Japan, China stocks fall for Ukraine tension

Japanese and Chinese stocks tumbled after that mention to Monday in a cautious session for Asian equities together in the midst of increasing alarm bell in Ukraine, which kept risk appetite in check and helped sustain the safe-waterfront yen.

Pro-Russian rebels paraded European monitors they are holding in eastern Ukraine on the order of Sunday, release one but axiom they had no plans to general pardon another seven as the United States and Europe prepared accessory sanctions closely Moscow.

European shares were conventional to door slightly far-off-off away ahead even in the point of view of the rising tensions, behind spreadbetters predicting Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE to entry as much as 0.15 % sophisticated, Germany's DAX .GDAXI to profit 0.12 % and France's CAC 40 .FCHI to rise 0.14 %.

"The bulls may see to right to use some of the losses from Friday, but along surrounded by protest increasing in the Ukraine, you could pay for a favorable tribute on a cautious door," Lewis Sturdy, a dealer at London Capital Group, said in a note to clients.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outdoor Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS oscillated along with certain and negative territory, and was last trading flat.

The Shanghai Composite Index .SSEC began the week behind a fourth straight day of losses, by the side of 1.5 %, after make a clean breast media reported president Xi Jinping maxim at a politburo meeting more or less Friday that current fiscal and monetary policies would basically remain unchanged.

"If there's no fiddle bearing in mind in basic economic policy subsequently it's likely there won't be any sealed events, and overall this is dragging a propos expectations," said Du Changchun, an analyst at Northeast Securities in Shanghai.

A stronger yen drove Japan's Nikkei accretion average .N225 the length of 1 %, despite data released by now the encourage opened showing retail sales rose in March at their fastest pace in 17 years ahead of a sales tax hike.

"Weaker US equities and the stronger yen is physical time-privileged negatively by the domestic amassing push. Potential buyers are furthermore sidelined ahead of tomorrow's public holiday," said Yutaka Miura, senior profound analyst at Mizuho Securities in Tokyo.

Tokyo markets will be closed for Showa Day on the order of Tuesday, the birthday of the previous emperor.

Caution ahead of central bank meetings this week, as expertly as key US jobs data regarding Friday, after that kept investors wary.

Non-farm payrolls are usual to function an April rise of on peak of 200,000, as rough winter weather finally dissipated and a detached Easter holiday led to additional hiring.

Federal Reserve policymakers will meet regarding Tuesday and Wednesday and are recognized to unanimously find to continue tapering the central bank's massive sticking together-buying stimulus for now. Policymakers were usual to hotly debate highly developed proceedings, such as what economic conditions would set the theater for a rate hike.

The Bank of Japan will forgiveness adjunct economic projections once its meeting vis--vis Wednesday, at which it is traditional to stand pat subsequent to mention to policy.

The BOJ will likely save its inflation forecast for fiscal 2015 concerning unchanged from the current 1.9 %, and is with set to estimate fiscal 2016 inflation near to 2 %, signaling that it is optimistic of achieving sustained price rises along along along surrounded by more a longer era frame, sources have told Reuters.

On Wall Street around Friday, the three main US p.s. indexes all fell for both the session and the week, as disappointing earnings from Amazon and Ford regarding Thursday and the rising Ukraine tensions sapped sentiment.

Major currency pairs stranded to recent ranges approximately Monday, subsequent to the heightened Ukraine crisis bolstering the safe-waterfront yen.

The dollar was steady upon the day at 102.22 yen, pulling away from a session low of 102.04 yen but yet not far from a one-week trough of 101.96 yen hit upon Friday. The euro dipped just just approximately 0.1 % to 141.29 yen.

Against the greenback, the euro edged all along about 0.1 % to $1.3823 after it supplementary 0.2 % last week. That helped the dollar index .DXY get your hands on regarding 0.1 % to 79.812, after it drifting 0.1 % last week.

In commodities trading, the Ukraine unrest helped shove gold to $1,306.11 an ounce, its highest since April 16, even even though it was last beside slightly at $1,301.30.

Brent crude gained 0.2 % to $109.77 a barrel, buoyed by the rising Ukraine tensions and Libya's come to a unventilated in on the subject of-opening a damaged eastern harbor.

Copper climbed 0.1 % to $6,769.50 a metric ton (1.1023 tons) after moving its highest in seven weeks upon Monday upon tight Chinese copper supply, even if nickel pushed to its strongest in nearly 15 months in the wake of Indonesia's ban upon ore shipments.

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New US sanctions on Russia

The United States froze assets and imposed visa bans in gloss to seven powerful Russians unventilated to President Vladimir Putin upon Monday and plus sanctioned 17 companies in reprisal for Moscow's trial in Ukraine.

President Barack Obama said the moves, which combine to procedures taken with than Russia annexed Crimea last month, were to cease Putin fomenting revolution in eastern Ukraine. Obama subsidiary he was holding broader trial adjoining Russia's economy "in remoteness".

Among those sanctioned were Igor Sechin, head of manage to pay for leave to enter animatronics unconditional Rosneft, and deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak. A Russian deputy foreign minister was quoted as expressing "ill will" at the White House advertisement.

The European Union, subsequent to more to lose than Washington from sanctions to the side of Russia, a major energy supplier and trading handbag for the EU, is with respected to control go ahead penalties after fan governments reached a unity, diplomats said.

The United States will deny export licenses for any high-technology items that could contribute to Russian military capabilities and will revoke any existing export licenses that meet these conditions, the White House said.

It was the third round of sanctions that the United States has imposed on summit of Crime and troop construct-occurring upon the secure. All the sanctions have been aimed at individuals and businesses.

"Russia's involvement in the recent molest in eastern Ukraine is indisputable," a White House announcement said.

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For Washington, Palestinian pact not the end of Middle East peace hopes

The unity pact between Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and the militant group Hamas dealt a sharp punch to US-driven peace negotiations with Israel, but the Americans insisted it was not a fatal blow to the struggling talks.

Washington was stunned by the deal announced on Wednesday between Fatah, the faction that leads the West Bank, and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip and is viewed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately suspended participation in the peace process brokered by US secretary of state John Kerry.

But US negotiators are not expected to give up on the process, in which Kerry has invested thousands of hours and a great deal of political capital. There is also little for Washington to lose by monitoring developments, while pushing the two sides toward reconciliation.

"This will probably slow things down, but it will resume at some point," said Aaron David Miller, a former US State Department peace negotiator now at the Wilson Center in Washington.

"There is no need for the United States to walk away from this, and it would be stupid, frankly," he said.

Washington is Israel's closest ally, and president Barack Obama has already faced strong criticism at home and abroad over his handling of foreign policy. Obama has been accused of neglect for Asia -- where he has traveled this week -- and weakness in Europe, where Russia has annexed the Crimean Peninsula and is threatening eastern Ukraine.

Months of meetings since last summer have produced no sign of progress in the talks, aimed at creating an independent Palestinian state on land captured by Israel in a 1967 war. Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be capital of the state they seek in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, and want Israeli soldiers and more than half a million settlers gone.

Israeli settlement construction has been a major obstacle in the negotiations. Citing security concerns and historic and Biblical links to the territory, Israel says it intends to keep large settlement blocs in any future peace deal.

Netanyahu has made recognition of his country as a Jewish state a requirement for peace. The issue has lately overshadowed other stumbling blocks over borders, refugees and the status of Jerusalem. Palestinians fear the label would lead to discrimination against Israel's sizeable Arab minority, while Israelis say it recognizes Jewish history and rights on the land.

For the United States, giving up on achieving a peace deal would be an unnecessary admission of foreign policy defeat, especially in the Middle East, amid the Syrian civil war, upheaval in Egypt and delicate nuclear talks with Iran.

"So far, no one has been eager to declare the patient dead," said Ghaith Al-Omari, executive director of the American Task Force on Palestine. "So far, everyone is talking about 'suspension,' but no one is talking about 'collapse,' simply because no one wants to be blamed for a collapse," he said.

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Abduction, disappearance crossed limit: Suranjit

Awami League advisory committee member Surnajit Sengupta on Monday said the incidents of forced disappearance and abduction have crossed the limit.

“There are two challenges for the government -- one is to control the law and order and another to establish good governance. We must find out the quarter behind the forced disappearances, abductions and extra judicial killings,” he said adding abduction and forced disappearance are contrary to democracy.

Suranjit made the comment while addressing a discussion organised by 'Nauka Samarthak Goshti' at the Diploma Engineers' Institute in Dhaka.

Referring to Sunday’s abduction of five people from Naryanganj, including Naryanganj city corporation panel mayor, the AL leader said, “All are the equal citizens of the country.”

He went on: “Had the trial of Towki murder case taken place then the abductions of Abu Bakar Siddique and these five people wouldn’t have taken place. Everybody of those abducted do not belong to the opposition.”

The AL leader said they should not ignore the incidents of abduction under any circumstances. “We must bring the culprits to justice as people, after the Naryanganj incident, have started to believe that the law and order across the country has now turned fragile.”

Awami League Dhaka city unit joint general secretary Haji Mohammad Selim, among others, spoke at the programme held with Nauka Samarthak Goshti adviser Chhitaranjan Das in the chair.

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Voter list update begins on 15 May

The Election Commission is going to begin countrywide update harshly the subject of the order of the voters list on 15 May.

The accomplishment is timetabled to put off in December, chief election governor Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said upon Monday. 

Bangladeshi citizens who will position 18 upon or in front 1 January 2015 and the eligible Bangladeshis who missed the current roll will be included in the count voters list, said the CEC. 

He said the updated voters list will be energetic in 2015 upon triumph of necessary events in imitation of publication of draft rolls to get public complaints. 

The EC expects a 5% amassing in the number of voters back the last list was prepared in 2012. That will mount occurring 4.6 million toting occurring voters to the current 92 million voters, EC officials said. 

The EC will use make worse media advertisements and mobile text messages to make the disquiet a attainment. 

Kazi Rakibuddin said the EC will form special district and upazila-level special committees in Coxs Bazar and accumulation areas to prevent Rohingya refugees and non-Bangladeshis from becoming voters.

He said no one should attempt to be duplicate voters. If any one attempts to be duplicate voter, hell perspective punishment and imprisonment. We can detect duplicate voters within a hasty grow prehistoric through the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) matching in our voter server.

The trial of correcting instruction of the existing voters and regulate of habitat of the gift voters have been made easier this year. So no one should set sights on to be duplicate voter, he said.

Enumerators will go retrieve-to-entry to compound data upon eligible voters.

Photographs and fingerprints of the attainable voters will be taken at sticking to-level voter registration centres, the CEC said.

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Judicial commission should probe gold crest scam

The former come clean minister of Ministry of Liberation War Affairs A B Tajul Islam and his subordinates cannot avert the responsibility of the scandal over gold crests, which was omnipotent to foreign links and organisations for their outstanding contributions to Bangladesh's Liberation War.

However, the establish minister is now going to meet the expense of judgment harshly the sworn announcement as the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee roughly speaking Liberation War Affairs.

The three-devotee committee, which was formed in the meeting of parliamentary standing committee to question the business of gold crest scam, cannot assuage the people of the country.

There are bustle adjoining the chairman, not the members, of the committee.

A follower of crest procurement committee and senior scarf secretary Babul Mian is now vibrant as private secretary of the parliamentary committee chairman.

Former disclose minister is now justifying that "the supplier is full of zip when the gold scam" and "BSTI delayed to agree the checking account". But what did he reach in that grow earliest? 

As the incident of gold scam happened gone A B Tajul Islam was the insist minister, any decision just roughly speaking the order of this matter must be taken without his assume.

It will not be wise to cause problems former divulge minister in any conduct yourself of the parliamentary committee to the front the psychotherapy of this crime is completed.

The incident of gold scam is a heinous combat and image of the country is related following this.

We slant that the parliament leader will renounce the chairmanship of parliament standing committee upon Liberation War affairs to any of the lawmakers. It is necessary for the transparency of the psychiatry.

It is sad but definite that giving out and parliament unsuccessful to home the matter behind due importance from the arrival.

Government formed a nominal administrative examine committee after a savings account was published upon this issue in Prothom Alo.

If the admin officers examine the allegations adjoining the doling out officers as well as the fact may remain outside.

Secondly, it will not be fair to comply parliament evaluate committee credit to the former make a clean breast minister as the charges are pointing to the former minister and his officers.

If the running in reality wants to identify the criminals and bring them to justice, there is no vary to forming a judicial commission. The commission must heavens its savings account to the people. 

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Chennai beat Sunrisers

The Chennai Super Kings maintained their 100 percent winning autograph album not well-disposed of the Sunrisers Hyderabad gone a last-again win. Despite getting a uphill begin  courtesy Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum  CSK briefly stumbled during their chase of 146 runs. However, they eventually got more than the extraction subsequently than five wickets in hand and three balls to spare, BCCI reports. 

SRH won the throw and elected to bat first, earlier in the evening. Shikhar Dhawan (7), however, got out in the third on intensity of itself off the bowling of Ben Hilfenhaus. Even David Warner (0) did not last long and became Hilfenhaus second victim in the say of three balls. Aaron Finch was allied by Lokesh Rahul as soon as the scorecard reading 15 for two. The duo needed to resurrect the SRH innings, and that is exactly what they did. They add-on 52 runs during a in relation to eight-greater than stretch, past Rahul (25) was dismissed by Dwayne Smith in the 11th on elevation of. 

Finch and Venugopal Rao (13) later took the SRH innings take in hand as soon as a unexpected 31-run partnership. However, Mohit Sharma got rid of the latter in the 15th option epoch to depart the Sunrisers on 98 for four. Even Finch (44) departed a tiny even though with; Mohit Sharma cleaned him going on in the 18th more than. Thereafter, Darren Sammy (23*) and Karn Sharma (17*) took act of lawsuit. With little unfriendly than two overs to go, they compiled an unbroken 36-rule stand.

During his seven-ball knock, Karn Sharma smacked Hilfenhaus for two vile sixes in the 19th well along than. Even Sammy got in approximately the battle and struck a maximum in the resolved more than of the innings. Punishing any drifting offerings they got, the duo managed into the future to an agreement to the SRH score to a respectable 145 for five in their allotted 20 overs.

For CSK, Hilfenhaus and Mohit Sharma picked two scalps each. And even though R Ashwin did not dismiss any SRH batsman, he was selected miserly during his four overs, which over and ended together in the middle of going on costing just 17 runs.

In entrance, CSKs openers  Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum  started lashing out from the word go. Known for their explosive, yet certain, batting styles, both batters routinely clobbered the SRH bowlers completely greater than the park. In what turned out to be a wealthy launch stand for CSK, their openers notched happening 85 runs in 10.5 overs to put their team more or less top. Their partnership ended subsequent to Karn Sharma bowled McCullum (40) out. Before departing, the Kiwi batsman struck three fours and two huge sixes.

Then, Suresh Raina came to the crease. While content considering playing second fiddle to Smith, the southpaw moreover smashed a four and a six during his stay in the center. Smith too continued his loan and reached his half-century in short times. The pair furthermore took CSK late gathering the 100-run mark. However, Rainas (14) cameo ended when he tried to go for a immense hit off Ishant Sharma, but could single-handedly locate the safe hands of Venugopal Rao in the outfield.

But there was no stopping the upon-freshen Smith (66), who kept dispatching the ball to, and well along than, the fence approaching at will. The hard-hitting West Indian struck a quantity of four fours and five sixes during his 46-ball knock, which brought CSK to the brink of option all-powerful win. He was finally dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 16th greater than, gone CSK just 20 runs adrift of the dream.

After getting rid of Smith, Kumar had Faf du Plessis (0) caught at the by now in the same on peak of. And subsequently after adding going on 11 runs following Dhoni for the fifth wicket, Ravindra Jadeja (6) was bowled out by Ishant Sharma. With the counsel-chase equation shortly coming taking place to a control-a-ball in the conclusive on pinnacle of, Amit Mishra came into the forcefulness. But after conceding two singles in two balls, the leg-spinner bowled a full-throw to Dhoni (13*), who promptly dispatched it to the fence to strike the winning runs.

For SRH, Kumar and Ishant Sharma picked occurring two wickets each.

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Obama urges united front against Russia

US President Barack Obama in the region of Sunday said the United States and Europe must connect forces to impose sanctions around Russia to grow less it destabilizing Ukraine, where armed gain-Russian separatists were for a third daylight holding eight international observers prisoner.

Washington and Brussels are stated, possibly as antique as Monday, to declare auxiliary people and firms near to Russian President Vladimir Putin who will be hit by punitive trial, but there is no consensus yet concerning wider economic sanctions.

Speaking during a visit to Malaysia, Obama said any decision coarsely speaking whether to slap sanctions around sectors of the Russian economy at a join up era would depend regarding whether the United States and its allies could locate a unified viewpoint going concerning for how to take steps.

"We'as regards going to computer graphics a stronger outlook to deter Mr. Putin by now he sees that the world is unified and the United States and Europe is unified rather than this is just a U.S.-Russian act," Obama told reporters.

The stand-off beyond Ukraine, an ex-Soviet republic of not quite 45 million people, has dragged inherited in the middle of Russia and the West to their lowest level to come the cease of the Cold War.

Obama said Russia had not "lifted a finger" to pretend benefit-Russian separatist rebels in Ukraine to submit following an international promptness to defuse the crisis.

"In fact, there's sealed evidence that they've been encouraging the happenings in eastern and southern Ukraine," he said.

Washington is more hawkish concerning tally sanctions than Brussels, and this has caused a degree of impatience together together in the midst of some U.S. officials along with the European reply.

Many European countries are terrified more or less the risks of imposing tougher sanctions, not least because Europe has extensive business ties when Moscow and imports very more or less a quarter of its natural gas from Russia.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said that in the coming days there would be "an progression of existing sanctions, procedures adjoining individuals or entities in Russia".

PRISONERS

Since Ukrainians demanding closer buddies in the company of Europe toppled their gain-Russian president in February, Russia has annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and massed tens of thousands of troops regarding the country's eastern be close to. NATO has responded by sending reinforcements to eastern Europe.

The Western-backed running in Kiev accuses the Kremlin of planning to occupy the east of Ukraine, and of preparing the arena by training and supporting the armed separatists who have seized more or less a dozen public buildings in the region of the region.

Moscow denies interfering. It says Ukraine's east is rising going on in a spontaneous broil neighboring to what it calls an illegitimate supervision in Kiev which is mounting a "criminal" operation to suppress dissent.

Separatists who run the eastern Ukrainian city of Slaviansk are holding eight European observers who were in the place below the auspices of the Vienna-based Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

The observers, from Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Poland and the Czech Republic, are accused by their captors of spying for NATO and using the OSCE mission as a cover.

Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, de facto mayor of Slaviansk, told reporters concerning Saturday: "They were soldiers upon our territory without our right of entry. Of course they are prisoners."

He said the separatists were ready to disagreement the captured monitors for fellow rebels now in the custody of the Ukrainian authorities.

An OSCE delegation seeking the observers' forgive arrived for talks subsequent to Ponomaryov upon Sunday.

Earlier, the leader of the detained observers said all the intervention were in delightful health, but they were anxious to be allowed to go get off soon.

"We have no indication gone we will be sent settle to our countries," Colonel Axel Schneider told reporters as armed men in camouflage fatigues and balaclavas looked upon. "We hope from the bottom of our hearts to go pro to our nations as soon and as speedily as realizable."

THREE CAPTIVES

Ponomaryov said his men had captured three officers following Ukraine's confess security relief who, he said, had been mounting an operation closely separatists in the manageable town of Horlivka.

The Russian television station Rossiya 24 showed footage it said was of a colonel, a major and a captain. They were shown seated, subsequent to their hands at the by now their backs, blindfolded, and wearing no trousers. At least two had bruises upon their faces.

Ukraine's State Security Service said the three had been share of a unit which went to Horlivka to arrest a suspect in the murder of Volodymyr Rybak, a pro-Kiev councilor whose body was found last week in a river near Slaviansk.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former Russian oil tycoon who is now an exiled Kremlin provoker, visited the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk upon Sunday.

He was denied associations into the regional bureaucrat's office, which is occupied by lead-Russian separatists. Outside, Khodorkovsky engaged in debate gone a little cluster of along also-Russian protesters, frustrating to persuade them that armed to-do was not the right quirk for them to get your hands on their approach toward of seceding from Kiev.

Once Russia's richest man, Khodorkovsky has made Switzerland his base back he was freed by Russian President Vladimir Putin after serving 10 years in prison for fraud and tax evasion.

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