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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

N. Korea Test-Fires 2 Short-Range Missiles

North Korea launched tests Tuesday of two more short-range missiles a day after conducting a nuclear test, news reports said, pushing the regime's confrontation with world powers further despite the threat of U.N. Security Council action.Two missiles — one ground-to-air, the other ground-to-ship — with a range of about 80 miles (130 kilometers) were test-fired Tuesday from an east coast launch pad, the Yonhap news agency and YTN television reported, citing unnamed South Korean officials.South Korea's spy chief, Won Sei-hoon, had informed lawmakers earlier Tuesday that North Korea appeared to be preparing to test-fire more missiles, according to Park Young-sun, a legislator who attended the closed-door session.Pyongyang also test-fired three short-range missiles Monday in the hours after conducting an underground nuclear test in the northeast, Yonhap said.The Security Council called Monday's underground atomic test in northeastern North Korea a "clear violation" of a 2006 resolution banning the regime from developing its nuclear program and has begun working on a new resolution that could mean stronger sanctions.France called for new sanctions while the U.S. and Japan pushed for strong action against North Korea for testing a bomb that Russian officials said compares in power to those that obliterated Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.

Sarkozy to open new French base during Abu Dhabi visit

During his visit to the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi Monday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is set to open a new French base on the banks of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important waterway between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf.President Nicolas Sarkozy is set to open France's first permanent military base in the Gulf on Monday, giving Paris a strategic role in a region roiled by Iran and a key supply route for oil.Sarkozy will be paying a visit to Abu Dhabi, the wealthiest and largest of the United Arab Emirates, to formally inaugurate the base announced in January last year.Dubbed "Peace Camp", the base will host up to 500 troops stationed in three sites on the banks of the Strait of Hormuz, just across from Iran: a navy and logistical base, an air base with three fighter planes and a training camp.The strategic Strait of Hormuz, which separates the UAE's neighbours Iran and Oman, is a vital conduit through which 40 percent of the world's crude oil is transported.France will be joining Britain and the United States as the few western powers to have a permanent presence in the Gulf and "Peace Camp" is the first French base opened since the end of the colonial era.

Gates Says Taliban Have Momentum in Afghanistan

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the momentum in Afghanistan is with the Taliban, who are inflicting heavy U.S. casualties and hold de facto control of swaths of the country.American public support for the Afghan war will dissipate in less than a year unless the Obama administration achieves "a perceptible shift in momentum," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in an interview.Gates said the momentum in Afghanistan is with the Taliban, who are inflicting heavy U.S. casualties and hold de facto control of swaths of the country.The defense chief has been moving aggressively to salvage the war in Afghanistan, signing off on the deployments of 21,000 American military personnel and recently taking the unprecedented step of firing the four-star general who commanded all U.S. forces there. Gates, speaking in his cabin on an Air Force plane, said the administration is rapidly running out of time to turn around the war."People are willing to stay in the fight, I believe, if they think we're making headway," he said. "If they think we're stalemated and having our young men and women get killed, then patience is going to run out pretty fast."Gates, a Bush administration holdover, also waded into the debate over the Guantanamo Bay prison and Bush-era antiterror tactics. He said critics of the Obama administration's plans to close Guantanamo and move some prisoners to the U.S. were guilty of "fear-mongering.""If people begin to absorb the fact that we've got several dozen very dangerous terrorists in our jails right now ... maybe a little greater perspective would be brought to the issue," he said.

Troops take over Maalam Jabba

Security forces have captured yet another militant stronghold 

The army claimed on Monday that security forces had captured Maalam Jabba, a stronghold of militants, after heavy clashes.It said troops were facing ‘stiff resistance’ to wrest the control of Swat from the Taliban.According to AFP, Military spokesman Maj-Gen Athar Abbas warned it could take up to 10 days to regain control of Mingora, as the punishing assault across three rugged northwest districts entered a fifth week.‘It may take seven to 10 days to clear Mingora of militants,’ he told AFP.‘The operation may be a little slow to avoid civilian casualties, damage and destruction to property. There are also improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted in Mingora, and we have to clear these IEDs as well.’According to the ISPR, Maalam Jabba, on the main line of communication between Swat and Mansehra, was being used by militants as a training centre and logistic base. Four militants were killed and six security personnel injured in the fighting. Eight terrorists were arrested.The ISPR said that troops were now trying to secure Kabbal where militants had training facilities and terrorists fleeing Mingora were gathering there.The areas of Aligrama, Guljaba, Fizaghat and a swathe up to Watakai have been secured.Two militants were killed and six soldiers injured in clashes in these areas. An armoured personnel carrier (APC) and a large quantity of arms and ammunition were seized and several improvised explosive devices defused.Troops resumed operation in Peochar valley on Monday. Two militants were killed and five captured. ‘Miscreants are on the run from the valley,’ the ISPR said.Security forces took control of Qambar village and Qambar ridge and cleared six tunnels. An area up to Grid Station, Amankot and T-Junction in Saidu Khawar and Udigram were cleared of militants. Three militants were arrested.

Iran's Ahmadinejad dismisses nuclear talks with other nations

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday ruled out nuclear negotiations with other nations, saying, "Iran's nuclear issue is over, in our opinion."At a news conference in Tehran, the hardline president also said that if re-elected he again will call for a debate with President Obama.Ahmadinejad previously urged a debate with President Bush and offered to debate both Obama and Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain during last year's U.S. presidential campaign.The Iranian presidential election is June 12."I will extend that invitation one more time, so that there and then at the United Nations headquarters, President Obama sits there at the table and discusses world issues management and the way toward peace," Ahmadinejad said, according to a live translation of his remarks.Like the Bush administration, the Obama White House suspects that Iran is working to build nuclear weapons under the guise of a nuclear energy program -- an allegation Ahmadinejad denies.

'Museum' Tops 'Terminator' in Box Office Slugfest

"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" claimed a box office victory over "Terminator Salvation."The live-action family comedy starring Ben Stiller won $70 million over the Memorial Day weekend, according to estimates from distributor 20th Century Fox. That put it well ahead of the first "Night at the Museum" movie, which had a $30.4 million three-day opening in December 2006."It's blown away our expectations," said Chris Aronson, senior vice president of domestic distribution for 20th Century Fox. "We've nearly doubled the opening of the first 'Night at the Museum.' It's an incredibly strong No. 1 that beats out 'Terminator,' which I think most people thought would win the weekend.""Terminator Salvation" pulled in $53.8 million over the four-day holiday weekend — plus $13.4 million on opening day Thursday — bringing the post-apocalyptic action film starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington to a total of $67.2 million since debuting, according to distributor Warner Bros.With a three-day total of $43 million, that puts the fourth movie in the "Terminator" series behind "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," the last of the franchise's installments to star Arnold Schwarzenegger. The third chapter took in $44 million in its first weekend in 2003.

The future of online social networking?

Whether you're into baseball or backgammon, Harry Potter or heavy metal, Ning has an online network for you.A fast-growing, free Web site launched two years ago, Ning lets members custom build their own social-networking platforms based around their passions and pastimes.As Facebook and MySpace connect people to friends and family, Ning gathers users around common interests. The site hosts networks for hip-hop music lovers, video gaming moms and teens obsessed with the Twilight book and movie franchise. Other popular Ning networks bring people together online for political and social causes such as "Pickens' Plan," which advocates wind energy.Ning had 4.7 million unique visitors as of January and surpassed 1 million social networks -- about one-fifth of them considered active -- last month.Ning also enhanced its site in March with new features such as a real-time activity feed so users can get up-to-the-minute reports -- not unlike Twitter's tweets -- about what others are doing.

Federer shines on his first day of Paris action

World number two player, Roger Federer, made an impressive entry into the French Open on Monday, easily qualifying for the second round. His arch-rival, Rafael Nadal, is also through, as are as female stars Dinara Safina and Venus Williams.Rafael Nadal, bidding for an historic fifth successive French Open, and Roger Federer, still seeking a first Roland Garros crown to complete a career Grand Slam, swept into the second round on Monday.Top seed and world number one Nadal, sporting a bright pink shirt, saw off plucky Brazilian qualifier Marcos Daniel 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 to take his career record here to 29 wins in 29 matches.The 22-year-old Nadal has now gone past the previous best sequence he shared with former six-time champion Bjorn Borg, who had 28 straight victories between 1978 and 1981.Nadal will next face either Igor Kunitsyn or Teimuraz Gabashvili, both Russians, for a place in the last 32."The first match is always difficult. I was a little nervous because this tournament is very special to me, but I feel good," said Nadal, who arrived in Paris having lost his 33-match claycourt winning streak to Federer in Madrid.

Pakistan, Iran finally sign gas pipeline accord

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shakes hands with his 
Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari

After fourteen years of delayed negotiations over the Iran–Pakistan–India (IPI) gas pipeline project, Pakistan and Iran have finally signed the initial agreement in Tehran on Sunday.The project, termed as the peace pipeline by officials from both countries, has been signed by President Zardari and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran on the sidelines of the tripartite summit on Afghanistan security in Tehran.However, talking to the Iranian official news agency IRNA the Iran’s Oil Ministry had said that negotiations on the ‘Peace Pipeline’ project were still underway between Iranian and the Pakistani delegations, which would allow Iran’s gas to be exported to Pakistan.The Pakistani delegation negotiating the project was led by the advisor to the prime Minister on Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain, who is accompanied by petroleum ministry officials and a technical team headed the managing director Inter State gas Systems (ISGC), Syed Hasan Nawab.The ISGS is a semiautonomous body looking after Pakistani interests in the international gas pipeline projects to import gas from Iran and Turkmenistan. The federal cabinet had earlier agreed to allow the import of one billion cubic feet of gas at the rate of 80 per cent of the price of crude oil.

Markets rattled by N Korea test

North Korea's nuclear surprise test briefly shook stock markets across Asia, but most regained ground before the close as investors shrugged off the test as a political ploy.In South Korea, Seoul's benchmark Kospi index plunged more than six per cent shortly after the first reports of the test emerged on Monday morning.But the index regained ground to end the day just 0.2 per cent lower as investors bet the North's move would not spark a military conflict.South Korea's currency, the won, also slumped 1.7 per cent immediately following news of the test, but recovered to end local trade down 0.1 per cent against the dollar.In Japan the benchmark Nikkei index dipped on Monday as investors flinched in response to the first news flashes of the test, pairing gains earlier in the day.But investors soon tempered their reaction, turning their attention to domestic issues and the upcoming week's economic reports, driving the Nikkei to end the day up 1.3 per cent.Analysts said investors have grown used to North Korea's unpredictability and past experience had helped regional markets avert major turmoil as a result of the test.

Indian riots after Vienna killing

Riots have broken out across the Indian state of Punjab after a a preacher from an Indian sect was killed by a rival Sikh group in Austria.Within hours of the incident in Vienna, thousands of Sikhs took to the streets, clashing with police and setting fire to buildings, vehicles and a train.At least one man was killed when the security forces opened fire on crowds near the city of Jalandhar, police say.The army has marched through the city, where a curfew is in force.However thousands of protesters carrying swords, steel rods and sticks defied the curfew on Monday.Major highways were blocked by bonfires of tyres and sticks. Trains have been attacked in several places.Police said they had fired at rioting mobs in Jalandhar, after coming under attack. At least four people were wounded.A man was shot dead as police dispersed a crowd in the nearby town of Lambran. Police say they have arrested six people for arson.In the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, police fired tear gas after protesters burnt dozens of buses.The Delhi-Lahore bus has been stopped near the town of Ludhiana as a precautionary measure.Violent demonstrations have also been reported in the towns of Patiala, Ferozepur, Bathinda and Nawanshahr.

Battles raging on in Mingora, six militants dead

 Mingora, the town has been under effective Taliban control for weeks

Pakistani troops remained locked in battles with Taliban militants in the northwest Monday, as the military warned it could take up to 10 days to wrest back control of Swat valley's capital.Ground forces are fighting street-by-street with Taliban fighters in Mingora, the business and administrative hub of the scenic Swat region which has been ripped apart by a two-year insurgency by the extremists.‘It may take seven to 10 days to clear Mingora town of militants,’ military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP.‘The operation may be a little slow to avoid civilian casualties, damage and destruction to property. There are also improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted in Mingora, and we have to clear these IEDs as well.’Security forces have said a number of key squares and intersections in Mingora are now under their control, as the more than four-week-long offensive against the Taliban in the northwest enters a crucial phase.A military official who did not want to be named said that six militants died overnight in Kabal town about 20 kilometres west of Mingora.‘They were trying to plant a bomb outside a mosque but it exploded on them,’ the official told AFP. ‘The dead bodies of six armed militants are still lying near the mosque.’He said Pakistan's security forces were still battling on the streets of Mingora, which has seen Taliban fighters armed with guns and rocket launchers patrol the streets in the past weeks, according to residents who fled.‘Militants are retreating from different fronts but we are still receiving fire from some pockets of resistance,’ the official said.Another security official said: ‘Militants are on the run, their dead bodies are lying in streets.’Although the military has bases inside Mingora, the town has been under effective Taliban control for weeks.Helicopter gunships also shelled militant hideouts in Peochar and Malam Jabba — mountainous areas northwest of Mingora which are Taliban bastions.

'Bloody Intersection' Secured by Troops in Pakistan

The Taliban left so many mutilated bodies at the crossing — some hanging from trees with threatening notes — that Pakistanis in the Swat Valley's main town took to calling it "bloody intersection."On Sunday, the army said that spot and seven other major crossings in Mingora were secured, part of street-by-street urban fighting whose success is considered critical to flushing out the militants from the valley as a whole.The advances in Swat came as helicopter gunships pounded alleged militant hide-outs in a nearby tribal region, killing at least 18 people, while police announced the arrest of a militant commander and six other Taliban fighters elsewhere in the northwest.The events underscored how widespread and entrenched militant activity is along Pakistan's rugged region bordering Afghanistan, and how pushing the Taliban out of Swat is unlikely to defuse the overall insurgency beleaguering the nuclear-armed Muslim nation.The U.S. has pushed Pakistan to use force to root out the Al Qaeda and Taliban insurgents, who are often involved in attacks on U.S. and NATO troops across the border. The operation in Swat has strong support from Washington, and retaking Mingora, the valley's main commercial hub, could be the stiffest test for the security forces.A military statement Sunday said forces had encountered at least 12 roadside bombs while securing the eight intersections. Five suspected militants were killed in various parts of Mingora while 14 others were arrested, the army said.The retaking of Green Chowk could have serious symbolic value.Residents nicknamed it "khooni chowk" or "bloody intersection" because the militants would leave their victims' bodies there — some decapitated, some killed in other brutal fashions. The dead often were left hanging from trees. Some had notes attached that accused the victims of spying and told local residents not to move the bodies until specified times.It was just one fear tactic used by Taliban fighters to exert control over the population of Mingora, which when not under army siege normally has at least 375,000 residents.Some 10,000 to 20,000 residents are still stranded in the town, according to the army.One trapped civilian told The Associated Press via phone Saturday night that gunshots were ringing through the air, first continuously then at intervals. He said he had tried to flee the city twice but failed due to the fighting and lack of transportation."I will try to leave again whenever I get another chance," said Fazal Wadood, a local leader of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N party. "It is like inviting death to stay here anymore."Overall in the valley, 10 militants were killed in the past 24 hours while three security troops died, the army statement said.It added that troops had entered Piochar village, a hub in a remote part of Swat that is the rear base for Swat Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah. A huge cache of arms and a bomb-making factory were unearthed, the statement said.Officials have downplayed reports that the army would soon expand the offensive to the lawless, semiautonomous tribal regions bordering Afghanistan. However, violence has continued to flare in those areas.

Deaths in Bay of Bengal cyclone

At least 17 people have been killed after a cyclone hit coastal areas of eastern India and Bangladesh, triggering widespread floods.Thousands of people in the Indian state of West Bengal were left homeless after rivers burst their banks amid heavy rain on Monday."The situation is very grave, countless families have been displaced, especially in the Sundarbans," Kanti Ganguly, the state minister for the Sundarbans region of West Bengal, said.At least 10 people died in West Bengal as houses collapsed and trees were felled by the storm, officials said.Heavy rains caused flooding across Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, as winds of up to 100kph brought down trees and communication lines."Our village is submerged, we are living in camps and have no clue what further calamity awaits us," Anil Krishna Mistry, a villager, told Reuters by telephone from Bali in the Sundarbans.

Shuttle returns after Hubble trip

The US space shuttle Atlantis has landed in California after an extended 13-day mission to rejuvenate the Hubble Space Telescope.The shuttle touched down at the Edwards Air Force base on Sunday at 8.39am (1539GMT) after two days of bad weather prevented landing attempts at the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida."It was a thrill from start to finish," Scott Altman, the commander of Atlantis, said.Altman and pilot Greg Johnson began the hour-long glide back to Earth by firing Atlantis' twin-braking rockets to leave orbit.The craft eventually drifted down to the base's main landing strip, touching down at a speed of roughly 400kph."Now we can declare this mission a total success," Ed Weiler, Nasa's head of space science, told a news conference.

Nearly 2.4 million displaced by anti-Taliban offensive, says UN

As Pakistani troops continue their offensive against Taliban fighters in the Swat valley capital of Mingora, UN and Pakistani government officials say more than 2.4 million people have been displaced by the fighting. Nearly 2.4 million people have registered with provincial authorities after fleeing an anti-Taliban military offensive this month in northwest Pakistan, the UN and government officials said Monday.Ariane Rummery, spokeswoman for the UNHCR, said they had been given the figure by the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) authorities, and expected the number to fluctuate after cross checks are carried out in the coming days."In the new influx, 2.38 million people have been registered," she said. "That's the new influx registered from May 2 from Swat, Lower Dir and Buner."Pakistan's security forces launched their onslaught against Taliban fighters in the districts of Lower Dir on April 26, Buner on April 28 and Swat on May 8, sending terrified civilians fleeing their homes.Most of the displaced are staying with friends and relatives, while others are crammed into government-run camps.Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told reporters the government was doing all it could to care for the massive number of uprooted people."Around 2.3 million people have been displaced but this number is not final," he said.The newly-displaced join more than 550,000 people who fled similar battles last year and rights groups have warned that it is Pakistan's biggest movement of people since partition from India in 1947.

U.N. Chief Wants Security Council Response to N. Korea Nuclear Test

The U.N. chief said Monday that a second nuclear test by North Korea would represent "a clear violation" of a United Nations Security Council resolution.The 15-nation council has called an emergency session on the matter for later Monday at U.N. headquarters in New York."I sincerely hope that the Security Council will take necessary corresponding measures," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told The Associated Press, declining to specify what further measures, or sanctions, he would urge the council members to take.Ban, who was in Copenhagen for a global business summit on climate change, said he would closely monitor the meeting in New York.New testing by North Korea would undermine peace and security in the region, Ban said, and he urged the communist nation "to refrain from taking any actions which will deteriorate the situation."

Somalia facing 'foreign invasion'

Somalia's president has condemned the presence of foreign fighters in his country as he called for help to tackle armed opposition groups seeking to topple his government."Somalia is being invaded by foreign fighters, whose main purpose is to turn the country into an Afghanistan or an Iraq," Sharif Ahmed said on Monday.The appeal came a day after after the al-Shabab group claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide attack in the Somali capital on Sunday.Authorities suspect the bomber, a teenage boy, was one of hundreds foreigners, from countries including Pakistan, Yemen and the United States, that the UN believes have joined Somali groups."We urge Somalis to defend against those groups that include foreigners, and we ask the international community to back us," Ahmed said at a news conference at his Villa Somalia residence.