DAWN TO DUSK NEWS: LATEST NEWS

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Roku unveils $50 Streaming Stick

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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlPaP6xNz9awJaU0KRc2kEMMLAhZcmKyPKj6Y0JhlWycKpQ4B367mHjvuUp8fpnEEbspIK27GVn0qFIfN4UcUUlJr5_40iX9TY5uu-ZmieWINNNUgVqrlqFSWzYJy61NDCBFYT2kRKfK5/s1600/140305113924-roku-streaming-stick-story-top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlPaP6xNz9awJaU0KRc2kEMMLAhZcmKyPKj6Y0JhlWycKpQ4B367mHjvuUp8fpnEEbspIK27GVn0qFIfN4UcUUlJr5_40iX9TY5uu-ZmieWINNNUgVqrlqFSWzYJy61NDCBFYT2kRKfK5/s1600/140305113924-roku-streaming-stick-story-top.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>(CNN)</b> -- Sticks are the new boxes, at least when
it comes to getting the Internet on your television.</span></span><br />
<div class="cnnstorypgraphtxt">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">On Tuesday,
Roku released its latest tool for streaming 1080p content directly to a TV.
Like the $100 Roku 3 set-top box, the new $50 Roku
Streaming Stick has a large selection of apps for streaming content, including
all the major online services such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Instant.</span></span></div>
<div class="cnnstorypgraphtxt">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The new Roku
stick is about the size of a pack of gum and will be available in April.</span></span></div>
<div class="cnnstorypgraphtxt">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">As game
consoles, cable boxes and other bulky accessories pile up in living rooms, the
smaller, more discreet stick approach is becoming an appealing choice for
consumers who want to watch Internet content on their TV screens without adding
to the clutter.</span></span></div>
<div class="cnnstorypgraphtxt">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is not
Roku's first foray into the stick form factor. But unlike its 2-year-old $90
version, the Streaming Stick will pop into any HDMI port, making it compatible
with many more televisions.</span></span></div>
<div class="cnnstorypgraphtxt">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Roku
Streaming Stick will compete directly against Google's well-received
Chromecast, released last year. The Google dongle costs only $35 and also
plugs into any TV HDMI port. To watch Internet content on the Chromecast, you
hit a button on compatible apps from an Android or iOS smartphone or tablet.</span></span></div>
<div class="cnnstorypgraphtxt">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Both sticks
require a separate power source, either through a USB port on the back of the
TV or by plugging into a wall.</span></span></div>
<div class="cnnstorypgraphtxt">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Roku
Streaming Stick will cost a few bucks more than the Chromecast but includes a
dedicated remote control, like other Roku products. For people who prefer
navigating with soft buttons to swiping a smartphone screen, this can be a big
plus.</span></span></div>
<div class="cnnstorypgraphtxt">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Roku's
biggest advantage is content. Because the service has been around for a while,
it has many more streaming options than the Chromecast. There are currently
about 1,200 available apps for Roku.</span></span></div>
<div class="cnnstorypgraphtxt">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Google
recently opened up its Chromecast device to outside developers, so it's
possible a wave of new content is on its way. For now, its big names are
Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu, YouTube and Google Play, plus a handful of smaller apps.</span></span></div>
<div class="cnnstorypgraphtxt">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A third
major competitor in the streaming-to-TV space is Apple TV. Apple's offering is
still an old-fashioned box, but it could just be a matter of time before the
company jumps on the stick-shaped bandwagon. It has more content options than a
Chromecast but still lags behind the Roku. Of course, an Apple device would
appeal to people already deep into the Apple ecosystem.</span></span></div>
<div class="cnnstorypgraphtxt">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Cable
companies have been slow to update their set-top boxes, and smart TVs haven't
caught on in the same way that easy-to-use Apple TV, Chromecast and Roku have.
Roku is also working directly
with television manufacturers to integrate its technology into their TVs.</span></span></div>
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Roku unveils $50 Streaming Stick

(CNN) -- Sticks are the new boxes, at least when it comes to getting the Internet on your television. On Tuesday, Roku released...

19:13

Putin 'not fooling anybody' over Ukraine: Obama

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlDwb73glCLBL1MiTUqbxQ72vcOar6wwDJqn3oNHks5JUVHL6W6PmajE75Uq-fyh7bzCh-NOi-s3YoT7bW_K49U1I0RwHlzqTWnnwKybW5UcmX7wjQ8HoGZvPwiHTTbhnJxkNb1dyrCbo/s1600/214253_42939485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlDwb73glCLBL1MiTUqbxQ72vcOar6wwDJqn3oNHks5JUVHL6W6PmajE75Uq-fyh7bzCh-NOi-s3YoT7bW_K49U1I0RwHlzqTWnnwKybW5UcmX7wjQ8HoGZvPwiHTTbhnJxkNb1dyrCbo/s1600/214253_42939485.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Says the European Union and allies all believed
Russia had violated international law.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">KIEV (AFP) - US
President Barack Obama on Tuesday said Russia was not "fooling
anybody" over the crisis in Ukraine after Vladimir Putin denied Russian
forces were operating on the flashpoint Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">In a show of
support for the new interim leaders in Kiev, visiting US Secretary of State
John Kerry condemned Russia s "act of aggression" and accused
Moscow of "working hard to create a pretext for being able to invade
further".</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Pro-Kremlin
forces are in de facto control of the strategic, majority-Russian Crimean
peninsula where Ukrainian troops remain blocked inside their barracks in the
most serious stand-off between the West and Russia since the end of the Cold
War.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Amid the
tensions, Russia carried out a successful test launch of an
"advanced" intercontinental ballistic missile, state news agencies
reported. The US was informed of the test earlier this week, a US defence
official said.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">World financial
markets meanwhile rebounded Tuesday as traders interpreted comments by Putin
that force was "a last resort" as a sign that the situation in the
nation of 46 million people was easing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Ukraine s
interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk also announced his government had made
the first "timid" contacts with Russian leaders aimed at resolving
the crisis.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">But the
rhetoric from the United States and Russia remained tough.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Obama said the
European Union and allies like Canada and Japan all believed Russia had
violated international law by mobilising troops following the February 22
ouster of pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">"President
Putin seems to have a different set of lawyers, maybe a different set of
interpretations. But I do not think that is fooling anybody," Obama said
during a visit to a school in the US capital.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Putin, breaking
more than a week of silence with a press conference in Moscow, said his country
reserved the right to use "all available means" to protect Russians
in Ukraine. "This is a last resort," he added.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Responding to
claims by Ukraine s new authorities that thousands of Russian troops had
poured into Crimea in recent days, Putin said that only "local forces of
self-defence" were surrounding Ukrainian military bases in the region.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Asked if
Russian forces took part in operations in Crimea, he said, "No, they did
not participate", adding: "There are lots of uniforms that look
similar."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">When told of
Putin s remarks by a reporter in Kiev, Kerry responded: "He really
denied there were Russian forces in Crimea?" and shook his head,
bewildered.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The top US
diplomat also laid flowers and lit a candle at the scene of memorials to the
nearly 100 people who died in clashes on Kiev s Independence Square last
month.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The square was
the focal point of three months of protests sparked by Yanukovych s
decision to reject a key EU deal in favour of closer ties with Moscow.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">In a further
public boost to Ukraine s new Western-backed authorities, the US confirmed
$1 billion in loan guarantees to help shore up Ukraine s debt-laden
economy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The European
Commission also offered an aid package reportedly worth more than one billion
euros, as cash-strapped Ukraine says it needs 25 billion euros ($35 billion)
over two years.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">- Warning shots
in Crimea -</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">There was no
immediate sign of calm returning to Crimea, which has housed the Russian Black
Sea Fleet since the 18th century.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">In one incident,
Russian forces fired warning shots in the air as unarmed Ukrainian soldiers
approached them at a base near Sevastopol in what appeared to be the first
shots fired since the Crimean crisis erupted.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">In Sevastopol,
a bastion of pro-Kremlin sentiment, the headquarters of the Ukrainian navy in
Crimea was surrounded by around 100 pro-Russian activists who formed a human
chain as Russian forces with automatic rifles looked on.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Ukrainian
defence officials said Russian vessels were also blocking Ukrainian warships
from trying to leave the port.<br />
 </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">- West to step
up pressure? -</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">In a sign of
profound Western frustrations with Russia, Kerry warned that unless Russia acts
to reduce tensions, it will face further international action after the US
already suspended military cooperation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">"If Russia
does not choose to de-escalate... then our partners will have absolutely no
choice but to join us to continue to expand the kind of steps we have taken in
recent days in order to isolate Russia politically, diplomatically and
economically," he said.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">A US official
travelling with Kerry said Russia was "likely" to face US moves to
introduce sanctions as early as this week. The EU has also threatened
"targeted measures".</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">In Paris,
French President Francois Hollande warned that Russia was "running the
risk of a dangerous escalation".</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Along with
Europe, France would "apply all necessary pressure including sanctions to
find the path of dialogue and a political issue to this crisis", he said.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">But Putin
warned that any sanctions would lead to "mutual losses"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Kerry will come
face-to-face with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Paris on Wednesday,
their first encounter since the start of the Crimea turmoil.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The two are
scheduled to take part in a conference on Lebanon, with the foreign ministers
of Britain, France and Germany also attending. The events in Ukraine are
expected to overshadow the talks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Also on
Wednesday, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will visit Kiev ahead of an
EU emergency summit on Ukraine on Thursday.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">But Washington
and its allies appear to have few options beyond limited punitive measures to
halt what they perceive as Putin s drive to rebuild vestiges of the Soviet
empire irrespective of the wishes of nations such as Ukraine.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">- Stocks bounce
back -</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">By announcing
$1 billion in loan guarantees, the US signalled its keenness to cushion
ordinary Ukrainians from the impact of the crisis.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The move came
after Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom said it would end a
discount it gives to Ukraine on gas prices from April, instead proposing a loan
of up to $3 billion to cover its debt.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Moscow is often
accused of using its gas exports as a diplomatic weapon aimed at influencing
decisions of ex-Soviet nations that contemplate closer relations with the West.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">After
Putin s comments calmed fears of an immediate war, Asian and European
markets bounced back from deep losses suffered on Monday -- London s FTSE
closed up 1.72 percent while Frankfurt s DAX was up 2.46 percent and
Paris s CAC was up 2.45 percent.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Stocks on Wall
Street shot up by more than one percent.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Russia s
stock market also clawed back almost half of the 11-percent slump it suffered
on a Black Monday of trading that also sent the ruble to historic lows.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Posted by:: Muhammad Usman</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Source: Dunya news</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>

Putin 'not fooling anybody' over Ukraine: Obama

Says the European Union and allies all believed Russia had violated international law. KIEV (AFP) - US President Barack Obam...

22:14

Air force combat ready for assigned missions: PAF chief

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1wKZ99FTArN3GdawzqJOYFlggZAwPNge58ZZxg8cMsxEeSdw_dfwZxoFUekaLLSMFQA0coQn7C5-ZVL-gZbbslcI0hWySUa78ieTJcxjG6eLRRE3AsyllSpuXBdnUhJqpvmvNRcygK02/s1600/423705-TahirRafiqueButtphotoapp-1345233089-910-640x480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1wKZ99FTArN3GdawzqJOYFlggZAwPNge58ZZxg8cMsxEeSdw_dfwZxoFUekaLLSMFQA0coQn7C5-ZVL-gZbbslcI0hWySUa78ieTJcxjG6eLRRE3AsyllSpuXBdnUhJqpvmvNRcygK02/s1600/423705-TahirRafiqueButtphotoapp-1345233089-910-640x480.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<strong style="color: #555555; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;"><strong class="location" style="color: #555555; display: block; float: left; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;">ISLAMABAD: </strong>In a week where Pakistan Air Force has pounded targets in the tribal areas along its western border, the Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt on Thursday said that the military’s air advantage was maintaining combat readiness in pursuit of its assigned mission.</strong></div>
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“The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is committed to maintaining combat readiness in pursuit of the assigned mission while ensuring judicious use of resources and preservation of assets.”<strong style="color: #555555; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;"> </strong></div>
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Addressing the PAF Annual Safety Review for the year 2013 at Air Headquarters, Islamabad on Thursday, the Air Chief said that there was complete synergy among the supervisors at Air Headquarters and the field commanders.</div>
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“The entire air force is training to conduct day and night operations,” he said.</div>
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The review was presided over by the Air Chief Marshal and was attended by principal staff officers, regional commanders and supervisors from the field.</div>
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The Annual Safety Review is a routine activity during which operational activities are reviewed.</div>
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The forum is also used to carry out an in depth study of the standards of flight and ground safety in PAF.</div>
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A PAF fighter aircraft crashed in Mandi Bahauddin last month killing both the pilot and the co-pilot, while in October last year a PAF helicopter crashed in Gujranwala injuring both the pilot and co-pilot.</div>
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Air force combat ready for assigned missions: PAF chief

ISLAMABAD: In a week where Pakistan Air Force has pounded targets in the tribal areas along its western border, the Chief of Air Staff ...

09:27