Friday 22 May 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Tennis: Djokovic on brink of Grand Slam history in Paris

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PARIS (AFP) - Novak Djokovic can become just the eighth man to complete the career Grand Slam with a maiden French Open victory, but the world number one fears fate may conspire against him in Paris.Djokovic, who turned 28 on Friday, is the overwhelming favourite to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires and claim his ninth career Grand Slam title.Victory would take him alongside Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as a winner of all four majors.It would also take him halfway to a calendar Grand Slam, a challenge so daunting that only Budge (1938) and Laver (1962 and 1969) have managed to pull it off.Djokovic comes into Paris riding a 22-match winning streak, a season which has already seem him capture a fifth Australian Open as well as Masters titles in Indian Wells, Miami and on clay at Monte Carlo and Rome.However, the Serb has been in this situation before.In 2011, he entered the French Open as hot favourite but saw a 43-match winning sequence ended by Federer in the semi-finals.A year later, Djokovic was defeated by Nadal in a four-set final which was completed on the third Monday because of rain.In 2013, it was the Spaniard who again came out on top, this time in the semi-finals despite Djokovic having led 4-2 in the fifth set.Twelve months ago, Nadal claimed his ninth title as Djokovic wilted once more in the championship match.No surprise then to see Djokovic, whose overall 2015 record reads 35 wins and just two losses, trying to contain the hype ahead of his 11th French Open.His caution increased after Fridays draw which lined him up to possibly face Nadal in the quarter-finals and third seed Andy Murray in the semi-finals.I have had this particular situation before, and especially in the last two years where I was coming into Roland Garros and people speculating, is this the year or not?, said Djokovic who faces Finnish veteran Jarkko Nieminen in the first round.I was very close a few times. Didnt manage to do it, but that doesnt discourage me to not keep on going. Im here once again with a purpose, with a reason, and I will try to get myself in a position to win. Nadal goes into the French Open with his astonishing record of nine titles, 66 wins and just one loss in Paris.But the 28-year-old defending champion has slumped to seven in the world, his lowest ranking since 2005, the year of his maiden Roland Garros title.Nadal heads for Paris without a European claycourt title for the first time in a decade.I dont need to lie to create better expectation. When I say I dont know whats gonna happen, I really dont know whats gonna happen, said the 14-time major winner who begins his 11th Paris campaign against 18-year-old Frenchman Quentin Halys, the world number 304.I am gonna try to put my game in a position thats gonna give me the chance. If I am able to do it, I have enough experience here.Federer, who meets lucky loser Alejandro Falla of Colombia in Sundays opener, completed the career Grand Slam with his only French Open triumph in 2009.A five-time finalist, the 33-year-old has endured steadily diminishing returns in Paris with a 2011 runners-up spot followed by the semi-finals in 2012, a quarter-final exit in 2013 and a shock fourth round defeat to Ernests Gulbis 12 months ago,Federer, who won the last of his record 17 majors at Wimbledon in 2012, believes it would be foolish to write off Nadal.Its going to be best-of-five sets. We know how tough Rafa is physically and mentally. He is the favourite still to me.World number three Murray has surprisingly emerged as Djokovics greatest threat.After failing to lift a claycourt trophy in 10 years of trying, the Scot suddenly won two in the space of six days in Munich and Madrid.The 28-year-old has a 10-0 record on clay this year and has twice been a semi-finalist at the French Open.

Tennis: Serena and Sharapova set for Paris showdown

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PARIS (AFP) - The two biggest names and highest earners in womens sport will set off on another collision course when the French Open gets underway at Roland Garros on Sunday.Serena Williams is a 19-time Grand Slam winner, at 33 still the undisputed queen of tennis and the top seed. Maria Sharapova has won two out of the last three titles in Paris, including last year, and at 28 is in the prime of her glittering and lucrative career.Should the seedings hold firm and the American plays the Russian in the final on June 6, however, past experience points to there being only one winner.Williams has not lost to Sharapova since 2004 and leads their head-to-heads by an astounding 17-2, the last of these coming in the Australian Open final at the start of the year.The outcome was the same in 2013 when the pair met for the first, and to date only time, in the French Open final leaving Sharapova no doubt hoping that someone can do her a huge favour by downing Williams in the early rounds as did Spains Garbine Muguruza last year.Still, Sharapova believes she is hitting form at the right time and fancies her chances on clay, Williams least-favourite surface. I guess to be in this position I think for many, including myself, the transition I made on the clay courts to become a two-time French Open champion has been, you know, a big surprise and really incredible achievement personally for me, she said Friday.Because I was able to take something that was a big weakness of mine and make it into one of my strengths.An upset early on for Williams is not out of the question as she has been vulnerable in the past on the Paris clay and, after losing her 27-match unbeaten run in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open earlier this month, she subsequently withdrew from the Italian Open with a sore elbow.The arm injury is getting better, she said Friday, but it is still a concern.Yeah, the elbow its the same. I was worried about it, but lately I have been really getting some really good treatment that has been able to alleviate it and make the symptoms go down substantially, she said.So I feel a lot better going forward in the tournament and just getting through it.Williams will have motivation in full as her win in Melbourne was her 19th Grand Slam singles title, just three shy of the Open-era record of 22 set by Steffi Graf.It would also leave her halfway to becoming just the fourth woman to achieve the fabled calendar-year Grand Slam after Graf (1988), Margaret Court (1970) and Maureen Connolly (1953).Williams and Sharapova will start as strong favourites to reach the final, but there are players in the draw who could derail them.Romanian Simona Halep made the final last year and took Sharapova all the way, Petra Kvitova is the reigning Wimbledon champion who is returning to form after a bout of exhaustion and Caroline Wozniacki is enjoying a return to form that followed on from her run into the US Open final last September.There is also much interest in the performances of two former golden girls -- Victoria Azarenka and Eugenie Bouchard.Belarusian Azarenka was seen as the heir apparent to Williams in 2013 when she won her second Australian Open title and took the world number one spot.But all that ground to a halt last year when her form collapsed due to injury and a bout of depression and she has gradually been clawing her way back up the world rankings this year.Bouchard was the outstanding newcomer of 2014 reaching the final of Wimbledon and the semi-finals of the Australian and French Open at just 20 years old.Grand Slam success looked sure to follow, but this year she has found it hard to string two match wins together after reaching the quarter-finals in Melbourne.

Ivory Coast opposition picks presidential candidate

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ABIDJAN (AFP) - Ivory Coasts main opposition, the Ivorian Popular Front of ex-president Laurent Gbagbo, on Friday chose party chief Pascal Affi NGuessan as its candidate in presidential elections in October.Today, duty calls me. I cant evade it which is why I say yes, I agree to be the candidate of the Ivorian Popular Front for the October 2015 presidential election, NGuessan told a congress gathering of the deeply divided party.NGuessan, who won a standing ovation for several minutes, will be up against President Alassane Ouattara in the vote.My first duty is to continue the fight for Laurent Gbagbo to find freedom but also to give hope to Ivory Coast, NGuessan said, visibly moved.Gbagbo, Ivorian president from 2000 to 2011, is currently awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.Gbagbos refusal to concede defeat to Ouattara after elections in 2010 sparked a bloody five-month standoff in which the UN estimates about 3,000 people died.Held in The Hague since his transfer to the ICCs detention unit in late 2011, Gbagbo will go on trial in November for his alleged role in the violence.The selection of NGuessan comes amid a serious crisis in the Ivorian Popular Front that is threatening its unity.One side backs NGuessan as presidential candidate, but the other objects to this and wants the release of Gbagbo before agreeing to any elections.

Proliferation talks at risk over Mideast nuke plan

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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Nuclear non-proliferation talks were on the brink of failure on Friday after the United States and its allies opposed holding a conference on creating a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East.More than 150 countries have taken part in a month-long conference reviewing the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which seeks to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and technology.But talks on a final document outlining an action plan in the next five years hit a wall over Arab demands that a conference on creating a Middle East nuclear-weapons free zone be convened by March 2016.Israel, which is not a member of the NPT but is attending the conference as an observer, opposed the proposal backed by Egypt and Arab countries.Israel is believed to be the only country possessing a nuclear arsenal in the region, although it has never acknowledged its nuclear military capacity.US Arms Control Under Secretary Rose Gottemoeller told the NPT conference that provisions on holding the conference were incompatible with our long-standing policies.Gottemoeller argued that the proposed nuclear-free zone did not stand a chance of success absent the consent of all states involved, a clear reference to Israels opposition.Earlier this week, the US administration had dispatched an envoy to Israel to discuss the proposal, hoping to reach a compromise that would salvage the final document of the NPT conference.The head of the British delegation to the talks, Matthew Roland, also said the terms for convening the conference on the nuclear weapons-free zone were a stumbling block for us.In an eleventh-hour move, Iran, which heads the non-aligned movement, requested more time to consider the final document and the talks were suspended until 2300 GMT.At the last NPT conference in 2010, a final document called for the conference on the nuclear-free weapons zone for the Middle East to be held in 2012, but that meeting never materialized.

Togo government resigns as president begins third term

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LOME (AFP) - Togos Prime Minister Kwesi Seleagodji Ahoomey-Zunu and his government resigned on Friday, an expected move after elections last month that saw President Faure Gnassingbe extend his familys nearly five-decade grip on power.Gnassingbe was sworn in for his third term on May 4 after winning nearly 59 percent of the vote in the small west African country that his family has controlled since 1967.The president thanked the prime minister and his government for their service, noting that their resignations at the start of a new term were in line with republican practice, a statement read on national television said.It was not immediately clear if any of the departing ministers would be offered posts in the presidents new administration.Togos main opposition, Combat for Political Change (CAP 2015), dismissed Gnassingbes election win as fraudulent, but international observers broadly praised the polls as free and fair.CAP 2015 did not challenge the results in Togos courts, saying it did not believe the Constitutional Court would take any action.Gnassingbes father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, seized power in a coup and ruled with an iron fist for 38 years over the former German and French-administered colony until his death in 2005.

Dutch cabinet backs partial Islamic burqa ban

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THE HAGUE (AFP) - The Dutch cabinet on Friday approved a partial ban on wearing the face-covering Islamic veil, including in schools, hospitals and on public transport.Face-covering clothing will in future not be accepted in education and healthcare institutions, government buildings and on public transport, the government said in a statement after the cabinet backed Interior Minister Ronald Plasterks bill.The ban does not apply to wearing the burqa on the street, but only in specific situations where it is essential for people to be seen or for security reasons, Prime Minister Mark Rutte told journalists after the cabinet meeting.The bill does not have any religious background, Rutte said.The government said it had tried to find a balance between peoples freedom to wear the clothes they want and the importance of mutual and recognisable communication.A previous bill banning the burqa even on the street and dating from Ruttes last government, which was supported by anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders, will be withdrawn.The government said it sees no reason for a general ban that would apply to all public places.It was agreed that a new bill would be drawn up by the coalition partners of Ruttes Liberal VVD party and the Labour PvdA when they formed their coalition in 2012.Those flouting the ban can be fined up to 405 euros (around $450).State broadcaster NOS said that between 100 and 500 women in the Netherlands wear the burqa, most of them only occasionally.Several European countries have introduced at least partial burqa bans despite accusations of restricting religious expression.The Dutch government said it would send its draft law to the highest court in the Netherlands, the Council of State, for its opinion.That opinion and the bills text will be made public when parliament begins debating the law at a date yet to be decided.France introduced a ban on women wearing the burqa in 2010, resulting in a handful of arrests since then.The European Court of Human Rights last year backed the French ban, rejecting arguments that outlawing full-face veils breaches religious freedom.Under the French ban, women wearing full-face veils in public spaces can be fined up to 150 euros.Belgium and some parts of Switzerland have followed Frances lead and similar bans have been considered in other European countries.Attempts to enforce the legislation in France have however proved problematic and sometimes sparked confrontations.

Stosur defeats Stephens to reach final in Strasbourg

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STRASBOURG (AP) - Third-seeded Samantha Stosur advanced to her first final this season with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 win over Sloane Stephens at the Strasbourg International Friday.Stosur, a former French Open finalist, is hitting form at the right time, with the clay-court Grand Slam tournament starting on Sunday at Roland Garros.Next up for Stosur will be Kristina Mladenovic, who won an all-French semifinal when Virginie Razzano retired with an abdominal injury while trailing 6-3, 1-2.The 26th-ranked Stosur is bidding for her seventh career title, her first since winning in Osaka last year.

Egyptian soldier killed in Sinai attack claimed by IS affiliate

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CAIRO (AFP) - Militants killed an Egyptian soldier Friday after abducting him from an ambulance in an ambush in the Sinai Peninsula, security officials said, in an attack claimed by the affiliate of the Islamic State group.The Sinai Province -- formerly known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis -- and which has pledged allegiance to the IS organisation, is spearheading an extremist insurgency against security forces on the peninsula since the army ousted president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.Militants attacked an ambulance carrying a wounded soldier south of the town of Sheikh Zuweid in North Sinai, a hotbed of insurgents, and abducted him, security officials said.The soldiers body was later found in the area, they said, adding that he had been wounded in a gunfight earlier with militants from the Sinai Province and was abducted while being taken to hospital. A medic was wounded when the ambulance was attacked.The Sinai Province claimed the killing of the soldier.The soldiers of the caliphate stopped an ambulance in an ambush and killed the wounded Egyptian soldier, the terrorists said on a Twitter account linked to the group.The Sinai Province has staged deadly attacks against Egyptian soldiers and policemen despite a raft of security measures imposed in the region, including a state of emergency and night-time curfew in parts of North Sinai.The group says its attacks are in retaliation over a police crackdown targeting Morsis supporters since his ouster.Hundreds of Morsi supporters have been killed and thousands jailed in the crackdown. Dozens more, including Morsi, have been sentenced to death after mass trials.

Football: Hodgson hails USA-bound Gerrard and Lampard

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LONDON (AFP) - England manager Roy Hodgson has lauded departing Premier League stars Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard and predicted that both players will enjoy successful coaching careers once they stop playing.Gerrard, 34, plays his last game for Liverpool at Stoke City on Sunday before joining the Los Angeles Galaxy, while former Chelsea stalwart Frank Lampard, 36, tackles Southampton with Manchester City in his final competitive match before linking up with Citys sister club New York City.Hodgson awarded both players their 100th England caps and while success eluded them in their countrys colours prior to their international retirements last year, he feels they will leave tremendous legacies.Their effect on English football over 18 years has been quite incredible, but Id rather speak personally, he told reporters at Wembley Stadium.What theyve done for me during my time as England manager has been quite fantastic, not only on the field as players and in training as players, but also as leaders and characters.Theyve both been outstanding. Theyve been real role models for the rest of the players.Theyve had a natural authority due to the fact they are such good players, but they have used their authority in the right way to encourage the younger players to make certain that their strong ethos, which as a coaching staff we share, is spread out amongst all the players.I cant thank them enough for what theyve done. I really hope they enjoy their American adventures. I think they will. It will give an extra string to their bow.They will come back even stronger individuals and leaders than they already are. We will see an awful lot of benefits going forward with those two players.I cant imagine a long-term future in English football without major contributions from Gerrard and Lampard. So I wish them well.I thank them very much from the bottom of my heart for all the work theyve done for me and the country while Ive been manager.Hodgson expressed hope that Gerrard and Lampard will one day want to get involved in the England set-up in the same manner as former Manchester United captain Gary Neville, who is one of Hodgsons assistants.Im sure the first people who will try to get hold of them when they return will be Liverpool and Chelsea. Im pretty sure of that, Hodgson said.But whos to say they cant be members in an English set-up as well? They certainly know England. Theyve both had 100 caps. But its not only their playing ability. Its their leadership qualities. Theyre both leaders.

Strong 6.8-magnitude quake strikes off Solomon Islands

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SYDNEY (AFP) - A strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands early Saturday, US geologists said, the third major tremor to hit in three days, but there were no initial reports of damage and no tsunami warning was issued. The quake hit at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), 205 kilometres from Kirakira and 448 kilometres from the capital Honiara. It is the third day in a row that the Solomons have been rocked by a quake of 6.0-magnitude or higher. A 6.0 magnitude quake struck the islands early Friday, and a 6.9 magnitude tremor the day before. No major damage was caused by the earlier tremors.The Solomons are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of tectonic activity known for its frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.In 2013, the Solomons were hit by a tsunami after an 8.0-magnitude quake, leaving at least 10 people dead and thousands homeless after buildings were destroyed.

US stocks mostly up despite valuation worries

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Wall Street stocks moved mostly higher this week despite mixed earnings from big retailers and caution about swelling equity valuations.The Dow and S&P 500 both notched record closes during the week before retreating a bit, while the Nasdaq ended less than three points away from its all-time high.The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 40.54 points (0.22 percent) at 18,232.02 compared with last Friday.But the broad-based S&P 500 advanced 3.33 (0.16 percent) to 2,126.06, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index rose 41.07 (0.81 percent) to 5,089.36.Hugh Johnson of Hugh Johnson Advisors said stocks would probably stall given current valuations and the prospect of higher interest rates.For stock markets, 2013 and 2014 had been very good years and now it has hit what I call the wall of valuation, becoming somewhat overvalued, Johnson said.The week was relatively light on economic indicators, leaving minutes from the Federal Reserves April policy meeting as one of the most watched calendar items.The minutes cast further doubt on the prospects of an imminent hike to the near-zero federal funds rate, with many policy makers viewing a June rate increase as unlikely.In a speech on Friday, Fed Chair Janet Yellen reaffirmed that the Fed was on track to raise interest rates this year. However, she also warned that the US economy continues to show weakness, with significant job market slack not reflected in the 5.4 percent jobless rate.Alan Skrainka, chief investment officer at Cornerstone Wealth Management, said the Feds plan could weigh on stocks unless the economy picks up.We need to see some real momentum, better growth outside of just jobs growth, he said.We need to see a pickup in spending, a pickup in investment to justify the Fed engaging in a cycle of Fed rate hikes. Or else the market is going to say this is a mistake.Mixed retail earningsAmong retailers reporting earnings, Dow member Home Depot was a bright spot. The home-improvement chain lifted its full-year profit forecast after US comparable stores sales rose 7.1 percent in the first quarter.Best Buy and Target also released strong results.But Wal-Mart Stores, the worlds biggest retailer, disappointed with a seven percent drop in quarterly earnings to $3.3 billion in its fiscal first quarter due to higher costs, including the companys wage hike for its US staff.Walmarts 1.1 percent gain in US comparable-stores sales for the quarter ending April 30 was also below some analyst forecasts.Others to disappoint included home-improvement retailer Lowes and the youth apparel chains Urban Outfitters and Gap.As far as we can tell, spending is very tepid, Skrainka said. Consumers are cautious, company executives are cautious.In deal news, US drugstore chain CVS Health announced it would buy Omnicare, which provides pharmacy-related services to long-term care facilities, for $12.7 billion.In another health-sector acquisition, Endo International announced it would pay $8.05 billion for privately held US firm Par Pharmaceutical Holdings to strengthen its generic drugs business.Ascena Retail Group struck a deal to buy womens apparel company ANN, parent of chain Ann Taylor, for $2.2 billion.Major economic reports next week include the Conference Boards report on May consumer confidence, durable goods orders for April and the governments second estimate of first-quarter economic growth.US equity markets are closed Monday in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.

IS suicide bomber attacks Saudi mosque, killing 21

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RIYADH (AFP) - An Islamic State group suicide bomber attacked a Shiite mosque in Saudi Arabia on Friday, killing 21 people and wounding 81 in an assault that threatens to fan sectarian tensions.The bomber struck during the main weekly prayers in Eastern Province, where assailants linked to the extremist IS killed seven members of the minority Shiite community in November.The interior ministry said a suicide bomber detonated a bomb at the mosque in Kudeih, in the city of Qatif, the official SPA news agency reported.An individual detonated a bomb he was wearing under his clothes during Friday prayers at Ali Ibn Abi Taleb mosque in Kudeih in Qatif, the ministry spokesman said in a statement.The health ministry was quoted by SPA saying that 21 people were killed and 81 wounded, including 12 in critical condition.IS said it was behind the attack, the first time the group has officially claimed an attack in Saudi Arabia, and vowed dark days ahead for Shiites until militants chase them from the Arabian Peninsula.A statement published online said soldiers of the Caliphate were behind the attack by Abu Amer al-Najdi who detonated an explosives belt in the mosque.The United States condemned the bombing, but White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it was not immediately able to confirm it was the work of IS.Hezbollah blames SaudiIran demanded that the perpetrators be found and punished, and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah said it holds the Saudi authorities totally responsible for the bombing.News websites in eastern Saudi Arabia posted photographs of bodies lying in pools of blood, bloodied prayer rugs and damage inside the mosque.Qatif hospital issued an urgent call for blood donations and called in off-duty staff to cope with the high number of casualties, an activist said.The people are very angry, she said, adding that they tried to stop police from entering Kudeih.Residents had feared such an attack was coming, she said, because the government was failing to curb hate speech on social media against the Shiite community which complains of marginalisation.We dont want a repeat of what is happening in Syria or Iraq here, she said, referring to the IS that has declared a caliphate in those countries.This is our country and we love it.The mufti of Saudi Arabia, the countrys highest-ranking cleric, denounced the attack.It is a criminal act aimed at dividing the sons of the nation... and at sowing trouble in our country, he said on state television.Hezbollah accused Saudi authorities of sponsoring and backing criminal murderers and of failing to protect its citizens.The attack comes as a Saudi-led coalition has since March 26 been bombing rebels in Yemen who have overrun much of the country and forced the government to flee abroad.A matter of timeAnalysts said radical in the ultra-conservative kingdom consider Saudi Shiites to be allies of the Yemen Huthi rebels.This (attack) was unfortunately only a matter of time, said Frederic Wehrey, a Gulf analyst at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.Shiites have not joined in the wave of Sunni nationalism that has followed the Saudi-led campaign against the rebels in Yemen, and are considered by radical Salafists as a fifth column for the Huthis.The interior ministry spokesman said Saudi Arabia would hunt down anyone involved in this terrorist crime carried out by people seeking to undermine national unity.First reports by witnesses said the suicide bomber appeared to be from Pakistan, but others said he was wearing traditional Afghan clothing.From Islamabad, Pakistani Minister Nawaz Sharif sent condolences to families of the victims and said in a statement terrorists are enemies of humanity which also bring a bad name to Islam.Eastern Province is an oil-rich region populated by many Shiites. It has been rocked by sporadic protests and attacks on security forces since 2011.But in April, authorities said they arrested 93 terrorists, including 62 suspected of links to IS who were plotting attacks to incite sectarian sedition.Arrests of suspects with links to IS were also announced after gunmen last November killed seven Shiites, including children, in the eastern town of Al-Dalwa during a holy ceremony.

Heavy Saudi-led airstrikes target Shiite rebels in Yemen

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SANAA (AP) - The Saudi-led coalition on Friday launched heavy airstrikes against Shiite rebels in Yemen, targeting camps and weapons depots in the rebel-held capital, as a U.N. agency said some 234 children were killed in violence over the past two months.Residents of Sanaa awoke to the sound of explosions early Friday morning as warplanes targeted weapons caches in Noqum mountain, sending up bursts of flames and columns of smoke.As night fell over Sanaa Friday night, another set of airstrikes across the capital sent residents scrambling for shelter. Witnesses told The Associated Press the airstrikes were among the most extensive and powerful since the beginning of the coalition campaign on March 26.Airstrikes also targeted the rebels, known as Houthis, in their northern home base of Saada province. Witnesses described seeing Apache helicopters flying overhead that appeared to be targeting rebel vehicles. All witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern for their safety.Yemens war pits forces loyal to the countrys exiled president against the Houthis and allied military units. In Saada province on Friday, a new front in the war appeared to have opened as heavily armed pro-government tribesmen began advancing on the city of Saada the capital of Saada province and the stronghold of the Houthi rebels, according to military officials and tribesmen.The Houthis have occasionally carried out cross-border attacks from Saada, which borders Saudi Arabia. Yahia al-Qahtani, the spokesman for the Saudi civil defense authority in the southern Saudi border region of Jizan, said on Friday that a child was killed and three other children wounded when missiles from inside Yemen struck their village a day earlier.Elsewhere, Yemeni security officials said three suspected al-Qaida members were killed in a drone strike on their vehicle in the southern province of Shabwa. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they werent authorized to speak to the press.In Geneva, Cécile Pouilly, spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that at least 1,037 civilians, including 130 women and 234 children, have been killed between March 26 and May 20. An estimated 2500 civilians have been injured and the cities of Saada and Aden have endured the most extensive damage to their infrastructure, she said.The U.N. is planning to hold peace talks in Geneva at the end of May and the organization has urged all rival parties to participate. So far, the rebels have expressed support for the talks while the internationally recognized government-in-exile has said it would only participate if the rebels withdraw from cities they occupy including the capital.

US officials: Iran enters Iraqi fight for key oil refinery

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Iran has entered the fight to retake a major Iraqi oil refinery from Islamic State militants, contributing small numbers of troops including some operating artillery and other heavy weapons in support of advancing Iraqi ground forces, U.S. defense officials said Friday.Two U.S. defense officials said Iranian forces have taken a significant offensive role in the Beiji operation in recent days, in conjunction with Iraqi Shiite militia. The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.One official said Iranians are operating artillery, 122mm rocket systems and surveillance and reconnaissance drones to help the Iraqi counteroffensive.The Iranian role was not mentioned in a new U.S. military statement asserting that Iraqi security forces, with U.S. help, had managed to establish a land route into the Beiji refinery compound. The statement Friday by the U.S. military headquarters in Kuwait said Iraqis have begun reinforcing and resupplying forces isolated inside the refinery compound.Irans role in Iraq is a major complicating factor for the Obama administration as it searches for the most effective approach to countering the Islamic State group. U.S. officials have said they do not oppose contributions from Iran-supported Iraqi Shiite militias as long as they operate under the command and control of the Iraqi government.Fridays U.S. military statement quoted Brig. Gen. Thomas Weidley as saying that over the past three days Iraqi security forces and federal police have made steady, measured progress in regaining some areas leading to the Beiji refinery compound, in the face of suicide vehicle-borne bombs and rocket attacks. Weidley, chief of staff of the U.S.-led military headquarters in Kuwait, recently described the oil refinery as a key infrastructure and critical crossroads.The U.S. statement said Iraqis, enabled by the U.S. and its coalition partners, have successfully cleared and established a ground route into the refinery to resupply Iraqi troops. It listed U.S. and coalition contributions as including airstrikes, reconnaissance and the use of advise and assist elements.Asked about the newly emerging role of Iranian forces in Beiji, the U.S. command in Kuwait declined to comment directly, citing operational security reasons. It added that all forces involved in Beiji are aligned with the government of Iraq and under the control of Iraqi security forces.Separately, the Pentagon said Friday that the cost of U.S. military operations in Iraq and Syria since U.S. airstrikes began in August is $2.44 billion as of May 7.IS fighters recently gained substantial control over the Beiji oil refinery, a strategically important prize in the battle for Iraqs future and a potential source of millions of dollars in income for the militants. They also control the nearby town of Beiji, on the main route from Baghdad to Mosul, along the Tigris River.The militants move on Beiji largely coincided with its successful offensive in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, last week. Iraqi forces withdrew from Ramadi on Sunday, leaving behind large numbers of U.S.-supplied vehicles, including several tanks. The U.S. said Friday that its airstrikes in Ramadi overnight hit an IS fighting unit, destroying five armored vehicles, two tanks and other military vehicles, as well as nine abandoned tanks and other armored vehicles.Together, the Ramadi and Beiji losses have fueled criticism of the Obama administrations Iraq strategy and prompted the White House to authorize an acceleration of U.S. weapons transfers to Baghdad, including expedited shipments of 2,000 shoulder-fired missiles for use against armored suicide vehicles.Iran had contributed advisers, training and arms to Iraqi Shiite militias in an attempt to retake the city of Tikrit in March, but that effort stalled. In April, after the U.S. joined the effort with airstrikes, Iraqi security forces and allied Shiite militias succeeded in regaining control of the city.

Colombia's FARC rebels suspend ceasefire over air strike

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BOGOTA (AFP) - Peace talks to end Colombias five-decade conflict were plunged into fresh crisis Friday after FARC guerrillas suspended their unilateral ceasefire in response to a government air strike that killed 26 rebels.The December ceasefire announcement by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) had raised hopes that the two-year-old peace negotiations were approaching a breakthrough. But tensions have spiralled since the rebels killed 11 soldiers in an ambush last month.On April 15, the day after the ambush, a furious President Juan Manuel Santos ordered the military to resume air strikes against the leftist FARC, which he had suspended on March 11 in recognition of their ceasefire.Thursday nights air strike and ground attack was the deadliest assault on the FARC since that announcement.It targeted a FARC base in the western department of Cauca, the FARC stronghold where the rebels carried out the ambush.The strike came on the same day the government and FARC opened a new round of peace talks, seeking to make progress on ending a conflict that has killed more than 200,000 people.The FARC, which has defended the April ambush as a defensive action taken against an army siege, vehemently condemned the air strike.The rebel fighters were murdered in the deep of night and sound asleep, with 250-kilogram (500-pound) bombs, without a chance to fight back, Pastor Alape, a member of the FARC negotiating team, wrote on Twitter, calling it a treacherous and degrading act.Soon after, the rebel negotiating team announced on its blog that the FARC was ending its unilateral ceasefire after six months.We didnt plan to suspend the ceasefire... but the incoherence of the Santos administration has achieved it, after five months of ground and air offensives against our units across the country, they said.They said they were still committed to continuing the talks, but reiterated their call for a bilateral ceasefire -- which Santos has repeatedly refused to grant without a final peace deal.Against our will we have to pursue dialogue in the midst of confrontation, they said.Although Santos has announced he will maintain the offensive, we insist on the need to grant the bilateral ceasefire the national majority has demanded with such insistence, for the health of the peace process and to avoid more victims.A scheduled meeting Friday between government and rebel negotiators on their landmark agreement to cooperate on clearing the landmines that litter the Colombian countryside was called off, a Cuban foreign ministry official told AFP.The two sides were expected to go ahead with the next scheduled meeting on Saturday.Cuba is hosting the peace talks.Flare-ups strain talksThursdays attack involved both military and police.It targeted a FARC unit that the army blames for a November attack on the Pacific island of Gorgona that killed one of its lieutenants, a military source said.Santos defended the strike, which he called a very important blow against the FARC.This is a legitimate action by the state in defense and protection of its citizens. These are the rules of the game that we have established.After the FARC announced the suspension of their ceasefire, he vowed the military was prepared for any new attacks.But in a Twitter post, he called on the FARC to double down on the peace process.Gentlemen of the FARC: It is time to accelerate negotiations. How many more deaths are needed to understand that now is the time for peaceThe peace talks began in 2012 and have been continually derailed by attacks from both sides, including the FARCs capture of an army general in November.The negotiations have reached partial deals on several issues, including political participation for FARC members and fighting the illegal drug trafficking that has fueled the conflict.But a final accord remains elusive.The FARC was founded in 1964 and has about 8,000 fighters.FARC negotiators recently met the National Liberation Army (ELN), another leftist rebel group with about 2,500 fighters, on joining the peace process.
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