Sectarian clashes kill five north of Cairo

FIVE people have been killed in sectarian violence that has erupted north of Cairo, four of them Christians.

Six others have been left wounded, officials say.

The clashes, which saw the use of firearms, flared on Friday night in Al-Khusus, a poor area in Egypt's Qalyubia governorate, after a Muslim in his 50s objected to children drawing a swastika on a religious institute.

The man insulted Christians and the cross, and an argument broke out with a young Christian man who was passing by, which escalated into a gun battle with assault rifles between the Muslims and the Christians.

"Five people were killed in the clashes, including four Christians. In addition to this, six others were wounded, at least two of whom were suffering gunshot wounds," a source told AFP.

An activist from the Coptic Maspero Youth Movement, Toni Sabri, also said by phone that "there are many wounded" from the Al-Mataraya Hospital, near to where the clashes took place.

A priest in Al-Khusus, Suryal Yunan, said attackers torched "parts" of an Anglican church, the official MENA news agency reported.

Muslims also set on fire a Christian home and ransacked a pharmacy owned by a Copt, a police official said.

A number of angry Muslim residents tried to surround the town's Mary Jirjis church, but the security presence in the area stopped them from doing so.

Both sides then lit tyres in the narrow streets where residents live in crowded slum housing.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mandela discharged from hospital

FORMER South African president Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital after treatment for pneumonia.

The 94-year-old was discharged "following a sustained and gradual improvement in his general condition", government spokesman Mac Maharaj said on Saturday, according to the Sapa news agency.

His treatment will now continue at home.

Mandela was admitted to hospital on March 27 with pneumonia and later had fluid drained from his lungs.

In December, he spent 18 days in hospital, where he underwent gallstone surgery and received treatment for his recurring lung infection.

It was the Apartheid-icon's longest stay in hospital since he was released from prison in 1990 after 27 years behind bars.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Italy to pay 40bn euros owed to business

THE Italian government has given its go-ahead for a bill to repay 40 billion euros ($A50.06 billion) owed to the private sector in a bid to stimulate growth.

"The cabinet meeting today approved an urgent decree to pay back the debts of the public sector to the private sector," Prime Minister Mario Monti told a press conference after talks on Saturday.

The bill had been eagerly awaited by Italy's business community under pressure from the longest post-war recession in the eurozone's third largest economy and a lack of available credit from banks.

Finance Minister Vittorio Grilli said the payments could begin as early as Monday and would extend over the next 12 months.

Monti said total debts were 80 billion euros at the end of 2011 and that banks estimated they had since risen to more than 100 billion euros.

"This means costs for businesses and for the whole country. It is an unacceptable situation that has taken on ever greater dimensions," Monti said.

The interim prime minister, who is in charge awaiting the formation of a new government following elections in February, said the payments would not breach the threshold of 3.0 per cent mandated by the European Union.

Monti stressed that the approval of the draft bill did not mean his government had plans to stay in charge for longer, adding that Saturday's cabinet meeting "could be the last one".

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pope calls for action against sex abuse

POPE Francis is urging Vatican disciplinarians to act "with determination" against sexual abuse committed by members of the Catholic clergy, in his first public pronouncement on the issue.

"The Holy Father in particular asked that the congregation ... act with determination in cases of sexual abuse," the Vatican said in a statement, referring to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which handles such cases, after the Pope met with its director.

The statement noted that the policy followed "the line established" by Francis's predecessor, Benedict XVI.

The Argentine Pope, elected last month, asked for "stepped-up measures to protect minors and help those who were subjected to such violence in the past".

Also in line with his predecessor, Francis asked for a continuation of "procedures against the guilty and the commitment of bishops' conferences (national churches) to formulate and implement the necessary directives in this area".

The scourge of abusive priests burst into the spotlight more than a decade ago with a cascade of scandals rocking the church worldwide, from Ireland to the United States, from Australia to Benedict's native Germany.

The Vatican says it continues to receive around 600 claims against abusive priests every year, many of them dating back to the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Sexual abuse by priests has often been coupled with cover-ups by their superiors, typically by transferring them to other parishes.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

US adds mere 88,000 jobs in March

THE US labour market was much weaker than expected in March, with the economy adding only 88,000 jobs, a third of the number in February.

Official data released on Friday shows job creation slumped to its weakest level since June 2012, and was far below the 192,000 jobs analysts had on average expected.

The total number of unemployed was little changed at 11.7 million.

The unemployment rate dipped to 7.6 per cent from 7.7 per cent in February as more people dropped out of the workforce, the Labor Department reported.

The March jobless rate was the lowest since December 2008. Most analysts had expected it would hold unchanged at 7.7 per cent.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

My bushfire meal changed the game: Nixon

FORMER Victoria Police chief Christine Nixon says leaders will never again leave their post during a disaster out of fear they'll be criticised like she was on Black Saturday.

Ms Nixon, who served as chief police commissioner for almost eight years, left for dinner at a pub only minutes after being told the state's bushfires on February 7, 2009, could become a disaster and people would probably die.

A royal commission into the deaths of 173 people on that day later criticised her hands-off leadership style and called it inadequate.

She was also heavily criticised in the media for her decision to leave her post during the peak of the fires.

But Ms Nixon told the Nine Network program The Bottom Line, which airs on Saturday, that the incident had changed emergency management.

"I don't think anybody will ever leave the scene of anything ever again, with the criticism that happened," she said.

"Just in case something serious happens to them, they'll be able to say, 'Well, I was there.'"

Ms Nixon, who led bushfire recovery efforts after the disaster, said the criticism she faced was very harsh and she's still not sure if her staying at the state control centre would have made a difference.

"I let some people down. Some people believed I did," she said.

"Whether or not me being there or not would have made any difference to the fires is a whole other issue."

Ms Nixon is considered a trailblazer for women in the force and she led police through a difficult corruption scandal and Melbourne's gangland war.

But her pub dinner on Black Saturday has continued to dog her distinguished career.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said in 2011 that Ms Nixon would have to reflect on that day for the rest of her life.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Labor plans budgets for fairness: Wong

LABOR will always plan its budgets to ensure a fair and just society, Finance Minister Penny Wong says.

She says a sustainable budget is ultimately a social responsibility.

"It is a responsibility to not only provide social services today but also to work to ensure the economy and the budget will sustain them into the future," Senator Wong said in a speech to the Australian Fabian Society in Adelaide on Thursday.

"Simply expecting future generations to bear the costs is neither progressive, nor is it responsible."

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan will hand down his sixth budget on May 14. Opinion polls suggest it may be his final one.

Labor is yet to deliver a budget surplus since regaining government in November 2007, as the impact of the global financial crisis continues to ripple through government coffers.

Senator Wong says the values of sustainability and fairness will underpin Labor's decisions on the budget.

She says Labor aims to ensure the budget remains sustainable.

"Fiscal responsibility is not, and cannot be, the preserve of the conservatives," she said.

"The task of modern Labor is to marry a mandate to govern with progressive values and economic responsibility."

Government budgets would always be finite, she said.

"And in the end, it is the most vulnerable - those who need support to get ahead - that often lose out if we disregard fiscal sustainability," Senator Wong said.

"We only have to look to overseas to see the impact on social safety nets when budget positions are allowed to deteriorate."

Many governments in Europe have cut social security payments following the hit to their budgets since the global financial crisis.

Labor has felt political heat in recent weeks over possible changes to superannuation concessions for the wealthy in the upcoming budget.

Senator Wong said superannuation required a long-term perspective, with the ageing population and the greater life span of Australians placing a strain on government services.

"This government's approach to superannuation will continue to be guided by the same principles of sustainability and fairness," she said.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

European stocks drop after technical rally

EUROPE'S main stock markets are falling as dealers book profits a day after a technical spike for equities, while Vodafone shares are sliding after US telecoms operator Verizon denied it was preparing a bid to buy out the British mobile phone giant.

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

In late morning trade on Wednesday, London's FTSE 100 index of leading companies was down 0.35 per cent at 6,467.90 points.

Frankfurt's DAX 30 dipped 0.09 per cent to 7,936.37 points and in Paris the CAC 40 shed 0.14 per cent to 3,800.16.

"Yesterday's gains came in spite of a slew of poor economic data," said Chris Beauchamp, market analyst at IG trading group.

"In a neat reversal, today we are seeing a modest pullback."

Vodafone's share price dropped 2.16 per cent to 187.85 pence after 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 on Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Various media reports had said 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 on Thursday so as to keep up pressure on governments to solve the eurozone's crisis, analysts said.

Also on 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 on Wednesday, the euro rose to $1.2830 from $1.2813 late in New York on Tuesday. Gold prices dropped to $1,569.94 an ounce from $1,583.50.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cyprus will implement bailout terms: govt

CASH-STRAPPED Cyprus will fully implement the terms of a 10 billion euros ($A12.36 billion) EU-IMF bailout, new Finance Minister Haris Georgiades said.

"First of all we shall implement the MoU (memorandum of understanding) fully without any derogation; we shall meet all timeframes and meet all targets," he said as he took up his new post.

Georgiades said "we do need assistance today but we shall do whatever it takes to fix our public finances and put our economy back on track for growth.

"Even though today's circumstances might be bleak, the medium and long-term prospects remain excellent."

"We have received a blow but I'm absolutely confident we shall overcome."

Under the terms of the bailout, Cyprus will drastically reduce the size of its bloated banking sector, raise taxes, downsize the public sector workforce and privatise some state-owned firms.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nine broke rules in program on Neil Brooks

THE broadcast watchdog has found the Nine Network's A Current Affair broke rules on accuracy, privacy and complaints handling in a 2012 program on Olympic gold medallist Neil Brooks.

Nine's program accused Neil Brooks and his wife Linda of scams in Australia, the US and France.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said on Thursday the program aired on March 5, 2012, did not have enough evidence to support a claim that police in these three countries were investigating allegations of fraud against the former swimmer and his wife.

ACMA said Nine had also breached privacy provisions, but it did not say what they were.

It also said Nine had committed a technical breach of the complaints handling process by not providing a substantive response to a complaint from Mr Brooks.

The code says licensees don't have to respond to complaints that are the subject of legal proceedings and Brooks had issued a concerns notice under the defamation act.

But ACMA says the broadcaster should have provided a response because the court action had not commenced.

It said Nine had accepted its findings and would acknowledge that on its website.

"It has conducted training on its complaints-handling obligations," ACMA said in a statement on Thursday.

Mr Brooks won gold as part of the men's medley relay team at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and was a former high-profile presenter on the Seven Network.

He left Australia with his wife and daughter Brooke in 2010. He first lived in France before moving to the United Kingdom.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Preschool children suffer puberty blues

CHILDREN with early onset puberty start suffering emotional and social issues from preschool age, several years before the first physical indications are visible, a major Australian research project shows.

The study, which followed almost 3,500 children from the age of four through to 11, found boys with an onset of puberty by eight to nine years had greater behavioural difficulties and poorer emotional and social adjustment from four to five years of age.

This pattern continued through to early adolescence.

Girls with early puberty had more emotional and social issues from early childhood, but not the behavioural problems found in boys.

Across the world, the age at which children start puberty has dropped significantly since reliable records began.

In 2012, a large US study showed the average age of puberty onset was 10 among caucasian and Hispanic boys.

A study from 2010 suggested the average age of breast-budding among caucasian girls was 9.9 years.

In 1860, the average age for caucasian girls was 16.6 years.

According to the Australian study, conducted by researchers from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Melbourne, 16 per cent of girls and six per cent of boys start puberty early.

Lead researcher Dr Fiona Mensah says the study provides new evidence of pre-existing and persistent early childhood issues among children who experience early puberty.

"There is a heightened risk for behaviour and emotional problems during puberty; and children who reach puberty earlier than their peers have more of these difficulties in adolescence," she said.

"We think the association between early onset puberty and poorer adolescent mental health is due to developmental processes that start well before the onset of puberty and continue into adolescence."

The study, published on Wednesday in the Journal of Adolescent Health, used the Longitudinal Study of Australian children, in which parents completed questionnaires at four times.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Climate change increases weather extremes

THIS sunburnt country will become a land of worse droughts and more frequent flooding rains as climate change continues.

A new report from the Climate Commission says climate change is already increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme weather.

And there's a high risk that heatwaves, fires, cyclones, heavy rainfall and drought will become even more intense and frequent in the coming decades.

The Critical Decade: Extreme Weather, released on Wednesday, says the global climate system is warmer and moister than 50 years ago, with the extra heat making extreme weather events more frequent and severe.

This has resulted in the extreme bushfires and floods that have engulfed Australian communities in recent years.

The past summer was Australia's hottest, capped by the longest and most extreme heatwave on record.

The southern part of the country - including key food-growing regions - is becoming more drought-prone while the northwest is getting wetter.

"Records are broken from time to time, but record-breaking weather is becoming more common as the climate shifts," chief climate commissioner Tim Flannery said.

The effects of extreme weather have a corresponding dramatic impact on communities and infrastructure, with the economic cost often running to billions of dollars.

The Climate Commission says communities, emergency services and health services need to prepare for increased severity and frequency of extreme weather.

It warns action taken in the next decade will be crucial.

"Stabilising the climate is like turning around a battleship - it cannot be done immediately given its momentum," its report states.

"When danger is ahead you must start turning the wheel now.

"Only strong preventative action now and in the coming years can stabilise the climate and halt the trend of increasing extreme weather for our children and grandchildren."

The independent commission's report draws on the latest research and observations from bodies including the CSIRO, the Bureau of Meteorology and Australian and international universities.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Small business 'ignoring social media'

NEARLY three quarters of small and medium businesses in Australia are failing to use social media as a marketing tool, research conducted by Telstra shows.

The report reveals only 24 per cent of the 1000 small and medium businesses surveyed have embraced social media.

A further 12 per cent also believed social media actually dampened business success.

Telstra Business group managing director Will Irving said with 62 per cent of adults worldwide now using social media, businesses ignoring this powerful tool were missing out.

"In a digital age where smartphones and tablets are used on a daily basis, we know customers expect a company to have a social media presence," he said.

"Successful Australian businesses are having a two-way conversation with customers online, allowing them to connect and engage on a personal level, either by providing real-time customer service or highlighting relevant new products."

Mr Irving has urged businesses to use a mix of online tools such as Facebook, Twitter and Google to engage customers and drive interest in their products.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

European stocks climb after Easter break

EUROPEAN stock markets have rallied as traders returned to their desks after the Easter holiday to digest the latest developments on the Cyprus debt crisis, dealers said.

London's FTSE 100 index of leading companies jumped 1.15 per cent to 6485.46 points in early on Tuesday afternoon deals in the British capital.

Frankfurt's DAX 30 gained 1.19 per cent to 7888.95 points and in Paris the CAC 40 won 0.95 per cent to 3766.95. Madrid grew 0.65 per cent and Milan climbed 0.84 per cent.

In foreign exchange trade, the euro eased to $US1.2838 from $US1.2847 late in New York on Monday. Gold prices edged down to $US1597.75 an ounce from $US1598.25.

All major European markets were closed on Friday and Monday for the long holiday weekend.

Trade was buoyant despite the resignation of Cypriot Finance Minister Michalis Sarris who cited his tenure as chairman of Laiki Bank - whose failure was a major contributor to the island's near financial meltdown - as a reason.

Earlier on Tuesday, the government launched a judicial probe into how the island was pushed to the verge of bankruptcy before having to agree a crippling eurozone bailout.

But in more positive news, the central bank announced that it was raising the limit on business transactions from 5000 euros ($A6200) to 25,000 and was allowing people to issue cheques of up to 9000 euros.

In addition, the troika - the European Central Bank, the European Union and the International Monetary Fund - indicated readiness to give Cyprus more time to bring its budget into surplus, according to a draft loan agreement obtained by AFP.

The draft sets 2017 instead of 2016 as the target year for Cyprus to achieve a 4.0 per cent primary budget surplus.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rodwell helps pursue Philippine kidnappers

FREED Australian hostage Warren Rodwell met with a Philippine prosecutor to help prepare charges against the Islamic extremists who held him in captivity for 15 months.

A gaunt, grim-looking Rodwell, who was in a wheelchair and escorted by Australian embassy personnel, filed a statement describing his ordeal before assistant prosecutor Aristotle Reyes at the Justice Department in Manila.

"This is to process the investigation of the case. The statement can be used by the PNP (Philippine National Police) to pursue a complaint," said Reyes, without disclosing details of the statement.

Armed men posing as police abducted Rodwell, 54, from his home in a coastal town of the southern Philippines in December, 2011, and demanded $US2 million ($A1.92 million) for his safe release.

The militants freed a deeply emaciated Rodwell on March 23 after a payment, reportedly of four million pesos (about $A96,000), was made.

Authorities say the Abu Sayyaf, a small group of militants based in lawless islands of the southern Philippines and designated by the US government as a terrorist organisation, was responsible for the kidnapping.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Police accused of helping people smugglers

People smugglers in Indonesia say they are not threatened by the Australian government's policies. Source: AAP

PEOPLE smugglers operating out of Indonesia say they are not threatened by the Australian government's border protection policies, amid allegations some are even enlisting the help of police to send boats to Australia.

As leaders from across the region, including Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr, assemble in Bali for talks on people smuggling, fresh evidence has emerged that efforts to stem the flow of boats to Christmas Island are being undermined by corrupt police in Jakarta.

A source close to one major operation, who cannot be identified because of concerns for his safety, told AAP he was recently involved in a venture in which uniformed police helped escort about 70 asylum seekers from an apartment in Jakarta to a waiting boat.

"We all had to pay the police $US300. But we already paid the smuggler," he said.

The money given to police was on top of $5000 to $6000 the asylum seekers had already paid to secure passage from Indonesia to Christmas Island.

The people smuggler behind the operation has been identified as an Afghan man named Nasir Ahmad, alias Haji Majeed.

It is believed Ahmad had worked as an agent for the alleged people-smuggling kingpin Sayed Abbas, who is being held at police headquarters in Jakarta while he awaits extradition to Australia.

Abbas has denied being involved in people smuggling, but confirmed that he had heard the name Haji Majeed.

"Haji Majeed has a good name as smuggler," Abbas told AAP during a recent interview.

Ahmad is believed to have sent at least five asylum-seeker boats to Australia in the past six weeks.

Other people smugglers have been successful in persuading asylum seekers not to worry about being sent to Nauru or Manus Island.

In a recorded telephone conversation provided to AAP, a long-time people smuggler identified as an Iranian man known as Abu Ali dismisses an asylum seeker's concerns that boats may be turned back to Indonesia.

Asylum seeker: "People say that the route is not safe and people say that the boat will be returned when it reaches Australian territory? Is it correct?"

Abu Ali: "No, it is wrong. These days the boat arriving there, they go directly into the camp."

Asylum seeker: "There is another country near to that and (Australia) send them there which made us worried. And they don't let into Australia."

Abu Ali: "No, that is wrong. Everyone go directly into the camp, God knows."

The details of the sales pitches employed by people smugglers came to light as officials from across the region began arriving in Bali on Monday for talks on combating people smuggling.

The two-day meeting will be co-chaired by Senator Carr and Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Afghan teenager fatally stabs US soldier

AN Afghan teenager has killed an American soldier in eastern Afghanistan by stabbing him in the neck while he played with a group of local children, officials say.

The killing comes as the monthly US death toll rose sharply in March to 14 with the start of the spring fighting season when the Taliban and other insurgents take advantage of improved weather to step up attacks.

Sergeant Michael Cable, 26, was guarding Afghan and US officials meeting in a province near the border with Pakistan when the stabbing occurred last Wednesday, two senior US officials said on Monday.

The attack occurred after the soldiers had secured the area for the meeting, but one of the US officials said the youth was not believed to have been a member of the Afghan security forces or in uniform so it was not being classified as an insider attack.

The official said the attacker was thought to be about 16 years old, but the age couldn't be verified.

The Afghan and American dignitaries were attending the swearing-in ceremony of Afghan Local Police in Shinwar district in Nangarhar province, senior district official Zalmai Khan said. Afghan Local Police, or ALP, recruits are drawn from villages and backed by the US military.

The soldier was playing with a group of children outside when the attacker came from behind and stabbed him in the neck with a large knife, Khan said, adding the young man had escaped to nearby Pakistan.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the young man was acting independently when he killed the soldier but had joined the Islamic militant movement since fleeing the scene.

At least 14 US soldiers died in March, compared with four in the previous two months, according to an Associated Press tally.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Qld cops see double over drink drivers

QUEENSLAND police have pulled over the same car four times in one afternoon, resulting in drink driving charges for a man and woman who took turns in the driver's seat.

Officers first stopped the vehicle on North Stradbroke Island, southeast of Brisbane, at lunchtime on Monday, and breath tested a Redbank Plains woman behind the wheel.

The 27-year-old allegedly recorded a reading of 0.126 and was charged with drink driving.

A short time later, the woman's male passenger had taken the wheel when police pulled the vehicle over again.

The 34-year-old Redbank Plains man recorded a breath test reading of 0.110, and was also charged with drink driving.

The pair were released, but police say a short time later they saw the man back behind the wheel.

He recorded another positive breath test and was charged with drink driving for a second time as well as driving while suspended.

Not to be deterred, his partner allegedly got behind the wheel yet again.

She was again charged with drink driving, as well as driving while suspended.

Both are due to appear in the Cleveland Magistrates Court on May 14.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Asian markets fall

ASIAN markets slipped in holiday-hit trade Monday, with investors unimpressed by a slight improvement in key economic indicators out of China and Tokyo.

The yen climbed against the dollar and euro ahead of a Bank of Japan (BoJ) policy meeting this week, while there are lingering concerns about political uncertainty in Italy as well as debt-ravaged Cyprus.

Tokyo slipped 2.12 per cent, or 262.89 points, to 12,135.02 on the back of the stronger yen and Seoul lost 0.44 per cent, or 8.90 points, to 1,995.99.

Shanghai slipped 0.10 per cent, or 2.22 points, to 2,234.40.

Sydney, Hong Kong and Wellington were closed for the Easter break.

The BoJ's closely watched Tankan survey of large Japanese manufacturers for the past three months showed a slight improvement in optimism for the world's number three economy, the first uptick in three quarters.

The survey showed sentiment at minus 8 between January and March, up from minus 12 three months earlier. The figures represent the percentage of firms saying business conditions are good minus those saying they are bad.

However, the figures were unable to prevent a sell-off in shares and a jump in the yen.

Hideki Matsumura, senior economist at Japan Research Institute, told Dow Jones Newswires: "Sentiment is getting better broadly, but the improvement isn't as strong as expected."

And Tachibana Securities market analyst Kenichi Hirano said the negative reaction "may have resulted from the perception that with the Nikkei having performed so well (gaining 19 per cent so far in 2012), general business sentiment should have been at least a little better".

The dollar slipped to 93.55 yen early in Asia, against 94.20 yen in New York trade on Friday, when trade was limited by the Easter holiday.

The euro bought $1.2812 and 119.85 yen compared with $1.2818 and 120.78 yen.

Australian bank Westpac said in a note to clients that investor focus was on Thursday's BoJ announcement, the first under the stewardship of Haruhiko Kuroda. He has promised aggressive measures to kick-start the economy and end decades of deflation.

"Some disappointment around this meeting is likely and we have a downward bias for the dollar-yen in the week ahead," Westpac said.

In China data showed manufacturing activity expanded at its fastest pace in almost a year last month, indicating the world's number two economy was showing signs of improvement.

The official purchasing managers' index (PMI) hit 50.9 in March, the highest since April 2012 and up from 50.1 in February. However, it was below the 51.0 that had been forecast.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion while anything below points to contraction.

Separately, British bank HSBC -- with a survey that focuses more on smaller enterprises -- said its final PMI for March stood at 51.6, up from 50.4 in February. That figure was also slightly off the 51.7 in HSBC's preliminary PMI last week.

Oil prices fell, with New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate light sweet crude for delivery in May, down 50 cents to $96.73 a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for May was down 37 cents to $109.65.

Gold was at $1,597.90 an ounce at 1030 GMT compared with $1,598.45 late on Friday.

In other markets:

-- Singapore was almost unchanged, slipping 0.52 points to 3,307.58.

United Overseas Bank shed 1.37 per cent to Sg$20.10 while oil rig maker Keppel Corporation gained 1.25 per cent to Sg$11.34.

-- Taipei fell 0.24 per cent, or 19.37 points, to 7,899.24

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co was 0.50 per cent higher at Tw$101.0 while leading smartphone maker HTC shed 1.64 per cent to Tw$240.5.

-- Manila closed 0.12 per cent, or 7.88 points, down at 6,839.59.

-- Jakarta was flat, 0.07 per cent or 3.41 points to 4,937.58.

Palm oil firm Astra Agro Lestari slipped 0.81 per cent to 18,350 rupiah and mobile phone provider Indosat fell 1.54 per cent to 6,400 rupiah.

-- Kuala Lumpur lost 0.24 per cent, or 4.02 points, to close at 1,667.61.

-- Bangkok eased 0.74 per cent, or 11.51 points, to 1,549.55.

Supermarket operator Siam Makro added 6.39 points to 566.00 baht, while telecoms company Advanced Info Service fell 2.08 per cent to 235.00 baht.

-- Mumbai rose 0.15 per cent or 28.98 points at 18,864.75 points.

Indian drug maker Dr. Reddy's Laboratories rose 3.34 per cent to 1,825.3 rupees. Engineering giant Larsen and Toubro rose 2.18 per cent to 1,394.7 rupees.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Queen attends Easter service

MEMBERS of the royal family have been led by the Queen at the traditional Easter Sunday service at Windsor Castle.

A crowd of well-wishers gathered outside St George's Chapel to see the royals as they arrived for the service on a cold morning.

The Queen, who was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh, wore a long pink coat and matching hat accessorised by a flower.

Princess Eugenie wore a cream dress and hat with a black coat, while her sister, Princess Beatrice, wore a turquoise dress and coat, with a yellow hat. Their father, the Duke of York, was also at the service.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex arrived with their daughter, Lady Louise Windsor. Sophie wore a blue suit and a peacock feather hat.

The Queen was presented with posies of flowers by children as she left the chapel.

Five-year-old twins Holly and Poppy Alden were chosen as their father, Ben, sings in the chapel's choir.

"I said 'happy Easter Your Majesty' and did a curtsey," Poppy said.

Her mother, Francesca, added: "It's something special for us and for the children. It will be a memory that they'll keep."

Daniel Phillips, seven, travelled to Windsor from Cornwall with his brother and their parents.

"I gave her my flowers and she said 'thank you very much'. I was nervous because she's the Queen," he said.

William Denman, four, from Newport, said he was "excited" about giving flowers to the monarch.

The Queen and Prince Philip smiled towards the crowd of well-wishers as they left by car.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

15 dead in Nigerian Easter military raid

SOLDIERS have raided a suspected hideout for Islamist extremist group Boko Haram in northern Nigeria's largest city of Kano, sparking a clash that left 15 people dead, the military says.

The military claimed those killed included 14 Islamists and one soldier, while alleging the extremists were planning an Easter day attack in the city.

Residents reported hearing gunfire and explosions early on Sunday as soldiers battled the Islamists.

"In the raid, 14 terrorists were killed and their commander was arrested," Army Brigadier-General Ilyasu Abba told reporters.

"We lost one soldier in the encounter and one other was badly injured."

There was however no independent confirmation of those details. Casualty information from Nigeria's military has often been unreliable, with the army under pressure to show progress in the fight against Boko Haram.

The military claimed to have recovered weapons, including a car loaded with explosives, which Abba said was "primed for attack against Easter here in Kano".

The hideout, which comprised two attached flats, was destroyed by a bulldozer on the orders of Abba, as with previous hideouts.

Nigeria has in the past seen major attacks on Christian holidays blamed on Boko Haram.

A bombing in the northern city of Kaduna on Easter last year killed 41 people.

Violence linked to Boko Haram's insurgency has left some 3000 people dead since 2009, including killings by the security forces.

The group's deadliest attack yet occurred in Kano in January 2012, when co-ordinated bombings and shootings killed at least 185 people.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Calm returns to Kenya after election riots

KENYAN police have maintained tight security as calm returned after a court ruling upholding Uhuru Kenyatta's presidential election win sparked anger among his rival's supporters, leading to riots that left two people dead.

Outgoing prime minister Raila Odinga had challenged the result of the March 4 poll hoping for a rerun, but while he begrudgingly accepted the Supreme Court's decision on Saturday, youths in his strongholds were enraged.

Riots broke out immediately after the ruling, leaving two dead in the city of Kisumu, said Joseph Ole Tito, police chief for the western Nyanza region.

The six judges of Kenya's top court dashed Odinga's last hopes of victory by unanimously ruling that the March 4 election had been fair and credible and that Kenyatta and his running mate William Ruto had been "validly elected".

The ruling paves the way for Kenyatta, the son of Kenya's first president and one of Africa's richest men, to be sworn in as head of state on April 9.

Odinga, who argued that the ballot had been marred by widespread irregularities, said he accepted the court's ruling and wished his rival well.

"The court has now spoken," Odinga said, adding that while he might not agree with all its decisions his faith in the constitution "remains supreme".

The announcement of his defeat in the last elections in 2007, when he ran against outgoing president Mwai Kibaki, led to Kenya's worst violence since independence, with more than 1100 dead and several hundred thousand forced to flee their homes.

The United States, Britain, France and the European Commission all congratulated Kenyatta on his victory.

Kenyatta and Ruto both face trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague accused of crimes against humanity over their alleged role in planning the 2007-2008 post-election violence.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More