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Tuesday, April 2, 2013

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Dunya TV

13 dead in fire at Muslim school in Myanmar: police

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YANGON (AFP) - Thirteen people, including children, were killed after a fire broke out on Tuesday in a Muslim school in Yangon, police in Myanmars main city said, adding that an electrical fault was suspected.The blaze comes against a backdrop of heightened Buddhist-Muslim tensions in Myanmar following recent sectarian clashes, but police said initial indications suggested an electrical fault had caused the fire.Thirteen people, mostly children, were killed during a fire at a Muslim religious school in downtown Yangon, a police officer at the scene told AFP. We assume that it was due to an electrical short circuit.Firefighters extinguished the blaze, which broke out in the early hours of Tuesday morning, he said.A second police officer said the 13 dead were among more than 70 people sleeping at the school when the fire began.The rest of the children were rescued, he said.The Myanmar Police Force reported on its official Facebook page that the victims died from burns or smoke inhalation.According to the investigation by township police officers, the fire was caused by excessively high (electric) voltage, it added.A wave of sectarian violence that began on March 20 has left 43 people dead and mosques and homes burned in several towns in central Myanmar, prompting the government to impose emergency rule and curfews in some areas.The situation in Yangon has also been tense, but mostly peaceful.

US sends destroyer off Korea coast: official

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States has positioned near North Korea a destroyer capable of shooting down missiles in the latest military move amid a showdown with the communist state, an official said Monday.The USS Fitzgerald, which had sailed to South Korea as part of recent exercises, has been sent off the southwestern coast of the Korean peninsula instead of returning to its home port in Japan, a US defense official said.The official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said that the shifting of the USS Fitzgerald was a prudent move meant to offer greater missile defense options should that become necessary.North Korea has threatened missile attacks against the United States. The official said that the United States had earlier reduced its presence near Korean waters after the North launched a long-range rocket in December.The December launch, which put into orbit a small satellite, set off the latest escalation cycle with North Korea.Pyongyang in February tested a nuclear bomb and has declared itself to be at a state of war with US-allied South Korea.The United States previously took the unprecedented step of announcing test bombing by nuclear-capable state-of-the-art B-2 bombers. It has also deployed F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to South Korea as part of an ongoing exercise.Despite the high tension, the White House said Monday that North Korea has not backed up its threats with mass troop mobilizations or movements.

Hamas re-elects Meshaal as leader: official

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GAZA CITY (AFP) - Hamas re-elected its veteran exiled leader Khaled Meshaal in Cairo on Monday, said an official of the Palestinian Islamist movement that rules Gaza.The leaders of Hamas chose Meshaal, the high-ranking official told AFP via telephone from the Egyptian capital, requesting anonymity.Hamas officials said earlier that the movements governing shura council was poised to renew Meshaals leadership for another four years, with one describing his re-election as widely known.Prior to Mondays vote, however, there had been speculation that the exiled leader would be forced aside by the movements powerful leaders in the Gaza Strip, which it has controlled since 2007.Meshaal himself had said last year that he would not seek a new term.But developments in the Middle East since the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 pushed Hamas to choose Meshaal... who has given the movement a national face... and has good relations in the Arab world, one Hamas official said Monday.Hamas officials were in Cairo on Sunday and Monday for the vote, and to discuss with Egyptian leaders reconciliation with the rival Fatah faction of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.A brilliant orator, Meshaal has used the freedom of movement that is denied to Hamas leaders in Gaza to criss-cross the Arab and Muslim world.It was only last December that Meshaal made his first ever visit to Gaza.He was propelled to the movements leadership in 2004 after Israel assassinated the movements founding leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and his successor Abdelaziz al-Rantissi in the Gaza Strip.Meshaal himself survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Jordan in 1997 when agents of the Mossad secret service disguised as Canadian tourists bungled an attempt to poison him on a street in Amman.Three of the attackers took refuge at the Israeli embassy, but two were captured by Jordanian authorities.Meshaal fell into a coma and a furious King Hussein demanded Israel hand over the antidote if it wanted the captured agents to be freed.

Sri Lanka monks arrested over anti-Muslim attack: police

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COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lankas police arrested three Buddhist monks on Monday over the destruction of a Muslim-owned clothing store that heightened religious tensions in the country, an official said.Police superintendent Buddhika Siriwardena said the monks were detained four days after a mob of Sinhalese-Buddhist men vandalised and torched a section of the three-storey building in the Pepiliyana suburb of Colombo.Three monks were arrested after they surrendered today, police spokesman Buddhika Siriwardena told AFP. They will be taken before a magistrate tomorrow. We are looking for more suspects.Officials said the monks were among 17 held in connection with Thursdays attack which the main Muslim party in the ruling coalition said was a sequel to an on-going hate campaign against Muslims and other religious minorities.Local television footage, some of which is posted on the YouTube website, showed a Buddhist monk bringing down a store CCTV camera in front of a cheering mob outside the Fashion Bug store, watched by at least four police constables.Another monk is seen threatening a news cameraman who was later hospitalised after being assaulted by the mob.Sri Lankas newly-formed monk-led Bodu Bala Sena, or Buddhist Force, has denied any involvement and urged the government to bring the culprits to justice and clear the groups name.The BBS was successful last month in forcing Islamic clerics to withdraw the halal certification of food saying it was an affront to the majority non-Muslims in the country.As the anti-halal move gripped the country, President Mahinda Rajapakse, who is a Buddhist, urged monks not to incite religious hatred.The owners of the clothing store said Thursdays attack had shocked and disturbed us a great deal and instilled fear in the minds of our staff members in carrying out their day to day work.Muslims, who constitute about 10 percent of the countrys 20 million population, are the second largest minority after the mainly Hindu ethnic Tamils. Seventy percent of the population are Sinhalese, most of whom are Buddhists.Thursdays attack which raised safety fears among Muslims, was followed by another incident, this time against the main Tamil political party, in the islands north on Saturday.The opposition Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said their meeting in the town of Kilinochchi was disrupted by a stone-throwing mob which had also attacked their vehicles and damaged a building while police looked on.The military denied security forces were involved in Saturdays attack and insisted that the police had prevented a further escalation.The United Nations estimates that Sri Lankas ethnic civil war claimed at least 100,000 lives between 1972 and 2009, when Tamil separatist rebels were crushed in a major military offensive by government forces.

6000 died in Syria in March, deadliest month yet

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BEIRUT (AP) - More than 6,000 people were killed in the Syrian civil war in March alone, according to a leading activist group that reported it was the deadliest month yet in the 2-year-old conflict.The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an increase in shelling and clashes around the country led to the high toll, which is incomplete because fighters on both sides tend to underreport their dead.Both sides are hiding information, Rami Abdul-Rahman said by phone from Britain, where he is based. It is very difficult to get correct info on the fighters because they dont want the information to hurt morale.The increase also likely represents the further spread of the civil war throughout the country.Clashes continue to rage in the northern city of Aleppo and around the capital Damascus as well as in the central city of Homs.And in recent weeks, rebels in the southern province of Daraa along the Jordanian border have seized towns and military bases from the government with the help of an increased influx of foreign-funded weapons.The Observatory, which opposed President Bashar Assads regime, said the March dead included 298 children, 291 women, 1,486 rebel fighters and army defectors and 1,464 government soldiers. The rest were unidentified civilians and fighters.The government does not provide death tolls for the civil war.That toll solidly beat the second most deadly month, when airstrikes, clashes and shelling killed more than 5,400 people in August 2012, Abdul-Rahman said.He said his total death toll for the conflict through the end of March is 62,554, a number he said he guessed only reflected about half of the actual dead.He said many deaths go unreported by the government or rebel fighters and that there are tens of thousands detained in regime and rebel prisons whose fates are not known.The United Nations said in February that 70,000 people had been killed since the start of the conflict. It has not updated its number since.

6 die in China mine where earlier blast killed 28

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BEIJING (AP) - An explosion killed six workers Monday at a coal mine in northeast China where 28 miners were killed in a similar accident just three days earlier, state media reported, one of a string of industrial accidents across the country that is again focusing attention on lax enforcement of safety regulations.The explosion at the mine outside the city of Baishan in Jilin province left another 11 miners missing, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The cause of the most recent accident was under investigation and it wasnt clear why work had restarted at the mine so soon after last weeks deadly blast.Further south, an explosion at the Xinyu Group Iron Works smashed its 100-ton No. 2 furnace, killing four people and leaving 32 injured Monday, Xinhua said. It said the injured were transported to hospital but gave no word on the cause of the accident.Staff members reached by phone at the company confirmed the explosion, but said they had no other information to provide. Local government officials declined to comment, and all refused to give their names.Meanwhile, workers on Monday had recovered 36 bodies from the site of a massive landslide outside Tibets capital Lhasa that buried 83 copper miners on Friday, Xinhua said.Just one worker survived the disaster at the Jiama Copper Polymetallic Mine, having left the site earlier to purchase tents in the city, it said. The miners were mostly impoverished farmers from the southern province of Guizhou recruited to work in the frigid conditions at 4,600 meters (15,100 feet) above sea level.More than 4,000 rescuers were still looking for those buried, but little hope was being held out for their survival, Xinhua said. The sudden collapse of the surrounding hillside left a layer of rocks and soil over the miners 30 meters (98 feet) deep in places, the reports said.China has struggled to boost workplace safety in recent years amid the pressures of rapid economic growth. Tougher enforcement of safety rules has brought major improvements in areas such as coal mining, while companies have also been forced to improve conditions to attract workers amid a tightening labor market.

Serena set to defend Charleston clay crown

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CHARLESTON (AFP) - World No. 1 Serena Williams, fresh from winning a record sixth Miami Masters title will seek her third trophy of the season at the WTA Family Circle Cup claycourt event.Defending champion and top seed Williams, who like the other top-eight seeds received a first-round bye, will open her defence of the title against Italys Camila Giorgi, who eliminated Mandy Minella 6-4, 6-4 on Monday.Williams, a 15-time Grand Slam singles champion, also won at Charleston in 2008. The 31-year-old American also won this year at Brisbane as well as Miami, where she downed World No. 2 Maria Sharapova of Russia in the final.Danish second seed Caroline Wozniacki has won four clay titles in her career, including at Charleston in 2011.Australias third-seeded Samantha Stosur, the 2010 Charleston champion, is also in the mix, playing her first event since pulling out of Indian Wells with a calf injury.Other seeds in the field of 56 include Americans Sloane Stephens and Venus Williams, Czech Lucie Safarova, Spains Carla Suarez Navarro and Germanys Mona Barthel.Puerto Ricos Monica Puig beat Czech Andrea Hlavackova 6-4, 6-0 on Monday to book a second-round date with Venus Williams.

Barcelona ready for tough test from PSG

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PARIS (AFP) - Barcelona may be the favourites but they are prepared for a tie of maximum difficulty against Paris Saint-Germain as the clubs meet in the Champions League quarter-final first leg today (Tuesday).The tie brings together the leaders of La Liga and Ligue 1 but while Barcelona are in the quarter-finals for the sixth season running and are looking to win the Champions League for the fourth time in eight seasons, PSG are relative novices at this level.The French side last made the quarter-finals 18 years ago, although they have quickly put together a squad capable of competing with the best in Europe, and Barcelona are not taking anything for granted ahead.If anybody thinks this will be easy for us they are mistaken, said Barcas assistant coach Jordi Roura on the eve of the game.PSG are a great team, with many great players. The difficulty for us is maximum.The visitors are intent on avoiding a repeat of what happened in their last-16 tie against AC Milan, when a flat performance in the first leg in Italy saw them lose 2-0, and only an exceptional display in winning 4-0 in Barcelona saw them progress.Scoring an away goal could be vital.But Barcelona will also need to watch out for the threat posed by PSG on the break, especially with Brazilian starlet Lucas a contender to return to the home side after injury, and with Zlatan Ibrahimovic available to play after having a suspension for the game overturned.Counter-attacking is one of their strong points, but we are used to playing teams like that, said Roura.Really, most teams play that way against us. PSG have lots of qualities though, and there are other aspects of their game we need to take into account.One of those aspects might be the threat posed in the air at set-pieces, and Barcelona will have to cope without skipper Carles Puyol at the Parc des Princes.Two familiar faces did travel with the squad to the French capital on Monday.Eric Abidal was named in the squad after a year on the sidelines recovering from a liver transplant, while coach Tito Vilanova is set to be on the bench after returning from a two-month course of cancer treatment in New York.In principle, he will be on the bench, said Roura, who once again filled in for Vilanova in front of the press.He is the coach, the boss, and it is good to see things coming back to normal after a very complicated time. It is great news for everyone.Striker David Villa, who has won back his place in the side and rediscovered his touch in front of goal in recent games, was also delighted to have two such important personalities back.Everything is much easier now with the boss back, he said.Personally too, it is great to see him happy and healthy.Abidal is an example for all of us. He never let his head go down and with strength and hard work he has come back.While Villa hopes to lead the visitors attack with Lionel Messi, former Barcelona striker Ibrahimovic will line up for PSG after a two-match ban handed down for his sending-off in the last-16 first leg against Valencia was reduced to a single game on appeal.

Fulham hold on to leave QPR in trouble

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LONDON (AFP) - Queens Park Rangers spurned another chance to improve their chances of survival in the Premier League after a gripping 3-2 loss at Fulham on Monday left them seven points from safety with seven games to play.Fulham exploited generous defending from their west London rivals to establish a 3-0 lead inside 41 minutes at Craven Cottage through a Dimitar Berbatov double and a Clint Hill own goal.Adel Taarabt pulled one back in the first half and Loic Remy added a second, moments after seeing a penalty saved, before Fulham lost Steve Sidwell to a red card for a late foul on Armand Traore.QPR could not find an equaliser, however, and remain second from bottom in the table ahead of a crucial game at home to fourth-bottom Wigan Athletic on Sunday.QPRs pressing need for goals was evident in manager Harry Redknapps decision to hand erratic Moroccan playmaker Taarabt his first league start since February 23.Fulham were unchanged from the team that won 1-0 at Tottenham Hotspur in their last outing and although they quickly hit their stride, they were abetted by some appalling defending from the visitors.Christopher Samba gifted Fulham an eighth-minute penalty by upending Ashkan Dejagah and Berbatov tucked away the spot-kick with customary sang-froid.It was the fourth consecutive league game in which the Bulgarian had scored, and in the 22nd minute he added a second.Again, Samba was at fault, dawdling in possession and allowing Berbatov to nip in and prod the ball beneath the exposed Julio Cesar.Cesar had to prevent Jose Bosingwa putting through his own goal in the 35th minute after an exquisite touch and cross from Berbatov, but Hill did not have such a fortunate escape six minutes later.Brede Hangeland found fellow Norwegian John Arne Riise with a cute back-heel and the left-backs drilled cross flicked off the QPR centre-back and beat Cesar to put the hosts 3-0 up.It had been an abject first half for QPR, but Taarabt gave them hope on the stroke of half-time when he found the bottom-left corner from 20 yards after Giorgos Karagounis gave the ball away.Taarabt then won a penalty in the 49th minute, only for Mark Schwarzer to brilliantly save Remys effort, but the Frenchman redeemed himself two minutes later.Collecting a pass from former Marseille colleague Stephane Mbia, he span away from Philippe Senderos and then slammed home a shot off the underside of the crossbar.Referee Lee Probert brandished a straight red card after Sidwell lunged in on Traore in the 79th minute, but Martin Jols side held on for a win that left them nine points clear of the bottom three in 10th place.

Racing: Injured jockey McNamara fund boosted by O'Leary

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DUBLIN (AFP) - Ryanair chief and successful racing breeder and owner Michael OLeary put his money where his mouth is on Monday and donated 200,000 euros (256,000 dollars) to a fund for seriously injured Irish amateur jockey JT McNamara.McNamara, 37, has been left paralysed after breaking two verterbrae in a dreadful fall at last months Cheltenham Festival, where he has enjoyed his most notable successes with four career winning rides.OLeary, 52 and whose most memorable success as an owner was the 2006 Cheltenham Gold Cup with War of Attrition, had pledged to give 200,000 euros to the winning owner of the bumper race on the opening day of the Irish Grand National meeting at Fairyhouse.However, after winning the race himself with Akorakor, he donated the money to McNamara.McNamara remains in hospital in Bristol, England, but is due to be transferred to the spinal unit at the Mater Hosiptal in Dublin soon in order to be closer to his family.

Pacquiao fight could be in Macau or Singapore

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LAS VEGAS (AP) - Manny Pacquiao may meet an old foe in a new place in September.Promoter Bob Arum said he is trying to put together a fifth fight between Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez and shopping it to casinos in Macau and Singapore. He said Saturday night at the Brandon Rios-Mike Alvarado fight that the bout would likely be at one of the Venetian hotel-casinos in Macau or Singapore.The thing were waiting on is which one of their hotels they want to do it at, Arum said.Marquez would be the most likely opponent for Pacquiao, though Arum indicated earlier that Timothy Bradley who won a disputed decision over Pacquiao last year is another possibility.Marquez knocked Pacquiao out in the sixth round in December, flattening the Filipino fighter with a right hand that left him face down on the canvas for 2 minutes. It was the first win for Marquez in four fights between the two rivals.If Pacquiao meets Marquez, it could be held far from the Las Vegas Strip, where they fought all four of their fights. The MGM Grand hotel would ordinarily figure to be the host for the bout, but the hotel reportedly is holding a September date for Floyd Mayweather Jr., assuming he beats Robert Guerrero at the hotel May 4.Arum is in Macau this week for the fight card Saturday night at the Venetian featuring two-time Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming of China in his pro debut.

Iran company aims for record with huge ice cream

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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - An Iranian confectioner has made five tons of ice cream in hopes of setting a new world record for the largest tub of the dessert.The production drew hundreds of eager spectators to a ceremony north of the capital to taste the chocolate ice cream, which measured 1.6-meters (five feet) by two meters (seven feet) and which producers say cost over $30,000 to make.Board Member Mohammad Baheri of Choopan Dairy said the company aimed to register a new Guinness World Record and also boost Iranian ice cream consumption.A Guinness World Records representative visited the tub, he added.Iranians eat an average 1.5 kilograms (3.3. lb) of ice cream per year. The current record belongs to U.S. producer Baskin-Robbins, which made an 8,865 lb (4,021 kg) tub in 2005.

Eating fish linked to longer life: US study

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - People age 65 and older who eat fish may live an average of two years longer than people who do not consume the omega-3 fatty acids found mainly in seafood, a US study suggested on Monday.People with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids also had an overall risk of dying that was 27 percent lower, and a risk of dying from heart disease that was 35 percent lower than counterparts who had lower blood levels, said the study.The research was led by scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health and was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.While other studies have demonstrated a link between omega-3 fatty acids and lower risk of heart disease, this research examined records of older people to determine any link between fish-eating and death risk.Researchers scanned 16 years of data on about 2,700 US adults aged 65 or older. Those considered for the study were not taking fish oil supplements, to eliminate any confusion over the use of supplements or dietary differences.Those with the highest blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids found mainly in fish like salmon, tuna, halibut, sardines, herring and mackerel, had the lowest risk of dying from any cause, and lived an average of 2.2 years longer than those with low levels.Researchers identified docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as most strongly related to lower risk of coronary heart disease death.Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was strongly linked to lower risk of nonfatal heart attack, and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) was most strongly associated with lower risk of dying from a stroke.The findings persisted after researchers adjusted for demographic, lifestyle and diet factors.Our findings support the importance of adequate blood omega-3 levels for cardiovascular health, and suggest that later in life these benefits could actually extend the years of remaining life, said lead author Dariush Mozaffarian, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health.The biggest bang-for-your-buck is for going from no intake to modest intake, or about two servings of fatty fish per week, said Mozaffarian.

Oil prices mixed, WTI slips after manufacturing data

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices closed mixed Monday after disappointing manufacturing data in the United States and China and a US pipeline closure that stoked fears of a further buildup of supplies.On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in May slipped 16 cents to settle at $97.07 a barrel.Brent North Sea crude for May rose 33 cents to finish at $110.02 a barrel on London's Intercontinental Exchange.The benchmark New York WTI futures contract had dived more than $1.30 a barrel in early trade to $95.92, but ended the session with just a small loss.Bill Baruch of iiTrader.com said the weakening dollar had pretty well-supported commodities overall.The dollar, hit by weaker-than-expected figures on US manufacturing activity in March, lost ground against many other major currencies.A weaker US unit tends to make dollar-priced oil more attractive to buyers armed with stronger currencies.The Institute for Supply Management said its US manufacturing index fell to 51.3 in March from 54.2 in February, reflecting growth for the fourth straight month but at a slower pace.China earlier in the day said manufacturing activity expanded at its fastest rate in almost a year, bringing its purchasing managers' index to 50.9 in March, up from 50.1 in February.The number failed to inspire petroleum buying but it was a slight improvement over February, said Phil Flynn of The PRICE Futures Group.Meanwhile, the closure of ExxonMobil's Pegasus pipeline in Arkansas following a rupture Friday sparked fears that crude oil supply will back up in the US Midwest, said Tim Evans of Citi Futures.The back up could exacerbate the glut at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery point for WTI crude oil futures in New York, he said.

Dollar drops after downbeat US manufacturing data

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar fell against other major currencies Monday after a US manufacturing report for March came in weaker than expected, raising concerns about slowing growth in the sector.The dollar's weakness came in a quiet market following the Easter holiday weekend while European markets were closed.The euro bought $1.2847 around 2100 GMT, up from $1.2818 at the same time late Friday.The dollar fell against the Japanese currency, to 93.27 yen from 94.20 yen late Friday, while the euro dropped to 119.82 yen from 120.68 yen.The Institute for Supply Management said its US manufacturing index fell to 51.3 in March from 54.2 in February, reflecting growth for the fourth straight month but at a slower pace.The dollar weakened against all of the major currencies after the ISM index dropped, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.The deterioration was more significant than anticipated and raises concerns about the pace of recovery in the manufacturing sector.Lien said that all eyes would be on the European Central Bank's monetary policy meeting this week.The ECB is widely expected to keep monetary policy unchanged but with German data weakening and Cyprus requiring a bailout, the ECB could be warming to the idea of additional stimulus, she said.David Song of DailyFX highlighted the possibility of an interest rate cut.As the fundamental outlook for the region turns increasingly bleak, the ECB remains poised to strike a dovish tone for monetary policy, and we may see a growing number of central bank officials show a greater willingness to push the benchmark interest rate to a fresh record-low as the recession threatens price stability, Song said.The dollar dropped against the Swiss currency, to 0.9466 francs from 0.9488 francs late Friday, and weakened against the British pound, which fetched $1.5232 compared with $1.5191.

Posted by IMRAN ALI SOOMRO (DARVESH) at 4/02/2013 07:06:00 AM

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