Los Angeles (AFP) - Host Jon Stewart will leave the satirical and pioneering "The Daily Show" later this year, his bosses at Comedy Central said, calling him a "comic genius".

The 52-year-old, who took time off in 2013 to direct a film based on an Iranian-Canadian journalist's nightmare in a Tehran jail, has hosted the award-winning show for 16 years.

"His comedic brilliance is second to none," said a statement on the channel's Twitter feed Tuesday, after Stewart made the announcement during a taping of the show.

The "Daily Show", which airs four nights a week in the United States, offers Stewart's trademark sideways take on the news. The show has been running to acclaim since 1999.

"Jon has been at the heart of Comedy Central, championing and nurturing the best talent in the industry, in front of and behind the camera," said the channel.

It added: "Through his unique voice and vision, The Daily Show has become a cultural touchstone for millions of fans and an unparallelled platform for political comedy that will endure for years to come.

"Jon will remain at the helm of The Daily Show until later this year. He is a comic genius, generous with his time and talent, and will always be a part of the Comedy Central family."

The statement gave no indication of what Stewart plans to do after leaving the show.

"The Daily Show" has been a launchpad for numerous comedians over the last decade and a half, including Ed Helms, Steve Carrell, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver.

Colbert left his own "Daily Show" spinoff program "The Colbert Report" last year to replace David Letterman on "The Late Show" in 2015, while Oliver launched his own show, "Last Week Tonight, with John Oliver."

Stewart and "The Daily Show" have won 20 Primetime Emmys over the years, as well as numerous other awards, according to the IMDb industry database.

Politicians have grown used to being the butt of Stewart's jokes, while many -- including President Barack Obama -- agree to be interviewed by him.

Former White House advisor David Axelrod was one of the latest to appear on the show, tweeting Tuesday: "Just had the honor of being the great Jon Stewart's guest on @TheDailyShow, where he announced he's leaving.

"Emotional night. #jonstewart"

But his targets were not limited to politicians. Among his latest victims was embattled NBC television anchor Brian Williams, whose network announced Tuesday that he was being suspended for six months off without pay for embellishing an Iraq war story.

Stewart joked this week that Williams was suffering from "infotainment confusion syndrome."

Stewart's film debut, "Rosewater", grew out of interviews that Maziar Bahari gave "The Daily Show" after he was held in solitary confinement and tortured for 118 days during the post-election protests that gripped Iran in 2009.

Stewart -- one of America's most-watched political comedians and host of "The Daily Show" for 14 years -- adapted a script from Bahari's best-selling account of his ordeal, "Then They Came for Me".

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Liverpool (AFP) - Liverpool assistant manager Colin Pascoe said Mario Balotelli's long-awaited first Premier League goal for the Reds could kickstart the striker's spluttering Anfield career.

Balotelli came off the bench to net a dramatic winner seven minutes from time in Tuesday's 3-2 victory as Brendan Rodgers' side boosted their hopes of a top-four finish.

It was the Italy international's first goal for Liverpool in 13 league games, and his first in the English top flight since he scored for Manchester City against Wigan in 2012.

Pascoe hopes Balotelli's struggles will now become a thing of the past and that the enigmatic 24-year-old, who had previously scored only twice in all competitions this season, can take confidence from the goal.

"I hope it can be a springboard, he is training hard," Pascoe said. "It's testament to him that's he kept going and got his reward. It was great movement from Mario in the six-yard box and a good finish."

The Reds had twice led through Lazar Markovic and a Steven Gerrard penalty, only to be pegged back by goals from Tottenham's Harry Kane and Mousa Dembele.

However, Balotelli came off the bench to strike the decisive blow and secure the points against one of Liverpool's rivals for a Champions League spot.

Liverpool now lie seventh in the table, one place behind Spurs and only three points off the all-important top four.

"The last couple of weeks Mario's been ill," Pascoe added. "And he has had some knocks on his foot and he couldn't get his boot on. So it's great that he scored the winner

"To get a winner at Anfield, he is immensely happy."

- Gerrard hamstring -

Pascoe also revealed that Liverpool captain Gerrard was withdrawn in the second half as a preventative measure because of a slight hamstring problem.

"Steven felt his hamstring and felt he had to come off," Pascoe said. "He could feel it a little. But it was an important win, it was a great win and we deserved it."

Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino urged his players not to let the defeat affect their performances as they try to secure a place in the Champions League.

"The players are very disappointed, sad and tired but we have to accept football is like this," he said. "I am proud of the effort and we have to look forward.

"We are disappointed with the result because I think one point would have been fair for both teams. It was a great game, we played well but this is football."

However, Pochettino was disappointed with some of the defensive lapses in the first half.

"In the first half we gave Liverpool some chances and made some mistakes," he said.

"We give many balls away and easy balls. We give Liverpool the ball and they play on the counter-attack. But we deserved more from this game."

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Sydney (AFP) - The International Cricket Council has warned players they face possible suspension if they cross the line and misbehave at this month's World Cup.

ICC chief David Richardson said match referees will be empowered to crack down on aggressive sledging, overzealous send-offs of dismissed batsmen or on-field altercations that could taint cricket's global showpiece.

Richardson said players at the World Cup have been put on notice that the penalty for crossing the line will be "a little bit more serious or higher than before".

"The crackdown has already started," Richardson told reporters on Tuesday.

"First offence you'll likely end up with a fine, which no player likes.

"Repeat offence ... some players already sitting with some offences behind their name, will be punished with a suspension.

"We're not expecting too much trouble. Hopefully, those who get a little bit excited on occasions will keep their calm."

Volatile Australia batsman David Warner is one player who faces a suspension should he fall foul of the umpires over the next six weeks of the World Cup.

Warner has been twice found guilty of code-of-conduct breaches this season, having exchanged words with India paceman Varun Aaron in the first Adelaide Test then demanded India's Rohit Sharma "speak English" during a one-dayer in Melbourne.

Warner said the issue of sledging had been overplayed.

"When you're fielding on the boundary and you're copping it from the crowd, that's worse than when they're sledging out in the middle," Warner told Melbourne radio station 3AW.

Former New Zealand cricketer Martin Crowe recently called for an introduction of yellow and red disciplinary cards, labelling Warner the "most juvenile cricketer I have seen".

"The officials must step in now. There are others who are borderline, but Warner is the worst culprit," Crowe said.

"Do we wait for blood to be spilt on the pitch, lawsuits to follow?"

Richardson suggested the merits of a card system had been debated at ICC cricket committee meetings but it was unlikely to be adopted in the near future.

"Let's leave it with the match officials, they've been directed to take a firmer approach and a more consistent approach," he said.

"Let's see how that goes before we consider anything else."

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Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama confirmed the death of US hostage Kayla Mueller, as warplanes from Gulf ally the United Arab Emirates rejoined the battle against her captors from the Islamic State group.

Obama vowed that Washington would hunt down the jihadists it held responsible for the 26-year-old aid worker's death, as her family spoke of their heartbreak at losing "a free spirit."

"No matter how long it takes, the United States will find and bring to justice the terrorists who are responsible for Kayla's captivity and death," Obama said in a statement.

Mueller was captured in August 2013 in Aleppo, the war-ravaged city in northern Syria.

IS claimed last week she had been killed in an air strike by a Jordanian warplane in Raqa, the militant group's self-proclaimed "capital," also in Syria, where foreign fighters are flocking at an "unprecedented" rate to join IS and other extremists, US intelligence officials said.

US officials on Tuesday said they remained skeptical of the IS claims Mueller died in an air strike, noting there had been no evidence of civilians at that site before it was targeted.

"That certainly would call into question the claims that are made by ISIL," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, using an alternate acronym for IS, which has grabbed large areas of Iraq and Syria in a brutal offensive of beheadings and forced religious conversions.

The White House said IS had sent Mueller's distraught family a "private message" that was "authenticated" by intelligence, allowing them to confirm her death. The Washington Post reported that Mueller's parents had been sent a photo of their daughter's lifeless body.

"Our hearts are breaking for our only daughter, but we will continue on in peace, dignity, and love for her," her parents Carl and Marsha Mueller said.

In a letter released by her relatives, Mueller said she took strength during captivity in her faith in God and the love of her family.

"I have been shown in darkness, light + have learned that even in prison, one can be free," said a handwritten letter by Mueller which was smuggled out by fellow captives following their release by Islamic State jihadists

She also revealed times of doubt and darkness, but also resolve as she summoned the will to keep going.

- Pilot's gruesome death -

Early Tuesday, warplanes from the UAE launched anti-IS air strikes, as the important Arab ally in the US-led coalition against the IS extremists resumed combat operations.

The F-16s hit their targets and returned safely to base, the UAE military said, without saying what their targets were.

Following the December crash and capture in Syria of Jordanian F-16 pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh, the UAE withdrew from coalition strike missions, fearing for the safety of its pilots.

The jihadists later killed Kassasbeh by burning him alive, releasing gruesome video footage of his "execution."

The coalition began air strikes against IS in Syria on September 23, but has pointedly refused to coordinate with Damascus.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon said coalition aircraft had launched one strike in eastern Syria in the 24 hours to 0600 GMT, and also pounded the jihadists in Iraq with 11 strikes.

But underlining the scale of the task facing Washington and its allies, the US government's National Counter-Terrorism Center (NCTC) said that about 20,000 volunteers from around the world had bolstered the ranks of the IS or other extremist groups in Syria.

That was up from a previous in January of roughly 19,000, according to NCTC.

- 'There is no dialogue' -

Syria has grudgingly accepted the air strikes against IS, but has repeatedly criticized the coalition for failing to coordinate with it.

It says the raids cannot defeat IS unless the international community starts cooperating with Syrian troops on the ground.

In an interview broadcast by the BBC, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad confirmed there was no cooperation with the coalition, members of which he accused of backing "terrorism" -- an apparent reference to their support for other rebel groups fighting to overthrow him.

"Sometimes, they convey a message, a general message. There is no dialogue. There's, let's say, information, but not dialogue," Assad said, adding the messages were conveyed via a third party.

In response, the United States denied that it was coordinating air strikes either directly or indirectly with the Syrian regime and renewed calls for Assad to go.

Assad forces have been accused of indiscriminate bombardment of civilians in rebel-held areas, including with barrel bombs -- crude munitions packed with explosives and shrapnel.

But Assad flatly denied the allegation as a "childish story."

"I haven't heard of the army using barrels, or maybe cooking pots," he said, laughing.

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Athens (AFP) - Greece's new anti-corruption tsar Panagiotis Nikoloudis has been tasked with recovering 2.5 billion euros ($2.8 billion) for the debt-strapped government's coffers through a ruthless crackdown on tax evasion.

The former Supreme Court deputy prosecutor and Greece's first ever anti-corruption minister told AFP he was itching to tackle the scourge blamed for the country's financial woes and its lack of credibility among its EU peers.

"I've heard so many times 'we're going to fight corruption', always 'we're going to, we're going to', and I was speechless, thinking 'but why don't we do it now?'" the 65-year old said in an interview.

"If the new government has come to see me it's because it really wants to act," said the bushy-eyebrowed minister, who describes himself as a stubborn man who "never stops, even when I hit a wall".

Waging war on corruption was one of the left-wing government's electoral promises, and Nikoloudis is under pressure to produce results that can be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Greece's creditors.

His said his first mission was to hunt down and recover several billion euros of undeclared taxes.

- 'Time is our problem' - 

As the outgoing head of the independent money laundering authority, Nikoloudis has already handed 3,200 files to the Financial Crimes Squad (SDOE), which he believes are almost entirely "the fruits of tax evasion".

The cases, which involve hundreds of bank accounts in Greece and abroad, are estimated to be worth some 6.4 billion euros, of which 2.5 billion euros ($2.83 billion) are owed to the government, he said.

Such funds are desperately needed to finance a series of urgent social measures that the government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has promised to implement to help Greeks hit hardest by a six-year recession.

The files are just a small part of the 28,000 cases that the money laundering authority has combed through since 2011, but they are "the most glaring, the most serious".

The key to recovering the money, Nikoloudis says, lies in overhauling a cumbersome bureaucratic system in which endless red tape creates a "bottleneck" at tax offices where cases grind to a halt.

If he cannot change the system "it will be a failure for the large part, because the tax will be paid one day -- but when? Time is our problem," he said.

He would like to see a simpler method, where evaders are offered a partial amnesty to coax them into paying up.

The SDOE crimes squad "is an organisation that has a stigma attached to it -- half the people there are said to be corrupt. I don't deny there is some truth in it," he said.

Nikoloudis is relying on his own squeaky clean reputation to inspire his troops.

"Everyone deserves a second chance. I'm going to ask the staff if they can work in line with my principles," he said, admitting that "some people will not change."

After tax evasion, he promises to move against other financial crimes such as cigarette and fuel smuggling.

"An EU ambassador once told me we could solve our debt problem by optimising our customs offices," he said.

But Nikoloudis is nothing if not a realist.

"I do not plan to solve everyday corruption. I am no Don Quixote," he said.

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Vail (United States) (AFP) - Christoph Noesig defeated Trevor Philp to ensure Austria defended its team event crown with a 3-1 victory over Canada at the World Alpine Ski Championships.

Noesig on Tuesday stormed down the slalom-style course in 22.84 seconds to finish 0.11 ahead of the Canadian in the lone team competition for national squads at the biennial global showdown.

Sweden took the bronze with a 3-1 victory over Switzerland.

Canada was a surprise finalist, sneaking past Sweden in the semi-finals after ousting Italy in the quarter-finals and Germany in the first round.

Marcel Hirscher, Michaela Kirchgasser and Noesig all won their head-to-head races for Austria against the Canadians.

"It is my second event and I grabbed gold so I can't ask for more," said World Cup points leader Hirscher who claimed his second gold medal of the championships after having won the super-combined on Sunday.

The team event has been staged five times at the Worlds with Austria now winning three gold. France won the title in 2011.

Kirchgasser is the only person to have won three career gold medals in the team event as she and Hirscher went a perfect 4-0 on Tuesday.

Kirchgasser has just one head-to-head defeat to Anemone Marmottan in the final of the 2011 event.

Phil Brown, Erin Mielzynski and Candace Crawford also skied in the final for upstart Canada, who were ranked 10th heading into the competition.

Mielzynski upset technical specialist Eva-Maria Brem by 0.26 in the opening race of the finals before the Austrians won three races in a row.

"I think we are all proud and I am proud of everyone on this team," said Mielzynski. "Everyone fought, it was a close final and it feels good to stand on the podium, especially as a team."

Austria beat Argentina, Norway and Switzerland to reach the final. The Norwegians were without their two stars, Aksel Lund Svindal and Kjetil Jansrud, who flew back to Europe to prepare for the remainder of the World Cup season. 

Mikaela Shiffrin made her competition debut in front of her hometown fans Tuesday for the US. The 19-year-old won both her head-to-head races but the American team was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Sweden.

Lindsey Vonn did not race for the Americans, choosing to take the day off and rest her surgically-repaired right knee which she said was bothering her after Monday's ladies super-combined event. 

Vonn will take part in training Wednesday to try and get ready for Thursday's giant slalom race.

The team competition took place at Golden Peak Stadium in downtown Vail rather than the mountainside community of Beaver Creek, which hosts all other championship events.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said talks are ongoing with the International Ski Federation for the team event to be added to the Olympics lineup.

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Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Yaya Toure believes Manchester City can win all of their remaining Premier League fixtures and successfully defend their title.

Manuel Pellegrini's team have slipped to seven points behind leaders Chelsea with 14 matches left to play, the first of which is against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Wednesday.

City have failed to win in their last five matches, a run that has coincided with Toure's absence due to Africa Cup of Nations commitments with Ivory Coast.

Toure helped his country win the continental competition on Sunday with a penalty shootout victory over Ghana in the final and is due back in Britain this week.

However, Pellegrini has said it would be "impossible" for Toure or compatriot Wilfried Bony to feature against Stoke and that their return to the Premier League is likely to come against Newcastle United on February 21.

After triumphing with his country, Toure, 31, is ready to inspire his club to glory.

"With my confidence I know football is not about one game or two games, especially in the Premier League," he said.

"We have 38 games and if we want to achieve it (winning the title) we have to win all the games.

"I know it is difficult but now I have to go back and do my duty again."

After being held by Hull, Manchester City are unlikely to take the prospect of facing Stoke lightly, especially after Mark Hughes' team enjoyed a surprising 1-0 victory when the teams met at the Etihad Stadium in August.

Jesus Navas says Pellegrini's team can ill afford any similar slips.

"Stoke are a team who are very well organised and very disciplined," said Navas.

"As we saw in the first game, if you are not focused and even momentarily lose concentration, they can hurt you – just as they did at the Etihad.

"We were disappointing that day but Stoke played very well and won a game they perhaps weren’t expected to win. They are playing very well at the moment and unless we have to be at our best from start to finish.

"We know from experience that playing at Stoke can be similar in many ways, especially if their fans are behind them throughout so we have to try and get on top early and perhaps quieten the home support."

The Potters have lost just one of the last nine games in all competitions, while victory over Queens Park Rangers on January 31 extended an unbeaten record on home soil to four games.

"We're looking forward to it and it's important that we keep our impressive run going," Hughes said.

"We are playing really well at the moment and I am pleased with the form we are showing so we need to keep it going.

"It won't be easy, Manchester City are a little bit of a wounded animal at the moment and have got a little bit of criticism for their home form.

"We need to be ready for them, but we're playing very well at the moment so bring it on."

Stoke salvaged a point against Newcastle United on Sunday thanks to Peter Crouch's late header.

It was the former England striker's fifth Premier League goal of the season, during which he has been used sparingly by his manager.

Of the 34-year-old's 22 league appearances, nine have come as a substitute.

"He's understandably been a little disappointed of late because he hasn't started games, but he came on and invariably made a massive impact for us," Hughes said.

"That's the type of player he is. He's a solid professional whether he starts games or comes off the bench.

"Again that's a credit to him because it shows he is fully engaged and readily prepared for every game he plays in."

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Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama spoke to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, stressing his commitment to reach an investment treaty that could redefine bilateral trade ties.

Obama "reiterated his commitment to pursue a high-standard and comprehensive bilateral investment treaty," officials said describing the call. 

"The President encouraged China to continue its move toward consumption-led growth and a market-determined exchange rate," they said.

The treaty is still a work in progress but could make trade considerably easier between the world’s two largest economies.

Xi is among a host of Asian leaders who will visit the White House later this year.

The Chinese leader will come on an official state visit, a symbolic move that will see the red carpet rolled out.

On the back of a bilateral agreement to curb climate change, Obama looked ahead to reaching a multilateral agreement at a major climate summit in Paris in December.

But ties are not without problems.

Obama also "called for swift work to narrow our differences on cyber issues."

China has been accused of involvement in a series of hacking scandals involving state and corporate targets. 

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Miami (AFP) - Attempts to curb climate change by capturing carbon underground or geo-engineering to help the Earth better reflect incoming sunlight are nowhere near ready for use, a US panel of scientists said.

"There is no substitute for dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the negative consequences of climate change," said the National Research Council in a two-part report on proposed climate-intervention techniques.

"If society ultimately decides to intervene in Earth's climate, any actions should be informed by a far more substantive body of scientific research, including ethical and social dimensions, than is presently available."

The panel urged against "albedo-modification technologies, which aim to increase the ability of Earth or clouds to reflect incoming sunlight," saying they "pose considerable risks and should not be deployed at this time."

Such techniques "would only temporarily mask the warming effect caused by high CO2 concentrations, and present serious known and possible unknown environmental, social, and political risks, including the possibility of being deployed unilaterally," said the report.

Carbon dioxide removal is better understood "but current technologies would take decades to achieve moderate results and be cost-prohibitive at scales large enough to have a sizeable impact," it added.

"Direct air capture of carbon is an immature technology with only laboratory experiments carried out to date and demonstration projects in progress," the report said.

"Technologies for storing the captured carbon are at an intermediate stage, but only prototypes exist and are not at the scale required for significant sequestration."

Other techniques such as forest restoration and low-till agriculture are "mature, readily deployable technologies with well-known environmental consequences," the report said.

It also warned against ocean-based approaches to accelerate natural removal of carbon dioxide, saying they "carry significant environmental and socio-political risks."

The study was sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences, the US intelligence community, the US space agency NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of Energy.

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Jon Stewart announced he’ll leave “The Daily Show” later this year on Tues. during a live taping of the Comedy Central show. 

Stewart, who has hosted the show for nearly 17 years, has been a staple to late night on Comedy Central since Jan. 11 1999 when he took over for Craig Kilbourn. 

While Stewart’s “Daily Show” is now known for everything from its election coverage, entitled “InDecision," to a light segment at the show's end called “Moment of Zen,” where did it all start?

Thanks to Comedy Central’s online archive footage of the show, we were able to find Stewart’s first appearance on the show in 1999. 

Stewart’s debut episode involved making jabs at former president Bill Clinton, the cartoon character Popeye, and the NBA.  

Halfway through the show, Stewart takes a moment to address the audience about taking over “The Daily Show”:

“I’m a new member of this family, your family, ... and I'll be here for you every night. And while we may never be a family of love, I hope that we can sit together at meal times ... in absolute silence pretending not to notice that Jimmy is gay." 

Future “Colbert Report” host Stephen Colbert even appeared on the episode as “The Daily Show” political correspondent.

Stewart’s first guest was Michael J. Fox where they chatted about Fox’s ABC show “Spin City,” fashion, and Heidi Klum.

Other than darker hair and a suit that looks slightly oversized for his first day, it’s the same old charming, quick-witted Stewart.

Check out the opening scene from the episode below, and watch more clips from Stewart's premiere episode on Comedy Central here.

SEE ALSO: The moment Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai left Jon Stewart speechless

AND: Stewart will leave "The Daily Show" as the highest-paid late-night TV host

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At the end of "The Daily Show" Tuesday evening, host Jon Stewart told his live audience that after 17 years, he'll finally leave the night show later this year.

Throughout the 3:21 clip, you can tell it's really hard for the host to hold back tears as he tries everything in his power to stop himself from getting teary-eyed: he slams down on his desk with his hand repeatedly, looks up at the ceiling, and tries to get light hearted any time things start to get a little too serious.

He nearly is moved to tears when a few in the crowd yell out, "We love you Jon!"

Stewart says he's not sure of his final day on air. He mentions that his contract is up in Sept., but that his last day "might be December, might be July."

He also emphasizes that he doesn't have any specific plans for the future, yet, but that he does have "a lot of ideas."

More than anything, it sounds like he's really looking forward to sitting down and eating a meal on a week night with his family.

Watch Stewart break the news to his unsuspecting audience below:

SEE ALSO: Jon Stewart on his first episode of "The Daily Show" in 1999

AND: Jon Stewart will leave "The Daily Show" as the highest-paid late-night TV host

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Here are the 10 most pressing things you need to know in markets today.

The emergency Eurogroup meeting is today. The eurozone's finance ministers meet with the intention of discussing Greece's tense situation. Any indication that they will or will not agree to a bridging loan, which would tide the Greek government over for six months, will likely be a big market mover.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras easily won a parliamentary vote backing his stance. pledging never to allow Greece to return to the era of austerity and bailout programs. Tsipras, who controls 149 lawmakers from his leftist Syriza party, won the backing of 162 deputies in the 300-seat parliament for his pledge never to allow Greece to return to the era of austerity and bailout programs. 

Oil services firm Halliburton is laying off thousands more employees. Halliburton announced Tuesday that it will lay off between 5,000 and 6,500 employees, according to the Houston Business Journal. These cuts come as tumbling oil and gas prices have caused its output to decline. The company had announced last December that it was laying off 1,000 employees. 

Fiat Chrysler's CEO says he can see the end of European "hell". According to the Financial Times, the automaker told a New York audience "After six or seven years of hell [in Europe] we are finally beginning to see the first steps of the purgatory. I think 2015 appears to be, from what I can tell, a relatively benign start of a recovery process."

Samsung is spending $3.6 billion (£2.36 billion) on a new production line. Samsung Display, a subsidiary of South Korean tech giant Samsung, said on Wednesday it will invest 4 trillion won ($3.6 billion) in a new organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel production line in South Korea. The line will make medium and small-sized OLED displays for consumer electronics devices like smartphones. 

China and the US discussed an investment pact. President Barack Obama spoke to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, stressing his commitment to reach an investment treaty that could redefine bilateral trade ties. Obama "reiterated his commitment to pursue a high-standard and comprehensive bilateral investment treaty," officials said describing the call.

One of China's top central bankers says the country's economy is more sustainable now. China's economy is now more sustainable and domestic consumption is steadily rising, Chinese Central Bank Vice Governor Yi Gang told a G20 meeting of finance officials earlier this week.

Apple is spending $850 million (£557.53 million) on a giant solar farm. The facility is being built with First Solar and will cover 1,300 acres. Cook said that it would be more than enough to power its new campus in Cupertino, which is being built right now. It will cost $850 million to build, but CEO Tim Cook said it would save the company money on energy costs in the long run. 

French networking startup Sigfox raised €100 million ($113.2 million) from two huge firms. French start-up Sigfox has raised €100 million from seven heavy-weight investors to help it build new networks globally to connect everything from washing machines to smart meters to the Internet, sources said. Investors include Spain's Telefonica and France's GDF Suez, the sources said.

Asian stocks are mostly down. The Nikkei finished 0.33% lower, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng is down 0.83% ahead of the close. The Shanghai composite index is currently up 0.32%.

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NOW WATCH: This real-life cyborg has an antenna implanted into his skull

Minsk (AFP) - Leaders from Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany were due to hold last-ditch peace talks Wednesday aimed at halting 10 months of conflict in east Ukraine that has claimed over 5,400 lives.

The crunch summit is the climax of a frantic diplomatic push by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande to prevent the worst East-West crisis since the end of the Cold War from escalating.

For the first time since October, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will come face-to-face with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin -- who Kiev and its Western allies accuse of masterminding the pro-Russian rebellion -- in an effort to thrash out a truce.

"Tomorrow's meeting in Minsk is one of the last chances to declare an unconditional ceasefire and withdraw heavy artillery," Poroshenko said in a statement Tuesday.

If the talks fail, US President Barack Obama has warned that Washington may decide to start providing arms to Ukraine, a step many European leaders have been desperately trying to avoid.

On Tuesday, Obama spoke to Putin by phone and sought to pressure him to rein in the rebels and embrace the chance for peace.

"If Russia continues its aggressive actions in Ukraine, including by sending troops, weapons, and financing to support the separatists, the costs for Russia will rise," the White House said.

Western diplomats, however, warn the warring sides remain deadlocked over key issues, and that there is no guarantee of reaching a conclusive accord that might end resurgent fighting.

"Nothing is certain yet, and holding a summit does not mean it will lead to success," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said. 

- New proposals, old plans -

The plan to be discussed is based largely on flouted peace agreements between Kiev and the rebels in September. The hope is that, at minimum, a ceasefire to halt fighting that has killed hundreds of civilians in recent weeks can be agreed upon in Minsk. 

In lower-level talks in the city on Tuesday ahead of the summit, the separatists submitted their settlement proposals but warned that "it is too soon to speak about a ceasefire".

A key sticking point is whether a new deal will extend rebel control over some 500-square kilometres (200-square miles) of territory seized over the past month.

As the peace bid headed to the wire, fighting has raged on the ground with both sides trying to strengthen their hands at the negotiating table. 

Rebel rockets on Tuesday killed 15 people and wounded 63 around the government's military headquarters for the war-torn east in the town of Kramatorsk, well behind the volatile frontline.

Insurgent fighters have been battling for weeks to take the key transport hub of Debaltseve, while Ukrainian forces on Tuesday captured ground around the key port city of Mariupol.  

Kiev is desperate to get Putin -- who has watched Western sanctions and low oil prices batter the Russian economy -- to put pen to paper on a deal.

The former KGB spy has consistently told Kiev it needs to reach an agreement with the rebels, not with him. 

Moscow is pushing for the separatist-held territories to be granted a large degree of autonomy, while Ukraine is demanding it gets control back over some 400 kilometres (250 miles) of its border with Russia. 

Kiev and the West accuse Putin of pouring soldiers and troops into Ukraine to spearhead the insurgency, but Moscow flatly denies it is behind the fighting.

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All of the eurozone's finance minister's meet today, with just one subject in mind: Greece.

The extraordinary meeting of the Eurogroup (the body of finance ministers) was called last week. It's become clear that the Greek government will not agree to an extension of the country's bailout, and will effectively run out of cash in the near future if nothing is done.

Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis wants the ministers to agree to a bridging loan for the country. That would tide Athens' finances over for a few months, while the radical new government tries to negotiate a wider deal on Greece's debt and austerity measures.

Since 2010, Greece's governments have been bound by the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2010, which approved the country's bailout. That's kept the cash flowing, but it's also guaranteed massive austerity measures, privatisations and other reforms. Many ordinary Greeks blame their grim economic situation on this deal.

Here are the lines we've had from the meeting already:

• According to Greece's Kathimerini newspaper, Dutch finance minister and Eurogroup chair Jeroen Dijsselbloem says the finance ministers are "extremely willing" to find a solution. 
• But that may not be the consensus view. One European official told news agency MNI that "the Greeks are digging their own graves."
• German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who is likely to be leading opposition to a new deal, says "it's over" and Greece "can't negotiate something new" according to Bloomberg.
• Greece has already watered down its demands in comparison to Syriza's radical election platform. There's a good breakdown of what they're asking for over at Reuters.
• In a speech last night Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis declared a "post-bailout era" according to the Guardian.

Any major lines out today that suggest reluctance or willingness to embrace some sort of deal have the potential to massively move markets today.

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Lille (France) (AFP) - 08:15 GMT - WELCOME TO AFP'S LIVE REPORT on the trial of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, expected to take the stand for a second day to defend himself against pimping charges.

Appearing at the Palais de Justice in Lille on Monday, the former IMF chief denied knowing the women he had orgies with were prostitutes and said paying for sex would be too great a risk for a man of his position.

Ex-prostitutes described in detail group sex scenes involving the 65-year-old, who faces charges of "aggravated pimping" in an alleged vice ring.

DSK, as he is known in France, admits being a libertine but says he never knew the women involved were paid sex workers.

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Washington (AFP) - The United States and Britain have closed their embassies in Yemen and pulled out staff due to fears over the security situation, officials said.

"On February 11, 2015, due to the deteriorating security situation in Sanaa, the Department of State suspended embassy operations and US Embassy Sanaa American staff were relocated out of the country," a State Department travel warning said.

"All consular services, routine and/or emergency, have been suspended until further notice," it added.

In addition, US nationals were urged to leave Yemen, it said.

"The Department urges US citizens to defer travel to Yemen and those US citizens currently living in Yemen to depart," it stressed citing: "the high security threat level in Yemen due to terrorist activities and civil unrest."

Britain's Foreign Office in London said Wednesday operations at its embassy had been suspended "temporarily".

"The security situation in Yemen has continued to deteriorate over recent days," Tobias Ellwood, the Foreign Office minister with responsibility for the Middle East, said.

"Regrettably we now judge that our embassy staff and premises are at increased risk. 

"We have therefore decided to withdraw diplomatic staff and temporarily suspend the operations of the British Embassy in Sana’a. 

"Our ambassador and diplomatic staff have left Yemen this morning and will return to the UK."

The Shiite Muslim militia that has grabbed power in Sanaa warned Tuesday against any attempts to "destabilize" Yemen as the UN brokered a second day of talks aimed at resolving the crisis.

The country has never managed to achieve stability since longtime president Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down in early 2012 after a bloody year-long popular uprising.

This includes battling an Al-Qaeda insurgency and facing a separatist movement in the formerly independent south.

Matters worsened in September when the Huthi militia, fearful of being marginalized by a proposed new constitution, seized control of the capital and began pushing southward into Sunni Muslim areas.

UN envoy Jamal Benomar has warned that Yemen is at a "crossroads", and urged political leaders to "take up their responsibilities and achieve consensus" as he battles for a negotiated solution.

The United States pressed for progress on that front.

"We reiterate the call of the United Nations Security Council for immediate release of President Hadi, Prime Minister Bahah, and members of the Yemeni cabinet. An inclusive political process cannot resume with members of the country’s leadership under house arrest," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

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Sydney (AFP) - New Zealand hammered home their status as World Cup dark horses with an emphatic 134-run warm-up win over South Africa on Wednesday while whipping boys Zimbabwe stunned Sri Lanka by seven wickets.

Just three days out from the start of the marathon six-week event, both South Africa -- who rested match-winners Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn -- and Sri Lanka looked lacklustre.

In Christchurch, Kane Williamson top-scored with a 53-ball 66, dotted with nine fours. Skipper Brendan McCullum smashed a typically muscular 59 off 45 balls with seven fours and a six.

Their efforts lifted the home side to an impressive 331-8 in 50 overs.

Seamers Vernon Philander, Wayne Parnell and Kyle Abbott all took two wickets each but strike bowler Morne Morkel went wicketless, conceding 31 runs off seven overs.

New Zealand pace bowler Trent Boult showed the vaunted Proteas attack how to make the most of the conditions at the Hagley Oval with the 22-year-old returning 5-51 off 9.2 overs.

It could have been more embarrassing for South Africa but JP Duminy (80 not out) and Philander (57) lifted their side from 62-6 with a 121-run seventh-wicket stand, which put a little gloss on the gloomy picture.

"We are not too fazed about the result. It's about time in the middle, and overs under the belt," said Duminy after his team were bowled out for a paltry 197.

Come Sunday, when South Africa face Zimbabwe in their first pool match at Hamilton, "we will be ready to go -- we won't read too much into this", he insisted.

"Everybody got a bit out of it. It's nice to take wins but we are happy with where we are."

Boult said the game helped his chances of selection for a starting spot on Saturday when New Zealand open their World Cup campaign at home to 1996 champions Sri Lanka.

"There's a good amount of competition amongst us bowlers. I enjoyed today, it was coming out well at both ends of the wicket," said Boult.

"We wanted to get the most out of the opportunity."

Zimbabwe warmed up for Sunday's clash against South Africa with a shock seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka at Lincoln.

Sri Lanka, who were also World Cup runners-up in 2007 and 2011, posted a challenging 279-8 in 50 overs with Dimuth Karunaratne top-scoring on 58 and Jeevan Mendis making 51.

Slow left-arm bowler Sean Williams helped apply the brakes with 3-35 in 10 overs.

In reply, Hamilton Masakadza smashed 117 not out at almost a run-a-ball with eight fours and three sixes.

He and skipper Brendan Taylor (63) put on 127 for the third wicket before Masakadza and Williams (51 not out) added an undefeated 119 for the fourth.

Sri Lanka used nine bowlers but could still not make significant inroads.

Zimbabwe's run chase was so easy that there were still 28 balls left when they hit the winning runs.

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Sports tycoon Mike Ashley isn't short of cash.

In fact, his Sports Direct firm is worth a whopping £4.3 billion alone. That's not to mention his personal wealth, estimated at £3.75 billion, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

So his former employees are scratching their heads over the complicated collapse of one of Sports Direct's smaller retail clothing units, West Coast Capital USC, also owned by the Newcastle United magnate.

There are a number of curiosities about USC falling into administration that staff and Scottish MPs have a problem with.

Ashley's Sports Direct bought a majority stake in USC and its 90 stores in 2011, through two holding companies.

However, fashion label Diesel decided to sever its 15 year relationship with USC in 2014, after it obtained a court order to get the store to cough up the cash for the debts it owed Diesel.

Diesel's claim was made on Dec. 15, according to court documents, and after a meeting with USC’s directors led by Sports Direct CEO Dave Forsey on Dec. 23, it was confirmed that the unit would not be able to pay its outstanding debts to Diesel.

Now this is where politicians and staff have become confused.

Ashley’s Republic clothing chain, known as the "premium lifestyle arm" of Ashley's empire, bought USC out of administration.

Administrators Duff & Phelps were forced to accept Republic's offer as Ashley's speedy purchase would mean that most of USC could continue trading.

Politicians are now asking Ashley to appear in front of the Scottish Affairs Committee to answer questions over the complex nature of the collapse, which resulted in the loss of 200-Ayrshire based warehouse jobs and the closure of 28 stores.

Ashley has yet to reply to the formal request but lawmakers are able to summon him to appear should he decline.

Elsewhere, more details have emerged around the alleged breach of workers' rights at USC. Some are looking to take legal action because they were apparently not given the standard 90-day consultation period warning when a worker's job is in jeopardy. According to several reports, workers were given just 15 minutes notice before being let go.

Scotland's Daily Record revealed that Duff & Phelps gave staff a letter on 14th January telling them that their jobs were at risk and that a consultation period had started.

However, the consultation period didn't last very long, as a second letter was sent on the same day, telling the employees that their time at USC had been terminated.

The latest report from the Daily Record shockingly claims that despite the small notice period given to workers, USC knew about its potential to fall into administration two months prior to the axing of staff.

Citing a Duff & Phelps report, the paper claims the firm met a secured creditor of USC on Nov. 14 last year, while a representative of joint administrators the Gallagher Partnership then met USC on Dec. 17.

“It is bizarre and amazing that Duff & Phelps and Gallagher’s were involved at this early stage yet the workers were not told,” says Central Ayrshire MP Brian Donohoe in a press statement.

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CBS news anchor Bob Simon has died in a car crash. The 73-year-old veteran "60 Minutes" correspondent was traveling in New York City at the time of the accident.

The Associated Press reports Simon was a passenger in a Lincoln Town Car that hit another vehicle on Manhattan's West Side on Wednesday night. Both Simon and the driver of that Town Car were taken to a hospital. Simon was later pronounced dead.

Simon's five-decade career found him covering everything from Vietnam to, most recently, the film "Selma," during what would be his final broadcast last weekend. 

Simon won more than two-dozen Emmys over the course of his career. CBS News highlighted Simon's award-winning work in war-torn regions of the world:

But Simon's career in war reporting was extensive, beginning in Vietnam. While based in Saigon from 1971-72, his reports on the war -- and particularly the Hanoi 1972 spring offensive -- won an Overseas Press Club award award for the Best Radio Spot News for coverage of the end of the conflict. Simon was there for the end of the conflict and was aboard one of the last helicopters out of Saigon in 1975.

He also reported on the violence in Northern Ireland in from 1969-71 and also from war zones in Portugal, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, the Persian Gulf, Yugoslavia and American military actions in Grenada, Somalia and Haiti.

Simon's storied career resonated with generations of viewers, and many journalists who would follow in his path. That's evident by the outpouring of reaction on social media:

Tall, lanky, and possessed of an erudite demeanor on camera, Simon has covered most major overseas conflicts from the 1960s to the present and has been a regular contributor to the weekly "60 Minutes" news magazine on CBS since 1996.

The 2014-15 season was his 19th on the weekly Sunday-night broadcast. He was a correspondent on all seven seasons of "60 Minutes II" until that show ended its run in 2005.

He earned 27 Emmy awards for his reporting during his career, and won electronic journalism's highest honor, the Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Award, for the piece "Shame of Srebrencia," a "60 Minutes II" report on genocide during the Bosnian War.

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Taipei (AFP) - Six prisoners at a southern Taiwan jail committed suicide on Thursday, ending a standoff after they took several staff hostage to complain about unfair trials and demand their freedom, officials said.

The prisoners shot themselves inside Kaohsiung city prison in the early morning, the justice ministry said, adding that the prison chief and another senior staffer who were being held after a hostage swap were unharmed.

"We tried to use all kinds of means to persuade them to release the hostages so the incident could come to a peaceful end and to prevent an unfortunate situation. We regret that six people took their lives," said Wu Hsien-chang, chief of the ministry's corrections agency.

The ministry said negotiations with the six prisoners ran through the night, but did not say what prompted them to kill themselves.

The standoff began Wednesday when the inmates -- jailed for a variety of crimes including murder, robbery and drugs -- broke into a weapons storage room, obtained four rifles and six handguns, and took three staff hostage.

They later agreed to release them in exchange for the prison chief and a senior staffer, the justice ministry said.

Television images showed police armed with rifles and protective gear surrounding the prison. A senior Kaohsiung policeman said more than 250 officers had been mobilised.

Lee Rong-tsung, a former councillor at the Kaohsiung City Council who reportedly knew one of the inmates, said they were unhappy about their "unfair trials" and complained that their jail terms were too long.

The leader of the six was identified by police as Cheng Li-teh, a top member of a notorious triad group known as the Bamboo Union Gang. Sentenced to 28 years for murder, he had been behind bars since August 2012.

Cheng complained that Taiwan's former president Chen Shui-bian -- who was sentenced to 20 years for graft -- was given parole for medical treatment last month.

"Chen Shui-bian was an inmate too, but why was he paroled and described as a political prisoner?" Cheng said in a statement read out by the justice ministry's Wu.

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