Tuesday 22 April 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Ukraine relaunches anti-rebel operation

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KIEV (AFP) - Ukraine relaunched military operations against pro-Kremlin separatists late Tuesday, hours after US Vice President Joe Biden ended a two-day visit to Kiev in which he warned Russia over its actions in the former Soviet republic.The US Defence Department at the same time announced it was sending 600 troops to neighbouring Poland and to Baltic countries for exercises.Russia already has tens of thousands of its troops massed on Ukraines eastern border.The latest moves underscored the severity of the crisis that has brought East-West relations to their most perilous point since the end of the Cold War.Ukraines acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, late Tuesday said he was ordering the military to restart operations against the rebels after the discovery of two brutally tortured bodies in the eastern rebel-held town of Slavyansk.One of them, he said, was that of a recently kidnapped local councillor from a nearby town who belonged to his party.In a further slide back towards violence, which many fear could tip into civil war, a Ukrainian reconnaissance plane was hit by gunfire while flying above Slavyansk.The Antonov An-30 propellor-driven plane received several bullet impacts, but safely made an emergency landing and none of its crew members were hurt, said the defence ministry in Kiev.The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which has monitors in the country, also said that rebels had abducted a police chief in the town of Kramatorsk -- calling it the sort of provocative action that can only worsen the existing tensions and contribute to further violence.Pro-Moscow militants had taken over Kramatorsks police station late Monday, extending their grip from the already occupied town hall.Kiev, Washington and many EU countries see Moscow as pulling the strings in the Ukrainian separatist insurgency.Biden, in his news conference after meeting the Kiev authorities, warned Russia of isolation if it continues to try to pull Ukraine apart, underlining a US threat to impose more sanctions on Moscow.We have been clear that more provocative behaviour by Russia will lead to more costs and to greater isolation, said the vice president.And, in a phone call late on Tuesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of his deep concern over the lack of positive Russian steps to de-escalate the crisis in eastern Ukraine, a State Department official said.Kerry also called on Russia to tone down escalatory rhetoric.But Russia says Kievs new leaders -- whom it regards as illegitimate -- are to blame for the collapse of the accord.It says ultra-nationalists who were involved in months of protests that ousted Ukraines pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych in February killed rebels in an attack Sunday near the eastern town of Slavyansk.A funeral for the militants was held on Tuesday. Bells rung loudly from Slavyansks Orthodox church and women wept as three coffins were carried out.- Biden urges Russian pullback -Biden called on Russia to pull back its forces from the border, and to reverse its annexation last month of Ukraines Crimea peninsula.We in the United States stand with you and the Ukrainian people, Biden said in a joint news conference with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.He added that the United States was stepping up to help Ukraine lessen its dependence on Russian gas, fight corruption, and prepare for a May 25 election to choose a new president.Yatsenyuk responded that Kiev valued the US support against what he said was a Russia acting like an armed bandit.The Pentagon, announcing the dispatch of 150 troops to Poland and 450 to Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia in coming days, said it was sending a message to Moscow.Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters in Washington that since Russias aggression in the Ukraine, we have been constantly looking at ways to reassure our allies and partners.In Moscow, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev dismissed the US threat of new sanctions.I am sure we will be able to minimise their consequences, he said in a televised speech to the Russian parliament.However he acknowledged that Russias economy was facing an unprecedented challenge.Russias finance ministry said Monday the energy-rich nation could tip into technical recession over the next three months. Last week it warned Russia was facing the toughest economic conditions since 2009, when a serious slowdown occurred.- Divide over further sanctions -The European Union, meanwhile, is divided on going further with its own sanctions on Moscow, with some member states worried that increased punishment could jeopardise supplies of Russian gas.As the crisis deepens, the insurgents in Ukraines east remain firmly entrenched in public buildings they have occupied for more than a week.In the town of Lugansk, close to the Russian border, protesters pledged to hold their own local referendum on autonomy on May 11, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.Although highly trained military personnel, whose camouflage uniforms are stripped of all insignia, are helping the rebels secure the some 10 towns they hold, Russian President Vladimir Putin denies they are Russian special forces.But the US State Department released images Monday it claims proves some of the armed separatists in Ukraine are actually Russian military or intelligence officers.In a separate development, Sweden, which is not a NATO member, announced Tuesday it was increasing defence spending because of the deeply unsettling development in and around Ukraine. It plans to boost its fleets of fighter jets and submarines.

Canada Post takes 45 years to deliver letter

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MONTREAL (AFP) - A 45-year-old letter mysteriously arrived in the mailbox of a Canadian woman, who received the ancient correspondence from her younger sister decades after it was sent, Canadian media reported Tuesday.The missive, mailed by her then nine-year-old sibling, was sent in 1969 with a six-cent stamp, Anne Tingle told public radio CBC.It arrived wrapped in plastic with a note from Canada Post apologizing for the envelopes state, but not the delay.Dear customer, we sincerely regret that your mail item is damaged. It was found in this condition in the mail stream the note read.The envelope was addressed to Mr. and Mrs. R.D. Tingle, with only a street name and incorrect home number and was mailed from the city of Lethbridge, she said.Written on the envelope was neither the intended city, Calgary, nor its western province of Alberta, but the letter recently arrived at Tingles new home in Calgary nonetheless.Tingle said she was unsure why the correspondence finally reached her, but that she had forwarded her address when she moved.The letter begins with a poem, which was written by the younger sister after she came to stay with Tingle to help after she had a second child.

Football: Chelsea suffer double injury blow

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MADRID (AFP) - Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech will miss the rest of the season delivering a huge blow to Chelseas Premier League and Champions League title winning aspirations after he was injured during his clubs 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid in their Champions League semi-final first leg match on Tuesday.In a double injury blow it was also revealed by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho that captain John Terry will miss the rest of the Premier League season because of a foot injury he suffered in the second-half of the match.Unlike Cech, though, he could be fit were Chelsea to reach the Champions League final on May 24.Cech, 31, landed awkwardly when he clashed with Raul Garcia when defending an Atletico corner in the 17th minute.Petr Cechs season is over. Dont ask me technically, but season over, said Mourinho.And John - we have to play in the final for him to play with us.Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer was forced into action and became the oldest player to ever feature in the knockout stages of the Champions League at the age of 41.Schwarzer has barely featured in his first season at Chelsea since moving from London rivals Fulham, but did start in Saturdays 2-1 defeat at home to Sunderland.Chelsea face a title deciding game with leaders Liverpool at the weekend -- they trail them by five points -- and then the second leg with Atletico next Wednesday.

Breastfeeding may protect against heart disease

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PARIS (AFP) - People who had low birth weights and those breastfed for short periods may be more likely to develop chronic inflammation linked to heart disease in adults, a study said Wednesday.Researchers in the United States found a significant association in almost 7,000 people between birth weight or duration of breastfeeding and higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), an indicator of inflammation, in blood samples of young adults.The protein is produced by the liver and levels increase when a person suffers from inflammation.Each pound of additional birth weight predicted a CRP concentration that was five percent lower, said a statement from Northwestern University, whose experts took part in the study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.Three to 12 months of breastfeeding predicted CRP levels that were 20 to 30 percent lower compared with individuals who were not breastfed.The study found that breastfeeding had the same or greater effect as medicines on reducing CRP levels in young adults.Chronic inflammation had long been linked to cardiovascular disease, but the causes of the little-understood condition remain unclear.The US study was done among 24- to 32-year-olds from different race groups and educational backgrounds, and included comparisons between siblings so as to rule out the confounding influence that growing up in vastly different socioeconomic environments could have on the results.The results suggest that breastfeeding may reduce a major risk factor for heart disease well into adulthood, said Alan Guttmacher, director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.The World Health Organisation describes breastfeeding as one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival.It recommends exclusive breastfeeding up to the age of six months, but says this advice is put into practice for less than 40 percent of infants globally.

Sloth guts are designed for hanging upside down: study

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PARIS (AFP) - Three-toed sloths have a unique abdominal design -- their innards fixed to their lower ribs to avoid squashing the lungs while hanging upside down, a study said Wednesday.The South and Central American forest dweller, also known as the brown-throated sloth, spends a large part of its life hanging from its hind legs to reach young, tender leaves growing on the tips of branches, as well as to groom.With its slow metabolism, it may take the sloth a month to digest a single leaf, and it can store a third of its bodyweight in urine and faeces -- which it deposits about once a week.This means that the stomach and bowel contents make up a considerable proportion of their body mass, said Rebecca Cliffe of the Swansea Laboratory for Animal Movement in Wales, who co-authored the study in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.With their limited energy supply, it would be energetically very expensive, if not impossible, for a sloth to breathe whilst hanging upside down, she told AFP.Cliffe and a research team say they believe they solved the riddle: numerous unique adhesions in the abdomen anchor organs such as the liver, stomach and kidneys, thus preventing them from pressing on the diaphragm when the sloth is inverted.These seemingly innocuous adhesions are likely to be important in the animals energy budget and survival, said the study.They could reduce a sloths energy expenditure by 13 percent, added Cliffe.

Kerry tells Russia of deep concern over Ukraine: official

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of his deep concern Tuesday over Moscows failure to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine, a senior State Department official said.Kerry also warned that a lack of Russian progress on a deal struck in Geneva last week would lead to more sanctions, the official added.The latest flurry of US diplomacy came as Ukraine relaunched military operations against pro-Kremlin separatists, while Russia already has tens of thousands of its troops massed on Ukraines eastern border.Those moves underscored the severity of the crisis that has brought East-West relations to their most perilous point since the end of the Cold War.In a phone call to Lavrov, Kerry expressed deep concern over the lack of positive Russian steps to de-escalate, cited mounting evidence that separatists continue to increase the number of buildings under occupation and take journalists and other civilians captive, the senior official said.He urged Russia to tone down escalatory rhetoric, engage diplomatically in the east with the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) and Ukrainian government, and issue public statements calling for those occupying buildings to disarm and stand down in exchange for amnesty.The official added that Kerry also reiterated that the absence of measurable progress on implementing the Geneva agreement will result in increased sanctions on Russia.The top US diplomat also spoke with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and praised the important steps the interim goivernment in Kiev has taken to quell tensions.

No progress at UN in Iran-US envoy row

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Iran brought its simmering row with the United States over its proposed UN ambassador to United Nations headquarters on Tuesday but failed to make any headway.US President Barack Obama signed into law Friday a bill designed to bar Irans pick for UN ambassador from US soil over his links to the 1979 American embassy hostage siege.The spat over Hamid Aboutalebis nomination has blown up amid a cautious thaw in relations between the US and Iran as Tehrans new leadership seeks to negotiate a nuclear treaty with global powers.The United States, which hosts the UN, has said it would not issue a visa to Aboutalebi because he was involved in the hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran.Iran, which does not want to select another candidate, asked the United Nations, in New York, to weigh in.A committee on relations with the host country failed to reach a conclusion.Iran and the US presented their views on the well-known incident concerning the denial of a visa to the new permanent representative of Iran, said Nicholas Emiliou, the Cypriot Ambassador, who led the committee.He added that we will continue to be in touch with the relevant delegations, but did not give a date on any potential further meeting and will monitor the diplomatic impasse.According to diplomats, Belarus, Cuba and North Korea were in favor of Iran during the session that lasted barely an hour.The committee can make recommendations to the UN General Assembly or seek legal advice, but did not, said a diplomat, adding: Iran has not been successful.In 1979, dozens of American diplomats and staff were held for 444 days by radical Iranian students at the embassy in Tehran.The protracted standoff profoundly shocked the United States and led to the severing of all diplomatic ties between the US and Iran for the past three decades.As the host government, the United States is generally obliged to issue visas to diplomats who serve at the United Nations.Aboutalebi, a veteran diplomat who currently heads Iranian President Hassan Rouhanis political affairs bureau, has insisted he was not part of the hostage-taking in November 1979, when a Muslim student group seized the US embassy after the overthrow of the pro-Western shah.He has acknowledged he served a limited role as a translator for the students who took the Americans hostage.

Pirates kidnap three on Japanese tanker off Malaysia: report

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KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Armed pirates boarded a Japanese oil tanker in the Strait of Malacca, kidnapping three Indonesian crew and stealing some of the vessels shipment of diesel fuel, Malaysian media said Wednesday.The attack occurred early Tuesday about 16 nautical miles off Malaysias west coast, The Star quoted Malaysian authorities saying.The incident occurred at about 1 am (1500 GMT) and it was only realised by the crew members when they saw about five or six men armed with a pistol and a (machete) aboard the ship, Norzaid Muhammad Said, police commander of nearby Port Klang, was quoted saying.The report said the pirates subdued and tied up the crew, robbed the vessel and brought in two other tankers that pumped out a large quantity of the Japanese vessels diesel.After the attackers fled several hours later, the crew discovered three shipmates were missing.Police suspect they were kidnapped by the pirates, the report said.The crew comprised Indonesian, Thai, Myanmar and Indian nationals.No further details on the vessel were provided.A separate report by the New Straits Times said no one was hurt in the incident.The Strait of Malacca is a key highway for sea traffic between and Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and has long been a hunting ground for pirates due to the large numbers of cargo and other vessels passing through.

Govt not to extend PM's tax amnesty scheme

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Government decided not to extend Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s tax amnesty scheme, meaning that the tax defaulters have a window of opportunity to take advantage of exemption from audit, penalties and additional tax until April 30 only.According to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), those who have not yet filed tax returns, the registered and unregistered taxpayers can benefit from this scheme until April 30 only.As per the scheme, the existing taxpayers will not be audited if they pay 25% additional tax compared to the previous year’s tax amount.Scheme also allows new tax payers an opportunity to escape penalties and additional taxes only by paying Rs 25,000 per annual tax for the past five years.Following the April 30 deadline, information could be corrected until May 15 after which the final General tax directory will be issued.After the deadline, the defaulters will be dealt with according to existing laws.According to FBR, the number of those who filed tax returns after Prime Minister’s scheme has increased. The government continues to aim at increase in the tax net in the new financial year.Finance Minister Ishaq Dar presided a session at FBR where the withdrawal of SROs regarding rebate on taxes in the new fiscal budget was discussed.Finance Minister directed not to withdraw SROs issued for the benefit of common persons.

Yemen jails Qaeda man for plotting general's murder

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SANAA (AFP) - A Yemeni court jailed an Al-Qaeda militant for 15 years on Tuesday on charges of helping plan the murder of the commander of a blistering 2012 offensive against the jihadists.The state security tribunal found Sami Dayan guilty of taking part in plotting the assassination of General Salem Ali Qatan, the chief military commander in south Yemen.Dayan was also convicted of forming an armed group to carry out terrorist acts, and of attacking military bases.Co-defendant Farhan Awad al-Saadi was jailed for four years.A Somali suicide bomber killed Qatan on June 18, 2012 as he headed to his office in the southern port city of Aden.The assailant detonated his explosives after throwing himself on Qatans car. A medic related to Qatan said the attacker shook hands with the general before blowing him up.The attack followed a string of defeats inflicted on Al-Qaeda by troops under Qatans command.The jihadists were expelled from a series of southern towns east of Aden which they had captured during 2011.

MQM joins Sindh govt, ministers take oath

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) Rauf Siddiqui and Dr Sagheer Ahmed took oath as Sindh provincial ministers on Tuesday after MQM and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) buried the hatchets, Dunya News reported.The ceremony took place at Governor House where Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad sworn the ministers in as provincial ministers.MQM agreed to formally join Sindh government from today.According to reports, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and MQM have buried the hatchets after long consultations. MQM formally joined Sindh government today after PPP addressed MQM’s concerns.Initially, two ministers from MQM took oath today whereas two advisors and a special assistant were also appointed.

Defence Ministry moves PEMRA against Geo News, files evidence

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Ministry of Defence, Tuesday, filed a petition against Geo News – for naming ISI Chief after attack on prominent journalist Hamid Mir – in Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Dunya News reported.According to Dunya News sources, Defence Ministry has moved against the private TV channel in PEMRA. The petition alleges that Geo News is involved in anti-Pakistan activities. Ministry also provided reported evidences against the said TV channel to PEMRA to evaluate.A private TV channel had alleged Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) for involvement in attack on senior journalist Hamid Mir. The channel even flashed portraits of ISI Chief in the aftermath. The petition said that Geo News leveled baseless allegations against Pakistan’s security institutions and its chief.The military institutions had expressed outrage over the allegations through Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) whose Director General (DG) Major Asim Bajwa had hinted of possible legal action against Geo News for dragging national institutions into what became a major controversy.Bajwa said that Hamid Mir was attacked by miscreants who don’t want peace to prevail in the country. He also said that pointing fingers at military organization caused defamation.He said that ISPR is a dignified institution adding that legal action over allegation will be taken after evaluating the situation fully.

US will isolate Russia if Ukraine 'provocation' not halted: Biden

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KIEV (AFP) - US Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned Russia of isolation if it continues to try to pull Ukraine apart and pledged Washingtons strong support for Kievs leaders, as a Cold War-style confrontation over the former Soviet republic ratcheted up.We call on Russia to stop supporting men hiding behind masks in unmarked uniforms, sowing unrest in eastern Ukraine, Biden said as he was wrapping up a two-day visit to Kiev.We have been clear that more provocative behaviour by Russia will lead to more costs and to greater isolation, said the vice president, who flew back to Washington hours later.Bidens warning came as signs on the ground made it clear that diplomacy was failing to calm the crisis -- opening the door for more threatened US sanctions on Moscow.Overnight Monday, pro-Kremlin rebels in Ukraines east claimed control of the police station in the town of Kramatorsk, where they already occupied the town hall.The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which has more than 100 monitors in Ukraine, said the stations police chief was abducted by the militants and called for his release.In a statement, the OSCE chief monitor in the country, Ertugrul Apakan, condemned such provocative actions, saying they can only worsen the existing tensions and contribute to further violence.Ukraines acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, said in his own statement that the new seizure puts a cross through all the agreements reached in Geneva.He referred to an accord signed last Thursday by Ukraine, Russia, the United States and Europe designed to de-escalate the volatile situation and prevent it spiralling into civil war, or worse.But the pro-Moscow separatists -- who Kiev and Washington say are backed by Russian special forces -- are ignoring the accords demands that they disarm and cease occupying buildings in a string of eastern towns.Russia says Kievs leaders -- whom it regards as illegitimate -- are to blame for the collapse of the accord.It says ultra-nationalists who were involved in months of Kiev protests that ousted pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych in February killed rebels in an attack Sunday near the eastern town of Slavyansk.A funeral for the militants was held on Tuesday. Bells rung loudly from Slavyansks Orthodox church and women wept as three coffins were carried out.- Biden urges Russian pullback -Tens of thousands of Russian troops are massed on Ukraines eastern border in what NATO believes is a state of readiness to invade.The United States and NATO have responded by boosting their own forces in eastern Europe.Biden, after meeting Ukraines leaders in Kiev, called on Russia to pull back those forces, and to reverse its annexation last month of Ukraines Crimea peninsula.We in the United States stand with you and the Ukrainian people, Biden said in a joint news conference with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.There are some who are trying to pull Ukraine apart, he said, clearly implying Russia.Washington is threatening to impose more sanctions on Moscow on top of travel bans and asset freezes already applied to members of President Vladimir Putins inner circle.Time is short to make progress, Biden warned.He added that the United States was stepping up to help Ukraine lessen its dependence on Russian gas, fight corruption, and prepare for a May 25 election to choose a new president.The United States, he said, wants to see Ukraine hold together as a single state, united and sovereign.Yatsenyuk responded that Kiev valued the US support against what he said was a Russia acting like an armed bandit.But in Moscow, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev dismissed the US threat of new sanctions.I am sure we will be able to minimise their consequences, he said in a televised speech to the Russian parliament.However he acknowledged that Russias economy was facing an unprecedented challenge.Russias finance ministry said Monday the energy-rich nation could tip into technical recession over the next three months. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov warned last week that Russia was facing the toughest economic conditions since 2009, when it went into a serious slowdown.- EU divided on further sanctions -Faced with a worsening crisis, Washington and Moscow have urged each other to rein in each side in Ukraine and revive the Geneva accord.The European Union, meanwhile, is divided on going further with its own sanctions on Moscow, with some member states worried that increased punishment could jeopardise supplies of Russian gas.As the crisis plays out, the insurgents in Ukraines east remain firmly entrenched in public buildings they have occupied for more than a week.In the town of Lugansk, close to the Russian border, protesters who have been occupying local security buildings staged a fiery mass demonstration Monday and pledged to hold their own local referendum on autonomy on May 11, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.Although highly trained military personnel, whose camouflage uniforms are stripped of all insignia, are helping the rebels secure the some 10 towns they hold, Putin denies they are Russian special forces.But the US State Department released images Monday it claims proves some of the armed separatists in Ukraine are actually Russian military or intelligence officers.In a separate development, Sweden, which is not a NATO member, announced Tuesday it was increasing defence spending because of the deeply unsettling development in and around Ukraine. It plans to boost its fleets of fighter jets and submarines.

Nisar urges to avoid undue criticism against defence institutions

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) -Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has taken serious notice of undue criticism against defence institutions.In a statement issued here on Tuesday, he said undue criticism against defence institutions would provide chances to enemies to exploit the situation.The way the incident is being used as a justification to attack national institutions and level allegations against them without any evidence is a matter of grave concern, he said.Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that officials of our defence institution s have sacrificed their lives for the defence of the country.He said that a negative propaganda against the defence institutions was not only condemnable but also unacceptable.The minister said attack on senior Journalist Hamid Mir is highly condemnable. He said the attack is not only a tragic incident for his family but also for the entire journalistic community and the nation.Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that there was no justification for allegations when the government has already set up a three-member commission comprising three senior judges of the Supreme Court to probe the incident.Meanwhile, Federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said that there is no room for contradiction within the institutions. He said all the institutions are working within their constitutional limits and are united for national agenda.The information minister said that logical approach should be adopted regarding attack on Hamid Mir while some circles were presenting negative picture of the incident and leveling allegations without evidence.Earlier, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif said that all ranks expressed their concerns over recent allegations on ISI. He said this during his to Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) headquarters on Tuesday.According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the COAS held a meeting with ISI chief Lieutenant General Zaheer-ul-Islam. Army Chief was briefed about the internal and external security situation of the country.General Raheel Sharif appreciated role of the country’s prime intelligence agency in maintaining national security.He said the officers and men of the armed forces have rendered marvelous services for protecting national security and never hesitated to lay their lives in defence of the country.According to sources, Army Chief General Raheel Sharif was informed that all ranks had expressed displeasure over recent allegations leveled against ISI by a private TV channel.ISI officials briefed General Raheel Sharif that more than 200 intelligence officials lost their lives in war against terrorirsm.They said ISI officers and men sacrificed their lives for the country but still allegations were leveled against the intelligence agency.

McDonald's profit slips amid weak sales

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NEW YORK (AP) McDonald's said that its profit slipped in the first quarter as global sales remained weak for the world's biggest hamburger chain.The Oak Brook, Illinois-based company said global sales edged up 0.5 percent at established restaurants. In the flagship U.S. market, the figure fell 1.7 percent as customer traffic declined. The company cited challenging industry dynamics and severe winter weather.It said global sales for April are expected to be modestly positive. April would reflect the first full month that Taco Bell has offered its national breakfast menu, which it has pitched a challenge to McDonald's dominance in the morning hours.The decline in sales and customer traffic in the U.S. reflects the struggles McDonald's is facing as eating habits change and competition intensifies. After a decade of growth, annual sales at established U.S. locations fell for the first time last year. The continued decline in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2014 is in stark contrast to Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., which last week said sales at established locations rose 13.4 percent.McDonald's CEO Don Thompson has noted in the past there seemed to be a split in the fast-food industry, with people who have more spending money heading off the chains that charge more. He said McDonald's will focus on underscoring value for it’s more cash-strapped customers, but the chain is also offering more premium offerings such as its new Bacon Clubhouse Burger.In a statement Tuesday, Thompson said McDonald's is focusing creating the best overall experience for our customers. To adapt to shifting trends, for instance, the chain has been rolling out new prep tables in its U.S. kitchens that can hold more sauces and toppings.The idea is to eventually offer greater customization on its menu while keeping orders easy to assemble for workers. Speed and accuracy have been an issue for McDonald's as it stepped up the pace of new menu items in the past year.In Europe, McDonald's said sales rose 1.4 percent at established locations in the latest quarter. The figure rose 0.8 percent in the unit that encompasses Asia, the Middle East and Africa, despite a decline in traffic.For the quarter ended March 31, net income fell to $1.2 billion, or $1.21 per share. Analysts expected $1.24 per share.A year ago, the company earned $1.27 billion, or $1.26 per share. McDonald's Corp. noted that the year-ago results were boosted by income tax benefits.Revenue edged up to $6.7 billion, but was shy of the $6.71 billion Wall Street expected.Shares of McDonald's edged up 83 cents to $100.50 in pre-market trading.
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