Tuesday 17 March 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Japan's trade deficit tumbles 47.3% on-year in February: govt

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TOKYO (AFP) - Japans trade deficit nearly halved year-on-year in February as lower oil prices helped reduce the cost of imports, official data showed Wednesday.The monthly deficit came in at 424.6 billion yen ($3.5 billion), down 47.3 percent from a year ago and well below the median forecast of 1.0 trillion yen in a survey by the Nikkei business daily.Exports rose 2.4 percent to 5.94 trillion yen chiefly on higher shipments of automobiles, electronic parts and machine tools.Imports fell 3.6 percent to 6.36 trillion yen as lower oil prices helped reduce energy bills for the resource-poor nation.Lower costs of liquefied natural gas (LNG) also reduced Japans huge post-Fukushima energy bills.Japans LNG imports remained high as utilities switched to thermal power generation as the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster sent atomic reactors off-line.

Facebook launches Brazil favela business program

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SAO PAULO (AFP) - Facebook launched a new initiative Tuesday to offer entrepreneurial and technology skills to small businesses in Sao Paulos biggest slum, a trial program eyeing Brazils huge and increasingly lucrative favelas.Under the program, computer use and classes will be offered to entrepreneurs in the poorer slum district of Heliopolis to help them reach more consumers.The training program, dubbed Facebook in the community, puts the company inside a largely uncharted social media market.This is a pioneering project, an innovation lab with 15 computers to deliver knowledge and training to the community and demonstrate how a page can be useful for a small firm, said Patrick Hruby from Facebook in Latin America.The initiative, intended as a pilot for other deprived communities on the outskirts of Brazils business hub, also offers training in management skills, computing and marketing.Brazil, with a population of around 200 million, boasts one of the worlds biggest and most media savvy online communities.According to official figures, the country is already one of the worlds top six information technology and communications markets.The room for growth is vast.Brazils 12.3 million favela residents are gradually gaining economic clout, with businesses in the countrys slums generating some $20 billion a year, according to research from consulting firm Data Popular.Hot dog catalystHruby explained the idea for the training emerged after he spoke at a business forum in Rio to the owner of a hotdog stall in that citys sprawling slum of Rocinha.He told us that 70 percent of his sales came via Facebook. That is, he was doing business through his customers via his profile.That conversation set in motion the search for tools to help other small businesses tap into the same source of revenue.With some 200,000 inhabitants, Heliopolis is home to around 5,000 assorted small businesses ranging from hairdressers and clothes stores to restaurants and fruit and vegetable stands.According to Facebook, only a small number of the business owners use the Internet to engage consumers and boost sales even though most have a personal Facebook profile.Were it not for the Internet and social media networks we couldnt have done this, Victor de Souza, a 26-year-old photographer who along with a friend created a photo and video studio.The pair work primarily on events within the favela but have been gradually branching out to win clients beyond the slum thanks to their Internet presence.If we are on the net, then were out there in the world, De Souza told AFP.Hairdresser Eder Camargo, 32, agreed.Most of my customers book their visits over Facebook. Its a great work tool.Camargo adds the new program will allow him to get up to speed with the accounting side of business.Facebook will benefit from the advertising generated by the program inside the slums, while small businesses can learn new tools to tap into the web.The program came about due to a partnership that included community organizer Unas.Our people are earning more, consuming more and this is a good business opportunity, said Cleide Alves, head of the Unas community association.For us it is important to have wider access to the Internet and technology. And for Facebook too it is important to come into a community such as ours, Alves said.

Facebook launches Brazil favela business program

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SAO PAULO (AFP) - Facebook launched a new initiative Tuesday to offer entrepreneurial and technology skills to small businesses in Sao Paulos biggest slum, a trial program eyeing Brazils huge and increasingly lucrative favelas.Under the program, computer use and classes will be offered to entrepreneurs in the poorer slum district of Heliopolis to help them reach more consumers.The training program, dubbed Facebook in the community, puts the company inside a largely uncharted social media market.This is a pioneering project, an innovation lab with 15 computers to deliver knowledge and training to the community and demonstrate how a page can be useful for a small firm, said Patrick Hruby from Facebook in Latin America.The initiative, intended as a pilot for other deprived communities on the outskirts of Brazils business hub, also offers training in management skills, computing and marketing.Brazil, with a population of around 200 million, boasts one of the worlds biggest and most media savvy online communities.According to official figures, the country is already one of the worlds top six information technology and communications markets.The room for growth is vast.Brazils 12.3 million favela residents are gradually gaining economic clout, with businesses in the countrys slums generating some $20 billion a year, according to research from consulting firm Data Popular.Hot dog catalystHruby explained the idea for the training emerged after he spoke at a business forum in Rio to the owner of a hotdog stall in that citys sprawling slum of Rocinha.He told us that 70 percent of his sales came via Facebook. That is, he was doing business through his customers via his profile.That conversation set in motion the search for tools to help other small businesses tap into the same source of revenue.With some 200,000 inhabitants, Heliopolis is home to around 5,000 assorted small businesses ranging from hairdressers and clothes stores to restaurants and fruit and vegetable stands.According to Facebook, only a small number of the business owners use the Internet to engage consumers and boost sales even though most have a personal Facebook profile.Were it not for the Internet and social media networks we couldnt have done this, Victor de Souza, a 26-year-old photographer who along with a friend created a photo and video studio.The pair work primarily on events within the favela but have been gradually branching out to win clients beyond the slum thanks to their Internet presence.If we are on the net, then were out there in the world, De Souza told AFP.Hairdresser Eder Camargo, 32, agreed.Most of my customers book their visits over Facebook. Its a great work tool.Camargo adds the new program will allow him to get up to speed with the accounting side of business.Facebook will benefit from the advertising generated by the program inside the slums, while small businesses can learn new tools to tap into the web.The program came about due to a partnership that included community organizer Unas.Our people are earning more, consuming more and this is a good business opportunity, said Cleide Alves, head of the Unas community association.For us it is important to have wider access to the Internet and technology. And for Facebook too it is important to come into a community such as ours, Alves said.

Sailing: Round-world fleet sails again as cyclone subsides

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AUCKLAND (AFP) - The Volvo Ocean Races six-strong fleet finally set sail for the most daunting leg of the nine-month offshore marathon on Wednesday after the threat of Cyclone Pam subsided.The deadly weather system, which swept through the South Pacific and led to widespread destruction and at least 11 deaths on the archipelago of Vanuatu, caused a three-day postponement of the fifth leg from Auckland to Itajai in south-east Brazil.Skippers and organisers agreed to hold up the start of the 6,776-nautical mile stage to allow the cyclone to clear the fleets planned route up New Zealands north island coast.Dongfeng Race Team (China) led the fleet out of Aucklands waters in light winds, but the fleet will not have too long to enjoy the benign conditions.By the start of next week, they are forecast to reach the Southern Ocean where winds of up to 40 knots (75 kilometres an hour) are expected to greet them.From there, they take on the notorious Cape Horn off the southern tip of South America, graveyard for many a sailor over the centuries, where waves of up to 30 metres (100 feet) have been recorded.The fleet will then turn north to re-enter the waters of the Atlantic for the first time since November, where they will race up the eastern Brazilian coast to Itajai.The boats are expected to endure three tough weeks of sailing to complete the route.Simon Fisher, the British navigator of overall race leaders Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, believes the leg will help point to the identity of the overall event winners.Theres nowhere else on earth where you can do so much fast downwind sailing for so long, he told reporters.Rite of passageIts going to be the first time the whole fleet sees a lot of wind for an extended period and it might shuffle the pack. Keeping in one piece all the way to the Horn is important, because thats where the race will be won and lost.The same leg caused havoc on the fleet in the last edition in 2011-12 with only stage winners Puma escaping serious damage and eventual event victors Groupama limping home with a makeshift jury rig. Two boats of the six-strong fleet failed to finish the leg.Stu Bannatyne, a six-time race veteran who has been recruited by Team Alvimedica for the leg, describes the stage as a rite of passage for any serious offshore race sailor. This is the best sailing in the world, he told reporters.Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing started the stage level on eight points with Dongfeng Race Team, but are race leaders courtesy of their superior in-port series record.They are trailed by Team Brunel (Netherlands) on 14 points, Team Alvimedica (Turkey/US) and fourth leg victors MAPFRE (Spain) on 16, and the all womens crew of Team SCA (Sweden) on 24.The fleet will cross the halfway point during the fifth leg. In all, the boats will cover 38,739nautical miles (71,745 kilometres), over nine legs, visiting 11 ports. The race is scheduled to finish on June 27 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Tennis: Serena battles through after Stephens scare

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INDIAN WELLS (AFP) - World number one Serena Williams woke up after a slow start to battle past American compatriot Sloane Stephens in three sets to reach the quarter-finals in Indian Wells on Tuesday.The 19-time Grand Slam winner defeated a dogged Stephens 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-2 on center court as her emotional return from a 14-year Indian Wells boycott gathers pace.Williams, 33, said it was good to get the experience this week of playing a two-hour match.I still am trying to find my bearings, she said. I have been off a little this week.I just had to stay focused and use the experience of a three-set match.Williams, who blasted 14 aces and broke Stephens six times in the two-hour, six-minute match, faces either Elina Svitolina of Ukraine or Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland next.The two former Fed Cup teammates have a colorful history after Stephens, 21, upset Williams in the quarter-finals of the 2013 Australian Open in three sets.That win ended Williams 20-match winning streak and the two havent been best buddies since then.Stephens gave an interview to a US magazine a couple months later saying Williams stopped talking to her after that and Stephens now describes their relationship as just colleagues.Williams got her revenge later in 2013 at the US Open when she beat Stephens 6-4, 6-1 in the round of 16 and Tuesdays contest was their first since then.Stephens best moments came in the first set, but after that Williams was able to take charge.The younger American came out with more energy as Williams was broken in her first two service games of the opening set. That allowed Stephens to jump out to a 3-0 lead, before Williams shook off the cobwebs.After four service breaks in the opening six games, the two held serve to force a tiebreaker. Stephens won that on the first set point.Williams broke Stephens in the opening game of the second, then took command midway through the set. She won the final three games, clinching the set in style with an ace.The third set was similar to the second, as Williams broke Stephens in the first game then won the final three games to win the match.Williams said that being number one means she cant take any opponent for granted because they step up their game against her.It does no good to scout players because they all play totally different against me, Williams said. Once you accept, that you will be fine.Williams is competing for the first time in Indian Wells since her self-imposed exile began after she won the 2001 final over Kim Clijsters 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.Williams says she is trying to forget the events of 2001, when the 19-year-old was booed during the final. Fans accused her of rigging matches against her sister Venus and Williams countered by saying that some resorted to hurling racial slurs at her and her family members who were attending the tournament that year.

Tokyo stocks open down 0.17%

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TOKYO (AFP) - Tokyo stocks opened 0.17 percent lower on Wednesday as caution grew following recent advances and ahead of a policy announcement by the US central bank.The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, which closed at a fresh 15-year high on Tuesday, slipped 29.24 points to 19,407.76 at the start.Shares in Nintendo were marked up 21 percent in early trade due to overwhelming buying bids after it said on Tuesday that it was stepping into the smartphone games market.Nintendo said that it was teaming up with a mobile gaming company to develop games for smartphones in what could be a turning point for the Japanese giant.For the broader market, investors were awaiting the US Federal Reserves policy announcement Wednesday, which is expected to give clues on the timing of an increase in near-zero interest rates, perhaps as early as June.The dollar bought 121.33 yen, compared with 121.34 yen in New York late Tuesday.The euro was at $1.0593 and 128.54 yen against $1.0590 and 128.51 yen in US trade.Currency rates hardly changed after official data showed Japans trade deficit fell 47.3 percent on-year in February, largely thanks to lower oil prices.US stocks Tuesday finished mostly lower ahead of the Fed announcement, while the tech-rich Nasdaq rose on news of a potential new Apple television venture.The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.71 percent, and the broad-based S&P 500 shed 0.34 percent.The Nasdaq Composite Index closed up 0.16 percent.

Brazil ruling-party treasurer retains post despite charge

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BRASILIA (AFP) - The treasurer of Brazils ruling Workers Party (PT) will stay in his post for now despite being charged in relation to a huge corruption scandal roiling state oil firm Petrobras, the party chairman said Tuesday.The public prosecutor investigating the multibillion-dollar kickbacks case which has ensnared some four dozen politicians, mainly PT allies, on Monday charged Joao Vaccari with corruption and money laundering, based on evidence gathered in a year-long investigation.PT treasurer Vaccari is accused of receiving huge bribes which he insists were political donations.But Rui Falcao, the party chairman, told reporters Vaccari would stay in his post as any accusation presupposes he is innocent until proven otherwise.Falcao added that all of our donations are legal, registered, accounted for and have been declared to the Superior Electoral Court.There was no clamor within the party for Vaccari to step down, he added.Vaccari denies any wrongdoing in the worst corruption scandal Brazil has known, which has left President Dilma Rousseff, a former Petrobras board chair, under intense pressure.

High-riding India hold all cards over Bangladesh

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MELBOURNE (AFP) - Defending champions India steam into Thursdays quarter-final against first-timers Bangladesh with the momentum of an unbeaten six-game pool run as the World Cup becomes cut-throat.India have reached the knockout rounds in unexpected ebullient form after their dismal win-less Test and one-day tour of Australia just prior to the World Cup to join New Zealand as the only unbeaten teams left in the marathon tournament.It would be a considerable upset if ninth-ranked Bangladesh, who muddled through almost the entire last year beating only Zimbabwe in Tests or ODIs, can dethrone the champions.Bangladesh can count among their three wins in 28 ODI encounters against their neighbours an upset five-wicket win in the pool stages at the 2007 tournament in the West Indies.Given the atmospherics and in the vast intimidating arena of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, it will be some effort from the Bangladeshis to repeat that, but they point out it is a one-off, theres no second chance and things might fall in place.India have been transformed by the batting of Shikhar Dhawan (337 at 56.16) and Virat Kohli (301 at 75.25), while Mahendra Singh Dhoni has regained his touch as a clear-thinking finisher allied to his steely leadership.Indias bowlers struggled for two months in Australia before the World Cup, but have dismissed the opposition in every single World Cup game so far, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohit Sharma and Umesh Yadav all into double figures of wickets.Plenty in the Indian team are contributing and therein lies Bangladeshs stiff task of pulling off their finest victory under the circumstances of a pressure sudden-death match at the MCG.We have the same kind of pressure (as playing at home in the last World Cup), Dhoni said.Irrespective of which team we play or which tournament we play, we are under pressure. The good thing, the boys are quite used to it. A few times, there have been instances where we are down, but from that position, also, we have come back strongly and we have done well.The big prize could be a likely Sydney semi-final with Australia, if the co-hosts can overcome the 1992 champions Pakistan in Adelaide on Friday.While the two-time champion Indians are familiar with the pressure of sudden-death World Cup cricket, this will be Bangladeshs first quarter-final.There could be anything up to 80,000-90,000 fans at the MCG this week, many of them Indians and Bangladeshis creating a pulsating atmosphere, something not out of place on the sub-continent.Everyone is excited about the game but as a professional unit we must focus on the task ahead, skipper Mashrafe Mortaza said. Its a chance to show the world that we are among the top teams.Vice-captain and star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan refuses to be undaunted by the massive challenge. India have a very good team, they are the defending world champions, theyve got some world class players but were doing well in this World Cup, our confidence is high enough and were up for the match, Shakib said.Obviously, on pen and paper, India is a better team than Bangladesh, no-one has any doubt about it.But on the day its a one-off game and if we have a good day and they have a bad day, you never know.Its been a special tournament for Bangladesh with confidence high inside the camp after their three wins and rained-out point with AustraliaThey sent their country into raptures with their stunning 15-run victory to knock England out of the tournament and lock in on a quarter-final berth.In the subcontinent, people always expect a lot from you and because were playing well there is some expectation, Shakib said.

Tennis: Williams battles through after Stephens scare

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INDIAN WELLS (Agencies) - Struggling with her serve and a rash of errors, Serena Williams needed three sets to get by Sloane Stephens 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 in the fourth round at the BNP Paribas Open and extend her winning streak to 14 matches Tuesday.Williams committed 52 unforced errors and had nine double faults to go with 13 aces and 31 winners in the up-and-down match played in 90-degree (32 Celsius) heat.She set up match point with a 128-mph ace and won when Stephens dumped a backhand into the net, one of her 36 errors.Williams broke Stephens three times in the final set of her third match at Indian Wells since ending a 14-year personal boycott of the tournament, where she has won two titles.Stephens recovered after blowing a 3-1 lead in the first set to dominate the tiebreaker that included just one winner, a smash by Williams to trail 3-2.Stephens won four of the final five points and then promptly got broken to start the second set. Her double faults in the first game set up both break points, and Williams cashed in on the second one when Stephens backhand went long.Stephens held to get to 3-2 before Williams won five straight games to close out the second set 6-2 and take a 2-0 lead in the third.In third round mens play, Jack Sock upset 15th-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; No. 9 seed Tomas Berdych beat Steve Johnson, 6-4, 6-2; No. 13 Gilles Simon defeated qualifier Michael Berrer, 6-2, 7-5; and No. 27 Lukas Rosol edged Robin Haase, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2).Rafael Nadal takes on Donald Young later, followed by Maria Sharapova against defending champion Flavia Pennetta.Roger Federer plays Andreas Seppi at night in a rematch of their Australian Open encounter, when Seppi upset Federer in the third round.No. 12 Carla Suarez Navarro beat Heather Watson 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals.

LatAm leftists hold summit in support of Venezuela

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CARACAS (AFP) - Leaders from leftist Latin American regional bloc ALBA gathered Tuesday for a summit in Caracas, a show of support for Venezuela in its mounting standoff with the United States.The meeting of the 11-nation Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America comes as the United States faces backlash in Latin America over its new sanctions on Venezuela.President Barack Obama rubbed many governments in the region the wrong way by declaring Venezuela an extraordinary threat to the national security of the United States last week -- language that US officials said was a formality for imposing sanctions, but that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said showed the US was itself an imperialist threat.Ecuadoran Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino, in Caracas for the summit, said it was fundamental for the region to unite against what could be an intervention in Venezuela.Declaring a country a threat is a prelude to an invasion, he said.Presidents Raul Castro of Cuba, Evo Morales of Bolivia and Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua were also in town for the summit.ALBA was launched in 2004 by late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and former Cuban president Fidel Castro as a leftist alternative to the United States proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas.ALBAs members are Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Granada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.The fallout from the new US sanctions threatens to tarnish the goodwill Obama fostered in the region by moving to end Washingtons five-decade isolation of Cuba.After Obama imposed the new sanctions on seven senior Venezuelan officials accused of rights abuses and an opposition crackdown, Maduro responded by recalling Venezuelas envoy to Washington and lashing out at the imperialist elite.The socialist leader then ordered 10 days of defensive military exercises and asked Venezuelas National Assembly to grant him the power to rule by decree on defense and public safety matters -- a request voted through by his legislative majority Sunday.Hemispheric relations are in the spotlight ahead of the Summit of the Americas in Panama on April 10-11, where Obama will rub elbows with his Latin American counterparts and Cuba will participate for the first time.A top US diplomat downplayed struggling oil giant Venezuelas current influence in the region Tuesday.Venezuelas ability to exercise influence has been greatly undermined by its serious economic problems and its ongoing efforts to try to stave off a balance of payments crisis, Alex Lee, the US deputy assistant secretary of state for South America and Cuba, told a Senate subcommittee.But, he added, the crisis in Venezuela will be a priority for Obama at the Summit of the Americas.

6.6 earthquake hits Indonesia, no tsunami alert

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JAKARTA (AFP) - A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesias Molucca Sea on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said, but no tsunami alert was issued and there were no reports of damage.The quake struck at a depth of 41 kilometres (25 miles), 134 kilometres northwest of Kota Ternate at 2212 GMT Tuesday, the USGS said.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami threat.Hendra Rahman, an official from Indonesias meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency, said the quake was felt moderately in Manado, on Sulawesi island, and on the island of Ternate.But he added there had been no reports of damage.Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.A huge undersea quake in 2004 triggered a tsunami that killed more than 170,000 people in Aceh province, on western Sumatra island, and tens of thousands more in other countries with coasts on the Indian Ocean.

Liquid metal 'Terminator' robot inspires 3D printer

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VANCOUVER (AFP) - A terrifying killer liquid metal robot from a blockbuster Terminator science fiction film has inspired what was heralded here as a revolution in 3D printing.Chemist Joseph DeSimone was at the prestigious TED Conference on Tuesday with a new-kind of 3D printer that let creations rise from pools of molten liquid in much the way the dreaded T-1000 robot from the second Terminator film rose from a silvery puddle.We were inspired by the Terminator 2 scene for the T-1000, DeSimone said.Why couldnt you have an object rise out of a puddle in real time with essentially no waste?DeSimone and co-inventors developed a technology they call Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP) that harnesses powers of light and oxygen in a printer that brings designed objects quickly into existence from small reservoirs of elastic material with sophisticated properties.We have a reservoir that holds the puddle like the T-1000, DeSimone said as he demonstrated CLIP on stage at TED.Printing finished parts at speeds competitive with current manufacturing processes is a game changer, he told AFP.Current 3D printers rely on spraying layer upon layer of material, slowly building objects over the course of many hours. The time taken by such printers means it is not feasible to use resins that change chemically before the printing is finished.3D printing is actually a misnomer; it is actually 2D printing over and over again, DeSimone said.There are mushrooms that grow faster than 3D printed parts.CLIP is 25 to 100 times faster than traditional 3D printers, and uses synthetic resins with mechanical properties strong enough to make them finished parts, according to DeSimone.He saw the technology transforming manufacturing from cars, planes, and turbines to dental or surgical implants customized to patients during procedures in medical clinics.CLIP is aimed at commercial manufacturing operations. Prototypes are being tested by an auto company; an athletic apparel maker, a Hollywood design studio and an academic research lab, according to DeSimone.We can now use chemistries that no one else has been able to tackle, and that gives rise to great properties, DeSimone said.I dont know if we will have the T-1000. We are not there yet.DeSimone and his co-inventors have set up shop in Silicon Valley and will be ramping up for production within a year, but had yet to determine a price for CLIP printers.

6.6 earthquake hits Indonesia, no tsunami alert

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JAKARTA (AFP) - A strong 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit Indonesias Molucca Sea on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said, but no tsunami alert was issued.The quake struck at a depth of 41 kilometres (25 miles), 134 kilometres northwest of Kota Ternate, the USGS said.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami threat.Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.A huge undersea quake in 2004 triggered a tsunami that killed more than 170,000 people in Aceh province, on western Sumatra island, and tens of thousands more in other countries with coasts on the Indian Ocean.

Football: French coach Giresse rejoins Mali

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JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Former France midfield star Alain Giresse signed a contract in Bamako Tuesday to coach Mali again, football officials said.The 62-year-old succeeds Pole Henryk Kasperczak, who quit the job soon after a first-round exit from the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.Giresse suffered a similar fate in Equatorial Guinea as Senegal failed to make the knockout stage despite starting the tournament among the title favourites.When first in charge of Mali, he guided them to third at the 2012 Cup of Nations co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.Giresse then coached the Senegalese Teranga Lions, but like many handlers before him was unable to mould talented individuals into a trophy-winning side.He fell out with former Newcastle United and Chelsea striker Demba Ba, omitting him from the 2015 Cup of Nations squad.His first task with Mali will be to prepare for the June start of the 2017 Cup of Nations qualifiers.Although they never won the Cup of Nations, the Eagles have consistently boxed above their weight, finishing second once, third twice and fourth three times.Giresse was a key cog in the French 1984 European championship-winning team, starring in a midfield that also included current UEFA president Michel Platini.

Outcast Pietersen set for another chance with England

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LONDON (AP) - A year ago, England decided it could no longer live with the divisive dressing-room influence of Kevin Pietersen and ditched its most talented and prolific batsman.The realization is dawning on English cricket, however, that it cant live without him.As the national team lurches from one embarrassment to another, Pietersen is being held up as a potential savior. As one British newspaper put it recently, he could go from being the outcast to the messiah.From the moment he was dumped after last years Ashes whitewash by Australia so, as England put it, the team could build a new ethos and philosophy Pietersen has said he would do anything for another chance.It seems barely a day goes by when Pietersen, a brash, social media-friendly character, doesnt beg for a recall. And in the past few weeks, Pietersen has been given fresh hope.Colin Graves, the incoming chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, said last month that players would be picked on performance and not personality when he takes over the role in May. Then, England was eliminated at the pool stage in the Cricket World Cup with barely a whimper, its exit sealed by a humiliating loss to Bangladesh.Cue fevered speculation about a return for Pietersen.There will be a change of scenery at board level with the ECB, Pietersen told Fox Sports in Australia, and Ive always expressed my desire to play for England again if I get the opportunity.It seems encouraging but Ive obviously got a few steps that Ive got to climb.Officially, Pietersen is in Australia to work as a television pundit with Fox for the knockout stage of the World Cup. Yet he is using the stage to promote his potential usefulness for England.I dont think my best days are behind me, Pietersen said on Tuesday. Thats nonsense I reckon Ive still got quite a few test hundreds in me.Graves said Pietersen would need to play county cricket in England if he is to stand a chance of being selected for his country. Selectors cant ignore Pietersen, Graves added, if he is scoring runs at county level.Forget personalities, Graves told The Daily Telegraph. Selectors pick the best players in form, taking wickets, and scoring runs. That is their job.The Telegraph has reported that Pietersen is willing to turn his back on his lucrative contract with Indian Premier League team Sunrisers Hyderabad to ensure his availability for English county cricket ahead of summer series against New Zealand and Australia. Pietersen retweeted a link to that story, and told Fox: Thats what Im looking at at the moment.Pietersen is a former England captain and the countrys all-time leading run-scorer in all formats. He has scored 23 centuries in his total of 8,181 runs at an average of 47.28 over 104 tests. He has averaged 40.73 runs in 136 one-day internationals, and 37.93 runs in 37 Twenty20 internationals.If he does make a dramatic England return, Pietersen would have to mend some relationships that are likely to have been affected by allegations in his autobiography, released in October, that a clique in the England side bullied and intimidated teammates. He was also very critical of former players and members of the coaching staff.Pietersen was the second-highest scorer in the recent Big Bash T20 tournament in Australia, hitting 293 runs at an average of 41.86 for Melbourne Stars, and played without pain, showing he could be over a knee problem that affected the last years of his test career.Surrey deregistered Pietersen six months ago after a summer in which he played only T20 cricket, but would be the favorite to resign him if he can secure a release from his arrangement to play in the IPL.When you dont play any form of international cricket and youve had it for such a long time, anything, absolutely anything (will do), Pietersen said. Test cricket, one-day cricket, playing for your country, is very special.
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