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Friday, May 15, 2009

Pakistan lifts Swat valley curfew

Pakistan's army has temporarily lifted the curfew in large parts of the Swat valley, to allow civilians to flee the intense fighting against the Taleban.The curfew is being suspended for eight hours during the day, officials say.Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said the army would be successful in clearing the area of the militants, who have largely been controlling it.The UN says more than 800,000 people are living in harsh conditions in camps for those displaced by the fighting.Thousands arrived after the curfew was eased at the weekend.A further influx is expected on Friday as it is lifted in parts of the Swat valley from 0600 to 1400 (0100-0900GMT).

CIA Chief Warned Israel Not to Bomb Iran in Secret Visit

The director of the CIA was recently sent on a secret mission to Israel to warn its leaders not to launch a surprise attack on Iran without notifying the U.S. Administration, the Times of London reported on Thursday.As Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, prepares to visit Washington, it emerged on Wednesday that Leon Panetta went to Israel two weeks ago. He sought assurances from Netanyahu and Ehud Barak, the Defense Minister, that their hawkish new government would not attack Iran without alerting Washington.Concerns have been rising that Netanyahu could launch a strike on Tehran’s atomic program, in the same way that Israel hit Saddam Hussein’s Osirak reactor in 1981. Israel has been preparing for such an eventuality. It has carried out long-distance maneuvers and is due to hold its largest civil defense drills this summer. The country’s leaders reportedly told Panetta that they did not "intend to surprise the U.S. on Iran."Netanyahu will leave for Washington this weekend. He will meet Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, and Obama, whom he will try to convince of the need for tougher action against Iran. Obama favors trying to engage Tehran, but his efforts have been received coolly by President Ahmadinejad.The Israeli leader is expected to insist that the U.S. stays focused on Iran, rather than tackling stalled talks with the Palestinians.Netanyahu has held meetings with Arab leaders this week, including President Mubarak of Egypt and King Abdullah of Jordan. Both Sunni leaders share Israel’s fears of a resurgent Shia Iran.

Sri Lankans face 'catastrophe'

Sri Lankan civilians caught between warring government forces and Tamil separatists are facing "an unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe", the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said.The assessment comes as the Sri Lankan military said on Thursday that civilians continued to flee the combat zone under fire from Tamil Tiger forces using them as human shields."Our staff are witnessing an unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe," Pierre Krahenbuhl, the director of operations at the ICRC, said."No humanitarian organisation can help them in the current circumstances. People are left to their own devices."The Red Cross on Thursday sent a ferry to the battle zone in an effort to deliver food aid and to evacuate the wounded, but it could not reach the coastline due to the continuing violence."As fighting goes on unabated, civilians are forced to seek protection in hand-dug bunkers, making it even more difficult to fetch scarce drinking water and food," the ICRC said.

'Bloom's' con artists take on the blockbusters

"Wolverine." "Star Trek." "Angels & Demons." "Terminator: Salvation." The summer movies roll out, one weekend after another, like dreadnoughts leaving port to bombard a battle-scarred ocean.So won't a little film about a pair of con-artist brothers, with nary an indestructible alloy in sight, get overrun by these blockbusters?Rian Johnson, the 35-year-old director of the charming "The Brothers Bloom," doesn't see it that way."I actually kind of like it," he says of the strategy of premiering his film during summer movie season. ("Bloom" opens Friday in limited release and expands nationwide May 29.) "I feel like we're scampering in between the feet of these giants."Make no mistake, adds Johnson: "I love the big summer movies." But, he says, audiences will see the big movie of the week "and then want something different. That's the advantage coming out in this season has.""Bloom" has already proved itself nimble. 

Lift-off for European telescopes

Europe's Herschel and Planck telescopes have blasted into space on an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou in French Guiana.The satellites are being sent into orbit to gather fundamental new insights into the nature of the cosmos.The Ariane thundered clear of the launch pad at 1312 GMT (1412 BST) - its flight lasting just under half an hour.Mission controllers in Germany made contact with the telescopes over the Indian Ocean once they had separated from the rocket's upper-stage.The acquisition of the signals, relayed through ground stations in Australia, will have been a moment of huge relief for everyone connected with the two observatory projects.Their combined programme cost is 1.9bn euros (£1.7bn; $2.5bn), which made Herschel and Planck the highest value payload the European Space Agency's (Esa) science division has ever put on a single rocket."The launch today is just one step in a long chain of decisions and a fantastic amount of work by thousands of scientists and engineers," said agency director-general Jean-Jacques Dordain.

Jobseekers Turn To Twitter To Find Work

Jobseekers are turning to social networking sites to help them find work as unemployment continues to rise.The job market is highly competitive, with official figures showing 7.1% are now joblessTwitjobs launched on Twitter in March and quickly gained more than 4,500 followers.The microblogging site allows job hunters to spot and respond to vacancies instanty.Beth, a London jobseeker, has been using Twitter to search for vacancies for a few months."I've now had an interview because of applying through TwitJobs and have a second interview coming up," she said.In the US, Weber Shandwick advertised for a web developer through a tweet from its digital strategy manager Greg Swan.Doug Hamlin, 23, replied with his details and got the job.Job ads can also offer a way to monetise Twitter, which has millions of users.Twitjob creator Jason Barrett told Sky News Online they charge £49 per role, which is then tweeted several times a day.There are separate feeds for sectors including media, sales, fashion and graduates.A growing number of users are searching for employment on the web, sending job-related words and topics up the Twitter "most-trending" lists.

Street View under fire in Japan

Google's Street View service suffered a second blow this week after numerous complaints in Japan forced the firm to start reshooting all the photos.Cameras attached to the Street View car were "too high" for Japanese buildings, allowing them to see over walls into private areas.Google said it would lower the cameras on its cars by 40cm (16in).On 12 May, Greece's data protection agency ordered Google to stop filming because of privacy concerns.In a statement, Google said it would make "locally appropriate modifications to ensure a better user experience"."We have lowered the height of the camera due to the unique characteristics of many Japanese roads; they tend to be narrow, without pavements and driveways, and houses are built close to the street," the statement said."We think the new camera height allows us to get a high-quality image of the street while respecting the privacy of homeowners."The Street View service covers 12 cities in Japan, including Tokyo and Osaka.

More than 6,000 cases and 65 deaths reported worldwide

The number of confirmed cases of Influenza A (H1N1) flu has climbed to 6,497, including 65 deaths, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday. The vast majority of cases are in Mexico and the United States.The number of confirmed cases of the new Influenza A (H1N1) flu has climbed to 6,497, including 65 deaths, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday.The number of countries reporting confirmed cases remains at 33, with the vast majority of cases in Mexico and the United States, the WHO said in a twice-daily update.The latest update appeared before a meeting of experts later on Thursday by the WHO to decide whether drugmakers should switch production of flu vaccine to deal with the new outbreak, widely known as swine flu, from seasonal flu.Seasonal flu kills 500,000 people a year, mainly the elderly or those with respiratory problems like asthma.So the WHO will want to be sure that the H1N1 outbreak poses a severe threat before recommending the switch.Drugmakers do not have the capacity to make both. One question the experts will examine is whether a course against swine flu would require two shots rather than one, taking up twice as much manufacturing capacity.Recommendations by the experts will be put to the WHO's World Health Assembly next week. In the meantime manufacturers have already started producing the H1N1 vaccine.The spread of the disease has led the WHO to declare a pandemic is imminent. On April 29 it raised its pandemic alert to 5 on a 6-level scale.

Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals won by 2 runs. What a match! You'd have to say one of the best this season! Mumbai started terribly, losing three early wickets and struggled to score quickly before the strategy break. Tendulkar then cut loose to bring the asking rate down before Nayar took Mumbai to the brink of victory. Nayar was dismissed at a crucial time. With 4 needed off the last over, Munaf kept it full, conceding only 1 run as the last 3 wickets in 3 balls. A great win for Royals but one really feels for Mumbai. Rajasthan Royals: 145/7 (20.0 Ovs) Mumbai Indians: 143-all out (19.5 Ovs) 

Bangalore’s thrilling win over Chennai

Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Chennai Super Kings by two wickets with two balls left in a thrilling encounter in the 44th Twenty20 match in the second edition of the Indian Premier League here at Kingsmead on Thursday.Chasing an easy target, Bangalore lost their three early wickets for only 30 runs on the board but a 56-run fourth wicket stand between Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli helped the team to fight for win.Taylor made 46 with two fours and one six and Kohli scored 38 with four fours and two sixes.However, Bangalore lost three more wickets with an addition of 21 runs and they still needed 23 runs from 21 balls but they managed to achieve the target in 19.3 overs.For Bangalore, captain Anil Kumble, Jacquis Kallis and Vinay Kumar claimed two wickets each for 12, 18 and 30 runs, respectively.Earlier Chennai captain Mahinder Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first but his batsmen could not resist against tidy bowling from Bangalore pacers and spinners and they were all out for 129 runs in 19.4 overs.

Pakistan thrash Malaysia 4-2 to reach Asia Cup final

Rehan Butt consolidated Pakistan’s lead in the 64th minute
 with his second goal of the match

Pakistan stormed into the final of the eighth Asia Cup hockey tournament after thrashing hosts Malaysia 4-2 on Thursday at the Kuantan hockey stadium.Malaysia scored the first goal of the match in the third minute when Abu Ismail struck from the left-hand side of the circle. However, star striker Rehan Butt brought Pakistan level in the 18th minute when he converted a free-hit to equalise.Pakistan took the lead in the second half (45th minute) with another free-hit, this time converted by Akhtar Ali on a pass from Mohammad Imran.Butt consolidated Pakistan’s lead in the 64th minute with his second goal of the match – a superb long-range strike from the midfield.Pakistan’s fourth goal was scored by Haseem Khan three minutes from time, as he converted a pass from Akhtar Ali to seal the win for Pakistan A consolation goal was scored by Engku Malek in added time, just before the full-time hooter went off. Pakistan will now play South Korea, who routed China 5-1 in the first semi-final, in the final on Saturday. 

England take charge in second Test

Ravi Bopara reached three centuries in three innings as England punished the West Indies bowlers to reach 302 for two on the first day of the second Test in Chester-Le-Street.Alistair Cook also made his ninth Test century to share in a second wicket partnership of 213 with Bopara who was bowled for 108 by Lionel Baker.Cook finished the day unbeaten on 126."Runs are runs. It's a matter of how many you get not how you get them," the lefthander said."I have never batted the whole day before so I'm quite proud."It's been a battle for the last 12 months for me so it's just nice to score some runs."After England's 10-wicket triumph at Lord's, the opening day's batting performance on a cold day at Durham's Riverside ground gave the West Indies little hope of winning the second Test to square the series."It was a tough day today,'' coach John Dyson said."A very flat wicket and the England batsmen batted very, very well."Let's hope that tomorrow morning perhaps Alastair (Cook) might be tired, the sun might come out and give our blokes some inspiration."We've just got to keep going with bowling in the right areas and hope that one of few that he's played at and missed he might nick.''Bopara, who scored 104 at Bridgetown and Barbados and 143 at Lord's, joins Herbert Sutcliffe, Dennis Compton, Geoffrey Boycott and Graham Gooch as England players who have scored three centuries in three innings.

Sony posts first annual loss in 14 years

Electronics and entertainment giant Sony posted a 98.94 billion yen (1 billion dollar) loss for the year ending March 31, the company's first annual loss in 14 years. The Japanese company expects a net loss of 120 billion yen for 2009/2010.Sony Corp. announced Thursday its first annual loss in 14 years and warned it would stay in the red this year as the recession cuts demand for televisions, cameras and other electronics.The Japanese giant posted a net loss of 98.94 billion yen (1.0 billion dollars) for the year to March, a dramatic turnaround from the previous year's profit of 369.44 billion yen.The maker of Bravia televisions, PlayStation game consoles and Walkman music players logged an operating loss of 227.78 billion yen, against a year-earlier profit of 475.30 billion yen, as revenue tumbled 12.9 percent.Sony said it was impacted by the weak economy, a stronger yen and the falling value of its investments. But the net loss was smaller than its forecast for a 150-billion-yen shortfall."The business environment has been extremely severe," Sony's chief financial officer, Nobuyuki Oneda, told reporters."The rapid appreciation of the yen as well as the sharp decline of Japanese stocks significantly affected our company's earnings."For the current business year to March, Sony expects a net loss of 120 billion yen and an operating deficit of 110 billion yen."We expect the first half of this fiscal year will continue to be difficult," said Oneda. "Some improvement should be seen from the second half."Sony aims to slash costs to help it return to profit. In December it announced it would cut 16,000 jobs.The company said Thursday it would close three domestic factories as part of its restructuring, but did not announce any new job cuts.Sony has had a difficult few years in the face of tough competition from rival products such as Apple's iPod and Nintendo's Wii, but had been enjoying a recovery before the current economic downturn began.

Pakistan Says 63 Killed as Troops Near Swat Valley Town

The Pakistani army says 54 Taliban and nine troops have been killed in the northwestern Swat Valley and that government forces are fighting their way in on the ground.Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said troops were engaged Thursday in intense fighting about four miles south of Mingora, the valley's main town.The army launched an offensive in several areas of the northwest last month after Taliban militants seized territory near the capital, Islamabad.

We will crush Taliban, must win hearts: PM Gilani

A frame grab shows injured residents at a makeshift hospital
 in the town of Mingora, May 12, 2009

Pakistan will defeat the Taliban militarily but could lose the public relations war if it fails to help the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the fighting, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Thursday.About 700,000 people have fled from their homes, joining more than 500,000 displaced by earlier fighting in the northwest. The United Nations has warned of a long-term humanitarian crisis.‘Militarily we will win the war but it will be unfortunate if we loose it publicly,’ Gilani told the National Assembly.Most political parties and members of the public support the offensive.But opposition will grow if many civilians are killed in the fighting or if the displaced are seen to be enduring undue hardship.About 15,000 members of the security forces are facing about 5,000 militants in the Swat region, the military says.Soldiers are battling militants in their stronghold in the Peochar valley, a side valley running northwest off the main Swat valley, apparently to block a major escape route.Taliban are still holding the region’s main town, Mingora, where many civilians have been sheltering in their homes since the government imposed a curfew.Residents began fleeing late last month when the army attacked the Taliban in two districts near Swat they had occupied in violation of a February peace pact aimed at ending violence in the former tourist valley.

Madagascar leader 'will go home'

Madagascar's ousted president has said he is "confident" he will return home and suggested he could use force to achieve that aim.Marc Ravalomanana, who fled to Swaziland when he was forced from office earlier in the year, made his comments in interview on Thursday - his first television interview since he fled the country."There are two options - starting with the negotiations first, and I'm sure we can find a way to bring me back to my country," he told."And then there [is] another option, if it is necessary to use it."He said: "I'm confident we'll go back because I know the citizens in Madagascar right now and they need some leader. I'm the president - elected democratically."

U.S. Has Plan to Secure Pakistan Nukes if Country Falls to Taliban

American intelligence sources say the military's chief terrorist-hunting squad has units operating in Afghanistan on Pakistan's western border and is working on a secondary mission to secure foreign nuclear arsenals if the Taliban or Al Qaeda overwhelm Pakistan.The United States has a detailed plan for infiltrating Pakistan and securing its mobile arsenal of nuclear warheads if it appears the country is about to fall under the control of the Taliban, Al Qaeda or other Islamic extremists.American intelligence sources say the operation would be conducted by Joint Special Operations Command, the super-secret commando unit headquartered at Fort Bragg, N.C.JSOC is the military's chief terrorists hunting squad and has units now operating in Afghanistan on Pakistan's western border. But a secondary mission is to secure foreign nuclear arsenals -- a role for which JSOC operatives have trained in Nevada.The mission has taken on added importance in recent months, as Islamic extremists have taken territory close to the capital of Islamabad and could destabilize Pakistan's shaky democracy."We have plans to secure them ourselves if things get out of hand," said a U.S. intelligence source who has deployed to Afghanistan. "That is a big secondary mission for JSOC in Afghanistan."The source said JSOC has been updating its mission plan for the day President Obama gives the order to infiltrate Pakistan."Small units could seize them, disable them and then centralize them in a secure location," the source said.A secret Defense Intelligence Agency document first disclosed in 2004 said Pakistan has a nuclear arsenal of 35 weapons. The document said it plans to more than double the arsenal by 2020.A Pakistani official said the U.S. and his country have had an understanding that if either Usama bin Laden, or his deputy, Ayman Zawahiri, is located, American troops and air strikes may be used inside borders to capture or kill them.What makes the Pakistan mission especially difficult is that the military has its missiles on Soviet-style mobile launchers and rail lines. U.S. intelligence agencies, using satellite photos and communication intercepts, is constantly monitoring their whereabouts. Other warheads are kept in storage. U.S. technical experts have visited Pakistan to advise the government on how to maintain and protect its arsenal.Also, there are rogue elements inside Pakistan's military and intelligence service who could quickly side with the extremists and make JSOC's mission all the more difficult."Its relatively easy to track rail-mounted ones with satellites," said the intelligence source. "Truck- mounted are more difficult. However, they are all relatively close to the capital in areas that the government firmly controls so we don't have to look to far."JSOC is made up of three main elements: Army Delta Force, Navy SEALs and a high-tech special intelligence unit known as Task Force Orange. JSOC was instrumental in Iraq in finding and killing Abu Musab Zarqawi, the deadly and most prominent Al Qaeda leader in the Middle East.

'Hundreds flee' Sri Lanka war zone

At least 2,000 ethnic Tamil civilians have escaped Sri Lanka’s northern war zone, the country's military has said, amid fighting between government forces and the Tamil Tigers.The civilians on Thursday waded across a lagoon while under fire from fighters from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, Sri Lanka's military spokesman, said.Four civilians were killed and 14 hurt as they attempted to cross the lagoon, which is currently a barrier between army forces and the LTTE, he said.It is impossible to independently assess the military's claims as it has blocked independent access to the conflict zone.The LTTE have denied accusations by the military that civilians inside the war zone are being held as human shields and that they have opened fire on those trying to flee.The Red Cross on Thursday sent a ferry to the battle zone in an effort to deliver food aid and to evacuate the wounded, but it could not reach the coastline due to the continuing violence."The situation is becoming desperate because of the fighting, which is intense and uninterrupted," Sarasi Wijeratne, spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.