Wednesday 20 May 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Karachi: Customs confiscate 21 stolen NATO containers

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, equipment used by US army in Afghanistan was stolen from the container going from Afghanistan to Dubai in Karachi.Customs officials searched the containers on suspicion and found that the wooden pallets were loaded in the containers instead to any equipment. The Customs officials have confiscated the containers and started investigation. It is pertinent to mention here that the NATO containers were dispatched from Afghan city Jalalabad to Dubai via Karachi.

1 dead in Burundi unrest; leader delays parliamentary vote

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BUJUMBURA (AP) -Burundi police fired live bullets, tear gas and tossed a grenade Wednesday to disperse hundreds of protesters angry over the presidents bid for a third term in office. One soldier died while trying to stop the police barrage, a captain said.Amid the unrest, President Pierre Nkurunziza postponed the countrys parliamentary election from May 26 until June 5.The slain soldier was part of a group of army troops trying to stop the police from firing at protesters who were throwing stones in the capitals Nyakabinga neighborhood, Capt. Dismas Nduwamungu told The Associated Press. The soldier was hit in the chest and died and while another soldier was wounded in the leg, he said.When the soldier died, police from the unit that fired on the protesters quickly drove away, he said. The incident is being investigated, said the presidential adviser for media, Willy Nyamitwe.The army has remained largely neutral in the street battles between police and protesters.Police shot bullets mostly in the air in Wednesdays running battles. An AP reporter saw a police officer throw a grenade, which exploded at the protesters, but no casualties were reported. A protester who identified himself only as Ndayisaba was shot in the leg.Protesters say Nkurunzizas bid for a third term in the June 26 presidential election is illegal because the constitution only allows for two, five-year terms. Nkurunziza maintains he can run for a third term because parliament not the peopleelected him for his first one.The parliamentary elections were delayed in response to requests by the international community and many politicians in Burundi, Nkurunziza said on state radio. He added that only a small part of the capital was experiencing unrest while the rest of Burundi was peaceful.99.9 percent of the countrys citizens are leaving in peace and going on with their business. We are urging them (the protesters) to change, he said.Weeks of unrest in the capital boiled over last week when an army general announced a coup, which was crushed within 48 hours by army forces loyal to the president.

Stocks barely move in yet another listless day for markets

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NEW YORK (AP) -The stock market showed little life on Wednesday as it closed yet another trading day barely changed from the day before.Major indexes flitted between tiny gains and losses in the morning, rallied a bit after the Federal Reserve released minutes from its last meeting, then petered out toward the close. The Standard and Poors 500 ended lower, but barely down just 0.09 percent.It was the fourth day in a row that the index moved less than one-half of one percentage point.Theres no real reason to rally and no real reason to decline, said Matthew Tuttle, CEO of money manager Tuttle Tactical Management. Its been really boring.The S&P 500 closed down 1.98 points to 2,125.85. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 26.99 points, or 0.2 percent, to 18,285.40. The Nasdaq composite rose 1.71 points, less than 0.1 percent, to 5,071.74.Stocks fell from the opening of trading as investors weighed the latest batch of earnings reports for the first quarter. Etsy plunged 18 percent after its first earnings report as a publicly traded company showed a hefty quarterly loss. Stock in the e-commerce retailer of crafts dropped $3.80 to $17.20.With most companies out with their results, earnings per share for S&P 500 stocks are expected to have risen 3 percent from a year ago, according to S&P Capital IQ, a data provider. That is better than the drop that financial analysts had been predicted in early March, but still low by recent standards.More worrisome for markets, analysts have been slashing their forecasts for future quarters, too. At the beginning of 2015, they were expecting a 7 percent jump in S&P 500 earnings for the full year. Now they expect an increase of less than 1 percent.The tiny move down for the Dow on Wednesday came after four straight gains.Ernie Cecilia, chief investment officer of Bryn Mawr Trust, said investors have feared missing out on a six-year bull market that never seems to falter.Even in the brief sell-offs, it seems investors and money managers are buying on weakness, he said.The minutes of the Feds meeting from April showed that policymakers at the central bank generally thought June was too early to raise rates. Stocks have been propelled higher in part by easy money policies at central banks. A rate increase would be the first since the global financial crisis.Among stocks making moves:Staples fell 26 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $16.15 after reporting a sharp drop in first-quarter earnings.Lowes sank 4.6 percent on earnings and revenue that fell short of what analysts were looking for. Stock of the home-improvement retailer fell $3.33 to $68.50.In Europe, Frances CAC 40 rose 0.3 percent and Britains FTSE 100 was up 0.2 percent. Germanys DAX was flat.The price of oil rose for the first time in a week after the Energy Department reported a surprisingly large drop in supplies of both crude oil and fuels.Benchmark U.S. crude rose 99 cents to close at $58.98 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oil used by many U.S. refineries, rose $1.01 to close at $65.03 in London.In other futures trading on the NYMEX:Wholesale gasoline rose 4.6 cents to close at $2.041 a gallon.Heating oil rose 1.7 cents to close at $1.946 a gallon.Natural gas fell 3.3 cents to close at $2.915 per 1,000 cubic feet.In currency markets, the dollar strengthened to 121.32 yen from 120.67 yen. The euro declined to $1.1095 from $1.1147.The price of U.S. government bonds rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.26 percent from 2.30 percent late Tuesday.Precious and industrial metals prices closed little changed. Gold rose $2 to $1,208.70 an ounce, silver rose four cents to $17.11 an ounce, and copper edged down less than a penny to $2.83 a pound.

Sunderland secures Premier League status with Arsenal draw

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LONDON (AP) -Sunderland secured its Premier League survival on Wednesday by drawing 0-0 at Arsenal, denying the London club a chance to guarantee a place in the Champions League group stage.Sunderland moved four points clear of the relegation zone with a game to spare, ensuring Dick Advocaat completed the survival mission he took on when replacing Gus Poyet as manager two months ago.It is an unbelievable moment staying up, said Adocaat, who has won titles with PSV Eindhoven, Zenit Saint-Petersburg and Glasgow club, Rangers.The most important thing is the players started believing they could do something.Instead it will be Hull and Newcastle fighting to avoid joining Queens Park Rangers and Burnley in being relegated on the final day of the season on Sunday.Newcastle heads into Sundays match against West Ham only two points ahead of Hull, which hosts Manchester United.United has a slim but unrealistic chance of avoiding an August playoff to make the Champions League group stage. Arsenal is three points ahead in third place with a superior goal difference of seven despite going a third successive home game without scoring.Jack Wilshere, making his first start since November, volleyed over, Santi Cazorla had a low effort saved, Olivier Giroud dragged a shot wide and KieranGibbs saw a header blocked by Costel Pantilimons diving second-half save.Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina also made a double save early in the second half to prevent Steven Fletcher and Patrick van Aanholt grabbing a Sunderland winner.The biggest celebrations on the final day will be at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea will lift the Premier League trophy and Sunderland can toast another season in the topflight.Sunderlands American owner, Ellis Short, was at the Emirates Stadium to see his team hold out for a point. Now the focus will shift to whether the 67-year-old Advocaat stays at the northeast club for next season.

FIFA sponsors Adidas, Coke, Visa express concern over Qatar

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LONDON (AP) -FIFA came under pressure from sponsors Adidas, Coca-Cola and Visa on Wednesday to push Qatar to deliver reforms for migrant workers as the country rapidly expands to host the 2022 World Cup.The calls from high-profile commercial backers of soccers flagship tournament came as Amnesty Internationals latest report found that Qatar is failing to make substantive changes to improve living and working conditions for low-paid laborers building its highways, hotels, stadiums and skyscrapers.FIFA maintained that the World Cup is proving to be a catalyst for significant change to labor laws in the tiny Gulf nation, which relies on more than a million guest workers, many of them drawn from South Asian nations including India and Nepal.But the statement from credit card company Visa is the strongest public expression of unease yet from a FIFA sponsor about the plight of workers in the tiny oil and natural gas-rich country.We continue to be troubled by the reports coming out of Qatar related to the World Cup and migrant worker conditions, Visa said in a statement. We have expressed our grave concern to FIFA, and urge them to take all necessary actions to work with the appropriate authorities and organizations to remedy this situation and ensure the health and safety of all involved.Adidas, the World Cup ball provider since 1970, said it remains in constant dialogue with FIFA and pointed to pressure already being applied on Qatar by soccers governing body.There have been significant improvements and these efforts are ongoing, but everyone recognizes that more needs to be done in a collective effort with all stakeholders involved, Adidas said in a statement.FIFA financial accounts indicate that Adidas, Visa and Coca-Cola pay around $30 million a year to sponsor world soccers governing body, which surprisingly selected Qatar as the first Middle East country to host the World Cup.Since the 2010 vote, Qatar has faced twin-pronged scrutiny over alleged corruption in the bid and conditions for low-paid migrant workers.Coca-Cola stressed in a statement that it does not condone human rights abuses but, like Adidas and Visa, did not threaten to withdraw its sponsorship over Qatar concerns.We know FIFA is working with Qatari authorities to address questions regarding specific labor and human rights issues, the Atlanta-based soft drinks manufacturer said in a statement. We expect FIFA to continue taking these matters seriously and to work toward further progress.We welcome constructive dialogue on human rights issues, and we will continue to work with many individuals, human rights organizations, sports groups, government officials and others to develop solutions and foster greater respect for human rights in sports and elsewhere.Qatar is yet to introduce long-planned labor reforms that could eventually end the controversial kafala system that ties migrant workers to a sponsoring employer. Rights groups have repeatedly urged Qatar to scrap the system, which is used throughout the Gulf, saying it encourages exploitation and abuse.FIFA said it continues to urge the Qatari authorities to abolish kafala but highlighted the need for international companies and governments to press for changes.FIFA President Sepp Blatter told Qatars emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, during a visit to Doha in March that the Gulf nation must do more to improve guest workers lives.On a recent government-organized trip, The Associated Press spoke to guest workers crowded into bare-bones labor accommodations, which suggested many still are mistreated. Several workers spoke of paying hefty recruitment fees that are illegal under Qatari law. Some said they were duped into taking jobs at salaries well below what they were promised.Migrant workers have been working for many global companies in Qatar for decades, yet only now is real change happening in their working conditions, FIFA said in Wednesdays statement.World Cup organizers say there has not been a single death on one of their stadium projects, which are subject to international construction standards.Our hope is that these standards are extended to serve as a benchmark in the whole country, FIFA said.

US state's lawmakers vote to abolish death penalty

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LINCOLN (AP) -Lawmakers in the central state of Nebraska gave final approval on Wednesday to a bill abolishing the death penalty that would make it the first conservative state to do so since 1973 if the measure becomes law.The vote margin in the unicameral Legislature was more than enough to override a promised veto from the states Republican governor.The Nebraska vote marks a shift in the American death penalty debate because it was bolstered by conservatives who oppose executions for religious reasons, cast it as a waste of taxpayer money and question whether government can be trusted to manage it. Law-and-order conservatives in the United States have traditionally stood among the strongest supporters of capital punishment.The death penalty has been under intense scrutiny after a series of botched executions last year, while states scrambled to find enough lethal drugs as suppliers restrict their flow to prevent their use in executions.Nebraska has a chance to step into history the right side of history to take a step that will be beneficial toward the advancement of a civilized society, said Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, an independent who has fought for four decades to end the death penalty.Gov. Pete Ricketts, a supporter of capital punishment, said the vote represented a dark day for public safety.Nebraska hasnt executed a prisoner since 1997, when the electric chair was used. The state has never imposed the punishment under the lethal injection process now required by state law. Some lawmakers have argued that constant legal challenges will prevent the state from executing anyone in the future.Senators voted 35-12 to advance the repeal bill through the last of three required votes.Ricketts has promised to veto the bill, requiring an override vote likely to take place next week. At least 30 votes are needed to pass the bill over his objections.The governor announced last week that the state recently spent $54,400 to buy new lethal injection drugs from a company in West Bengal, India. Nebraska lost its ability to carry out the punishment in December 2013, when its supply of one key drug expired.Ricketts argued that, unlike other death-penalty states, Nebraska has imposed the punishment judiciously. Nebraska currently has 11 men on death row.Ricketts, who is serving his first year in office, argued that the states inability to carry out executions was a management problem that he is committed to fixing.Maryland was the last state to end capital punishment, in 2013. Three other moderate-to-liberal states have done so in recent years: New Mexico in 2009, Illinois in 2011, Connecticut in 2012. But the last conservative state to do so was North Dakota in 1973. Thirty-two states and the federal government allow capital punishment.Nebraska lawmakers passed a death-penalty repeal bill once before, in 1979, but it was vetoed by the then-governor and lawmakers didnt attempt an override.Republican Sen. Beau McCoy of Omaha pointed to one of the Boston Marathon bombers, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was condemned to die last week for his role in the 2013 attack.

Paul commandeers Senate to protest Patriot Act

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WASHINGTON (AP) -Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul commandeered the Senate floor Wednesday to deliver an hours-long protest against renewal of the Patriot Act, calling the post-Sept. 11 law government intrusion on Americans privacy.Congress faces a June 1 deadline for the laws expiration, and Pauls speech underscored the deep divisions over the National Security Agencys bulk collection of Americans phone records, which was revealed by former contractor Edward Snowden.There comes a time in the history of nations when fear and complacency allow power to accumulate and liberty and privacy to suffer, the Kentucky senator said at 1:18 p.m. EDT (1718 GMT) when he took to the Senate floor. That time is now, and I will not let the Patriot Act, the most unpatriotic of acts, go unchallenged.The House overwhelmingly passed a bill to end the bulk collection and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the Senate will act on the issue before beginning a Memorial Day recess scheduled for weeks end.But McConnell, along with Republican presidential hopefuls Sens. Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham, favor extending the law and final congressional approval of the bill before the deadline is no certainty.Paul plunged into a lengthy speech declaring the Patriot Act unconstitutional and opposing renewal of the program. With a hefty binder at his desk, he spelled out his objections, occasionally allowing Republican and Democratic senators to pose questions and getting support from a handful of House members seated at the back of the chamber.I dont think were any safer looking at every Americans records, Paul said.Officials said it was possible the White House contender would hold sway until midnight or later, but his office offered no word on his plans. Pauls campaign sent out a fundraising appeal while his longstanding opposition to bulk collection, a pillar of his campaign, stirred social media.The issue has divided Republicans and Democrats, cutting across party lines and pitting civil libertarians concerned about privacy against more hawkish lawmakers fearful about losing tools to combat terrorism.As Paul made his case, a Justice Department memo circulated on Capitol Hill warning lawmakers that the NSA will have to begin winding down its bulk collection of Americans phone records by the end of the week if Congress fails to reauthorize the Patriot Act.After May 22, 2015, the National Security Agency will need to begin taking steps to wind down the bulk telephone metadata program in anticipation of a possible sunset in order to ensure that it does not engage in any unauthorized collection or use of the metadata, the department said.If Congress fails to act, several key provisions of the law would expire, including the bulk collection; a provision allowing so-called roving wiretaps, which the FBI uses for criminals who frequently switch cellphones; and a third that makes it easier to obtain a warrant to target a lone wolf terror suspect who has no provable links to a terrorist organization.Last week, the House backed the USA Freedom Act, which would replace bulk collection with a system to search the data held by telephone companies on a case-by-case basis. The vote was 338-88, and House Republican and Democratic leaders have insisted the Senate act on their bill.But McConnell and several other top Republicans prefer to simply reauthorize the post-Sept. 11 law. McConnell has agreed to allow a vote on the House bill, but has indicated there may not be enough votes to pass it in the Senate.The Justice Department also said that if Congress allows the law to expire and then passes legislation to reauthorize it when lawmakers return to Washington the week of June 1, it would be effective in making the authorities operative again, but may expose the government to some litigation risk in the event of legal challenge.The White House backs the House bill and has pressed for the Senate to approve the legislation and send it to President Barack Obama for his signature.The House bill is the result of outrage among Republicans and Democrats after Snowdens revelations about the NSA program.Although Paul called his action a filibuster, it technically fell short of Senate rules since the bill the Senate was considering was trade, not the Patriot Act.

Feds trying to determine if Amtrak engineer was using phone

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Investigators are combing through phone records, locomotive data, radio transmissions and surveillance video to determine if the engineer in last weeks deadly Amtrak derailment was using his cellphone while at the controls, federal authorities said Wednesday. Union officials offered new details on how the engineer spent the hours before the crash.Brandon Bostians phone records show calls were made, text messages were sent and data was used the day of the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board said, but it remains unclear if the phone was used while the train was in motion.Investigators wont be able to make that determination until after a time-consuming analysis comparing time stamps from Bostians subpoenaed phone records with those from an on-board data recorder, video and other sources, the NTSB said.The May 12 derailment killed eight people and injured more than 200.Investigators are looking into why the train from Washington to New York City was going double the 50 mph (80 kph) limit around a sharp curve about 10 minutes after leaving Philadelphias 30th Street Station.Bostians lawyer, Robert Goggin, has said the engineer kept his cellphone in a bag and used it only to call emergency services after the derailment. Bostian, who was injured, told investigators he had no recollection of the crash, the NTSB said.The next thing he recalls is being thrown around, coming to, finding his bag, getting his cellphone and dialing emergency services, Goggin told ABC News the day after the crash.Goggin has not returned repeated messages from The Associated Press.Federal rules prohibit engineers from using cellphones while operating the train or preparing for movement.The Federal Railroad Administration issued an emergency order and later adopted a rule banning electronic devices after a 2008 crash near Chatsworth, California in which investigators said an engineer ran through a stop signal while texting a friend.The Metrolink commuter train hit an oncoming freight train, killing 25 people and injuring 135 others.Railroad Workers United, a consortium of train unions, said Wednesday that Bostians shift the day of the derailment had been particularly grueling and that equipment-related delays on his earlier train to Washington shortened his rest break.A system that displays track signals on the trains dashboard failed, forcing the 32-year-old Bostian to pay close attention while reducing speeds on the Acela Express trainwhich tops out at 150 mph (241 kph) in designated areas to below 80 mph (128.74 kph), the organizations Ron Kaminkow said.It wasnt a routine run, Kaminkow said.The Acela arrived at Washingtons Union Station 26 minutes late, leaving Bostian about an hour to rest, eat and go to the bathroom before his trip back to New York on the Northeast Regional train that eventually derailed in Philadelphia, according to Karl Edler, a veteran Amtrak engineer with knowledge of Bostians schedule.Engineers used to have at least 90 minutes between trips, Kaminkow and Edler said, but a March 23 schedule change ended the decades-old practice.The swift turnarounds have the ability to create more fatigue in the workforce, plain and simple, Kaminkow said.Amtrak spokesman Craig Schulz said the railroad revisits crew assignments periodically to look for efficiencies or reflect changes in train operations and that the recent changes were tested to ensure they meet federal safety regulations.Bostian talked to investigators May 15 and did not report feeling fatigued or ill prior to the derailment, according to the NTSB. Edler has not spoken with Bostian, but said his statement to investigators with a lawyer present may not have reflected how he truly felt.Edler, the leader of a Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen local in Washington, D.C., and a former member of the unions safety task force, said he did not speak for the 52,300-member organization.The union issued a statement Tuesday urging Amtrak to add a second crew member to train locomotives and criticizing Congress for cutting funding to the railroad.Bostian had been an engineer on the Northeast Corridor for about three years. He was based in New York. He was specifically assigned to the Washington to New York route for several weeks before the derailment, the NTSB said.He worked a five-day-a-week schedule making a daily roundtrip from New York to Washington and had a very good working knowledge of the territory and various speed restrictions, according to NTSB Board Member Robert Sumwalt.

Rights group: Qatar making little progress on labor reforms

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DUBAI (AP) -Amnesty International said Thursday that Qatar is failing to deliver on reforms for its migrant workers a year after the wealthy Gulf nation announced plans to improve conditions for low-paid laborers building its highways, hotels, stadiums and skyscrapers.In a new briefing paper, the London-based rights group criticized the 2022 World Cup host for making no substantive changes on some labor issues, including the controversial kafala employee sponsorship system, and delivering only partial progress in other areas.Qatar is being transformed by a building boom fueled by its vast oil and natural gas wealth. Like other energy-rich Gulf nations with relatively small local populations, it relies on well over a million guest workers, many of them drawn from South Asian nations including India and Nepal.In May 2014, officials outlined plans for legislation that could end in its current form the kafala system that ties expatriate workers to a single employer. The draft law also would allow workers to obtain exit visas without having to secure their employers consent. Rights groups say the existing policies leave workers open to exploitation and abuse.Amnesty says the reforms arent coming fast enough.Weve had a year, and not much has changed. For us thats a really important thing, Amnestys Gulf migrant rights researcher Mustafa Qadri said in an interview. The situation has probably gotten worse because you have more workers now. ... Theres a matter of urgency.Qatari officials previously have acknowledged shortcomings, including in areas such as staff accommodation, and have vowed to improve conditions for workers. They did not respond to a request for comment ahead of the release of Amnestys latest report Thursday.The OPEC member state has come under intense scrutiny over its labor policies since winning the right to host the World Cup in 2010. Sepp Blatter, who is hoping to win a fifth term as president of soccers world governing body FIFA in elections next week, pressed Qatars emir in March to do more to improve working conditions.FIFA welcomed the Amnesty report, and said it along with trade unions and rights groups will continue to press Qatar to enact reforms and abolish the kafala system.FIFA has repeatedly urged publicly and with the highest authorities in Qatar that fair working conditions for all workers in Qatar are imperative, it said.In its briefing paper, Amnesty called Qatars proposed changes to the kafala and exit visa system inadequate, and noted that none of those reforms has yet been implemented.The reform legislation is currently under review by Qatars consultative Shura Council. Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Abdullah Saleh Mubarak al-Khulaifi told The Associated Press earlier this month that he could not provide a timeframe for the law to be implemented, but he hoped it would come into effect by the end of the year.Amnesty meanwhile said no new laws have been passed to protect the rights of domestic workers, and it noted that migrant workers remain blocked from forming or joining trade unions.Only limited improvements have been made on other issues, including putting an end to hefty fees workers often pay to secure jobs and stopping deceptive recruitment practices that can amount to human trafficking, according to Amnesty.The rights group did acknowledge Qatars progress on ensuring that workers get paid through a new system that requires companies to make direct deposits to workers.But it cautioned that the system has yet to be fully implemented the labor minister can extend an August deadline and it remains unclear how it will protect what Amnesty said were tens of thousands of workers who do not get paid regularly or work under informal arrangements.

Yemeni rebel leader backs new UN peace talks in Geneva

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SANAA (AP) -Peace talks on Yemen will begin next week in Geneva, the U.N. announced Wednesday, as the international community tries to end weeks of Saudi-led airstrikes against an Iran-supported rebel group and a growing humanitarian crisis that has left millions short of food and fuel.As fighting in the Arab worlds poorest country continued with airstrikes against the rebels in at least five of Yemens northern provinces, the question quickly turned to who would show up for the talks starting May 28.In a positive sign, the leader of the Houthi rebels, Abdul-Malek al-Houthi, called the talks the only solution for the conflict that the U.N. says has killed more than 1,800 people since mid-March.Yemens U.N. Ambassador Khaled Alyemany said the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, now in exile in neighboring Saudi Arabia, will be represented at a high level, perhaps by the vice president.But a top Hadi aide, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, reiterated earlier government demands that the Houthis first pull out of towns and cities, including the capital, Sanaa, that they captured starting last year. He said the government wouldnt give up its condition for the talks.In a speech broadcast on the rebels TV channel, al-Houthi gave no indication his forces would heed the demands to withdraw and instead called for new recruits and new training camps.U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has urged all parties to engage in talks without preconditions, stressing the only way to resolve Yemens conflict is through an inclusive, negotiated political settlement. Ban was expected to attend the start of the Geneva talks.The Geneva talks will be a test for the U.N.s new envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who this month held meetings with rival political players in the country. At the time, the Houthis expressed readiness to resume peace talks in a neutral country.Both the Yemeni ambassador and the Saudi ambassador to the U.N., Abdallah Al-Moualimi, on Wednesday ruled out Irans participation in Geneva. Western countries accuse the power of backing the Houthis militarily, something the Islamic Republic and the rebels deny.There is no place for Iran in the consultations in Geneva, Al-Moualimi told reporters. They have not been playing a constructive role, and as such cannot be rewarded by having a seat at the table.The U.N. has not said exactly who has been invited to the talks but has described them as U.N.-facilitated discussions among Yemeni parties. U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the format of the talks was still being worked out.Haq said Ahmed is expected to visit Tehran on Thursday for meetings with Iranian officials on Yemen.The Yemeni ambassador, Alyemany, also said former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Houthi figures on a U.N. sanctions list would not participate in the talks. The Security Council this year imposed an arms embargo on Houthi leaders and on Saleh, who stepped down in 2012 as part of a U.N.-guided transition.The council has also demanded the Houthis withdraw before any formal talks.The rebels and their allies, Saleh loyalists, this week boycotted a gathering held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, that was billed as a peace conference on Yemen.Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition continued to pound the Houthis and their allies Wednesday in at least five northern provinces under rebel control, including Sanaa. In the western city of Ibb, warplanes struck a police commando camp run by Salehs loyalists, killing at least 12 and wounding 17, officials said.In the strategic port city of Aden, the rebels and their allies randomly shelled residential areas, killing one woman and wounding three, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.The Houthis also continued to retaliate for the Saudi-led attacks by engaging in clashes in the border area of Jizan on Wednesday and killing one Saudi soldier, according to Saudi news site Sabq.The Yemeni conflict has killed 1,820 people and wounded 7,330 since March 19, according to U.N. estimates, with nearly a half million people displaced through May 7.International aid groups on Wednesday urged the warring parties to agree to a ceasefire, saying a five-day truce that was breached several times and expired this week was not enough for humanitarian aid to be delivered. The Saudi-led coalitions air and sea blockade has been criticized for severely slowing aid delivery.The amount of aid allowed in barely scratched the surface of the humanitarian catastrophe, said Grace Ommer, Oxfams director for Yemen.But the Saudi ambassador to the U.N., al-Moualimi, told reporters that any further humanitarian pauses would be a military decision and will be based on the situation on the ground, specifically, whether the Houthis are complying with such a pause.Also Wednesday, the U.N. said an Iranian ship with humanitarian supplies was heading to Djibouti, where the U.N. has its hub for the distribution of aid for Yemen. The ship, which had stirred controversy, was originally reported to be heading to Yemens Hodeida port.Irans Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told the semi-official ISNA news agency that the vessel called Nejat, or Rescue, will travel to Yemen in full coordination with the U.N.

Juventus wins Italian Cup to stay on track for treble

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ROME (AP) -Serie A champion Juventus added the Italian Cup title to its trophy case with a 2-1 win over Lazio in extra time Wednesday, setting up a chance for a treble.Substitute Alessandro Matri scored from the center of the area in the 97th minute with a shot that Lazio goalkeeper Etrit Berisha should have saved.Defenders scored for each side in the opening minutes of the first half.Stefan Radu headed in for Lazio inside the near post following a free kick from Danilo Cataldi on the right flank four minutes in.Giorgio Chiellini equalized in the 11th with an acrobatic display after Patrice Evra redirected a free kick from Andrea Pirlo toward him at the edge of the box.Later, it was Chiellini who received the trophy from Italy President Sergio Mattarella.The Bianconeri will target the final piece of the treble against Barcelona in the Champions League final in Berlin on June 6.Now lets see if we can win the third (title), Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said. Lazio played a great match and we did well to score goals. ... (The treble) is a dream and a possibility, because weve won two and theres only one more to go. Its a single match against the strongest team in the world.Inter Milan is the only Italian team to have won the treble under Jose Mourinho in 2010.This will give us the motivation we need to go for another title, Matri said.It was Juves record 10th Italian Cup title, but first since 1995. Lazio has six titles.To win you need a bit of luck and we didnt have it, Lazio coach Stefano Pioli said. It was a great match between two teams that were really playing football. For a matter of only a few centimeters we werent able to go ahead when it mattered. ... Football and life is a question of centimeters.Lazio faces city rival Roma on Monday in a Serie A derby that could decide which side finishes second and gets direct entry into the Champions League.We can win that match and I think we showed that tonight, Pioli said.Security was heavy outside the stadium, a response to last years final when a Napoli fan suffered gunshot wounds away from the stadium and later died.With Alvaro Morata suspended, Fernando Llorente paired with Carlos Tevez in Juventus attack, while Miroslav Klose was supported by Antonio Candreva and Felipe Anderson for Lazio.Candreva drew the foul that set up the opening goal. With Gianluigi Buffon being rested, Juves reserve goalkeeper Marco Storari could only get a weak hand on Radus header.After Chiellinis equalizer, Llorente nearly put Juve ahead with a header that went just above the crossbar.Lazio midfielder Marco Parolo sent a bouncing shot just wide in the 32nd and 10 minutes later, Berisha got into trouble and nearly let Tevez deflect his attempted clearance into the net.There were few clear chances in the second half, with Matri having a goal disallowed for offside in the 87th.Tevez took a chance at the target from well outside the area in second-half added time with a shot that was only one meter (yard) above the bar.Filip Djordjevic, who replaced Klose late in the second half, produced a long shot that ricocheted off both posts and away from the goal in the 94th.Three minutes later, Matri who had replaced Llorente took advantage when the ball bounced off defender Mauricio. Berisha dived to his left and got his hands to the low shot but couldnt stop it from going in.

Hundreds march at McDonald's headquarters about low wages

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OAK BROOK, Ill. (AP) -Hundreds of protesters marched around McDonalds suburban Chicago headquarters Wednesday, shutting down at least one building on the corporate campus as they called for pay of $15 an hour and a union.About 100 protesters were arrested for trespassing as they temporarily blocked two streets around the McDonalds campus a day before the companys annual shareholder meeting. McDonalds closed a nearby restaurant because of traffic concerns, and told employees in a building targeted by protesters they should work from home, company spokeswoman Heidi Barker Sa Shekhem said.The campaign for $15 an hour and a union began in late 2012 and has involved a range of tactics, including demonstrations in cities around the country.Authorities estimated up to 2,000 people took part in Wednesdays demonstration, some carrying signs declaring, We are worth more. Dozens of buses were used to transport people to demonstration, with some coming from as far away as New York.The Rev. William Barber of Goldsboro, North Carolina, said the campaign extends beyond pushing for a living wage. He called it a fight for racial equality, noting people of color are disproportionally working in low wage jobs.Corey Anderson, 21, who works at a Chicago McDonalds, said he makes $8.25 an hour after working for the fast-food chain for more than two years. Thats not enough to live on after rent and utilities are paid, he said.I feel like they dont understand what its like to make what we make, he said.Sa Shekhem said the company respects the right to protest.When it comes it comes to the minimum wage, that is a national discussion, that is not a McDonalds issue, its an economic issue, she said. Well look to the folks in Washington to determine what happens.Earlier this year, McDonalds said it would raise its starting pay for workers to $1 above the local minimum wage. Labor organizers said the move falls short because it only applies to company-owned stores.McDonalds Corp. owns about 10 percent of its stores in the U.S., while the rest are run by franchisees.The protests come as McDonalds fights to hold onto customers amid intensifying competition from smaller rivals and changing tastes. CEO Steve Easterbrook, who stepped into the role in March, has said he wants to transform McDonalds into a modern, progressive burger company.Thursday will mark his first shareholder meeting as CEO.

Sinaloa cartel enforcer 'Chino Antrax' pleads guilty in US

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SAN DIEGO (AP) -A top enforcer for Mexicos Sinaloa cartel pleaded guilty Wednesday to drug charges in a wide investigation of the group in the United States.Jose Rodrigo Arechiga Gamboa, known as Chino Antrax, acknowledged that he helped bring tons of cocaine and marijuana to the country from Mexico and ordered and participated in violence against cartel rivals. He said in a plea agreement with prosecutors that he was a high-ranking member responsible for a number of aspects of the cartels operations.Arechiga Gamboa, 34, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced Oct. 16 for conspiracy to import a controlled substance.The defendant appeared in court under tight security 10 months after his extradition from the Netherlands. He was arrested in December 2013 at Amsterdams airport after a flight from Mexico City, less than two months before the cartels top leader, Joaquin Chapo Guzman, was captured in Mexico.Chino Antrax is one of the highest-ranking Sinaloa cartel kingpins ever prosecuted in the United States, said Laura Duffy, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California. While we know that the worlds most powerful drug syndicate continues to operate, we also know that it is under intense pressure after a succession of high-impact, high-profile arrests and indictments of the organizations highest-ranking players.Arechiga Gamboas attorney, Frank Ragen, didnt immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment.Arechiga Gamboa was arrested in a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigation that began in 2011 by targeting a small drug-dealing ring in the San Diego suburbs of Chula Vista and National City and reached top leaders through the use of more than 200 wiretaps.Ismael El Mayo Zambada, who is at-large, and three of his four sons are among dozens charged in the investigation. Serafin Zambada pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges last year after his arrest at a Nogales, Arizona, border crossing.

US says willing to take in Rohingya boat people

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WASHINGTON (AP) -The United States is willing to take in Rohingya refugees as part of international efforts to cope with Southeast Asias stranded boat people, the State Department said Wednesday.Spokeswoman Marie Harf said that the U.S. is prepared to take a leading role in any multicountry effort, organized by the United Nations refugee agency, to resettle the most vulnerable refugees.In the past three weeks, more than 3,000 peopleRohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Myanmar and Bangladeshis trying to escape povertyhave landed in overcrowded boats on the shores of various Southeast Asian countries. Aid groups say thousands more are stranded at sea after human smugglers abandoned their boats because of a crackdown by authorities.Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have been reluctant to let the Rohingya in and have turned boats full of hungry, thirsty people away, because they fear a flood of unwanted migrants. But on Wednesday, they relented.Harf welcomed the governments decision to uphold their responsibilities under international law and provide humanitarian assistance and shelter to 7,000 vulnerable migrants. The U.S. would consider requests from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and International Organization for Migration for funds to help receive and screen refugees as they come to shore.Harf said that since Oct. 1, the U.S. has resettled more than 1,000 Rohingya.I think the Malaysians and the Indonesians have requested some help resettling people. Were taking a careful look at the proposal, Harf told reporters in Washington. It has to be a multicountry effort. We obviously cant take this all on ourselves. But we are prepared to play a leading role in this effort.Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will visit Myanmar on Thursday and urge it to cooperate with Bangladesh to help migrants who are adrift. Harf said he would call for Myanmar to improve conditions inside the country for Rohingya.The only sustainable solution to the problem is changing the conditions that let them put their lives at risk at the first place, Blinken, the second-ranking U.S. diplomat, told reporters in Indonesia.At least 120,000 minority Muslim Rohingya have fled sectarian violence and apartheid-like conditions in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar in the past three years. Myanmar officials refer to the group as Bengalis and insist they have immigrated illegally from Bangladesh, even though most have lived in the country for generations.

Pakistan umpire wants to forget 2009 attack

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LAHORE (AP) - Ahsan Raza is looking forward to umpiring Pakistans match against Zimbabwe, putting behind him the morning when he was shot twice in an attack that slammed the door closed on international cricket in Pakistan.The 2009 ambush by gunmen on Sri Lankas team and match officials on their way to Lahores Gaddafi Stadium killed six people and one of the bullets left Raza with a damaged lung.I dont want to look back and recall what happened six years ago, it was dreadful, Raza told The Associated Press on Wednesday. It was not easy (to recover) with so many stitches all around my stomach and one of the bullets even damaged my right lung.The attack in Lahore killed six police officers and brought a sudden stop to international cricket in the country, one of the worlds leading cricketing nations.Raza was traveling in a small bus behind the bus carrying Sri Lankas team. That bus was bravely driven through intense gunfire to the protection of the Gaddafi Stadium.The smaller bus also came under intense fire. It was carrying international umpires Simon Taufel, Steve Davis and match referee Chris Broad, as well as Raza.Six years on and 40-year-old Raza wants to forget that dreadful morning of March 3. It took Raza nearly a year to recover completely but he was back on the field as umpire in 2010.He has officiated in a number of Pakistans international matches in the United Arab Emirates over the last five years after the Gulf country became Pakistans home venue.But Zimbabwe will revive international cricket in Pakistan on Friday when the limited-overs series begin with the first Twenty20 game.The ICC has declined to send its match officials for the series in Pakistan on the security advice of its own experts, although the games will have formal international status.Raza has been chosen by the Pakistan Cricket Board to officiate as an onfield umpire in two Twenty20s and in one of the three one-day internationals.Its never easy to convince people (to come to Pakistan), but I am happy to live with my family in my own country, Raza said. Im really feeling proud to be part of the series and the credit goes to the PCB, which worked hard to convince Zimbabwe.Pakistan has promised VIP security to the Zimbabwe team with armed personnel travelling in a fleet of vans surrounding the team bus during travel from hotel to the stadium.At least 4,000 policemen have been assigned to protect the visitors.Gaddafi Stadium, which is located inside the Nishtar Park Sports Complex, will host all five matches and resembled a fort on Wednesday with hundreds of policemen on duty around the 27,000-capacity stadium.And Raza hopes Pakistan will succeed in showing the world that his country is once again safe to organize international matches, despite fears that terrorists will seek to take advantage of attacking a foreign sports team again.We have waited for this event for six years and I hope many more teams will come after this series, he said.
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