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Friday, December 27, 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Shireen Mazari terms Bilawal a confused child

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ISLAMABAD (Online) - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Information Secretary Dr Shireen Mazari said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is a confused child.In reaction to Bilawal’s speech, on the occasion Benazir Bhutto’s death anniversary, the PTI leader said that Bilawal has zero knowledge of politics. Shireen Mazari strongly criticized the PPP leader and said first Bilawal should learn how to pay respect to the senior politicians.She said that Asif Ali Zardari should teach Bilawal the basics of respect and how to comment on elders.

Bilawals speech collection of controversies: Sana

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LAHORE (Online) - Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that the speech of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was a collection of controversies. He commented on Friday in reaction of the speech of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on the occasion of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s death anniversary. Sanaullah said the speeches of Bilawal and his father were different which shows no understanding between son and father.The PML-N leader said that on the occasion of BB’s death anniversary, Bilawal should have given a message of reconciliation despite criticizing other political parties. The Minister paid rich tribute to the martyr of democracy Benazir Bhutto for sacrificing her life for the sake of democracy.

Benazirs death anniversary observed with great reverence

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LARKANA (Online) - The 6th death anniversary of slain PPP Chairperson and former Prime Minster Benazir Bhutto was observed with great reverence at Garhi Khuda Bux Bhutto on Friday by all wings of PPP.Thousands of followers of Bhutto and Jealas, workers from all corner of country thronged at Garhi Khuda Bhutto. They paid homage to their great leader Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, who rendered sacrifice of her life for sack of democracy and masses.Former President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Bakhawar Bhutto Zardari, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, former Prime Minister of Pakistan Syed Yousif Raza Gilani, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, former Senate Chairman Farooque H Naik, Rehman Malik, Zamurad Khan, Chief Minster Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah, MNA Faryal Talpur, Taj Haider, Waqar Mehdi, Senator Islamuddin Shaikh, Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durni, MNA Muhammad Ayaz Soomro, Provincial Minster Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and other central and provincial PPP Leaders visited mausoleum of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and laid floral wreaths on her grave and paid rich tribute to Shaheed Benazir Bhutto on eve of her 6th Martyrdom anniversary.Foolproof security arrangements had been made to maintain the law and order situation. Over 8000 policemen and 3,000 Rangers personnel and Commandos were deployed at Garhi Khuda Bux Bhutto and its adjoining areas and roads leading to Garhi Khuda Bux Bhutto for controlling the law and order situation.Besides close circuit cameras, walk through gates and other security equipment had been installed at entry and exit points at the mausoleum and routs leading to Garhi Khuda Bux Bhutto.On the occasion Quran Khawani was held separately at Garhi Khuda Bux Bhutto and Bhutto House Naudero and free food (lunger) was distributed amongst the people.

Iran nuclear talks to resume Monday after holiday break

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TEHRAN (AFP) - Experts from Iran and world powers will on Monday resume technical talks on implementing a landmark nuclear deal after a Christmas break, both sides said Friday.Abbas Araqchi told the official IRNA news agency that the discussions with the six major world powers are to resume in Geneva.The technical discussions between Iran and the 51 group will resume Monday in Geneva... to define modalities for implementing the agreement struck on November 24, he said.The negotiations are aimed at setting a framework and a timeline for the nuclear accord.A spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton also confirmed that the talks will resume on Monday in Switzerland.Technical experts meeting with Iran will take place on December 30 in Geneva, spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told AFP via email.Iran has already held two sets of talks with representatives from Britain, China, France, Russia, Germany and the United States.The last round concluded in Geneva on December 22 after little progress was made, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.Araqchi, who is also deputy foreign minister, said at the time the discussions were progressing slowly because of interpretations of points of the agreement.Under the Geneva accord, Iran agreed to roll back or freeze parts of its nuclear drive for six months in exchange for modest sanctions relief and apromise by Western powers not to impose new sanctions.Western powers suspect Iran's nuclear activities mask military objectives, despite Tehran's repeated insistence that they are entirely peaceful.

First UN reinforcements arrive in South Sudan

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The first peacekeeping reinforcements arrived Friday in South Sudan as the United Nations warned that tensions remain dangerously high despite efforts to organize a ceasefire between government and rebel forces.The 72 member police contingent, moved from Democratic Republic of Congo, were the first of up to 6,000 troops authorized by the UN Security Council to bolster the hard pressed UN mission.The UN said dangers remain so acute that large numbers of bodies had been seen outside at least one UN base, but could not be collected.UN peacekeeping spokesman Kieran Dwyer said the Bangladeshi police will play a key role maintaining order and security in UN bases where 63,000 people have sought refuge since fighting erupted on December 15.More troops and equipment were expected to arrive on Saturday.More than 1,000 people have been killed since army forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and former vice president Riek Machar started fighting each other. The 15-nation Security Council voted on Tuesday to allow the reinforcements.East African leaders said earlier that Kiir had agreed to a ceasefire. But Machar would not immediately commit to halting hostilities and the UN warned that both sides remain on a conflict footing.The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) says that the security situation in Upper Nile and Unity states is tense, with reports of the presence of anti-government and government forces, said a UN statement.Diplomats said the rival sides were massing their forces around Malakal and Bentiu, the main cities in the two key oil producing states.UNMISS says that at least 63,000 civilians are now sheltering in UN bases around the country, including 25,000 in two Juba compounds; 15,000 in Bor, 12,000 in Bentiu and 8,000 in Malakal.Bentiu is tense and there are reports that fighting may resume in the coming days, said the UN's Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in a daily briefing report.Government forces are believed to have consolidated their positions in and around Bor, added the UN statement. Anti-government forces remain in the vicinity and the situation remains tense.Bor is the capital of Jonglei state, a longstanding focus of the ethnic divisions highlighted by the new conflict. Machar is an ethnic Nuer, while South Sudan's president is from the rival Dinka tribe.Following bitter fighting for Bor, UN aid workers only returned to the town on Thursday to help displaced civilians, said the OCHA.Following the intensive fighting for the town, there are reportedly a large number of bodies in the open near the base, which poses a risk for disease outbreaks, the office added.There is a real risk of cholera breaking out on the base, and there is an urgent need to improve sanitation and provision of clean water.

13 killed as Yemen tank blasts funeral tent

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ADEN (AFP) - An army tank shelled a funeral tent erected by the Southern Movement at a school in Yemen on Friday, killing 13 people including children, a medic and witnesses said.Tensions are running high in the formerly independent south, home to an increasingly assertive secessionist movement, raising fears that Al-Qaeda's powerful Yemen affiliate could exploit the growing unrest in the Arab world's poorest country.A long-running dispute over whether and how to grant the south limited autonomy has hindered the political transition following the 33-year rule of Ali Abdullah Saleh, who stepped down last year following Arab Spring-inspired protests.Thirteen people have died, among them three children in the attack, a medic from Al-Nasr hospital in the southern province of Daleh told AFP. Medics at other hospitals said more than 20 people were wounded, some critically.Witnesses said a tank shelled the tent in Sanah, 300 kilometres (185 miles) south of the capital, with one telling AFP that troops had kept firing when we tried to hospitalise the casualties, adding that there are wounded victims still inside the tent.Witnesses later the wounded were finally evacuated.The Southern Movement -- which is campaigning for autonomy or outright secession -- had set up the tent for mourners paying their condolences after a man was killed in clashes with security forces on Monday.The clashes in Daleh erupted when secessionists tried to storm the governorate building to hoist the flag of the former South Yemen. The fighting left two Yemeni policemen and a civilian dead.State news agency Saba quoted a top security official as saying that President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi has formed a committee to investigate Friday's attack.Violence has intensified in the south amid anger over the killing of local tribal chief Said Ben Habrish and his bodyguards at an army checkpoint earlier this month after they refused to hand over their weapons. Two soldiers were also killed in the exchange. On Thursday, gunmen killed four soldiers and wounded several others in an attack on a checkpoint in the southeast Hadramawt province, an Al-Qaeda stronghold.

Beirut car bomb kills Lebanese critic of Syria

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BEIRUT (AFP) - A huge car bomb in Beirut killed a leading Lebanese critic of the Syrian regime and five others Friday, leaving a scene of carnage in the heart of the capital.Tensions have soared in Lebanon since the outbreak of the war in neighbouring Syria, as the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement has sent troops to back the regime while their rivals in the Western-backed March 14 coalition have supported the Sunni-led rebels.Dozens were wounded in the explosion, which left people with their clothes on fire and others lying on the ground, bloodied and in shock, as ambulances and security forces raced to the scene and plumes of smoke rose over the capitals skyline.Mohammad Chatah, 62, was killed in the blast as he headed to a meeting of the March 14 coalition at the mansion of ex-premier Saad Hariri.Chatah, an influential economist, former finance minister and ex-envoy to Washington, had served as adviser to ex-premier Fuad Siniora and remained a close aide to his successor, Hariri, who has lived abroad since 2011 for security reasons.Hariris father, billionaire ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, was killed in a massive seafront blast in 2005 just blocks away from Fridays explosion, in an assassination his supporters blamed on Syria.State news agency NNA said more than 50 people were wounded and more than 10 buildings badly damaged by the blast, which officials said was caused by 50-60 kilos (110-132 pounds) of explosives.The March 14 coalition implied Damascus and Hezbollah were behind the attack without naming them, saying in a statement that the criminal is the same, he who is thirsty for the blood of Syrians... he and his Lebanese allies.Hariri said the killers are those who are hiding from international justice and who have spread the regional fire to the (Lebanese) nation... and who killed Rafiq Hariri.March 14 meanwhile called for the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, tasked with investigating the Hariri assassination, to also investigate Chatahs killing.Five Hezbollah members have been accused of involvement in Hariris killing and are due to be tried in absentia by the court. The tribunals first hearing is set for January 16.A source close to Chatah called the bombing a message ahead of the (special tribunal) trial, saying You want justice? Here it is.Chatah was the ninth high-profile anti-Syria figure killed in Lebanon since Hariris assassination.

Three NATO personnel killed in Kabul suicide car bomb

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KABUL (AFP) - A Taliban suicide attacker detonated an explosives-packed car next to a NATO military convoy in Kabul on Friday, killing three NATO personnel and injuring six civilian passers-by, officials said.The blast in the Afghan capital left the twisted remains of the attackers car spread across the scene along with several other badly-damaged vehicles, including a NATO sports utility vehicle, witnesses said.Three International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) service members died following a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack in Kabul, Afghanistan today, a statement from the NATO mission said.ISAF did not release the nationality of the dead, in line with coalition policy to leave identification to national authorities.The attack occurred on a main road that passes near to a series of government compounds and ISAF military facilities in Kabul on the way to the eastern city of Jalalabad.A car packed with explosives was detonated by a suicide bomber... as a result six of our civilian countrymen were injured, the ministry of interior said in a statement.An AFP reporter said that ambulances, firefighters and armoured vehicles from the US-led ISAF mission in Afghanistan rushed to the blast site, which was quickly cordoned off by police.I was in my bakery shop when I heard a bang that shattered all the windows, Nehmatullah, who uses only one name, told AFP.I saw at least two bodies lying on the street and covered in blood, then came two vehicles of foreign forces and the soldiers pulled out two bodies of foreigners from a damaged black SUV.ISAF and Afghan security forces removed damaged vehicles using trucks and transporters.Among the injured being treated in a nearby hospital was a middle-aged Afghan man with wounds to his head and hands.ISAF troops travel through Kabul in fast-moving and heavily protected convoys, but they have regularly been targeted by Taliban militants fighting a 12-year insurgency against the US-backed government.A martyrdom suicide attack took place in the 9th district of Kabul on a guesthouse of invading forces... a convoy of foreign forces was passing, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mijahid said in a statement.In the attack, 12 Americans soldiers were killed and a number of them were wounded, and a number of their vehicles were also damaged.The Taliban routinely exaggerate death tolls after attacks.In May, 15 people, including two US soldiers and four ISAF contractors, were killed in a similar car bomb that targeted a convoy in Kabul.Fridays suicide bombing came after the insurgents fired two rockets into the US embassy compound in central Kabul early on Christmas Day. No one was injured.The militants have vowed to step up pressure on foreign forces and Afghan authorities before next years presidential election in April and the withdrawal of US-led NATO combat troops.Kabul has seen a drop in attacks in recent months after a series of high-profile strikes earlier in the year, with the intelligence agencies claiming to have foiled several plots involving truck bombs and suicide blasts.The Supreme Court, the airport, foreign compounds and the presidential palace were all targeted in major attacks during 2013.NATO forces are withdrawing from Afghanistan after more than a decade of fighting the Taliban, but negotiations have stalled on a security accord that would allow some US and NATO troops to stay after 2014.

US boy, 9, scales South America's highest peak

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BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - It's no small feat to scale South America's tallest peak -- especially when you are nine.That's what Tyler Armstrong managed to do on Christmas Eve, joined by his father and other climbers -- with special permission from authorities for the underaged adventurer.Aconcagua soars almost 7,000 metres in the Andes on Argentina's Mendoza province along its border with Chile.Armstrong broke the record for the youngest person to scale Aconcagua, said the head of his expedition, Nicolas Garcia, on local C5N television.His mom, Priscilla Armstrong, wrote on the young climber's website: Super proud of you honey I can stop worrying now Actually, you will probably keep worrying me if you keep being so adventurous Great- more grey hairEarlier this year, Tyler scaled Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa's tallest peak at 5,900 metres.

Tennis: Nadal loses to Ferrer on return to courts

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ABU DHABI (AFP) - Rafael Nadal got his season underway with a 6-4, 6-4 loss to fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the semi-finals of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi on Friday.It was the world number one's first match since losing in straight sets to Novak Djokovic in the final of the World Tour Finals in London on November 11.Playing ahead of the official ATP season-opener in nearby Doha next week, Ferrer looked the sharper from the start, breaking in the ninth game to take the first set.It was more of the same in the second set as Nadal struggled to find his range against an opponent who already had a match under his belt, having defeated Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarter-finals on Thursday.I think, for a first match to play against a guy who has practised for a month and who played a match yesterday, on a very fast court, I was happy with how I played, Nadal told The National newspaper.I had a few opportunities, break points, but he played well and he converted the chances better than me. I had a few mistakes but in my opinion I was better than I thought I would be right now.Ferrer goes on to play Djokovic, who was being watched by new coach Boris Becker, in Saturday's final after the world number two defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.He has one of the strongest serves in the game, and it's very precise, said Djokovic.I exceeded my own expectations. My performance today was great.Ferrer, who announced last week that he was splitting with long-time coach Javier Piles in a bid to finally win a Grand Slam title, said he had been helped by having already played in the tournament.I think the fact that I had already played a match on the same surface meant that I was better prepared than Rafa, said Ferrer.I am happy with the state of my game and will look to produce my best tennis for the final.In earlier action, Andy Murray chalked up his first win since returning to action after a three-month injury lay-off by defeating Switzerland's Wawrinka 6-3, 6-4.The 26-year-old Wimbledon champion had back surgery in September and did not play again until he lost to Tsonga in the quarter-finals on Thursday.Wawrinka lost to Ferrer on the same day and the match between him and Murray was to decide who would finish fifth in the unofficial three-day tournament that saw Nadal and Djokovic joining in at the semi-final stage.Murray looked much sharper against Wawrinka than he had looked in the second set against Tsonga and had little difficulty in seeing off the challenge of the world number eight.The world number four got the better of three successive breaks to take the first set and then forged ahead again with a break for 4-3 in the second.Wawrinka saved a match point on his own serve with a forehand winner, but Murray confidently served out for the victory.In a courtside interview Murray said: I feel pretty good, a lot better than I did a few months ago. I just need to play more matches like this because the intensity's a lot higher than you can get in practice.It was good to get two matches against top players. Everyone needs matches at this stage, especially me. It's been a perfect start and hopefully I'll get better.Murray will next make the short trip over to Doha where he will play in the AFP season-opener tournament along with Nadal.

Tennis: Federer signs up 'childhood hero' Edberg

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PARIS (AFP) - Roger Federer on Friday announced that his childhood hero Stefan Edberg will become part of his coaching team for ten weeks at the Australian Open, the season's first Grand Slam.Edberg, a former world number one and a six-time major winner, had been hitting with Federer over the winter as the Swiss gears up for what could be a make-or-break season.I am happy to announce that beginning in Melbourne, Stefan Edberg will join Severin Luthi on my coaching team, said Federer, the 17-time major winner but whose ranking is now down at six in the world.Severin, who has been part of my team for the last seven years, will do most of the weeks and Stefan has agreed to work with us for at least 10 weeks start ing at the Australian Open in Melbourne.Stefan was my childhood hero, and I am really looking forward to spending time and learning from him.Edberg, 47, won the Australian Open in 1985 and 1987, Wimbledon in 1988 and 1990 and back-to-back US Opens in 1991 and 1992.I'm really excited to be part of Roger's team and I hope together we can bring out his best tennis, said Edberg.Federer, who announced on Christmas Eve that he and wife Mirka are to become parents for a third time, split with longtime coach Paual Annacone in October.The 32-year-old becomes the latest top player to hire a former Grand Slam title-winning player as coach.Novak Djokovic has hired Boris Becker, Richard Gasquet has taken on Sergi Bruguera, Marin Cilic has renewed his partnership with Goran Ivanisevic while Kei Nishikori signed up Michael Chang.Undoubtedly, they were moves inspired by Andy Murray's success with Ivan Lendl which has yielded the 2012 US Open title and 2013 Wimbledon triumph.The only man not interested in changing is world number one Rafael Nadal who has been coached by his uncle Toni since childhood.I will stick to my team. I always feel when I play bad, it is my fault and when I'm winning I'm doing the right things. I had success in my career with the same team, said Nadal.I had good and worst moments with the same team. I understand if anything goes wrong, nobody is responsible more than me.Luthi said he was looking forward to working with Edberg.Roger will play a full schedule next year so we both wanted to make sure we had a solid team in place, he said.I want to continue to improve and innovate Roger's game and I really look forward to be working with Stefan. Like Roger, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Stefan and I am sure he will bring a lot to our team as Roger continues to chase titles in 2014.Federer, whose last Grand Slam title came at Wimbledon in 2012 and did not feature in any of the four major championship finals in 2013, begins his season next week in Brisbane.

Tennis: Azarenka fighting to get fit for 2014

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HUA HIN (AFP) - World number two Victoria Azarenka said Friday she was battling to get her fitness back on track after a disappointing 2013 as she prepared to face world number one Serena Williams in Thailand.Last year I had some difficulties but now I am working hard to keep up my fitness, the Belarusian 24-year-old said before the exhibition match.Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion who ended 2013 with just three titles, said she was hoping for a victory in the Land of Smiles to bring her good luck again in Melbourne.I won this exhibition match for two consecutive years and went on to win the Australian Open which is very good, she told reporters in the seaside resort of Hua Hin.The two players, who were also due to hit the catwalk for a special fashion show, appeared unfazed by recent deadly political violence which has shaken the capital Bangkok.Asked about the unrest, Azarenka said: I came here to play tennis and I only wanted to focus on tennis. I wanted to make the people happy and entertain them.Williams, 32, ended 2013 with 11 titles while triumphs at the French and US Opens took her Grand Slam haul to 17.She enjoyed a match record of 78 wins against just four defeats, claimed the season-ending WTA Championships title and became the oldest number one player.Asked what would be her next challenge, Williams said: I just want to enjoy playing tennis. For me, it is the challenge everyday. I enjoy playing tennis and am happy to play.Azarenka has won just three of her 16 meetings against Williams, although she split their four clashes in 2013 and for a second successive season took her great rival to three sets in the US Open final.It was mostly a year to forget for the Belarusian former number one who limped out of Wimbledon in the early stages with a knee injury.She failed to reach the WTA Championships semi-finals in Turkey in October as she battled a lower back injury and a month earlier she crashed out of the China Open in the first round.Azarenka will start her 2014 season with a return to Brisbane where she was forced to withdraw from the semi-finals a year earlier due to a toe infection on her right foot. But she went on to win the Australian Open later that month for a second straight year -- one of her few highlights of 2013.

Boxing: Mayweather taunts Khan, Pacquiao with Christmas KOs

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LAS VEGAS (AFP) - Floyd Mayweather still has not said who his next opponent will be, but the unbeaten US boxer has taken to social media to taunt potential foes Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan.Mayweather posted drawings of himself Wednesday on Twitter and Instagram delivering hard punches to Filipino icon Pacquiao and Marcos Maidana and another standing over Khan as the Englishman was falling backward to the canvas.Just imagine what Amir Con Artist will get if his name gets picked in the Mayweather sweepstakes, Mayweather posted on his Twitter account.Mayweather, 36, also poked fun at Pacquiao, who lost to Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez before bouncing back to beat Brandon Rios last month and renew talk about a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.Juan Marquez ate Timothy Bradleys leftovers. Now youre telling me I got to eat Juan Marquezs leftovers? Let me talk to the IRS about this...Mayweather posted on Twitter, adding a zinger about Philippines tax issues that nagged Pac-Man earlier this year.On Monday, Mayweather posted a Twitter message showing pictures of him and Pacquiao with portable phones and captions, harkening to prior failed talks to make a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.Manny, Ill pay you 40 million to fight said the caption under Mayweather. No way, youre crazy. 50/50 or nothing was under Pacquiaos picture.Above the entire lot was Mayweathers overall message: This is my Christmas card to the world... Happy Sleepy Holidays zzzzzzzzzzzzIn late 2009 and early 2010, Pacquiao and Mayweather were considered the worlds top pound-for-pound fighters and record profits were expected from a showdown between them.But a disagreement over pre-fight blood testing scuttled talks and with Mayweather vowing never to do business with Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum, there seems little chance the fight will be made now.That has left Khan and Maidana the top names speculated for Mayweathers planned May 3 fight in Las Vegas. Pacquiao has a tentative April 12 bout set against an undetermined foe.Khan pulled out of a world title fight against American Devon Alexander, fueling speculation it was because he would next fight Mayweather.At 45-0 with 26 knockouts, Mayweather is approaching the 46-0 career mark of retired Welsh star Joe Calzaghe and the iconic 49-0 mark of heavyweight legend Rocky Marciano.Mayweather, who beat Saul Canelo Alvarez last September in his most recent bout, has a contract for four more fights in the next 2 1/2 years.

US oil prices close above $100 a barrel on strong data

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NEW YORK (AFP) - US oil prices closed above $100 a barrel for the first time since October on Friday after a weekly US oil inventory report showed strong demand for crude and petroleum products.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for February delivery rose 77 cents to $100.32 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.European benchmark Brent oil for February delivery increased 20 cents to $112.18 a barrel. US crude inventories fell by 4.7 million barrels, more than the 2.2 million expected by analysts in a Wall Street Journal survey.Gasoline stockpiles fell by 600,000, while analysts had projected a build of 1 million barrels.The demand still came in, said Stephen Schork of consultancy the Schork Group. The data constituted a supportive report, he added.Schork said he was especially impressed by a 1.8 percent increase in gasoline demand from the prior week, despite poor weather that would have impeded driving in some part of the country.The report comes amid other signs the US economy is picking up. Reports earlier this week on new home sales, durable goods orders and jobless claims have also bested expectations. Schork said the decline in crude inventories was not as important because refiners typically reduce inventories before the end of the year for tax purposes.Oil traders have also been watching developments in South Sudan in recent days, where violence in a key oil-producing region has dented crude output and led to numerous oilfield staff evacuations. East African leaders in Nairobi on Friday announced that South Sudan's government has agreed to an immediate ceasefire after nearly two weeks of heavy fighting with rebels.The statement appeared to provide the first glimmer of hope for a ceasefire since the fighting began, but after fighting in several strategic oil-producing areas in the north of the country.

Euro rallies after German banker's comments

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The euro reached two-year highs against other major currencies on Friday after hawkish comments by a German central banker.Near 2200 GMT, the euro traded at $1.3743, up from $1.3690 on Thursday after earlier peaking at $1.3893, the highest since October 2011.The euro also advanced against the Japanese currency, trading at 144.37 yen from 143.47 yen -- after earlier hitting 145.69 yen, the highest level since October 2008.The dollar advanced to 105.13 yen from 104.80 yen.Traders were stirred to buy the euro after German Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann, who sits on the European Central Bank's Governing Council, told a German newspaper that subdued inflationary pressure should not justify unfettered monetary easing.While Mr. Weidmann is a known monetary hawk, his comments overnight gave investors an excuse to push the euro higher, which triggered automatic orders that likely exaggerated the move, said Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange, Inc.Weidmann's comments follow recent statements by ECB President Mario Draghi, pledging to take action if the European economy does not improve.Among other currencies, the British pound rose to $1.6475 from $1.6410.The dollar dipped to 0.8913 Swiss franc from 0.8965.
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