Tuesday 19 May 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Asian shares slip, but upbeat Japan GDP lifts Nikkei

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TOKYO (Reuters)Asian shares got off to a lackluster start on Wednesday after a mixed day on Wall Street, though Japans better-than-expected economic growth lifted the Nikkei to a nearly one-month high.The euro remained pressured by expectations that the European Central Bank would increase its bond-buying stimulus.MSCIs broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was down about 0.1 percent in early trade.The Nikkei stock index .N225 rose 0.8 percent after data before the market open showed Japans economy grew at a 2.4 percent annualized rate in the January-March period, its fastest pace in a year, on a pick-up in capital spending and beating the consensus estimate for 1.5 percent growth.Wall Street put in a mixed performance on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones industrial average .DJI eking out a slight gain to close at a fresh record high, while the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC and the S&P 500 .SPX both edged down, though the latter touched a record intraday high.Data showed that U.S. housing starts jumped to their highest level in nearly 7-1/2 years in April and building permits soared, raising hopes that the economy was regaining strength after stalling the first quarter but also rekindling fears that the U.S. Federal Reserve would raise interest rates later this year.The euro licked its wounds after plunging more than 1 percent against the dollar in the previous session, after European Central Bank Executive Board member Benoit Coeure said the ECB could moderately increase its bond-buying program in May and June, and possibly in September.The common currency was buying $1.1145, slightly down on the day.There are some positioning stories in the EUR but I dont think it is an overall driving force right now. I believe investors are just pulling back to let the dust settle before they take the next step, said Bart Wakabayashi, head of forex at State Street in Tokyo.The dollar was slightly higher against the yen at 120.82, though the better-than-expected GDP figures made it less likely that the Bank of Japan would take additional easing steps anytime soon. The BOJ is likely to stand pat at a policy meeting ending on Friday.Crude oil futures took back some lost ground after sinking more than 3 percent overnight as the dollar strengthened.Brent LCOc1 added about 0.8 percent to $64.52 a barrel while U.S. crude CLc1 also added about 0.8 percent to$58.43, after both shed more than $2 a barrel on Tuesday.

Battle erupts in eastern Ukraine, four Ukrainian soldiers killed: regional chief

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KIEV (Reuters) -Fighting erupted between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday and four Ukrainian servicemen have been killed, the regional administration chief said.Gennady Moskal, governor of Luhansk region on the border with Russia, said on his website that separatists opened fire on government positions with mortar and artillery near the village of Katerinovka.According to preliminary data, four Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and two others have been wounded, one of them seriously, Moskal said.The fatalities could not immediately be confirmed by the military in Kiev.Though a ceasefire was declared after peace talks in Minsk, Belarus, in February, skirmishes and violations have continued with a daily mounting casualty toll from fighting mostly north-west of the city of Donetsk and near the coastal town of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov.Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said last week that 83 Ukrainian servicemen had been killed since the ceasefire theoretically came into force in February.Since then, five Ukrainian servicemen were killed over the weekend alone. The separatists have not given any casualty figures.

Iraq deploys tanks as Islamic State tightens grip on Ramadi

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BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces on Tuesday deployed tanks and artillery around Ramadi to confront Islamic State fighters who have captured the city in a major defeat for the Baghdad government and its Western backers.After Ramadi fell on Sunday, militiamen allied to the Iraqi army had advanced to a nearby base in preparation for a counterattack on the city, which lies in the province of Anbar, just 110 km (70 miles) northwest of Baghdad.As pressure mounted for action to retake the city, a local government official urged Ramadi residents to join the police and the army for what the militiamen said would be the Battle of Anbar.The White House said a U.S.-led air campaign would back multi-sectarian Iraqi forces in their attempt to regain Ramadi, whose fall exposed the limits of U.S. airpower in its battle against the radical Islamic State in both Iraq and Syria.The United States will be very supportive of multi-sectarian efforts who are taking command-and-control orders from the Iraqi central government, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in Washington.The United States is anxious that the militia are controlled by the Iraqi authorities rather than Iranian advisors. It is likewise worried that the fighting in Iraq will become a polarizing clash between Shiites and Sunnis.Islamic State fighters set up defensive positions and laid landmines, witnesses said. The terrorists were also going house to house searching for members of the police and armed forces.The group has promised to set up courts based on Islamic Sharia law, as they had done in other towns and cities they have conquered. They released about 100 prisoners from the counter-terrorism detention center in the city.Saed Hammad al-Dulaimi, 37, a school teacher who is still in the city, said: Islamic State used loudspeakers urging people who have relatives in prison to gather at the main mosque in the city center to pick them up. I saw men rushing to the mosque to receive their prisoners.The move could prove popular with residents who have complained that people are often subject to arbitrary detention.Sami Abed Saheb, 37, a Ramadi restaurant owner, said Islamic State found 30 women and 71 men in the detention center. They had been shot in the feet to prevent them escaping when their captors fled.Witnesses said the black flag of Islamic State was flying over the main mosque, government offices and other prominent buildings in Ramadi.Jasim Mohammed, 49, who owns a womens clothing shop, said an Islamic State member had told him he must now sell only traditional Islamic garments.I had to remove the mannequins and replace them with other means of displaying the clothes. He told me that I shouldnt sell underwear because its forbidden, he said.Islamic State had also promised that food, medicine and doctors would soon be available.Dulaimi said Islamic State fighters were using cranes to lift blast walls from the streets and bulldozers to shovel away sand barriers built by security forces before they fled.I think they (Islamic State) are trying to win the sympathy of people in Ramadi and give them moments of peace and freedom, he said.

UN chief says North Korea withdraws invitation visit

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SEOUL (AP) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday that North Korea had withdrawn an invitation to visit a factory park in the country, the last major cooperation project between the rivals.Ban had planned to visit the Kaesong industrial park just north of the heavily fortified Korean border on Thursday in part of his efforts to help improve ties between the rivals. The park is jointly run by North and South Korea.He would have been the first UN chief to visit the factory park, which opened in 2004 in the town of Kaesong. He would also have been the first head of the UN to visit North Korea since Boutros Boutros-Ghali traveled there in 1993.Ban told a forum on Wednesday that North Korea had informed the UN that it was reversing its decision to allow him to visit the park.He described Pyongyangs decision as deeply regrettable, saying no explanation was given for the last-minute change.Ban said he will spare no effort to encourage the North to work with the international community for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.Bans cancelled trip comes relations between the Koreas remain strained following the Norths continuation of missile and other weapon tests that South Korea views as provocations. There are also worries about North Korea after South Koreas spy agency said last week that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had his defense chief executed by anti-aircraft gun fire in late April.The park opened during a period of warming ties between the Koreas and has been considered a test case for unification, pairing cheap local labor with South Korean know-how and technology.

Venezuela's parliament boss blasts report of drug trafficking

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CARACAS (Reuters) -Venezuelas powerful parliamentary chief, Diosdado Cabello, on Tuesday slammed a Wall Street Journal report that U.S. authorities are investigating him and other senior officials for possible cocaine trafficking and money laundering.It would never occur to us to get involved in something that would hurt young people, he said in a speech to the Socialist-controlled National Assembly.Those who today accuse me today of drug trafficking should present one piece of evidence, just one, he told the assembly, which chanted Were all Diosdado and pushed a motion to support Cabello, lauding him as a hero of the fatherland.Citing more than 12 people familiar with the probes, the newspaper on Monday said federal prosecutors in New York and Miami and a Drug Enforcement Administration unit were gathering evidence from former cocaine traffickers, Venezuelan military defectors and people once close to top Venezuelan government officials.Venezuelan opposition leaders and U.S. officials have made accusations for years of money laundering and drug trafficking against the governments of President Nicolas Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez.The countrys leading opposition figures on Tuesday pushed for an investigation following the report.These are grave accusations which suggest that our country has become a bridge for drug trafficking, said opposition leader Henrique Capriles.Officials from the South American nation frame the accusations as part of a wider campaign led by the United States to end the OPEC countrys 16 years of socialism.This is not a campaign against me, its a campaign against the entire fatherland, stressed Cabello, the second-highest ranking official in the ruling Socialist Party.Spanish newspaper ABC reported in January that a former member of Cabellos security detail had fled Venezuela and had told U.S. authorities that he was involved in a drug ring.Cabello filed a defamation suit last month against 22 people linked to three media outlets for having republished information from that story and hinted on Tuesday more lawsuits will follow.Ive told those who reproduced the stories and all the stories that have come out: see you in the courts, he said. I wont give up, not today, not tomorrow.

U.S. willing to change pro-democracy programs in Cuba

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday indicated its willingness to change pro-democracy programs which it organizes in Cuba and which are condemned by Havana, removing one of the biggest impediments to restoring diplomatic ties.A senior State Department official, speaking to reporters before talks with Cuban representatives on Thursday, said the sides had narrowed differences over reopening embassies since an agreement was reached in December to renew diplomatic relations.The official said another obstacle had been removed after Cuba found a U.S. bank that would handle the accounts of a restored Cuban embassy in Washington. The official declined to name the bank.M&T Bank Corp canceled its services with Cubas Interests Section in Washington in 2013 and Havana blamed the move on U.S. sanctions.The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the democracy programs have changed over time, and they will continue to change over time to reflect a reality, whether that reality is on the ground in Cuba or in the United States.The programs include courses in journalism and information technology at the U.S. mission in Havana. The United States sees them as normal diplomatic functions, but Cuban President Raul Castro said last week that they were illegal training for government opponents.The official said the programs have already been adapted but the United States would not halt them because they were the most direct way of supporting ordinary Cubans.The talks in Washington on Thursday are the fourth round since U.S. President Barack Obama and Castro agreed on Dec. 17 to restore diplomatic relations, which were severed in 1961 during the Cold War.They will focus on upgrading the interests sections in Washington and Havana to embassies. Washington also wants an end to restrictions on the movement of its diplomats in Havana and the removal of Cuban security police around its premises.Cuba signaled on Monday that it was ready to move ahead, saying it did not see any obstacles.In the U.S. Congress lawmakers who oppose and support close ties with Havana introduced Cuba-related legislation.Two Republican senators who oppose normalizing ties, Marco Rubio of Florida and Louisiana’s David Vitter, introduced a bill that would make ending restrictions on travel and trade conditional on Cuba resolving billions of dollars in claims over property seized during the island’s communist revolution.Another group of senators introduced a bill that would open the way for U.S. telecommunications and Internet companies to provide services and devices in Cuba.

Cilic saves match point to beat teen Rublev at Geneva Open

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GENEVA (AP) - US Open champion Marin Cilic saved a match point against 17-year-old Russian Andrey Rublev before winning 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-1 in the Geneva Open second round on Tuesday.The second-seeded Croatian trailed 6-5 in the second-set tiebreaker to No. 229 Rublev, who is the French Open junior champion.Cilic dropped only four points on serve in the decider to set up a quarterfinals match against Santiago Giraldo of Colombia.Giraldo ousted another Russian, eighth-seeded Mikhail Youzhny, 6-4, 6-4.Top-seeded Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland faces Lukas Rosol in the second round, after the Czech Republic player beat Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan 1-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5.Former world No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia, whose season stalled because of a foot injury, exited quickly as Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan won 6-0, 6-2.In other first-round matches, French qualifier Adrian Mannarino beat Carlos Berlocq of Argentina, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, and Teymuraz Gabashvili was a third Russian to lose, going down 6-3, 6-4 against Federico Delbonis of Argentina.

Isner advances to quarterfinals at Open de Nice

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NICE (AP) - Second-seeded John Isner hit 16 aces to reach the quarterfinals of the Open de Nice in a tight all-American contest with Steve Johnson on Tuesday.Isner was made to play for nearly two hours by the 55th-ranked Johnson before sealing a 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-3 victory.It was a pretty good match, I thought we both played pretty well, Isner said. In the third set, I was fortunate to get that break and held on from there.No. 8 seed Juan Monaco also made it to the quarterfinals after he broke Sam Querrey five times in a 6-3, 6-1 win.Sixth-seeded Nick Kyrgios used his strong serve to reach the second round with a 7-6 (5), 6-2 win over Mikhail Kukushkin. The 20-year-old Kyrgios, who is among the outsiders at the French Open after making the final at the Estoril Open and beating Roger Federer in Madrid, lost only two points on his serve in the second set and converted three of his five break chances.The 30th-ranked Australian will next face Dominic Thiem.French qualifier Gianni Mina advanced when fifth-seeded Bernard Tomic retired with a virus after losing the opening set 6-2, and James Duckworth rallied past lucky loser Frances Tiafoe 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-2 to set up a second-round match with top-seeded Gilles Simon.Tiafoe, a 17-year-old American, has earned a wild card for the French Open, which starts on Sunday.Seventh-seeded Jack Sock lost 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 to Dusan Lajovic in the first round and wild card Lucas Pouille breezed past Tim Smyczek 6-3, 6-0.

FIFA sets date for 2026 World Cup hosting bid rules

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GENEVA (AP) - A 2026 World Cup hosting contest which could include the United States and exclude Europe will take shape next week when FIFA agrees on campaign rules.FIFA said Tuesday that its executive committee will approve bidding regulations at a two-day meeting starting Monday.The executive committee could block European bids from a contest set to feature CONCACAF neighbors Canada, Mexico and the USFIFA President Sepp Blatter said last week it should be that a continental confederation cannot bid for the next two World Cups after hosting. Russia will stage the 2018 tournament, leaving UEFA members next eligible for the 2030 tournament.It is more than an option, Blatter told reporters last week when asked if FIFA could tighten the continental rule.Currently, the FIFA statutes only prevent confederations from hosting back-to-back World Cups.FIFA will choose the 2026 host in a May 2017 vote of all member federations.That reform was passed after the executive committees controversial choice of Russia and 2022 host Qatar. The Gulf emirate beat the American bid 14-8 in a final round of voting in December 2010.The nine-candidate bidding contests for 2018 and 2022 were marred by allegations of wrongdoing. Some claims were examined by the FIFA ethics committee before the vote and the entire process was later investigated by former US federal prosecutor Michael Garcia. He resigned last December in protest at FIFAs handling of his work and ethics judge Joachim Eckerts assessment that any wrongdoing did not influence the voting results.In March, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke promised greater scrutiny of candidates in the new bidding rules.

Jankovic, Stosur reach Strasbourg International quarters

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STRASBOURG (AP) - Second-seeded Jelena Jankovic advanced to the quarterfinals of the Strasbourg International with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Zheng Saisai on Tuesday.In a match that featured 11 breaks of serve, the 30-year-old Jankovic proved more consistent and came through to line up a match with Sloane Stephens in the clay-court tournament.Im looking forward to it. Every match is good ahead of the French Open and Im playing well and Ill just try to keep it going, Stephens said.A former No. 1, Jankovic has dropped to 25th in the WTA rankings, while Stephens made her breakthrough two seasons ago by reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open.Before Strasbourg, Stephens had won just two matches on clay this year. But the 22-year-old player lost only five points on her first serve and broke once in each set to seal a 6-3, 6-4 win over sixth-seeded Coco Vandeweghe in an all-American match.I played a solid match, I was happy with that its always tough playing an American and happy to get the win, the 41st-ranked Stephens said. Third-seeded Samantha Stosur also progressed to the quarterfinals with a walkover after opponent Lesia Tsurenko withdrew with a back injury.Stosur, a former finalist at the French Open, will next play Ajla Tomljanovic, who defeated Shelby Rogers 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-2.

Kerber and Vinci advance at Nuremberg Cup

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NUREMBERG (AP) - Second-seeded Angelique Kerber came from 5-1 down in the second set to beat Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 7-6 (2) on Tuesday and reach the quarter-finals of the Nuremberg Cup.The German next faces Japanese qualifier Misaki Doi, who rallied from a set down to beat Zhang Shuai of China 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the second round.Italians Roberta Vinci and Karin Knapp advanced with comfortable victories.Fourth-seeded Vinci defeated Czech player Tereza Smitkova 6-2, 6-1, and Knapp, the No. 6, prevailed over German wild card Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-1, 6-3.Vinci now plays seventh-seeded Kurumi Nara of Japan, who defeated Switzerlands Stephanie Voegele 6-3, 6-4, while Knapp will take on either Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands or Julia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.

US looking into whether hostage was kept by IS leader

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WASHINGTON (AP) -U.S. intelligence agencies are investigating the possibility that the Islamic State militant leader killed Friday was the captor of American hostage Kayla Mueller for a time.Rep. Adam Schiff, the top ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, confirmed the line of inquiry at a breakfast with reporters Tuesday, but declined further comment. ABC News first reported that U.S. officials believe Mueller, whose death was announced in February, spent time in the custody of the Tunisian Islamic State finance man known as Abu Sayyaf.A U.S. official on Tuesday said Sayyafs real name was Fathi ben Awn ben Jildi Murad al-Tunisi.Murad was killed Friday during a rare ground operation in Islamic State-held territory in Syria by Delta Force operators. His wife, known as Umm Sayyaf, was taken into custody and is being interrogated, U.S. officials say. She is cooperative and providing a trove of intelligence, said a congressional official briefed on the matter.Intelligence analysts are also sifting through reams of electronic data seized at the site, the official said.Murad had a number of aliases, the U.S. official said, but officials believe that Murad is his real name. Murad is believed to be the Islamic States head of oil operations.Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.The Islamic State group said Mueller was killed in a Jordanian air strike, but U.S. officials have cast doubt on that assertion. Mueller and her Syrian boyfriend were taken hostage in August 2013 after leaving a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo, Syria. The boyfriend was later released.White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan declined to address the issue and the Mueller family had no immediate comment.We are currently debriefing the detainee to obtain intelligence about ISIL operations, she said. We are also working to determine any information she may have regarding hostages including American citizens who were held by ISIL.A U.S. official also provided more details on the Friday night raid.The commandos who flew by Black Hawk and V-22 Osprey aircraft into Syria under cover of darkness quickly met resistance on the ground. They blew a hole in the building where Murad was believed to be staying and as they ran into the building and up the stairs, they encountered more insurgents. The official said that at that point the U.S. forces battled in close quarters combat, including some hand-to-hand fighting.The goal of the mission, which had undergone months of planning, was to take Murad and his wife alive, in the hopes that he would provide intelligence on the groups operations, finances and information on who they do business with and potentially on their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Another part of the plan was to free an 18-year-old girl who is a Yazidi and was believed to have been kept as a slave by the Islamic State leader and his wife.The girl was found and freed by the commandos and is expected to be returned to her family after she is debriefed by the U.S.A team from U.S. intelligence agencies is poring over the laptops, cellphones, computer drives and other data recovered at the site.

Yemen's capital sees heaviest airstrikes since truce expired

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SANAA (AP) - The Saudi-led coalition on Tuesday carried out the heaviest airstrikes near the Yemeni capital since a five-day truce with Yemens Shiite rebels expired earlier this week, hitting weapons depots in the mountains surrounding Sanaa and sending dozens of families fleeing their homes in panic.The bombardment began shortly after midnight Monday, with airstrikes targeting rebel-held military depots in the mountains of Fag Atan and Noqom, where missiles, tanks and artillery are kept, the residents said.The Saudi-led coalition has repeatedly struck the two sites since launching the air campaign against the Iranian-backed rebels, known as Houthis, on March 26. But Tuesdays assault was the heaviest since Sundays expiration of a five-day humanitarian truce, which was repeatedly violated.By sunset, a fresh wave of airstrikes sent fire and smoke rising from the mountains around the capital, Sanaa. Dozens of families living close to the bombed sites hurriedly loaded their belongings onto vehicles and left in search of safer areas.Elsewhere in Yemen, missiles hit several Houthi positions in their strongholds in the northern provinces of Saada and Hajjah, as well as a gathering of fighters allied with the Houthis in the city of Ibb, south of Sanaa. The rebels and their allies were also hit in the western city of Taiz and the southern city of Aden, near its airport, as well as in the eastern province of Marib.Airstrikes also targeted a house owned by ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the Sanaa suburb of Sanhan, flattening it. Salehs whereabouts are not known but his loyalists within the countrys fragmented army have joined ranks with the Houthis. That alliance paved the way for the rebel takeover of Sanaa last September and boosted the rebels ability to advance into southern cities in an effort to expand their territorial gains.Fearing more airstrikes, residents in areas around Salehs other houses such as in Sanaas al-Dajaj district packed up and left in search of safer places. Since the rebel power grab started, most of Salehs homes have been occupied by Houthi leaders.Our house is just next to Salehs house and most of the people have left. Now the district is like a ghost city, said Fathi al-Udini who also left with his family, fleeing al-Dajaj.In response to the latest airstrikes, the Houthis fired Katyusha rockets at the Saudi border region of Najran from their stronghold of Saada on Tuesday, according to tribesmen in the region. Nearby, the adjacent border area of al-Jouf province saw heavy clashes between Houthi fighters and tribesmen widely believed to be backed and armed by Saudi Arabia. The battles are meant to open a new frontline with Saada to distract the Houthis from shelling Saudi territories, the tribesmen said.Late Monday, the rebels also continued to blow up homes belonging to rival politicians and security commanders in Yemen. In the latest in a string of detonations, the Houthis blew up the house of the newly appointed Chief of Staff Mohammed al-Maqdisi in the southwestern city of Dhamar, officials said.The ground fighting did not stop even during the truce between the Houthis and fighters backing internationally-recognized President Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi, now in exile in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.Houthis and their allies have for weeks been trying to take over Aden, the strategic port city on the Arabian Sea, and the truce has apparently given them time to deploy more troops for that purpose.A senior military commander in Aden said the rebels and their allies have surrounded the city from three different sides over the past weeks and are now in control of several large sections of Aden. Tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced from the area and pro-Hadi fighters have been given three days to surrender their weapons, he added.The residents, tribesmen, the commander and all Yemeni officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals by the Houthis.The Yemeni conflict has killed 1,820 people and wounded 7,330 since March 19, according to UN estimates. The estimates also show that nearly a half million people at least have been displaced in the period since the beginning of the fighting until May 7.In a show of support to the Saudi-led operation, a gathering of dozens of Yemeni politicians and tribal figures ended in Riyadh on Tuesday with a declaration that called for the formation of special forces to protect Yemens cities engulfed in the fighting.The declaration also called for the formation of safe zones where legitimate Yemeni institutions could operate, though it gave no clear plan on how to set up such special forces or who would be responsible for the safe zones.When they started on March 26, it was widely believed that the Saudi-led airstrikes would be followed by ground troops. However, almost two months into the campaign, there has been no sign of imminent deployment of ground forces.

Syrian insurgents seize last military base in Idlib province

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BEIRUT (AP) - Insurgents in Syria captured the last military base and several small villages in the northwestern province of Idlib on Tuesday, marking the latest collapse of government troops in the region now almost entirely in opposition hands, activists said.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said factions including al-Qaidas branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, and the ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham captured Mastoumeh base after days of fighting. It said government forces left the base and withdrew to the nearby town of Ariha.The Local Coordination Committees said the Islamic militants targeted the government forces as they were retreating, heading toward Ariha.In an implicit acknowledgement of defeat, state-run Syrian TV said army units in Mastoumeh base were moving to reinforce defenses in Ariha further south. Ariha is one of the last government holdouts to remain in Idlib.Government troops withdrew from the provincial capital of Idlib after it fell to opposition fighters in March, followed by the strategic town of Jisr al-Shughour and Qarmeed military base days later.The Idlib offensive is being led by a unified command known as Jaysh al-Fateh, or Conquest Army, and aided by a new strategic alliance between Turkey and Saudi Arabia to strengthen insurgents fighting to topple President Bashar Assad.Assad recently acknowledged what he said were recent military setbacks, in the war against insurgents trying to topple him, promising a comeback by his troops in northern Syria.His forces are also engaged in heavy fighting with Islamic State group militants trying to advance toward government-held areas in the central town of Palmyra, an ancient heritage site.Meanwhile, Assad received support on Tuesday from his top ally, Iran. State-run news agency SANA said Iran is extending a credit line to make up for market needs and reported that the two countries have signed several agreements in the fields of electricity, industry, oil and investment.The new credit was announced during a visit to Damascus by Ali Akbar Velayati, a top aide to Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Iran is believed to have supplied his government with billions of dollars since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011. Tehran extended a $1 billion credit line to Syria to help support the local currency in June 2013.The new credit it was not clear how much comes as the Syrian pounds depreciation has accelerated.Velayati, who met with Assad on Tuesday, promised continued Iranian support for Syria with everything necessary to boost the Syrian peoples resistance in defending their homeland and confronting terrorism and its sponsors. Assads government refers to those trying to topple him as terrorists.

Iran warships escort cargo vessel toward Yemen

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WASHINGTON (AP) - US and allied officials are debating how they should handle an Iranian cargo ship that is flanked by two warships and heading toward a Yemen port, reportedly carrying humanitarian supplies for the war-wracked nation.The mission sets up a dilemma: Should the US and its allies block the ship, igniting a likely confrontation with Iran, or should they let it through to the Yemeni port, opening the door for future deliveries that might contain weapons or other lethal aid?US officials say they havent decided whether the US or other navies in the area including Saudi Arabia and Egypt will block or try to inspect the cargo ship before it gets to Yemen. The officials said their intelligence shows no evidence the Iranian ship is carrying any lethal or military aid.At least five US warships are in the western Gulf of Aden or off the coast of Djibouti and are positioned to respond if needed, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.US and other Western leaders have accused Iran of militarily backing the Yemeni rebels, known as Houthis, and providing them with weapons. The supply ship is moving closer to the Yemen port of Hodeida just as a five-day truce expires between the rebels and the Saudi-led coalition that is backing internationally-recognized President Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who is now in exile.The US has been supporting the Saudi-led coalition, and has urged Iran to send the cargo ship to Djibouti, where the United Nations is coordinating humanitarian aid for Yemen.Iran had warned last week that it would protect the supply ship. US Army Col. Steve Warren said Tuesday that two Iranian warships linked up with the cargo vessel overnight Monday.As the cargo ship moves closer to Hodeida, the US and other allies have a number of options. An immediate goal is to have U.N. officials pressure Tehran to reroute the ship to Djibouti. If that doesnt work, Saudi Arabia, Egypt or other allies could interdict the ship and inspect the cargo to ensure there are no weapons aboard.Less desirable options, officials said, would include letting the Iranian ship dock in Yemen and then urging the Iranians to allow an inspection there. Or, if allies are not convinced that the ship is only carrying humanitarian aid, allies could destroy the cargo once its unloaded.The debate comes as the Saudi-led coalition on Tuesday carried out the heaviest airstrikes on the Yemeni capital since the five-day truce expired earlier this week, hitting weapons depots in the mountains surrounding Sanaa and sending dozens of families fleeing their homes in panic.The Yemeni conflict has killed 1,820 people and wounded 7,330 since March 19, according to U.N. estimates. The estimates also show that nearly a half million people at least have been displaced in the period since the beginning of the fighting until May 7.
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