Thursday 23 April 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Ex-CIA chief Petraeus fined, gets probation for info leak

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Former CIA chief David Petraeus was given two years probation and fined $100,000 on Thursday for providing classified secrets to his mistress, capping a dramatic fall from grace for the man feted for changing the course of the Iraq war.Petraeus, a decorated four-star general and the most revered commander of his generation, pleaded guilty in a North Carolina court, avoiding a trial that would have cast an embarrassing light on details of his affair and his flouting of secrecy laws.The Justice Department had previously said that Petraeus, 62, had acknowledged giving eight black books -- logs he kept as the US commander in Afghanistan -- to his lover and biographer, Paula Broadwell.In a statement following sentencing, acting US Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose said that Petraeus admitted to the unauthorized removal and retention of classified information and lying to the FBI and CIA about his possession and handling of classified information.Petraeus was sentenced to a two-year probationary term and was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine.Petraeus, who could have faced prison had he decided to fight the charges, had been expected to admit his guilt after signing a plea deal.Today marks the end of a two-and-a-half-year ordeal that resulted from mistakes that I made, Petraeus said in a terse statement outside court, refusing to take any questions from a swarm of reporters, before a vehicle whisked him away.As I did in the past, I apologize to those closest to me and many others, including those with whom I was privileged to serve in government and in the military over the years, he said.I want to take this opportunity also to thank those who have expressed and demonstrated support for me as I have sought to move forward since November of 2012.The five-by-eight-inch notebooks were meant to serve as source material for Broadwells book about the general, All In: The Education of General David Petraeus.They included Petraeuss daily schedule, classified notes, the identities of covert officers, details about US intelligence capabilities, code words and accounts of his meetings with President Barack Obama, according to court documents.The black books contained Top Secret and national defense information, they said.An official Defense Department historian gathered up classified papers that Petraeus had collected while in uniform, but the general never provided the notebooks to the historian as required.Instead, Petraeus kept the notebooks in a rucksack, he told Broadwell in a conversation that she recorded.They are highly classified, some of them... I mean theres code word stuff in there, the general told her. Petraeus later emailed Broadwell promising to give her the notebooks, and personally delivered them to a residence where she was staying in Washington. He retrieved the black books a few days later and kept them at his home.In October 2012, FBI agents questioned Petraeus at CIA headquarters while he was still director. The retired general, who resigned a month later, told them he had never provided any secret information to Broadwell -- a lie that he acknowledged in his plea deal. Passing the sensitive information to Broadwell and then keeping the notebooks at his home clearly violated his legal obligation to safeguard classified information, authorities said.None of the classified information appeared in Broadwells book, which was published by Penguin in 2012.Petraeus was given hero status in Washington for overseeing the troop surge in Iraq in 2007 and US leaders credited him for salvaging the troubled war effort. He later served as the top US commander in Afghanistan, where his tenure achieved mixed results.When he left his post at the Central Intelligence Agency, Petraeus signed a non-disclosure agreement promising that he had no classified material in his possession.But the black books were still at his home. And in April 2013, the FBI arrived with a search warrant at the generals residence and found the notebooks in an unlocked desk drawer on the first floor of the house.

Official result: Kanwar Naveed wins NA-246 by-poll

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KARACHI (Dunya News) - Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) candidate, Kanwar Naveed Jamil has won the NA-246 by-polls held on Thursday, Dunya News reported.According to official results announced on early Friday morning, MQM’s Kanwar Naveed secured 95,644 votes. Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf candidate Imran Ismail remained second with 24,821 votes while Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Rashid Naseem was third and secured 9,056 votes.Although there were 11 candidates in the constituency yet the contest was mainly between the MQM, JI and PTI candidates. This seat had been vacated by defected MQM leader Nabeel Gabol.Polling process was started at 8:00am in the morning on Thursday and continued till 5:00pm in the evening. There were 213 polling stations in the constituency where police and Rangers were deployed in heavy numbers.

Football: Unstoppable Juve on verge of 31st scudetto

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MILAN (AFP) - Unstoppable Juventus will hope to follow up qualifying for the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in over a decade by clinching a 31st Serie A title on Sunday.With a 15-point lead on Lazio and Roma and seven games remaining, Juventus already have one hand on what will be their fourth consecutive scudetto.But they can make the Italian league title mathematically safe if they beat Torino away in the city derby and both Lazio and Roma lose their games, at home to Chievo and away to Inter Milan respectively.That would leave Juventus 18 points clear of the pack with six games remaining but the Turin giants could not be caught by Lazio and Roma because they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker on both capital sides.Juventus on Thursday were still coming down from the high of reaching the last four of the Champions League for the first time since they went all the way to the 2003 final before losing to AC Milan in a penalty shoot-out.But Chilean attacking midfielder Arturo Vidal was quick to remind his fellow teammates there is a title to be won, too.Well start thinking about the derby tonight. We have a scudetto to win, Vidal said after Juventus held Monaco to a scoreless draw in their quarter-final second leg to advance 1-0 on aggregate.Juventus make the short trip to Torinos Stadio Olimpico for the Derby della Mole -- named after one of Turins major landmarks -- as firm favourites having not lost to their city rivals since 1995.But that hasnt stopped former Bianconeri striker Fabio Quagliarellia, who joined Torino last season after failing to nail down a regular starting place under former Juve coach Antonio Conte, from dreaming of causing an upset.I hope its me who scores the winning goal on Sunday, said Quagliarella, who has scored an impressive 12 goals this season for the Granata.Neck and neckSecuring the title is only a matter of time for Juventus, but the fight for European places continues in earnest.Lazio and Roma are neck and neck for the leagues second automatic Champions League qualifying spot and the pressure this weekend is on the latter.Inter host Roma for the 100th time in all competitions and, although Roma have won the past three fixtures in Milan, Rudi Garcias men may not be quite so confident this time.Roma are struggling to emerge from a recent slump and Inter, who dominated city rivals AC Milan in a scoreless draw last week, are battling to stay in contention for next seasons Europa League.Garcia welcomes Gervinho back to the squad after a three-game absence although expecting goals from the Ivorian striker, who has not scored in the league since November, could be a long shot.Either way, Garcia expects a much-improved performance from his side following their second consecutive draw, against Atalanta, last week which left him fuming.Sometimes you suffer defeats that leave you disappointed, but this draw was worrying. The extent to which we were negative stunned me, said Garcia.Things are looking far brighter in the light blue half of Rome, with Lazio -- who saw an impressive streak of wins stopped at eight in a 2-0 defeat to Juventus last time out -- hosting struggling Chievo.Lazio are still without Dutch defender Stefan De Vrij, one of their pillars of this season, and lost Argentina international Lucas Biglia to an ankle sprain that will keep him out for several weeks.But before their reverse at Juventus, Lazio hit nine goals in three games. In that time, Chievo scored just twice on their way to a win, a draw and a defeat.Napoli, in fourth, host Sampdoria in Sundays late game looking for a win that would keep their Champions League hopes alive.However that fixture will have a particular flavour, with Sampdoria coach Sinisa Mihajlovic reported to have met Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis to discuss replacing Rafael Benitez next season.Fixtures (kick-offs GMT)SaturdayUdinese v AC Milan (1600), Inter v Roma (1845)SundayAtalanta v Empoli (1030), Genoa v Cesena, Verona v Sassuolo, Lazio v Chievo, Parma v Palermo, Torino v Juventus (all 1300), Fiorentina v Cagliari (1600), Napoli v Sampdoria (1845)

Fears of third eruption after Chile volcano roars to life

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PUERTO VARAS (AFP) - Southern Chile was on alert Thursday for a fresh eruption after the Calbuco volcano burst into life for the first time in half a century, forcing 5,000 people to evacuate and lighting up the night sky.Authorities declared a state of emergency, sent in the army and evacuated a 21-kilometer (13-mile) radius around the volcano after the twin eruptions -- the first on Wednesday as night fell and the second early Thursday before sunrise.The volcano, which had last erupted 54 years ago, may not be done quite yet, experts and officials warned, after it put on a spectacular show of volcanic lightning and exploding lava.Chiles National Geology and Mines Service cautioned that a third eruption could follow and President Michelle Bachelet, who flew to the affected area, said: We dont know how the situation is going to evolve. Its pretty unpredictable.Massive ash clouds belched into the sky forced airlines to cancel flights and drifted as far away as southern Argentina -- including the picturesque ski resort of Bariloche, which warned people to stay home to avoid inhaling dust particles.There were no immediate reports of injuries. A 21-year-old mountain climber was initially reported missing, but later turned up alive.The first eruption, which started around 6:00 pm (2100 GMT) Wednesday and lasted about 90 minutes, spewed a giant mushroom cloud of ash 10 kilometers into the sky, which turned hues of pink and yellow as the sun set over the area.Seven hours later, Calbuco erupted again, this time shooting lava into the air and generating volcanic lightning, a phenomenon researchers believe is caused by the emission of large amounts of molten rock and ash charged with static electricity.Bluish-white bolts of lightning cut through the red and orange plumes of lava in a stunning display of natures power that played out against the backdrop of the night sky.Not at all dormantVolcanic ash blanketed the area -- nearly a meter (three feet) high in some spots, causing the roofs of some houses to cave in.Road workers used heavy trucks to plow a path through the ash, as residents shoveled it off their rooftops.The ash might damage crops, animal feed, bridges, roads, peoples work routines, tourism and especially their health, Bachelet said, calling on residents to wear protective masks, which authorities were handing out in both Chile and Argentina.Until minutes before the first blast, volcano eruption monitoring systems had picked up nothing. In fact, volcano watchers in Chile had been warily keeping an eye on another volcano, Villarrica.But some experts said it should not have been a surprise.The volcano wasnt at all dormant. It was active and alive, with regular emissions of gas and smoke, said Florent Brenguier, a seismologist at the University of Grenoble in France.A period of 50 years between eruptions is very short in the life of a volcano, she said, adding that the latest volcanic activity could last days or weeks.Some in the area reacted with panic. Others were fascinated.The explosion caused immediate hysteria among residents. We couldnt believe what we were seeing, said Marcia Claro, the owner of a cafeteria in Puerto Varas, a town of 38,000 people on the shores of Lake Llanquihue, at the foot of the volcano.The mayor of nearby Puerto Montt, a tourist gateway to the popular Patagonia region, said residents were very, very frightened, amid warnings that melting snow and ice could flood rivers.But another local, Alvaro Ascencio, said people were more excited than afraid, flocking to the lake to take pictures.On the bright sideThe region, Los Lagos, is popular with tourists, with beautiful mountain landscapes dotted with volcanoes and lakes with beaches of black sand.The 2,000-meter (6,500-foot) volcano, located some 1,400 kilometers south of the capital Santiago, had last erupted in 1961 and showed light activity in 1972, said the National Geology and Mines Service.It is the second eruption in Chile since March 3, when Villarrica emitted a brief but fiery burst of ash and lava.Chile has about 90 active volcanoes.Geologist Alfredo Lahsen of the University of Chile said the long, narrow country, the worlds largest copper producer, should look on the bright side of its turbulent geology.If we didnt have volcanoes, we wouldnt have the rich gold and copper mining activity that we have in Chile. You have to see the positives, too, he told radio station Cooperativa de Santiago.

Football: Wenger hopes for lucky 13 as Chelsea eye title

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LONDON (AFP) - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will hope to make it 13th time lucky against Jose Mourinho this weekend as his side attempt to delay Chelseas coronation as Premier League champions.Wenger has never prevailed against Mourinho in 12 attempts and even if he redresses that statistic at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, it is unlikely to prevent Chelsea from claiming the title.Having recorded an efficient 1-0 win over third-place Manchester United last weekend, Chelsea are 10 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table with six games remaining.Victory on Sunday would leave them needing three points from next Wednesdays trip to Leicester City, currently embroiled in a relegation battle, to claim a first league crown since 2010.But while the championship seems destined for Stamford Bridge, Arsenal have drawn encouragement from a run of nine consecutive wins, including an FA Cup semi-final defeat of Reading that took the holders into the final.Sundays derby will see Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas return to the club where he previously spent eight years -- including three as captain -- and Wenger hopes he will be spared a hostile reception.I want every player to be respected, and Cesc Fabregas when he comes to the Emirates on Sunday to be respected like he deserves, said the Frenchman, who clashed with Mourinho on the touchline in Octobers reverse fixture.Centre-back Per Mertesacker has a 50-50 chance of playing, according to Wenger, after injuring his ankle in the 2-1 victory over Reading at Wembley.Midfielders Mikel Arteta and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are both back in training after injury lay-offs, but neither is ready to return to first-team action.Chelsea, meanwhile, hope to be able to call upon French striker Loic Remy, who has missed their last two games due to a calf complaint.Diego Costa is likely to remain sidelined with a hamstring problem, while veteran Didier Drogba has hurt his ankle.Eden Hazard netted Chelseas winner against United -- his 18th goal of the season -- and is hotly tipped for honours in Sundays Professional Footballers Association (PFA) awards.Turf Moor six-pointerHe is flying. In my opinion its been the best season of his career, team-mate Branislav Ivanovic told the Chelsea website.Hes the guy who, when you pass him the ball, you just have to leave him alone. He will do everything. Hes something different.Hazards strike ended Uniteds six-game winning run and saw their lead over fourth-place Manchester City trimmed to a point as the champions won 2-0 at home to West Ham United.City can provisionally climb above both Arsenal and United by winning at home to Aston Villa on Saturday, but Tim Sherwoods side are in buoyant mood after sinking Liverpool to reach the FA Cup final.United travel to Everton on Sunday, a year on from a 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park that preceded David Moyess dismissal as manager.Liverpools hopes of a top-four finish are fading fast, with Manchester City seven points above them in the standings, albeit having played a game more.But news of Jordan Hendersons new long-term contract has alleviated some of the gloom around Anfield ahead of Saturdays game at West Bromwich Albion.Barring a collapse by City, Liverpool look set for a three-way tussle for the two Europa League slots with Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton, who face off at St Marys.It will be the first time Spurs head coach Mauricio Pochettino has returned to Southampton since leaving the club last year and he is looking forward to seeing some familiar faces.We stabilised the club in the Premier League and top 10, said the Argentine. Im very happy it was good for Southampton because I love the people of Southampton and the players.A rousing sequence of three consecutive wins has taken Leicester to the brink of safety ahead of a crunch clash with bottom club Burnley at Turf Moor.Only goal difference is currently keeping Leicester (-17) below Hull City (-16), who visit Crystal Palace, but Burnley are just two points back, level with second-bottom Queens Park Rangers, who host West Ham.FixturesSaturday (1400 GMT unless otherwise stated):Burnley v Leicester City, Crystal Palace v Hull City, Manchester City v Aston Villa (1630 GMT), Newcastle United v Swansea City, Queens Park Rangers v West Ham United, Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur (1145 GMT), Stoke City v Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion v LiverpoolSunday:Arsenal v Chelsea (1500 GMT), Everton v Manchester United (1230 GMT)

Football: Treble-chasing Bayern poised for 25th German title

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BERLIN (AFP) - Treble-chasing Bayern Munich could claim their first silverware of the season this weekend with the Bavarian giants poised to become German champions for the 25th time.With five games left, Bayern are 12 points clear before they entertain Hertha Berlin at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, with nearest rivals Wolfsburg not playing until Sunday, when they face a stiff test at Borussia Moenchengladbach.Pep Guardiolas side therefore need only better Wolfsburgs result to officially wrap up yet another title.However, even if Wolfsburg win, their hugely inferior goal difference would mean the title race is effectively over anyway.Bayern are buzzing from their stunning 6-1 drubbing of Porto in Wednesdays Champions League quarter-final, second leg which took them through to the last four and kept alive their hopes of repeating their 2013 treble, when they won the domestic double and lifted the European Cup.However, their current punishing schedule of a game every three or four days shows no sign of relenting as they host Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup semi-final next Tuesday in a repeat of the 2014 final, which Bayern won 2-0 after extra-time.Injuries continue to leave Guardiola with a thin squad at his disposal, with Franck Ribery, Mehdi Benatia and David Alaba still on the sidelines and Holger Badstuber having been ruled out for the rest of the season with a thigh tear.However, Spain midfielder Javi Martinez this week returned to training for the first time since tearing the cruciate ligament in his left knee last August, although it is doubtful he will play again this season.And there is hope that leading scorer Arjen Robben will return either this weekend or against Dortmund next Tuesday after six weeks out with an abdominal injury.Arjen is well on his way. We can hope hell return soon, said chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who admitted that he would rather not wrap up the league title because of a slip-up from one of Bayerns rivals.Its more satisfying to leave the pitch as confirmed champions, he said before speaking with confidence about Bayerns prospects on all fronts in the run-in.We have difficult matches coming up. Were in good shape right now. We want to take everything thats possible.With fourth-placed Gladbach battling Bayer Leverkusen for Germanys third automatic Champions League berth, Wolfsburg are set to name a full-strength side for Sundays showdown at Borussia Park.Indeed, both Germany winger Andre Schuerrle and their star Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne were left out of the squad for Thursdays Europa League quarter-final second leg at Napoli to keep them fresh for the Bundesliga.Meanwhile, Leverkusen go to near neighbours Cologne chasing an eighth successive win but without Gonzalo Castro, who is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.Tense at the bottomElsewhere, with only four points separating the leagues bottom five teams of Hamburg, Stuttgart, Paderborn, Hanover and Freiburg, the battle to stay up is set to go to the wire.Stuttgart host Freiburg, while Paderborn, who have won just once in eight, entertain Werder Bremen.After sacking Tayfun Korkut on Monday, Hanover play their first game under new coach Michael Frontzeck at home to mid-table Hoffenheim, who are chasing a Europa League berth.The essential thing is to stay calm in this situation, said Frontzeck, whose new charges are two points above the bottom three.I saw some fantastic games from this team in the first half of the season. I dont know what happened over the winter and it does not interest me.Bottom side Hamburg, the only side in the Bundesliga never to have been relegated, are looking to prevent going 10 matches without a win when they host sixth-placed Augsburg on Saturday with Bruno Labbadia set for his second game in charge after last week becoming Hamburgs fourth coach this season.Fixtures (all times 1330 GMT unless stated)FridayMainz 05 v Schalke 04 (1830)SaturdayBorussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt, Hanover 96 v Hoffenheim, VfB Stuttgart v Freiburg, Hamburg v Augsburg, Cologne v Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich v Hertha Berlin (1630)SundayPaderborn v Werder Bremen, Borussia Moenchengladbach v VfL Wolfsburg (1530)

Dutch expert fired after showing MH17 victim photos

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THE HAGUE (AFP) - A Dutch expert helping to identify victims from last years MH17 airliner crash in Ukraine has been fired after showing photographs of the dead at a public lecture, the government said Thursday.The collaboration with George Maat has been terminated, Justice Minister Ard van der Steur told lawmakers in parliament.The minister had earlier described the lecture given by Maat, an anthropologist at Leiden University, in the southern city of Maastricht as completely inappropriate and in bad taste.Journalists from private television channel RTL Nieuws attended and first reported on the lecture, which was organised by a medical students association, during which Maat showed photos of victims body parts and explained elements of the identification process.Thomas Aling, a spokesman for the Dutch national forensics investigation team LTFO, told AFP earlier Thursday that Maat had been suspended from his work while further action against him was being considered.Apparently he showed photos that cannot be shown at a public meeting, Aling said.Maatis also accused of making comments outside his realm of expertise, notably about the causes of the crash, which were incorrect, Aling said.All 298 passengers and crew onboard the Malaysia Airlines jetliner -- most of them Dutch -- died when it was shot down at high altitude over rebel-held eastern Ukraine in July last year.The lecture was given early April to an audience of around 150 people and showing the photos would have been allowed for educational purposes if the general public were not allowed in.A Facebook page advertising the lecture clearly said that it was open to the public.The deputy head of the MH17 Air Disaster Association, Evert van Zijtveld, told AFP that showing the photos was shameful and very shocking for victims relatives, this adds to the grief.Maat said he thought the lecture was restricted to medical students.It appears that other people were there, I hadnt realised, he said in a statement released by the police.Im very sorry to have hurt or distressed victims loved ones.Kiev and the West claim that the plane was shot down by the separatists using a BUK surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia. Moscow denies the charges, pointing the finger at Kiev.The Netherlands has been charged with leading the investigation into the cause of the incident and identifying the victims of the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

Ebola outbreak likely driving malaria deaths: study

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PARIS (AFP) - The collapse of health services in three west African countries devastated by Ebola may have caused some 11,000 additional deaths from malaria, a preventable and curable disease, researchers said Friday.A further 3,900 deaths may have resulted from interruptions in the delivery of insecticide-treated bed nets, according to outbreak modelling data published in The Lancet on the eve of World Malaria Day.This suggested the haemorrhagic fever outbreak could have resulted in a comparable number of malaria deaths as those due to Ebola itself, said a statement issued by the medical journal.The ongoing Ebola epidemic in parts of West Africa largely overwhelmed already fragile healthcare systems in 2014 making adequate care for malaria impossible, said Patrick Walker from Imperial College London, the lead author of the study.Walker and a team analysed demographic and health survey data for malaria prevention and care from 2000 to March 2014 in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.They removed the effect of treatment and hospital care to estimate the potential impact.The worst-case scenario, assuming the Ebola epidemic stopped all malaria care, yielded a 45-percent increase (1.6 million) in malaria cases in Guinea, 88 percent (1.3 million) in Sierra Leone, and 140 percent (520,000 cases) in Liberia in 2014.An absence of clinic and hospital care would have resulted in some 5,600 deaths in Guinea, 3,900 in Sierra Leone and 1,500 in Liberia, the team estimated.Lapses in delivery of mosquito nets could have led to another 840,000 cases.Our predictions highlight the true magnitude of the humanitarian impact caused by the Ebola epidemic, said Walker.In heavily-affected Ebola areas, the indirect impact of Ebola upon malaria deaths is likely to be of a similar magnitude to the public health burden caused by Ebola directly.Last month, researchers cautioned about a likely surge of measles and other diseases due to interrupted vaccination campaigns in the three countries, which may culminate in a new public health emergency.The World Health Organization says more than 26,000 people have been infected with Ebola since the outbreak began late 2013, and more than 10,800 have died.

Chechnya leader gives 'shoot to kill' orders on Russian forces

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MOSCOW (AFP) - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov on Thursday ordered his troops to shoot to kill if they encountered any unauthorised Russian forces on the territory of the small republic in the volatile North Caucasus region.I am officially stating that if (a soldier) appears on your territory without authorisation, whether he comes from Moscow or Stavropol, shoot to kill, the Kremlin-loyal strongman said in a video broadcast by the local Grozny TV station. They need to take us into account, he added.Kadyrov appeared to be speaking at a gathering of representatives of the special forces in the mainly Muslim autonomous region, where separatists fought two wars against Russia in the 1990s.We dont have the right to leave our territory to conduct anti-terrorist operations against extremists in Ingushetia, Kadyrov said, referring to a neighbouring region. If you are the masters of your territory, then you need to watch over it.Russias interior ministry called the remarks unacceptable, while a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin declined to respond directly to the Chechen leaders remarks.We have seen it. We have heard it. We have read it. I will not be making any comment, spokesman Dmitri Peskov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti agency.Kadyrov, 38, has ruled Chechnya with an iron fist since being installed by Putin in 2007, and has helped the Kremlin battle an Islamist insurgency in the North Caucasus.But the former rebel -- accused by human rights groups of overseeing torture, extrajudicial executions and corruption -- has shown an increased readiness in recent months to challenge Putins authority.In one notable run-in in December, Putin criticised Kadyrov for saying that families of Islamist insurgents would be punished for a deadly rebel attack on the Chechen capital Grozny.Putin at the time said Kadyrov had no right to make such declarations and said everyone in Russia must observe the laws.

Protesters demand answers over Baltimore police death

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BALTIMORE (AFP) - More than 200 protesters marched through downtown Baltimore on Thursday amid simmering anger over the latest death of a black male in the United States at the hands of police.Tensions are running high in the blue-collar Mid-Atlantic port city of 620,000 -- setting of the hit TV crime and corruption series The Wire -- after Freddie Gray died of spinal cord injuries on Sunday.He had been arrested on April 12 and later charged with possession of a switchblade knife, according to a police report.Protests have been taking place nightly since his death, amid frustration that the circumstances have yet to be fully explained.Its really inconceivable that a young man, 25 years of age, in the prime of his life, would end up dead for absolutely no reason at all, said Reverend Jamal Bryant, an organizer of Thursdays protest that began at Baltimores city hall.Videos of Grays arrest, taken by bystanders, show police pinning him to the ground outside a Baltimore public housing project.He is howling in apparent pain, before officers pack him into a police van and take him away.They had him folded up like he was a crab or a piece of origami, Keven Moore, who took one of the videos, told the Baltimore Sun newspaper.He was all bent up... just screaming for his life.Several investigations are under way including one by the US Justice Department.Protesters blamed Baltimores mayor and police commissioner -- both African Americans -- and are demanding a full account of Grays death.No justice, no peace, the crowd chanted outside the stately city hall, as several dozen police officers watched from behind barricades and a police helicopter flew circles overhead.Theyre walking around, but Im taking no chances. I just dont trust them, a tense police supervisor was overheard saying into his walkie-talkie as the demonstrators marched peacefully around the manicured city hall lawn.Later, the protesters marched towards Baltimores harbor front. Some staged a sit-down at a busy intersection, disrupting evening rush-hour traffic.Members of Grays family appeared briefly before the crowd at city hall, but did not speak. Organizers announced that Grays funeral would be held Monday.His death has made Baltimore the latest flashpoint in a heated national debate about police tactics and race relations, prompted by the August 9 death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.Six police officers in Baltimore remain suspended with pay in connection with the case.

Comcast set to drop mega-merger with TWC: report

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US cable giant Comcast is preparing to abandon its plan for a mega-merger with rival Time Warner Cable in the face of opposition from antitrust regulators, a report said Thursday.Bloomberg News, citing unnamed sources, said a formal announcement ending the $45 billion deal could come on Friday.The two companies did not comment on the report.An industry source told AFP that Comcast has confirmed the end of the plan to industry leaders. The New York Times also reported that the deal had been killed.The news comes amid heightened scrutiny over the deal, which would boost the dominance of Comcast as a broadband and cable television provider in the US market.A number of consumer groups have also opposed the deal saying it would give too much market power to a single conglomerate.Comcast and TWC -- spun off in 2009 from media giant Time Warner -- had argued the deal would not hamper competition because their territories have little overlap. They also said cable was getting increasing competition from video streaming services Netflix and Amazon, among others.If allowed to proceed, the deal would give the combined firm more than 30 million customers over a large swath of the United States.It would also give Comcast a unique position because of its ownership of NBCUniversal -- which includes the NBC television network and other channels. Comcasts role as network owner and television provider could create conflict with other carriers.According to an industry source who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, Comcast had meetings Wednesday with officials from the Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission who indicated they would seek to block the transaction.Media reports said staff at the FCC had called for a hearing on the merger, creating a new obstacle to the deal announced in February 2014.Although there was no official word on the end of the deal, critics welcomed the news.The end of the plan would be spectacularly good news for consumers concerned about the spiraling cost of cable and broadband and for millions of citizens who want nothing more to do with gatekeeping and consolidation in the communications ecosystem on which our democracy depends, said Michael Copps, a former FCC commissioner who advises the consumer group Common Cause.Delara Derakhshani at Consumers Union said the deal should not be allowed, arguing that the size and influence of Comcast would be so huge that no amount of promises or commitments could outweigh the harm to consumers.She added that the merger would give Comcast more control than ever before over what we see on TV and online, and how much we pay for it.

Obama takes blame for strike that killed hostages

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Barack Obama said he took full responsibility on Thursday for the accidental killing of an American and Italian hostage during an apparent drone strike on an Al-Qaeda compound in Pakistan.Lifting the lid on a classified operation, a solemn Obama expressed his deepest apologies to the families of 73-year-old economic advisor Warren Weinstein and 39-year-old aid worker Giovanni Lo Porto.Obama gave few details of the botched action, which officials suggested was a drone strike that took place on an Al-Qaeda lair in January after hundreds of hours of surveillance.The strike also killed Ahmed Faruq, an American described as a leader of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent.It was also revealed that Al-Qaedas English-language spokesman, a California rocker-turned extremist, Adam Gadahn, died in a separate strike.The White House said neither Al-Qaeda member was specifically targeted, raising further questions about the credibility of US intelligence.As president and as commander-in-chief, I take full responsibility for all our counterterrorism operations, including the one that inadvertently took the lives of Warren and Giovanni, Obama said.I profoundly regret what happened. On behalf of the United States government, I offer our deepest apologies to the families.It is a cruel and bitter truth that in the fog of war generally and our fight against terrorists specifically, mistakes -- sometimes deadly mistakes -- can occur.Obama said he informed Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi personally about his administrations findings.Italys foreign ministry described the deaths as a tragic and fatal error by our US allies but said terrorists were entirely to blame.Troubling questionsThis is just the latest controversy around Obamas counterterrorism operations, which -- while killing Osama bin Laden in a commando raid -- have more often relied heavily on secret drone strikes.Obama was quick to stress that we do believe that the operation did take out dangerous members of Al-Qaeda.Since 9/11, our counterterrorism efforts have prevented terrorist attacks and saved innocent lives both here in America, and around the world, Obama said.Despite Obamas defense of his counterterrorism record, congressional leaders rapidly called for more oversight over the drone program.Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein demanded an annual report on the number of deaths, both combatant and civilian, from US strikes.Republican Senator John McCain said there must be a review of the incident, but indicated the drone program should continue.These new disclosures raise troubling questions about the reliability of the intelligence that the government is relying on to justify drone strikes, said American Civil Liberties Union deputy legal director Jameel Jaffer.In each of the operations acknowledged today, the US quite literally didnt know who it was killing.Cowardly actionsLo Porto disappeared in January 2012 in Pakistan, just a few days into his second stint in the country. A native of Sicily, Lo Porto previously worked in Croatia, the Central African Republic and Haiti.Weinstein was snatched after gunmen tricked their way into his home in Lahore on August 13, 2011 shortly before he was due to return home after seven years working in Pakistan.He later appeared in a video in which, under apparent coercion, he asked the United States to free Al-Qaeda prisoners.Weinsteins widow said in a statement that we are devastated by this news and the knowledge that my husband will never safely return home.The cowardly actions of those who took Warren captive and ultimately to the place and time of his death are not in keeping with Islam and they will have to face their God to answer for their actions, she said.Pakistans government said its intelligence and law enforcement agencies had been making strenuous efforts to locate Weinstein and were in regular contact with his family.The tragic news of Mr. Warren Weinsteins death reportedly in a US drone strike has shocked everyone in Pakistan, said Washington Embassy spokesman Nadeem Hotiana in a statement.The White House said the United States would compensate the families of both men, but details have yet to be finalized.

EU leaders seek UN clearance for operation against migrant smugglers

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BRUSSELS (AFP) - Britain and France agreed Thursday to seek UN approval for an EU military operation against people smugglers, in a bid to curb the soaring number of migrants dying as they seek a better life in Europe.At crisis talks in Brussels, EU leaders also decided to triple funds for the blocs maritime search and rescue operation, as horrific details continued to emerge of last weekends shipwreck that saw hundreds drown in the Mediterraneans worst migrant disaster.European Council President Donald Tusk said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini had been tasked to propose action in order to capture and destroy the smugglers vessels before they can be used.Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi added that leaders from France and Britain -- both permanent members of the UN Security Council -- had committed to get a resolution from the United Nations for an intervention in Libya.But leaders failed to agree on concrete action over the sensitive issue of what to do with migrants -- many of whom depart from chaos-ridden Libya -- once they land on European shores.I had hoped we could have been more ambitious but that was not possible, EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said at a post-summit press briefing.Ahead of the high-profile gathering, poignant events had taken place in Malta and Brussels to try and highlight the tragic human dimension of migrant shipwrecks.Already, more than 1,750 migrants have died crossing the Mediterranean this year -- 30 times more than the same period in 2014.Malta honoured the more than 750 victims of last weekends shipwreck with an inter-faith funeral service -- the wooden coffins of 24 of the dead carried away by soldiers for private burials.Dozens of migrants in Brussels staged a protest near the EU summit venue, attaching pieces of paper with the names of people who had died onto barbed wire put up as a security measure.Esther Down, 9 months old, Nigeria, drowned, read one of the signs.Military response feasible?As he arrived at the summit, Prime Minister David Cameron offered to deploy Britains flagship HMS Bulwark, three helicopters and two patrol ships to the Mediterranean, but stressed any migrant rescued would not have immediate recourse to claim asylum in the UK.Other countries also offered up ships to enhance the effectiveness of the Triton search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean.French President Francois Hollande, meanwhile, said any decision to destroy the traffickers ships would have to be in line with international law.It can only be done through a resolution of the Security Council, he said.Hollande added that he would raise the issue with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin when he meets him on Friday.But experts have questioned the feasibility of a military response to the crisis.Its not an easy task to go shoot down boats in Libyan ports, a European source who wished to remain anonymous said.He pointed out that the radical Islamic State group was in control of parts of chaos-ridden Libya.They will be delighted to see European soldiers come to them, they are potentially easy targets.Killed, tossed overboardSurvivor accounts, meanwhile, continued to trickle in as the full horror of Sundays shipwreck near Libya emerged.Even before their perilous sea journey, people smugglers beat several migrants to death and killed at least one minor, those who got out alive told investigators.They said the smugglers operated a reign of terror before taking the migrants by truck to the coast to be ferried by dinghy to the waiting boat.A boy who climbed on to a dinghy before being told to was killed by the smugglers and his body tossed overboard, one survivor told investigators.The skipper, Mohammed Ali Malek, 27, was one of the 28 survivors and faces charges of illegal confinement, culpable homicide, causing a shipwreck and aiding illegal immigration.9 mn euros a monthTritons funding will increase from the current three million euros ($3.2 million) a month to nine million euros.But Tusk said the mission would continue to carry out its mandate as before, going no further than 30 nautical miles from European shores -- far away from countries like Libya.On the issue of migrant relocation, draft proposals leaked before the summit had suggested that member states provide resettlement to 5,000 migrants, but no number was given in the concluding statement.To discuss the issue further, EU and African Union officials have decided to gather soon in Malta, which like Italy and Greece is one of the countries worst affected by migrant arrivals.

After 15 years, Nasdaq recoups losses of dot-com crash

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Mark April 23, 2015 as the day the Nasdaq market finally left the dot-com crash, and billions of dollars lost to the first technology bubble, behind.Its been a long time -- 15 years, one month and 13 days to be exact. On Thursday, the Nasdaq Composite Index finished at a new closing high, 5,056.06, topping the previous mark set on March 10, 2000 of 5,048.62.This time around, the gains on the Nasdaq exchange might hold on for a bit longer.The upstart market that symbolized the new era of the Internet economy and digital life -- as opposed to the old heavy-industry stalwarts of the Dow Jones Industrial Average -- climbed spectacularly from 1996 to early 2000.Over that time the index quintupled to mint thousands of new multi-millionaires and fund sharp and quirky new companies rooted in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. The Dow barely doubled in the same period.Investors and media celebrated it as the New Economy, leaving the old one behind. The Nasdaq exchange itself was the symbol, trades humming through computers while the New York Stock Exchange still had dealers operating via slips of paper and hand signals on a physical trading floor.But the Nasdaq, trading many companies that proved to be more dreams on paper and in garages than sources of tangible profits, then crashed as spectacularly, losing nearly all of the late 1990s gains in 30 months, and stunning hundreds of thousands of investors who ventured into the markets for the first time drawn by dot-com dreams.The market bottomed at 1,114.11 in October 2002.Spurred by the economys growth under low interest rates and higher government spending, it slowly regained the trust of once-burned investors and pressed back toward the 3,000 level, only to have the rug pulled out again with the financial crisis.That time, all the markets plunged, and the Nasdaq, which was strengthening with more proven Internet and biotechnology companies, fared less bad than the other key indices, the Dow and the S&P 500.From the 2009 bottom, the Nasdaq bounced back faster and farther. Yet by 2013, when the Dow and S&P began topping previous records and continued to do so, the Nasdaq was still two years from total recovery.Apple leads the wayThe return to the heights of 2000 has been driven by significant shift in the makeup of the Nasdaq market.In 2000, the index was led by software companies and chipmakers: Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, Oracle, and Sun. Yahoo was the seventh largest company on the exchange, Amazon ranked 41st and Apple 45th. Google was just emerging in the industry, and only joined the exchange in 2004.Today its Apple at the top, now the largest company in the world, worth $755 billion by market capitalization.Google is the Nasdaqs second largest company at $372 billion, and Microsoft is only third, worth $356 billion, its share price still one-third lower than the peak 15 years ago.Amazon, the online retailing king, is fourth and a company no one had dreamed of at the time, Facebook, fifth.Intel and Cisco are still among leading companies, but are now flanked by telecoms -- Comcast and Qualcomm -- and biotech firms like Gilead, Amgen, Biogen and Celgene.Those, and a range of other less technology-focused companies like Walgreens and Starbucks, have underpinned what analysts say is a more healthy rebound grounded in real profits and growth of the companies.Michael Stiller, a technology sector analyst at Nasdaq, points out that the world itself has changed since the early dot-com days. Smartphones have revolutionized personal communications, access to the Internet has spread globally through China, Africa and elsewhere, and now doing business online is near-universal.But like the S&P 500, which barely missed setting a new record Thursday (the previous one set just six weeks ago), the Nasdaq market has reached its new highs with the help of the Federal Reserve keeping interest rates at their lowest levels in history for more than six years.That has pushed money toward stocks that, at more normal interest rates, might not sustain such valuations, say some analysts. But valuations on the Nasdaq are still far more sane than they were in 2000.The price/earnings ratio for the market Thursday stood at about 25 times, compared to about 190 when the market peaked in March 2000.

Amazon cloud services drive 15% jump in first quarter sales

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Amazon said Thursday that strong gains in its market-leading cloud computing services helped drive a 15 percent rise in total sales in the first quarter.But the bottom line was red for the leading US online retailer, with a loss of $57 million, compared to a net gain of $108 million a year ago, due to continued growth in operating overhead.Total sales jumped to $22.72 billion in the January-March period, compared to $19.74 billion a year ago.US sales gains offset a fall in the companys international division, hit in part by the strong dollar and weaker foreign currencies.Sales of electronics and other merchandise in North America were still the companys mainstay, up 31 percent in the year to $10.25 billion. Internationally, the gain was four percent.Sales in the companys Amazon Web Services division -- cloud computing services -- surged from $1.05 billion in the year-ago quarter to $1.57 billion.It was the first time Amazon broke out earnings from the division, which has by some estimates a 30 percent share of the rapidly growing industry.Amazon Web Services is a $5-billion business and still growing fast -- in fact its accelerating, said company founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos.Born a decade ago, AWS is a good example of how we approach ideas and risk-taking.
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