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One of the two wives of Baitullah Mehsud , Pakistan's most notorious Taliban militant, was killed in a suspected missile strike near the country's border with Afghanistan yesterday. This has led to official claims that the hunt for Mr Mehsud was progressing rapidly. According to a Pakistani intelligence official, a missile strike after midnight, probably by a US drone in the south Waziristan region along the Afghan border, targeted the home of Ikramuddin Mehsud. He is a cleric and the father of Mr Mehsud's second wife, whom he married late last year. "Baitullah Mehsud's wife, who was present at the house of her father, was among those killed," said the Pakistani official who requested anonymity. The US has placed a $5m (€3.5m, £3m) reward for information leading to the arrest or killing of Mr Mehsud. In Pakistan, he is considered the most notorious Islamic militant and has been linked to a number of terrorist attacks including the December 2007 assassination

KABUL: NATO's new secretary-general pledged Wednesday that the alliance would remain in Afghanistan despite flagging support in many nations from voters anxious over rising deaths among civilians and Western forces.Anders Fogh Rasmussen flew to Kabul to meet with politicians and military leaders two days after taking control of an alliance that is struggling to maintain its cohesion and relevance as it battles Taliban insurgents thousands of miles (kilometers) from Europe."I can assure you and the Afghan people that we will stay and support you for as long as it takes to finish our job," the former Danish prime minister told Afghan President Hamid Karzai at a joint press conference in the capital, Kabul.Some 65,000 troops from 42 nations serve in a NATO-led force hobbled by disagreements over the need for more troops, and widely divergent national restrictions on when troops can fight. Recent polls show majorities in Britain, Germany and Canada oppose sending more troops

Thursday, August 06, 2009 WELLINGTON: Rescue officials searched the South Pacific's waters for 27 people missing after a ferry sank during the night off the coast of Tonga, New Zealand rescue coordinators said Thursday.The ferry sank fast "but we don't know why," said New Zealand Rescue Coordination Center spokesman Neville Blackmore in a statement.New Zealand is responsible for search and rescue activities in the Tonga region.Blackmore said the ferry was carrying 49 passengers and 30 crew members when it went down about 54 miles (86 kilometers) northeast of the Tongan capital, Nuku'alofa. Officials revised the total number of passengers to 79, up from an earlier count of 75.Blackmore told New Zealand's National Radio that most of the 42 people rescued had been on seven life rafts."But we understand there were only eight life rafts ... so we are looking for people in the water," he said.Another 10 people were later pulled from the ocean by three ves

Thursday, August 06, 2009 OTTAWA: A cameraman for Canada's top private broadcaster CTV and his pilot died Wednesday morning in a helicopter crash while covering the devastation caused by a tornado in eastern Canada, said TV. Hugh Haugland, 44, was the son of former CTV anchorman Bill Haugland, who retired in 2006. He and veteran pilot Roger Belanger, in his 60s, had flown to Mont-Laurier, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of Montreal, to capture images of the aftermath of a tornado that destroyed some 20 homes the previous night. According to witnesses, the helicopter appeared to be having mechanical trouble before it crashed and burst into flames near Highway 117 in the Laurentian Mountains. A probe has been launched to determine the exact cause of the crash. In a statement, CTV offered condolenses to the Haughland and Belanger families and friends.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009 SRINAGAR: Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism, martyred nine more innocent Kashmiri youth at different places in occupied Kashmir.Seven of those martyred were shot dead in Tangdhar and Trihgam areas of Kupwara while one each at Marmat in Doda and Mandi in Poonch.Eight persons including APHC leader, Mohammad Abdullah Tari were arrested, today, when Indian police personnel subjected a demonstration to brute force at Press Enclave in Srinagar. The protest was held against continued detention of Hurriyet leaders and activists including Syed Ali Gilani, Shabbir Ahmad Shah and Nayeem Ahmad Khan.

TEHRAN: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in as Iranian president on Wednesday as riot police broke up an opposition protest over an election that triggered the worst turmoil in the Islamic republic's history. The 52-year-old Ahmadinejad took the oath of office for another four-year term at a ceremony in parliament, defiantly vowing to resist "oppressive powers" and saying his June election marked a major change in Iran. But prominent opposition leaders were absent from the ceremony, and outside riot police and Basij volunteer Islamic militiamen used pepper gas against demonstrators who claim his landslide victory was fraudulent, witnesses said. Wednesday's ceremony was attended by about 240 of Iran's 290 MPs as well as clerics, but prominent opposition leaders including Ahmadinejad's main defeated challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi were absent, as was powerful cleric and former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. After taking the oath, Ahmadinejad has a two-week dea

JERUSALEM -- An Israeli horse took to the highway and trampled an oncoming car in an encounter captured on video by a group of tourists in northern Israel. The tourists began filming when three horses came on the highway and began to canter alongside their car, but the scene took a bizarre turn when an oncoming car came on the scene. The first two horses weaved out of the sedan's path, but the third took it head-on, smashing through its windshield with its hooves before leaping over it and continuing on its way. The video captured the impact as well as the passengers hollering "Oh God" and "Whoa." Israel's Channel 2 TV showed the video Tuesday and said the driver suffered minor cuts from smashed glass and the horse was lightly injured.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009 TEHRAN: Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be sworn in on Wednesday for a second term as Iranian president in a ceremony likely to be snubbed by opposition leaders who claim he was fraudulently re-elected. The 52-year-old Ahmadinejad will formally take the oath of office before parliament, top military officials and foreign diplomats. The White House on Tuesday acknowledged Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the "elected" president of Iran, but said it had no plans to congratulate the firebrand leader on his impending inauguration. Ahmadinejad was approved at a ceremony on Monday for a second four-year term by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who described him as "courageous, astute and hardworking." His victory in the June 12 elections set off the worst turmoil in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, with deadly street protests, a raft of political trials and increasing divisions among the ruling elite.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009 BRUSSELS: NATO's governing body approved a plan on Tuesday to reorganize the alliance's command structure in Afghanistan by setting up a new headquarters to handle the day-to-day running of the war.NATO spokesman James Appathurai said the new Intermediate Joint Headquarters in Kabul will be commanded by U.S. Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez. Rodriguez participated in Tuesday's deliberations of the North Atlantic Council governing body by videoconference along with his boss, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.The decision is part of a reorganization of the U.S. and NATO command structure aimed at easing the pressure on McChrystal by removing his burden of the day-to-day operation of the war. It is similar to the model used in Iraq, where overall command of the multinational forces was under a four-star American general, while a three-star general ran daily operations. NATO has about 64,000 troops, half of them Americans, in Afg

Wednesday, August 05, 2009 WASHINGTON: On his own 48th birthday, US President Barack Obama Tuesday turned the spotlight on a reporter also celebrating her special day, who pitched up at the White House in the year he was born.Obama sang "Happy Birthday" and presented Helen Thomas, the doyenne of the White House press corps, with cupcakes and a single candle to celebrate her 89th birthday, before planting a kiss on her cheek.The outspoken Thomas, who has covered every president since John F. Kennedy, spoke quietly to Obama, who ignored reporters' shouted questions about his own birthday and ex-president Bill Clinton's mercy mission to North Korea."Helen wished for world peace, (and) no prejudice, but she and I also had a common birthday wish," Obama said."She said she wishes for a healthcare reform bill," Obama said, referring to his signature domestic reform legislation, working its tortuous way through Congress.Thomas, a former UPI wire service r

Wednesday, August 05, 2009 KABUL: Thousands of Afghans turned out to hear President Hamid Karzai speak at an election rally in northern Afghanistan. His top rival spoke to mostly empty seats in a cavernous tent in the capital.The two events this past weekend reinforce the dominant story line of Afghanistan's second-ever presidential election: Despite all the complaints about Karzai's performance, the race is his to lose.His main challenger among the three dozen candidates, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, has pulled in surprisingly large crowds at some events outside the capital, raising hopes among his followers that he can find a way to beat the incumbent — possibly in a runoff if Karzai fails to win a majority in the Aug. 20 vote.Still, Abdullah's showing in Kabul, the largest city, doesn't indicate the groundswell of support needed to topple Karzai. Although no recent polls are available, the incumbent is widely assumed to be the front-runner.Turnout coul

Wednesday, August 05, 2009 SEOUL: Ex-US president Bill Clinton left North Korea on Wednesday after securing the release of two jailed American journalists, state media reported, without saying whether the reporters were with him. "Bill Clinton, former president of the United States, and his party left here today by air," the official News Agency reported. "They were seen off at the airport by Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, and Kim Kye Gwan, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs."

Wednesday, August 05, 2009 SEOUL: Former president Bill Clinton Wednesday secured the release of two female US journalists jailed in North Korea after a surprise mercy dash to meet veteran communist leader Kim Jong-Il in Pyongyang. North Korea said Clinton delivered a special message to Kim from US President Barack Obama during his historic trip, which followed acute tensions over the North's nuclear and missile tests, but the White House denied this. Kim agreed to pardon TV reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee after Clinton "expressed words of sincere apology" for their "hostile acts", the official News Agency reported. After Kim issued his pardon, Clinton "courteously conveyed a verbal message of US President Barack Obama expressing profound thanks for this and reflecting views on ways of improving the relations between the two countries". "The measure taken to release the American journalists is a manifestation of the DPRK's (North Korea'

Wednesday, August 05, 2009 WASHINGTON: The White House on Tuesday acknowledged Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the "elected" president of Iran, but said it had no plans to congratulate the firebrand leader on his impending inauguration.On the eve of Ahmadinejad's swearing-in, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs stopped short of declaring him the "legitimate" president following the political turmoil unleashed by his disputed reelection in June."He's the elected leader," Gibbs said.Earlier, Gibbs was asked whether the United States would make any gesture of congratulations to mark the moment on Wednesday when Ahmadinejad takes the oath of office before parliament, military officials and some foreign diplomats."I don't have any reason to believe that we will send any letters," Gibbs said.The United States has no diplomatic relations with Iran and its interests in the country are represented by the Swiss embassy.Throughout the fierce political tu

Wednesday, August 05, 2009 RIYADH: A Sri Lankan man and a Saudi teenager suffering from a heart defect have died from swine flu, raising the country's flu death toll to six, the Saudi health ministry said on Tuesday. The Sri Lankan man, 32, was found dead in his hotel room on Monday, while the 15-year-old Saudi failed to respond to treatment and died in hospital. On Friday the ministry said total A(H1N1) flu infections had reached nearly 600, and the government said it was doubling surveillance efforts as the peak season approached for umrah, the Islamic minor pilgrimage, to Mecca and Medina. Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world are expected to undertake the umrah during the month of Ramadan beginning in late August, heightening the threat of the disease spreading. Another two million or more are expected for the hajj full pilgrimage beginning at the end of November.

SEOUL :: North Korea will pardon two jailed US journalists after visiting former president Bill Clinton apologized to leader Kim Jong-Il for their behavior, state media reported Wednesday. "The measure taken to release the American journalists is a manifestation of the DPRK's (North Korea's) humanitarian and peace-loving policy," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. Clinton on Tuesday had met Kim for talks during his surprise mission to Pyongyang to win the release of the two female reporters. His was the highest-profile visit by an American to Pyongyang for nearly a decade. TV reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee were arrested in March while on assignment near the North Korean border with China. They were reporting on the plight of refugees fleeing the impoverished North into China. A court in June sentenced them to 12 years of hard labour for illegal entry and other offences. The harsh sentences soured relations with the United States already strai

BANGKOK — A pilot was killed and seven passengers hospitalised Tuesday when a Bangkok Airways jet skidded and hit an old control tower as it landed on Thailand's resort island of Ko Samui, the airline said. Thailand's public health ministry said 42 people were injured in the crash. Among the injured, Bangkok Airways' president said four passengers -- one Italian, two British and one Swiss -- were seriously injured. "The flight landed on the south runway and skidded off on the left side before it hit an abandoned air control tower. The aircraft was damaged," Puttipong Prasattong Osot told reporters. "The captain was killed and the co-pilot was evacuated from the aircraft and is now hospitalised," he said. Another six passengers had also been taken to hospital, with broken legs among the injuries, but everyone on board had been safely evacuated, he said. "There are four passengers seriously wounded, one Italian, two British, one Swiss," he added

Tuesday, August 04, 2009 LAHORE: Players of the Pakistan badminton team cannot take part in the World Badminton Championship, to be held in India, due to their demotion in world ranking.The World Badminton Championship will be held in Indian city of Hyderabad Deccan from August 10 to 16.Senior vice president of Pakistan Badminton Federation Syed Naqi Mohsin told Geo News that ranking of Rizwan Azam and Mohammad Ateeq in doubles was 62 while ranking of Wajid Ali in singles was 106 but these players could not participate in any international contest due to non-availability of funds for the last five months due to which their ranking fell to 170 and 250, respectively and now they have become ineligible for taking part in the World Championship.