Monday 27 March 2017

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

US-backed forces battle IS around key Syria town of Tabqa

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TABQA DAM (AFP) - US-backed forces battled the Islamic State group around a key Syrian town Monday, after the capture of an airbase brought them closer to besieging the jihadists in their stronghold Raqa.Backed by air power from the US-led coalition that has been bombing IS since 2014, the Syrian Democratic Forces are laying the groundwork for an assault on the heart of the jihadists so-called caliphate.Operations are currently focused on the strategically important town of Tabqa on the Euphrates River, and the adjacent dam and military airport.Late Sunday, Arab and Kurdish fighters from the SDF seized Tabqa airbase and pressed north towards the town itself.Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, said the alliance was fighting north of the airport to reinforce its positions.The SDF could bring supplies to the airport in the coming days and use it as a launching point for additional military operations, he added, reporting heavy strikes in the area.SDF spokesman Talal Sello said the alliance would begin rehabilitating the airport after clearing out explosive devices left behind by IS and said the bases main landing strip was seriously damaged.Bolstered by air strikes and military advisers from the US-led coalition, SDF units are approaching Tabqa from the south via the airport and via the north near the IS-held dam.The road to the dam was strewn with bits of burned vehicles and the casings of ammunition and the bodies of several alleged IS fighters lie in the shallow water of a canal, evidence of fierce fighting.On Monday, the SDF observed a brief truce in fighting to allow a technical team to enter the dam after it was forced out of service the previous day.An SDF spokesman later said inspections had been successful and the pause in fighting was now over.There is no damage to the dam or its function, the engineers have finished their work and confirmed that the dam has not been damaged, and on this basis the ceasefire ended, Jihan Sheikh Ahmed said in a statement.A source at the dam had earlier said the work to assess and repair damage at the dam could last two or three days.The UN has warned that damage to the dam could lead to massive scale flooding across Raqa and as far away as Deir Ezzor province downstream to the southeast.IS issued warnings through its propaganda agency Amaq that the dam is threatened with collapse at any moment because of American strikes and a large rise in water levels.The US-led coalition denied the dam had been structurally damaged and said it was taking every precaution to ensure its integrity.The SDF launched its offensive for Raqa city in November, seizing around two thirds of the surrounding province, according to the Britain-based Observatory.At their closest point, they are just eight kilometres (five miles) from the city, to the northeast.But they are mostly further away, between 18 and 29 kilometres from Raqa.Syrias conflict began with protests against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 but has turned into a brutal war pitting government forces, jihadists, rebels, and Kurds against each other.In addition to the US-led coalitions bombing campaign, Russian warplanes are carrying out air strikes in support of Assads government.On Monday, a spokesman for the Islamist rebel group Ahrar al-Sham told AFP it shot down a Russian helicopter over a government-held town in the northwestern province of Latakia.But a spokesman for Moscows forces in Syria, headquartered at the Hmeimim air base in Latakia, said Monday that all Russian aircraft inside Syria were safely at their bases or on missions.Russias air support has helped Syrian government forces regain the upper hand in swathes of territory across the country.Assads government has also relied on reconciliation deals, under which rebels agree to quit territory in exchange for an end to siege or bombardment, and safe passage.On Monday, evacuations from the last opposition-held district of the central city of Homs resumed under a similar deal, SANA state news agency reported.Homs governor Talal Barazi told AFP that around 1,900 people left Waer on Monday, 670 of them rebels.UN-mediated talks between government and rebel representatives continued Monday in Geneva, aimed at bringing an end to the war that has killed 320,000 people.Speaking in the Swiss city, High Negotiations Committee chief Nasr al-Hariri stuck by the opposition groups long-held demand that Assad cannot have any role in the transition and future of Syria.The UNs envoy Staffan de Mistura was in Jordan on Monday to brief an Arab League meeting on the talks.

May holds crisis talks in Scotland on brink of Brexit

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LONDON (AFP) - British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday urged Scotland not to choose independence, while also fighting a political crisis in Northern Ireland in the frantic final days before she launches Brexit.With Britain still reeling from a terror attack at the gates of parliament, May is preparing to embark on a journey out of the European Union this week that will change Britain and the EU forever.Now is not the time for a referendum, May said before meeting First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a Glasgow hotel -- their first talks since the Scottish leader announced plans for a vote.Both leaders said they were not ready to compromise.The Edinburgh parliament on Tuesday is expected to back Sturgeons call for a new independence vote -- three years after one in which Scots voted to stay -- to be held before Britain leaves the EU in 2019.May will send a letter to EU President Donald Tusk with Britains formal departure notification on Wednesday, opening up a two-year negotiating window before Britain actually leaves the bloc in 2019.The Sunday Times reported that the letter would run to eight pages and British media said it would be handed over in person by Britains EU envoy Tim Barrow at the same time as May addresses British MPs.The notification will come nine months after Britain voted by 52 percent in favour of leaving the EU, the first country to do so, in a decision that shocked the world and caused a sharp devaluation of the pound.The EU is expected to provide an initial response by Friday and an EU summit on April 29 will come up with a more detailed strategy, but the talks themselves are not expected to start until May at the earliest.The prospect of those negotiations breaking down and Britain leaving with no deal in place is a growing concern for UK business leaders and among pro-EU politicians on both sides of the Channel.The EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier last week warned that if no deal was reached, it could mean queues at the port of Dover, disrupted air traffic in and out of Britain and even see the transport of nuclear material suspended.We want a deal, Barnier told reporters, after May said that no deal is better than a bad deal.Barnier also said Britain must settle the accounts after EU officials said London faced an exit bill of around 60 billion euros ($65 billion) -- likely to be a major bone of contention in the negotiations.The launch of Brexit, which has raised wider questions about European integration, will come just days after EU leaders celebrated the 60th anniversary of the blocs founding treaty in Rome with a declaration in favour a multi-speed Europe.Tens of thousands of pro-EU demonstrators took to the streets of London and other European cities on Saturday but for many Britons the countrys departure cannot come soon enough.The run-up to the historic moment has been particularly frenzied for May, who had to be rushed out of the British parliament last Wednesday after an attacker went on a rampage outside the gates.Briton Khalid Masood, 52, ran over and killed three pedestrians, then stabbed a police officer to death before being shot dead himself just inside the gates of the symbol of Britains democracy.Scotland and Northern Ireland are providing two further headaches for Conservative leader May.In Northern Ireland, Britain on Monday extended talks aimed at ending a deadlock on forming a power-sharing executive after a deadline to do so expired.We now have a short window of opportunity, Northern Ireland Minister James Brokenshire told reporters, saying failure to reach a deal so far was extremely disappointing and would cause widespread dismay.Northern Ireland voted for the UK to stay in the European Union and the border with the the Republic of Ireland, an EU member state, is a concern for negotiators.Scotland also voted overwhelmingly for Britain to stay in the EU.As well as exposing deep rifts between different parts of the country, the Brexit vote showed up the divide between the haves and the have-nots of globalisation and the raw wounds from the global financial crisis and years of austerity.

Merkel cheers poll win as 'Schulz effect' fizzles

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BERLIN (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel Monday welcomed a surprise state poll triumph by her party as encouraging for a September general election, as hype around her main rival fizzled in its first test.With just six months to go until voters decide whether Merkel will have a fourth term, the election in the tiny southwestern state of Saarland Sunday took on outsized importance.Voters returned Merkels conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) to power with 41 percent of the vote, five points higher than at the last election in 2012.Yesterday was a great day and thus an encouraging day, she said, after presenting Saarlands victorious CDU premier Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer with a bouquet of daisies.Congratulations also came from Washington as President Donald Trump telephoned Merkel about the election win, his press secretary said, just 10 days after the two leaders met for the first time during tense talks at the White House.The centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), who had been enjoying a surge in the polls thanks to their freshly-anointed standard bearer, Martin Schulz, came in a distant second with 30 percent.Schulz, the former president of the European Parliament, admitted Monday that the result had been a bitter disappointment just a week after SPD delegates unanimously elected him party chairman.But he tried to put a brave face on the defeat.Election campaigns are marathons and not sprints, and we have good stamina, he said, warning the CDU that those who are celebrating today shouldnt count their chickens before they hatch.Saarland is governed by a grand coalition government, the same right-left alliance that Merkel leads in Berlin.For Schulz to take her job from her, he would likely need to win a majority for a leftist coalition with the far-left Die Linke and the ecologist Greens party known as Red-Red-Green.Commentators said the Saarland result indicated voters may be getting cold feet about that prospect.Germanys top-selling daily Bild said Merkel clearly had the wind in her sails after the Saarland vote, noting the dilemma faced by Schulz and the SPD.Its a small state, but a big signal, it said of Saarland, the first of three German state polls scheduled in the run-up to the national election on September 24.If Martin Schulz wants to become chancellor, he is going to have to put all his eggs in the Red-Red-Green basket -- a big risk.After weeks of breathless media coverage of the so-called Schulz effect, credited with lifting the SPD around 10 points in national polls to pull even with the CDU, news website Spiegel Online said the election proved he had no magic powers.The centre-left Sueddeutsche newspaper said the poll had been a crushing reality check for the SPD.While yesterdays result hasnt ended the SPDs hopes of making it into the chancellery, it has certainly put a damper on Schulz mania, it said.Merkel predicted further poll disappointments for the SPD as it had failed to bridge its bitter and lasting gulf between centrists and leftists stemming from a programme of labour market reforms known as Agenda 2010 that was passed by her SPD predecessor Gerhard Schroeder.Being stuck in the past is not what people want, she said.Merkels CDU had suffered a string of state poll setbacks in the wake of her decision in 2015 to open the borders to hundreds of thousands of refugees, mainly from strife-ravaged Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.However the issue has lost some of its explosive force as the number of new arrivals to Germany has dwindled.The right-wing populist AfD party, which had seized on voter outrage and angst over the issue, won seats in Saarland Sunday, its 11th state, but with an anaemic six-percent result.Political scientist Robert Vehrkamp of the Bertelsmann Foundation noted that strong turnout of around 70 percent had transformed what was forecast as a tight race into a show of force for the CDU.Many voters, particularly the centrists, are nervous about the strong results of the populist parties on the fringes, he told DPA news agency.

Trump son-in-law Kushner to face Russia investigation panel

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Donald Trumps son-in-law and top aide Jared Kushner will appear before a Senate panel investigating Russian interference in the US election, the White House said Monday.Kushner, 36, was Trumps main intermediary with foreign governments during the 2016 election campaign and now plays that role in the White House.He arranged meetings between Trump and leaders from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.But it is his contacts with Russian officials that are now coming under the microscope, amid explosive allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.US intelligence has concluded that Russia launched a broad-ranging campaign designed to help Trump win election.Throughout the campaign and transition, Jared Kushner served as the official primary point of contact with foreign governments and officials, a White House official said.Given this role, he has volunteered to speak with Chairman Burrs committee, but has not yet received confirmation, the official said, referring to Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina.Burr chairs the Senate intelligence committee.In a joint statement with his Democratic counterpart Senator Mark Warner, Burr said Kushners decision to appear showed the panels independence.From the beginning of this investigation we have committed to follow the facts wherever they lead us, they said.Mr. Kushner will certainly not be the last person the committee calls to give testimony, but we expect him to be able to provide answers to key questions that have arisen in our inquiry.The development comes amid renewed questions over the impartiality of a parallel inquiry from the House of Representatives intelligence committee.It is led by Congressman Devin Nunes, who is under fire for briefing the Trump about issues related to the investigation.Last week Nunes revealed that Trumps own communications may have been swept up in intelligence gathering on suspected foreign agents.Nunes worked on Trumps transition team and is now leading an investigation into possible links between that campaign team and Russia.The Senates top democrat Chuck Schumer called Monday for Nunes to be removed from his chairmanship of the inquiry.Chairman Nunes is falling down on the job and seems to be more interested in protecting the president than in seeking the truth, Schumer said on the floor of the Senate.You cannot have the person in charge of an impartial investigation be partial to one side.

Bangladesh commando shootout kills four Islamist militants

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DHAKA (AFP) - Bangladesh commandos shot dead four suspected extremists during a fierce 72-hour gunfight, the army said Monday, after days of bloodshed around the militants hideout including blasts claimed by the Islamic State group that killed six people.Heavily-armed troops found four bodies when they forced their way into the five-storey compound in the northeastern city of Sylhet where the well-trained extremists had been holed up since Friday after taking dozens of civilians hostage.All four were wearing suicide vests, Brigadier General Fakhrul Ahsan told reporters in Sylhet, adding one was a female fighter.The gunbattle began Friday, when commandos laid siege to the building as they tried to free 78 hostages.On Saturday, just as they were able to free the civilians, two powerful bombs ripped through a crowd of onlookers near the hideout, killing six people including two police officers and injuring about 50.The intelligence chief of Bangladeshs elite counter-terror unit was among those critically injured Saturdays bombings. He was flown to Singapore for treatment.The gunfight continued into Sunday, when two of the militants were killed after being spotted on the ground floor and shot. One of the suicide vests exploded during the shootout.The army did not comment on their identities but police and Bangladeshs home minister said they were members of a homegrown Islamist militant outfit blamed for a wave of attacks in recent years.IS took credit for Saturdays attack but the government and police rejected this claim.Police suspect it was the work of a new faction of Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh, a militant outfit which has killed more than 80 people in a series of attacks targeting mostly foreigners and religious minorities.IS has claimed responsibility for a spate of killings in the country, including a major attack on a cafe last year that left 22 people dead, but the government has denied the group has a foothold in Bangladesh.Bangladesh has been rocked by a series of suicide attacks this month, including one on a police checkpoint near the main international airport in Dhaka on Friday.Two of the three attacks, including the airport blast in which the suicide bomber was killed, were also claimed by IS.

10 jihadists among 20 dead in Yemen attack

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ADEN (AFP) - Ten people were killed Monday in a jihadist attack on a government building in southern Yemen that also saw 10 assailants die, including a suicide bomber, officials said.The suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into the entrance of the local government headquarters in Huta, the provincial capital of Lahj, a security official said.Security forces killed nine militants, including three wearing explosives belts and others armed with guns, when the assailants attacked the building following the bombing, the official said.Six soldiers and four civilians were killed in the bombing and gunfight, and two soldiers and two civilians were wounded, the official said.Lahjs deputy governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, accused Al-Qaeda of being behind the attack.Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has exploited a power vacuum created by the war between the government and Huthi rebels who control the capital Sanaa and number of major cities along the Red Sea coast.The United States regards AQAP as the jihadist networks most dangerous branch.Washington has conducted more than 40 air raids, including drone strikes, against AQAP in March alone. Many of the strikes have targeted towns in southern provinces where the radical group is known to operate.At least 25 suspected AQAP members have been killed in the raids.

Karachi: Target killer, extortionist among 17 accused nabbed

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Police, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and Rangers carried out operations in different parts of Karachi on Monday and arrested at least 17 accused including a Target killer and an extortionist, Dunya News reported.According to details, police arrested a Lyari gang war operative Muhammad Sharif during an operation in Mochco area and conducted a raid in Raess Goth area on information gathered from him and recovered huge cache of arms including three Kalashnikovs, nine pistols and 20 hand grenades.Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) conducted an operation in Malir’s Asso Goth area and arrested notorious target killer Arif Hussain. The CTD also recovered arms from his possession.Police conducted a raid on a “Guttka” factory in Pak Colony area and arrested four women and a man from there.On the other hand, Rangers conducted an operation in SITE Area and arrested four activists of MQM-London. Separately, Rangers apprehended an extortionist and five dacoits from Shershah area.

Lahore: Bus, truck collision leaves 10 injured

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - At least 10 people were injured when a bus collided with a truck at Bund Road near Sherakot area of Lahore on early Tuesday morning, Dunya News reported.The ill-fated bus was coming to Lahore from Mardan and collided with a truck near Sherakot area of Lahore. The driver of the truck was also among the injured.Police and rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the injured to Mian Munshi Hospital.

Tennis: Federer blows past del Potro into Miami fourth round

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MIAMI (AFP) - In-form Roger Federer powered his way into the fourth round of the Miami Open with a 6-3 6-4 win over Argentinas Juan Martin del Potro on Monday.Del Potro always enjoys plenty of crowd support in Miami, which has a large Argentine community, and it was the same story again with football-style chants of support ringing out for the 28-year-old on a packed Crandon Park center court.It was the pairs first meeting since 2013 and having won 15 of the previous 21 encounters, Federer was favorite - but the crowd factor gave the third round match an added edge.Shortly before I walked out to the court you could sense the atmosphere. Thats when I told myself, Just be prepared for something different, you know. It was different, Federer said.He was forced to save four break points in the first set but he got ahead with a thundering forehand to take a 5-3 lead and served out for the set.The Argentine had a chance to turn things around when he had a break point when down 4-3 in the second set but Federer, moving well and looking full of confidence, held firm and wrapped up the match in one hour and 22 minutes.I felt like I was in control and I was able to generate more chances than he did, Federer said.I felt like he got his chances a little bit out of nowhere, maybe because I dropped my level ever so slightly and gave him few easy points, and thats how he sort of got more chances on my serve.I feel like I earned it more. I was more the aggressor. It was more on my racquet, and I like it that way, added the Swiss, who won his 18th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.Federer, whose successful return from a six-month injury layoff has also included a win at Indian Wells this month, will face 14th seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in the next round.Czech Tomas Berdych, Miami finalist in 2010, defeated Gilles Muller 6-3, 6-4 while Federers compatriot Stan Wawrinka was scheduled to face Tunisian Malek Jaziri later on Monday.

Tennis: Cibulkova, Muguruza ousted at Miami Open

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MIAMI (AFP) - Fourth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia was knocked out of the Miami Open by the Czech Republics Lucie Safarova on Monday while Spanish sixth seed Garbine Muguruza was also eliminated.Safarova, ranked 36th in the world, moved into the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 victory -- her first triumph against a top-10 opponent since 2015.The 30-year-old Czech will face Dane Caroline Wozniacki, who advanced when Muguruza retired from their match due to illness shortly after losing the first set 7-6 (7/1).In an all-Czech clash, second seed Karolina Pliskova defeated Barbora Strycova 6-1, 6-4.Later matches Monday feature American Venus Williams against seventh-seeded Russian and Indian Wells runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova and world number one Angelique Kerber against Japanese qualifier Risa Ozaki.

Football: Manchester City fined pound 35,000 over Liverpool protest

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LONDON (AFP) - Manchester City have been fined pound 35,000 ($44,000, 40,000 euros) by the Football Association (FA) for a failure to control their players against Liverpool earlier this month.City pleaded guilty to a misconduct charge last week after several players were seen protesting against the award of a penalty to Liverpool in a Premier League match at Eastlands on March 19.They continued to complain even after James Milner had scored from the spot to give visitors Liverpool the lead in a match that ended in a 1-1 draw.Following an independent regulatory commission hearing, Manchester City have been fined pound 35,000 after the club admitted an FA misconduct charge, said a statement issued by the FA, English footballs governing body, on Monday.City breached FA Rule E20(a) in that in or around the 50th minute of the game against Liverpool on 19 March 2017, the club failed to ensure that its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion.

Football: Ronaldo tops Messi in earnings: report

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PARIS (AFP) - Real Madrids Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo was the best paid footballer in 2016-17, with 87.5 million euros ($95.3m) in earnings, ahead of his Argentinian rival at Barcelona, Lionel Messi (76.5m), according to figures to appear in Tuesdays edition of France Football.Messis Brazilian teammate Neymar is third with 55.5 million euros ahead of Real Madrids Welsh forward Gareth Bale (41m) and Argentinas Ezequiel Lavezzi (28.5m), who plays for Hebei Fortune in the Chinese Super League.Manchester Uniteds Jose Mourinho is the best paid coach, with income of 28 million euros, the magazine said.France Football said it based its figures on salary, bonuses and advertising income for the 2016-2017 season.

Golf: Dustin Johnson withdraws from Houston Open

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - World number one Dustin Johnson withdrew from the PGA Houston Open on Monday, citing fatigue after winning seven matches last week to capture his third consecutive US PGA Tour victory.The 32-year-old American edged Spains Jon Rahm 1 up in Sundays championship match of the World Golf Championships-Match Play at Austin, Texas.Johnson won seven matches over five days, including two each on Saturday and Sunday, to stretch a win streak that began last month at Riviera, where he surged atop the world rankings, and included the WGC Mexico event three weeks ago.With the Masters, the years first major championship, coming next week at Augusta National, Johnson selected rest over the benefits of playing the week before the showdown for the green jacket.After a great deal of thought and consultation with my team, I have decided to withdraw from this weeks Houston Open, Johnson said.Having played seven rounds of competitive golf in the last five days, I feel it is best to give my mind and body a much-needed rest heading into Masters week.I sincerely apologize to my many friends and fans in Houston... and I look forward to returning in the coming years.Johnson has played five times in Houston, finishing third last year ahead of sharing fourth at the 2016 Masters.Johnson won his first major title last June at Oakmont and is the only golfer to win every WGC title. The Masters will be his first major tournament as the world number one.

Sialkot: Two terrorists of banned outfit apprehended

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SIALKOT (Dunya News) - Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) conducted an operation on intelligence reports in Sialkot on Monday and apprehended two terrorists of a banned organization, Dunya News reported.According to the CTD sources, the arrested terrorists belonged to Daesh also known as Islamic State group and were identified as Gulfam Khan and Usman Ansar.The CTD officials also recovered explosive material, detonators and other material from arrested terrorists.The CTD sources shifted the arrested terrorists to some undisclosed location for further investigation. During initial investigation the terrorists have revealed that they were planning to target sensitive installations in Sialkot.

Britain's new pound coin enters circulation

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LONDON (AFP) - Britains new pound 1 coin with the symbols of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland goes into circulation from Tuesday on the eve of the launch of a Brexit process that has put national unity in doubt.The 12-sided coin is the first change to the shape of the pound 1 coin since its introduction in 1983. Britains finance ministry said the new coin would be the most secure of its kind in the world to prevent a rise in counterfeits.About three percent of the current round-shaped coins are fakes.The new pound coins will be thinner, lighter and slightly bigger than the old ones and will have a hologram-like image that changes from a pound symbol to the number 1 when viewed from different angles.Staying ahead of sophisticated counterfeiters remains a constant challenge and this coin helps in that battle, said Adam Lawrence, head of the Royal Mint, which is producing around 1.5 billion new coins.The new bi-metallic coin has the same shape as the popular old Threepenny bit that was introduced in 1937 and went out with decimalisation in 1971.Queen Elizabeth IIs portrait will be on the obverse side of the coin, while Englands rose, Scotlands thistle, Waless leek and Northern Irelands shamrock will be on the other side, held in a crown.The old coins cease to be legal tender on October 15.Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday is set to formally notify the European Union of Britains intention to leave the bloc in a process that has caused a steep plunge in the value of the pound compared to the euro and dollar.The United Kingdom as a whole voted to leave the EU in a referendum last year.Most voters in Scotland and Northern Ireland wanted the UK to stay in the EU, but a majority in England and Wales opted for Britain to leave the bloc.
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