The Pakistani army says it is preparing to flush "hardcore" Taliban rebels out of the Swat valley after regaining control of the main city, Mingora.
"We are going after the leadership and we are going to take care of all the militants in the valley," spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas told the BBC.
Clashes continued outside Mingora but its centre was under control, he said.
Essential services were being restored to the city, he added, which was home to 300,000 people before the fighting.
Doctors had arrived to re-open the main hospital, gas had been restored and mobile generators would help restore the water system, the general said.
But he suggested it would take at least two weeks to restore the electricity network. Local defence committees would be set up eventually to stop militants returning, he added.
With journalists barred from the area, it is impossible to verify the situation in the city independently.
Some 2.5 million people have fled their homes since military operations began in Swat more than a month ago.
'Better position'
"We have been able to block the major routes and the entries, exit points of the valley," said Gen Abbas.
"So we are in a better position to flush out, to eliminate the main militants, the hardcore militants of the valley."
Troops now have Charbagh, a Taliban stronghold 32km (20 miles) north of the valley, in their sights, the BBC's Humphrey Hawksley reports.
Helicopters are said to be dropping leaflets advising residents to leave.
Soldiers continued to patrol Mingora's largely deserted streets on Saturday, securing neighbourhoods and checking houses for booby-traps.
Pakistan has increased its reward for the capture of the Taliban leader in Swat, Maulana Fazlullah, to 50m rupees ($600,000).
The radical cleric is believed to be the architect of a two-year uprising in the valley aimed at enforcing Islamic law.
It is thought that the Taliban responded to the military campaign this week with a major suicide bomb attack on the country's second-biggest city, Lahore, as well as bombings in two other cities in the north-west.
The US is giving full backing to the Pakistani operations, which are linked to its own offensive against the Taliban in Afghanistan, our correspondent says.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Dying man wins bet he would live
A Buckinghamshire man diagnosed with terminal cancer is to collect a second winning payout of £5,000 after betting he would stay alive.
Jon Matthews, 59, from Milton Keynes, was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer linked to asbestos, in 2006 and told he had months to live.
He placed two bets, each with a £100 stake at odds of 50/1, that he would be alive in June 2008 and in June 2009.
A third wager will earn him a further £10,000 if he lives until 1 June 2010.
The widower will collect his second lot of £5,000 winnings on Monday.
Mr Matthews said: "I think I'm the first person in the world to bet on my own life.
"When I was diagnosed I was told mesothelioma was a death sentence.
"I wasn't that fussed because everyone has to die some time.
"But the interesting thing for me was how long it would take - would it take weeks or years?"
Mr Matthews said he planned to give away most of his winnings to charities, including the cancer charity Macmillan.
William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said: "We had never been asked to accept a bet of this nature before.
"But as Jon approached us directly and was adamant that it would give him an additional incentive to battle his illness, we offered him the bets he wanted.
"Never in 30 years in the business have I been so pleased to pay a winning client £10,000, with, I trust, a further £10,000 to come next year."
Jon Matthews, 59, from Milton Keynes, was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer linked to asbestos, in 2006 and told he had months to live.
He placed two bets, each with a £100 stake at odds of 50/1, that he would be alive in June 2008 and in June 2009.
A third wager will earn him a further £10,000 if he lives until 1 June 2010.
The widower will collect his second lot of £5,000 winnings on Monday.
Mr Matthews said: "I think I'm the first person in the world to bet on my own life.
"When I was diagnosed I was told mesothelioma was a death sentence.
"I wasn't that fussed because everyone has to die some time.
"But the interesting thing for me was how long it would take - would it take weeks or years?"
Mr Matthews said he planned to give away most of his winnings to charities, including the cancer charity Macmillan.
William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said: "We had never been asked to accept a bet of this nature before.
"But as Jon approached us directly and was adamant that it would give him an additional incentive to battle his illness, we offered him the bets he wanted.
"Never in 30 years in the business have I been so pleased to pay a winning client £10,000, with, I trust, a further £10,000 to come next year."
Paris jewel thief takes $8m haul
Jewellery worth more than 6m euros (£5m, $8m) has been stolen from an exclusive Paris store in broad daylight by a lone gunman, police sources say.
Dressed in a suit and fedora, the man entered Chopard on Place Vendome and reportedly made staff hand over 15 pieces of jewellery at gunpoint.
The mid-afternoon hold-up lasted two minutes, after which the robber, said to be in his 50s, calmly walked out.
Chopard jewellery is worn by stars at the Oscars and Cannes film festival.
Place Vendome is an elegant old square known for its luxury hotels, and is also home to numerous jewellery stores as well as the French justice ministry.
In December, armed robbers stole jewels worth at least 80m euros ($102m) from a store near the French capital's famous Champs-Elysees avenue.
As many as four robbers, two disguised as women, raided the Harry Winston's store and stole nearly all its valuables.
'Like any other customer'
The Vendome robber struck just before 1500 (1300 GMT) on Saturday, at a time when, in good weather, the square is usually full of strollers.
"According to the first set of information we received, it was a man in his 50s, dressed in a chic costume and wearing a Borsalino [fedora] hat," Olivier Lebon, a police union representative, told Reuters news agency.
"He came in like any other customer, pointed his gun at employees and asked for about 15 pieces."
It was not immediately known if the robber had an accomplice waiting for him outside the store.
A sales assistant working in an adjacent jeweller's store told AFP news agency she had heard and seen nothing. "We were working," she added.
Late on Saturday afternoon, the store at No 1 Place Vendome stood closed behind iron shutters, an AFP correspondent reports.
Only some leather handbags could be seen in the window, and no trace of a robbery could be seen from the outside.
The French capital was basking in sunshine on Saturday, with temperatures rising to a summery 23C, AFP reports.
At least some of the capital's beau monde would have attending the French Open, one of the tennis world's most prestigious events, at the city's Roland Garros stadium.
Among Chopard's commissions is the Golden Palm awarded at the Cannes festival.
Founded in 1860, the firm has branches in major cities across the world.
Dressed in a suit and fedora, the man entered Chopard on Place Vendome and reportedly made staff hand over 15 pieces of jewellery at gunpoint.
The mid-afternoon hold-up lasted two minutes, after which the robber, said to be in his 50s, calmly walked out.
Chopard jewellery is worn by stars at the Oscars and Cannes film festival.
Place Vendome is an elegant old square known for its luxury hotels, and is also home to numerous jewellery stores as well as the French justice ministry.
In December, armed robbers stole jewels worth at least 80m euros ($102m) from a store near the French capital's famous Champs-Elysees avenue.
As many as four robbers, two disguised as women, raided the Harry Winston's store and stole nearly all its valuables.
'Like any other customer'
The Vendome robber struck just before 1500 (1300 GMT) on Saturday, at a time when, in good weather, the square is usually full of strollers.
"According to the first set of information we received, it was a man in his 50s, dressed in a chic costume and wearing a Borsalino [fedora] hat," Olivier Lebon, a police union representative, told Reuters news agency.
"He came in like any other customer, pointed his gun at employees and asked for about 15 pieces."
It was not immediately known if the robber had an accomplice waiting for him outside the store.
A sales assistant working in an adjacent jeweller's store told AFP news agency she had heard and seen nothing. "We were working," she added.
Late on Saturday afternoon, the store at No 1 Place Vendome stood closed behind iron shutters, an AFP correspondent reports.
Only some leather handbags could be seen in the window, and no trace of a robbery could be seen from the outside.
The French capital was basking in sunshine on Saturday, with temperatures rising to a summery 23C, AFP reports.
At least some of the capital's beau monde would have attending the French Open, one of the tennis world's most prestigious events, at the city's Roland Garros stadium.
Among Chopard's commissions is the Golden Palm awarded at the Cannes festival.
Founded in 1860, the firm has branches in major cities across the world.
Iran candidate Mousavi backs women's rights
Presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi has vowed to review laws that discriminate against women in Iran if he wins an upcoming election.
Watched by his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, Mr Mousavi told an audience of female supporters in Tehran: "We should reform laws that are unfair to women."
Patrols of so-called "morality police" regularly enforce standards of Islamic dress on Iran's streets.
Mr Mousavi, a reformist former PM, says he would seek to disband the force.
As Ms Rahnavard spoke, many in the crowd shouted protests against the morality police, who regularly arrest women they deem inappropriately dressed.
"We should prepare the ground for an Iran where women are treated without discrimination," the AFP news agency reported her as saying.
"We should reform laws that treat women unequally. We should empower women financially, women should be able to choose their professions according to their merits, and Iranian women should be able to reach the highest level of decision making bodies."
Challenger
Mir-Hossein Mousavi said he would put forward a bill to amend laws judged to be at odds with the spirit of Iran's constitution, in particular "discriminatory and unjust regulations" against women.
He also voiced his support for those campaigning for women's rights and pledged new legal measures to help end violence against women.
Correspondents consider Mr Mousavi the main reformist challenger to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , who is seeking another term.
He is one of four candidates approved to run in the country's president election, to be held on 12 June.
Mr Mousavi served as prime minister during the years of the Iran-Iraq war from 1980-1988.
The other candidates are a former head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards, Mohsen Rezai, and Mehdi Karroubi who was a speaker of parliament and is considered a reformist.
Women's rights are an emotive issue, with both Zahra Rahnavard and the wife of his rival Mehdi Karroubi taking an active role on the campaign trail.
Watched by his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, Mr Mousavi told an audience of female supporters in Tehran: "We should reform laws that are unfair to women."
Patrols of so-called "morality police" regularly enforce standards of Islamic dress on Iran's streets.
Mr Mousavi, a reformist former PM, says he would seek to disband the force.
As Ms Rahnavard spoke, many in the crowd shouted protests against the morality police, who regularly arrest women they deem inappropriately dressed.
"We should prepare the ground for an Iran where women are treated without discrimination," the AFP news agency reported her as saying.
"We should reform laws that treat women unequally. We should empower women financially, women should be able to choose their professions according to their merits, and Iranian women should be able to reach the highest level of decision making bodies."
Challenger
Mir-Hossein Mousavi said he would put forward a bill to amend laws judged to be at odds with the spirit of Iran's constitution, in particular "discriminatory and unjust regulations" against women.
He also voiced his support for those campaigning for women's rights and pledged new legal measures to help end violence against women.
Correspondents consider Mr Mousavi the main reformist challenger to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , who is seeking another term.
He is one of four candidates approved to run in the country's president election, to be held on 12 June.
Mr Mousavi served as prime minister during the years of the Iran-Iraq war from 1980-1988.
The other candidates are a former head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards, Mohsen Rezai, and Mehdi Karroubi who was a speaker of parliament and is considered a reformist.
Women's rights are an emotive issue, with both Zahra Rahnavard and the wife of his rival Mehdi Karroubi taking an active role on the campaign trail.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Karnataka mantri spends Rs 20cr on son's shaadi
This could easily be included in the list of the fattest weddings ever. Karnataka health minister B Sriramulu pulled out all the stops for
the marriage of his 27-year-old MLA son, T H Suresh Babu, and is believed to have spent a whopping Rs 20 crore on the event.
Suresh, an MLA from Kampli reserved constituency, tied the knot with N Deepa, a middle class girl, with an extraordinary 40,000 people attending the mammoth ceremony at Bellary Cantonment on Thursday.
Four choppers to ferry VIPs from Bangalore to Bellary kept whirring in the sky all day. The wedding hall hummed with 500 air-conditioners and more than 200 chefs dished out a culinary extravaganza. Bangalore's political power shifted to this dusty sleepy district — including CM B S Yeddyurappa and his cabinet members. Also in attendance were top politicians from Andhra Pradesh.
Spanning 8 acres, the wedding arena had a huge palace-like shamiana and a dining hall to accommodate 5,000 people. There were also VIP and 'VVIP' halls.
VIPs pour in for Bellary wedding
Karnataka health minister B Sriramulu is learnt to have spent Rs 20 crore on the marriage of his MLA son, T H Suresh Babu.
All available lodges were booked for guests. Organizers made sure there was ample parking space even as 20 generator vehicles were used for back up. There was a choice of continental and Indian food and even though the reception area was jampacked, everything went smoothly.
VIPs were ushered in through a single door connecting two different halls while others were allowed to enter through the other side. Also, more than 100 ACs were fitted around the reception hall.
the marriage of his 27-year-old MLA son, T H Suresh Babu, and is believed to have spent a whopping Rs 20 crore on the event.
Suresh, an MLA from Kampli reserved constituency, tied the knot with N Deepa, a middle class girl, with an extraordinary 40,000 people attending the mammoth ceremony at Bellary Cantonment on Thursday.
Four choppers to ferry VIPs from Bangalore to Bellary kept whirring in the sky all day. The wedding hall hummed with 500 air-conditioners and more than 200 chefs dished out a culinary extravaganza. Bangalore's political power shifted to this dusty sleepy district — including CM B S Yeddyurappa and his cabinet members. Also in attendance were top politicians from Andhra Pradesh.
Spanning 8 acres, the wedding arena had a huge palace-like shamiana and a dining hall to accommodate 5,000 people. There were also VIP and 'VVIP' halls.
VIPs pour in for Bellary wedding
Karnataka health minister B Sriramulu is learnt to have spent Rs 20 crore on the marriage of his MLA son, T H Suresh Babu.
All available lodges were booked for guests. Organizers made sure there was ample parking space even as 20 generator vehicles were used for back up. There was a choice of continental and Indian food and even though the reception area was jampacked, everything went smoothly.
VIPs were ushered in through a single door connecting two different halls while others were allowed to enter through the other side. Also, more than 100 ACs were fitted around the reception hall.
Almost 250 people killed in 2 days of clashes between Arab tribes in western Sudan
Fighting between rival Arab tribes in western Sudan's oil-rich Kordofan region killed almost 250 people over two days earlier this week, including 75 policemen, Sudan's interior minister said.
Tribal clashes over cattle grazing and water rights is common across Sudan, but the violence has grown worse over the years with the number of arms left over from the two-decade long civil war between the north and the south that ended in 2005.
The Messariah and Rezeigat tribes that clashed Tuesday and Wednesday straddle the border region between southern Kordofan and neighboring Darfur, where a separate conflict that has claimed 300,000 lives has raged for more than six years.
Interior Minister Hamed Ibrahim told the Cabinet on Thursday that in addition to the police, 169 tribesman were killed in the fighting, including 89 from the Messariah and 80 from the Rezeigat. Calm has now returned to the area, he was quoted as saying by the state news agency.
A previous round of fighting last year between the two tribes left over 70 from both sides dead, Messariah chief Babou Nimr Mukhtar told The Associated Press.
Mukhtar said fighting began Tuesday when 2,000 Rezeigat gunmen on horseback and in trucks attacked his tribe. Police were deployed to the area to prevent the fighting but were attacked by the Rezeigat, he said.
"Calm is restored. But there is no guarantee it will last," said Mukhtar. He stressed that tribal chiefs, not security forces, were the only ones who could end the rivalry.
Mukhtar said 109 people from his tribe were killed in the fighting, 20 more than the government indicated. The differences could not immediately be reconciled, and it was unclear if all the tribesman killed were gunmen.
These clashes are separate from the war in Darfur between mostly ethnic African rebels and government forces and allied Arab militias. Many fear the Darfur conflict could spill over into neighboring Kordofan, exacerbating already rising violence.
Separate tribal clashes in the country's south over the last three months claimed the lives of some 900 people, mostly women and children.
Hamid, the interior minister, said the government was investigating the cause of this week's fighting and would bring the instigators to trial.
Kouider Zerrouk, a spokesman for the U.N. in Sudan, called the clashes "very alarming" and said the organization was also investigating.
Fighting in southern Kordofan is particularly concerning because it is contains some of Sudan's largest oil resources and its borders are disputed by northern and southern officials in the government.
Tribal clashes over cattle grazing and water rights is common across Sudan, but the violence has grown worse over the years with the number of arms left over from the two-decade long civil war between the north and the south that ended in 2005.
The Messariah and Rezeigat tribes that clashed Tuesday and Wednesday straddle the border region between southern Kordofan and neighboring Darfur, where a separate conflict that has claimed 300,000 lives has raged for more than six years.
Interior Minister Hamed Ibrahim told the Cabinet on Thursday that in addition to the police, 169 tribesman were killed in the fighting, including 89 from the Messariah and 80 from the Rezeigat. Calm has now returned to the area, he was quoted as saying by the state news agency.
A previous round of fighting last year between the two tribes left over 70 from both sides dead, Messariah chief Babou Nimr Mukhtar told The Associated Press.
Mukhtar said fighting began Tuesday when 2,000 Rezeigat gunmen on horseback and in trucks attacked his tribe. Police were deployed to the area to prevent the fighting but were attacked by the Rezeigat, he said.
"Calm is restored. But there is no guarantee it will last," said Mukhtar. He stressed that tribal chiefs, not security forces, were the only ones who could end the rivalry.
Mukhtar said 109 people from his tribe were killed in the fighting, 20 more than the government indicated. The differences could not immediately be reconciled, and it was unclear if all the tribesman killed were gunmen.
These clashes are separate from the war in Darfur between mostly ethnic African rebels and government forces and allied Arab militias. Many fear the Darfur conflict could spill over into neighboring Kordofan, exacerbating already rising violence.
Separate tribal clashes in the country's south over the last three months claimed the lives of some 900 people, mostly women and children.
Hamid, the interior minister, said the government was investigating the cause of this week's fighting and would bring the instigators to trial.
Kouider Zerrouk, a spokesman for the U.N. in Sudan, called the clashes "very alarming" and said the organization was also investigating.
Fighting in southern Kordofan is particularly concerning because it is contains some of Sudan's largest oil resources and its borders are disputed by northern and southern officials in the government.
Space station finally has a full staff of 6
The International Space Station just had a population boom.
A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying three new space station residents docked at the orbiting complex today. With three astronauts there to greet them, the space station now has a full staff of six for the first time in its 10-year history.
Also, each of the major space station partners is represented on board for the first time. The crew, all men, now is made up of two astronauts from Russia and one each from the U.S., Japan, Canada and Belgium.
"It is a historic day. It's also a very happy day up here," said newly arrived Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk. "We've got an incredible potential for success here. This is going to be something incredible. You ain't seen nothing yet."
Having all the countries represented on board is "a great way to kick off a six-person crew," NASA's deputy space station program manager, Kirk Shireman, said on the eve of the linkup.
When shuttle Endeavour and its crew of seven arrives in another few weeks, a record 13 people will be at the space station, but that will be only temporary.
The Soyuz spacecraft blasted off from Kazakhstan on Wednesday and pulled in at the space station as the two vessels soared 217 miles above China. There were hugs and handshakes all around when the hatches between the two craft swung open. The six astronauts gathered in the main living quarters for the many congratulations that streamed upward.
"Finally, we've lived to see this moment," Russian Mission Control radioed.
NASA expects science research to triple at the space station. Until now, astronauts have had to spend most of their time keeping all the systems running and fixing things, like a urine-into-drinking-water machine that took months to coax into operation. Astronauts took their first sips of the recycled water in orbit last week.
There should be a mental bonus as well with a bigger crew.
Psychologists have long said three is not an ideal crew size because of the potential for one person to feel left out.
"Think about when you're 7 years old and you've got three kids," noted U.S. astronaut Timothy Kopra, who will arrive on Endeavour and then move in.
The first space station crew arrived in 2000, two years after the first portion was launched. Until now, no more than three people lived there at a time. The crew size dropped to two after the 2003 Columbia disaster because of the lengthy grounding of NASA's remaining space shuttles.
A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying three new space station residents docked at the orbiting complex today. With three astronauts there to greet them, the space station now has a full staff of six for the first time in its 10-year history.
Also, each of the major space station partners is represented on board for the first time. The crew, all men, now is made up of two astronauts from Russia and one each from the U.S., Japan, Canada and Belgium.
"It is a historic day. It's also a very happy day up here," said newly arrived Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk. "We've got an incredible potential for success here. This is going to be something incredible. You ain't seen nothing yet."
Having all the countries represented on board is "a great way to kick off a six-person crew," NASA's deputy space station program manager, Kirk Shireman, said on the eve of the linkup.
When shuttle Endeavour and its crew of seven arrives in another few weeks, a record 13 people will be at the space station, but that will be only temporary.
The Soyuz spacecraft blasted off from Kazakhstan on Wednesday and pulled in at the space station as the two vessels soared 217 miles above China. There were hugs and handshakes all around when the hatches between the two craft swung open. The six astronauts gathered in the main living quarters for the many congratulations that streamed upward.
"Finally, we've lived to see this moment," Russian Mission Control radioed.
NASA expects science research to triple at the space station. Until now, astronauts have had to spend most of their time keeping all the systems running and fixing things, like a urine-into-drinking-water machine that took months to coax into operation. Astronauts took their first sips of the recycled water in orbit last week.
There should be a mental bonus as well with a bigger crew.
Psychologists have long said three is not an ideal crew size because of the potential for one person to feel left out.
"Think about when you're 7 years old and you've got three kids," noted U.S. astronaut Timothy Kopra, who will arrive on Endeavour and then move in.
The first space station crew arrived in 2000, two years after the first portion was launched. Until now, no more than three people lived there at a time. The crew size dropped to two after the 2003 Columbia disaster because of the lengthy grounding of NASA's remaining space shuttles.
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