came as the worlds major economies including the eurozone continue to slash rates or launch massive monetary easing policies to boost growth.

Mexico to sell $52 million daily to stop peso slide

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MEXICO CITY (AFP) - Mexicos central bank announced Wednesday that it will sell $52 million per day over the next three months to stop the peso from sliding further after the currency reached historic lows.The daily auction comes on top of a mechanism in which the bank sells $200 million on days that the peso drops by 1.5 percent from the previous days closing price.The fundamental goal is to preserve the stability of the Mexican economy and ensure the order, the liquidity and the good functioning of the foreign exchange market, Finance Minister Luis Videgaray said in a speech.Videgaray said the pesos depreciation was part of a global strengthening of the dollar due to market expectations that the US Federal Reserve will hike interest rates and the positive economic outlook of the United States.The $52 million daily sale began Wednesday and will run through June 8 in order to slow the pace of the accumulation of international reserves, which have reached almost $200 billion.The $200 million mechanism has been used twice since it was launched in December.The new tactic appeared to slow the currencys slide on Wednesday as the peso closed at 15.76 against the dollar, clawing back 0.89 percent from the previous day, when it finished at 15.90.The peso hit record lows in recent weeks, reaching the lowest point since March 2009, when the country was in recession.The peso has depreciated by 4.8 percent since the start of the year, Videgaray said. But it has strengthened against the euro, the Canadian dollar and the Brazilian real.Analysts say the pesos weakening against the dollar is also due to a sharp drop in global oil prices, which have forced Latin Americas second biggest economy to slash its budget and reduce its growth outlook.

Formula One: Sauber appeal opens to decide driver line-up

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MELBOURNE (AFP) - Formula One minnows Sauber on Thursday launched an appeal against a court ruling that could decide their starting line-up for this weekends season-opening Australian Grand Prix.The Swiss team on Wednesday lost a case bought by driver Giedo van der Garde in the Victoria Supreme Court. The Dutchman claimed he was guaranteed a seat for the 2015 season but that Sauber reneged on the deal.Van der Garde originally took his gripe to a Swiss arbitration tribunal which ordered Sauber to keep him on the team. Victoria Supreme Court Justice Clyde Croft backed that ruling, enforcing it in Australia.Sauber, which hired Swedens Marcus Ericsson and rookie Brazilian Felipe Nasr for 2015, claims it will be unsafe to allow the Dutchman to drive in Sundays race at such short notice, with their custom-built cars not able to be reconfigured to fit his body.There is no practical way we can allow (and) facilitate Mr van der Garde in this new C34 Ferrari which he has not previously raced, the teams lawyer Rodney Garratt told the three appeal judges.The last time he did any competitive driving was in November 2013, he added in remarks reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.The concerns over safety prompted Court of Appeal Justice David Beach to question what action race officials would likely take.Is it part of your case that the authorities in charge of safety would not permit him to race in any event whatever this court did? he reportedly asked Garratt.I really wonder what were all doing here if nothing we do can alter what is going to occur over the next few days.The judges gave Sauber two hours to put their case forward.Van der Garde, 29, a reserve driver for the Swiss team last year after competing for Caterham in 2013, said on Thursday he was keen to get back in a race car with official practice for the Melbourne race getting under way on Friday.Im very fit and very strong. Im looking forward to going back to the team, work hard and do our best for the weekend, he said.Sauber endured a poor season in 2014, failing to register a single point in 19 races.But they showed encouraging speed and reliability in pre-season testing with Nasr going fastest on the second day of the first test in Jerez.

Eleven presumed dead in US military helicopter crash

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MIAMI (AFP) - Seven US Marines and four aircrew were missing and presumed dead Wednesday after their army helicopter crashed during a night training exercise in Florida, military officials said.The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was reported missing Tuesday around 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Wednesday) near Eglin Air Force Base.The area was under heavy fog but it was not immediately clear if that played a part in the accident.Base spokesman Andy Bourland said rescue teams located debris from the aircraft at around 2:00 am and an investigation was ongoing.The thoughts and prayers of everybody here at the White House are with the families of those who were killed in this that occurred apparently overnight, spokesman Josh Earnest said.President Barack Obama had expressed his condolences in phone calls with the military commanders affected.The president reassured the commanders of the nations deep appreciation for the many sacrifices that our men and women in uniform and their families make to protect and defend our country, Earnest added.A second Black Hawk returned safely to base.The choppers, assigned to the 1-244th Assault Helicopter Battalion in Hammond, Louisiana, were participating in what the military called a routine training mission with the Marine Special Operations Regiment from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.Major General Glenn Curtis said: As we speak, theres an ongoing search and rescue operation to search for that aircraft and search for our service members that were on it, and thats as much as I know at this point.Curtis, of the Louisiana National Guard, added: At this hour our priorities, my priorities, are search and rescue for our soldiers and the Marines, and secondly is to take care of our families. And we are doing both of those. This will remain a search and rescue operation until further notice.Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told lawmakers during a hearing: My thoughts and prayers are with their families as the search and rescue continues.Separately, a Marine died Wednesday when a civilian T-59 Hawk jet crashed on a runway at a Marine Corps air station in Yuma, Arizona.The aircraft crash impacted a government vehicle, resulting in a Marine fatality, a statement said, adding that the pilot and passenger of the aircraft were examined and later released by medics.

Tokyo stocks open 0.34% higher

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TOKYO (AFP) - Tokyo stocks opened 0.34 percent higher on Thursday on a weak yen following a choppy session on US markets with the euro slipping further towards parity with the dollar.The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange increased 63.58 points to 18,787.10 at the start.Exporters led early gains on the weak yen, which eased selling sentiment following declines in US stocks.The greenbacks ascent against the yen is generally positive for Japanese exporters as it makes them more competitive overseas and inflates the value of their repatriated profits.The dollar traded at 121.46 yen on Thursday in Tokyo against 121.44 yen in New York. The euro fell to $1.0542 from $1.0548 and to 128.07 yen from 128.10 yen.US stocks finished slightly down Wednesday as the euro hit a new 12-year low of $1.0510.The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.16 percent while the broad-based S&P 500 shed 0.19 percent.Equity markets continued to watch the euro-dollar pair after the European Central Bank this week launched a massive government bond-buying stimulus programme.The dollar was also being supported by expectations that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates sooner rather than later.

UAE win toss, field against South Africa

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WELLINGTON (AFP) - The United Arab Emirates won the toss and put South Africa into bat in their World Cup Pool B match at the Westpac Stadium on Thursday.South Africa are in second place in the group behind defending champions India who have already qualified for the quarter-finals.The Proteas will wrap up their spot in the last eight with victory over the UAE amateurs who have lost all of their four games so far.

Cricket: Pakistan's Khan wants to honour Woolmer with win

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ADELAIDE (AFP) - Senior Pakistan batsman Younis Khan hopes his side will defeat Ireland in Sundays must-win World Cup clash as a tribute to their late former coach Bob Woolmer.Woolmer, aged 58, was found dead in his hotel room a day after Pakistan were knocked out of the 2007 World Cup by Ireland in Jamaica.After lengthy investigations that included the possibility of murder or suicide, Jamaican police eventually announced that Woolmer had died of natural causes.The same two teams meet again, this time two days ahead of St Patricks Day, with the winner advancing to the quarter-finals and the losers fate hanging by a thread.Khan, 37, is the only member of that 2007 squad still involved in this World Cup, as are three Irishmen -- skipper William Porterfield and the OBrien brothers, Niall and Kevin.Eoin Morgan, who played for Ireland in that match, is now the current England captain.This is surely a very emotional game for me and all of us, Khan said, remembering the man who coached Pakistan from 2004 till his death. I remember Bob a lot, he contributed so much to Pakistan cricket.Hope we can win this game and some more in the World Cup. There would be nothing better to dedicate to Bobs memory.Khan said he expected a close game against the fast-improving Ireland team that had beaten the West Indies earlier in the tournament.It is not about taking revenge, it is about us winning the game to qualify, he said. We have to be at our best on Sunday.

World shares blame for Syria's worst year: rights groups

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BEIRUT (AFP) - The international community shares responsibility for the worst year yet for civilians in Syrias conflict and has failed to tackle a growing humanitarian disaster, rights groups said Thursday.In a report entitled Failing Syria, 21 human rights organisations criticised world powers for not implementing a series of UN Security Council resolutions on the crisis.Three resolutions adopted in 2014 urged armed actors in Syria to protect non-combatants and aimed to secure greater access to humanitarian aid for millions of Syrians.However, the resolutions, and the hope they provided, have rung hollow for Syrian civilians. They have been ignored or undermined by the parties to the conflict, other UN member states and even by members of the (Security Council) itself, the report said.Last year was the deadliest yet in the conflict, with at least 76,000 people killed out of a total of more than 210,000 since it began on March 15, 2011.As the war enters a fifth year, there is no end in sight.This is a betrayal of our ideals, because were not supposed to be watching people suffer and die in 2015, said Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, which contributed to the report.It criticised both rebels and regime forces for indiscriminately targeting civilian infrastructure, including schools and health facilities, and for limiting access to civilians in need.The report, whose signatories included Oxfam, International Rescue Committee and Save the Children, said 4.8 million Syrians live in areas defined by the United Nations as hard to reach for aid deliveries -- almost twice as many as in 2013.But as needs have increased, funding has not kept pace. Only 57 percent of the money needed to support Syrian civilians and refugees was provided in 2014, down from 71 percent in 2013.Egeland told AFP that, in the coming year, the UN will need roughly $8.4 billion (7.9 billion euros) in aid for Syrian civilians.Its one-sixth of the cost of the 2013 Sochi Olympics - so how could Russia afford the Sochi Olympics, but cannot afford sizeable contributions for this underfunded operation, he asked.Egeland said the international community could struggle with the effects of the crisis for two generations to come.Were not providing any hope to millions of Syrian youth, he said. So do we then believe they will not be easily attracted to extremism?Syrias conflict began with peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations but escalated into a bloody civil war.More than 11.2 million Syrians have been displaced in what the UN has called the worst refugee crisis in 20 years.

Astronauts board Soyuz to return to Earth

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MIAMI (AFP) - Two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut on Wednesday boarded a Soyuz space capsule in preparation for their return to Earth after spending six months at the International Space Station.Yelena Serova, Alexander Samokutyaev and Barry Wilmore said farewell to their three crewmates who are staying at the orbiting lab, and floated into the Soyuz, closing the hatch behind them at 3:36 pm Eastern time (1936 GMT).The Soyuz undocked from the space station at 6:44 pm (2244 GMT), according to a live broadcast of the event on NASA television.Expedition 42 is over, said NASA commentator Rob Navias.Wilmore, Serova and Samokutyaev begin the journey home.The trio left Earth on September 26. They spent 167 days in space and traveled more than 70 million miles (112 million kilometers) during that time, NASA said.A de-orbit burn is planned for 9:16 pm (0116 GMT Thursday). Then, aided by a parachute, the Soyuz spacecraft is expected to land on a snow-covered steppe in Kazakhstan at 10:08 pm (0208 GMT Thursday).The next crew launches from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on March 28.The men on board will be US astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Gennady Padalka.Kelly and Kornienko will stay at the research outpost for an entire year instead of the usual six months, collecting valuable biomedical data that will inform future deep space, long-duration missions, NASA said.

Tennis: Sharapova boost for Russian Fed Cup hopes: Tarpischev

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MOSCOW (AFP) - World number two Maria Sharapovas participation will considerably boost Russias Fed Cup chances this year, national tennis federation boss Shamil Tarpischev insisted Wednesday.Four-time winners Russia take on two-time champions Germany for a place in the final in Sochi from April 18-19, as the Czech Republic host France in the second semi-final in Ostrava.We held talks with her (Sharapova) in recent days, ITAR-TASS news agency quoted Tarpishchev as saying.Now were all happy that she has agreed to play against Germany. Her participation gives Russia a serious advantage. We want to win the Fed Cup this year. Together with Maria we have much more of a chance of doing that.Sharapova must compete in the womens team event if she wants to bid for gold in Rio next year.And the 27-year-old declared earlier Wednesday she was ready for the tie against Germany who Russia lead 3-1 in previous meetings.Sochi, Im coming back (with my tennis gear this time), Sharapova wrote at her official Twitter page.Russia had a disappointing 2014 campaign, losing 4-0 to Australia in their opening round clash. But Sharapova made a rare but decisive Fed Cup appearance in February helping Russia beat Poland in the opening round at Krakow. It was just her fourth Fed Cup appearance since her 2008 debut.

Lights out over Syria as war enters fifth year

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Much of Syria is regularly plunged into debilitating darkness, experts said Wednesday, highlighting the scale of the wars devastation as the conflict enters its fifth year.Analyzing satellite images, scientists from Wuhan University in China found that since March 2011, when the war broke out, the number of lights visible over Syria at night has fallen by 83 percent, a coalition of 130 non-governmental organizations said in a statement.The divided and devastated city of Aleppo, once Syrias main commercial hub, has been the worst hit with 97 percent of night lights extinguished in the past four years.Syria is entering the dark ages, literally and metaphorically, said former British foreign secretary David Miliband, now president of the International Rescue Committee, which has joined with the global withSyria coalition.Syrian President Bashar al-Assads use of barrel bombs against his own people, in a war which has now claimed more than 200,000 lives, rolls back centuries of human peacekeeping and the history of war, Miliband told reporters on a conference call.Chinese scientist Xi Li, who led the research, said the night light data never tells lies -- but admitted that even he had been shocked at their findings.More night lights lost means more displaced persons... destruction of infrastructure and power shortages, Xi said.Satellite imagery is the most objective source of data showing the devastation of Syria on a national scale, he said.Taken from 500 miles above the Earth, these images help us understand the suffering and fear experienced by ordinary Syrians every day as their country is destroyed around them.The exceptions were the provinces of Damascus and Quneitra, near the Israeli border, where the decline in light has been 35 percent and 47 percent respectively.Former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright called for a stepped-up commitment from the international community to bring about an end to the war, saying that Assad was making a mockery of UN resolutions.What is happening on the ground in Syria is a human rights and humanitarian catastrophe of the first order, Albright said, adding that the scale of human suffering in Syria has become almost impossible to comprehend.

Ferguson police chief quits after racism report

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The embattled police chief in Ferguson, Missouri resigned Wednesday, a week after a scathing US Justice Department report into the fatal shooting of the unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by one of his officers.Thomas Jackson is the latest prominent official in the St. Louis suburb to stand down, seven months after Brown was shot and killed by white police officer Darren Wilson, igniting angry protests and a national debate about race and law enforcement.It is with profound sadness that I am announcing I am stepping down from my position of chief of police, wrote Jackson, who has been police chief since 2010.His resignation -- which was reported by the St Louis Post Dispatch welcomed by Browns family -- will take effect on March 19, he said, to allow an orderly transition of command.In a brief statement, the City of Ferguson confirmed it had agreed a mutual separation with Jackson that would see him get severance pay and health insurance for a year.The Justice Department last Wednesday said it lacked sufficient evidence to prosecute Wilson on federal civil rights charges over the August 9 death of 18-year-old Brown after an altercation on a quiet residential street.Faulted for racial biasBut it condemned Fergusons city hall, police department and municipal court for racial bias in targeting its African-American majority as a means to generate revenue.Browns family has indicated it intends to file a civil lawsuit against Ferguson and Wilson, accusing them of unlawful death.Michael Browns mother and father are relieved that actions are being taken to address the very disturbing findings in the Department of Justice report, family lawyer Benjamin Crump told CNN.Jackson is the fifth Ferguson official to resign in the wake of the Justice Departments damning findings.Others include Fergusons municipal court judge, two long-time police commanders -- including Wilsons supervisor -- and, on Tuesday, its city manager.Fergusons court clerk was meanwhile fired over emails that smacked of racism.Still in office is Ferguson Mayor James Knowles. He has promised root-and-branch reforms in the community of 21,000, in which two in three residents is African American.At a late afternoon press conference, Knowles called the silver-haired Jackson an honorable man who recognized that the way to move forward was with someone else, and so he left.Wilson, no longer with the overwhelmingly white Ferguson police force, said he shot Brown after the youth -- a suspect in a corner-store shoplifting -- tried to grab hold of his firearm.Others insist that Brown had put his hands up in a gesture of surrender when Wilson opened fire.No indictmentA grand jury in November chose not to indict Wilson on murder or manslaughter charges, reigniting protests that sometimes turned violent.Police departments around the United States have come under intense scrutiny over the deaths of African-Americans -- from New York, where Eric Garner died after he was put in a chokehold during a sidewalk arrest, to Madison, Wisconsin where protests continued Wednesday after Fridays shooting death of an unarmed teenager.Outgoing federal Attorney General Eric Holder has threatened Ferguson with a lawsuit if it fails to fulfill a set of recommendations to overhaul its law enforcement and municipal court system.Mayor Knowles, a thirtysomething Republican elected four months before Brown was killed, on Wednesday ruled out dismantling Fergusons police department.Instead, he said, Ferguson will pursue a nationwide search for a new police chief and city manager, in an attempt to become an example of a city that can move forward in the face of adversity.

Mayweather, Pacquiao begin countdown to their big fight

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LOS ANGELES (AP) - Manny Pacquiao was out walking the red carpet by the time Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived, fashionably late for their first appearance together to promote a fight that really needs no promoting.But it didnt take long Wednesday for Mayweather to put the fight into perspective in a way that only a fighter nicknamed Money can.You get to this level where youre making nine figures in 36 minutes, Mayweather said, and you have to be a winner.Mayweather had the math right, though he declined to say just how much he will make in the May 2 fight that has stirred excitement far beyond the boxing community. He will get 60 percent of the purse in what is expected to be boxings richest fight ever, a haul that could exceed $120 million for Mayweather alone.Pacquiao wont do badly, either, in a fight that was five years in the making and will break records in another way it will cost fans more than any other fight in history to watch both at the MGM Grand arena or in the comfort of their living rooms.At the only press conference the fighters will do prior to the week of the fight, promoters announced that tickets would range from $1,500 in the upper reaches of the MGM Garden to $7,500 at ringside. The pay-per-view price wasnt announced, but is expected to be in the $90-100 range.They may have to reach deep into their pockets to afford it, but theres little doubt that boxing fans will buy it. They want to see what Mayweather and Pacquiao say they are eager to show the two biggest draws in boxing settling things between them once and for all in the ring.We dont want to leave a question mark in the minds of fans of boxing, said Pacquiao, from the Philippines. Its also very important this fight is for the honor of my country.If the interest in the press conference at a downtown theater was any indication, the fight is already on its way to record business. More than 700 credentials were issued for the event, and both fighters walked a red carpet lined by photographers and video cameras that was worthy of the Academy Awards.Mayweather came late, though he could walk over from his condo next door. The pay-per-view king was businesslike and relatively subdued, with nothing bad to say about Pacquiao or anyone in his camp.Its always good to have the best fight the best, Mayweather said. Thats whats so intriguing about this match up.Mayweather said he was adamant about making the fight, pestering manager Al Haymon to get it done. But the biggest bout in recent history still may not have happened if not for a chance meeting between Mayweather and Pacquiao at a Miami Heat basketball game in January a meeting that took place only because a big storm on the East Coast delayed Pacquiaos flight.Mayweather went to Pacquiaos hotel suite afterward and the two talked and decided the fight had to be made.I didnt say a lot of words because I didnt want to say a mistake, Pacquiao said. He said theres an A-side and a B-side and the purse would be 40-60. Thats enough to put me in the B-side.Mayweather said the fight reminded him of when he was young and Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard fought in a huge middleweight title match in 1987. Mayweather said he wondered then how there could ever be a fight as big as that one.Now hes in a fight that will be bigger, if only because technology has advanced far enough to sell it to almost every home in the country.Its all about timing and I think we couldnt choose a better time, Mayweather said. This is a fight the world cant miss. This is an unbelievable matchup.Both fighters went out of their way to be polite and respectful to each other. Mayweather also had good things to say about Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum, who he often said he would never work with again after being promoted early in his career by Arum.About the only one not following the script was Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach, who said his fighter will have an easier time against Mayweather than he would have if the fight was made five years ago because Mayweathers legs are slowing and he cant move as well as he used to.We have to dominate him in the first round and take him out of his comfort zone right away, Roach said. Our game plan is to win each round, one at a time.Like his fighter, Roach will earn some big money from the bout. He may need it, because Pacquiao is charging him $5 for using a certain swear word that the trainer cant stop using.Before the press conference began, Roach was already down $30.Salary reduction, Pacquiao said, laughing as he patted Roach on the knee.
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