Friday 15 May 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Polling for PP-196 by-election on May 21

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MULTAN (Dunya News) – Polling in constituency PP-196 is scheduled to be held on May 21. The provincial assembly seat fell vacant after the disqualification of former Punjab provincial minister Waheed Arian.Rana Abdul Jabbar of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf and Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan are among 14 candidates contesting election from the constituency.According to Election Commission of Pakistan, 176,315 voters will cast their vote at 133 polling stations out of which 47 polling stations have been declared sensitive.

Cycling: Sagan wins time trial to seize yellow jersey

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SANTA CLARITA (AFP) - Slovakias Peter Sagan delivered his second stage win at the Tour of California Friday with a convincing time-trial victory in Santa Clarita to take over the yellow leaders jersey.Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) blitzed the 10.6 kilometre (6.5 mile) course between Valencia and Santa Clarita, topping stage runner-up Jos Van Emden (LottoNL-Jumbo) by 15 seconds and snatching the yellow jersey from Toms Skujins (Hincapie Racing).I am very happy for first place, said Sagan, who also won stage four on Wednesday. The course was very straight and very powerful.Skujins, of Latvia, lost 46 seconds to Sagan, dropping to second place overall and is now 28 seconds back of the leader in the overall. Frances Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-Quick-Step) is 45 seconds back in the overall after finishing third in the time trial.Fridays sixth stage was scheduled to take place at Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains at an elevation of 2,042 metres, but had to be moved to Santa Clarita after a late-season storm dumped snow in the mountains, 160 kilometres northeast of Los Angeles.Former Dutch time trial champ Van Emden set the early mark Friday with a 12:46 before Sagan, who was the second to last rider, smashed it with a 12:31.I didnt expect to be there that long, said Van Emden. It wasnt a perfect ride. It was a tough time trial.Robert Gesink, who is the lone former champion in the field this year, finished in ninth place in the stage after posting a respectable 12:58.Saturdays climbing stage will take the riders along Glendora Ridge Road and Glendora Mountain Road before a gruelling out-of-category climb to the finish line at the base of the Mount Baldy ski hills single chair lift.Sundays 105-kilometre eighth and final stage from downtown Los Angeles to the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena should end with another sprint finish.This years race comprises 13 host cities and eight stages run over a total distance of 1,165 kilometres.

Gulf nations say reassured by Obama's 'ironclad' pledge

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Gulf nations were reassured by a pledge from US President Barack Obama that Washington would stand by them despite its overtures to Iran, a senior Arab official said Friday.Were very happy the outcome of the results disappointed pundits, and exceeded beyond most expectations, said Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg, assistant secretary general for the Gulf Cooperation Council.Obama had renewed the US commitment to the region, to the Gulf states during a high-profile summit at his presidential retreat of Camp David in Maryland, Aluwaisheg told reporters.Obama had gathered top leaders from the six GCC countries -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- for Thursdays secluded talks in the leafy woodland retreat.The security of the GCC states is vital to the interests of the United States, the Arab diplomat said.And he insisted the US is ready now to go even a little bit further, saying that already strong ties had now been elevated to that of a strategic relationship.Obama had sought to reassure the majority Sunni Gulf countries wary at Washingtons leading role in nuclear negotiations with their regional foe and powerful rival, Shiite Iran.Obama said the US security commitment to Americas decades-old allies was ironclad. And he vowed the United States was prepared to help deter and confront an external threat to any GCC states territorial integrity.In a communique issued at the end of the summit, the US and Gulf nations denounced Irans destabilizing activities in the region.Gulf nations have been fearful that if a deal is reached with Iran by a June 30 it will only embolden the Shiite country blamed for propping up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the four-year civil war and for backing Huthi rebels in Yemen who have forced the president to flee to Riyadh.They are concerned too that a deal will lead to a widening US rapprochement with Iran -- even though the two countries have not had formal ties for more than three decades.But Obama also managed to allay these concerns, Aluwaisheg said.The deal is about the nuclear program, thats really what the deal is about. Theres no grand bargain, he said.There is no abandoning of the GCC, there is no pivot to Iran. And he offered that if Iran moderates its behavior... then we all will pivot to Iran, but its in the hands of the Iranian regime.

Wawrinka stuns Nadal at Italian Open

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ROME (AP) - With the French Open rapidly approaching, Rafael Nadal is suddenly not so dominant on clay anymore.The Spaniard was beaten 7-6 (7), 6-2 by eighth-seeded Stan Wawrinka in the Italian Open quarterfinals Friday, his fifth loss on clay this season.Nadal wasted four set points in the tiebreaker, surrendering a 6-2 lead.The last time Nadal was beaten so many times on his favorite surface was 12 years ago in his rookie season.Nadal has won the French Open nine of the past 10 years. But hes struggling to get back to his best after a wrist injury and an appendectomy last season.On Monday, Nadal dropped out of the top five in the ATP rankings for the first time in 10 years falling to No. 7.Nadal had won all 12 of his meetings with Wawrinka until the Swiss player beat him in last years Australian Open final for his first Grand Slam title. Now, Wawrinka has won two straight in the series.Wawrinka dictated with powerful groundstrokes from both sides and often came forward to end points at the net.Wawrinka raised his arms in triumph to celebrate and sent a message to his semifinal opponent fellow Swiss player Roger Federer. Handed a pen to sign a camera lens, Wawrinka scribbled, See you tomorrow R.F.Federer kept up his pursuit of an elusive title with a 6-3, 6-3 win over sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych.Along with Monte Carlo, Rome is one of only two Masters series titles that the 17-time Grand Slam champion has never won.Top-ranked Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, was pushed to three sets for the third consecutive match in a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win over fifth-seeded Kei Nishikori.Djokovics semifinal opponent will be seventh-seeded David Ferrer, who beat David Goffin of Belgium 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.In the womens tournament, two-time Rome champion Maria Sharapova defeated former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-2.Sharapova will face 21-year-old Daria Gavrilova of Russia, who beat Christina McHale of the United States 6-2, 6-4 in a matchup of two qualifiers.Also, second-seeded Simona Halep routed qualifier Alexandra Dulgheru 6-1, 6-0 in an all-Romanian matchup. Halep will next face 10th-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain, who eliminated last weeks Madrid Open champion Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-2.Djokovic, the defending champion also went the distance by Nicolas Almagro and Thomaz Bellucci in his opening two matches. Still, he extended his winning streak to 20 matches.(There were) ups and downs for my side in all three matches, Djokovic said. But in the end (its about) just finding a way. This is what it takes to win, just finding the proper way and managing to perform your best when it matters.Under overcast skies with some rain drops falling briefly, Federer fell behind a break midway through the first set but recovered it immediately and cruised from there.From the baseline I was playing very well. Federer said. My serve was not quite there from the beginning. I was hitting too many second serves and he was able to take advantage of that and break early. So it was important to pick it up on the serve, which is maybe the easiest thing to do.I felt good again on the return and (was) moving well, so as the match went on I got better and better, he added. The wind picked up in the second set thats when I think Tomas didnt play so well anymore and I was able to get the job done.After winning a title on clay in Istanbul two weeks ago, Federer lost his opening match to rising Australian Nick Kyrgios at last weeks Madrid Open. But he has played solidly here, also beating Kevin Anderson of South Africa in straight sets in his opening match.Making his 15th appearance at the Foro Italico, Federer is a three-time finalist. He was beaten by Felix Mantilla in 2003, by Nadal in a fifth-set tiebreaker in 2006, and by Nadal again in 2013.

Football: Rodgers wants Reds to give Gerrard the perfect send-off

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LONDON (AFP) - Brendan Rodgers has called on Liverpools players to give Steven Gerrard the perfect Anfield farewell present with a victory against Crystal Palace on Saturday.Emotions will be running high when Gerrard makes his final appearance in a Liverpool shirt on home turf before joining LA Galaxy in the close-season and Reds boss Rodgers would dearly love to send the club captain off to California with one last memorable Anfield moment.The 34-year-old midfielder is already well established as a Liverpool legend after 17 seasons with the team he supported as a boy, but Rodgers hopes there is still room in his storybook career for a fairytale departure in the style of Ian Rush, another Anfield icon who scored a late winner against Watford in his final home appearance before joining Juventus in 1987.In terms of trying to control emotion it has been very simple. The attitude of all the players has been first class, Steven in particular, Rodgers said.We are concentrating on winning the game as I am sure Steven will want to go out with a win. The players are not on holiday at all.Steven doesnt like the focus and attention but it is brought on because of his star quality.Elsewhere on Saturday, several clubs will be looking to avoid joining already-relegated Burnley and Queens Park Rangers in English footballs second-tier next term.Hull currently occupy the one remaining relegation place but can do themselves a power of good, if not make absolutely certain of their top-flight status, with a win away to a Tottenham side who have not scored in five of their last eight games.The Tigers lost 1-0 to Burnley last weekend and manager Steve Bruce has demanded a much-improved performance from his side against Spurs.My main concern is we havent got anywhere near the level were capable of and I take responsibility for that, Bruce said.Newcastle and Sunderland are the next two clubs in line, with the north-east rivals both on 36 points, although Sunderland do have a game in hand, against Arsenal, next week.This weekend sees Newcastle away to QPR while Sunderland face Leicester, just a point and a place above them, in what promises to be a classic relegation six-pointer.Last weeks 1-1 draw with West Brom ended Newcastles run of eight straight defeats, their worst for 38 years, and left them two points above the relegation zone with two games to play.Hurt prideVictory at Loftus Road, allied to a Hull failure to win, would see Newcastle stay up but Magpies caretaker boss John Carver, desperate to be the manager of his hometown club come next season, said he wanted more than that.My pride has been hurt by the run of results. I want to do something about it. If that means winning the next two games, that will make me feel a little bit better, Carver said.Sunderland welcome Leicester to the Stadium of Light buoyed by a morale-boosting 2-0 victory at Everton.But although Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat has taken 10 points from six games since his arrival, his new club are still not out of danger.We thought that with six points, we had enough, and now we have 10 points and we still need three points, so hopefully we can do that on Saturday, Advocaat said.Leicester, however, are currently on a brilliant run of six wins in their last seven matches which has seen the Foxes give themselves a remarkable lifeline after being bottom of the table for 140 days this season.Meanwhile, Sunday should help decide which clubs join already-crowned champions Chelsea among the top three guaranteed direct entry into the Champions League.Manchester City, currently second, travel to Swansea, while fourth and third meet when Manchester United face Arsenal at Old Trafford.Chelsea are at West Bromwich Albion on Monday.Fixtures (1400 GMT unless stated)Saturday: Burnley v Stoke, Liverpool v Crystal Palace (1630 GMT), QPR v Newcastle, Southampton v Aston Villa (1145 GMT), Sunderland v Leicester, Tottenham v Hull, West Ham v EvertonSunday: Manchester United v Arsenal (1500 GMT), Swansea v Manchester City (1230 GMT)Monday: West Bromwich Albion v Chelsea (1900 GMT)

British aid helicopters turned back from Nepal

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LONDON (AFP) - Three British helicopters sent to help with rescue efforts in Nepal following a devastating earthquake are to return without being used, the British government said on Saturday.Two major earthquakes have hit Nepal within three weeks, leaving almost 8,500 people dead and leaving huge numbers without shelter.We are disappointed that our Chinooks will not be supporting the World Food Programmes request for help in distributing aid, a government spokesman said.The three Royal Air Force Chinook helicopters had not reached Nepal but were stranded in Delhi, India, for a week after being sent to bring supplies and rescue stranded victims after the first quake on April 25.All decisions on the relief effort are ultimately for the government of Nepal and they have advised that there is no need for the Chinooks to remain forward-based in Delhi, the spokesman said.The Nepalese government has said it was overwhelmed by the scale of the first earthquake, the deadliest to hit the country in over eight decades.On Friday, the United Nations renewed calls for assistance to help victims stranded in remote areas accessible only by foot or helicopter, saying the implications of not acting quickly would be severe.We can only expect misery, a crippling loss of dignity and the real potential for more deaths, especially in the rural and remote areas, Jamie McGoldrick, UN humanitarian coordinator for Nepal, said in a statement.He called on donors to dramatically increase their aid contributions, which have reached 14 percent of the $423 million appeal.Britain said that it had contributed over 23 million GBP ($36 million, 31.5 million euros) in aid and that it would continue to support the relief effort.

Obama says Syrian war not likely to end before he leaves office

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama said Friday that the war in Syria would not likely end before he leaves office in early 2017 and reaffirmed his belief that there is no military solution to the conflict.The situation in Syria is heartbreaking but its extremely complex Obama said in an interview with the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television network.Asked if the conflict, which has left more than 220,000 people dead, might be resolved before he ends his second term, Obama responded probably not.You have a civil war in a country that arises out of longstanding grievances he said.It was not something that was triggered by the United States and it was not something that could have been stopped by the United States, he said, adding that all too often in the Middle East region, people attribute everything to the United States.Obama emphasized that settling the conflict would require the cooperation of Gulf allies and other regional nations such as Turkey, but that a military solution is not going to be the solution.He reiterated that it makes more sense to work with those countries, instead of engaging them unilaterally.At the beginning of May, officials announced that the US military had begun training a small unit of moderate Syrian rebels in Jordan to return home and take on the might of the Islamic State.

Football: Pellegrini backs himself to help City narrow the gap

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MANCHESTER (AFP) - Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini remains convinced about his future at the club and believes the gap between his side and Premier League champions Chelsea can be bridged next season.City travel to Swansea on Sunday with a degree of uncertainty over whether Pellegrini will be in charge at Eastlands beyond the end of the current campaign.Pellegrini, who is in the second year of a three-year contract, guided City to the Premier League title and English League Cup in his first year in the job, but will finish the 2014-15 season without a trophy to his name.City, who head into the weekend in second place, were also knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona in the last 16, having just scraped through the group stage.But despite a season without silverware, Pellegrini remains confident he will stay in charge and has no plans to seek assurances from City owner Sheikh Mansour about his future.I dont have to talk about it, Pellegrini said of a potential meeting to discuss his future. I have my own future so clear, so many years ago, so it doesnt matter, the Chilean added.Pellegrini, who will have midfielder Yaya Toure and captain Vincent Kompany available for the match at the Liberty Stadium, believes the gap between City and Chelsea is not that great.Next year, we must make some changes, he said.I dont think we are very far from Chelsea or from other teams, and in the games we play against Chelsea we didnt see a better team than our team, but they were more consistent during the whole year.We will see in the future what we must do. I dont think we are very far from Chelsea because I dont think they are a better team than our team, but we need to improve and we will see which areas we are going to.Best of BonyPellegrini also believes that fans will see the best of striker Wilfried Bony, who joined Swansea from City in the last transfer window, next season.He added: We didnt bring Bony just for this year. We bought Bony because we were sure that he is a very good player, an important striker and he will be in our team also.Maybe this year for different reasons, with his injury because he had a problem in his ankle and his knee, he is not playing the amount of minutes he must play but he will be a very important player in the future.Swansea manager Garry Monk believes Ivory Coast international Bony, who scored 34 goals in 70 games for the South Wales club, will receive a warm welcome from the home sides supporters.Wilfried was fantastic for us, Monk said. He was talismanic, the fans loved him and he scored goals.Im sure hell get a great reception and rightly so. He worked extremely hard when he was here and he still speaks fondly of the club.Monk also revealed that he has started to open talks with chairman Huw Jenkins regarding a contract extension after guiding Swansea to their highest Premier League points tally.Monk added: We have begun preliminary talks. I love being here and Ive enjoyed every single minute of it so far.Im looking at the future being here with Swansea and to progress the club once again.Swansea will check on the fitness of defender Angel Rangel, who suffered a knock in their 1-0 win over Arsenal on Monday, while full-back Kyle Naughton and winger Wayne Routledge have both been ruled out for the rest of the season with ankle injuries.

Football: Play-off worry stalks Man Utd-Arsenal clash

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LONDON (AFP) - Manchester United and Arsenals players will be hoping to avoid the encumbrance of a Champions League play-off tie when they meet at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday.Two points above United in third place (and three points below second-place Manchester City), Arsenal are on course for automatic Champions League qualification, with the team finishing fourth obliged to enter the competition in the play-off round in late August.But victory for United would take them above Arsenal and although Arsene Wengers side have a game in hand at home to struggling Sunderland on Wednesday, defeat is a complication they could do without.Furthermore, with the north London club having lost 1-0 at home to a Swansea City side with nothing to play for on their last outing -- ending a 10-game unbeaten run -- Sunderlands visit no longer seems the formality it perhaps once did.United are effectively guaranteed to finish no lower than fourth, having opened up a six-point gap over fifth-place Liverpool with a significantly better goal difference.Manager Louis van Gaal has therefore achieved his minimum objective for the campaign, but he also knows that snatching a podium place from Arsenals grasp would give his team a psychological edge going into next season.I think it (finishing fourth) was a big challenge, said the Dutchman, whose side halted a run of three straight defeats with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Crystal Palace last weekend.So, I think we did very good, but it is not good enough because at the end, we want to be champions.Now, at the end, we want to be third because that is still possible. We can put pressure on Arsenal and that is what we want to do on Sunday.The two sides have claimed a 2-1 away victory apiece in their encounters to date this season, with United winning at the Emirates Stadium in the league in November and Arsenal prevailing in the FA Cup in March.Welbeck and Rooney outIt is nine years since Arsenal last tasted success at Old Trafford in the league -- a run of seven matches, which included an 8-2 humbling in August 2011 in which Wayne Rooney plundered a hat-trick.But the FA Cup quarter-final success will give Arsenal confidence about returning to a stadium where they have struggled in recent years.It was a very important win there, said Wenger, whose side will defend the FA Cup in the final against Aston Villa on May 30.It was a very positive factor for the development of the team to go there and win. We knew that if we went through, we could get to the final and have a chance to win the FA Cup.That was very positive because we knew it was a tricky draw. We can be inspired by that because a repeat of that kind of performance could give us some very important points.United old boy Danny Welbeck returned to haunt Old Trafford by claiming the winner in March -- capitalising on an error from Antonio Valencia to score -- but he will miss Sundays game with a knee injury.Wenger has named an unchanged team in his last five matches, for the first time in his 19-year tenure, but with Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott and Kieran Gibbs all fully fit again, he may opt to rotate.Welbecks former strike partner Rooney, who has a dead leg, is one of several players set to miss out for United, along with key midfielder Michael Carrick (calf) and left-back Luke Shaw (head).But defender Marcos Rojo, striker Robin van Persie and record signing Angel di Maria are all in contention following spells on the sidelines.Goal-shy striker Radamel Falcao will hope to feature on what will be the last home appearance of his disappointing loan spell from Monaco.

Golf: McIlroy poised to strike as Simpson, Streb share lead

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CHARLOTTE (AFP) - Webb Simpson fired seven birdies in a five-under 67 to grab a share of the lead alongside Robert Streb on Friday at Quail Hollow, where world number one Rory McIlroy was poised for a weekend push.Simpsons second straight 67 gave him a 10-under total of 134, tied with first-round leader Streb, who carded a 69.They were two strokes in front of Americans Martin Flores and Patrick Rodgers, Flores posting a 67 and Rodgers a 68 for eight-under 136.McIlroy, meanwhile, made the most of his good breaks, firing five birdies without a bogey in a 67 that left him tied for fifth on 137 alongside five-time major champion Phil Mickelson (66) and Will MacKenzie (68).McIlroy opened his round with an impressive birdie at the par-five 10th, where he rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt from off the green.Its always nice to start the day with a putt like that, said McIlroy, who missed five fairways but found the green at each of those holes.Thankfully, it went my way today, said McIlroy, who captured his first US PGA Tour title at Quail Hollow in 2010.McIlroy thought his score could have been even better, but he wasnt complaining.I think Ive gotten a lot better at staying patient, he said. The way I hit it today, I felt like I could have shot 63 or 64, but (Im) realizing 67 is still a good score and puts me in a great position going into the weekend.McIlroys easy confidence could be bad news for the players in front of him.Simpson, a local favorite who is enjoying some extra time with family that comes from playing at home, grabbed his share of the lead with the help of two chip-in birdies, at the par-four ninth and at the tough par-three 17th.They were different, Simpson said of the birdie chips. At nine I had a kind of bad lie in the rough and I chunked it out of there and it released for me.At 17 I had a tight lie. Its a tough shot but it came out just right -- that was a fun atmosphere at 17.Streb, who is seeking a second title of the season after winning the McGladrey Classic in October, made his first bogey of the week at the par-four 16th, but clung to a share of the lead with two pars to finish.Its been going good, Streb said. My misses havent got me in too much trouble with the exception of 16.Im just kind of hanging around, making some putts. Hopefully Ill hit it nice and solid over the weekend and keep the putter going.

Belmokhtar rejects IS allegiance pledge: Mauritanian agency

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NOUAKCHOTT (AFP) - Algerian extremist commander Mokhtar Belmokhtar distanced himself on Friday from a pledge of allegiance made by his group to the Islamic State organisation, Mauritanian media reported.Belmokhtars north African Al-Murabitoun group was linked to Al-Qaeda but a recording broadcast by Mauritanian news agency Al-Akhbar on Thursday said it was aligning itself with the IS organisation and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.But Belmokhtar said the declaration does not comply with the conditions and covenants of the movements shura advisory council, according to the agency.It clearly violates the foundational statement that determined the method and behaviour of the organisation, Belmokhtar was reported to have said.Al-Akhbar, which regularly publishes statements by extremists, told AFP it had verified the communique, which was published on Twitter on Thursday, according to the US-based intelligence group SITE.It quoted Belmokhtar as saying Al-Murabitoun would continue its backing for the Egyptian Ayman al-Zawihiri, the worldwide leader of al-Qaeda, wanted for attacks in the United States, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.Al-Akhbar said Thursdays pledge of allegiance was read out on behalf of Adnan Abu Walid Sahraoui, adding that it was clear that he had become the groups leader, since only the chief has the right to sign such a declaration.The recording called on all extremist movements to pledge allegiance to Baghdadi, self-proclaimed caliph of IS, in order to speak with one voice.The agency, which says it is in contact with an authentic source within Al-Murabitoun, told AFP the way Belmokhtar had formulated his statement suggested a rise in Sahraouis authority and the possibility of a schism developing within Al-Murabitoun.Boko Haram, the group wreaking havoc in northern Nigeria, has already pledged allegiance to IS, which sprang to worldwide prominence in June last year when it overran large parts of Iraq and Syria, declaring a caliphate.Former Al-Qaeda chiefSeveral local extremist groups quickly affiliated themselves, and IS has since received pledges of fealty from extremist outfits from as far afield as Algeria, Afghanistan and Indonesia.Although the group has since been pushed back militarily by US-led air strikes and a counter-offensive by Iraqi security forces and militias, IS remains a potent draw for would-be recruits.Al-Murabitoun was born out of a merger between Belmokhtars Signatories in Blood and MUJAO -- one of the groups that seized control of northern Mali in early 2012 to 2013.Belmokhtar, also a former chief of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is wanted for having allegedly masterminded a siege in January 2013 of an Algerian gas plant in which 38 mostly Western hostages were killed.He was thought to have been killed in Mali, but security sources had told AFP last year that he had moved into Libya and remained active.Divided among rival armed factions, plagued by drug trafficking and infiltrated by extremist groups, Malis desert north has struggled to maintain stability since the west African nation gained independence in 1960.The country descended into chaos in 2012 when an insurgency by Tuareg rebels led to a coup in the capital Bamako. Extrenist such as MUJAO then overpowered the Tuareg to seize control of Malis northern desert.A French-led military operation launched in January 2013 drove the extremists into the bush but the Tuareg rebels and militants remain active throughout the northeast.Al-Murabitoun claimed responsibility for the first attack against Westerners in Bamako on March 7, targeting a bar that was popular with expatriates. The attack left five dead, including three Malians, a French national and a Belgian.The group also carried out a suicide attack on April 15 against the Nigerian contingent of the UN mission in Mali, killing two civilians.

Ukraine president enacts controversial laws banning Soviet symbols

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KIEV (AFP) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Friday enacted laws banning Soviet symbols and communist-era propaganda, his office said, after the measures drew strong Russian criticism when they were approved by parliament last month.The laws prohibit Soviet symbols, condemn the communist regime, open the Soviet special services archives and officially recognise the role of a nationalist group that fought for Ukraines independence in the mid-20th century.Besides angering Russia, the measures also exacerbated tensions with pro-Moscow rebels in Ukraines east after parliament approved them.The package of laws bans Soviet flags and means Soviet-era Lenin statues will have to be knocked down and town squares renamed across the country of 45 million people. The laws also ban Nazi propaganda in the ex-Soviet republic.The nationalist group recognised by the laws leaned towards German Nazis for a time before fighting them as well as the Soviet Union. They are often decried in Russia as fascist hardline nationalists.Since April 2014, Ukrainian forces have been battling pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in a bid to prevent the secession of the Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.The West and Kiev have accused the Kremlin of instigating the insurgency and supporting militants with weapons, funds and troops. Moscow has denied the claims.

Ivory Coast opposition coalition launched as crowd chants Gbagbo's name

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ABIDJAN (AFP) - Ivory Coast politicians on Friday launched an opposition coalition ahead of October presidential elections as crowds chanted the name of ex-strongman Laurent Gbagbo, currently awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court.More than 1,000 people, including political heavyweights, attended the launch at an Abidjan hotel, with the coalitions charter calling for Gbagbo to be freed along with others it labelled political prisoners.It also called for the dissolution of the current electoral commission amid claims it is biased in favour of President Alassane Ouattara, who will be seeking re-election and is the only major candidate in the race so far ahead of the October vote.Former prime minister Charles Konan Banny and the ex-president of the National Assembly, Mamadou Koulibaly, were among those at the first meeting of the National Coalition for Change launched on Friday.Long-time leader Gbagbos refusal to concede defeat to Ouattara after 2010 elections sparked a bloody five-month standoff in which some 3,000 people died, according to the United Nations.Gbagbo, held in The Hague since his transfer to the ICCs detention unit in late November 2011, will go on trial in November for his alleged role in the violence.

US stocks gain despite stingy consumer spending

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Wall Street took a benign view of surprisingly poor consumer spending trends this week, bidding stocks higher despite downcast government and corporate reports on the retail sector.The S&P 500 closed the week at record levels, adding 6.63 points (0.31 percent) at 2,122.73.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 81.45 (0.45 percent) to 18,272.56, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 44.74 (0.89 percent) to 5,048.29.Even with the gains, analysts said market sentiment remained subdued. The S&P 500 is only a hair above the 2,080-2,120 range it has held for most of the last three months.Were range-bound, we just happen to be ending the week on the higher end of that range, said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities.Clearly if this new higher range were to be a breakout wed see a follow-through, and there really hasnt been any follow-through.Hogan said US stocks received some support from a pullback in US Treasury yields and a retreat in the dollar, which traded against the euro Friday at the lowest level in more than three months.The weeks most scrutinized data point, April retail sales, came in at $436.8 billion in April, essentially unchanged from March.Also disheartening was Fridays news that the University of Michigans US consumer sentiment index plummeted to 88.6 in May, down from 95.9 in April.On the corporate side, there were one or two positive blips, such as results from upscale burger chain Shake Shack, which posted a 56.3 percent gain in first-quarter sales to $37.8 million.But department chain giant Macys reported results that missed market expectations, as it cited a number of factors, including the West Coast port slowdown, severe winter weather and the impact of the dollar.Macys said foreign visitors to stores in New York, Las Vegas and other American cities spent less due to the strong US currency.Retailer Kohls missed analyst forecasts on sales, while J.C. Penney reported a $167 million loss in the first quarter. Gap said comparable sales in April 2015 tumbled 12 percent compared with last year.Seasonal slowdown?Hogan said the consumer weakness was especially disappointing in light of the drop in gasoline prices that was expected to boost consumption. But he said it was too soon to know whether the slowdown in spending was seasonal or the sign of an important consumer shift toward building up savings.Were creating more jobs and consumers ares saving more at the pump, he said. But we havent seen a clear path of those new savings and salaries coming into the marketplace.Briefing.com analyst Patrick OHare said the governments flat retail sales report for April wont leave the Fed feeling confident about raising the fed funds rate in June.In other corporate news, DuPont shareholders gave chief executive Ellen Kullman a big win, turning back an activist campaign from billionaire Nelson Peltzs Trian Fund Management following a hard-fought proxy contest. Some analysts thought the outcome could embolden more companies to take a tougher line towards activists.The weeks most high-profile merger was Verizons $4.4 billion takeover of Internet pioneer AOL in an effort to boost the telecom giants presence in online media and advertising.In other deals, Noble Energy bought Rosetta Resources for $2.1 billion and industrial company Danaher acquired walter-filtration company Pall for $13.8 billion.Next weeks calendar includes earnings from retail behemoths Wal-Mart Stores and Home Depot, as well as US housing starts and existing-home sales data for April. The Federal Reserve will also release minutes from its April monetary policy meeting.

Weak US industrial, confidence data hit dollar

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Weaker-than-expected data on US industrial production and consumer confidence weighed on the dollar Friday, pushing it to a three-month low against the euro.Another batch of disappointing US data added to speculation that the Federal Reserve would need to delay its plan to raise near-zero interest rates this year.US industrial production fell 0.3 percent in April, the fifth straight month of decline, according to Federal Reserve data.The University of Michigans US consumer sentiment index plummeted to 88.6 in May from 95.9 in April.For several weeks, weve wondered whether or not the early year slowdown in the US economy could be attributed in part to another rough winter, said Christopher Vecchio, currency analyst at DailyFX.Vecchio said that even during a period of seasonal weakness, the first half of 2015 so far has been unseasonably weak.The data bodes exceptionally poorly for the US dollar, he said.The euro bought $1.1446 around 2100 GMT, up from $1.1414 late Thursday. Earlier in the day the single currency had climbed to $1.1467, its highest level in three and a half months.Todays numbers raise the possibility that the expected spring sprint is turning into a slow walk, said Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors.That should keep the Fed on hold at least through June, he said.2100 GMT Friday ThursdayEUR/USD 1.1446 1.1414EUR/JPY 136.67 136.04EUR/CHF 1.0483 1.0410EUR/GBP 0.7279 0.7234USD/JPY 119.41 119.19USD/CHF 0.9158 0.9121GBP/USD 1.5724 1.5777
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