Dubai focuses on technology in smart city bid

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) â€" After years of chasing the biggest and the best, the fast-growing Mideast city of Dubai is turning to technology to help the little things in life run more smoothly.

Government officials presented a wide range of projects Wednesday to ruler Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum that are aimed at turning Dubai into what theyre calling a "smart city" ahead of its hosting of the 2020 World Expo.

At a flashy event reminiscent of a Silicon Valley product rollout, they laid out plans for Wi-Fi access in city parks, buses and taxis. Also in the works: systems to help drivers find parking spots, schemes to connect home solar panels to the electric grid and a network of charging stations for electric cars.

Left unsaid was the cost for the projects.

Brazil warms up in style; Spain, France win

LONDON (AP) â€" Brazil showed its national team is in better shape than the countrys stadiums with a 5-0 thrashing of South Africa on Wednesday, and defending champion Spain overcame Italy 1-0 in its final big test before the tournament kicks off, as teams prepared for the World Cup in a series of friendly matches.

With less than 100 days before the opening game, four World Cup stadiums are still under construction in Brazil and much work outside the venues remains to be done.

But in Johannesburg, the five-time world champions proved they are more than ready on the pitch, dispatching the Bafana Bafana with a ruthless display at Soccer City as Barcelona striker Neymar claimed his second career hat trick for the Selecao.

Pedro Rodriguez scored Spains second-half winner in a rematch of the 2012 Euro final that Italy lost 4-0. It was Spains final game before coach Vicente del Bosque names his squad to defend its title.

Argentina superstar Lionel Messi couldnt break Romanias defence as his team was held to a goalless draw. Cristiano Ronaldo was more prolific, as the Ballon dOr winner became Portugals all-time leading scorer Wednesday, netting twice in a 5-1 win over Cameroon.

Ronaldo took his international tally to 49 and overtook Pauleta, who retired in 2006 after scoring 47 goals in 88 games. Ronaldo was making his 110th appearance.

"I knew it would come eventually," Ronaldo said. "Its special because Ive been in the national team for 10 years now. Its all down to hard work."

Former World Cup winners England and Germany put on lame performances but still managed to win.

Belgium, tipped as a serious contender in Brazil, drew 2-2 against Ivory Coast.

Having struggled both on and off the field since reaching the 2006 World Cup final â€" reaching its nadir at the 2010 World Cup when the team went on strike â€" France showed an attractive face to end the Netherlands 17-match unbeaten run with goals from Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema and Blaise Matuidi.

"I thought my defense played well for the first 25 minutes. But we lost our way a bit after the first goal. Its not the defenses fault ... we lost the ball too much in midfield," Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal said through a translator. "We cant afford to give possession away like that. It was a good test against a good team and thats what I told the players."

France regained some credibility with the prestigious win and Benzema continued his fine form. The former Lyon striker has scored 11 in his past 13 games with Real and is winning over the fans after several months of doubt during which he lost his place in Frances starting lineup.

"Hes showing the same form he does for Real Madrid. Hes very precise in everything he does," France coach Didier Deschamps said. "Hes feeling confident and you can see it on his face. Hes beaming because hes full of confidence."

At Wembley, Roy Hodgsons team had a poor game and was held until the 82nd minute when Adam Lallana beat two men and crossed the ball for Daniel Sturridge to head it home.

Germany looked like a shadow of itself at home against Chile but eked out a 1-0 win, with Mario Goetze scoring against the run of play in the 16th minute.

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari fielded a team similar to the one that won the Confederations Cup last year for his players final friendly before the announcement of the World Cup squad.

Neymar took his international tally to 30 goals, with Chelsea playmaker Oscar and Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho also getting on the scoresheet.

Despite Freds poor form over the past few months, Scolari kept faith with the Fluminense striker, who again struggled against the Bafana Bafana and was substituted after 62 minutes. In contrast, the 22-year-old Neymar teased South Africa defenders throughout.

He scored his first goal before the interval with a low left-footed shot, made it 3-0 with a subtle chip and rounded off his teams win from close range. Scolari will name his squad on May 7 and there is no doubt Neymar will be selected if he stays fit.

Having lost his momentum at Manchester United, where he only plays intermittently, Shinji Kagawa scored from the spot and had an assist as Japan continued its preparations for Brazil with a comfortable 4-2 win over New Zealand. The hosts were 4-0 by the 17th minute after Shinji Okazaki scored a brace and Masato Morishige added another goal.

Russia defeated Armenia 2-0 courtesy of first-half goals from Alexander Kokorin and Dmitry Kombarov.

Pedro scores as Spain beats Italy 1-0 in friendly

MADRID (AP) â€" Pedro Rodriguez stole the spotlight from debutant Diego Costa by scoring Spains second-half winner in a 1-0 friendly victory over Italy on Wednesday in a rematch of the 2012 European Championship final.

David Silvas second-half introduction opened up Spains attack and the Manchester City midfielder was involved in the move that finished with Pedro squeezing a powerful shot under goalkeeper Gianlugi Buffon in the 63rd minute.

Italy was more conservative than in its 4-0 defeat by the world champions in the Euro 2012 final in Kiev, with two first-half scoring opportunities the best it could muster in the friendly match.

Diego Costa â€" a Brazilian native â€" had a muted debut, with the Atletico Madrid striker squandering two decent chances and generally looking a subdued version of his prolific club self.

"Im very happy to have finally played for Spain, and to win," Diego Costa said. "The first game is not easy. Im happy but I know I can give a lot more."

Spain dominated Italy to stretch its unbeaten run to 31 games in the last international friendly date before teams announce their squads for the World Cup in Brazil, from June 12-July 13.

Spain started slowly, using its possession and patient passing game in search of openings after Alessio Cerci floated a shot over goalkeeper Iker Casillas and off the far post four minutes into his debut for the Azzurri.

Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa had chances after that before Pablo Osvaldo shot over the bar on the half hour mark for the visitors.

That was it for Italys opportunities as Silva came off the bench after the break to unlock Italys defense, putting Thiago Alcantara through to force a stop from Buffon before sending a shot wide in the 51st.

Silvas run onto Andres Iniestas slick backheel into the area was cut off but Pedro ran on to the ball to score his 14th goal for country.

"The victory helps us gain more confidence for the World Cup," Pedro said at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. "I feel good, Im comfortable in the team and the coach believes in me."

Italy lost midfielder Tiago Motta to injury soon after and, despite coach Cesare Prandellis intentions to equalize through substitutions, it was Diego Costa who sprayed a chance wide in the 80th.

"Diegos integrating into the team and little-by-little hell get used to playing with the team," Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said. "No player can have problems adapting to our style of play."

The European champions, playing in their second, black jersey, paid homage to former coach Luis Aragones before kickoff with a banner dressing the stands alongside a performance of Puccinni.

Obama, Cameron discuss Ukraine, welcome observers

BOSTON (AP) â€" The White House says President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron agree that Russias military presence in Ukraines Crimean Peninsula is unacceptable and welcome an observer mission in the region by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The two men spoke Wednesday as Obama flew on Air Force One from Washington to Hartford, Connecticut. The president was pushing for an increase in the minimum wage and later traveled to Boston to attend a Democratic Party fundraising event.

The White House says Russia is already facing reduced confidence from investors for its actions in Ukraine.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe sent a team of 35 unarmed military personnel to Crimea on Wednesday at the fledgling governments request.

Separately, Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday discussed developments in Ukraine with Latvian President Andris Berzins. The White House said both men, in a phone call, voiced "grave concern" over Russias actions and discussed how to resolve the tensions peacefully. The White House said Biden stressed the U.S. commitment to the security of the Baltic region. Latvia is a member of NATO.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that the U.S. is increasing American participation in NATOs air policing mission in its Baltic countries.

Facebook to delete posts for illegal gun sales

ALBANY, New York (AP) â€" Under pressure from gun control advocates, Facebook agreed Wednesday to delete posts from users seeking to buy or sell weapons illegally or without a background check.

A similar policy will be applied to Instagram, the companys photo-sharing network, Facebook said. The measures will be put into effect over the next few weeks at the worlds largest social network, with 1.3 billion active users.

"We will remove reported posts that explicitly indicate a specific attempt to evade or help others evade the law," the company said in a statement.

The move reflects growing alarm that the Internet is being used to sell banned weapons or put guns in the hands of convicted felons, domestic abusers, the mentally ill or others barred under federal law from obtaining firearms. Gun control advocates say Facebook has become a significant marketplace, with thousands of gun-related posts.

Google Plus and Craigslist already prohibit all gun sales, legal or illegal.

Facebook said that instead of patrolling its network for violators, it will rely on reports from users and police.

The new policy was worked out in an agreement with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who has been pressing the company along with Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group backed by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Moms Demand Action. Moms Demand Action collected more than 230,000 signatures on petitions calling on Facebook to act.

"Responsible social media sites know that it is in no ones interest for their sites to become the 21st-century black market in dangerous and illegal goods that place our families and communities at risk," Schneiderman said.

Chris Cox, executive director of the National Rifle Associations legislative policy arm, portrayed the new policy as a victory for the NRA, saying Bloomberg and those he supports tried â€" and failed â€" to shut down discussion of gun rights on Facebook.

"NRA members and our supporters will continue to have a platform to exercise their First Amendment rights in support of their Second Amendment freedoms," Cox said.

But Tom King, president of the NRAs New York affiliate, warned that the policy could be used to silence gun rights organizations on Facebook.

"This is something that could greatly get out of control very quickly," King said.

The new policy was crafted to deal with the patchwork of laws around America. New York, for example, has some of the nations toughest gun laws. It prohibits the sale of weapons such the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, and it is one of 16 states that require background checks on buyers making private firearm purchases.

Under the new policy, Facebook would allow a user to list an AR-15 as long as it wasnt offered for sale in states where the weapon is illegal.

It will also remove any posts in which a gun seller offers to skip a background check, even if such checks arent required in the sellers state.

"This is one of many areas where we face a difficult challenge balancing individuals desire to express themselves on our services and recognizing that this speech may have consequences elsewhere," Facebook said.

The company already has systems in place to remove advertising that is false and deceptive, and it prohibits ads for illegal drugs, tobacco products and prescription drugs.

Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, complained that Facebook hasnt gone far enough.

"They are talking about a community-based reporting system. Do what these other companies did and shut it down. Shut down the private sales of guns," he said.

Theres no way to know how many guns are sold via Facebook, because the transactions are actually completed offline, said John Feinblatt, chairman of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. But such sales have occurred.

In Kentucky, for example, federal authorities in February charged an Ohio man with illegally selling a 9 mm pistol to a Kentucky teenager in a transaction arranged through Facebook.

Feinblatt said there are "virtual gun shows" online. His group issued a report in December showing 66,000 active ads on a popular gun sales website called Armslist.

Ruling party candidate drops out in Costa Rica

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) â€" Costa Ricas governing party candidate Johnny Araya said Wednesday that he is dropping out of a presidential runoff election and will stop campaigning because polls show his rival with an overwhelming lead.

The announcement appeared to guarantee victory for opposition candidate Luis Solis, who has campaigned on promises to battle corruption and to reactivate the economy in this Central American country of 4 million people.

The April 6 election will still be held and Araya will appear on the ballot because Costa Ricas constitution doesnt allow for candidates to drop out. But the 57-year-old will no longer campaign.

Araya made the announcement after a poll published by the University of Costa Rica had Solis leading by 64 percent to 21 percent. The university questioned 1,200 likely voters by telephone from Feb. 3-13. The survey has a margin of error of three percentage points.

Araya said he made the decision because he didnt want to spend any more money on his campaign.

"The runoff election is looking very difficult and filled with obstacles and our time and resources are limited," he said.

Arayas long-governing National Liberation Party has been weighed down by corruption allegations in a country that has long been considered the most stable in Central America.

Araya, who resigned as mayor of the capital of San Jose last year after 22 years in the post, couldnt overcome discontent over high unemployment during President Laura Chinchillas government.

Few had expected Solis centrist Citizen Action Party to even make the second round of the presidential election, in a country where politics have been dominated for three decades by only two parties, National Liberation and the Social Christian Unity party.

Solis, a 56-year-old historian and social science professor at Costa Rica University, urged Costa Ricans to come out and vote and not assume he has already won the presidency.

"Without that vote put in the ballots boxes, without that vote counted ... I wont be the president elect," Solis said.

Solis, who canceled a trip to Washington after Arayas announcement, said he will continue to visit all the communities he can but without spending too much money.

"We have the confidence and ability to lead the country in the paths of progress," Solis said.

Netanyahu and California gov sign business pact

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (AP) â€" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a swing through the Silicon Valley to meet with high-tech leaders and sign a pro-business agreement with Gov. Jerry Brown.

During a meeting at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, the two emphasized their joint interests in cybersecurity, energy sources and water conservation, and suggested Israel â€" an arid country with a growing population â€" might be able to help California cope with its ongoing drought.

"California doesnt need to have a water problem," Netanyahu said. "Israel has no water problems because we are the number one recyclers of waste water, we stop water leaks, we use drip irrigation and desalination."

Brown said he would welcome their ideas.

"Israel has demonstrated how efficient a country can be, and there is a great opportunity for collaboration," Brown said.

Wednesdays visit follows Netanyahus meetings with President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., on Monday and his appearance Tuesday at the Los Angeles premiere of a television documentary that features him.

This is the first California visit from an Israeli prime minister since 2006, and Netanyahu planned stops at Stanford University, Apple Inc. in Cupertino, as well as a meeting with WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, a Jewish Ukrainian immigrant who sold his company to Facebook Inc. for $19 billion last month.

The agreement the leaders signed follows on several decades of commitments from California and Israel to promote trade, research and economic development.

"The best brains in the world are in Silicon Valley and Silicon Wadi," said Netanyahu, referring to Israels tech startup region. And he asked Brown to help get direct flights between San Francisco and Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu also took a moment to talk about the reports Wednesday of an interception of an Iranian arms shipment to the terrorists in Gaza.

He said the shipment would "rain death and destruction on Israeli civilians and our cities."

"What this reveals is the true face of Iran," he said. "This regime must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons capability."

He thanked Brown for divesting Californias pensions from Iran.

There are hundreds of Israeli firms working in partnership with California companies, and in Silicon Valley ties are particularly tight, with more than 150 Israeli startups based there, according to the consulate general of Israel in Los Angeles. In addition, the California Israel Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Facebook, Oracle Corp., Microsoft Corp., eBay Inc.s PayPal and others.

Joint Venture Silicon Valley President Russell Hancock said Silicon Valley has become a mandatory stop for state visitors; this year both the French and Haitian prime ministers have toured tech giants in the region. And he said the region has many interests in common with Israel.

"Israel is particularly strong in cyber-security, which makes sense given their strong military orientation, use of unmanned air vehicles, and their national security vulnerabilities," he said. "Security is also a valley strength, and destined to be a big growth area for us, so its natural for there to be some convergence between us."

On Tuesday night, Netanyahu attended the premiere in Los Angeles of "Israel: Royal Tour," the latest show in a series that will air on public television stations in which heads of state give tours of their nations.

"Am I at the Oscars?" Netanyahu joked, drawing a laugh as he spoke at Paramount Pictures studio to a group of several hundred local dignitaries and philanthropists.

Maldives’ high mortality from non-communicable diseases could be due to lack of exercise: WHO

World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that Maldives has the highest mortality from non-communicable diseases in South East Asia, which could be a result of the increasing number of vehicles on the roads - or lack of exercise.

Visiting WHO Regional Director for South East Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh said this at a press conference at Traders Hotel today.

“…Third, the number of deaths from non-communicable diseases. In the whole South East Asia region, Maldives has the highest mortality from non-communicable diseases, and that is also something that needs to be looked at very carefully. Why is it so? There are several reasons. Perhaps as I said, you see more vehicles on the roads, people have given up walking the way they used to, and that could be one reason, because there are four risk factors for non-communicable diseases. One is alcohol, two is smoking, three is unhealthy diets, and four is lack of exercise.”

She further said that Maldives needs to focus on the increased prevalence of smoking.

“Our latest WHO polls show that about 40 percent of the population of Maldives is smoking. If 40 percent is smoking, you can think of the effect on the population of those who are not smoking and yet are getting affected by second-hand smoke. This is something that Maldives needs to focus on.”

While this is her first visit to the Maldives since she assumed the post of WHO regional director for South East Asia, Dr Singh has visited Maldives several times before.

“I am no stranger to Maldives. I’ve been coming here for several years. In fact, over the last 15 years, I’ve made several visits to Maldives. Each time I come t Maldives I find some kind of a transition.”

HIV blood transfusion victim gives birth by caesarean

The pregnant woman who was recently given an HIV positive blood transfusion in Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) has given birth by caesarean section to a baby girl.

An official of IGMH said that the woman gave birth earlier this week, and that the baby was in good health. He said that the baby needs to be tested for HIV, and according to the WHO guideline on the matter, this can only be done 14 days after the birth of the baby.

IGMH and Ministry of Health has apologised to the public following the transfusion of HIV positive blood to the pregnant woman.

Minister of Health Dr Maryam Shakeela has assured that measures will be taken to ensure that such incidents are not repeated.

Police have arrested an Indian national for negligence following the blood transfusion incident.

US: Iran must clear up nuclear arms suspicions

VIENNA (AP) â€" The United States says Iran must clear up suspicions it worked on atomic arms if it hopes to get full relief from sanctions choking its economy.

Iran and six world powers now are working on a deal that highlights sanctions relief in exchange for agreement by Tehran to scale back nuclear programs that could be turned toward making a bomb.

But U.S. envoy Joseph Macmanus told the International Atomic Energy Agencys 35-nation board Wednesday that Tehran must also fully cooperate with the IAEA in its probe of the weapons allegations.

He says clearing up suspicions that Iran worked on nuclear arms "will be critical" to any final accord meant to give Tehran full final sanctions relief.

Iran denies wanting â€" or working on â€" such weapons.