SINGAPORE: Oil was flat in Asia on Friday amid an extended sell-off in equities on concerns over the US central bank ending its multi-billion dollar economic stimulus measures, as well as poor Chinese manufacturing data, analysts said. New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) light sweet crude for delivery in August, was flat at $95.40 a barrel in morning trade and Brent North Sea crude for August delivery added five cents to $102.20.
Robert Downey Jr signs on for 2 more ‘Avengers’ films
NEW YORK: Robert Downey Jr has signed up for two more “Avengers” films.Marvel announced Thursday that the actor will reprise his role as Iron Man/Tony Stark for “The Avengers 2? and “The Avengers 3.” Downey Jr. has played the character in a trilogy of “Iron Man” films, as well as the first superhero ensemble “Avengers” film, which made $2.7 billion worldwide.
MERS virus in Saudi poses hospital threat: study
WASHINGTON: The deadly MERS coronavirus which has emerged in Saudi Arabia poses a threat to hospitals because it spreads rapidly and carries a high mortality rate, according to a study out Thursday. An international team of researchers studied 23 cases at four hospitals in Saudi Arabia, which included 15 fatalities, a mortality rate of 65 percent, the New England Journal of Medicine reported.
Supreme Court orders withdrawal of increase in POL prices
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the government to withdraw the recent increase in petroleum prices. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhamamd Chaudhry also directed the government to withdraw 9 percent additional sales tax on CNG
Three cops among 15 killed in Karachi violence
KARACHI: At least 15 people including three policemen and activists of political and religious parties were killed in unabated violence in Karachi on Thursday, DNA reported.
According to reports, two policemen were shot dead when they signaled a suspicious vehicle in Shershah area, while another policeman was gunned down in Kharadar.
Three cops among 15 killed in Karachi violence
KARACHI: At least 15 people including three policemen and activists of political and religious parties were killed in unabated violence in Karachi on Thursday, DNA reported.
According to reports, two policemen were shot dead when they signaled a suspicious vehicle in Shershah area, while another policeman was gunned down in Kharadar.
US says Taliban office in Qatar must not be seen as embassy
UNITED NATIONS: The United States said Thursday that the new Taliban office in Qatar must not be treated as an embassy, as Afghanistan angrily condemned the “theatrical” opening of the new mission. The Taliban’s “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” nameplate on the office in Doha has been at the center of a battle between President Hamid Karzai and the United States over US contacts with the Afghan militant group.
Children suffer as Pakistan battles measles epidemic
LAHORE: In the intensive-care ward of Lahore’s Mayo hospital, pale, spotty children cry in the intense heat of the Pakistani summer — victims of a devastating measles outbreak. Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province of which Lahore is the capital, has borne the brunt of the epidemic. It has 18,000 of the 25,000 cases reported around the country by provincial health authorities and more than 150 — all children — of the 495 deaths.
‘Sopranos’ star James Gandolfini dead at 51
LOS ANGELES: Emmy award-winning US actor James Gandolfini, the star of the long-running mafia drama “The Sopranos,” has died at the age of 51 in Italy, his managers said Wednesday. The burly actor, who won three Emmys and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of mob boss Tony Soprano on the HBO series, suffered a heart attack, celebrity website TMZ and industry daily Variety reported.
No US-Taliban talks scheduled: State Department
WASHINGTON: The United States has not scheduled talks with the Taliban, the State Department said Wednesday, after reports that discussions with the Afghan insurgent group could begin this week in Qatar.
“Reports of a meeting being scheduled or on the books aren’t accurate,” spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters, saying Washington had “never confirmed”the date and place of any specific meeting.
