Friday 17 April 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

New Google security chief looks for balance with privacy

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MOUNTAIN VIEW (AFP) - Google has a new sheriff keeping watch over the wilds of the Internet.Austrian-born Gerhard Eschelbeck has ranged the British city of Oxford; cavorted at notorious Def Con hacker conclaves, wrangled a herd of startups, and camped out in Silicon Valley.He now holds the reins of security and privacy for all-things Google.In an exclusive interview with AFP, Eschelbeck spoke of using Googles massive scope to protect users from cyber villains such as spammers and state-sponsored spies.The size of our computing infrastructure allows us to process, analyze, and research the changing threat landscape and look ahead to predict what is coming, Eschelbeck said during his first one-on-one press interview in his new post.Security is obviously a constant race; the key is how far can you look ahead.Eschelbeck took charge of Googles 500-strong security and privacy team early this year, returning to Silicon Valley after running engineering for a computer security company in Oxford for two years.It was a very natural move for me to join Google, Eschelbeck said. What really excited me was doing security at large scale.Googles range of global services and products means there are many fronts for a security expert to defend. Googles size also means there are arsenals of powerful computer servers for defenders to employ and large-scale data from which to discern cyber dangers.Eschelbecks career in security stretches back two decades to a startup he built while a university student in Austria that was acquired by security company McAfee.What started out as a six-month work stint in California where McAfee is based turned into a 15-year stay by Eschelbeck.He created and advised an array of computer security startups before heading off to Oxford. Eschelbeck, has worked at computer technology titans such as Sophos and Qualys, and holds patents for network security technologies.Constant attackHe was confident his team was up to the challenge of fending off cyber attacks, even from onslaughts of sophisticated operations run by the likes of the US National Security Agency or the Chinese military.Eschelbeck vowed that he would absolutely find any hacker that came after his network.As a security guy, I am never comfortable, he said. But, I do have a very strong team...I have confidence we have the right reactive and proactive defense mechanisms as well.State-sponsored cyber attacks making news in the past year come on top of well-known trends of hacking expressly for fun or profit.The sheer numbers of attack vectors has rocketed exponentially over time, with weapons targeting smartphones, applications, datacenters, operating systems and more.You can safely assume that every property on the Internet is continuously under attack, Eschelbeck said.I feel really strong about our ability to identify them before they become a threat and the ability to block and prevent them from entering our environment.Scrambling dataEschelbeck is a backer of encrypting data, whether it be an email to a friend or photos stored in the cloud.I hope for a time when all the traffic on the Internet is encrypted, he said.Youre not sending a letter to your friend in a transparent envelop, and that is why encryption in transport is so critical.He believes that within five years, accessing accounts with no more than passwords will be a thing of the past.Google lets people require code numbers sent to phones be used along with passwords to access accounts in what is referred to as two-factor authentication.The Internet titan also provides safe browsing technology that warns people when they are heading to websites rigged to attack visitors.Google identifies about 50,000 malicious websites monthly, and another 90,000 phishing websites designed to trick people into giving up their passwords or other valuable personal information, Eschelbeck said.We have some really great visibility into the Web, as you can imagine, he said.The time for us to recognize a bad site is incredibly short.Doubling-down on privacyEschelbeck saw the world of online security as fairly black and white, while the privacy side of his job required subjective interpretations.Google works closely with data protection authorities in Europe and elsewhere to try and harmonize privacy protections with the standards in various countries.I really believe that with security and privacy, there is more overlap than there are differences, he said.We have made a tremendous effort to focus and double-down on privacy issues.As have other large Internet companies, Google has routinely made public requests by government agencies for information about users.Requests are carefully reviewed, and only about 65 percent of them satisfied, according to Google.Privacy, to me, is protecting and securing my activities; that they are personal to myself and not visible to the whole wide world, Eschelbeck said.

Intense Yemen bombing, Qaeda attack after UN peace call

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SANAA (AFP) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for international action to end the Saudi-led air campaign on Huthi rebels as intense bombing hit Yemen again Friday and Al-Qaeda seized more ground in the chaos.Columns of smoke rose over an arms depot targeted by warplanes east of the capital Sanaa, witnesses said.The facility belonged to the elite Republican Guard, which remains loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.Renegade troops loyal to Saleh are allied with the Huthi rebels, whose sweeping advance forced President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to flee to Riyadh last month.Following heavy overnight air strikes in the north, coalition aircraft also hit the presidential palace in the southern city of Taez, the witnesses said.Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri said that from this afternoon we have started operations in Taez.Speaking in Riyadh, he added that there had been 100 sorties in Yemen on Thursday, indicating there is no end in sight to the operation.This works needs patience, persistence and precision. We are not in a hurry... We have the time and we have the capabilities.Air strikes on the southern port city of Aden killed a rebel, while at least 76 other people died in bombing and fighting around Aden and Taez, officials said.The United Nations says hundreds of people have died and thousands of families fled their homes in the war, which has also killed six Saudi security personnel in border skirmishes.Ban called for an immediate ceasefire, saying the country was in flames and all sides must return to political negotiations.His remarks followed the resignation of envoy Jamal Benomar, saying he wanted to move on to a new assignment, but diplomats confirmed that he had lost the support of Yemens exiled president and Gulf countries.Saudi Arabia and its neighbours accuse Benomar of being duped by the Huthis who took part in peace negotiations as they pushed their offensive.The Moroccan diplomat had been instrumental in negotiating a deal that eased Saleh from office in February 2012 after a year of protests against his three-decade rule.Political process a mustSaudi Arabias regional rival, Iran, presented a four-point peace plan Friday to Ban after its foreign minister spoke to the UN chief late Thursday.The plan calls for a ceasefire and immediate end to all foreign military attacks, the urgent delivery of humanitarian and medical aid, a resumption of political talks and the formation of a national unity government.It is imperative for the international community to get more effectively involved in ending the senseless aerial attacks and establishing a ceasefire, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote.The foreign minister added that the only way to restore peace and stability is to allow all Yemeni parties to establish, without any foreign interference, their own inclusive national unity government.The Yemen conflict has sent tensions soaring between Saudi Arabia and Iran.Tehran is a key ally of the Huthis but denies arming them.This is not true, Iranian media on Friday reported Hossein Salami, deputy commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards, as saying.Yemen has sunk further into chaos since the start of the air raids, most of which Western diplomats say have been carried out by Saudi Arabia itself.Yemen is a front line in the US war on Al-Qaeda, which has exploited the growing turmoil to expand its control of areas in the southeast of the deeply tribal Arabian Peninsula country.Qaeda overruns MukallaOn Friday, Al-Qaeda overran a key army camp in the Hadramawt provincial capital Mukalla, seizing heavy weapons and consolidating its grip on the city, an official said.Residents confirmed that the camp, which had remained loyal to Hadi, was taken without resistance.Despite the collapse of Hadis government in Yemen, Washington has vowed to carry on its campaign against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.Two suspected AQAP militants were killed in an apparent US drone strike in Shabwa province in the south overnight, a tribal source said.The World Health Organization, in a new toll, says 767 people have died in Yemens war since March 19 and more than 2,900 were wounded. The majority have been civilians.The United Nations launched an urgent appeal for $274 million (253 million euros) to provide emergency aid for what was already the regions poorest country.Ordinary families are struggling to access health care, water, food and fuel -- basic requirements for their survival, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Johannes Van Der Klaauw said.The White House said President Barack Obama will host leaders of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council on May 13-14 to discuss Yemen and other regional issues.Meanwhile, a Norwegian journalist, detained in Huthi-controlled Sanaa in late March, has been freed and is on his way home, Oslos foreign ministry said.

Football: City aim to avoid Hammer blow in top-four bid

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MANCHESTER (AFP) - Manchester Citys attempt to remain in the top four of the Premier League has been hampered by a five-man injury list and the news that captain Vincent Kompany may not play again this season.Manuel Pellegrinis side, who have slipped to the fourth and final Champions League qualifying place, will be without Kompany, strikers Stevan Jovetic and Wilfried Bony, in-form midfielder James Milner and defender Gael Clichy for the home game against West Ham United at Eastlands on Sunday.Belgium defender Kompany injured his groin in last weekends devastating 4-2 Manchester derby defeat at Old Trafford and Pellegrini conceded he cannot say whether he will play again over the remaining six games of a disappointing campaign.He is injured, said Pellegrini. Its very difficult to know the way you will improve if you are injured.We dont know how many weeks he will be out for, the Chilean added. He has a muscle injury. We dont know if he will be fit from now to the end of the season.Citys hopes of a successful Premier League title defence had all but evaporated before their defeat by Manchester United last weekend -- their sixth loss in eight games in all competitions.Pellegrini is shaping up for a vital six-game run to the end of the season which will decide the fate of his team - and possibly even his own job status, as pressure mounts with every setback and the names of Pep Guardiola, Patrick Vieira and Jurgen Klopp thrust forward as potential replacements.That is why every time you finish a season you must analyse things, whether you win or lose, that is important, said Pellegrini.I dont think if we lost the next six games it would be the same analysis as if we won the next six games.If we win the next six games we maybe finish second, if we lose the next six games then maybe we finish eighthAfter that, you must review the complete season, make the correct diagnosis and make the correct solution.Toure troublePellegrini has also refused to comment on speculation that key players, such as under-performing midfielder Yaya Toure, will be allowed to leave the club after the season and the manager insisted the Ivory Coast international could still be an important figure at City.I dont think hes happy with his performance this year -- and nor am I, said Pellegrini. But we must support him and return him to his normal performance.Maybe if we play without Yaya when he was at the Africa Cup and wed won all the games, then he comes back and we start losing, maybe then you think that.Yaya needs support, hes a very important player and he will have my support until the end of the season.West Ham have won just two of their last 15 league games and their hopes of ending the season on a high have been hit by an injury to Diafra Sakho, the striker who tore a thigh muscle in last weekends 1-1 draw with Stoke City.Sakho is likely to miss the remainder of the season, paving the way for Carlton Cole to play a more prominent role in the final weeks.Sakho has a thigh problem. Hell be out until maybe the end of the season, said Hammers manager Sam Allardyce.With Sahko out, we are a little short in the goal-scoring department. So, I am expecting Carlton to play a big role for us in the next few games and he can deliver for us against Man City.Allardyce, whose side are ninth, added: We want to finish in the top 10 because that would mean our highest place in the three seasons since we got back in the Premier League. That would mean we have had a good season and progressed in the right manner.

Football: Gerrard eyes one last bid for FA Cup glory

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LONDON (AFP) - Steven Gerrard is gunning to lead Liverpool against fellow Premier League side Aston Villa in an FA Cup semi-final at Londons Wembley Stadium on Sunday.The Reds captain, in his final season, with the Anfield club, is available after missing Liverpools last three matches through suspension, having been sent off for stamping on Ander Herrera during a 2-1 league defeat at home to bitter rivals Manchester United on March 22.But now the question is how Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will deploy veteran midfielder Gerrard.Liverpool native Gerrard has been a one-club man in his 17-year professional career so far, but he is set to bring down the curtain on his time at Anfield come the end of the season when he joins Major League Soccers Los Angeles Galaxy.For Liverpool fans, the fairytale finish would see former England captain Gerrard lifting the FA Cup in a Wembley final on May 30 -- his 35th birthday.Reds staff organised a behind-closed-doors friendly on Monday to help assess Gerrards fitness but Rodgers was in no doubt he could feature against VillaSpecial footballerSteven is definitely ready. We had a game here on Monday that he played in, said Rodgers.Hes a special footballer. He has always produced big goals and big moments. The most important thing is having him back for Sunday, the Northern Irishman added.He knows Wembley well. Hes got special quality.Liverpool also have a chance of finishing in the top four and qualifying for next seasons Champions League but goalkeeper Simon Mignolet said they shouldnt have to decide between dreams of Europe or FA Cup success.The next game is the FA Cup semi-final so the focus is on that but you dont really choose between your mum and dad so we still have two things to play for and we will try to do that from now until the end of the season, Mignolet said.We want to do both -- lets hope we can do both. We have the FA Cup and league still to play for and we want to do well in every single game.Both Liverpool and Villa have won the FA Cup seven times, but whereas the Reds most recent success was in 2006, you have to go back to 1957 for the last of the Birmingham clubs Cup triumphs.This has been a gruelling season for Villa, who sacked manager Paul Lambert and brought in Tim Sherwood but are currently just six points above the bottom three and still not safe from relegationHowever, they head into Sundays match with key striker Christian Benteke, a Belgium team-mate of Mignolet, on a run of nine goals in his last eight games for club and country, including he winner in last weeks 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.I still think I can do more, in everything. I cant say Im happy to be there now, I want to do more and more and more, said Benteke, who ruptured his Achilles 12 months ago.He added everyone connected with the club was desperate their Cup adventure didnt end on Sunday.I think when you play a semi-final you want to get to the end. You cant say youre just happy to be there even if you lose, you want to go until the end.Sundays winners will play either Arsenal, currently second in the Premier League or Championship side Reading, who meet at Wembley on Saturday, in the final.

Football: Chelsea look to overcome United hurdle

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LONDON (AFP) - Chelsea will face an in-form Manchester United as they try to move one step closer to the Premier League title at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.Jose Mourinhos table-toppers are currently seven points in front of second-placed Arsenal, who are involved in FA Cup semi-final action against Reading at Wembley on Saturday.Third-placed United are a point further back, having played a game more than Chelsea, but Louis van Gaals men will arrive in London on a run of six successive wins.Chelsea need just 12 points from their seven remaining matches to win their first league title since 2010 and while a defeat on Saturday wouldnt spell the end of their challenge, it would give the chasing pack a glimmer of hope.The Blues form over the whole season was reflected on Thursday when the Chelsea pair of striker Diego Costa, currently the Premier Leagues joint top-scorer on 19 goals with Tottenham Hotspurs Harry Kane, and the gifted Eden Hazard were among the six nominees for Englands Professional Footballers Association Premier League Player of the Year award.But that hasnt stopped Chelsea proving unpopular with fans of other clubs, something Blues manager Mourinho attributes to their remorseless consistency.We are boring, top of the league since day one, Mourinho said Friday.Everyone would love the Premier League to be like the (second-tier) Championship at this moment, with four teams separated by a couple of points, he added.I know this would be the ideal scenario in the Premier League...We are trying not to allow that to happen.Meanwhile United, fresh from their 4-2 derby victory, have suffered an injury crisis ahead of their trip to west London.They will be without influential midfielder Michael Carrick (calf) plus key defenders Marcos Rojo (stomach), Phil Jones and Daley Blind (both ankle).Uniteds injury problems mean manager Louis van Gaal may have to deploy striker Wayne Rooney in midfield, having used the club captain there earlier in the season.It is the worst possible scenario, van Gaal said Friday. So I have to change my line-up a lot against Chelsea.Blind and Carrick play in the holding position in midfield, I dont have any other player, or Wayne Rooney can play in the position, the Dutchman addedKompany setbackFaltering champions Manchester City, now 12 points off top spot, will look to ease the pressure on manager Manuel Pellegrini with victory at home to West Ham on Sunday following last weeks derby defeat.Their task wont be made any easier by the absence due to a groin injury of captain Vincent Kompany, with manager Manuel Pellegrini fearing the Belgium centre-back will miss the rest of the season.He has a muscle injury, we dont know how many weeks, said Pellegrini. We dont know if he will be fit from now until the end of the season.Sixth-placed Southampton will continue their quest for European football -- and possibly even a place in the Champions League -- away to Stoke on Saturday.Meanwhile, basement club Leicester are only three points adrift from safety heading into their match at home to Swansea on Saturday.The Foxes will kick-off buoyed by last weeks 3-2 win over West Bromwich Albion and manager Nigel Pearson said: Our future is in our own hands and if we go into the last game with that we have given ourselves a realistic chance.Second-from-bottom Burnley travel to Everton on Saturday while Tottenham, looking to qualify for Europe, are away to struggling Newcastle on Sunday.Liverpool and Aston Villa take a break from league action to play in the second of this weekends two FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on Sunday.Fixtures (1400 GMT unless stated)Saturday: Chelsea v Manchester United (1630 GMT), Crystal Palace v West Bromwich Albion, Everton v Burnley, Leicester v Swansea, Stoke v SouthamptonSunday: Manchester City v West Ham (1230 GMT), Newcastle v Tottenham (1500 GMT)

US condemns 'brutal' FARC attack in Colombia

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States branded a FARC attack that killed 11 Colombian soldiers brutal Friday and accused the Marxist guerrillas of violating their unilateral ceasefire.The attack on Tuesday-Wednesday came as the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are in peace talks that have been under way in Havana since November 2012 in a bid to end more than five decades of conflict that have killed over 200,000 people.Bogota accused the FARC of committing a war crime by ambushing a resting army unit with unconventional weapons in the attack in the western rebel bastion of Cauca.Marie Harf, acting State Department spokeswoman, said in a statement: We reaffirm our continuing support to the government of Colombia in its efforts to end the nations 50 year conflict.We condemn the brutal attack in Cauca orchestrated by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).The offensive was in direct violation of the unilateral ceasefire they committed to last December.Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos lifted a suspension of air strikes on the rebels in the wake of the attack but did not call a halt to the peace talks.It is our sincere hope that negotiators reach an accord soon to bring peace to all Colombians, Harf added.

Retired US Marine charged over girlfriend's Panama murder

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A retired US Marine was charged Friday with murdering his girlfriend, dismembering her body and dumping her remains in a jungle in Panama, the Department of Justice said.Brian Karl Brimager, 37, was indicted by a federal grand jury in San Diego, California on first degree murder charges over the death of Los Angeles woman Yvonne Baldelli.In September 2011 the couple moved from Los Angeles to the archipelago of Bocas del Toro, in Panama, renting a room on an island reachable only by boat, the Department of Justice said in a statement, citing the indictment.It alleges that Brimager was emailing another girlfriend, the mother of his young daughter, and meanwhile beating Baldelli.In November that year Brimager murdered Baldelli, dismembered her body and disposed of its parts in a remote jungle area, according to the indictment, before conducting an elaborate scheme to cover his tracks.It included sending emails from Baldellis email account pretending to be her and using her bank card to withdraw money from ATMs.Baldellis remains were not found until almost two years after her murder.Brimager, in US custody since June 2013 on other charges related to the murder, was arraigned in court and pleaded not guilty.

Arrests in Australia over terror offences

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SYDNEY (AFP) - Five men were arrested in Australia on Saturday with two of them facing terrorism charges, including planning an alleged attack targeting police officers.Seven search warrants were executed in Melbourne by a joint counter-terrorism team, two months after Prime Minister Tony Abbott warned the threat from home-grown extremists was worsening.Police said two 18-year-old men were held over terrorism-related offences.It is alleged the men were undertaking preparations for planning a terrorist act in Australia, which included targeting police officers, Victoria state police said in a statement.A third man, also 18, was arrested on weapons charges with two other teenagers, aged 18 and 19, in custody and assisting with enquiries.Police said searches were continuing at several addresses in the southeast of the city, with investigations ongoing.Australia raised its threat level to high last September and has since carried out a series of counter-terrorism raids, with alarm fuelled by the departure of at least 110 of its nationals to Iraq and Syria to fight with the Islamic State group.More than 30 have returned to Australia.A string of incidents, including a December siege in a Sydney cafe by a self-styled cleric who attempted to link his actions to Islamic State, have raised awareness about radicalisation among Muslims in Australia.In February, two men were charged after police thwarted an imminent attack in Sydney, seizing an Islamic State flag, a machete and an Arabic-language video detailing the alleged plot.The same month Abbott, in a national security address, warned of a long-term era of heightened threats from home-grown extremists as he announced fresh measures to combat the issue including revoking citizenship for dual-nationals linked to terrorism.

At least 21 killed in fighting near Libyan capital

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BENGHAZI (AFP) - At least 21 people were killed in fighting near Libyas capital Tripoli Friday, military sources said, as the countrys rival parliaments met in Morocco for UN-brokered peace talks aimed at forming a unity government to end the unrest.Pro-government forces clashed with fighters from the Fajr Libya militia alliance in Tajoura, 30 kilometres (19 miles) east of Tripoli, as the forces of the internationally recognised government launched an attack against the militias camp in a new attempt to regain control of the capital.14 soldiers, four fighters from Fajr Libya, and three women were killed today in Tajoura, a pro-government military source told AFP, adding that the women were killed accidentally in rocket fire.Another 24 people were wounded, he said, without giving a breakdown.A Fajr Libya spokesman in Tripoli, Mohamad Shami, confirmed the attack but gave a much higher death toll on the pro-government side.32 members of the attacking forces were killed, Shami said.Fajr Libya is in full control of Tajoura, and there are minor clashes near a camp called the 101 camp where some of the attackers are still there and Fajr Libya forces are surrounding them, he added.A second pro-government military source told AFP that there are ongoing fierce battles in Tajoura area, with the help of our airforce launching air strikes.The fresh fighting marks a new front as forces loyal to the internationally recognised government try to reenter the capital, under the control of Fajr Libya since August.The country has had two governments and parliaments since the alliance of militia seized Tripoli in August and the internationally recognised government fled to the countrys far east.On March 24, the UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) unveiled a six-point plan to end the crisis, including the formation of a transitional unity government until a new constitution is adopted and elections held.The rival parliaments are currently in Morocco to try to thrash out an agreement.UNSMIL said Friday that there were still differences that needed to be worked out before a consensus was reached.We have received the text from the parties on their remarks. There are differences that we are working to narrow, UNSMIL spokesman Samir Ghattas said in statement texted to AFP.The country has been politically divided since a 2011 revolt that toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi. Armed groups have filled the vacuum as they battle for control of the countrys oil wealth and cities.

Syrian doctors ask Russia to help unblock medical aid

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Two Syrian doctors urged Russian diplomats at the United Nations on Friday to put pressure on President Bashar al-Assad to allow life-saving medical supplies into a besieged city near Damascus.The meeting came a day after the UN Security Council heard the two doctors give a detailed account of treating victims of chemical attacks last month in Idlib province.Doctor Zaher Sahloul told the diplomats that 10 people had died of kidney failure in the besieged city of Douma because they did not have access to dialysis fluid and 23 others are at risk unless the medical aid is let in.The dialysis fluid is blocked. We asked for their help to get it in, Sahloul told AFP after the one-hour meeting.Russia, an ally of the Assad regime, voted in favour of a resolution last year that demanded access for humanitarian aid and set up deliveries of cross-border aid convoys, without the consent of Damascus.Sahloul, who heads the Syrian American Medical Society, said the Russian diplomats said they would try to help unblock the aid.The Russian mission at the United Nations confirmed the meeting, but declined to give details.Sahloul and doctor Mohamed Tennari, who treated victims of a chlorine bomb attack on a village last month, asked the Russian diplomats to help set up protected areas in Syria for hospitals, schools and other civilian areas.Sahloul said the Russian diplomats were open to the idea.The UN Security Council is due next week to hear an update on the humanitarian crisis in Syria.At a previous meeting last month, UN aid chief Valerie Amos reported that 440,000 Syrians were trapped in besieged areas, more than double the total from the previous month.The United Nations is struggling to provide aid to more than 12 million Syrians, or half of the population, in need of food aid in the four-year war.

NBA: Lakers great Abdul-Jabbar recovering after heart op

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Legendary former Lakers center and NBA Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is expected to make a full recovery after quadruple coronary-bypass surgery, hospital officials said Friday.Abdul-Jabbar was admitted to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles with cardiovascular disease and underwent surgery on Thursday -- his 68th birthday, the hospital said in a statement issued at Abdul-Jabbars request.At this time, Abdul-Jabbar would like to thank his surgical team and the medical staff at UCLA, his alma mater, for the excellent care he has received, the statement said.He is looking forward to getting back to his normal activities soon.Abdul-Jabbar, famed for his trademark sky hook shot, played 20 seasons in the NBA, with the Milwaukee Bucks and Lakers.Before retiring in 1989 he won six NBA Championships -- five with the Lakers. He was a 19-time All-Star and six-time league Most Valuable Player.Born Lewis Alcindor jnr in New York, Abdul-Jabbar adopted his Muslim name in 1971.Prior to entering the NBA he enjoyed a stellar collegiate career, winning three consecutive national titles at UCLA under iconic coach John Wooden.He asks that you keep him in your thoughts and, most importantly, cherish and live each day to its fullest, the hospitals statement on his behalf said.Abdul-Jabbar also urged fans wanting to send him well wishes to instead support those in your own community who may be suffering from various health issues.

French railway Holocaust lawsuit aims to fill gaps: lawyer

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - A lawsuit in Chicago by Holocaust descendants against Frances national railway SNCF aims to fill gaps in a $60 million settlement reached in December, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said Friday.The class-action suit seeks compensation for the confiscation and sale of personal property and for third-class train fares billed to the Nazis even though the victims were packed into cattle cars.It comes four months after France agreed to pay $60 million to the United States to be shared among Americans and foreign nationals deported to Nazi death camps on French trains during World War II.That agreement is a good first step, but it excludes far too many people, Steven Blonder of the Chicago law firm Much Shelist Denenberg Ament told AFP by telephone.We are trying to hold SNCF accountable for its actions, and (the December agreement) does not do that... The gaps in that agreement were too big, and too many people are left with nothing.The suit was filed on Thursday, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, in US federal court in Chicago.SNCF committed, conspired to commit and aided and abetted others who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, it alleges.Acting with full knowledge, SNCF was complicit in the commission of genocide.In a statement to AFP, SNCF said it has no comment on the complaint in the United States and has no additional information to provide.Personal property allegedly seized includes cash, securities, silver, gold, jewelry, works of art, musical instruments, clothing and equipment.The goods were illegally, improperly and coercively taken from the ownership or control of an individual during the deportations, the lawsuit claims.Matter of justiceNow is the time. Its time for SNCF to step up and take responsiblity, Blonder said.My hope is that this will be an impetus for SNCF to do the right thing... The population of Holocaust victims is dwindling, and there is a saying: justice delayed is justice denied.The lead plaintiff in the case is Karen Scalin, a Chicago resident whose grandparents were sent from France on an SNCF train to Polands Auschwitz concentration camp, where they died in November 1942.The two other named plaintiffs, Josiane Piquard and Roland Cherrier, are both French citizens and residents whose relatives were deported to Auschwitz and died there during the war.But Blonder said he has heard from a thousand potential class members and that the number of plaintiffs could certainly go up.The lawsuit alleges: SNCFs unlawful and torturous conduct as described herein was done intentionally, maliciously and wantonly, and for the purpose of obtaining revenues for and maintaining the independence of SNCF.Plaintiffs are thereby entitled to an award of punitive damages as well as compensatory damages.The lawsuit also speaks of a mutually beneficial relationship between the SNCF and the Nazis.The Nazis received the human fodder for their Final Solution, as well as the victims property, all through the collaboration of SNCF, it said.The plaintiffs say the US federal court has jurisdiction over the matter because the claims arise under international law enforceable in the Chicago court as federal law.The suit also claims that the statute of limitations has not expired, even though they took place nearly 75 years ago, because the SNCF only opened some of its archives to the public in 2012.

Dollar weakens after long rally

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar retreated Friday from a months-long rally as uninspiring US economic data left investors pushing back the timing of a Federal Reserve interest rate increase.According to the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index, which tracks the greenback against 10 other major currencies, the dollar dropped 1.6 percent this week. In the year to date, the US currency has climbed 4.8 percent, after an 11 percent gain in 2014, Bloomberg News said.While the move was driven by back-to-back weakness in US data and mixed comments from Federal Reserve officials, the dollar had become extremely overbought in a very short period of time and a correction is natural, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.Traders needed an excuse to take profits and this weeks disappointing consumer spending and housing market reports provided the perfect incentive.The euro rose to $1.0810 around 2100 GMT from $1.0761 Thursday.Even though some US policymakers support a later rate hike, their comments suggest they all see the Fed tightening by September, Lien said.Finance chiefs of the Group of 20 countries, meeting in Washington on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings, said that diverging growth rates and monetary policies in major economies were stirring more uncertainty and sharp swings in markets.There are important challenges including volatility in exchange rates and prolonged low inflation, sustained internal and external imbalances, high public debt and geopolitical tensions, the group said.French Finance Minister Michel Sapin, speaking to journalists after the G20 meeting, said that Europeans seek stability over the long term with the euro at its current level.If we would like to, or we would let known that we would like to, let the euros value fall further, we would enter a dangerous zone, he said.2100 GMT Friday ThursdayEUR/USD 1.0810 1.0761EUR/JPY 128.49 128.10EUR/CHF 1.0285 1.0290EUR/GBP 0.7223 0.7206USD/JPY 118.86 119.04USD/CHF 0.9515 0.9562GBP/USD 1.4964 1.4933

US piles pressure on Athens as Greek crisis roils markets

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States piled pressure on Greece Friday to agree to key reforms to obtain new EU financing, but equity markets sank in fear that Athens is headed for default.Stepping into the latest European financial crisis, both President Barack Obama and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said Greece needs to reach a deal that will get it $7.2 billion euros ($7.8 billion) more in bailout financing from the European Union.Lew warned in discussions with Eurogroup President and Netherlands Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem that no agreement between the two sides would create immediate hardship for Greece, and uncertainties for Europe and the global economy more broadly, the Treasury said.Lew told Dijsselbloem that Time is of the essence for Greece to agree to a comprehensive set of reforms, the Treasury said.Obama more directly called on Athens to accept the requirements that EU negotiators insist upon before releasing any more funds from the massive financial rescue program.Greece needs to initiate reforms, Obama said at a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi at the White House.They have to collect taxes. They have to reduce their bureaucracy, (institute) more flexible labor practices, he said.The comments came as the Greek debt drama drew heavy attention during the high-powered spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington.Greece is under pressure to reach a tentative deal with its creditors by the April 24 meeting in Riga, Latvia of the Eurogroup, the EU finance ministers.But the country needs the added financing in place by early May when it has to make a huge debt repayment to the IMF, and after that to the European Central Bank.If it cannot come up with the funds, fears are that a default could force it to quit the euro area, an unprecedented move that could spark more turmoil in financial markets.Greek negotiators are to meet Saturday in Brussels with representatives of the European Union, the European Central Bank and the IMF to continue talks.But the downturn in US and European equity markets on Friday show investors are deeply worried that a deal wont be struck.In New York, the S&P 500 index lost 1.1 percent, and in Europe Germanys Dax 30 fell 2.6 percent and the CAC 40 in Paris lose 1.6 percent.Another day brings another story about Greece, and once again the inability of the Greek finance minister to employ a light touch has spooked markets, said IG analyst Alastair McCaig.Bond markets, normally immune to the volatility that equities frequent, have seen Greek yields skyrocket as the chances of them defaulting grow ever more likely.Greeces leftist government has balked at implementing what it sees as more growth-sapping austerity policies, and so far has been unable to find a compromise with its EU-IMF creditors.Speaking in Washington on Thursday, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said the country was committed to staying in the eurozone. But, he added, they would not accept more austerity conditions.Weve tried that medicine but it hasnt worked, he said.We will compromise, we will compromise and we will compromise in order to come to a speedy agreement, but we are not going to be compromised.While others, including Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici, voiced confidence that a deal keeping Greece in the single-currency area would be reached, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaueble expressed doubts that an agreement was close.There is nothing new. And Im not sure that there will be anything new in Riga next week, he told journalists in Washington.

Google revolutionizes search to help mobile users

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SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Google search on Tuesday will start factoring in how easy websites are to read on smartphones or tablet computers, underlining the changing way people surf the Internet.The web titan said that the mobile-friendliness of websites will be a factor in ranking results to online searches done using mobile devices.As people increasingly search on their mobile devices, we want to make sure they can find content thats not only relevant and timely, but also easy to read and interact with on smaller mobile screens, a Google spokesperson told AFP.The change will affect mobile Internet searches in all languages worldwide and was expected to have a significant impact on results to queries, Google said in a February blog post heralding the move.Google at the time released an online tool so developers could test how friendly web pages are to use on mobile devices.When it comes to search on mobile devices, users should get the most relevant and timely results, no matter if the information lives on mobile-friendly web pages or apps, the post said.As more people use mobile devices to access the Internet, our algorithms have to adapt to these usage patterns.
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