Obama To Keep 9,800 US Troops in Afghanistan after 2014 Withdrawal


Obama to Keep 9,800 US Troops in Afghanistan after 2014 Withdrawal

US President Barack Obama shakes hands with troops after delivering remarks at Bagram Air Base in Kabul,Reuters



President Barack Obama has decided to keep 9,800 in Afghanistan after the end of the US combat mission in the country, scheduled for the end of this year.


Senior administration officials said the White House is to announce a plan to reduce its current force of 32,000 to 9,800 by the end of 2014.


The remaining troops are to be dispatched throughout Afghanistan and would not be engaged in combat missions. Their focus is on counterterrorism operations and training Afghan security forces.


In 2015, the contingent will be halved and consolidated in Kabul and at the Bagram airfield main U.S. base in Afghanistan. All troops are set to leave the country by the end of 2016.


Less than 1,000 personnel will remain behind to staff a security office in the capital.


The implementation is dependent on the Afghan government signing a bilateral security agreement.


President Hamid Karzai has so far refused to sign such an agreement, but the White House appears to be confident that either of the two candidates in line to replace him will take a different approach.


The American forces may be bolstered by a few thousand NATO troops. The total NATO presence, including U.S. troops, is expected to be around 12,000 at the start of next year.


The plan was revealed after Obama paid a surprise weekend visit to US troops in Afghanistan and later paid tribute to over 2,000 soldiers who died in the country, at a Memorial Day ceremony.


"After all the sacrifices we've made, we want to preserve the gains that you have helped to win, and we're going to make sure that Afghanistan can never again, ever, be used again to launch an attack against our country," he said.



Rio Tinto Guinea Deal Ends One of Mining's Greatest Sagas


Lansana Conte

Lansana Conte, the former Guinean dictator, issued mining rights to BSGR in 2008.Getty Images



A deal to develop Africa's largest mine has finally been struck after years of confusion and scandal.


The Simandou iron ore mine in Guinea is expected to cost $20bn (£12bn, €14.7bn). Mining giant Rio Tinto has entered into a framework agreement with its two joint venture partners, the International Finance Corporation (an arm of the World Bank) and Chinalco, the Chinese state-owned metals company.


The state of Guinea will retain 15% of any proceeds from the mine. In exchange, the joint venture will enjoy eight years' tax free operations in the country.


It's hoped that the project will create tens of thousands of jobs in both the mine itself and in the transport infrastructure that will have to be built in order to bring it online. 650km in railway lines will be required in order to transport iron ore to a new port to be built to export the mineral.


It represents some level of closure in what has been one of the longest and most baffling sagas in mining history.


In 1997, Rio Tinto, an Anglo-Australian company, acquired the rights to mine all four blocks of Simandou.


In 2008, two blocks were confiscated from Rio Tinto by Guinea's then-dictator Lansana Conté, a former general in the military who died in December 2008, 24 years after leading a coup.


The blocks were awarded to Beny Stenmetz Group Resources (BSGR), a company owned by the eponymous Israeli billionaire, on a three-year exploration license.


Two years later, Brazilian mining giant Valé paid $2.5bn to partner with BSGR on Simandou, before putting the project on hold in 2012 because of "falling iron ore prices".


However an FBI investigation which concluded in 2013 concluded that BSGR had been awarded the contracts under unlawful circumstances, finding "precise and consistent evidence establishing with sufficient certainty the existence of corrupt practices".


The company had entered into an agreement with Mamadie Touré, one of the four wives of Conté, whereby she would get millions of dollars and shares in the mine in return for helping it acquire the licenses.


BSGR were stripped of the mining rights, and BSGR was subsequently sued by Rio Tinto.


Jon Hyman, a Sub-Saharan Africa economist at Economist Intelligence Unit tells IBTimes UK that he's hopeful that a line has been drawn under the saga.


"I think the agreement is very encouraging for all involved. The government is showing good faith in Rio and Rio is showing confidence in the government and the country's potential," he said.


"The deal, coming soon after the government approved the stripping of the Simandou north licence from BSGR and Vale, may encourage other companies, hitherto wary of entering the country given concerns about the political and business environment."


Rio Tinto now hopes to be producing iron ore within five years. Given the involvement of Chinalco, it's reasonable to expect China to be the main off taker, although a fall away in Chinese demand has led to a deflation in iron ore and steel prices in recent months.


Over the past year particularly, China has attempted to start shifting its economy from an investment-based growth model to a consumption-based model. The large projects which have defined its exponential rise over the past two decades have become less frequent over the past 12 months, meaning China's demand for iron ore and finished steel has dropped off.


However, this year has seen some of the largest investment in iron ore in history, with investors clearly hopeful that the boom times will return.


Australia's Roy Hill mine in Pilbara, owned by the country's richest person Gina Rinehart, closed its financing in March, with commercial banks lending more than $7bn to the mine despite flat market conditions.


"There is a real concern that the market, already well supplied, will be flooded by Simandou, weighing on prices already under pressure from weaker Chinese demand," Hyman says.



Sudan Death Sentence: Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag Gives Birth in Jail


Meriam Yehya Ibrahim apostasy sharia law Sudan

Daniel Wani with his wife Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, sentenced to death for refusing to renounce her Christian faithGabriel Wani/Facebook



A pregnant Sudanese woman sentenced to death for converting from Islam to Christianity has given birth to a baby girl in prison.


Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, 27, was sentenced by a Khartoum court to death by hanging for apostasy and 100 lashes for marrying a non-Muslim husband under the country's strict Sharia law.


"She gave birth to a girl today. The mother and baby seem to be doing okay," said an unnamed Western diplomat.


"It's a cruel treatment to be in such a situation."


Ishag, who is being held alongside her 20-month-old son, was born to a Muslim father and is therefore viewed to be a Muslim under Islam.


The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby called on Ishag's sentence to be dropped.


"Our religions tell us that human interactions should be shaped by compassion and humanity, not by death sentences.


"It is vital that all people should enjoy freedom of conscience and be able to follow their own religion.


"Christians and Muslims should be able to coexist alongside each other, we emphasise that force and compulsion are not characteristics of either faith."


Ishag is to be allowed to care for her baby for two years before the death sentence is implemented.



Rika Okada: Woman Arrested in Shangai for Using Passport of Dead 'Doll Box' Woman


The woman handed herself into the Japanese consulate-general in Shanghai

The woman handed herself into the Japanese consulate-general in ShanghaiReuters



A woman has been arrested in China after using a passport of a friend whose body was posted in a box across Japan.


The remains of Rika Okada were found in a two-metre box, marked with "doll", in a storage locker in Hachioji City, west of Tokyo, after being mailed from Osaka.


A Japanese/Brazilian woman has now turned herself into the Japanese consulate-general in Shanghai and is being held by police over a suspected immigration offence related to using the dead woman's passport, reports say.


She is expected to be extradited back to Japan by detectives investigating the murder of Okada, a nurse who has been missing since March.


The delivery service said the package had been paid for in Okada's name and the locker rental had also been paid on her credit card.


Shortly before she disappeared, Okada wrote on her Facebook page that she was going to meet an old friend she had not seen for a decade.


Previously, police refused to confirm reports of a woman who used to go to school with Okada leaving Tokyo on a flight bound for Shanghai using the dead woman's passport. It is believed this woman lived near the storage locker with a Chinese woman.


Investigators discovered more than a dozen stab wounds on Okada's body but did not find defensive injuries on her arms.



China: President Xi Jinping Emphasises Role of Market Forces in Reforms


The Chinese President Has Stressed Market Forces in Reforms

President Xi at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia summit in Shanghai.Reuters



Chinese President Xi Jinping has highlighted the importance of free markets in his country's economic reforms, the latest signal that Beijing is determined to bring about broad changes in the world's second-largest economy.


Allowing market forces to assign resources will mark a new phase of growth in China, the official Xinhua news agency said.


The key question is how to manage the relationship between the market and the government, Xi told the Politburo, an elite body comprising the nation's 25 most powerful leaders.


Xi added China had to reduce the quantum of resources directly allocated by the government and lower the amount of direct state- intervention in micro-economic activity.


Slow Growth


China's economic growth could drop to 7% this year, lower than the official 7.5% target, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), a top government think tank, warned on 30 April.


The Chinese economy expanded at its slowest pace in 18 months at the start of 2014. The economy grew 7.4% on an annual basis in the January-March quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics said on 16 April.


The first-quarter reading is China's slowest annual growth rate since the third-quarter of 2012, when the economy logged a 7.4% growth rate and the slowdown is widely considered as an expected outcome of the government's ongoing reforms drive.


China unleashed a flurry of detailed economic and social reform plans in November 2013 in a bid to secure the country's future growth.



India's New PM Narendra Modi Has Compact Ministry


Narendra Modi Sworn In as the 15th Prime Minister of India (Pictures)

India's President Pranab Mukherjee (3rd L) administers the oath of office to Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) at the presidential palace in New Delhi.Reuters



India's new prime minister, Narendra Modi, has stuck to his promise of having a compact ministry compared to the bloated cabinets that ruled the country in the past.


"Keeping our commitment to 'Minimum Government, Maximum Governance' -- we have made an unprecedented and positive change in ministry formation," he said in a tweet.


Ranging from veterans from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to some new faces, the Modi ministry is seen as a business-like formation.


Here is a look at some of the key Indian ministers:


BJP president Rajnath Singh and party strongman is second to Modi in the hierarchy. As the country's new home minister, his task is cut out in view of the terror threat India faces. A minister of agriculture in the previous BJP government, he initiated some important programmes such as a farm income insurance scheme and a farmers' call centre.


Arun Jaitley, seen as one of the architects of Modi's ascendancy to power, holds the crucial finance portfolio. Analysts view him as an economic liberaliser free from ideological shibboleths. He also has temporary charge of defence.


He was a law minister in the previous BJP government.


Another party veteran, Sushma Swaraj, as the foreign minister, is expected to help forge closer ties with India's neighbours, especially Pakistan, whose prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, has already reached out to India by attending Modi's swearing-in ceremony.


Swaraj was the information and broadcasting minister in former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's government.


Former army chief General V K Singh has been assigned the portfolio of minister of state, along with independent charge of India's north-east affairs. Tackling insurgency and communal clashes, especially in Assam, is expected to be high on his agenda.


Among the newcomers is 38-year-old television actress-turned activist Smriti Irani, the youngest member of the Modi cabinet. In the just-concluded elections, she lost by a small margin to the Congress's Rahul Gandhi at Amethi in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. She is the human resources development minister.



Thailand's Ex-Education Minister Detained After Speaking Against Coup


Chaturon Chaisaeng leaves the Constitution court in Bangkok May 30, 2007

Chaturon Chaisaeng leaves the Constitution court in Bangkok in 2007Reuters



Thai soldiers have entered the journalists' club in Bangkok to detain a cabinet minister who spoke out against last week's coup.


Former education minister Chaturon Chaisaeng was holding a surprise news conference condemning the military coup when he was arrested. He had urged a return to civilian rule and warned that the coup would be a disaster for Thailand.


It was the first time that a member of the ousted government made a public appearance since the military coup.


Chaisaeng, who had emerged in public after five days of hiding, told the BBC that he was ready to be arrested, saying:


"When I said I would not report to the [military] council I also said that I was not going to escape, I was not going to go underground or mobilise people to resist the military," he said.


"When it is the right time I will be ready to be arrested. Now is the time because the coup makers got the royal proclamation. According to the Thai legal system the coup is accomplished.


"I still think that the coup is bad for the country. The coup is an abrogation of democracy and will bring disaster to this country. But according to the legal system I have acknowledged that the coup makers have some legal power."


The powerful Thai military seized the reins of power in a coup after imposing martial law and apparently contradicting early claims the move was just an apolitical measure "to keep peace and order".


Six months of never-ending political crisis, with street protests which left more than two dozen people dead, eventually led to the powerful generals' decision.


The unrest began after former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra -- sister of deposed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra -- dissolved the lower house of the Thai parliament last year.


The anti-government movement is opposed to the involvement of anyone associated with Yingluck's brother Thaksin, who was removed from office in 2006.



Cadbury Malaysia Recalls Two Chocolate Products Found to Have Traces of Pork


The Cadbury name is seen on a bar of Dairy Milk chocolate in Manchester

The Cadbury name is seen on a bar of Dairy Milk chocolate.REUTERS



Cadbury Malaysia has recalled two of its chocolate products which were found to have traces of pork DNA, according to the Nikkei Asian Review.


In Malaysia, more than 60% of the population are Muslims who are prohibited to eat pork under Islam's dietary restrictions.


Cadbury Malaysia, a part of Mondelez International Inc, has all of its products certified "halal", broadly meaning any object or an action that is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law.


In a periodic inspection by Malaysia's ministry of health, chocolate products Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut and Cadbury Dairy Milk Roast Almond were found to have contained pork traces.


Following the announcement, outraged consumers demanded an apology from the company on the social media. Some have called for a boycott of Cadbury products.


Subsequently, the company said it understands consumers' distress and is undertaking a full review of its supply chain to ensure that its food products are meeting halal standards.


Meanwhile, the government said it will check all Cadbury Malaysia products thoroughly to ensure they are safe for Muslims to eat, according to the report. The government body, Jakim, is in charge of halal certification in Malaysia. Jakim's certification is widely recognized in Muslim communities around the world.


Cadbury Malaysia added that it will continue to work with Jakim and relevant authorities to ensure the safety of its products.


"We understand how critical halal is to all of us here in Malaysia. We acknowledge the distress this issue is causing and we want to reassure you that nothing is more important to us than your trust in our product quality," head of corporate affairs, Raja Zalina Raja Safran, said in a statement.



Italy's Roberto Cavalli Could Sell Stake to Bahrain's Investcorp


Roberto Cavalli

Italian designer Roberto Cavalli.Reuters



Italian designer Roberto Cavalli, the maker of $1,645 silk dresses, in is talks with Gulf investment firm Investcorp to sell a stake in his fashion brand.


Talks between Cavalli and Investcorp, which was a suitor for a 20% stake in Versace and has owned Gucci in the past, are at a preliminary stage, an unnamed source told Reuters.


Bahrain-based Investcorp has still to carry out a detailed analysis of Cavalli, an unnamed source at the Gulf firm told the news agency.


Founder-owned fashion firm Cavalli, which has been scouting for an investor or a buyer to bring in funds, has held buyout talks with London-based private-equity firm Permira Advisers.


Pursued by Reuters, Cavalli, Investcorp and Permira refused to comment.


Cavalli's firm could command a sale value of €450m (£364m, $614m), analysts and bankers have said.


Blackstone-Versace Deal


In February, Italy's Gianni Versace, the fashion house that features Lady Gaga in its advertising campaign, sold a 20% stake to US private equity major Blackstone in a deal that valued Versace at €1bn.


Versace said Blackstone will infuse €150m of fresh capital into the design house and will also purchase shares worth €60m from family holding company GIVI Holding.



Syria: UN Chemical Weapons Inspectors 'Attacked'


Syria UN Abducted

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said six members of a UN fact-finding mission have been abductedReuters



A team of UN chemical weapons inspectors was attacked in Syria, sparking claims some members had been abducted by rebel groups.


The UN chemical weapons watchdog, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), said a convoy carrying inspectors and other UN staff came under attack, as it was travelling towards the central city of Hama.


"All team members are safe and well and are travelling back to the operating base," the OPCW said.


Earlier, Syria's Foreign Ministry claimed that 11 team members had been abducted by rebel groups.


"Eleven people -- five Syrian drivers and six other members of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons team who were on board two vehicles -- have been kidnapped," the ministry said in a statement run by the official Sana news agency.


The ministry blamed rebels fighting against the regime of president Bashar al-Assad, saying they committed "terrorist crimes" against the UN organisation and its staff.


The UN team was investigating claims that the industrial chemical chlorine was used in an attack on a rebel-held village in the Hama province last month.


The UN Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons monitors the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention oversees the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons.


The OPCW director-general, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, said security urged rebels and the government to cooperate to allow the inspectors to carry out their fact-finding mission safely.


"Our inspectors are in Syria to establish the facts in relation to persistent allegations of chlorine gas attacks," Üzümcü said.


"Their safety is our primary concern, and it is imperative that all parties to the conflict grant them safe and secure access."



Hot Shots Photos of the Day: Pirates in Penzance, Floods in Norway and India


People release floating lanterns dedicated to deceased loved ones on Memorial Day, at Ala Moana Beach Park in Honolulu, Hawaii

People release floating lanterns dedicated to deceased loved ones on Memorial Day, at Ala Moana Beach Park in Honolulu, HawaiiReuters



Two men paddle a canoe along a flooded road in Trysil, southeast Norway

Two men paddle a canoe along a flooded road in Trysil, southeast NorwayReuters



A rickshaw operator transports a commuter along a flooded road after heavy rains in the northeastern Indian city of Guwahati

A rickshaw operator transports a commuter along a flooded road after heavy rains in the northeastern Indian city of GuwahatiReuters



People dressed as pirates gather in Penzance to attempt to reclaim the Guinness World Record for the most pirates in one place. However, the total was 14,155 pirates, 77 shy of the current world record set in Hastings

People dressed as pirates gather in Penzance to attempt to reclaim the Guinness World Record for the most pirates in one place. However, the total was 14,155 pirates, 77 shy of the current world record set in HastingsGetty



A litter of white Bengal tiger cubs at the White Zoo in Kernhof, Austria. The male cub was named Obama

A litter of white Bengal tiger cubs at the White Zoo in Kernhof, Austria. The male cub was named ObamaReuters



US President Barack Obama shakes hands with troops after his speech at Bagram Air Base in Kabul, Afghanistan

US President Barack Obama shakes hands with troops after his speech at Bagram Air Base in Kabul, AfghanistanReuters



Nigel Farage, leader of Ukip, has a celebratory drink at the Westminster Arms pub in London before giving a press conference

Nigel Farage, leader of Ukip, has a celebratory drink at the Westminster Arms pub in London before giving a press conferenceGetty



A multiple-exposure picture shows service towers moving towards the Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft on its launch pad at Baikonur cosmodrome. The Soyuz is scheduled to travel to the International Space Station on 29 May

A multiple-exposure picture shows service towers moving towards the Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft on its launch pad at Baikonur cosmodrome. The Soyuz is scheduled to travel to the International Space Station on 29 MayReuters



An Orthodox priest conducts a blessing in front of the Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft on the launch pad at Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan

An Orthodox priest conducts a blessing in front of the Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft on the launch pad at Baikonur cosmodrome in KazakhstanReuters



Pope Francis touches the stones of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City

Pope Francis touches the stones of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old CityReuters



A priest shows burnt wooden crosses at the Dormition Abbey, a Catholic sanctuary atop Mount Zion in Jerusalem's old city. A fire was set by a suspected arsonist at the site marking the location of Jesus' last supper, in an attack that occurred several hours after Pope Francis had visited

A priest shows burnt wooden crosses at the Dormition Abbey, a Catholic sanctuary atop Mount Zion in Jerusalem's old city. A fire was set by a suspected arsonist at the site marking the location of Jesus' last supper, in an attack that occurred several hours after Pope Francis had visitedReuters



Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire at the Druzhba sports arena, home venue of the Donbass ice hockey team, in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, after an armed group broke into the stadium and set it on fire

Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire at the Druzhba sports arena, home venue of the Donbass ice hockey team, in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, after an armed group broke into the stadium and set it on fireReuters



Security personnel and rescue workers gather around damaged coaches of a passenger train after a collision in Khalilabad in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. A passenger train collided with a stationary goods train, killing at least 40 people and injuring more than 150

Security personnel and rescue workers gather around damaged coaches of a passenger train after a collision in Khalilabad in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. A passenger train collided with a stationary goods train, killing at least 40 people and injuring more than 150Reuters



Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers practise pistol shooting at a military base amid heavy snow in Hami, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China

Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers practise pistol shooting at a military base amid heavy snow in Hami, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, ChinaReuters




World's Fattest Man Manuel Uribe Dies Aged 48


A Mexican man once listed as the world's heaviest human being has died at the age of 48. Manuel Uribe had slimmed down to about 867 pounds, well below his record peak weight of 1,230 pounds (87 stone 8, or 560 kilograms), which was certified in 2006 as a Guinness World Record.


world's fattest man

August 8, 2008: Manuel Uribe talks on the phone at his home in the suburb of San Nicolas de los Garza, in Monterrey. Uribe, then weighing 52 stone (330 kilos), was hoping to get out of the house for only the third time in six, bedridden yearsReuters



Uribe had been confined to his bed in Monterrey for years, unable to walk on his own. He was taken to hospital on 2 May because of an abnormal heartbeat but he had to be evacuated with a crane by emergency and civil defence workers.


Doctors have not yet certified the cause of death. In addition to the cardiac condition, Uribe was also believed to have suffered from liver problems.


Uribe married Claudia Solis in 2008, and the wedding was one of the few times he left his home in recent years. Since the summer of 2002, Uribe had been bedridden, relying on his mother and friends to feed and clean him.



January 17, 2006: Manuel Uribe lies on his bed at home in Monterrey, Mexico

January 17, 2006: Manuel Uribe lies on his bed at home in Monterrey, MexicoReuters



January 17, 2006: Dr Jaime Gonzalez gives Manuel Uribe a check-up at home

January 17, 2006: Dr Jaime Gonzalez gives Manuel Uribe a check-up at homeAFP



January 19, 2006: Manuel Uribe eats in his bed at home in Monterrey, Mexico

January 19, 2006: Manuel Uribe eats in his bed at home in Monterrey, MexicoReuters



March 7, 2007: Manuel Uribe toasts with champagne on his bed during a promenade through his home town of Monterrey, Mexico. Uribe, who was the heaviest man on earth at almost 590 kilograms, announced that he planned to marry his girlfriend and had lost 230 kg

March 7, 2007: Manuel Uribe toasts with champagne on his bed during a promenade through his home town of Monterrey, Mexico. Uribe, who was the heaviest man on earth at almost 590 kilograms, announced that he planned to marry his girlfriend and had lost 230 kgAFP



June 11, 2008: Manuel Uribe pretends to eat a cake held by his girlfriend Claudia Solis. Uribe, once the world's most obese man, celebrated his 43rd birthday with a very short trip outside his house

June 11, 2008: Manuel Uribe pretends to eat a cake held by his girlfriend Claudia Solis. Uribe, once the world's most obese man, celebrated his 43rd birthday with a very short trip outside his houseReuters



August 10, 2008: Manuel Uribe waits for a forklift as he leaves home for the first time in years

August 10, 2008: Manuel Uribe waits for a forklift as he leaves home for the first time in yearsReuters



August 10, 2008: A forklift lifts Manuel Uribe in order to place him on a trailer. He left his home for the third time in six years to go to La Boca dam in Santiago, some 36 km (22.3 miles) away from Monterrey as part of a postponed birthday celebration

August 10, 2008: A forklift lifts Manuel Uribe in order to place him on a trailer. He left his home for the third time in six years to go to La Boca dam in Santiago, some 36 km (22.3 miles) away from Monterrey as part of a postponed birthday celebrationReuters



October 26, 2008: Manuel Uribe waves as he is driven on board a truck to go to his wedding in Monterrey, Mexico. Despite shedding 230 kilograms (570 pounds) Uribe had to be carried to the wedding venue on his bed, where he had been confined for years

October 26, 2008: Manuel Uribe waves as he is driven on board a truck to go to his wedding in Monterrey, Mexico. Despite shedding 230 kilograms (570 pounds) Uribe had to be carried to the wedding venue on his bed, where he had been confined for yearsAFP



October 26, 2008: Claudia Solis, the bride of Manuel Uribe, poses just before their wedding

October 26, 2008: Claudia Solis, the bride of Manuel Uribe, poses just before their weddingAFP



March 20, 2009: Manuel Uribe shakes hands with children wearing Spring costumes as he takes a trip around town on a modified truck

March 20, 2009: Manuel Uribe shakes hands with children wearing Spring costumes as he takes a trip around town on a modified truckReuters



May 26, 2014: Members of the Civil Defence use a truck to transport the body of Manuel Uribe on a king size bed, covered with a tarpaulin

May 26, 2014: Members of the Civil Defence use a truck to transport the body of Manuel Uribe on a king size bed, covered with a tarpaulinReuters






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Hon Hai Precision to Buy $385m Stake in Asia Pacific Telecom in 4G Push


Hon Hai Precision to Buy $385m Stake in Asia Pacific Telecom in 4G Push

Hon Hai Precision to buy $385m stake in Asia Pacific Telecom in 4G push.Reuters



Hon Hai Precision Industry, the Taipei-based assembler of Apple's iPhones, will acquire a stake in Taiwanese mobile telecoms operator Asia Pacific Telecom, a deal that will give Hon Hai a foothold in Taiwan's nascent 4G telecoms market.


Hon Hai Precision has agreed to pay T$20 a share for 582.9 million shares in Asia Pacific Telecom (APT) through a private placement, the firms said in stock exchange filings.


The deal is valued at T$11.6bn ($385m, £228m, € 282m).


APT's stock finished 1.12% higher on 27 May after opening 9.35% higher. Hon Hai's stock finished 0.32% higher.


Hon Hai wants to expand its business beyond electronic contract manufacturing to increase margins and improve revenue. Investing in APT, which had 2.1 million subscribers as of April, will help it roll out services after bagging a fourth-generation (4G) licence in 2013.


GDR Issue


Hon Hai proposes to raise some T$93bn through the sale of new shares to foreign investors to fund its overseas expansion and into Taiwan's fledgling 4G telecom market.


Hon Hai will seek shareholder approval for the share sale at its AGM in June, with the firm looking to sell up to one billion new shares through global deposit receipts (GDR), the Economic Daily News reported.


Hon Hai Precision, the largest firm in the Foxconn Technology Group, earlier in the month, said first-quarter net income jumped 20% to NT$19.5bn, matching expectations.



China Taking Millions of Vehicles Off Road to Tackle Air Pollution


buildings smog

A residential compound disappears into smog in Wujiaqu, Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region.Reuters



China is taking millions of high-polluting vehicles off the road before the end of 2014, as the country is working hard to tackle the rising levels of air pollution.


The official Xinhua news agency, citing the State Council, the country's cabinet, reported that China will eliminate six million vehicles that do not meet carbon emission standards.


About 20% of the vehicles to be eliminated are from the country's northern regions, including the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin, as well as Hebei province, which have suffered from smog in recent years.


The State Council has published an action plan to reduce air pollution, under which up to five million vehicles in the nation's economically developed regions, such as the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regions will be scrapped in 2015.


"Strengthening control on vehicle emissions will be a major agenda item for the country's energy savings, emissions reductions, and low-carbon development during the next two years," the action plan says.


Emissions from vehicles are responsible for 31.1% of air pollution in Beijing, according to a report from environmental authorities.


Experts are also asking for using fuels with better quality to reduce air pollution and smog.


While China's economic growth averaged about 10% in the past three decades, the world's second largest economy has witnessed rising levels of air pollution in its cities.


In January, Beijing recorded an air pollution reading of over 20 times the limit considered healthy by the World Health Organisation (WHO). That day was the worst day for pollution since January 2013's "airpocalypse".


The rise in air pollution is primarily due to an increase in the number of manufacturing companies and ever-rising vehicle sales in the country in line with improving living standards.


China's Premier Li Keqiang previously said tackling pollution is among the government's top priorities in 2014.


He noted that idle factories will be shut down and efforts for a new environmental protection tax will be accelerated to create a greener economy.



MH370: Raw Satellite Data Released by Malaysian Government After Calls For Transparency


Pray for MH370

Relatives of passengers on board MH370, mainly Chinese nationals, have been demanding greater transparencyReuters



The Malaysian government has released the raw satellite data tracking the last known movements of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.


The 47-page document, which can be read on the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation website, was first released to families of the passengers and crew after calls for the information to be made public, so it can be verified by independent experts.


Copies were then provided to the media, with notes from British satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat.


MH370 went missing on 8 March en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, with 239 passengers and crew on board. No trace of the aircraft has been found and no wreckage has been recovered.


The data released includes hourly satellite signals, known as "handshakes", between the plane and a communications satellite, which led investigators to believe that the aircraft ended its journey in the southern Indian Ocean, off the coast of western Australia.


It is believed that the plane was deliberately diverted from its original path, yet no explanation has been provided.


Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysia's transport minister, announced the data's publication while on a visit to a new international airport near Kuala Lumpur.


The release was accompanied by a statement which read: "The Acting Minister of Transport has instructed the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) to discuss with Inmarsat on the release of the Inmarsat 'raw data' for public consumption,"


"Inmarsat and the DCA have been working for the release of the data communication

logs and the technical description of the analysis."


However some families of passengers remain dissatisfied by official explanations of the plane's fate, and say they will now send the newly released information for independent analysis.


"The first thing we're going to expect feedback on is, does the data look right," Sarah Bajc, whose partner Philip Wood was on the missing jet, told CNN. "Is it as complete as we're being led to believe it is?"


Meanwhile, a search for the missing plane is continuing underwater, in waters far west of the city of Perth.


Bluefin-21, the US autonomous mini-submarine, is still being operated off the Australian ship Ocean Shield, although its search has been unsuccessful so far.


The drone, which can identify objects by creating a sonar map of the sea floor, restarted its mission last week after experiencing technical problems. Australia's Joint Agency Co-Ordination Centre, which is leading the search for MH370, said the vehicle is expected to end its search on 31 May and will be replaced using commercially-contracted equipment.


This article was updated May 27, 2014 09:14 AM


T



China Tells Local Banks to Avoid IBM Servers as US Spying Row Escalates


The IBM logo

The IBM logo.Reuters



The spat between the US and China over cyber spying is intensifying as the latter asks domestic banks to drop servers made by US technology giant International Business Machines Corp.


Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that China is pushing local banks to shun IBM servers and replace them with a local brand.


The sources told the news agency that banking authorities in China are reviewing if the country's financial security is impacted due to the banks' reliance on IBM servers. The review's results will be submitted to a working group on internet security chaired by President Xi Jinping.


China's retaliatory move comes after the US indicted five Chinese military officers for allegedly hacking servers of US companies and stealing vital trade information.


China has denied the allegations. It accused the US government of being "deceitful" and employing double standards.


In counter measures, China ordered state-owned companies to cut ties with US consultants and warned it will scrutinise US technology companies operating in the country.


IBM is one of the hardest-hit companies in the row between the world's two largest economies.


Earlier, the company recorded a decline in first-quarter revenues as its sales in emerging markets including China suffered due to the National Security Agency (NSA) scandal. China sales in the first quarter declined 20%.


In 2013, its total revenue fell 5% to $99.8bn (£60.7bn, €73.7bn), with sales in the Asia-Pacific region specifically dropping 12% to $22.9bn.


Edward Snowden, a former technical contractor for the NSA, had leaked details of several top-secret US and British government mass surveillance programmes to the press.


Snowden's documents revealed that the NSA had made use of data from tech giants including Google, Facebook, Apple, AOL and IBM.


Chinese authorities were reportedly planning a high-profile probe into US tech firms IBM, Oracle and EMC following revelations that the NSA hacked critical network systems at certain universities in China and Hong Kong.


China accounts for about 5% of IBM's business, about 40% of which is hardware sales. IBM's revenue from Systems and Technology segment, representing hardware sales, declined 19% to $14.4bn in 2013. The company relies on China's government-owned corporations for a large chunk of its revenues.