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Thursday, July 16, 2009, LONDON: The US military chief warned Thursday that Taliban militants in Afghanistan have grown more violent and better organised in recent years, and troops face "very difficult fighting" ahead. The US military faced a crucial 18-month battle to help stabilise the country for the Afghan people and stem a three-year slide in security, said Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mullen said it was unclear how long it would take to improve the security situation, but the latest phase of the operation in southern Helmand province was only "just beginning," in an interview with the a tv channel. He also said ultimately it would be the Afghan people themselves who would help defeat the insurgency.

Friday, July 17, 2009 SYDNEY: A moderate 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Friday, the US Geological Survey said. Its epicentre was located 68 kilometres (42 miles) west-northwest of the capital Port-Vila at 04:59 am (1759 GMT Thursday), it said. The quake struck at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres.The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre did not issue any immediate warning. Vanuatu sits on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.

Friday, July 17, 2009 TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed on Thursday that the Islamic Republic will "slap" any aggressors so hard they will lose their way home, according to a television news report. State-controlled TV quoted Ahmadinejad as renewing his allegations against Western countries of having sought to influence the June 12 election in which he was re-elected.The English-language channel said he told a "huge" crowd in the city of Mashad that some countries had even set up satellite television channels in their efforts to spoil the election, which the opposition insists was rigged. Ahmadinejad pledged that the new government he will form in coming weeks will have "10 times" the power of the outgoing team. If any other country tries to interfere in Iran it will "slap the aggressor so hard they will lose their way back home," TV reported the president as saying.

Thursday, July 16, 2009 WASHINGTON: Having launched a military operation against the Taliban militants in the Swat valley, Pakistan has come under intense pressure, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said, and announced she would be visiting the country "this fall". "Pakistan is itself under intense pressure from extremist groups," Ms. Clinton said in a major foreign policy speech at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington-based think tank. Referring to the recent tri-lateral meetings initiated by her, Ms. Clinton said trilateral cooperation among Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the US has built confidence and yielded progress on a number of policy fronts. "Our national security as well as the future of Afghanistan depends on a stable, democratic, and economically viable Pakistan. We applaud the new Pakistani determination to deal with the militants to threaten their democracy and our shared security," Ms. Clinton said on Wednesday. In Afghanista

Thursday, July 16, 2009 MICHIGAN: A tanker crashed and exploded on Interstate 75, injuring one person and collapsing part of the Nine Mile overpass leaving transportation officials today to determine how long repairs could take. About 8 p.m., a tanker containing 13,000 gallons of fuel traveling north on I-75, under the Nine Mile overpass exploded and the bridge collapsed, Michigan State Police Lt. Shannon Sims said."We don't know what caused it. We don't know if something collided with the tanker or not. " Everyone escaped: drivers from the tanker, a tractor-trailer and a passenger car, according to police.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei, head of the Chinese delegation to the 15th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit held in Egypt, said on Thursday China will continue to support NAM as always. "As one of the developing countries, China will continue to support NAM as always for it to play a role in international affairs and speak in one voice on issues related to the common interests of developing countries," said He. "This is the chief purpose of my presence at the summit on behalf of the Chinese government," he said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on the sidelines of the summit. He said that though great changes in internal and external circumstances have taken place since its birth nearly half a century ago, NAM is still an important platform for developing countries to unite and strive to become stronger, with its tenet and spirit still showing great vitality. China, now an observer to NAM, has attached great importa

A Spanish woman who became the world's oldest new mother when she gave birth in 2006 to twin boys at the age of 66 has died, her family has said. The brother of Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara told the paper Diario de Cadiz she passed away on Saturday, aged 69. It said she had been diagnosed with cancer shortly after giving birth. In 2007, Ms Bousada de Lara said she had lied about her age to doctors at a fertility clinic in California to get IVF treatment, telling them she was 55. Ms Bousada de Lara argued that there was no reason to believe she would not have as long a life as her mother, who died at the age of 101. She even joked that she might live to see her grandchildren. She also insisted that if she died prematurely her sons Christian and Pau, who are now two years old, would never be alone. "There are lots of young people in our family," she added. When the twins were born in Barcelona on 29 December 2006, Ms Bousada de Lara was aged 66 years 358 days, 130 days

Thursday, July 16, 2009, CALIFORNIA: A poll released today shows Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suffered the biggest popularity drop of his short political career in key sectors. The governor's job approval rating fell 10 percentage points, from 57 percent to 47 percent, among Democrats, and 3 points, from 66 percent to 63 percent, among independents. But Schwarzenegger administration officials cited his self- proclaimed bipartisan approach to state woes and overall high level of popularity since ousting former Democratic Gov. Gray Davis in the recall election. Schwarzenegger took only a 5-point hit among likely voters in the latest PPIC survey due to a slight increase in support from GOP voters. Some 64 percent of voters statewide still say they approve of the way he's handling his job.

Thursday, July 16, 2009 , MUMBAI: Bollywood super star Priyanka Chopra is the new brand ambassador for a male clothing brand. Here’s one actress who loves doing everything a man can including endorsing a men's clothesline. "Its a different point of view. Who better to tell what a man should wear than a female," says Priyanka. So does this mean that Bollywood's men have to now worry about Priyanka grabbing all the attention and their endorsements? "Brand ambassador of a men's clothing brand, watch out men I'm coming," says Priyanka. And talking about men, would Ms Chopra like to clear the air about the controversy regarding skipper Dhoni and her. "I don’t know Dhoni, we met at a public function, I'm sure we will laugh it all out. Its become a really embarrassing situation,” says Priyanka. We hope she can at least charm him into wearing her brand of suits.

Us Weekly got its hands on previously unreleased video of Michael Jackson's hair catching on fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial in 1984. The disturbing video, posted at usmagazine.com feeds long-held speculation that drug treatments Jackson received after the accident led to his addiction to prescription drugs, including powerful painkillers. Jackson himself said as much in 2003. "As you may already know, after my tour ended I remained outside the country undergoing treatment for a dependency on pain medication," he said then. "This medication was initially prescribed for the excruciating pain that I was suffering after recent reconstructive surgery on my scalp." The accident happened while Jackson and his brothers were filming a commercial for Pepsi at L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium on Jan. 27, 1984. The footage shows pyrotechnics exploding around Jackson as he prepares to walk down a set of stairs onto the stage. Flames, that apparently ignite the ha

Thursday, July 16, 2009 PARIS: Mark Cavendish has won the 11th stage of the Tour de France and Lance Armstrong remains in third place overall.Cavendish sealed his second straight stage win and fourth of the Tour on Wednesday. The British cyclist finished about half a bike length ahead of American Tyler Farrar in a sprint finish on a flat stage.Armstrong finished safely in the main pack, with his Astana teammate Alberto Contador narrowly ahead of him in second place overall.