NZ troops to stay in Afghanistan well into 2010

WELLINGTON: New Zealand announced Tuesday its troops will remain in Afghanistan until at least September 2010, extending by another year a troop commitment that began in 2001.

Some 140 New Zealand soldiers currently make up a provincial reconstruction team providing security and development aid in Bamiyan province, northwest of the capital, Kabul. Another 10 are deployed in U.N. missions and other headquarters in the country.

``The situation in Afghanistan requires an ongoing international program of security and development assistance,'' New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said as he announced the troop extension.

Taliban militants, whose hard-line Islamist regime was ousted from power by the 2001 U.S.-led invasion, have greatly increased attacks the last three years and now control wide swaths of territory.

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Thousands gather to commemorate Hariri anniversary

BEIRUT: Thousands of people converged Saturday on central Beirut to mark the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese former premier Rafiq Hariri.Waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain leader, men, women and children gathered under sunny skies in Martyr's Square where members of the parliamentary majority were to address the crowd. The rally comes as final preparations are underway in The Hague for the launch of the international tribunal set up to bring Hariri's killers to justice. It also comes as the country prepares for legislative elections in June that will pit Western-backed political parties against a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Syria and Iran.Hariri died in a massive car bombing on February 14, 2005 that also killed 22 others. The assassination was widely blamed on then Lebanese power-broker Syria, which has denied any involvement. The attack on the Beirut seafront was one of the worst acts of political violence to rock Lebanon since t...

Aamir Khan in Yashraj's TV show Rishta.com

Yashraj Productions is making its debut on a small screen but just like films their TV show has all the star power as well. The numero uno banner of Bollywood is coming up with a show called Rishta.com, apparently, a comedy series which will show a matrimony office through which couples meet. YRF has tapped all their loyalists including Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Uday Chopra, Tabu and Riteish Deshmukh to make an appearance on their show but opening the curtains will be biggest Khan of them all, Aamir Khan. According to reports, Aamir has agreed to be a part of YRF’s new show and the main reasons for his nod is the fact that it’s very close to real life. The perfectionist star's inclusion also comes as a surprise as the banner has always flaunted SRK to be their lucky mascot. Industry sources indicate that it’s going to be big indeed, however, the details of Aamir’s role on the show haven’t been divulged as yet.

89 killed in Peshawar blast: hospital sources

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 PESHAWAR/Pakistan: The death toll of the blast occurred in Meena Bazar Peshawar has climbed to 89, hospital sources said. More then 200 people injured in the blast.According to reports, three persons have been rescued from the rubbles of the buildings collapsed after the explosion. The injured have been shifted to Lady Reading Hospital and other hospitals where emergency has been announced. The children and women are also among the wounded. Some of the injured reported in a critical condition. The administration of Lady Reading Hospital has appealed for blood donation. The blast shattered windowpanes of nearby buildings and created panic among the people. The charred bodies have been recovered from the blast site as several persons still trapped under the rubbles. A nearby mosque Umme Habiba has been destroyed in the explosion. Police have cordoned off the area as rescue operation is on the blast site. President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed his heartfelt g...

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