SAARI NEWS: AFP

FBI recommends charges against ex-CIA chief Petraeus

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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;"><b>Washington: The FBI and US Justice Department prosecutors have recommended bringing felony charges against retired General David Petraeus for allegedly providing classified information to his former mistress while he was director of the CIA, The New York Times reported Friday.</b></span><br />
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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The investigation stems from an affair Petraeus -- who was also commander of American forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan -- had with an Army Reserve officer who was writing his biography, the newspaper said, citing unnamed officials.</span><br />
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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The probe focuses on whether Petraeus, who resigned in 2012 when the affair became public, gave Paula Broadwell access to his CIA email account and other highly classified information. </span><br />
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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">FBI agents discovered classified documents on her computer after he quit, according to the Times, which said that Attorney General Eric Holder must decide whether to seek an indictment that could send Petraeus to prison.</span><br />
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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Holder was expected to decide by the end of last year whether to bring charges against Petraeus, the newspaper said. </span><br />
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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Petraeus has said he never provided classified information to Broadwell, who was 20 years his junior and wrote a biography of the general before becoming his lover.</span><br />
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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Petraeus is one of the most decorated and respected military officers of his generation.</span><br />
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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">After the affair came to light, he voiced regret for the "pain" caused by the fling with Broadwell, a counter-terrorism expert and lieutenant-colonel, and pledged to try to "make amends to those I have hurt and let down."</span><br />
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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Marc Raimondi, spokesman for the Justice Department, declined to comment on the Times report. (AFP)</span><br />

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AFP world FBI recommends charges against ex-CIA chief Petraeus

Washington: The FBI and US Justice Department prosecutors have recommended bringing felony charges against retired General David Petraeus for allegedly providing classified information to his former mistress while he was director of the CIA, The New…

England Bat First Against Sri Lanka in 2nd ODI

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AFP SPORTS world England Bat First Against Sri Lanka in 2nd ODI

COLOMBO, Nov 29, 2014 (AFP) -England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and elected to bat in the second one-day international against Sri Lanka at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo on Saturday. The match was reduced to 45-overs-a-side following a de…

We are in Proxy War in Afghanistan, Pervez Musharraf

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Karachi: Former President General (retd) Pervez Musharraf says NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India could push proxy wars.<br />
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The news agency AFP in an interview at the seventy-year-old who came to power in 1999, the new President Pervez Musharraf praised Ashraf Ghani, who first visited Pakistan last week.<br />
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The year of the US-led coalition forces withdraw from Afghanistan will be completed, in time of peace in Afghanistan is essential for the support of Pakistan.<br />
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Pervez Musharraf said that Pakistan and India must remove border tensions that could bring peace in Afghanistan.<br />
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AFP at his residence in Karachi, the former president said that India's involvement in Afghanistan is a threat to Pakistan.<br />
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He said: "It is not only Pakistan but the entire region is a further risk that India wants to make an anti-Pakistan Afghanistan.<br />
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However, after the partition of nuclear power with the neighboring countries of Pakistan and India fought three wars have been several times smaller clashes persisted, however, in 1998, both from the nuclear weapons test, since no War did not.<br />
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Over the past few weeks in India Pakistani border region has seen an increase in violence and repeatedly violated ceasefire between the two countries has been.<br />
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Pakistan and India in December 2003 LOC ceasefire agreement was pledged to uphold, but still could not stop such incidents.<br />
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In addition to border on each other proxies in Afghanistan are also impose charges.<br />
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India, Tajik groups in northern Afghanistan while trying to build ties with Pakistan in the south and east of Afghanistan, most contacts with the Pashtuns are living.<br />
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The former president said in his interview, India, Afghanistan, some ethnic elements have been used for their purposes, then Pakistan will also use elements of their own ethnic Pashtun and they certainly will.<br />
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"We are launching a proxy war in Afghanistan, but it should be avoided.<br />
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Pervez Musharraf India prjnuby camps in Afghanistan through Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan separatist nationalists accused of supporting.<br />
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Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai often been accused of supporting prtalban Pakistan, but Pakistan has always denied the allegations.<br />
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Pervez Musharraf said Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai criticized the officials sent for training in Pakistan than India, this strategy increases the odds are small things.<br />
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Although Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Ashraf Ghani, Ashraf Ghani said in recent interview that his three-day tour of the differences are over thirteen years.<br />
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Former President Pervez Musharraf has warned that if NATO forces withdrew from Pakistan war between traditional rivals may be resumed.<br />
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enclose the military victory has been transformed into a political victory.<br />
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Pervez Musharraf said during the interview that 'Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) of protesters picketing Qadri has shaken everyone.<br />
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"People have been standing for a change. In my mind, there are no doubts in this regard, nor should be in the mind of the people of Pakistan are very strong desire for change.<br />
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In March 2013, former President Pervez Musharraf to end his self-imposed exile came to Pakistan to take part in elections in May, the country can prevent not only the Taliban but also to support the devastated economy.<br />
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However, they were not only prevented from participating in the elections, including the detention encountered in many cases.<br />
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Former President Pervez Musharraf was a key ally in the US war on terrorism, but nowadays they are living in their home in Karachi amid tight security.<br />
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Pervez Musharraf not only threats from the Taliban, but also faces substantial cases, which ended in 2008. Most of these have close to a decade rule contains. AFP</div>

AFP PAKISTAN Pervez Musharraf world We are in Proxy War in Afghanistan, Pervez Musharraf

Karachi: Former President General (retd) Pervez Musharraf says NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India could push proxy wars. The news agency AFP in an interview at the seventy-year-old who came to power in 1999, the new President Perve…

Halcyon days of Italian fashion honoured in London show

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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;"><b>LONDON: From its birth in post-war Florence through to Milan's modern-day creations, a new London show is celebrating the glory days of the "Made in Italy" brand, which today is facing an uncertain future.</b></span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Spectacular gowns and accessories from top designers and forgotten brands showcase the craftsmanship and style that helped rebuild Italy and its global reputation after World War II.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum is entitled "The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945-2014", but it has a nostalgic air, a reminder of how Italy's standing in the fashion world has declined.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The marketing of Italy as the home of fashion began at the time of the Marshall Plan, the US aid package that helped rebuild parts of Europe destroyed and demoralised by war.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">With the vision of charismatic businessman Giovanni Battista Giorgini, the funds helped Italian fashion play a key role in national reconstruction - and give Paris a run for its money.</span><br />
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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Giorgini succeeded in attracting international buyers, including US department stores, and organised the first major show in February 1951, where models sporting elegant dresses and casual beach wear worked the catwalk at his Florence home.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"The fact that Giorgini convinced these buyers to come and add Florence after Paris on their fashion route really brought the international press and buying power to Italy for the first time," explained exhibition curator Sonnet Stanfill.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Italy's international reputation for style was ingrained by the semi-mythical "Sala Bianca" shows, held in Florence's sumptious Palazzo Pitti and captured on black and white film.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Among those early designers, Emilio Pucci is the only brand currently shown on the runway.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Others disappeared into obscurity, including Vanna and Emilio Schuberth, who is represented at the London show by a stunning strapless robe in various shades of pink.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Cinema and its glamorous stars served as a unique shop window for Italian designers, thanks to the many movies filmed in the Cinecitta studios in the 1950s and 1960s.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">A Sorelle Fontana dress worn by Hollywood star Ava Gardner and a Bulgari necklace and emerald-and-diamond ring given by Richard Burton to his lover Elizabeth Taylor, who filmed Cleopatra in Rome, are among about 100 exhibits on show.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Combining expert craftsmanship and lower-than-Paris prices, Italian designers drove a booming export market, profiting from a thriving textile industry and local skill clusters: Como for silk, Biella (Piedmont) for wool and Prato (Tuscany) for leather.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">In the 1980s, Milan became the capital of Italian fashion and the "Made in Italy" brand became an effective marketing tool worldwide.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Marked by a stunning pair of Dolce & Gabbana black boots encrusted with stones, and Valentino and Armani evening dresses, the final part of the exhibition explores the latest big names in Italian fashion.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">It also looks at the uncertain future of an industry plagued by economic difficulties and the advancing age of its designers.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"I was very aware of the debate that is swirling around Milan at the moment. If (renowned fashion writer) Suzy Menkes referred to London as a fashion laboratory, where does that leave Milan?" asked Stanfill.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"I think the fact that the Camera Nazionale della Moda (Italy's national fashion council) has created a new position, that of CEO, and appointed a British female executive, Jane Reeve, to that position, indicates its own self-awareness that there needs to be a change," she added.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">It is a sentiment expressed by the designers themselves in a film shown at the end of the exhibition.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"Italian fashion needs really to wake up... we need fresh blood," argues Jacopo Etro, creative director of accessories and leather at Etro. He claims the high number of designers aged over 70 is blocking progress.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Mariano Rubinacci, chairman of the eponymous tailoring company, complains of "unbelievable taxes" while Angela Missoni, creative director of Missoni, bemoans a lack of government support.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">It is a message that may be particularly poignant for new Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, 39, who saw the exhibition on Tuesday evening during a visit to London. AFP</span><br />
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AFP Entertainment GIORGINI HOLLYWOOD italian fashion show in london london world Halcyon days of Italian fashion honoured in London show

LONDON: From its birth in post-war Florence through to Milan's modern-day creations, a new London show is celebrating the glory days of the "Made in Italy" brand, which today is facing an uncertain future. Spectacular gowns and accessories from top …

Obama visits Saudi Arabia amid strategic diferences over Iran, Syria

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AFP barak obama rome saudia arabia news world Obama visits Saudi Arabia amid strategic diferences over Iran, Syria

ROME: US President Barack Obama on Friday left Italy for Saudi Arabia -- the last stop of his six-day tour of Europe and the Middle East. Obama´s plane, Air Force One, left Rome´s Fiumicino airport at 0955 GMT, an AFP photographer travelling with th…

Sightings boost search for missing Malaysia plane

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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;"><b>PERTH: A vast international hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 resumed at dawn in the southern Indian Ocean on Monday, buoyed by a cluster of weekend sightings that have fuelled hopes of a breakthrough.</b></span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">A Chinese military plane set off from Perth at first light to search for "suspicious debris" floating in the remote waters and captured by Chinese and Australian satellite imagery, China´s state news agency Xinhua said.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The sighting of a wooden pallet and other debris that may be linked to a Malaysian passenger jet gave the sense Sunday that the hunt was finally on the right track after more than two weeks of false leads and dead ends.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">It was reinforced by new French satellite data indicating floating objects in the southern search area.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Australian officials said the pallet, along with belts or straps, was spotted Saturday in a remote stretch of the Indian Ocean that has become the focus of the search -- around 2,500 kilometres (1,500 miles) southwest of Perth.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"It´s still too early to be definite," Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters during a visit to Papua New Guinea.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"But obviously we have now had a number of very credible leads and there is increasing hope -- no more than hope, no more than hope -- that we might be on the road to discovering what did happen to this ill-fated aircraft."</span><br /><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>

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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Australian and Chinese satellite images have picked up large objects floating in the inhospitable region, and Malaysia´s transport ministry said Sunday that France had provided similar data "in the vicinity of the southern corridor".</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) confirmed that the pallet and other debris marked the "first visual sighting" since Australian, New Zealand and US spotter planes began scouring the area on Thursday.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Wooden pallets are quite common in aircraft and ship cargo holds.The objects were spotted by observers on one of the civilian aircraft taking part in the search.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">An air force P3 Orion aircraft with specialist electro-optic observation equipment was diverted to the same location, but only reported sighting clumps of seaweed.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"That´s the nature of it," AMSA aircraft operations coordinator Mike Barton said."You only have to be off by a few hundred metres in a fast-travelling aircraft."Sunday´s search involving four military and four civilian aircraft plus an Australian warship ended with "no sightings of significance", AMSA said.Sunday´s search covered 59,000 square km (23,600 sq miles).- More ships, planes –</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">China has dispatched seven ships to the hunt for the plane, adding to British and Australian naval ships involved.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"Obviously the more aircraft we have, the more ships we have, the more confident we are of recovering whatever material is down there," Abbott said.China´s military plane will search an area about 400 kilometres long and 30 kilometres wide, close to where satellite images showed up objects possibly related to the missing jet, Xinhua news agency reported Monday.</span><br />

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AFP malaysia mh370 world Sightings boost search for missing Malaysia plane

PERTH: A vast international hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 resumed at dawn in the southern Indian Ocean on Monday, buoyed by a cluster of weekend sightings that have fuelled hopes of a breakthrough. A Chinese military plane set off …

Indian arms imports almost triple China, Pakistan: study

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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;"><b>PARIS: India remains the biggest buyer of arms in the world, importing nearly three times as many weapons as its nearest competitors China and Pakistan over the last five years, a Swedish think tank said on Monday. </b></span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The total volume of arms sales was up 14 percent in 2009-13 compared to the previous five years, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Indian imports of major weapons rose by 111 percent in the last five years compared to 2004-08. Its share of total global arms imports increased from 7 to 14 percent, SIPRI said.</span><br />
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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">India replaced China as the world´s biggest arms buyer in 2010. With its domestic defence industry struggling to manufacture high-tech arms, India is in the midst of a defence spending binge as it struggles to keep up with better-equipped Chinese forces and a range of military challenges in its volatile neighbourhood. </span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The main supplier of arms to India in 2009-13 was Russia, accounting for 75 percent of all imports -- reflecting India´s need to upgrade and modernise weapons systems dating back to their close relationship during the Cold War. </span><br /><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>

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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">India has lately sought to diversify its sources, looking particularly to the United States. Figures from IHS Jane´s released in February showed that India became the biggest buyer of US weapons last year -- with total imports worth $1.9 billion, and a string of large-scale purchases including Boeing´s C-17A transport aircraft and P-8I Maritime Patrol Aircraft.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">In 2009-13, however, the US still accounted for only 7 percent of India´s purchases according to SIPRI. </span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Pakistan increased its weapons acquisitions, growing from 2 percent of the global total to 5 percent during that period.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The five largest arms suppliers worldwide between 2009 and 2013 were the United States (29 percent of global exports), Russia (27 percent), Germany (7 percent), China (6 percent) and France (5 percent).</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">They collectively accounted for 74 percent of total arms exports, SIPRI said.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The world´s top five arms importers were now India, China, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"Chinese, Russian and US arms supplies to South Asia are driven by both economic and political considerations," said Siemon Wezeman, senior researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"In particular, China and the USA appear to be using arms deliveries to Asia to strengthen their influence in the region," Wezeman said.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Arms exports to Africa between 2004-08 and 2009-13 jumped 53 percent. The three largest importers in the region were Algeria, Morocco and Sudan.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Imports by European nations decreased by 25 percent between 2004-2008 and 2009-13.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Britain was the largest importer of major weapons in Europe (receiving 12 percent of deliveries), followed by Azerbaijan (12 percent) and Greece (11 percent). (AFP)</span><br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span>
<b>AFP</b><br />

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AFP PAKISTAN world Indian arms imports almost triple China, Pakistan: study

PARIS: India remains the biggest buyer of arms in the world, importing nearly three times as many weapons as its nearest competitors China and Pakistan over the last five years, a Swedish think tank said on Monday. The total volume of arms sales wa…

Disappearance of Malaysian jet appears ´deliberate´: PM

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AFP malaysia mh370 missing malaysian aircraft world Disappearance of Malaysian jet appears ´deliberate´: PM

KUALA LUMPUR: A missing Malaysian aircraft was flown for hours in a fashion "consistent with deliberate action" after dropping off primary radar, but hijacking could not be confirmed, the country´s prime minister said Saturday. Final satellite commu…

Planes find no debris near site China spotted objects: officials

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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;"><b>HO CHI MINH CITY: Search planes have found no trace of a missing Malaysian airliner near the site where Chinese satellites spotted floating objects, officials said Thursday.</b></span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Two Vietnamese aircraft sent to inspect areas nearby "have returned and we found nothing so far", Civil Aviation Authority deputy director Dinh Viet Thang told AFP on the sixth day of the hunt for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">A Malaysian plane dispatched to the area also saw nothing as of early afternoon Thursday, according to the Malaysian air force´s director-general of operations, Affendi Buang.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"Nil sighting," he said in a text message to AFP.</span><br />
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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The Chinese satellite images provided a new lead in the search for the Boeing 777, which vanished on Saturday with 239 people on board during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The search has suffered several false alarms over suspected debris. (AFP)</span><br />

</div>

AFP malaysia mh370 world Planes find no debris near site China spotted objects: officials

HO CHI MINH CITY: Search planes have found no trace of a missing Malaysian airliner near the site where Chinese satellites spotted floating objects, officials said Thursday. Two Vietnamese aircraft sent to inspect areas nearby "have returned and we …

Search for Malaysia jet widens as frustrations grow

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<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;"><b>KUALA LUMPUR: Dozens of ships and aircraft from multiple nations scoured an expanded swathe of Southeast Asia Tuesday for any sign of a Malaysian jet that vanished with 239 people on board, as frustration mounted over the baffling disappearance.</b></span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Authorities had announced late Monday they were doubling the search radius to 100 nautical miles (equivalent to 185 kilometres) around the point where Malaysia Airlines MH370 disappeared from radar over the South China Sea early Saturday, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">China, which had 153 of its nationals on board the plane, said it would harness 10 satellites equipped with high-resolution imaging to help, as Boeing said it was joining a US government team to figure out what happened to its 777-200 plane.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The vast stretch under consideration reflects authorities´ puzzlement over the disappearance of the aircraft, with 40 ships and more than 30 planes finding no sign of it on the fourth day of searching.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Malaysian authorities and airline officials have come under fire from China for their inability to provide any indication of what happened, and for a string of contradictory statements.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">But a Malaysia Airlines (MAS) statement stressed: "We are as anxious as the families to know the status of their loved ones."</span><br />
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<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The search sphere now includes land on the Malaysian peninsula itself, the waters off its west coast, and an area to the north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. That covers an area far removed from the scheduled route of MAS flight MH370, which officials say may have inexplicably turned back towards Kuala Lumpur.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Hapless authorities and airline officials have held a number of press conferences since the drama erupted but have had no answer for the most burning questions over whether the plane exploded, ditched in the sea, was hijacked, or any number of other scenarios.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The plane, captained by a veteran MAS pilot, had relayed no indications of distress, and weather at the time was said to be good.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Vietnam asked fishing boats off its southern coast -- where the flight dropped off radar -- for help in the effort but said it feared the worst.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"In terms of our assessments and predictions - we have little hope of a positive outcome," Pham Quy Tieu, deputy minister of transport, said Tuesday. </span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">- ´Emotional breakdown´ -</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Emotions were running high after China´s state media blamed Kuala Lumpur for a lack of information. Tearful relatives of the missing Chinese passengers voiced frustration, while clinging to fading hopes.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"I hope it is a hijacking, then there will be some hope that my young cousin has survived," a man in his 20s surnamed Su said in Beijing.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"My uncle and aunt had an emotional breakdown, they are not eating, drinking and sleeping."</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">On Monday, conflicting information deepened the anguish of relatives, with tests on oil slicks in the South China Sea showing they were not from the Boeing 777 and reports of possible debris from the flight also proving to be false alarms.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Malaysian embassy officials have been processing visa applications for Chinese families wanting to take up an offer from MAS to travel to Kuala Lumpur to be closer to the operation.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">A team of Chinese officials from government ministries came to Malaysia, tasked with investigating the incident and helping family members already there.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Malaysia has launched a terror probe after at least two of the passengers were found to have travelled on stolen passports. Two European names from Austria and Italy were listed on the passenger list, but neither man boarded the plane.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Both had their passports stolen in Thailand in the last two years and questions swirled over how the two passengers using their documents managed to board the flight. The United States has sent an FBI team to help investigate, but US officials stressed there was as yet no evidence of terrorism. </span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">On Monday, the US Navy sent a second ship to the South China Sea to help in the search.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Malaysia´s police chief said one of the passengers had been identified, but gave no further details. </span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Civil aviation boss Azharuddin Abdul Rahman -- who has called the episode an "unprecedented missing aircraft mystery" -- on Monday denied another official´s earlier claim that CCTV footage indicated the men were of Asian appearance.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">But he sparked social media ridicule for evoking Ghanaian-born footballer Mario Balotelli -- an Italian citizen -- in arguing that skin colour is no indication of nationality.</span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">One Twitter user responded by saying: "Nice work in looking for the least obvious cause for an airplane crash." (AFP)</span><br />
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<b>AFP</b><br />
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AFP malaysia world Search for Malaysia jet widens as frustrations grow

KUALA LUMPUR: Dozens of ships and aircraft from multiple nations scoured an expanded swathe of Southeast Asia Tuesday for any sign of a Malaysian jet that vanished with 239 people on board, as frustration mounted over the baffling disappearance. Aut…

India court blocks release of film on pink sari vigilantes

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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;"><b>NEW DELHI An Indian court on Wednesday blocked the release of a Bollywood movie after a woman complained the film was based on her life and gang of pink sari-clad women vigilantes, reports said.</b></span><br />
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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The Delhi High Court said "Gulaab (Pink) Gang" would not be released at least until after the next hearing on May 8, following charges by activist Sampat Pal that the film-makers had not sought her permission to make the movie which she said would malign her reputation.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Pal's Gulaabi Gang -- famed for their pink saris and sticks -- battles for women's rights across a handful of districts in the poverty-stricken northern state of Uttar Pradesh, tackling domestic violence, dowry disputes, child marriage and other forms of abuse.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Judge Sanjeev Sachdeva said the film's release would cause "irreparable damage and injury" to Pal's reputation, "which cannot be calculated in terms of money", according to news agency the Press Trust of India.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The 56-year-old founder and leader of the Gulaabi Gang told AFP last month: "If they don?t ask for permission, we won?t let it release."</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The movie, Gulaab Gang, stars Juhi Chawla as a politician and Madhuri Dixit as Rajjo -- alleged to depict Pal -- who fights for the education of young girls.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The women who support Rajjo all wear pink, much like Pal's Gulaabi Gang.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">There was no immediate comment available from film director Soumik Sen. But in February he told AFP his movie was "a work of fiction".</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Last month Pal attended the opening of an award-winning documentary on her Gulaabi Gang in the city of Mumbai.</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: normal;"><b>AFP</b></span><br />

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AFP world India court blocks release of film on pink sari vigilantes

NEW DELHI An Indian court on Wednesday blocked the release of a Bollywood movie after a woman complained the film was based on her life and gang of pink sari-clad women vigilantes, reports said.

Oscars host DeGeneres helps TV ratings to 10-year high

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<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;"><b>HOLLYWOOD: Oscars telecast ratings hit a 10-year high, preliminary data showed Monday, as Ellen DeGeneres won plaudits for her slick hosting of Hollywood's biggest night - and broke a Twitter record.</b></span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The 86th Academy Awards were seen by 43 million Americans Sunday, drawing the biggest audience of any entertainment programme since the finale of hit sitcom 'Friends' in May 2004, according to estimates by ratings service Nielsen.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The three-and-a-half-hour show averaged a 12.9 rating for adults aged 18-48, according to the preliminary figures cited by ABC, the Oscars broadcaster. </span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">DeGeneres, hosting the Oscars for the second time - seven years after her first turn - ordered pizza, took a star-studded selfie and poked fun at her audience at Hollywood's biggest night of the year. Following in the footsteps of celebrated Oscars hosts such as Billy Crystal and Bob Hope, the 56-year-old mixed wry, deadpan humour and cracked jokes at the expense of her A-list audience. Her celebrity selfie with stars including Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence had nearly 100,000 reTweets within five minutes, and over 2.8 million by Monday morning.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The show's ratings were up some six percent from last year's show, hosted by comic Seth MacFarlane, who was accused of bad taste in some of his jokes.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">Better host, better show: While reviews overall were mixed, many critics lavished praise on DeGeneres, in particular for the way she spent much of the evening among the audience, rather than on stage. </span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"The show was trim, fleet, elegant, and organic, with few unnecessary bells and whistles; almost everything in it seemed to have a purpose," said Entertainment Weekly.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"Her real achievement, though, was to make the prospect of an Oscar host roaming through - and interacting with - the celebrity audience feel, for the first time, like a relaxed, fun, and totally natural thing to do."</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">USA Today contrasted her performance with MacFarlane last year, saying producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan had learned a lesson.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">"Choose a better host, you get a better show. Choose a really good host, as DeGeneres proved to be Sunday, and you get the best Oscar broadcast since, well, the last time she hosted," the newspaper wrote. But not everyone was convinced. "This year's Oscars was more like an endurance test - turgid, badly directed, poorly produced and featuring an endless string of tired or wince-inducing moments from host Ellen DeGeneres," said the Hollywood Reporter. </span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The show's ratings increased for the third year in a row, while its share of 18-34 year-old viewers was a seven-year high, and of teenagers (12-17) was a three-year high.</span><br />
<span id="ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">The most-watched Oscars show ever was in 1998, when 55.3 million people watched 'Titanic' win 11 Academy Awards including best picture as Crystal hosted, according to the Los Angeles Times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: normal;"><b>AFP</b></span><br />

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AFP Entertainment Oscars host DeGeneres helps TV ratings to 10-year high

HOLLYWOOD: Oscars telecast ratings hit a 10-year high, preliminary data showed Monday, as Ellen DeGeneres won plaudits for her slick hosting of Hollywood's biggest night - and broke a Twitter record. The 86th Academy Awards were seen by 43 million A…

Ukraine puts security forces on alert over Crimea standoff: minister

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AFP EUROPE NEWS world Ukraine puts security forces on alert over Crimea standoff: minister

KIEV: Ukraine put police and interior ministry troops on alert Thursday after armed men seized the government and parliament in the pro-Russian region of Crimea, interior minister Arsen Avakov said. "Early morning, unknown men armed with automatic a…

New Zealand draw Test, win series against India

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<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;"><b>WELLINGTON: New Zealand won their series against India 1-0 Tuesday when the second Test in Wellington ended in a draw.</b></span><br />
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetail" style="font-style: normal;">India, set a target of 435 to win, were 166-3 at stumps on the final day. Virat Kohli was not out 105 with Rohit Sharma on 31. For New Zealand, Tim Southee took 2-50.New Zealand won the first Test in Auckland by 40 runs. AFP</span><br />

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AFP SPORTS New Zealand draw Test, win series against India

WELLINGTON: New Zealand won their series against India 1-0 Tuesday when the second Test in Wellington ended in a draw. India, set a target of 435 to win, were 166-3 at stumps on the final day. Virat Kohli was not out 105 with Rohit Sharma on 31. For…

American Hustle’ wins top SAG award

AFP Entertainment los angeles screen actors guild awards usa news American Hustle’ wins top SAG award

LOS ANGELES: Crime caper "American Hustle" won the top film prize at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards on Saturday, earning another big boost in Hollywood´s all-important Oscars race. Australian Cate Blanchett won best actress for her role in Woo…

Pakistan 19-0 in reply to Sri Lanka’s 428-9

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AFP SPORTS Pakistan 19-0 in reply to Sri Lanka’s 428-9

SHARJAH: Pakistan closed the second day of the third and final Test at 19-0 in Dubai on Friday after Sri Lanka declared their first innings at 428-9. Openers Khurram Manzoor (14) and Ahmed Shehzad (five) were at the crease as Pakistan trail by 409 r…

Australia win 4th Ashes test by 8 wickets

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<b>MELBOURNE: Australia cruised to an eight-wicket win over demoralised England with more than a day to spare Sunday to claim a 4-0 series lead and stand on the cusp of an Ashes whitewash.</b></div>
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<b>Led by a century from opener Chris Rogers and a 136-run stand with Shane Watson, the Australians had few problems getting the required 201 runs before tea on the fourth day to seal England´s fate at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.</b></div>
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<b>England contributed to their own demise with two confidence-sapping dropped catches by skipper Alastair Cook early in the day to take all the steam out of the dispirited tourists. The two fielding blunders from the team leader were psychological body blows for England and evidence of batsman Kevin Pietersen´s comments on Saturday in a television interview that the tourists were "mentally fragile".</b></div>
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<b>England now face the monumental challenge of fighting off an Australian clean sweep of the series in the fifth and final Test, starting in Sydney on Friday. "I think it´s a very special win. A lot of people thought we would come here complacent and not have the same willpower to continue to play the same way as in the first three Tests," Australian captain Michael Clarke told reporters.</b></div>
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<b>"For the first time in this series we found ourselves behind in the game and over the last couple of days we´ve been able to turn that around and win convincingly today, so I think the boys deserve a lot of credit. "Playing on his home ground, veteran left-hander Rogers claimed his second Test century after scoring 110 against England in the last series earlier this year at Durham. Rogers, 36, was out caught behind for 116 off 155 balls cutting Monty Panesar, with his team some 31 runs short of victory. </b></div>
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<b>Rogers ran Mitchell Johnson close for man-of-the-match honours.At the end, Watson was unbeaten on 83 with skipper Michael Clarke not out six with Australia 231 for two. It was the best fourth innings run chase in 51 years at the Melbourne Cricket Ground since England´s 237 for three in 1962-63. </b></div>
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<b>While England have been on the end of heavy defeats this Test series, Sunday was a particularly dispiriting loss for England, who were well on top and led the home side by 116 with 10 wickets in hand after lunch on Saturday´s third day. </b></div>
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<b>Man-of-the-match Mitchell Johnson and spinner Nathan Lyon staged a dramatic turnaround, with England bowled out for 179, leaving Australia with what became a comfortable task of scoring 231 in more than two days for victory. It was Australia´s fourth consecutive win over England and comes four months after they lost the last series 3-0 in England. </b></div>
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<b>"The bottom line is we haven´t been good enough," Cook said. "The part of this game that makes it even more frustrating is that we got ourselves into a good place to put some pressure on Australia: 100 ahead and no wickets down in the second innings. "I suppose that might be where we are as a side. We created three chances in that first half-an-hour and we didn´t take them.</b></div>
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<b>"English heads dropped when Cook got his right hand to a snick from Rogers on 19 through slips after wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow failed to respond, and then grassed a straightforward two-handed chance from David Warner (22) off Stuart Broad. Warner scored only three more runs before he was caught behind off Ben Stokes and Australia´s first wicket came down at 64.</b></div>
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<b>Symbolic of England´s malaise, Cook did not bring on his specialist spinner Monty Panesar until 90 minutes into the fourth day and he had little effect on stemming the Australian run flow until he finally removed Rogers. </b></div>
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<b>There will be selection questions ahead of the final Ashes Test for an England team in decline with the most pressure on Panesar, Bairstow, whose technique behind the stumps was exposed, and seamer Tim Bresnan.</b></div>
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<b>AFP</b></div>
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AFP Ashes test 2013 cricket news melbourne SPORTS world Australia win 4th Ashes test by 8 wickets

MELBOURNE: Australia cruised to an eight-wicket win over demoralised England with more than a day to spare Sunday to claim a 4-0 series lead and stand on the cusp of an Ashes whitewash. Led by a century from opener Chris Rogers and a 136-run stand w…

Shelling kills four Iraq army officers, two soldiers

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<b>BAGHDAD: Mortar rounds struck an Iraqi army base west of Baghdad on Monday, killing four officers and two soldiers, security officials said.</b><br />
A brigade commander was among the dead in the attack, which took place in the Abu Ghraib area, the sources said.<br />
The deaths came two days after five senior officers, including a division commander, and 10 soldiers were killed during an operation against militants in the western province of Anbar.<br />
Violence in Iraq has reached a level not seen since 2008, when the country was just emerging from a brutal period of sectarian killings. (AFP)</div>

AFP world Shelling kills four Iraq army officers, two soldiers

BAGHDAD: Mortar rounds struck an Iraqi army base west of Baghdad on Monday, killing four officers and two soldiers, security officials said. A brigade commander was among the dead in the attack, which took place in the Abu Ghraib area, the sources s…

England Test regulars rested for ODI, T20 series

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<b>PERTH: England will rest Test regulars Kevin Pietersen, James Anderson and Graeme Swann from the five one-day internationals and three Twenty20s against Australia following the Ashes series.</b><br />
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Selectors announced a 16-man squad for ODI series starting January 12 and a 15-strong squad for the three-match T20 series that follows.<br />
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Pietersen, Anderson and Swann are the main absentees, with Test captain Alastair Cook captaining the one-day side and Stuart Broad assuming the armband for the T20 series.<br />
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Six members of the ODI squad are not involved in the current five-Test Ashes series that England are losing 2-0 -- Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan, Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan. "We have an important period of limited overs cricket coming up, with an ICC World T20 in Bangladesh in March and we are just over a year away from the ICC Cricket World Cup in New Zealand and Australia," said National Selector Geoff Miller.<br />
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"These two series against Australia allow valuable opportunities for players to push for places in both squads, and given the rivalry between the sides both series will no doubt be keenly contested."<br />
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ODI squad: Alastair Cook (capt), Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Michael Carberry, Steven Finn, Chris Jordan, Eoin Morgan, Boyd Rankin, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Tredwell<br />
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T20 squad: Stuart Broad (capt), Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Eoin Morgan, Boyd Rankin, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Tredwell, Luke Wright (AFP)</div>

AFP ashes SPORTS England Test regulars rested for ODI, T20 series

PERTH: England will rest Test regulars Kevin Pietersen, James Anderson and Graeme Swann from the five one-day internationals and three Twenty20s against Australia following the Ashes series. Selectors announced a 16-man squad for ODI series starting…

Ivory Coast’s Yaya Toure wins 2013 BBC African Footballer of the Year

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 <b style="text-align: justify;">LONDON: Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure was named the BBC’s African Footballer of the Year for 2013 on Monday.</b><br />
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It was the fifth straight year the Manchester City star had made the shortlist but the first time he’d taken the award.</div>
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“Thank you to all the fans around the world who continue to support me and who love me a lot,” said Toure in a BBC statement. “I’m very proud, I’m very happy, this award is amazing.</div>
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“It’s the fifth time in a row (being nominated) and this time is very special.”</div>
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Toure, who has scored 13 goals for club and country this year, was the choice of the BBC’s global audience.</div>
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He held off competition from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon and Borussia Dortmund), Victor Moses (Nigeria and Liverpool, on loan from Chelsea), John Obi Mikel (Nigeria and Chelsea), and Jonathan Pitroipa (Burkina Faso and Rennes).</div>
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Toure was presented with the award at Manchester City’s Carrington training ground on Monday.</div>
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“We are pleased for Yaya Toure that he has finally won the BBC African Footballer of the Year on his fifth nomination for the award,” said BBC Africa’s current affairs editor Vera Kwakofi.</div>
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“This shows the high esteem in which he is held by lovers of African football and the respect the fans have for his exploits for club and country.”</div>
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Toure now has the chance to complete an awards double having been selected among a 25-man shortlist for the African Football Confederation (CAF) African Footballer of the Year for 2013.</div>
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In contrast to the BBC award, Toure has won the CAF equivalent in each of the last two years and winning it for a third consecutive year would see him match the achievement of Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o, winner in 2003, 2004 and 2005.</div>
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The winner of the latest edition is due to be announced at a ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria, on January 9.</div>
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AFP africa bbc footbaal ivor coast SPORTS world Ivory Coast’s Yaya Toure wins 2013 BBC African Footballer of the Year

LONDON: Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure was named the BBC’s African Footballer of the Year for 2013 on Monday. It was the fifth straight year the Manchester City star had made the shortlist but the first time he’d taken the award. “Thank you to a…