US trade deficit shrinks to $43bn in Feb

THE US trade deficit edged lower in February after a big jump in January, government data released on Friday shows.

The Commerce Department reported the trade gap shrank to $US43 billion ($A41.4 billion), down from the revised $US44.5 billion in January.

The decline, which came after a large 16.7 per cent deficit increase in January, surprised analysts who had projected a deficit of $US44.7 billion.

US exports grew 0.8 per cent to $US186 billion, strengthened by the exports of industrial goods (up 4.5 per cent) and cars (up 1.6 per cent).

Meanwhile, US imports held steady at $US228.9 billion.

US imports of crude oil, which represent more than 10 per cent of imported goods by the US, dropped 5.6 per cent to $US23.6 billion.

But US imports of foreign cars rose 4.6 per cent between January and February to reach $US24.8 billion.

On a 12-month basis, the US trade deficit has dropped by 3.5 per cent.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Canada unemployment rate rises to 7.2%

A LOSS of 55,000 jobs in March pushed Canada's unemployment rate up 0.2 per centage points to 7.2 per cent, its government statistics agency says.

Fewer people were working in accommodation and food services, public administration and manufacturing, while there was little change in all other industries, said Statistics Canada on Friday.

The private sector shed 85,000 employees while the ranks of the self-employed rose by 39,000.

There was little change in the number of public sector jobs.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

US stocks plunge after disappointing jobs

US stocks have pared back sharp losses as traders digested a surprisingly weak March labour report and watched rising global tensions with North Korea.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 40.86 points (0.28 per cent) to 14,565.25.

The broad-based S&P 500 slid 6.70 (0.43 per cent) to 1,553.28, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index shed 21.12 (0.65 per cent) at 3203.86.

The main indices had plunged in opening trade, shedding more than 1.0 per cent, reeling from jobs data that came in far below expectations.

The Labor Department reported the US added only 88,000 nonfarm jobs in March, a third of the February gain and the slowest jobs growth in nine months.

Employment growth tanked far below the average analyst estimate of 192,000 jobs.

The Labor Department also reported the unemployment rate ticked down 7.6 per cent from 7.7 per cent in February, due to people dropping out of the workforce.

The pullback in jobs gains "was simply awful," said Fred Dickson, chief investment strategist at DA Davidson & Co.

"This piece of economic data adds some uncertainty regarding an economic surge needed near-term to push stock prices meaningfully higher."

Market sentiment was also under pressure from the worries regarding North Korean intentions after reports indicated Pyongyang had ordered two missiles to be relocated to North Korea's east coast, Briefing.com said.

Financials and tech stocks were under pressure. On the Dow, American Express slid 2.8 per cent, IBM fell 0.9 per cent and United Technologies was down 0.6 per cent.

Blue-chip Microsoft reversed losses and gained 0.4 per cent.

Oil majors Chevron and ExxonMobil fell 0.5 per cent and 0.9 per cent respectively.

Dow member Hewlett-Packard shed 1.5 per cent after announcing its non-executive chairman Raymond Lane has decided to step down in a shakeup of the board of directors at the struggling US computer giant.

On the Nasdaq, heavyweight Apple fell 1.1 per cent

Wall Street stocks had scored modest gains Thursday after the Bank of Japan's monetary stimulus plan boosted sentiment. The Dow rose 0.38 per cent, the S&P 500 added 0.40 per cent and the Nasdaq climbed 0.20 per cent.

Bond prices soared. The yield on the 10-year Treasury plummeted to 1.69 per cent from 1.76 per cent Thursday, while the 30-year yield skidded to 2.86 per cent from 2.99 per cent.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fidel Castro breaks 9-month hiatus

Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has called for North Korea and the US to avoid hostilities. Source: AAP

CUBAN revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has called for long-time ally North Korea and the United States to avoid hostilities on the Korean peninsula.

"If war breaks out there, the peoples of both parts of the peninsula will be terribly sacrificed, without benefit to all or either of them," he said in a column published in Cuban state media.

"Now that (North Korea) has demonstrated its technical and scientific achievements, we remind her of her duties to the countries which have been her great friends, and it would be unjust to forget that such a war would particularly affect more than 70 per cent of the population of the planet."

Castro, 86, reminded the US of its duty to avoid a clash, amid mounting tensions this year between North and South Korea.

"If a conflict of that nature should break out there, the government of Barack Obama in his second mandate would be buried in a deluge of images which would present him as the most sinister character in the history of the United States," he said.

"The duty of avoiding war is also his and that of the people of the United States."

Cuba is one of the last remaining allies of the communist government in Pyongyang.

"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was always friendly with Cuba, as Cuba has always been and will continue to be with her," Castro wrote.

"I had the honour of meeting Kim Il-sung, a historic figure, notably courageous and revolutionary."

Kim Il-sung was the founder of North Korea and grandfather of Kim Jong Un, the new leader of the reclusive Pyongyang regime.

Tension ratcheted up this week on the peninsula, as North Korea has threatened nuclear strikes and moved missiles, with the South and the US positioning missile defences in response.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Strong 6.2 quake rocks Russia near NKorea

A POWERFUL 6.2 magnitude earthquake has struck in eastern Russia near the border with China and North Korea.

The US Geological Survey says the epicentre of the quake was southwest of Vladivostok, around nine kilometres from the Russian border town of Zarubino, at a depth of 561 kilometres.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the tremor, which struck seconds after 12 am Saturday local time.

A 6.1-magnitude quake struck Russia's far east last month, and a 6.9 quake rocked the region in February. Neither caused significant damage.

An underground formation in the area known as the Kuril-Kamchatka arc is considered one of the most seismically active regions in the world.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

US trade deficit shrinks to $43bn in Feb

THE US trade deficit edged lower in February after a big jump in January, government data released on Friday shows.

The Commerce Department reported the trade gap shrank to $US43 billion ($A41.4 billion), down from the revised $US44.5 billion in January.

The decline, which came after a large 16.7 per cent deficit increase in January, surprised analysts who had projected a deficit of $US44.7 billion.

US exports grew 0.8 per cent to $US186 billion, strengthened by the exports of industrial goods (up 4.5 per cent) and cars (up 1.6 per cent).

Meanwhile, US imports held steady at $US228.9 billion.

US imports of crude oil, which represent more than 10 per cent of imported goods by the US, dropped 5.6 per cent to $US23.6 billion.

But US imports of foreign cars rose 4.6 per cent between January and February to reach $US24.8 billion.

On a 12-month basis, the US trade deficit has dropped by 3.5 per cent.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

US to return some Okinawa land to Japan

THE United States has agreed on a plan to return land occupied by its military to Japan in a bid to break the deadlock in a long-stalled deal.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US Ambassador John Roos issued a joint statement on the agreement on Friday, under which five US military facilities and other areas on Okinawa's main island will return to Japan over the coming years.

Tokyo and Washington also agreed they will return land currently occupied by the controversial Futenma airbase "in fiscal 2022 or later" the joint statement said.

"I am glad to see the long-stalled issue move forward," Abe said in a meeting with the ambassador in front of reporters.

"It is extremely significant for our efforts to reduce burdens on Okinawa."

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel later called the move a "new and important milestone" that would reduce the military footprint on the island, in a statement issued by his office.

He added that some US Marine Corps forces would relocate to Guam and Hawaii.

The deal comes after years in which a plan to move the US Marine Corps' Futenma base from a crowded residential area have been stuck in stasis because of vocal opposition from islanders.

Locals want the base moved off Okinawa altogether, arguing that the island bears an unequal burden hosting the lion's share of the 47,000 US service personnel stationed in Japan.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

US stocks plunge after disappointing jobs

US stocks are plunging after a surprisingly weak labour report showing a sharp deceleration in job creation in March.

In the first 45 minutes of Friday trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 154.50 points (1.06 per cent) to 14,451.61.

The broad-based S&P 500 tumbled 18.32 (1.17 per cent) to 1,541.66, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index shed 48.55 (1.51 per cent) to 3,176.43.

The Labor Department says the US added only 88,000 jobs in March, a third of the February gain, while the unemployment rate ticked down by a tenth of a point to 7.6 per cent due to people dropping out of the workforce.

Job creation slumped to its weakest level since June 2012, and was far below the 192,000 jobs that analysts had on average expected.

The pullback in jobs gains "was simply awful," said Fred Dickson, chief investment strategist at DA Davidson & Co.

"This piece of economic data adds some uncertainty regarding an economic surge needed near-term to push stock prices meaningfully higher," he said.

Market sentiment was also under pressure from the worries regarding North Korean intentions after reports indicated Pyongyang had ordered two missiles to be relocated to North Korea's east coast, Briefing.com said.

Financials and tech stocks in particular suffered. On the Dow, American Express slid 2.8 per cent and Bank of America lost 1.1 per cent.

Blue-chips Microsoft fell 0.8 per cent, IBM was down 1.7 per cent and United Technologies dropped 1.1 per cent.

Oil majors Chevron lost 1.0 per cent and ExxonMobil fell 1.3 per cent.

Dow member Hewlett-Packard shed 1.6 per cent after announcing its non-executive chairman Raymond Lane has decided to step down in a shakeup of the board of directors at the struggling US computer giant.

Wall Street stocks closed higher on Thursday after the Bank of Japan's monetary stimulus plan boosted sentiment. They rose 0.38 per cent, the S&P 500 added 0.40 per cent and the Nasdaq climbed 0.20 per cent.

Bond prices soared. The yield on the 10-year Treasury plummeted to 1.70 per cent from 1.76 per cent on Thursday, while the 30-year yield skidded to 2.87 per cent from 2.99 per cent. Bond prices move inversely to yields.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gillard to meet with IMF's Lagarde

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard will start her first full day of meetings in China on Saturday with a briefing from Australia's ambassador Frances Adamson and a meeting with International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde.

Ms Gillard flew into China's resort island of Hainan on Friday, heading Australia's largest ever political delegation to the Asian powerhouse.

The visit comes amid international concerns over North Korea's military posturing.

Following a media conference, the prime minister will speak at a lunch with Australian and Chinese business chiefs, including the heads of major banks.

An afternoon of bilateral meetings with national leaders on the sidelines of the Boao Forum on Asia - a major economic and investment forum - will be followed by a private business dinner.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Morning-after pill for all, says US judge

IN a scathing rebuke of the Obama administration, a US judge has ruled that age restrictions on over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill are "arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable" and must end within 30 days.

The ruling by US District Judge Edward Korman of New York means consumers of any age could buy emergency contraception without a prescription - instead of women first having to prove they're 17 or older.

And it could allow Plan B One-Step, also known as the morning-after pill, to move out from behind pharmacy counters to the store counters.

The Justice Department didn't immediately say on Friday whether it would appeal the ruling.

"We are reviewing the decision and evaluating the government's options," said F. Franklin Amanat, a lawyer for the government.

It's the latest twist in a decade-long push for easier access to emergency contraception, which can prevent pregnancy if taken soon enough after unprotected sex.

The Food and Drug Administration was actually preparing to lift all age limits on Plan B One-Step in late 2011 when Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, in an unprecedented move, overruled her own scientists.

Sebelius said some girls as young as 11 are physically capable of bearing children but shouldn't be able to buy the pregnancy-preventing pill on their own.

President Barack Obama said he supported the decision, also citing concern for young girls.

That move shocked women's groups - and in his ruling, Korman blasted Sebelius for what he called an "obviously political" decision.

"This case is not about the potential misuse of Plan B by 11-year-olds," Korman wrote, saying the number of young girls using such drugs "is likely to be minuscule".

Yet the sales restrictions are making it hard for women of all ages to buy the pills, especially young and low-income ones, he said.

Moreover, Korman noted that numerous over-the-counter drugs are dangerous for children, but are still sold nevertheless without age requirements, while "these emergency contraceptives would be among the safest drugs sold over-the-counter".

"It has been clear for a long time that the medical and scientific community think this should be fully over the counter and is safe for women of all ages to use," said Dr Susan Wood, who resigned as FDA's women's health chief in 2005 to protest Bush administration foot-dragging over Plan B.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man kills nine in axe rampage in India

AN Indian villager has axed to death four women and five young girls while apparently mentally disturbed after his wife left him, police say.

Pandu Nagesia, 35, killed nine of his neighbours during his rampage through Behratoli village in the central state of Chhattisgarh on Thursday, district police chief Govardhan Singh Darroh said by telephone.

The victims were five girls aged between two and nine, a 25-year-old and three women over 60, he said.

"A total of nine females were axed to death," Darroh said.

"The accused Nagesia first attacked a 25-year-old woman and her two-year-old child and axed them to death, subsequently killing his neighbours one after another," the police chief said.

"The accused seems to be mentally disturbed after his wife deserted him," he said, after Nagesia was taken into custody and the axe recovered from the village, 625 kilometres north of the state capital, Raipur.

A witness said the incident happened in the early afternoon when some women and children had assembled at a house after their male relatives had gone to work in a nearby mine, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported.

Attacks on Indian women have been in the global spotlight since December, when a 23-year-old student was brutally attacked and raped by six men on a moving bus in the capital, New Delhi. She died two weeks later of her injuries.

The case prompted outrage at home and abroad, prompting parliament to toughen laws to make the country safer for women.

Since the Delhi case, a string of other attacks have hit the headlines, including the gang-rape of a Swiss cyclist in central Madhya Pradesh state last month.

On Wednesday four sisters walking home in north India suffered severe burns after being attacked with acid by two men on a motorbike - a brutal example of another growing problem in South Asia.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

ECB can't replace govt action: Draghi

THE European Central Bank cannot step into the breach left by a lack of action by eurozone governments to solve the region's debt crisis, but is ready to do whatever it can to play its part, ECB chief Mario Draghi says.

"We cannot replace lack of capital in the banking system or the lack of actions by governments," Draghi told a news conference on Thursday after the ECB left its interest rates unchanged for the ninth month in a row.

"The most stimulative measure is to pay the arrears. The ECB cannot replace governments on that front, or on structural reforms," he said.

Nevertheless, the ECB was willing and ready to act and looking at all policy options, standard and non-standard, to help resolve the crisis, Draghi insisted.

"We are ready to act within our mandate," he said.

With regard to non-standard or anti-crisis measures, "we discussed a variety of measures. We have to be aware of what we can do and what we cannot do," Draghi said.

The ECB was also open to taking on board the experiences of other countries in trying to solve the eurozone's problems, he said.

"We will certainly look at other countries' experiences, what is feasible, institutionally acceptable and effective," he said. "We are thinking 360 degrees on non-standard measures," Draghi said.

Throughout the seemingly never-ending crisis - which appeared to have abated recently until political gridlock in Italy and the crisis in Cyprus sent shockwaves through financial markets once again - the ECB has never hesitated to act as firefighter.

It has slashed its key interest rates, pumped more than 1 trillion euros ($A1.24 trillion) into the banking system to avert a credit crunch and sought to tame borrowing costs in worst-hit countries by buying up their sovereign bonds.

The multi-faceted approach appeared to pay off, allowing the markets to enjoy an extended period of calm.

But calls have arisen for the ECB to come to the rescue once again as tensions re-emerged after elections in Italy ended in a political stalemate and Cyprus's parliament rejected the terms of a tough bailout deal with its international creditors.

Finding a solution was not easy, and would require the participation of all actors, Draghi said.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Prince Harry appoints private secretary

PRINCE Harry has appointed a former army officer to be his first dedicated private secretary.

Edward Lane Fox, who served in the prince's regiment, the Household Cavalry's Blues and Royals, before moving into public relations, will take up the post by June.

The move completes a reorganisation of Harry and his brother William's household which began last year, and reflects their growing status within the monarchy, which will become more prominent in coming years.

Lane Fox, who is a distant relative of Martha Lane Fox, co-founder of travel website lastminute.com, has met Harry a number of times through their military connections.

But the pair would have spent some time together when the prince joined a group from the Household Cavalry, which included the new private secretary, on an expedition in southern Africa.

Lane Fox left the Army in 2006 as squadron second-in-command, with the rank of captain.

He now works as a senior associate with global financial communications firm RLM Finsbury and before that was employed as chief of staff for Roland Rudd, the firm's founder.

The former captain replaces Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, who acted as Harry's personal aide for about eight months following the royal household reorganisation.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Clinton to pen 'ultimate book' on world

HILLARY Clinton, whose every move is being scrutinised for signs she might make a 2016 presidential run, has announced she's penning a book outlining her views on the United States' role in the world.

The ex-secretary of state's first book since leaving office will be published by Simon & Schuster next year, midway through President Barack Obama's final term, the publisher said on Thursday.

"This will be the ultimate book for people who are interested in world affairs and America's place in the world today," said Jonathan Karp, publisher of Simon & Schuster Publishing Group, and who is set to edit the work himself.

No title was announced, nor details of how much former president Bill Clinton's wife would be paid.

The publisher's CEO Carolyn Reidy said Hillary Clinton would "bring readers worldwide her unique insights into the most dramatic events and critically important issues of our time."

Topics covered will include the killing of Osama bin Laden, the US pullouts from Iraq and Afghanistan, the Arab Spring revolts, and the rise of China. Broad issues including the role of women and girls, climate change, and human rights will also be addressed, the publisher said in a statement.

"And she will share her views as to what it takes for the United States to secure and sustain prosperity and global leadership. Throughout, Secretary Clinton will offer vivid personal anecdotes and memories of her collaboration with President Obama and his National Security team, as well as her engagement with leaders around the world," the statement said.

Clinton has stayed coy about her plans in 2016, but she is seen as a clear frontrunner this time, having lost the Democratic nomination in 2008 to Obama, who went on to become America's first black president.

Polls show that Clinton, who would be 69 in 2016, has strong support among Democrats should she bid to become the first woman elected to the White House.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Londoners bemused by snow in April

DO snow showers bring May flowers?

Londoners had to wonder on Thursday after looking at the calendar and looking out the window.

Snow flurries swirled through the British capital, failing to stick but giving residents the sense that winter temperatures would somehow never end.

Britain has just endured its coldest March in more 50 years - and the trial is not over yet.

Richard Wilford, head of hardy plants at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is among the many wishing for warmth.

He says the consistency of the cold - London hasn't had a warm spell since Christmas - is worrisome. Although some of the tougher plants are flowering now, many will just abort once they open, he said.

In other words, spring will come - but it might be short.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

French government hit by tax fraud scandal

FRANCE'S Socialist government is reeling from an explosive tax fraud scandal as critics question how much President Francois Hollande knew about a former budget minister's secret foreign bank account.

Jerome Cahuzac - the minister responsible for cracking down on tax evasion until he resigned two weeks ago - was charged on Tuesday with "laundering the proceeds of tax fraud" after he admitted to having a foreign bank account containing some 600,000 euros ($A742,000), following weeks of denials.

Hollande appeared on national television on Wednesday to address the scandal, vowing a new law within weeks on the "publication and control" of the wealth of ministers and parliamentarians.

Hollande said he knew nothing of the foreign account and that Cahuzac "did not benefit from any protection" from the government.

"He deceived the highest authorities in the country: the head of state, the head of the government, parliament, and through them all the French people," Hollande said.

The president had been quick to condemn Cahuzac's actions, but critics have pounced on the scandal, saying top officials must have been either lying to protect the ex-minister or naive enough to believe him.

The head of the main opposition right-wing UMP party, Jean-Francois Cope, has demanded Hollande explain the scandal to the French public.

Cope said the president either "knew nothing, and that's extremely serious because it means he showed a certain amount of naivete" or "he knew and that means he lied to the French people".

"Who can believe that Francois Hollande and (Prime Minister) Jean-Marc Ayrault were aware of nothing?" Cope asked on Europe 1 radio. "They must explain themselves more deeply before the French people."

Opposition lawmakers have called for a parliamentary probe into the scandal and for the resignation of Cahuzac's former boss, Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici.

Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Front, said the entire government should resign and new parliamentary elections held.

Cahuzac announced his resignation on March 19 after prosecutors opened a probe into the account, first revealed by the investigative Mediapart news website in December. He met with investigators on Tuesday and admitted to having had the foreign account for around 20 years.

His lawyer said the account, originally opened in Switzerland, had been transferred to Singapore and that the amount laundered was equivalent to about 30,000 euros ($A37,000).

If convicted, Cahuzac faces up to five years in prison and a potential fine of up to 375,000 euros.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Taliban kill 44 in attack on Afghan court

TALIBAN militants have stormed an Afghan court, killing at least 44 people in a bid to free insurgents standing trial in the deadliest attack for more than a year.

It was not immediately clear whether the accused men had escaped the court complex in the western town of Farah, although a hospital doctor said one prisoner was among those being treated for injuries.

The multiple bomb and gun assault will raise further questions about the Afghans' ability to secure the country as NATO winds down its combat mission in the war-torn country by the end of next year.

"I can confirm that 34 civilians, six army and four policemen have been killed and 91 people, the majority of them civilians, have been injured," Najib Danish, interior ministry deputy spokesman, told AFP.

"Nine attackers have also been killed."

The death toll was the highest in Afghanistan from a single attack since a Shiite Muslim shrine was bombed in Kabul in December 2011, killing 80 people.

"The attack is over, but the casualties have unfortunately risen," Farah provincial governor Mohammad Akram Khpalwak told AFP, putting the final death toll as high as 46.

"In total, 34 civilians and 12 (Afghan) security forces have been killed in the attack. We have also discovered the bodies of eight attackers, more than 100 people have also been injured."

The governor added a group of Taliban had been brought for trial Wednesday, without giving further details.

Taliban militants fighting the US-backed central government claimed responsibility.

"Our fighters attacked several government buildings in Farah according to their planned tactic. They conducted the attack with small arms and grenades," the group said on its website.

"The fighting happened after information that (President Hamid) Karzai's administration wanted to try several fighters in a cruel way in this court."

Taliban fighters frequently target government compounds equipped with suicide vests, rockets and machine-guns.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Another death in China from new bird flu

A MAN in the Chinese province of Zhejiang has died of the H7N9 strain of bird flu, state media says, bringing the total deaths attributed to the virus to three since the first human cases.

He was one of two H7N9 avian influenza infections reported in Zhejiang in eastern China, the official Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday, citing local authorities, bringing the country's total number of cases to nine.

Chinese authorities are trying to determine how exactly the new variety of bird flu infected people, but say there is no evidence yet of human-to-human transmission.

The latest fatality was a 38-year-old man who worked as a chef, media website Zhejiang Online said. The province's other case was a 67-year-old retiree who was being treated in hospital.

Two other deaths have been reported, both in China's commercial hub of Shanghai. Other cases have occurred in the eastern provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui, the government has said.

The World Health Organisation on Wednesday said the number of cases of the infection looks set to climb, but a pandemic is not on the cards.

"Given the fact that we've seen seven confirmed cases, plus there are reports of other cases, it would not be surprising to see additional cases," said Gregory Hartl, spokesman of the WHO's influenza and epidemics division.

"But these would be additional cases, one by one. We have no evidence so far of human-to-human transmission, and without human-to-human transmission, the likelihood or risk of pandemic is low," he told reporters.

"We're a long way away from thinking about a pandemic," he added.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Flooding in Argentina kills 25

AT least 25 people have died in flooding in the Argentine city of La Plata as torrential rain hit the region.

The deaths raised the number of people killed this week to 33 following record heavy rain in Argentina.

A powerful storm that earlier pummelled Buenos Aires slammed La Plata, located 63km south of the Argentine capital, overnight Tuesday to Wednesday.

"The bodies began to appear as the water subsided," said Governor Daniel Scioli, who announced the death toll.

A record 40cm of rain fell on La Plata in a two-hour period, officials said, knocking out phone lines and leaving people in the dark.

Some 2200 people fled the city because of heavy rain, and many of those who remained were forced to scramble to rooftops for safety.

The heavy rain turned many city streets into rivers. In parts of the downtown area water was reported to be 1.6m deep.

"This has never happened in La Plata," said Argentine Security Minister Sergio Berni.

"There are people on rooftops, in trees waiting for us to rescue them," he said, adding that firefighters, civil defence workers, police and soldiers have been deployed to the area to help in rescue operations.

A senior city official in La Plata, Santiago Martorelli, told local television that the flooding was a "catastrophe". He added that schools and local government were closed for Wednesday.

La Plata, population 895,000, is the administrative centre of the province where Buenos Aires is located.

Eight people were killed on Tuesday when the same powerful storm system battered the Argentine capital and its suburbs, knocking out power lines and downing trees.

More than 15cm of rain fell between midnight Monday and early Tuesday, the Buenos Aires weather service said, setting an April record.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

European stocks close with sharp losses

LEADING European stock markets fell sharply on Wednesday as dealers locked in profits from a technical spike a day earlier and investors took note of disappointing US economic data.

European equities had rallied in thin trading on Tuesday, with Frankfurt and Paris closing up almost 2.0 per cent each, after dealers returned to their desks from the Easter holiday weekend to digest developments over the Cyprus debt crisis.

But much of that was given up on Wednesday, when London's FTSE 100 index of leading companies closed with a loss of 1.08 per cent at 6,420.28 points.

Frankfurt's DAX 30 fell by 0.87 per cent to 7,874.74 points and in Paris the CAC 40 was off by 1.32 per cent at 3,754.96.

In Madrid, the Ibex 35 index shed 1.81 per cent to 7,904.3 points, in Milan the FTSE Mib slumped by 2.28 per cent to 15,200 points, and in Lisbon the PSI-20 index plunged by 3.54 per cent to 5,587.13 points amid uncertainty over an anticipated court ruling on the country's 2013 budget.

In general, analysts noted a gloomy atmosphere owing to figures which indicated a slowdown in the huge US services sector on top of weak employment prospects in the world's biggest economy, which together raised concerns about its recovery.

"US economic data hasn't been great," ETX Capital analyst Ishaq Siddiqi noted in London.

In New York, US stocks had opened higher before falling into the red with the Dow Jones Industrial Average off by 0.44 per cent at 14,597.41 points in midday trading.

The broad-based S&P 500 was down by 0.63 per cent at 1,560.30, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite showed a loss of 0.54 per cent to 3,237.34 points.

Back in Britain, Vodafone's share price dropped 3.05 per cent to 186.15 pence after the US telecommunications giant Verizon distanced itself from press speculation regarding a potential merger with the British group.

"As Verizon has said many times, it would be a willing purchaser of the 45 per cent stake that Vodafone holds in Verizon Wireless," the US company said in a statement.

"It does not, however, currently have any intention to merge with or make an offer for Vodafone, whether alone or in conjunction with others," Verizon said in a statement filed Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Various media reports had said that Verizon was mulling a joint attack with AT&T that would see the pair divide up Vodafone assets.

Market focus also remained firmly on Cyprus, with the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday agreeing to provide approximately one billion euros to the 10-billion-euro rescue plan for the cash-strapped eurozone nation.

This would be through a three-year 891-million-euro Special Drawing Rights loan, announced IMF managing director Christine Lagarde.

The European Central Bank (ECB) will meanwhile hold off from cutting rates or announcing any other policy moves at its meeting Thursday so as to keep up pressure on governments to solve the eurozone's crisis, analysts said.

The ECB has never hesitated to act as firefighter in the long-running crisis, which seemed to have abated until political gridlock in Italy and the crisis in Cyprus sent shockwaves through financial markets once again.

Also Thursday, the Bank of England is expected to vote to maintain both its record-low interest rate and level of cash stimulus as investors wait to see whether Britain's economy has re-entered a period of recession.

In foreign exchange trade Wednesday, the euro rose to $1.2852 from $1.2813 late in New York on Tuesday. Gold prices dropped to $1,574.75 an ounce from $1,583.50.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Parents guilty over six fire deaths in UK

THE parents of six children who died in a house fire in the UK have been found guilty of their manslaughter.

Mick and Mairead Philpott were convicted by jurors at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday of the unlawful killing of the six siblings in the blaze at the family home in Derby on May 11 last year.

A third defendant, 46-year-old Paul Mosley, was also found guilty of manslaughter by the jury following an eight-week trial.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Amnesty criticises Kuwait over executions

AMNESTY International has criticised Kuwait for resuming executions after a six-year pause, describing the decision as a "real setback".

"These are the first executions carried out in Kuwait since 2007 and mark a deplorable setback for human rights in the country," said Ann Harrison, the rights watchdog's program director for the Middle East and North Africa.

Kuwait on Monday executed a Saudi, a Pakistani and a stateless Arab after being convicted of murders. The last hanging carried in Kuwait before those was in May 2007.

"In a region where executions are sadly all too commonplace, Kuwait marked a beacon of hope by declining to execute people for almost six years," Harrison said in a statement.

"That hope has been extinguished... We deplore this resumption of executions, regardless of the crime."

Public attorney Mohammad al-Duaij, who supervised the executions, said another 48 people are on death row awaiting a final decision on their sentences by the emir.

The Gulf state has executed a total of 69 men and three foreign women since it introduced the death penalty in mid-1960. Most of those condemned have been convicted murderers or drug traffickers.

"Kuwait should halt any further executions and should commute all death sentences and revise the law to exclude this most final of penalties," Amnesty said.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

European stocks close sharply higher

EUROPE'S main stock markets have closed sharply higher in low volume trade, with London's FTSE 100 index of leading companies rising 1.23 per cent to 6490.66 points.

In Frankfurt, the DAX 30 jumped 1.91 per cent to 7943.87 points on Tuesday, while in Paris the CAC 40 climbed 1.98 per cent to 3805.37 points.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

UN General Assembly adopts arms treaty

THE UN General Assembly has adopted the first-ever treaty to regulate the $US80-billion-a-year conventional arms trade.

The assembly voted 154-3 for a resolution that will open the treaty for signature from June. Syria, North Korea and Iran - which had blocked the treaty last week - voted against it. Russia was among the 23 abstentions.

The first major arms accord since the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty would cover tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large-calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, as well as small arms and light arms.

It would aim to force countries to set up national controls on arms exports. States would also have to assess whether a weapon could be used for genocide, war crimes or by terrorists or organised crime before it is sold.

Every country is free to sign and ratify the treaty, which will take effect after the 50th ratification from among the 193 UN member states, which could take up to two years.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

EU countries take action against Google

GOOGLE'S new privacy policy is under legal attack from regulators in its largest European markets, who want the company to overhaul practices they say let it create a data goldmine at the expense of unwitting users.

Led by the French, organisations in Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Italy agreed Tuesday on the joint action, with the ultimate possibility of imposing fines or restrictions on operations across the entire 27-country European Union.

Last year the company merged 60 separate privacy policies from around the world into one universal procedure. The European organisations complain that the new policy doesn't allow users to figure out which information is kept, how it is combined by Google services, or how long the company retains it.

The fines' financial impact on Google would be limited - French privacy watchdog CNIL has the right to fine the company up to 300,000 ($A372,000) approximately the amount it earns in three minutes, based on its projected revenue of $61 billion this year. Britain can fine up to 500,000 pounds, but rarely does.

But successful legal action would hurt Google's image and could block its ability to collect such data until it addresses the regulators' concerns.

Google dominates the European market for internet searches. According to one survey, as much as 95 per cent of searches in Europe are carried out through Google, compared with about 65 per cent in the United States. European regulators have demanded specifics for anyone using Google on what's being collected and a simpler presentation.

Tensions between privacy and the swiftly evolving ability of companies to spin online usage data into vast profits are ramping up, especially in Europe, where privacy laws tend to be strong and nearly every country has a regulatory body. But internet users have consistently shown a willingness to give up privacy in exchange for convenience and new online services that Google and other tech companies offer.

Google says it merged its myriad privacy policies in March 2012 for the sake of simplicity, and that the changes comply with European laws.

"There is a wider debate going on about personal data and who owns and controls personal data," said Colin Strong, a technology analyst with GfK.

"The question is the extent to which consumers understand the value of their personal data and the extent that they are happy with the trade that they're getting."

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Prosecutors seek death in cinema shooting

PROSECUTORS in the US state of Colorado say they will seek the death penalty against the man accused of killing 12 people in a crowded cinema in July last year.

"For James Holmes in this case, justice is death," district attorney George Brauchler told a court in Centennial, where the 25-year-old Holmes is expected to go on trial in August.

Holmes is accused over the July 20 massacre at a midnight screening of the Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, which revived America's long-running debate about gun control.

Witnesses said Holmes threw smoke bomb-type devices before opening fire randomly with weapons, including an AR-15 military-style rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and a .40-calibre pistol.

Last week defence lawyers filed an unexpected motion offering that Holmes would plead guilty, in return for the prosecution not pressing for the death penalty, but agreeing to a sentence of life in prison without parole.

But prosecutors shot back within 24 hours, accusing the defence of trying to negotiate a plea deal in public, in violation of a gag order on the horrific case.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Driver disqualified until 2062 caught

A WOMAN who has been disqualified from driving for almost 50 years faces a NSW court on driving and other charges.

Police say highway patrol officers approached a 37-year-old woman near a random breath test site on Campbelltown Road at Woodbine, southwest of Sydney, shortly after midday (AEDT) on Monday, after she allegedly stopped her car about 300 metres from the site.

Officers questioned the driver about her licence and identity and allege she provided false details.

A field fingerprinting identification device was used and further inquiries revealed she was disqualified from driving until 2062, a police statement said.

The woman was arrested and charged at Campbelltown Police Station with driving while disqualified and giving false particulars and she was refused bail to appear in Campbelltown Local Court on Tuesday.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two dead and two injured in Vic crash

TWO people have died and two others have been airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries following a single vehicle accident in central Victoria.

Police say a people mover was headed south on the Hume Freeway near Winton about 11pm (AEDT) on Monday when the driver lost control of the vehicle, which rolled several times.

Emergency services arrived at the scene and discovered the bodies of two men, believed to be aged in their 30s and believed to have been passengers in the vehicle.

Two other passengers have been airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the vehicle and another passenger were taken to local hospitals for treatment and are assisting police with their investigation.

Police said the deaths bring this year's road toll to 66, 11 fewer than at the same time last year.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Vic teenager returns home

VICTORIAN teenager Sherridyn Rutland has returned home safe and well after being reported missing for more than a week.

The Brookfield 16-year-old had not been seen since leaving her Burrawang Close home about 11am (AEDT) on Sunday, March 24.

The girl's mobile phone had been switched on and off and it was understood she had no money, but a police statement said Sherridyn returned home about 7pm on Monday.

Police have thanked the public and media for their assistance.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Korea leader vows to strike back at North

SOUTH Korea's new president has promised a strong military response to any North Korean provocation after Pyongyang announced the two countries are now in a state of war.

President Park Geun-Hye's warning came as North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament formalised the country's status as a nuclear weapons state and appointed a sacked economic reformer for a fresh term as prime minister.

It also coincided with a US announcement that it had deployed stealth fighters to South Korea as part of an ongoing joint military exercise.

At a meeting with senior military officials and Defence Minister Kim Kwan-Jin, Park said she took the nearly daily stream of bellicose threats emanating from the North over the past month "very seriously".

"I believe that we should make a strong and immediate retaliation without any other political considerations if (the North) stages any provocation against our people," she said.

Her defence minister made it clear that the South would carry out pre-emptive strikes against the North's nuclear and missile facilities in the event of hostilities breaking out.

"We will ... establish a so-called 'active deterrence' aimed at neutralising the North's nuclear and missile threats quickly," Kim said.

The US military said on Monday it had deployed F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to South Korea as part of the ongoing Foal Eagle military exercise.

"The F-22s are advanced fighter aircraft and they're an important display of our commitment to the South Korean alliance," Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters in Washington.

North Korea has already threatened to strike the US mainland and US bases in the Pacific in response to the participation of nuclear-capable US B-52 and B-2 stealth bombers in the exercise.

Monday's gathering of the North's Supreme People's Assembly, or parliament, was notable for the promotion of a former prime minister who was sacked in a reported backlash against his pursuit of economic reforms.

Pak Pong-Ju, 74, was unanimously returned to the post of prime minister, which he had previously held from 2003-2007, when he spearheaded modest economic reforms of state enterprises.

An apparent backlash from the party and the military saw him suspended from duty in June 2006 and sacked the following year.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tanzanian building collapse toll hits 25

THE death toll from a building that collapsed in Tanzania's economic capital, Dar es Salaam, has reached 25, officials said, as hope faded of finding those missing two days after the accident.

"Six bodies were found between Saturday night and this afternoon. This brings the total number confirmed dead to 25," Dar es Salaam regional commissioner Saidi Mecky Sadicky told AFP on Sunday, updating an earlier toll of 19.

"The rescue exercise is still going on slowly. It is complicated and there is rain, but they will continue working there until every point is sifted."

Several dozen people are still missing around the site, which was littered with huge chunks of concrete, and Sadicky said earlier there was "little hope to find anyone alive".

It has been more than 48 hours since the last of 18 survivors were pulled from the remains of the 16-storey building.

Hundreds of rescuers have worked non-stop in search of those believed to be still trapped in the rubble from the shell of the tower.

Sadicky said between 60 and 70 people were reported to have been at or near the construction site on Friday morning when the building collapsed, meaning that between 17 and 27 people could still be trapped.

Hundreds of people, including residents and army rescuers, clawed through piles of rubble in the hunt for survivors, alongside earthmovers and excavators.

Chinese construction firms in the city were told by their embassy to lend extra equipment to aid the rescue effort and Chinese workers have been at the site instructing operators of excavators and forklifts that were sifting through the rubble.

Local residents have turned out to supply rescuers with food, water and medication.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Egypt comedian bailed on insult complaints

EGYPTIAN satirist Bassem Youssef has been released on bail after nearly five hours of questioning over alleged insults to the president and religion, highlighting concerns over freedom of expression in post-revolt Egypt.

Youssef, whose weekly program, Albernameg (The Show), has pushed the boundaries of local television with its merciless critique of those in power, was ordered to pay 15,000 Egyptian pounds (about $A2100) pending investigation into the complaints, judicial sources told AFP.

On Twitter, Youssef confirmed the bail conditions, saying they were for three lawsuits. He said no date has been set for questioning into a fourth legal complaint.

On Sunday morning, Youssef continued to challenge the authorities even as he arrived at the prosecutor's office.

He made his way through a throng of cameras and supporters, to pose with an enormous version of a hat worn by President Mohamed Morsi earlier this month when he received an honorary doctorate from a university in Pakistan.

Youssef had worn the hat on his show a week earlier.

The public prosecutor on Saturday issued an arrest warrant for Youssef, who has more than 1.2 million Twitter followers, following several legal complaints against him relating to the material used on the show.

He is accused of offending Islam through "making fun of the prayer ritual" and of insulting Morsi by "making fun of his international standing".

Dubbed the Egyptian answer to American television's Jon Stewart, star of The Daily Show, Youssef has repeatedly poked fun at those in power and became a household name in the Arab world's most populous country.

He now joins the ranks of several colleagues in the media who face charges of insulting the president.

Rights lawyers say there have been four times as many lawsuits for insulting the president under Morsi than during the entire 30 years that Mubarak ruled.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Five children under 10 die in France fire

FIVE children between the ages of two and 10 died when a fire ravaged their home in northern France while staying with their divorced father, who was seriously burned trying to save them.

In Saint-Quentin, a town about 130km northeast of Paris, a father who had his children for the weekend jumped out of a first-floor window to get help as flames engulfed his house.

The father, in his 40s, attempted to go back into the house with a neighbour, but the two were helpless in the face of the massive flames.

"He never thought of himself. He tried to go get help. He burned himself trying to save his son," said the neighbour, Olivier Hubeaux.

Masses of smoke "seriously complicated the work of the firefighters", who found the five bodies of the children, "dead from asphyxiation", said town official Jean-Jacques Boyer.

Autopsies will be carried out on the children on Monday.

Investigators are following the assumption the fire was accidental, but its exact origin has not been confirmed.

The father was in hospital with serious burns and was told only on Sunday morning by a psychologist that his children had died.

The children's mother arrived on Sunday and was in the care of doctors after receiving the news.

Another deadly fire that killed three people broke out on Saturday evening in a rundown seven-storey building housing squatters in the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers.

One person died after jumping out the window, another burnt to death on the third floor and a third died in hospital, while at least 13 people were injured.

A resident told journalists the blaze erupted when someone threw a petrol bomb during a brawl between occupants, but investigators could not immediately confirm that.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

US prosecutor murdered with wife

A TEXAS district attorney and his wife have been found dead in their home - the second murder of a US prosecutor in the same office in less than two months, sparking fears of a larger plot.

In January, Kaufman County assistant district attorney Mark Hasse, 57, reportedly investigating the white supremacist Aryan Brotherhood, was gunned down just outside a courthouse in a small Texan town.

On Saturday, the county's district attorney, Mike McLelland, and his wife, Cynthia Woodward McLelland, were found shot dead at their home.

"It is a shock," Kaufman Police Chief Chris Aulbaugh told the Dallas Morning News.

"It was a shock with Mark Hasse, and now you can just imagine the double shock," he said.

"Until we know what happened, I really can't confirm that it's related, but you always have to assume until it's proven otherwise."

The newspaper reported that authorities were providing security at the homes of others who feared they could also be targeted.

A statewide bulletin in December said the Aryan Brotherhood - an organised crime syndicate - was "actively planning retaliation against law enforcement officials", the paper said.

Authorities are also probing whether Hasse's shooting was linked to the killing of a Colorado prison chief on March 19.

The suspect in that shooting is Evan Spencer Ebel, 28, a white supremacist with a criminal history spanning a decade, who was shot and killed after a standoff with sheriff's deputies.

However, authorities have not found evidence tying Ebel to Hasse's murder, the Dallas paper said.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chavez heir vows probe into leader's death

VENEZUELA'S acting president, Nicolas Maduro, says his mentor, Hugo Chavez, fought for his life "until the last second" and called for an inquiry into the leader's death.

"Until the last second of his life he believed that he would live and he wanted to live," Maduro told AFP in an exclusive interview.

A visibly emotional Maduro recalled how he had visited Chavez in the military hospital on March 5 intending to discuss matters of state with the ailing leader, who had not appeared in public since December.

"I was carrying a red folder with all of these pending decisions. I thought I would spend the day discussing various topics. So there I was with the folder. And there he was, probably thinking the same thing.

"He always wanted to live. He had this gigantic optimism and faith in life," Maduro said.

Hours later, the government announced the death of Chavez, a larger-than-life presence who governed oil-rich Venezuela for 14 years and came to embody a resurgent Latin American left.

Maduro reiterated his intention to launch an investigation into Chavez's death. Hours before Chavez passed away, Maduro, then vice-president, had hinted that "historic enemies" had been behind the leftist leader's death, a veiled reference to the United States.

"It's a very delicate subject," Maduro told AFP.

"I personally believe there has to be a thorough investigation. You know that some world powers have tested weapons for spreading viruses or cancer, and I believe Comandante Chavez was infected," he said.

"It's a personal conviction. I have many reasons and a lot of information which leads me to believe it."

Venezuelans will elect a successor to Chavez on April 14, with Maduro carrying the late leader's mantle and facing off against Henrique Capriles, the opposition candidate who lost to Chavez in October.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More