China quake death toll more than doubles to 54, hundreds hurt

(Reuters) - The death toll from a 6.6 magnitude earthquake in China's western Gansu province on Monday more than doubled to 54 people, the municipal government said, with hundreds injured as many homes in affected areas collapsed.

The quake hit Minxian and Zhangxian counties, about 170 km (105 miles) southeast of the provincial capital of Lanzhou, at 7.45 on Monday morning (7.45 p.m. ET Sunday), the official Xinhua news agency said.

It put the number of people seriously injured at 296. Earlier reports by the official Xinhua news agency said 22 people had died.

Eight towns in the remote, mountainous area sustained serious damage in the quake and subsequent flooding and mudslides, state media said.

There were also power outages, while cell phone and Internet coverage was disrupted, residents and state media reported. The Red Cross Society of China said it had sent relief supplies to the affected areas, including jackets and tents.

"Many have been injured by collapsed houses," said a Minxian county doctor surnamed Du. "Many villagers have gone to local hospitals along the roads."

Photos posted on Chinese social media showed roads on the sides of riverbanks that had subsided and farmhouses reduced to piles of red bricks.

About 380 buildings had collapsed and 5,600 sustained damaged in Zhangxian county, the Dingxi municipal government said in a microblog post.

A school building in Minxian county was also damaged, a teacher in the area said, although he said he didn't believe any students were injured because they were away on summer holidays.

Heavy rain is also forecast for the areas hit by the quake, which officials fear would compound the damage by causing more landslides and flooding.

A second 5.6 earthquake struck the same region about 90 minutes after the first, Xinhua said, the most significant of several aftershocks. The United States Geological Survey said the first quake had a magnitude of 5.9.

Gansu abuts Sichuan province, where a 6.6 quake in April killed 164 people and injured more than 6,700, China's worst quake in three years.

That quake hit close to where a devastating 7.9 temblor killed some 70,000 people in May 2008.

Among those killed in the 2008 quake were thousands of children, raising suspicions that the schools that had collapsed on them had been poorly constructed, in part due to corruption.

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Royal baby: Pregnant duchess taken to hospital

The Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted to hospital and is in the early stages of labour, Kensington Palace has said.

She travelled by car from the palace to St Mary's in Paddington, west London, with her husband the Duke of Cambridge.

The couple do not know the gender of their first child, who will be third in line to the throne.

The BBC's Nick Witchell said there was likely to be no more news until the official announcement of the birth.

The world's press have been camped outside St Mary's for days in anticipation of the birth. The due date had never been officially announced but had widely been expected to be mid-July.

Royal vehicles were seen at a back entrance to the hospital at about 06:00 BST.

Nicholas Witchell read out the statement from Kensington Palace

It is believed the next time the couple will be seen in public is when they appear on the steps of the hospital with their baby.

The duchess is being tended by a top medical team led by the Queen's former gynaecologist Marcus Setchell, who delivered the Countess of Wessex's two children.

Assisting him is Alan Farthing, the former fiance of murdered TV presenter Jill Dando and the Queen's current gynaecologist.

The Duke of Cambridge has been with his wife on annual leave and will have two weeks' paternity leave.

Under new laws to succession the baby will remain third in line to the throne regardless of gender.

Catherine's final public appearance before the birth was at the Trooping the Colour ceremony in June.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were married at Westminster Abbey in April 2011, watched on television by millions of people around the world.

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Google earnings clipped in mobile headwinds

SAN FRANCISCO -- With Google's business under pressure from mobile advertising prices, CEO Larry Page talked up the potential for none other than the Internet giant's mobile businesses.

Google on Thursday missed Wall Street's expectations for both profit and revenue, sending shares 5% lower in after hours. Concerns continue about so-called cost-per-click prices that advertisers pay Google for Internet-search advertising.

That didn't stop the soft-spoken Page, who in May disclosed vocal chord paralysis issues, from touting the promise of Google's mobile strategy and teasing interest in a coming next-generation of mobile products.

"There's so much excitement around new devices today, and the potential for innovation is tremendous," Page said on a conference call with analysts, investors and members of the media. "I know you are all eagerly anticipating what Motorola is launching soon."

Google purchased Motorola Mobility in a $12.4 billion deal last year and has captured the attention of Silicon Valley watchers awaiting the debut of its Moto X phone. A rare U.S.-made device, Google's Moto X aims to compete with Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy lineup.

Google's average cost-per-click, which includes clicks related to ads served on Google sites and the sites of its network members, decreased about 6% in the quarter compared with a year ago. Analysts had predicted prices would drop about 3% in the period.

Enormous popularity for mobile computing devices has radically shifted the Internet business landscape in recent years. Companies such as Facebook, Microsoft and Zynga have sounded the alarm in shifting to a mobile focus to meet the rising demands from consumers. Microsoft has mostly missed the mobile bandwagon with low uptake for products running its operating system, while Zynga's CEO has stepped aside amid revenue declines.

"It's hard to fault them (Google), because everyone is still searching for their mobile business model. I think we've figured out that merely transplanting the desktop model to the mobile business is not working," said independent analyst Jonathan Yarmis.

EARNINGS: Read Google's 2Q report

Google reported second-quarter net income of $3.23 billion compared with $2.79 billion a year ago. Revenue in the quarter rose 19% to $14.1 billion.

Analysts were expecting Google to report net income of $3.6 billion on $14.41 billion in revenue for the quarter, according to the survey of estimates from Thomson 

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Russia jails top opposition leader; Putin denounced as dictator

(Reuters) - Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to five years in jail for theft on Thursday, an unexpectedly tough punishment which supporters said proved President Vladimir Putin was a dictator ruling by repression.

Navalny, an anti-corruption campaigner who led the biggest protests against Putin since he took power in 2000, hugged his wife Yulia and his mother, shook his father's hand and then passed them his watch before being led away in handcuffs.

"Shame! Disgrace!" protesters chanted outside the court in Kirov, 900 km (550 miles) northeast of Moscow. Some supporters wept and others expressed shock and anger.

State prosecutors had asked the court to jail Navalny for six years on charges of organizing a scheme to steal at least 16 million roubles ($494,000) from a timber firm when he was advising the Kirov regional governor in 2009.

But even a five-year sentence means he will not be able to run in the next presidential election in 2018 or for Moscow mayor in September as he had planned. Some political analysts had expected the court to hand down a suspended sentence, to keep Navalny out of prison but rule out any political challenge.

The United States and European Union voiced concern over the conviction, saying it raised questions about the rule of law and Russia's treatment of Putin's opponents. The White House called it part of a "disturbing trend aimed at suppressing dissent".

Russian shares fell on concerns that the ruling may provoke social unrest, after a case that has led to comparisons with the political "show trials" under Soviet leader Josef Stalin.

Thousands of Russians protested in Moscow and St Petersburg late into the evening and police detained dozens in both cities, but there were no major clashes.

In a last message from court, Navalny, 37, referred to Putin as a "toad" who abused Russia's vast oil revenues to stay in power, and urged his supporters to press on with his campaign.

"Okay, don't miss me. More important - don't be idle. The toad will not get off the oil pipeline on its own," he wrote on Twitter.

At least 3,000 gathered near the Kremlin in Moscow under a heavy police presence, intermittently blocking main streets and shouting "Shame!" and "Putin is a thief!"

Police plunged into the crowd to pluck out people holding Navalny portraits. A police official said about 50 were detained, but activists said the number detained had reached 169 as smaller groups continued to protest past midnight.

At least 1,000 people protested in St Petersburg, where police said about 40 were detained, and smaller rallies were held in other cities.

LIMITED SUPPORT

Yet public support for Navalny is limited, especially outside big cities, and Putin remains popular with many Russians.

Independent pollster Levada had put Navalny on about 8 percent support in the Moscow mayoral election, while it said Putin's job approval rating stood at 63 percent in June.

Judge Sergei Blinov read the verdict rapidly and without emotion in the packed Kirov courtroom, hardly looking up as he took about three and a half hours to explain his conclusions.

"The court, having examined the case, has established that Navalny organized a crime and ... the theft of property on a particularly large scale," he said.

Pyotr Ofitserov, Navalny's co-defendant, was convicted as an accomplice and sentenced to four years in prison.

Navalny, a powerful orator who has accused the authorities of being "swindlers and thieves", stood in silence with a puzzled expression as he listened to the verdict. He has 10 days to appeal, and his lawyer, Vadim Kobzev, said he would do so.

In an unexpected twist, prosecutors later lodged a complaint against the ruling under which Navalny was taken into custody, saying he should remain free, with travel restrictions, until a ruling on his appeal. A hearing on the issue was set for Friday.

The head of his campaign staff, Leonid Volkov, said Navalny had told him he would withdraw from the Moscow race if he was jailed, and that Navalny would make a statement about this on Friday. "There is no sense in taking part in it," Volkov said.

Navalny had said the charge against him was politically motivated and that the verdict would be dictated by Putin.

He denied guilt and pointed out that an initial investigation, over accusations that he had pressured a state forestry company to agree to a disadvantageous deal with a middleman firm, had been closed for lack of evidence.

"DICTATOR"

Navalny is the most prominent opposition leader to be prosecuted in Russia since Soviet times.

Since Putin returned to the presidency after four years as prime minister, women from the punk band Pussy Riot have been jailed for a protest against him in Russia's main cathedral, and 12 opposition activists have gone on trial over violence that erupted at a protest on the eve of his inauguration in May 2012.

Another protest leader, Sergei Udaltsov, is under house arrest in what the opposition says is a crackdown on dissent.

The Kremlin denies that Putin uses the courts for political ends, and the judge rejected Navalny's claim of political motivation. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, did not immediately answer calls after the sentence was pronounced.

Opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, who attended the hearing, said he was shocked. "With today's ruling, Putin has told the whole world he is a dictator who sends his political opponents to prison," Nemtsov told Reuters.

Former finance minister Alexei Kudrin, a longtime Putin ally, said the verdict would hurt activity and the investment climate in Russia, where corruption and a lack of property rights dim the allure of potentially big profits.

William Browder, a Briton who was once one of Russia's biggest foreign equity investors but fell foul of the authorities, referred to the start of Stalin's show trials by saying: "This is like 1937 all over again."

(Additional reporting by Lidia Kelly, Maria Tsvetkova and Alexei Anishchuk in Moscow, Liza Dobkina in St Petersburg; Writing by Steve Gutterman and Timothy Heritage; Editing by Andrew Roche and Michael Roddy)

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Bell ton rescues England

LONDON: Ian Bell's third hundred in successive Ashes matches saw England fight back against Australia in the second Test at Lord's on Thursday.

Ashes-holders England were 289 for seven at stumps on the first day, having been in dire straits at 28 for three when Bell came in.

Yet just when it seemed England had regained control, part-time leg-spinner Steven Smith took three wickets for 18 runs in six overs late in the day.

Tim Bresnan was seven not out and nightwatchman James Anderson four not out at the close.

Bell's 109 was the same score as he made in the second innings of England's 14-run first Test win at Trent Bridge last week, with both these centuries following his 115 in the final match of the 2010/11 Ashes in Sydney.

The 31-year-old was the fourth Englishman to score centuries in three consecutive Ashes Tests after Jack Hobbs, who did it twice, in 1911/12 and 1924/25, Walter Hammond in 1928/29 and Chris Broad, whose son Stuart was in England's side Thursday, in 1986/87.

Bell, together with Warwickshire colleague Jonathan Trott (58) and Jonny Bairstow (67), shared partnerships of 99 and 144.

Yet England's grip was loosened when Smith dismissed Bell, Bairstow and Matt Prior.

After tea, Bell edged a leg-break to Clarke at slip to end a more than five hour innings including 16 fours.

Then 271 for five became 274 for six when Bairstow, still to score a Test century, carelessly chipped a Smith full toss straight back to the bowler.

Smith's purple patch of three wickets for 12 runs in 22 balls continued when Prior was caught behind by Haddin. (AFP)

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Led by oil, cement stocks, KSE gains 120 points

KARACHI: Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) Thursday closed higher at 23, 114.97 points as investors went bullish on cement and oil stocks giving rise to a rally, which resulted in the realization of 120.25 points.

The benchmark KSE 100-Index vaulted by 0.52 percent before the traders called it a day.

Pakistan State Oil Company Ltd strengthened and Maple Leaf Cement Factory Ltd, being among the top gainers, jumped by 2.31 percent to close at Rs339.98 and 4.98 percent to finish higher at Rs27.21 respectively. (Reuters)

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20 accused sexually assault 9th class girl for six months

LODHRAN: As many as 20 accused sexually assaulted a ninth class girl student for six months in district Lodhran, Geo News reported.

Police said the accused managed to record an objectionable video of a ninth class student in Dunyapur area of Lodhran. Later, they continued to blackmail and sexually assaulted her for six months.

They also demanded Rs300,000 from the father of girl for the video and uploaded it on the internet after their demand was not met.

Police, on the complaint of father of ill-fated girl, arrested main accused identified as Inzamam, Ahtasham, Jahangir and Sheeraz and recovered the objectionable video.

Police have registered case under 376 and 292 of the law.

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Top 5 Business Stories to Watch This Week

Boeing & the 787 — The hits just keep on coming for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. The giant plane maker might have thought it had put the grounding and battery problems  in its rear-view mirror, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Boeing has placed a big bet on this new wide-body, long range fleet. So far, demand for the plane has remained solid, but one wonders what will happen if problems linger. Boeing shares fell sharply Friday, down more than 5 percent.  Still, year to date the stock is one of the best performing  in the Dow Jones industrial average, up 35 percent.

Earnings on the Street — Next week, some of the biggest brand names are reporting their quarterly earnings results. How these corporate titans perform and their outlook on the economy going forward will have a big impact on the markets and provide a good read on the strength of the recovery.  Coca-Cola reports on Tuesday; IBM and Intel on Wednesday; Verizon, Google and Microsoft on Thursday; and General Electric on Friday.

Another Week, Another Series of Reads on the Housing Market — On Tuesday, the National Association of Homebuilders releases its monthly survey. This survey will provide insight into the impact of higher mortgage rates on housing activity. On Wednesday, the Housing Starts report for June is released. The expectation is that starts for new homes will rise around 3 percent for June. Additionally, Wednesday is the weekly release of mortgage applications. According to the Freddie Mac mortgage survey, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate has climbed to 4.51 percent as of July 11 from 3.59 percent on May 23.

Gas Prices — Prices at the pump have risen for the past four days and AAA reported on Friday that prices could rise around $0.20 or more over the next two weeks. Will this be a short-lived surge or should drivers expect to see prices keep rising through the rest of the summer? Stay tuned …

Ben Bernanke and Congress — Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is scheduled to deliver a monetary policy report to the House and Senate on Wednesday and Thursday morning. He will likely face lots of questions about the economy, his bond buying stimulus program, and — possibly — who he thinks should replace him when he retires from the Fed. This will be a big event for the markets next week.

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How Penny Stocks Are Creating Millionaires Every Day

You may have noticed a lot of buzz lately about Penny stocks. 

Penny stocks refer to the common stock of smaller public companies that trades for less than a dollar per share.  Like other shares of stock, they are regulated by the SEC and other authorities, but instead of trading on the major markets like the NYSE, they trade on “over-the-counter” markets.

Today, penny stocks are offering smaller investors a great opportunity to earn significant up-side on their investments. The benefits occur for two reasons:

1. It doesn’t take a lot of money to invest in penny stocks.
For the price of just one share in large companies such as Apple or Google, you could buy thousands of shares in many penny stock companies.

2. Penny stocks have the potential for huge returns.
Because the price per share is so low, they can experience huge price increases – sometimes even doubling or tripling in just one day.  Price jumps like this do not often occur with larger companies, but are much more common with penny stocks.

Another great thing about penny stocks is that they trade in exactly the same way as shares of larger companies. You can easily track price movements and buy and sell online, or through a traditional broker.

While there is always risk in owning shares of publicly traded companies, the amount people tend to invest in penny stocks is relatively small, so in those instances, if the price of the stock drops, investors do not lose significant amounts of money.

But, with thousands of different penny stocks to choose from, how should you go about finding the right ones to invest in?

One website that is exclusively devoted to tracking and recommending penny stocks isPennyStocks.com. The site tracks the market for these high potential companies, and then alerts its subscribers with the latest picks. In fact, the site’s track record is pretty amazing.  Every single pick they alerted in 2011 and 2012 rose shortly after their alert, and in one case, the pick skyrocketed from 10 cents to $1.20 in just two weeks. That’s an increase of 1,100 percent!

In another instance, the site’s members saw gains of over 2,500 percent, a number rarely seen in regular stocks.  Of course, much of the ability to recognize a return depends upon when you purchase or sell the penny stocks, and these results are not typical or guaranteed. In some cases, where a promotion ends, the stock prices can go back down to their original amounts – so you have to be diligent with your investment and monitor your trading activity closely.

Best of all, you can subscribe to penny stock newsletter 100 percent free. All you need is an email address.

Their newsletter is gathering an increasingly devoted following and for obvious reasons: Since the newsletter is completely free, it’s very simple to subscribe. Take a look around and track what happens to the stocks they recommend. You will never be asked to pay, and if you don’t like the service for any reason, you can unsubscribe at any time you wish.

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Gay, Powell Test Positive for Banned Substances

The list reads like a Who's Who among the world's best sprinters:

Jamaican Asafa Powell, the former world-record holder at 100 meters.

American champion Tyson Gay, who went out of his way to promote himself as an anti-drug athlete.

Jamaican Sherone Simpson, who has a gold and two silver Olympic medals to her credit.

Word came Sunday that all three had failed drug tests. "A sad day," one former track official called it — and certainly a day that punctured the myth that the oft-troubled sport has cleaned up its act.

"I am not now — nor have I ever been — a cheat," Powell said in a message released through his Twitter account.

The 30-year-old Powell, whose 100-meter record of 9.74 stood until Usain Bolt beat it in 2008, was calling for an investigation as to how a stimulant called oxilofrine entered his system and caused a positive test at Jamaica's national championships in June.

Simpson, who tested positive for the same stimulant, said she "would not intentionally take an illegal substance of any form into my system."

Gay, the American-record holder in the 100, was more contrite, though he wasn't taking full responsibility.

"I don't have a sabotage story. I don't have any lies. I don't have anything to say to make this seem like it was a mistake or it was on USADA's hands, someone playing games," said Gay, who fought back sobs in a telephone interview. "I don't have any of those stories. I basically put my trust in someone and I was let down."

Gay, who won the 100 and 200 meters at U.S. nationals last month, said he would pull out of the world championships.

The 30-year-old, who won the world championship in the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay in 2007, took part in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's "My Victory" program — in which athletes volunteer for enhanced testing to prove they're clean — and his results never raised red flags. Until, that is, an out-of-competition test May 16, where results came back positive for a banned substance, the identity of which neither he nor USADA CEO Travis Tygart would reveal.

Gay said his "B'' sample will be tested soon, possibly as early as this week.

Generally, first-time offenders are hit with two-year bans, though reduced penalties are sometimes given if there are extenuating circumstances, which both Gay and his coach, Lance Brauman, said there were.

"He mentioned that he (trusted) someone and that person was untrustworthy at the end the day," Brauman told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "Maybe I'm naive, but I believe him."

Max Siegel, the CEO of USA Track and Field, said in a statement: "It is not the news anyone wanted to hear, at any time, about any athlete." He said he looked to USADA to handle the case "appropriately."

Siegel's predecessor at USATF, Doug Logan, called it "a sad day."

"But I don't see anything on the horizon that says this will be abated in any way," Logan told AP.

The former CEO recently wrote a column arguing the fight against performance-enhancing drugs in sports should be ceded because, in his view, anti-doping rules make very little headway against a problem that never seems to disappear. He said he wasn't surprised when he heard about Sunday's onslaught of failed tests and didn't put much credence into the excuses and apologies from those who came up positive.

"Over the course of time, culture has bred certain defenses," Logan said. "The reality is, people are using substances to reengineer their bodies or heal better. That's reality."

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Lawsuit claims woman found hanged in California mansion was murdered

The family of a woman whose nude, bound body was found hanging at a California mansion has filed a $10 million lawsuit claiming she was murdered.

The suit was filed Friday in federal court by the family of 32-year-old Rebecca Zahau and seeks general and punitive damages. Zahau was found hanged at a Coronado mansion in July 2011. Her death was ruled a suicide.

But Zahau's family always believed her death was suspicious. The lawsuit claims Adam Shacknai and Dina Shacknai, the brother and ex-wife of Zahua's boyfriend, Jonah Shacknai, and Dina Shacknai's twin sister, Nina Romano, were responsible for the woman's death. The filing of the lawsuit was first reported by 

The lawsuit doesn't provide any specific evidence against the three, but alleges "defendants planned and prepared to batter and murder Rebecca and did thereafter brutally, and with malice aforethought, stalk, attack, choke, bound and hang" Zahau at the mansion belonging to her billionaire boyfriend.  Jonah Shacknai was not named in the lawsuit.

No criminal charges were filed.

Attempts to reach Adam Shacknai, Dina Shacknai and Nina Romano on Sunday were unsuccessful.

Authorities said Zahau killed herself because she was distraught over a fatal fall that Shacknai's 6-year-old son suffered at the house two days earlier. His death was ruled accidental.

Adam Shacknai was staying in a guesthouse at his brother's historic Spreckels mansion at the time of Zahau's death, the U-T reported. Dina Shacknai was staying in a separate vacation home a few blocks away, and Nina Romano had flown in from Sacramento to be with her sister.

Adam Shacknai told police he found Zahau hanging by a rope from a second-story balcony at the mansion, and cut her down. Her hands were bound behind her back, her feet were bound and a T-shirt was wrapped around her lower face.

The remodeled mansion was sold last month for $9 million to the owner of a private aircraft company in Utah.

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Delhi gang-rape: Juvenile accused in court, verdict likely

New Delhi: More than six months after a paramedical student was brutally assaulted and gang-raped by six persons on a moving bus in the national capital, a juveniles' court is expected to pronounce the first verdict in connection with the case on Thursday. 

The verdict will be pronounced by the Juvenile Justice Board, which concluded hearing the case of the teenager (one of the six accused in the case) on July 5 and reserved its order for today (July 11). 

The minor accused was taken to the court this morning amid tight security. Meanwhile, the father, uncle and the brother of the Delhi gang-rape victim also reached the juvenile court to hear the verdict. 

The juvenile, who was 17-year-old at the time of the crime, faces a maximum sentence of three years in a correctional facility if found guilty. 

Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) presided by Principal Magistrate Geetanjali Goel concluded its inquiry that began in March against the juvenile, who, the police claimed, was the "most brutal" of all the six accused persons. 

After hearing the final arguments in the matter, the JJB reserved its order, saying the prosecution and defence could give any clarification they want to on that day. 

The JJB also concluded its inquiry in the case against the juvenile pertaining to robbing Ramadhar, a carpenter, who had boarded the bus on the fateful night of December 16, 2012 and was thrown out before the victim and her male friend were assaulted. 

The girl had died in a Singapore hospital on December 29, 2012.

A native of Uttar Pradesh who had moved to Delhi as an 11-year-old and took up menial jobs, the juvenile was one of the six persons accused in the case. 

While the juvenile faced inquiry before the JJB, the four adult accused are being tried before a fast track court. Key accused Ram Singh was found hanging in Tihar Jail in March and the proceedings against him stand abated. 

During the inquiry, the JJB recorded the statements of six prosecution witnesses including the victim's male friend and also the carpenter. 

The counsel for the juvenile had submitted that there was no medical evidence against him to connect him with the charges and no finger prints could be detected in the bus to show his complicity. 

The defence counsel had claimed that the juvenile had been implicated by the police though neither the victim nor her male friend had done so in their initial statements. 

He had also said that the victim's male friend, who is the complainant in the case, did not depose against him even before the JJB and alleged that Ramadhar, who is said to have identified him as one of the six accused in the bus, had deposed falsely at the behest of the police.

The juvenile had in his statement recorded by the Board during the inquiry claimed innocence and refuted the police version in the charge sheet of him being the "most brutal" of all the accused. 

The juvenile had claimed that he was himself victimised by his employer and prime accused Ram Singh, who, he said, did not pay him for his work. 

Besides the juvenile, four adults facing trial in the case are – Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur. 

They have been charged with gang-rape, murder, criminal conspiracy, unnatural sex and robbery besides other sections of IPC. 

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Egypt unrest: US to go ahead with F-16 jets delivery

The US is going ahead with plans to deliver four F-16 fighter jets to Egypt despite the political unrest in the country, senior American officials say.

This comes as Washington is continuing to evaluate last week's overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi by the army.

US massive military aid to Cairo would have to be cut by law if the removal of the Islamist leader is determined by Washington to have been a coup.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which backs Mr Morsi, is demanding his reinstatement.

Its supporters have been staging mass protests near Cairo's barracks, where he is believed to be being held. On Monday, more than 50 Brotherhood loyalists were killed in clashes with the army.

'In US interests'

The US officials say Washington will deliver four F-16 fighter jets in the next few weeks.

They are part of an already agreed bigger order of 20 planes - eight of which were sent to Egypt in January. The final eight are expected to be shipped later this year.

·         Is Egypt heading for holy war?

White House spokesman Jay Carney on Wednesday reiterated that it would not be "in the best interests of the United States to make immediate changes to our assistance programmes".

He added that the administration would take its time to consider the implications of removing Mr Morsi from power.

US military aid to Egypt is estimated to be $1.3bn (£860m) each year.

President Barack Obama has been careful not to use the word "coup" in relation to the recent events in Egypt to avoid triggering a legal cut-off of aid, the BBC's Katy Watson in Washington reports.

'Strong condemnation'

An Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman has said Mr Morsi is being held in a "safe place" and treated in a "very dignified manner".

Meanwhile, arrest warrants have been issued for the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, and nine senior figures.

They are charged with inciting Monday's deadly violence in the capital.

There are conflicting reports about what happened during the protest outside the Presidential Guard barracks, when more than 50 Brotherhood supporters were killed, as well as a soldier and two policemen.

The Brotherhood says the army fired on peaceful demonstrators and is accusing the interim authorities of a cover up. The military, however, say they acted in self-defence after being attack by armed assailants.

Many Brotherhood members are already in detention and warrants are said to have been been issued for hundreds more.

Adly Mansour's transition timeline

·         Panel formed within 15 days to review constitution

·         Constitutional amendments to be finalised and put to referendum in four months

·         Parliamentary elections to be held by early 2014

·         Presidential elections to be called once new parliament convenesThe new arrest warrants could scupper any attempts to persuade the Brotherhood to participate in the transitional political process, analysts say.

There is a feeling among the protesters that they have returned to the situation they were in under former President Hosni Mubarak, when the movement was banned and its members hunted down, our correspondent adds.

The timetable for new elections, announced in a constitutional declaration by interim President Adly Mansour on Monday evening, laid out plans to set up a panel to amend the suspended constitution within 15 days.

The changes would then be put to a referendum - to be organised within four months - which would pave the way for parliamentary elections, possibly in early 2014.

Once the new parliament convenes, elections would be called to appoint a new president.

However, the Brotherhood's political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party, and main liberal National Salvation Front opposition coalition and the grassroots Tamarod protest movement have all rejected the transition plan.

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Women's Euros 2013: Hosts Sweden held in opener

Hosts Sweden had two second-half penalties saved as they drew 1-1 with Denmark in their Euro 2013 opener.

Mariann Knudsen found the bottom corner to open the scoring for Denmark before Nilla Fischer headed in an equaliser.

In the second half, both sides had chances to take the lead, but Julie Rydahl Bukh could not finish and Lotta Schelin's spot-kick was saved.

Then, with six minutes left, Kosovare Asllani was also thwarted from 12 yards by Denmark goalkeeper Stina Petersen.

Group A - Women's Euros 2013

	Pld	GD	Pts
Denmark	1	0	1
Sweden	1	0	1
Finland	1	0	1
Italy	1	0	1

Earlier, Italy and Finland played out a goalless Group A draw.

The Italians created the majority of the chances in a poor game, with Melania Gabbiadini and Alessia Tuttino going closest to breaking the deadlock.

Sweden and Denmark, however, offered far more quality in an entertaining game played in front of a close-to-capacity crowd of 16,128 at the lively and sun-bathed Gamla Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg.

Pia Sundhage's Swedish team, who are ranked fifth in the world and third favourites for the tournament, were the more direct of the two teams but having created the majority of the chances they will be disappointed with only one point.

They were superbly marshalled in midfield by Caroline Seger but Schelin, who has been billed a star of the tournament, was largely quiet before and after her penalty miss.

The hosts had plenty of other options in attack, though, and they could have been two goals to the good within three minutes as the otherwise impressive Asllani and Seger were off-target after good work from Josefine Oqvist.

Although Kenneth Heiner-Moller's Danish side were less of a threat in attack than their opponents, they went ahead when Knudsen waltzed around the Swedish defence after 25 minutes to strike a fine effort from 16 yards.

Finland hold Italy to Euro draw

It silenced the partisan crowd but it seemed to galvanise the Swedish team, who levelled through Fischer 10 minutes later from a floated free-kick.

The hosts continued to push for another goal in the second half, leaving the Danes an opportunity to break on the counter attack, and in a scintillating passage of play after 65 minutes, both teams should have gone ahead.

Substitute Bukh was one-on-one with with Swedish goalkeeper Kristin Hammarstrom, but her attempted chip was expertly saved.

Within a minute Sweden attacked and Asllani was brought down in the penalty area by Christina Orntoft.

But Schelin's spot-kick was saved by Petersen's fine save diving low to her left.

Sweden's leading scorer then chose not to take the second penalty when Theresa Nielsen was penalised for handball, but Asllani suffered the same fate as her effort towards the Petersen's top right corner was beaten out.

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