Philadelphia Phillies end 25 years of hurt to win the World Series
The city of Philadelphia erupted in celebration on Wednesday night, as its beloved Phillies won baseball’s World Series and secured the city’s first professional sporting triumph in 25 years.
The Phillies took Game Five of the best-of-seven series at home against the Tampa Bay Rays, outscoring the visitors 4-3, to win the series 4-1.
No Philadelphia team has won a national title since 1983, when the basketball 76ers won the NBA finals. It was the longest sporting drought for any of America’s biggest cities – 100 seasons of futility between Philadelphia’s four major professional franchises. When the relief finally came the fans still had to wait just a little longer – until the end of what the weather ensured was the longest game in World Series history.
The decisive game started on Monday night but was suspended after driving rain made the field unplayable, with the teams tied 2-2 after five-and-a-half innings. Plans to reconvene on Tuesday evening were shelved when rain again threatened to turn the field into a quagmire.
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* Ray of light for Tampa Bay in World Series
* Superstitious approach propels Tampa Bay Rays
On Wednesday, the Phillies jumped out to an early lead when play resumed in the bottom of the sixth inning but the Rays hit back in the seventh inning with a solo home run by Rocco Baldelli
In the bottom of the seventh, the Phillies drove in what turned out to be the winning run when catcher Pedro Feliz singled and Eric Bruntlett scampered home.
Cole Hamels, Philadelphia’s star pitcher, was named the Most Valuable Player of the World Series. He won the first game and, though he did not pitch on Wednesday, his tight performance in the rain on Monday was crucial to the Phillies’ success. Overall, he finished with four wins and no losses in the postseason.
Another key contribution came from Brad Lidge, the Phillies’ famed closing pitcher, who finished off the Rays’ line-up in the ninth inning, and completed a remarkable season of perfection – 48 saves in 48 attempts.
Tampa Bay had been the surprise team of the 2008 season. They finished 2007 with the worst record in baseball, but this year, led by a posse of young and largely unheard of hitters and pitchers, they ended with the best record in the regular season and breezed their way through to the World Series as champions of the American League. But in the final match-up they proved no match for the more familiar luminaries of the National League's Philadelphia.
It was the Phillies' first World Series title since 1980 and only their second in their 125-year history.
"I think when we're all old and retired and we come back, we'll get a standing ovation," Hamels said. "Just like they did for the guys who won the 1980 Series."
"It's been a long ride, I'll say that much, but we did it," Rollins, one of Hamels's team-mates, said.
"I'm very proud of our guys," Joe Maddon, the Rays manager, said. "[It was] really a truly remarkable job. We made a powerful statement. It's just the beginning."
world News
Philadelphia Phillies end 25 years of hurt to win the World Series
The city of Philadelphia erupted in celebration on Wednesday night, as its beloved Phillies won baseball’s World Series and secured the city’s first professional sporting triumph in 25 years.
The Phillies took Game Five of the best-of-seven series at home against the Tampa Bay Rays, outscoring the visitors 4-3, to win the series 4-1.
No Philadelphia team has won a national title since 1983, when the basketball 76ers won the NBA finals. It was the longest sporting drought for any of America’s biggest cities – 100 seasons of futility between Philadelphia’s four major professional franchises. When the relief finally came the fans still had to wait just a little longer – until the end of what the weather ensured was the longest game in World Series history.
The decisive game started on Monday night but was suspended after driving rain made the field unplayable, with the teams tied 2-2 after five-and-a-half innings. Plans to reconvene on Tuesday evening were shelved when rain again threatened to turn the field into a quagmire.
Related Links
* Ray of light for Tampa Bay in World Series
* Superstitious approach propels Tampa Bay Rays
On Wednesday, the Phillies jumped out to an early lead when play resumed in the bottom of the sixth inning but the Rays hit back in the seventh inning with a solo home run by Rocco Baldelli
In the bottom of the seventh, the Phillies drove in what turned out to be the winning run when catcher Pedro Feliz singled and Eric Bruntlett scampered home.
Cole Hamels, Philadelphia’s star pitcher, was named the Most Valuable Player of the World Series. He won the first game and, though he did not pitch on Wednesday, his tight performance in the rain on Monday was crucial to the Phillies’ success. Overall, he finished with four wins and no losses in the postseason.
Another key contribution came from Brad Lidge, the Phillies’ famed closing pitcher, who finished off the Rays’ line-up in the ninth inning, and completed a remarkable season of perfection – 48 saves in 48 attempts.
Tampa Bay had been the surprise team of the 2008 season. They finished 2007 with the worst record in baseball, but this year, led by a posse of young and largely unheard of hitters and pitchers, they ended with the best record in the regular season and breezed their way through to the World Series as champions of the American League. But in the final match-up they proved no match for the more familiar luminaries of the National League's Philadelphia.
It was the Phillies' first World Series title since 1980 and only their second in their 125-year history.
"I think when we're all old and retired and we come back, we'll get a standing ovation," Hamels said. "Just like they did for the guys who won the 1980 Series."
"It's been a long ride, I'll say that much, but we did it," Rollins, one of Hamels's team-mates, said.
"I'm very proud of our guys," Joe Maddon, the Rays manager, said. "[It was] really a truly remarkable job. We made a powerful statement. It's just the beginning."
world News
Maldives have first new leader in 30 years
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who had ruled for 30 years, was defeated by Mohamed Nasheed, a former "prisoner of conscience", in the country's first democratic election.
Mr Nasheed, the leader of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) who is known on the islands as "Anni", won 54 per cent of the vote in a two-horse presidential race with Mr Gayoom.
Mr Nasheed becomes the third president since the island nation in the Indian Ocean was granted independence from Britain in 1965. Over 209,000 Maldivians were registered to vote in the contest and turnout was extremely high at 86 per cent.
There was jubilation in the capital, Male, at the result, not least among Mr Nasheed's supporters. "It is a very happy result - it speaks for itself," said the MDP vice president, Ibrahim Hussein Zaki. "We are very happy that President Gayoom peacefully conceded defeat - he called Nasheed last night".
The MDP is closely aligned with Britain's Conservative party and Mr Nasheed and is known to be a friend of the shadow Foreign Secretary, William Hague. He has been a regular visitor to Conservative party conferences where he likens the struggle in the Maldives to the story of William Pitt the Younger. Last year he was a guest international speaker.
Mr Nasheed has already committed the MDP to $350 million (£218 million) of spending commitments and has pledged to bring power supplies, a school and a harbour to each of the 200 inhabitated islands in the archipelago. In a surprise announcement he also said he would hold a mid-term election before his five-year term is up.
"I did not contest the election for personal desire... I don't want to come between any political leader the people want - and the people," he said.
In the first round of the elections on Oct 8 Mr Nasheed won 25 per cent of the vote and Mr Gayoom won 41 per cent.
The other four candidates who were beaten in the contest all endorsed the MDP leader.
Mr Nasheed inherits one of the most beautiful and lucrative tourist destinations in the world but also an archipelago where nearly half of Maldivians live in poverty. Drug abuse, crime and Islamism are also on the rise. Last year two Britons were injured when a bomb went off in Male.
Under Mr Gayoom the islands pursued a strict policy of segregation when it came to tourism and the local population. Of the 200 inhabitated islands there are luxury tourist resorts on 90 with another 55 due to be built. Tourists are only encouraged to visit "showcase" islands.
The UK remains the leading tourist market for the Maldives and last year over 125,000 British tourists visited the islands. However, the economic downturn has seen the number of tourists plummet and there are fears the new president will not be able to honour all his spending commitments.
While in power President Gayoom was repeatedly criticised for his human rights record and style of governance. As a prominent pro-democracy activist Mr Nasheed was targeted by the authorities and served several jail terms. He was tortured while in custody.
But he praised the "dignity and honour" shown by Mr Gayoom after he accepted the election result.
Pakistan and Turkey to sign framework agreements
ANKARA, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani held tête-à-tête followed by a detailed delegation level meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, here on Tuesday. Both Prime Ministers covered whole gambit of bilateral relations in a very cordial and friendly atmosphere and there was complete agreement between the two on almost every issue of mutual interest.
Noting that the present bilateral trade of around $700 million was not commensurate with the potential and opportunities available in both countries, it was agreed that it would be enhanced to level of $1 billion as soon as possible by diversifying the export products. Turkey would assist Pakistan in development of its tourist infrastructure and tourism sector by sharing its experience in this important field.
It was agreed that Pakistan and Turkey would sign framework agreements for co-operation in economy and trade, science and technology, defence and on upgradation of cultural ties and promote student exchange and people-to-people contacts.
Pakistan and Turkey would also promote project co-operation and place negotiations for Preferential Trade Agreement on fast track. The meeting of Joint Ministerial Commission, which has remained dormant since 2002, would be convened in the near future to add new impetus to the existing overall economic co-operation.
Turkey would encourage its corporate sector to invest in Pakistan in Thermal and Hydel power generation, agriculture, packaging of agro products, housing and infrastructure construction sectors. The Turkish Exim Bank would offer buyer's credit to Pakistan to finance the supply of trucks to Pakistan's Armed Forces.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan assured his Turkish counterpart that his government would help in resolution of some problems being faced by the Turkish investors in the country. Pakistan would also look into the Turkish request for strengthening the transport links between the two countries for facilitation of trade links, particularly by road transport.
The Turkish Airlines would be allowed to increase the numbers of its weekly flights to Karachi and would also be permitted to start operating its flights to Lahore and Islamabad. Both sides also agreed to cooperate in counter-terrorism campaign. The Interior Ministers of Pakistan and Turkey would remain in close regular contact in this regard to determine the ways and means of enhanced co-operation in this area.
The Prime Ministers of Pakistan and Turkey also discussed the regional and international issues of mutual interest particularly South Asia, Middle East and Afghanistan. Pakistan offered its complete support to Turkey's Istanbul Initiative on Afghanistan.
Sports News
Weathered Chivas ready for anything
CARSON, Calif. -- When Chivas USA won the Western Conference in 2007, the club did so behind a core group of players.
This year, however, injuries have ravaged the club from the start of the preseason all the way through the final game of the regular season.
The Red-and-White, though, have weathered the storm and entering into their Western Conference Semifinal Series against Real Salt Lake, the Chivas players are ready for whatever obstacle is thrown their way.
"We have a great depth in this squad," Chivas USA midfielder Paulo Nagamura said. "We have a great group of guys that can step up and play for whoever is injured or suspended. We are not worried about that. We know we have a great squad so we go into Salt Lake as strong as ever."
A year ago, Chivas USA had 11 players who saw more than 2,000 minutes during the regular season. Injuries, suspension and national team call-ups reduced that number to four this season as every line has been hit hard by injury.
Even now, with the club seemingly in somewhat healthy shape, the injury list is extensive: Lawson Vaughn and Raphael Wicky are out for the season, Maykel Galindo has not played in more than one month, Sasha Victorine is nursing a bum knee and Dan Kennedy is suspended for Saturday's first leg.
"It would be great to have the guys who are injured back because we still need guys who are impact players like Galindo and Wicky. It's unfortunate that they're out," right back Carey Talley said. "The guys who have been asked to step up I think have done a pretty good job considering where we placed in the standings and how many guys were out. I think that's what good teams have been able to rely on, the 28 players deep."
A year ago, the club broke down in October when Galindo and Ante Razov went down with injury. The quality on the bench was not sufficient enough to make up for the absence and the team whimpered out of the playoffs without scoring a goal.
This year, Razov and Galindo have missed large stretches of the season. Razov logged 1,415 minutes while Galindo saw 549 minutes of action. The duo combined for 23 goals a year ago but just six this season.
Yet Chivas USA's offense was strong. Players like Justin Braun (four goals) and Jorge Flores (three goals) were able to help pick up the scoring slack at different times of the season.
"What's different from this year as opposed to the other two years is the depth on the bench," Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan said. We have a guy like Jim Curtin coming in or Bobby Burling, who has proven to be real good all season -- I think in years past we didn't really have a good option off the bench. In any position, if we lose somebody we have some decent guys off the bench to come in and make the difference and that's the important thing this year."
The Red-and-White have been able to use the same starting lineup in just four games this season. Thus, not only have the players had to adjust to playing with different faces in nearly every game, the coaching staff also had the task of juggling players in and out of the starting lineup.
"We've done a good job of adjusting, Preki has done a good job of managing players and managing how we play," Kljestan said. "We're as confident as we can be."
The one thing that has helped the club is the ability to pull out results no matter who is or is not available.
"I'm not going to even go through the (injury) list because it's been one of those years where every game something happens," Chivas USA coach Preki said when asked to assess the club's health situation. "We keep going. We're not going to go down without a fight."
China had troublemakers list
WASHINGTON - CHINESE government officials created a list of 10 members of the US delegation they feared might stage a demonstration at the Beijing Olympics, USA Today reported on Thursday.
The newspaper cited a list obtained from a US Olympic Committee (USOC) e-mail and named five members of the US softball team, two US paralympians, cyclist Jonathan Page, female footballer Abby Wambach and golfer Laura Goodwin.
Golf was not even among the Olympic sports offerings, but there was concern that many of the athletes named were associated with Team Darfur, a collection of athletes unhappy with China's supportive role of Sudan in regional violence.
The July 8 memo also listed US softball players Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza, Natashy Watley and Amanda Freed plus US assistant coach Karen Johns as well as paralympian racer Cheryl Blauwet and basketball player Jen Howitt.
'This may be the biggest compliment of my life,' Wambach told USA Today.
'If they are worried about us, maybe we do have more strength as athletes and as people to speak out. This just gives me more empowerment.' Wambach, a member of Team Darfur, suffered a broken leg in a tuneup match and missed the Olympics. Freed was not on the final US Olympic softball roster.
There were no athlete protests on medal podiums at the Beijing Olympics but the list showed how the Chinese government was fearful of such actions.
The list was presented to the USOC by Mr Shu Xiao, minister counselor for cultural affairs at the Chinese Embassy here in the US capital, according to the e-mail.
USOC officials were told in the e-mail that China had received information 'regarding the intention of certain members of the US Olympic team to stage some sort of demonstration at the Games, perhaps displaying banners or wearing apparel or wrist bands bearing political slogans,' the newspaper reported.
'Shu appeared quite concerned' about US Olympians staging 'some sort of demonstration at the Games,' the e-mail said.
USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel told the newspaper that US Olympic officials rejected the idea of notifying those on the list that it existed.
'We viewed these concerns as being entirely unjustified and unwarranted,' Mr Seibel told USA Today. 'As such we rejected the request to address this with our athletes. We saw absolutely no need to burden the athletes with this.'
Mr Seibel added they made certain Chinese officials knew the US delegation would not in any way compromise the rights of athletes to do as they wished when it came to making any sort of protest. -- AFP
Motorola eyes phone weakness, job cuts
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Motorola Inc (MOT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) warned its fourth-quarter results would miss expectations and said its struggling mobile phone business would weaken further in 2009, forcing the company to delay its plan to spin off the unit and cut 3,000 jobs.
Shares of Motorola fell by as much as 8 percent, even as Co-Chief Executive Sanjay Jha announced cost cutting plans and a focus on fewer cell phone technologies.
"The reality is there is no quick fix here," the newly hired Jha, who also heads Motorola's mobile devices division, told analysts on a conference call.
He forecast a decline in fourth quarter phone sales and a widening loss due to a limited line-up of both cheap and advanced phones, the strongest growth segments. Jha warned that declines would continue in the first half of 2009, grim news for a company that has already been struggling for two years.
Jha outlined a plan to save $800 million in costs in 2009, by cutting 3,000 jobs, or 4.5 percent of the company's workforce, and narrowing Motorola's focus to its strongest regions such as North America.
Analysts approved of the plan but questioned if it was too late for the company, which ceded its third place in the mobile phone market to Sony Ericsson in the quarter. It had lost second place to Samsung Electronics (005930.KS: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) in 2007.
"Near term, the situation in mobile devices may deteriorate further as Motorola is sorely lacking a compelling product portfolio in entry level and smartphones," said RBC Capital analyst Mark Sue.
Motorola said it was no longer targeting the third quarter of 2009 for spinning off its mobile devices division, citing the macro-economic environment, stresses in the financial markets and changes underway in the unit itself. It said the spin off would instead take place after 2009.
"It's got to be a little disappointing that it takes another year," said Morgan, Keegan & Co analyst Tavis, noting though that a delay made sense as the unit was struggling. "You've really got to get this thing back to profitability."
Shares fell 6 percent, or 35 cents, to $5.11 on the New York Stock Exchange. Shares have fallen more than 70 percent in the last year.
It shipped 25.4 million handsets in the quarter compared with 37.2 million phones a year earlier. Sony Ericsson, a venture of Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Ericsson (ERICb.ST: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), sold 25.7 million phones in the quarter.
Motorola's mobile unit revenue fell 31 percent to $3.1 billion, and its operating loss widened to $840 million from $248 million.
Motorola faces stiff competition from bigger established rivals Nokia (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Samsung as well as Apple Inc's (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) popular iPhone.
Philosophical Lawson farewells Pakistan sorry but unscathed
FOR a man whose 15-month coaching tenure was marred by player defections, suicide bombings and a rampantly political board, Geoff Lawson was in a remarkably sentimental mood as he packed his bags in Lahore and prepared to fly home to Sydney after learning of his sacking on television.
"I am sorry to be leaving these guys," Lawson said just after striking a financial agreement with the Pakistan Cricket Board on Monday.
"I went into this thing full of hope and enthusiasm. I just needed to get a few more pieces of the puzzle together and I won't get a chance to do that. But I think I am probably much better off than a lot of other people. I get paid out and I get to go home. There are so many other staff who have been sacked or are leaving and I don't think they got paid an awful lot."
The bizarre manner of Lawson's dismissal would suggest his hopes for a less-volatile Pakistan are unfulfilled. He recounted to the ABC at the weekend how he saw his sacking detailed on a TV news bulletin, then tried to contact the new board chairman Ijaz Butt to ask if he had anything to tell him. Butt said, "no, not really", and hung up before a board official appeared sheepishly at his door with a piece of paper and a cheque.
Lawson gave it back, and has since negotiated a better settlement. Job security was never high among the attractions of the Pakistan posting, and became even more tenuous when the opponents of former president Pervez Musharraf formed a new government in March.
Pakistan's new president, Asif Ali Zardari, appointed the 70-year-old Butt, who played eight Tests for Pakistan and is the brother-in-law of a senior government minister. His opening pronouncement? "We have no utility for Lawson. We will suffer a huge financial loss if we terminate his contract now. Since we cannot afford a heavy loss, we will continue with him."
That undertaking lasted less than a week. "It didn't have anything to do with coaching," Lawson told The Age. "When the government changed everyone knew the (cricket board) chairman would change and when that happens a lot of things change. So it was always a possibility rather than a probability. That is just how things work over here. I am very philosophical about it. There is no other way to be."
Lawson was presented with obstacles almost from the moment of his arrival. An entire team of the country's top players fled to represent the Lahore Badshahs in the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League. He bonded, one paceman to another, with the tempestuous Shoaib Akhtar only for the fast bowler's lapses in fitness and discipline to result in a protracted legal battle with the board.
Pakistan summons U.S. envoy over missile strikes
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan summoned the U.S. ambassador on Wednesday to protest over missile strikes by pilotless U.S. aircraft on the Pakistani side of its border with Afghanistan, a Pakistani government spokesman said.
The protest came two day after missiles fired by a suspected U.S. drone killed up to 20 militants in the lawless South Waziristan border region.
"It was underscored to the ambassador that the government of Pakistan strongly condemns the missile attacks which resulted in the loss of precious lives and property," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement.
"It was emphasized that such attacks were violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and should be stopped immediately."
Frustrated by an intensifying insurgency in Afghanistan, U.S. forces have stepped up attacks on militants on the Pakistani side of the border with more than a dozen missile strikes and a commando raid since the beginning of September.
No senior al Qaeda or Taliban commanders have been reported
killed in the attacks.
U.S. ambassador Anne Patterson had previously been summoned to the Foreign Ministry last month after a cross-border ground assault by U.S. commandos on September 3.
Senior U.S. officials have spoken of respect for Pakistani sovereignty but have declined to rule out more strikes.
Pakistan, an important ally in the U.S.-led war on terror, is also battling militants on its side of the border but it says cross-border U.S. strikes undermine its efforts to isolate the militants and build support for government policy against them.
The upper house Senate adopted a resolution this week condemning cross-border missile attacks by the U.S. drones.
(Reporting by Kamran Haider; editing by Robert Birsel and Roger Crabb)
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Official: 11 killed in Pakistan border fighting
KHAR, Pakistan -- Troops fought Taliban militants in separate battles in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing 11 in an insurgent stronghold overlooking the Afghan border, an official said.
Jamil Khan, the No. 2 government representative in Bajur, said eight fighters died and several others were injured when helicopters and artillery shelled several areas Sunday morning.
Three more insurgents died in a gunbattle at a checkpoint in Tang Khata, a village supposedly under the control of security forces, Khan said.
U.S. officials have praised the two-month offensive in Bajur, a tribally governed region considered a possible hiding place for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida No.2 Ayman al-Zawahri. Khan said there were no troop casualties in either battle.
U.S. officials have praised the two-month offensive in Bajur, a tribally governed region considered a possible hiding place for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida No.2 Ayman al-Zawahri.
Pakistan's army launched the offensive after officials declared it a "mega-sanctuary" for Taliban and al-Qaida militants who had set up a virtual mini-state and were funneling fighters over the mountainous border into Afghanistan.
On Saturday, the military escorted reporters to Loi Sam, a strategic town captured earlier in the week from militants.
The town sits on the intersection of roads linking Bajur with the Afghan border and several neighboring areas of Pakistan. Military commanders say its fall will severely disrupt militant operations.
The operation has caused severe hardship for residents in the already impoverished region. Almost 200,000 people have fled the fighting, many to rough camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Loi Sam and villages along the road from the main town of Khar have been devastated by fighting and army shelling. Crops have been left to die untended in the fields.
Despite the civilian exodus, the army said Saturday that 95 noncombatants as well as some 1,500 militants and 73 troops had died so far in the fighting. Officials say the victims will be compensated.
Pakistan's government has pledged to flood the border regions with development aid in an attempt to dry up support for militant groups. It has also offered to negotiate with groups who lay down their arms, seeking to turn a tide of rising violence that has contributed to Pakistan's looming economic problems.
Pakistan is in talks with the International Monetary Fund and other lenders about help to ward off a balance of payments crisis and prevent it from defaulting on its foreign debts.
Pakistan 'needs IMF loans soon'
The German Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has said that Pakistan has just "a few days" to raise billions of dollars in foreign loans.
After meeting senior members of the government, he said that Pakistan had no choice but to seek a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Mr Steinmeier said that the loan was needed to avoid a deepening crisis.
Economists say that the country needs up to $15bn over the next 24 months to stabilise the economy.
They say that can best be achieved by sustained foreign assistance and investment in the agricultural, industrial and energy sectors.
Meanwhile the Pakistani army has said it has halted the construction of a new multi-million dollar headquarters in Islamabad because of the economic turmoil.
A military spokesman said that army chief, Gen Ashfaq Kiyani, has decided to suspend construction of a $210 million new headquarters which would have housed all three military services.
Correspondents say that even before the economic crisis set in, critics had derided it as a waste of money.
"About 10 percent of work has been completed but we felt it should be halted as we understand the nation's quest for economic stability and want to help," the spokesman told the Reuters news agency.
Correspondents say that work on the headquarters began last year on a plot of land in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Little assistance
Mr Steinmeier said that an IMF loan was necessary so that Pakistan could avoid "the most difficult situation".
"I hope the decision (with the IMF) will be taken soon. It won't help to have it in six months, or six weeks. Rather, we need it in the coming six days," Mr Steinmeier said at a joint news conference conference with his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Pakistan's powerful earthquake kills over 200
The powerful earthquake occurred on Wednesday in southwestern Pakistan has killed more than 200 people and caused scores of injures, local television reported on Thursday.
The death toll is expected to rise as many bodies may be buried under rubbles when the calamity leveled about 2,000 mud-walled houses in northern part of Balochistan province on Wednesday.
Survivors receive medical treatment in the worst-hit Ziarat area in southwestern Pakistan's Balochistan province, Oct. 29, 2008. At least 200 people died as an earthquake hit southwestern Pakistan's Balochistan province early Wednesday morning.(Xinhua Photo)
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The epicenter of earthquake measuring 6.5 on Richter scale was in the scenic tourist spot Ziarat district, about 60 km north of Balochistan's capital Quetta.
The earthquake also left 15,000 homeless.
Ziarat and Pishin districts were the worst-hit areas, said National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Farooq Ahmed Khan at a press conference on Wednesday evening.
The government was undertaking the needed rescue efforts, and mobilizing essential goods, including tents, blankets, medicines and warm clothes to the affected area, said Farooq.
Two C-130 planes had already delivered relief goods and more assistance was on way, and the Pakistan army had sent 300 paramilitary forces to Ziarat and 100 to Pishin.
Local television showed that the local people, wrapped up with blankets, spent chilly night amid ensuing aftershocks.
As many as 20 aftershocks, with the biggest of 6.2 magnitude, had been recorded after the major earthquake and the meteorological departments warned that more aftershocks were expected in a week.
Survivors receive medical treatment in the worst-hit Ziarat area in southwestern Pakistan's Balochistan province, Oct. 29, 2008. At least 200 people died as an earthquake hit southwestern Pakistan's Balochistan province early Wednesday morning.(Xinhua Photo)
Photo Gallery>>>
The epicenter of earthquake measuring 6.5 on Richter scale was in the scenic tourist spot Ziarat district, about 60 km north of Balochistan's capital Quetta.
The earthquake also left 15,000 homeless.
Ziarat and Pishin districts were the worst-hit areas, said National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Farooq Ahmed Khan at a press conference on Wednesday evening.
The government was undertaking the needed rescue efforts, and mobilizing essential goods, including tents, blankets, medicines and warm clothes to the affected area, said Farooq.
Two C-130 planes had already delivered relief goods and more assistance was on way, and the Pakistan army had sent 300 paramilitary forces to Ziarat and 100 to Pishin.
Local television showed that the local people, wrapped up with blankets, spent chilly night amid ensuing aftershocks.
As many as 20 aftershocks, with the biggest of 6.2 magnitude, had been recorded after the major earthquake and the meteorological departments warned that more aftershocks were expected in a week.
Pakistan earthquake: Thousands displaced as death toll rises to 300
Many of the injured were taken to hospitals in Quetta Photo: AP
The 6.4-magnitude earthquake, that hit before dawn on Wednesday, flattened mud-brick houses and triggered landslides in Ziarat in the province of Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan.
Some estimates calculated that up to 600 people may have died and 2,000 homes been destroyed.
“The death toll may be 300 or even more,” said a provincial official.
“The search for bodies is still going on,” Faisal Edhi of the Edhi Foundation, the country’s largest ambulance service, said by telephone from Ziarat, one of the worst-affected areas of Baluchistan province.
“We think by the end of the operation the total number of deaths may approach 400.”
Officials said hundreds had been injured and at least 20,000 had been made homeless.
“We have reports that dozens of people died in villages after villages and the family members in most cases did not shift the bodies to hospitals, so there is no official record of these casualties.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was distributing 2,500 tents while a medical team with one ton of supplies was helping at overcrowded hospitals.
“Overall, we think the situation is under control though there is urgent need for shelter and blankets because it is freezing up there,” said a Red Cross spokesman.
He added that families of the wounded had moved patients into the car parks of hospitals in the provincial capital of Quetta because of fears that aftershocks could collapse buildings.
The devastation hit the outlying area shortly after the third anniversary of Pakistan’s worse earthquake.
A 7.6-magnitude earthquake in northwest Pakistan and Kashmir killed 74,000 people and displaced 3.5 million in October 2005.
International and Pakistani agencies were struggling to get help to survivors who spent the night in the open, with rescuers discovering more victims as they reached remote villages that had still not seen any aid.
“Only one truck of tents and blankets has reached the affected areas as we were told that helicopters could not land because of the aftershocks,” said the Ziarat district chief, Dilawar Khan.
“It’s very disappointing, we are badly in need of tents. It’s extremely cold out in the open,” he added.
Emergency tents had not arrived in many areas by Thursday morning, forcing exhausted villagers to seek shelter in the ruins of their homes.
More than 24 hours after the temblor struck the impoverished region, residents and emergency workers mounted a final search for survivors or bodies buried in the rubble.
The Pakistani military says soldiers, helicopters, tents, blankets, food and medical help have been sent from Quetta, the provincial capital, to Ziarat and an aerial assessment of the damage has begun.
Major General Tariq Rasheed Khan, who supervised the relief and rescue operation, said about 50,000 of the 100,000 people in the region around the historic hill town of Ziarat had been made homeless or badly hit by the quake.
“We are distributing 9,500 blankets, 2,000 tents and 5,600 warm jackets,” said Major General Tariq Rasheed Khan, who supervised the military relief and rescue operation.
He said about 50,000 of the 100,000 people in the region around the historic hill town of Ziarat had been made homeless or badly hit by the earthquake.
“The requirement is much more than that. It is in fact less than 50 percent of the total requirement,” he added.
The World Health Organisation said it was sending enough medical aid and supplies for 50,000 people. It is also flying trauma supplies stored at the UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Dubai to treat 400 people into the region.
In Geneva, the International Committee of the Red Cross said thousands may have lost their homes and hundreds may have died in the temblor.
The earthquake comes at a precarious time for the Muslim country, with the civilian government battling al-Qaeda and Taliban militants as well as a looming economic crisis.
At least three hard-line Islamic organisations also were quick to aid quake survivors.
Among them was Jamaat-ud-Dawa, designated a terrorist group by the US government for links to Muslim separatists fighting in India’s portion of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
Pakistan is prone to seismic upheavals since it sits atop an area of collision between the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, the same force responsible for the birth of the Himalayan mountains.
Baluchistan’s capital, Quetta, was devastated by a 7.5-magnitude temblor in 1935 that killed more than 30,000 people.
pakistan News
Fatal clashes in northwest Pakistan
At least 15 people have been killed in clashes between suspected pro-Taliban fighters and members of an armed tribal group in northwest Pakistan, officials said.
Up to 80 members of the so-called tribal Lashkar, a group raised to tackle fighters loyal to the Taliban and al-Qaeda, were also abducted amid the fighting in the Matt area of Pakistan's Swat valley on Sunday, sources told Al Jazeera.
Three local commanders were killed in the clashes, while 12 tribal leaders were hanged, they said.
Fighting broke out when supporters of Maulana Fazlullah, a local religious leader with links with to the Pakistani Taliban, tried to abduct Pir Samiullah, leader of the Lashkar in Matta, a military official said on condition of anonymity.
"Scores of Taliban raided Mandal Daag village in the Matta district of the valley to abduct Pir Samiullah," the official told the AFP news agency.
Samiullah, who leads a 500-strong armed group of local people, and his supporters have demanded that the Taliban leave the valley.
Fazlullah has campaigned for a stricter interpretation of sharia in the Swat valley region.
Bajaur clashes
The fighting in Swat came as fresh fighting was reported in the Bajaur tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
Pakistani forces had claimed a rare succes in the region by retaking the town of Loi Sam, but on Sunday fighting continued with helicopters and artillery pounding targets in Bajaur.
Jamil Khan, a Pakistani official, said that eight anti-government fighters had been killed in the latest fighting in Bajaur.
Khan said reports from the region indicated several others had suffered injuries in the latest assault, but he gave no information about troop or civilian casualties.
Major-General Tariq Khan, a spokesman for the military, said government forces captured Loi Sam earlier this week "and killed the militants who were hiding there".
Reports said that nearly 200,000 civilians have fled the fighting in the town.
Civilian casualties
Kamal Matinuddin, a retired general and former ambassador to Thailand, said that there was a prospect of civilians being hurt by the fighting.
"It so happens that the militants that are in these tribal areas, particularly in Bajaur, are finding some shelter in the houses there. The job is becoming very difficult for the Pakistan army to avoid civilian casualties," he told Al Jazeera.
"Although the Pakistani army has called for civilians to leave the area so that they can carry put their military operations more successfully, unfortunately there are some civilian casualties occurring even now.
"But the fact remains that the Pakistan army has the support of the elected government and is determinted to carry out its objective in eliminating the militants from the tribal areas. They have achieved a certain amount of success."
Pakistan's tribal regions are considered a stronghold for the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
The army launched its offensive in Bajaur in early August, saying the region had become a "mega-sanctuary" for fighters who had set up a virtual mini-state.
Khan said troops had by Saturday overrun the area and were in "complete control" of the town, though he forecast it could take between six months and a year before authorities could gain complete control of Bajaur.
But some analysts criticised the military move.
"This is not the first time that the military or the Pakistani government has claimed that they have captured an important person or claimed to have attacked and been successful in destroying the sanctuary of the Taliban," Khalid Rahman, the director general of the Institute of Policy Studies in Islamabad, told Al Jazeera.
"Perhaps the whole strategy is not correct ... I am really afraid that this military strategy is going to increase the problem, unless it is accompanied by a genuine, sincere dialogue."
'Mini-jirga'
Talks are meanwhile expected to take place in Islamabad on Monday between Pakistani and Afghan political leaders with an aim to end violence in the border regions. Ethnic Pashtun tribal chiefs are also expected to participate.
The meeting, dubbed a Pakistan-Afghanistan "Jirgagai", or mini-jirga, is a follow-up to a grand assembly in Kabul last year in which delegates called for talks with Taliban fighters.
Around 50 political leaders, Pashtun elders and Muslim clerics from both countries will discuss growing violence by al-Qaeda and the Taliban fighters on both sides of their disputed border.
"The two main objectives of the jirgagai are to expedite the ongoing dialogue process with the opposition and monitor implementation of decisions of the (Kabul) jirga," Mohammad Sadiq, a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman, said.
But critics say the mini-jirga will be little more than a talking shop without the participation of representatives of the Taliban.
At least 15 people have been killed in clashes between suspected pro-Taliban fighters and members of an armed tribal group in northwest Pakistan, officials said.
Up to 80 members of the so-called tribal Lashkar, a group raised to tackle fighters loyal to the Taliban and al-Qaeda, were also abducted amid the fighting in the Matt area of Pakistan's Swat valley on Sunday, sources told Al Jazeera.
Three local commanders were killed in the clashes, while 12 tribal leaders were hanged, they said.
Fighting broke out when supporters of Maulana Fazlullah, a local religious leader with links with to the Pakistani Taliban, tried to abduct Pir Samiullah, leader of the Lashkar in Matta, a military official said on condition of anonymity.
"Scores of Taliban raided Mandal Daag village in the Matta district of the valley to abduct Pir Samiullah," the official told the AFP news agency.
Samiullah, who leads a 500-strong armed group of local people, and his supporters have demanded that the Taliban leave the valley.
Fazlullah has campaigned for a stricter interpretation of sharia in the Swat valley region.
Bajaur clashes
The fighting in Swat came as fresh fighting was reported in the Bajaur tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
Pakistani forces had claimed a rare succes in the region by retaking the town of Loi Sam, but on Sunday fighting continued with helicopters and artillery pounding targets in Bajaur.
Jamil Khan, a Pakistani official, said that eight anti-government fighters had been killed in the latest fighting in Bajaur.
Khan said reports from the region indicated several others had suffered injuries in the latest assault, but he gave no information about troop or civilian casualties.
Major-General Tariq Khan, a spokesman for the military, said government forces captured Loi Sam earlier this week "and killed the militants who were hiding there".
Reports said that nearly 200,000 civilians have fled the fighting in the town.
Civilian casualties
Kamal Matinuddin, a retired general and former ambassador to Thailand, said that there was a prospect of civilians being hurt by the fighting.
"It so happens that the militants that are in these tribal areas, particularly in Bajaur, are finding some shelter in the houses there. The job is becoming very difficult for the Pakistan army to avoid civilian casualties," he told Al Jazeera.
"Although the Pakistani army has called for civilians to leave the area so that they can carry put their military operations more successfully, unfortunately there are some civilian casualties occurring even now.
"But the fact remains that the Pakistan army has the support of the elected government and is determinted to carry out its objective in eliminating the militants from the tribal areas. They have achieved a certain amount of success."
Pakistan's tribal regions are considered a stronghold for the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
The army launched its offensive in Bajaur in early August, saying the region had become a "mega-sanctuary" for fighters who had set up a virtual mini-state.
Khan said troops had by Saturday overrun the area and were in "complete control" of the town, though he forecast it could take between six months and a year before authorities could gain complete control of Bajaur.
But some analysts criticised the military move.
"This is not the first time that the military or the Pakistani government has claimed that they have captured an important person or claimed to have attacked and been successful in destroying the sanctuary of the Taliban," Khalid Rahman, the director general of the Institute of Policy Studies in Islamabad, told Al Jazeera.
"Perhaps the whole strategy is not correct ... I am really afraid that this military strategy is going to increase the problem, unless it is accompanied by a genuine, sincere dialogue."
'Mini-jirga'
Talks are meanwhile expected to take place in Islamabad on Monday between Pakistani and Afghan political leaders with an aim to end violence in the border regions. Ethnic Pashtun tribal chiefs are also expected to participate.
The meeting, dubbed a Pakistan-Afghanistan "Jirgagai", or mini-jirga, is a follow-up to a grand assembly in Kabul last year in which delegates called for talks with Taliban fighters.
Around 50 political leaders, Pashtun elders and Muslim clerics from both countries will discuss growing violence by al-Qaeda and the Taliban fighters on both sides of their disputed border.
"The two main objectives of the jirgagai are to expedite the ongoing dialogue process with the opposition and monitor implementation of decisions of the (Kabul) jirga," Mohammad Sadiq, a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman, said.
But critics say the mini-jirga will be little more than a talking shop without the participation of representatives of the Taliban.
Lahore News
LHCBA lawyers celebrate Kurd’s victory
LHCBA lawyers celebrate Kurd’s victory
LAHORE: Lawyers at the Lahore High Court gave each other sweets to celebrate the victory of Ali Ahmed Kurd as president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Wednesday.
It was observed that lawyers in the Lahore High Court Bar Association were discussing the election results in a pleasant mood, while copies of the result sheet were distributed and displayed on various spots in the bar. Young lawyers, who did not have votes in the SCBA elections, appreciated their peers for making the right choice by voting for Kurd. Mian Bashir advocate said that young lawyers were proud of their seniors who, by voting for Kurd, proved that they stood united with the new generation in the movement. He said that the SCBA elections had proved that all lawyers were united in their movement for the reinstatement of the judges, including sacked chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.
Lawyers also gave a standing ovation to Tehsin Irfan advocate at her arrival at the bar for her protest against the former attorney general Malik Muhammad Qayyum on Tuesday when she cast vote in the elections. staff report
Fashion
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Priyanka Chopra doesn't like her position in Bollywood to be challenged.
And especially if it's done by a wooden actress like Katrina Kaif!
Priyanka Chopra has fearlessly stated, "I love to do films that have me in important roles and not where I am used just as a prop.
I don't see any reason to do films where I have 4-5 songs and 15-20 scenes just because they are touted to be commercial successes. What is the point of acting in such films and giving seven back-to-back hits? That doesn't make you grow as an actress!"
That's not all. She's also reportedly added, "I may have delivered a few flops but even those had me playing important roles. I have not and will never act in films where my role is inconsequential and that my only job in those films is to look pretty."
Now that's really a blatant attack on Katrina who has delivered 7 back-to-back hits where the hero had everything to do and her presence was unimportant.
Wonder what woody Katrina's reaction to this will be! Or will she run to good old Sallu bhai for help and ask him to verbally bash up Priyanka on her behalf!
Merida unveils 2009 range
Merida is set to build on the success of its top-end carbon fibre road and mountain bikes with a refined range for 2009.
The Taiwanese firm unveiled its new stable of mountain, road, cyclo-cross, track and commuting bikes at the Ashton Court Estate in Bristol, England.
With a total of more than 70 models covering everything from World Cup racers to children's bikes, the company seems determined to make waves in the British market.
We got a chance to ride the Ninety-Six 1000-D and first impressions were promising. Acceleration was swift and the bike tracked well down rocky descents, although the tyres - Merida Race 2.1s - struggled in light mud and quickly became clogged. The full Shimano SLX groupset is a definite bonus, providing fast and positive shifting and powerful braking, and the carbon seatstays add a touch of 'bling'.
For those who care more about pinning the descents than saving the odd gram, there is the One-Five-0 range featuring, you guessed it, 150mm of rear bounce. This year a floating disc brake has been added to isolate the suspension from the effects of braking. The top-of-the-range £2749.99 One-Five-0 3800-D has a hydroformed aluminium frame, Fox 36 Talas RL fork and RP23 shock, Magura Louise brakes and Shimano XT drivetrain, while the £1899.99 One-Five-0 880-D has a Rock Shox Domain 302 fork, X-Fusion 02 RL shock, Hayes Stroker brakes and Shimano SLX.
Merida one-five-o 3800-d: merida one-five-o 3800-d
The Trans-Mission is Merida's do-it-all bike, with 130mm of rear travel and a floating rear disc brake. The top-of-the-range Trans-Mission Carbon 3800-D at £3499.99 has a carbon frame, Fox Talas 32 RLC fork and RP23 shock, XT drivetrain and Magura Louise brakes. Next in the range is the Trans-Mission HFS 3000-D, with a similar spec but hydroformed aluminium frame, at £2349.99. Three models with technoformed aluminium frames are also available, ranging from the £799.99 Trans-Mission TFS 300-D with RST Launch fork and SR Epicon LOD shock to the £1349.99 Trans-Mission TFS 900-D, which has been given a shock upgrade from last year's Epicon to an X-Fusion 02 RL.
According to Merida's Chris Carter, if the Ninety-Six rewrote the carbon full-sus rulebook this year, next year it is the turn of its hardtail brother, the £3499.99 Carbon FLX Team-D, to shake things up.
The bike features a new carbon monocoque frame that weighs in at just 1100g, Manitou R7 MRD fork, Magura Marta SL brakes and components from FSA and Sram. For £1650 less, the FLX 1000-D looks like a bargain as it shares the same frame but cuts costs with a Manitou R7 Super Air fork, Shimano XT/SLX drivetrain and M575 brakes.
Merida carbon flx 1000-d: merida carbon flx 1000-d
Slinging a leg over the £2,499.99 Carbon FLX 3500-D, the bike's snappy acceleration was impressive, with instant power transfer and a welcome hint of give in the carbon rear end when the trails got bumpy. There was none of the skittishness often associated with super-light bikes. It was difficult to evaluate the fresh-out-of-the-box Rock Shox SID Race fork as it had not bedded in, but based on past experience it should prove a perfect, race-ready match for the frame.
Merida's other hardtails carry the Matts tag - Merida Advanced Tig-welding Technology System. The basic Matts line ranges from the £249.99 10-V, with V-brakes and SR XCT fork, to the £549.99 60-D, with Hayes Stroker Ryde hydraulic discs and SR XCM fork.
If you can afford a little more, the Matts TFS Trail range features technoformed aluminium frames, more relaxed geometry, longer travel forks and more durable components. They are aimed at what Merida's German R&D department calls 'soul riders' - those who ride for the sheer pleasure of it, not just to win races. The line ranges from the Matts TFS Trail 300-D, with Tektro Auriga Comp hydraulic discs, Shimano Deore drivetrain and a Rock Shox Dart fork for £599.99, to the 700-D, with Hayes Stroke Trail brakes, Deore/XT drivetrain and Rock Shox Recon 327 Solo Air, at £949.99.
Merida matts trail 700-d: merida matts trail 700-d
The top Matts bikes are the HFS and TFS models, featuring hydroformed and technoformed aluminium frames respectively. A highlight of the range is the £999.99 TFS 900-D, with Rock Shox Reba SL fork, XT drivetrain and Shimano M575 brakes. Merida describes this as its 'Cycle to Work bike' - designed to give people buying a bike through the government-backed scheme the most bang for their bucks.
Although Merida has made its name with cross-country and road bikes, it does have a sub-brand, UMF or United Merida Freeriders, which caters to the downhill and dirt jump markets. On show at the launch were two hardtails, the Hardy 4 Disc and Hardy 2. The Hardy 2 stood out from the crowd with its tartan saddle and downtube decal.
Hybrids
Many of the 2009 bikes feature improved specs, with technology from the top-end models filtering down throughout the range.
The firm's R&D department in Germany has had a major input and the impact of a new designer is clear, with impressive frame detailing and new graphics which provide a sense of continuity throughout the range.
Mountain bikes
The most striking thing about Merida's '09 mountain bikes is the tube profiles. The frames feature the latest carbon, hydroforming and technoforming technology, and you would struggle to find a single conventionally shaped tube. Instead, huge square-section top tubes taper towards the seat tube and trail bikes feature downtubes that would have looked large on a downhill bike a couple of years back.
Merida's flagship full-suspension bike, the Ninety-Six Carbon Team-D, has been garnering rave reviews. With a frame weight of just 1860g, the 9kg complete bike can be lifted with just one finger yet still has 100mm of travel to soak up the bumps. For those who can't quite stretch to the £7499.99 asking price, the range also includes the Ninety-Six 3500-D, which still features a full carbon frame but comes in at 'just' £2999.99 and 10.6kg, and the 1000-D, which has a hydroformed aluminium frame with carbon seatstays, costs £1,599.99 and weights 12kg. The Ninety-Six can also be bought as a frameset.
HP's second-generation mini-notebook falls in the middle of the current netbook pack.
HP's second-generation foray into the mini-laptop space, also known as netbooks--the HP Mini 1000--has a couple of advantages over its predecessor (the HP 2133, which we reviewed back in early April). Gone is the Via C-7M processor; gone, too, is the pipe dream that any current netbook could handle Windows Vista (the Mini 1000 runs Windows XP). The Mini 1000 that we received for testing packs Intel's 1.6-GHz Atom processor; 1GB of RAM; a 4200-rpm, 60GB PATA hard disk; and Windows XP. Translation: It falls in place with the rest of the current mini-notebook pack.
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The Windows XP version, available as of today, starts at $399. The model we reviewed, as outlined above, will set you back $549. That price instantly pushes it to the high end of the mini-notebook category--and to nearly as much as a full-blooded all-purpose laptop.
If anyone asked me what I would have done to change HP's first mini-note, the aforementioned HP 2133, I'd have had a pretty cut-and-dried checklist: Add a more capable CPU; amp up the RAM; use XP instead of Vista (one version of the 2133 used Vista Business Edition, no less); change the touchpad's design (I grew to hate the mouse buttons that flanked the pad's left and right sides); and if HP could, drop the price a little. But they'd better not mess with the keyboard, the speakers, or that sweet metallic shell.
This model incorporates many of those suggestions. However, in spite of its Atom processor, the Mini 1000 slips a little toward the back of the pack. Of course, I've learned to keep lowered expectations for netbooks--the average WorldBench score for the category hovers around 35. HP's Mini 1000 eked out a 30. So, while it's not nearly as speedy as Lenovo's IdeaPad S10 (which earned a 41), the Mini 1000 also is notably faster than both Dell's Inspiron Mini 9 (which crawled across the finish line posting a 25) and the original HP 2133, which scored a poky 23.
Not all our tests have finished yet, which is why we haven't yet posted a rating. Specifically, we don't have final battery-life results. We'll update the review with that information later. However, HP spokespeople feel comfortable saying that the 3-cell battery lasts about 3 hours. We'll see. In addition, HP plans to release an optional 6-cell battery wedge that sits below the Mini 1000 and props it up (it's due in January 2009, price to be determined).
While not in our test unit, HP briefed me on a forthcoming optional video processing chip that can go into the Mini 1000. I was tempted to wait until early 2009 (when HP spokespeople say the chip will be available) to see how much it'll boost performance. Unfortunately, the HP folks have nothing more to add at this time. We'll update as we learn more.
Not Heavy Metal
HP's new mini-note doesn't stop with just changes to its inside guts. This time, HP chose to use a 10.3-by-6.5-by-0.9-inch plastic shell, as opposed to the 2133's aluminum case. That metallic exterior made for a meaty, mature netbook: It didn't feel like a toy--it was something sturdy in your hands that could take a beating.
With the Mini 1000, you get a reasonably hard plastic lid with a groovy design on top. That makes it slightly more stylish than many mini-notes--but not much. Citing a lighter weight (2.25 pounds, as opposed to the 2.8-pound 2133) and lower production costs, HP sees the plastic as a better choice. Me? I'd prefer the heavy metal if only because of the gleaming lines and substantial feel.
I also wasn't a huge fan of the original touchpad, but this one is a little more tolerable. While I still think it's annoying to have the mouse buttons flanking the left and right sides of the touchpad, the implementation is a better this time around. The buttons are slightly raised and angled toward the mousepad and, if I'm ever annoyed, I can always disable the on-board mouse with a button touch. But why should I have to do that?
Thankfully, some things haven't changed--particularly, the size of the fantastic keyboard. The oversized, square keys looks like something that belongs on a full-size notebook. In fact, the main QWERTY and number buttons are large enough to fit your entire finger. No need to carefully hunt-and-peck on this keyboard.
I found the audio impressive, and it matched my experiences with the earlier model. The ingenious top-mounted speaker also serves as a sturdy hinge for the device; this design saves space. And while I'm not one to say that you could use the Mini 1000 as some incredibly dorky boombox, it does get decent audio without turning into a crackly mess.
The Screen, Unseen
Now, the 10.2-inch screen--like most glossy screens--is a little hit or miss. Indoors, you can easily make out what's happening on the 1024-by-600-pixel panel--and images look great. If you were to see the Mini 1000 on a store shelf, you'd likely be attracted to it like a very nerdy moth to a flame. Try taking it outside in direct sunlight, though, and you've got yourself a large portable mirror. It's still usable, but you really need to crank up the brightness all the way to see anything. Even then, I could easily shave myself with its reflection. (HP also offers a smaller version of this model, with an 8.9-inch screen; a tweener screen--10.1 inches--will be available later this year).
One thing I've always liked about Acer's Aspire One is how Acer put two SD card slots in the device. One was a little more recessed so that you could pop in extra memory and just let it sit there as additional storage. Here, HP is taking a cue from Acer--kind of. In the back right side of the device is a well-hidden and way-recessed USB slot. That allows you to pop in an additional 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB USB flash drive. The problem: Where Acer's solution lets you insert any card you have, HP has you buy their proprietary form-factor memory (Mini Mobile Drive) that wedges deep inside the machine. This approach isn't nearly as compelling as Acer's.
I also noticed that HP decided to cut out some of the inputs. The machine skimps a little by providing a shared headphone/mic jack, a 10/100 ethernet jack, two USB 2.0 ports, an SD Card reader, and a proprietary dongle port if you want to shoot out video to VGA. Just be prepared to shell out another 30 bucks for the VGA dongle. At least it has 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi and optional Bluetooth 2.1 to compensate for the lost ports. Also bank on 3G broadband, which will be available later this year.
As for the software, HP tries making a clean go of it on the Windows flavor of this machine. Our test unit came preinstalled with Microsoft Works, AIM 6, and an HP Wireless Assistant. While I salute the bloatless install, I quickly found myself missing a backup solution, like the one that Lenovo smartly packs into the IdeaPad S10.
HP also skimps on a detailed physical instruction manual. Instead, you get a glossy foldout sheet that basically shows you where the power button is and how to get to the computer's onboard Help & Support Center. It's a fairly handy series of links to the user manual, but it's just gussying up what Microsoft already offers in its operating system. To give credit where it's due, though, HP's Help & Support Center is a little more user-friendly.
The other bonus is a free six-month subscription to HP Upline. This online storage option covers three PCs, and appears similar to the services offered by Dell with its Inspiron Mini 9: A free basic account for Box.Net good for a couple gigs of online storage.
Other Models, Other OSs
HP doesn't offer only a Windows version of the Mini 1000. The Linu...sorry, HP...the Mobile Internet Experience version of the HP Mini 1000 is due to come out in January with a tiny 8GB or 16GB flash drive. That interface, while it looks fairly fresh, is still very much in a beta stage, so I'll reserve comment for now, but the initial demos show a very frosty--dare I say, "Vista-ish"?--interface. The MIE version of the Mini will cost about $380.
And probably the flashiest mini-note to date, set to arrive by mid-December, is a customized red take on the Mini designed by Vivienne Tam. The Asian-themed model comes with painted trees on the lid and a "Double Happiness" enter key. Umm, yeah. And proof that you can put a price on Double Happiness: You're paying $700 for the privilege of rocking this prêt-a-computer.
With the Mini 1000, HP does a good job keeping most of the things that worked on the 2133, while upping the performance and managing to cut prices in the process--well, not counting the fashionista-flavored model. Is a Mini 1000 right for you? If you're limiting your outdoor use (the glare can be a pain), this is a good choice; but it's not the swiftest mini-note on the block.
Indiewood is dead. Long live the new
The proper definition of “indie cinema” has been the buzz debate at The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival. Once upon a time these two noble words heralded an experimental director in charge of his destiny. Now the phrase is Hollywood shorthand for a $10 million to $20 million studio drama with an Oscar-nominated performance and a serious box-office campaign.
Last week I pitched up at the NFT for a seminar called Indiewood is Dead . . . Long Live the New, True Indies, featuring five young American film-makers. It was almost impossible not to cheer. American indie directors still lead the way. They have an innate ability to pick up a camera as naturally as we would a book. This generation of thirtysomethings has absolutely no cash, but it does have a militant desire to make the next great film, come hell or high water.
Their simple-looking dramas are surprisingly sophisticated. Ramin Bahrani’s Goodbye Solo is a gripping and dusty fable about a Senegalese taxi driver who picks up a granite-faced drifter in North Carolina. Joe Swanberg’s improvised drama, Nights and Weekends, explores the agony of a long-distance love affair in Chicago. And Azazel Jacobs casts his own parents in Momma’s Man, an original comedy about a slob who hasn’t got the guts to leave home.
Ironically, many of this generation of American film-makers still scrape a living waiting tables to fund their work. But what’s interesting is how quickly they are cooling towards festivals such as Sundance. Robert Redford’s annual bash is considered far too mainstream for the sort of fresh work that features in the LFF’s Experimenta strand. Directors such as Swanberg are congregating elsewhere: notably London, and even music festivals such as South by Southwest
They are also starting to adopt the attitude and survival tricks of indie pop bands. “The lifestyle of underground rock bands is almost identical to that of indie film-makers” Swanberg says. “Bands grow their own audiences. That’s what film-makers have to do.”
The profound gap between the slick red-carpet galas in Leicester Square and the raw experiments on the fringes of the festival has always fascinated me. I’ve rarely enjoyed so many walks on the wild side. Here are some exceptional indie loners that really stood out.
Tony Manero — Pablo Larraín’s dark thriller about a 52-year-old loser called Raúl Peralta (Alfredo Castro) who becomes infatuated with the spivvy dancer played by John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever — is a beastly good film. You sense just how unhinged Peralta really is when he takes his rented disco suit to the umpteenth matinee screening of the film in a fleapit in the backstreets of Santiago. This is Chile in 1978. Pinochet’s secret police are at their vicious and unpredictable worst. Psychopaths such as Peralta, who will kill for a television set, melt into the humdrum background. This is what makes the film such an unnerving and awful pleasure.
Anthony Haney-Jardine’s religious trilogy of short stories, Anywhere USA, is an utterly potty joy. In part one, a couple of happily married trailer trash hippies are torn apart when a paranoid dwarf in the next caravan becomes convinced that Tammy is turning into an Arab terrorist. In part two, a young girl drinks a bottle of whisky and pulls a tooth out with a pair of pliers to see if the Tooth Fairy really exists. In part three, a retired, middle-aged golfing bore has an orgasmic and guilty urge to bond with a black person. This is an absurd, delightful, and surprisingly gentle satire.
It’s hard to know where to place a film such as Morgan Dews’ shocking Must Read After My Death. The LFF has always had a powerful interest in biography, specifically personal histories recorded on home-made tapes and old film footage.
After the death of his grandmother, Allis, in 2001, the film-maker Morgan Dews discovered a treasure chest of Super 8 home movies and tapes recorded during the 1950s and 1960s. The story of this sad, dysfunctional family is told in their own words. Allis and her philandering husband, Charley, use the tape deck as a confessional and encourage their damaged children to do the same.
There are years of lonely diary entries. Some of the most heart-rendering footnotes concern Dr Lenn, the therapist who wrongly condemned one of Allis’s sons to a mental institution. The other three children are not far behind. The evocative images of happy family get-togethers, captured so beautifully on-camera, chime horribly with the bottled grief we hear down the years. This is extraordinary cinema; and a powerful antidote to the gala glamour.
Synecdoche, New York, London Film Festival
The highly anticipated directorial debut of Charlie Kaufman, Synecdoche, New York is unquestionably the most ambitious American film of the year. Depending on taste, you might also think that it's the most pretentious, but then Kaufman isn't a one-off for no reason.
With his name already an adjective in critical theory, the man behind the fiercely original screenplays for Spike Jonze's Being John Malkovich and Adaptation has produced something from behind the camera that's very, well, "Kaufmanesque".
From its title to its onion-like layers of meaning, Synecdoche, New York is a grand statement on life, art, death and ageing by a film-maker who has just turned 50. At its core is Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a hypochondriac theatre director living in the New York borough of Schenectady but rushing headlong into a mid-life crisis. As his partner, artist Adele (Catherine Keener), takes their daughter with her to a gallery opening in Berlin, Caden is dogged by a series of repulsive physical complaints, rotting gums and all.
So self-absorbed is Caden, he barely notices the attentions of Samantha Morton's box-office worker, Hazel. Instead, he dives into his work. In a hangar, he embarks on building a scale-recreation of Manhattan, complete with actors playing its inhabitants. An idea that suggests Kaufman's been playing too much Grand Theft Auto IV, which digitally attempted to recreate the same experience, Caden becomes increasingly obsessed with his life's work as the film skips through the years.
It's at this point that life overlaps with art to an almost unfathomable degree. The second half of the film is as daring as it is difficult. Blurring the lines of fiction and reality so much it makes your eyes hurt, Tom Noonan, Emily Watson and Michelle Williams play actors cast by Caden in his masterwork to play versions of himself, Hazel and Adele. By the end, it becomes impossible to tell what is real and what is not.
Difficult to enjoy, frequently feeling like an intellectual exercise, this may be why the film has yet to find UK distribution. Yet for all its wilful obscurity, there are some delightful touches, and Kaufman's fingerprints are all over it. He surrounds himself with class: the cast are uniformly excellent, providing the script with emotional resonance, while Fred Elmes, the cinematographer behind David Lynch's Blue Velvet and Eraserhead, and the quirky composer Jon Brion are valuable additions.
Kaufman can be justly proud that he is now not only the most idiosyncratic writer but also director working today.
Former WWE Star Injured, John Cena Update, Edge & Lance Storm
Lance Storm said on Wrestling Observer Radio that he had lunch with Edge last week and expects him back on WWE TV relatively soon. Storm also said that Edge is sorting a beard these days and with his hat, looked like a "taller, skinnier version of Evan Tanner."
- Former WWE developmental talent KC James (James Curtis) suffered what appears to be a very serious neck injury at a show in Puerto Rico on Saturday night. Details are sketchy right now but James was taken away from the ring on a stretcher.
- It was announced in a commercial during last night's Cyber Sunday pay-per-view that John Cena would be returning to WWE at next month's Survivor Series pay-per-view. The pay-per-view will be held in Cena's hometown of Boston, Massachusetts on Sunday, November 23. Cena is presently featured on the promotional poster for Survivor Series.
M.O.P. Tell The WWE & John Cena To "Ante Up," Sue For 150K
Hip-Hop group M.O.P have filed a lawsuit against the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and wrestler John Cena for $150,000 claiming his theme song "Time Is Now" samples one of their tracks.
According to TMZ, Lil' Fame and Billy Danze allege the organization had unauthorized permission to use elements of their 2000 smash hit "Ante Up" and used a receptionist to sign off on the license. While not sampling the entire piece, M.O.P claim a distinct phrase is unlawfully used in Cena's theme song.
"The Infringing Work includes a distinctive 'freestyle' rap -- 'BRRR Abado' that has been sampled from the Infringed Work and is clearly repeated three times in the Infringing Work, at the introduction, the second chorus, and the third chorus," the lawsuit reads. "Upon information and belief, in or about April, 2005, defendants, WWE and Cena commenced using the Infringing Work as defendant Cena's 'theme' and licensed the Infringing Work to various third parties including SONY, among others."
Having appeared on multiple retail products including the WWE's soundtrack series, the group are requesting substantial damages to be rewarded and that the unauthorized song be destroyed.
"Plaintiff is further entitled to recover from the defendants the damages sustained by plaintiff as a result of defendants' acts of copyright infringement," it reads. "Plaintiff is at present unable to ascertain the full extent of the monetary damage plaintiff has suffered by reason of defendants' acts of copyright infringement but believes such damages exceed $150,000."
Cena is known for rapping and freestyling to the ring during WWE matches and also released his debut hip-hop album You Can't See Me via Columbia and WWE Records. The 17-track disc features Bumpy Knuckles and Esoteric plus producers Chaos, Eligh, Freakas and Jake One.
Palin eyeing 2012: ABC
WASHINGTON - Whether or not Republican presidential candidate John McCain is elected next week, his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, plans to remain on the U.S. national political scene, ABC News reported Wednesday.
Asked about 2012, whether she was discouraged by daily attacks on the campaign trail and whether she would return home to Alaska, the Republican vice presidential nominee signaled that she expects to be a player in the next presidential election cycle.
"I think that, if I were to give up and wave a white flag of surrender against some of the political shots that we've taken ... I'm not doing this for naught," Palin told ABC News in a taped interview airing Thursday.
A campaign spokesperson traveling with Palin in Indiana said the vice presidential nominee was talking about being focused on winning on Nov. 4 and is not going to quit despite what the critics have said.
With less than a week before Election Day, Palin told ABC that she believes in the current Republican presidential ticket and that she thinks "it's going to go our way on Tuesday, Nov. 4."
"I truly believe that the wisdom of the people will be revealed on that day," she said.
Palin has energized the Republican base of supporters. But the Alaska governor has come under withering criticism on a variety of issues, including whether she is qualified to become vice president.
Iraq War: Where the Candidates Stand
Then there was the troop surge: Nobody pushed harder for sending additional troops than McCain. Obama didn't just oppose the surge, he proposed the opposite, calling for the withdrawal of troops.
But in a September 2008 interview with Bill O'Reilly, Obama acknowledged that the surge had worked.
"I think that the surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated," Obama said. "I've already said it's succeeded beyond our wildest dreams."
Another difference lies in the candidates' vision for the war. McCain says he'll withdraw troops, but only if security continues to improve.
"If you set a date for withdrawal, regardless of conditions on the ground, then chaos, genocide results," McCain said.
Google to pay $125 million in online books settlement
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc has reached a legal settlement with authors and major publishers that paves the way for readers to search through millions of copyrighted books online, browse passages and purchase copies.
Under Tuesday's settlement, Google will pay $125 million to create a Book Rights Registry, where authors and publishers can register works and receive compensation from institutional subscriptions or book sales.
The settlement with the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers draws to a close a three-year legal challenge of Google's plan to make many of the world's great books searchable online.
The lawsuit filed by publishers McGraw-Hill Cos Inc, Pearson Plc's Pearson Education and Penguin Group (USA) units, CBS Corp's Simon & Schuster and John Wiley & Sons Inc charged that Google's attempts to scan works without permission infringed on copyright protections.
At issue were rights of copyright holders versus the public's "fair use" interest in being free to use limited portions of books for commentary or review, for what resembles a kind of full-text, searchable card catalog.
The settlement is subject to federal court approval.
"It's been a long and arduous negotiation," said Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild, calling the settlement "the biggest book deal in U.S. publishing history."
Aiken said the settlement will mean a "vast repository of books -- millions upon millions of out-of-print books and many in-print books -- will find a new home and new readers online."
Initially, Google's Print Library Project called for searches to bring up three- or four-line snippets from books, but plans now call for as much as a full page to appear in response to queries.
In addition, libraries across the country will be offered an online portal, allowing their patrons to print pages for a fee. Institutional subscriptions will also be available to college students and faculty.
(Reporting by Paul Thomasch, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)
Google, FCC, Broadcasters Fight for White Spaces
Besides the Presidential election, there's another big political battle brewing in Washington on Nov. 4. This one is over the airwaves that are used to deliver communications signals to consumers across the country, and like the race for the White House, this contest has created a big divide.
The same day that the country is picking its next President, the Federal Communication Commission will decide whether to make available a large swath of airwaves for wireless high-speed Internet access. It would be the largest-ever contiguous chunk of frequencies, also known as spectrum, doled out by the U.S. government for free public use. Combatants on both sides are out swinging.
Proponents include FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and an odd conglomeration of tech heavyweights that includes Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Dell (DELL), Motorola (MOT), and Philips Electronics North America. The companies hope the freed-up spectrum will spur demand for wireless access and the equipment and advertising that would support it.
Martin has already lined up the support he needs from two additional commissioners, according to a person familiar with the matter. Still, opposition has gathered steam in recent days, leaving some to speculate the vote on the issue may be delayed, if not ultimately defeated.
Broadcast Disruption?
The opposing faction comprises even stranger bedfellows—from the National Association of Broadcasters, an industry group that represents radio and TV stations, to electronics companies such as Qualcomm (QCOM) and LG Electronics. Even Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren and performers Guns N' Roses and Dolly Parton have weighed in. "I don't know all the legalese concerning this issue, so I've had some very smart people inform me about the legalities here," Parton writes in an Oct. 24 letter that begins on a folksy note. "This industry relies on wireless technology and is in jeopardy of being irreversibly devastated by the Commission's pending decision."
Parton's concern, and that of other opponents, is that new technology would disrupt broadcasts and use of wireless microphones. Their first goal is to get the FCC to delay its Nov. 4 vote. Even former Presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton urged Martin in an Oct. 28 letter to give "all due consideration" to concerns raised by opponents of the move.
The FCC appears intent on holding to its Nov. 4 time frame. On Oct. 29 the commission issued a meeting agenda that includes plans to rule on the airwaves, also known as white spaces, that are located in between channels used for broadcasting TV signals. "The proposal on TV white spaces is scheduled for a vote Nov. 4," says an FCC spokesman. "We moved cautiously with this proposal, we've taken into consideration public comments that have been provided over the past several years." The FCC has received more than 33,600 comments and will continue to accept input through Oct. 31.
Given the imminent change in Presidential administrations and the likelihood of new leadership at the FCC, a lengthy delay could doom an initiative that's been in the works for more than four years, analysts say.
Pakistan Top Stories
Pakistani government forces kill eleven militants
KHAR, Pakistan -- Troops fought Taliban militants in separate battles in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing 11 in an insurgent stronghold overlooking the Afghan border, an official said.
Jamil Khan, the No. 2 government representative in Bajur, said eight fighters died and several others were injured when helicopters and artillery shelled several areas Sunday morning.
Three more insurgents died in a gunbattle at a checkpoint in Tang Khata, a village supposedly under the control of security forces, Khan said. Khan said there were no troop casualties in either battle.
U.S. officials have praised the two-month offensive in Bajur, a tribally governed region considered a possible hiding place for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida No.2 Ayman al-Zawahri.
Pakistan's army launched the offensive after officials declared it a "mega-sanctuary" for Taliban and al-Qaida militants who had set up a virtual mini-state and were funneling fighters over the mountainous border into Afghanistan.
On Saturday, the military escorted reporters to Loi Sam, a strategic town captured earlier in the week from militants.
The town sits on the intersection of roads linking Bajur with the Afghan border and several neighboring areas of Pakistan. Military commanders say its fall will severely disrupt militant operations.
The operation has caused severe hardship for residents in the already impoverished region. Almost 200,000 people have fled the fighting, many to rough camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Loi Sam and villages along the road from the main town of Khar have been devastated by fighting and army shelling. Crops have been left to die untended in the fields.
Despite the civilian exodus, the army said Saturday that 95 noncombatants as well as some 1,500 militants and 73 troops had died so far in the fighting. Officials say the victims will be compensated.
Pakistan's government has pledged to flood the border regions with development aid in an attempt to dry up support for militant groups. It has also offered to negotiate with groups who lay down their arms, seeking to turn a tide of rising violence that has contributed to Pakistan's looming economic problems.
Pakistan is in talks with the International Monetary Fund and other lenders about help to ward off a balance of payments crisis and prevent it from defaulting on its foreign debts.
Pakistan Top Stories
Pakistan earthquake: At least 80 dead
Dozens have been forced out of their homes after a strong earthquake hit villages in Pakistan Photo: AFP/GETTY
The death toll was expected to rise as reports arrived from remote areas of the affected province of Baluchistan, an impoverished area bordering Afghanistan. Some reports said it had reached 100.
"It will be much more," Sohail ur Rahman, a top civilian official in one of the affected districts, told Dawn News TV station.
He said some 500 houses had been destroyed.
Most of the deaths occurred around the hilly town of Ziarat in gas-rich Baluchistan province, police official Abdul Khaleq said.
"We have received reports of heavy casualties, we can't confirm how many," Quetta-based army spokesman Major Shabahat Hussain said. "We have sent an army team there (to Ziarat) in a helicopter."
A woman was also killed in Pishin district near Quetta, police officer Niaz Mohammed said.
Several people were injured in the panic in Quetta, with one person hurting their legs after jumping from a first floor window and three people wounded when people fired guns in the air after the quake, hospital officials said.
Dilawar Khan, major of Ziarat said several houses had collapsed.
The US Geological Survey said a 6.2 magnitude quake hit 70 km (45 miles) northeast of the city of Quetta, not far from the border with Afghanistan, before dawn. The Pakistan Meteorological Department put the magnitude at 6.1 and said the quake struck at 5.10 a.m. (2310 GMT).
"There were two tremors, the second one was serious and people rushed out of their houses," said Quetta resident Amjad Hussain.
The tremors, which struck at a depth of 10 kilometres, sent people running screaming from their homes in Quetta, according to witnesses in the city.
A city hospital official said 15 people had been brought in with minor injuries, most injured when mud walls collapsed or in the panic when people rushed from their homes.
Quetta was largely destroyed and about 30,000 people were killed in a severe earthquake in 1935.
A 7.6-magnitude earthquake in northwest Pakistan and Kashmir killed 74,000 people and displaced 3.5 million in October 2005.
Pakistan Top Stories
Pakistan Summons US Ambassador on Border Strikes
Pakistan's government summoned the U.S. ambassador on Wednesday to urge an immediate halt to missile strikes on suspected militant hide-outs near the Afghan border.
Missile strikes have killed at least two senior al-Qaida commanders in Pakistan, putting some pressure on extremist groups accused of planning attacks in Afghanistan — and perhaps terror strikes in the West.
However, the increasing frequency of the strikes has strained America's seven-year alliance with Pakistan, where rising violence is exacerbating economic problems that threaten the nuclear-armed Islamic republic's stability.
Having called in U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson on Wednesday, "a strong protest was lodged on the continued missile attacks by U.S. drones inside Pakistani territory," a Foreign Ministry statement said.
The attacks have led to the loss of "precious lives and property" and "undermine public support for the government's counterterrorism policies," the statement said.
Pakistan Top Stories
At least 215 dead as quake hits southwest Pakistan
WAM, Pakistan—Desperate villagers clawed through piles of mud and timber looking for victims of an earthquake that collapsed thousands of homes in southwestern Pakistan before dawn Wednesday, killing at least 215 people.
As rescue workers resumed their search Thursday morning, officials said hopes of finding more survivors in the debris left by the 6.4-magnitude quake had dimmed.
"Almost all the rubble had been cleared by last night," said Shaukat Ali, the home secretary of the province of Baluchistan, where the quake occurred. "We don't know if anyone is still buried in the debris."
Army planes flew in tents, medical supplies and blankets to the quake zone in the province, erecting between 8,000 and 10,000 tents for some 15,000 homeless people in the impoverished region. Temperatures fell to around freezing overnight -- a grim test for those forced to sleep in the open.
"I have lost everything," said Haji Shahbaz, mourning the deaths of 17 relatives in Wam, a hard-hit village. "Nothing is left here, and now life is worthless for me," he added, then wailed in despair, tears streaking his dust-caked face.
Pakistan is no stranger to natural disasters, but the quake comes at an especially precarious time for the Muslim country, with the civilian government battling al-Qaida and Taliban attacks while grappling with a punishing economic crisis.
As the army and other government agencies rushed to provide help, at least three hard-line Islamic organizations also were quick to aid quake survivors, according to an Associated Press reporter who toured the area.
Among them was Jamaat-ud-Dawa, designated a terrorist group by the U.S. government for its links to Muslim separatists fighting in India's portion of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
The group set up relief camps and won friends among survivors of a 7.6-magnitude quake that devastated Kashmir and northern Pakistan in October 2005, killing about 80,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.
Baluchistan is home to a long-running separatist movement, but has so far been spared the level of militant violence seen in the northwestern tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan, where Muslim extremists are strong.
Wednesday's quake hit before sunrise as most people slept. Witnesses reported two strong jolts about an hour apart, saying the second at 5:10 a.m. caused the destruction, collapsing the flimsy mud-brick and timber houses common to this poor region.
"We were awoken with a big thundering noise and a tremor and we came out of our home and started reciting prayers," said Malik Abdul Hasmat, a 35-year-old teacher. "We went back inside because of the cold and then came the second and bigger jerk and all the homes collapsed."
As he spoke, excavators dug mass graves and villagers hacked away at the holes with spades. Over a loud speaker, a rescue official announced a grim find in the remains of one house: the body of young boy, believed to be around 1 year old.
The worst-hit area was the Ziarat valley, where hundreds of houses were destroyed in at least eight villages, including some buried in landslides triggered by the quake.
Provincial government minister Zamrak Khan said Thursday that 215 victims had been buried. Dilawar Kakar, mayor of the hilltop town of Ziarat, said 375 people were injured and around 15,000 left homeless. Ziarat itself, a popular summer resort since the days of the British empire, was spared major damage.
In the village of Sohi, a reporter for AP Television News saw the bodies of 17 people killed in one collapsed house and 12 from another. Distraught residents were digging a mass grave.
"We can't dig separate graves for each of them, as the number of deaths is high and still people are searching in the rubble" of many other homes, said Shamsullah Khan, a village elder.
Hospitals were flooded with dead and injured. One patient at Quetta Civil Hospital, Raz Mohammed, said he was awakened by the sound of his children crying before he felt a jolt.
"I rushed toward them but the roof of my own room collapsed and the main iron support hit me," he said. "That thing broke my back and I am in severe pain, but thank God my children and relatives are safe."
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said his country was offering $310,000 in immediate aid, but the head of Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority said an international relief effort was not needed.
"God has been kind, it has been a localized affair," said Farooq Ahmad Khan. "I think we can manage it."
Pakistan is prone to seismic upheavals since it sits atop an area of collision between the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, the same force responsible for the birth of the Himalayan mountains. Baluchistan's capital, Quetta, was devastated by a 7.5-magnitude temblor in 1935 that killed more than 30,000 people.
WAM, Pakistan—Desperate villagers clawed through piles of mud and timber looking for victims of an earthquake that collapsed thousands of homes in southwestern Pakistan before dawn Wednesday, killing at least 215 people.
As rescue workers resumed their search Thursday morning, officials said hopes of finding more survivors in the debris left by the 6.4-magnitude quake had dimmed.
"Almost all the rubble had been cleared by last night," said Shaukat Ali, the home secretary of the province of Baluchistan, where the quake occurred. "We don't know if anyone is still buried in the debris."
Army planes flew in tents, medical supplies and blankets to the quake zone in the province, erecting between 8,000 and 10,000 tents for some 15,000 homeless people in the impoverished region. Temperatures fell to around freezing overnight -- a grim test for those forced to sleep in the open.
"I have lost everything," said Haji Shahbaz, mourning the deaths of 17 relatives in Wam, a hard-hit village. "Nothing is left here, and now life is worthless for me," he added, then wailed in despair, tears streaking his dust-caked face.
Pakistan is no stranger to natural disasters, but the quake comes at an especially precarious time for the Muslim country, with the civilian government battling al-Qaida and Taliban attacks while grappling with a punishing economic crisis.
As the army and other government agencies rushed to provide help, at least three hard-line Islamic organizations also were quick to aid quake survivors, according to an Associated Press reporter who toured the area.
Among them was Jamaat-ud-Dawa, designated a terrorist group by the U.S. government for its links to Muslim separatists fighting in India's portion of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
The group set up relief camps and won friends among survivors of a 7.6-magnitude quake that devastated Kashmir and northern Pakistan in October 2005, killing about 80,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.
Baluchistan is home to a long-running separatist movement, but has so far been spared the level of militant violence seen in the northwestern tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan, where Muslim extremists are strong.
Wednesday's quake hit before sunrise as most people slept. Witnesses reported two strong jolts about an hour apart, saying the second at 5:10 a.m. caused the destruction, collapsing the flimsy mud-brick and timber houses common to this poor region.
"We were awoken with a big thundering noise and a tremor and we came out of our home and started reciting prayers," said Malik Abdul Hasmat, a 35-year-old teacher. "We went back inside because of the cold and then came the second and bigger jerk and all the homes collapsed."
As he spoke, excavators dug mass graves and villagers hacked away at the holes with spades. Over a loud speaker, a rescue official announced a grim find in the remains of one house: the body of young boy, believed to be around 1 year old.
The worst-hit area was the Ziarat valley, where hundreds of houses were destroyed in at least eight villages, including some buried in landslides triggered by the quake.
Provincial government minister Zamrak Khan said Thursday that 215 victims had been buried. Dilawar Kakar, mayor of the hilltop town of Ziarat, said 375 people were injured and around 15,000 left homeless. Ziarat itself, a popular summer resort since the days of the British empire, was spared major damage.
In the village of Sohi, a reporter for AP Television News saw the bodies of 17 people killed in one collapsed house and 12 from another. Distraught residents were digging a mass grave.
"We can't dig separate graves for each of them, as the number of deaths is high and still people are searching in the rubble" of many other homes, said Shamsullah Khan, a village elder.
Hospitals were flooded with dead and injured. One patient at Quetta Civil Hospital, Raz Mohammed, said he was awakened by the sound of his children crying before he felt a jolt.
"I rushed toward them but the roof of my own room collapsed and the main iron support hit me," he said. "That thing broke my back and I am in severe pain, but thank God my children and relatives are safe."
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said his country was offering $310,000 in immediate aid, but the head of Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority said an international relief effort was not needed.
"God has been kind, it has been a localized affair," said Farooq Ahmad Khan. "I think we can manage it."
Pakistan is prone to seismic upheavals since it sits atop an area of collision between the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, the same force responsible for the birth of the Himalayan mountains. Baluchistan's capital, Quetta, was devastated by a 7.5-magnitude temblor in 1935 that killed more than 30,000 people.
Kashmir News
K-Resolution Not Far Off: Asif Ali Zardari
ISLAMABD: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has reiterated that Pakistan will continue extending political, diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiri people, adding, all outstanding issues should be resolved through dialogue. Talking to President of Pakistan administered Jammu and Kashmir (PAK) Raja Mohammad Zulqarnian Khan who called on him here at Awan-e- Sadr Monday, President Zardari said Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) firmly believes in democracy and hopes to resolve all outstanding issues including Kashmir dispute with India through dialogue. He further said that Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto have always emphasized on the need of the peaceful resolution of Kashmir as well as other important issues with India through talks. President Zardari said that the PPP led coalition government would continue political, diplomatic and ethical support to Kashmiri brothers. He further said that the new initiatives of starting trade activities between the two sides of Jammu and Kashmir would produce an atmosphere of confidence building between the two countries which would be helpful in resolving the core issue of Kashmir. President Zardari said that the process of peace talks should not be halted. During the meeting, the PAK President discussed with him current situation of Kashmir, challenges to the country, rehabilitation of Mangla Dam affectees and other important issues. Raja Zulqarnain congratulate President Zardari on completion of successful foreign visits. He also lauded the President’s efforts to highlight the issue of Kashmir on international forums. He also appreciated the government’s steps to overcome the energy crisis in the country. The PAK President also invited Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari to visit PaK.
Bussines News
SKorea to create $55.6 mn film fund
South Korea is to establish a USD 55.6 million (80 billion won) film fund aimed at reviving its stagnant film industry, officials said today. The Korean Film Council (KOFIC), an autonomous government-supported body, announced creation of the fund as part of short-term measures to revitalize the industry that people fear has passed its golden years.
South Korean cinema gained international fame following the release of director Park Chan-wook’s ‘Old Boy’, which won the Grand Prix award at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.
Yet the country’s film exports have fallen over 50 per cent in the past two years to USD 12.28 million after reaching a peak in 2005 of USD 75.99 million.
“We would need public support measures in order to stop the downward trend of the film industry from being protracted,” said KOFIC in a statement.
“We expect that the newly created fund would ensure production of an appropriate number of Korean films and sustain the market share of those films.”
The KOFIC said it will also input USD 1.04 million to support DVD contents marketing and improve the distribution environment for the DVDs.
India News
Obama plays down plot to kill him
Barack Obama said he was not worried about threats to his life as he vies to become the first black US president, saying that hate groups have been marginalised by his candidacy.
“I think what’s been striking about this campaign is the degree to which these kind of hate groups have been marginalised. That’s not who America is. That’s not what our future is,” Democrat Obama told Pennsylvania television station KDKA.
“What I’ve found is that people here, they don’t care what color you are. What they’re trying to figure out is who can deliver,” he said. Asked if he was concerned about his safety, Obama said no.
“I’ve got the best folks in the world — the Secret Service,” he said. Authorities have announced the arrest of two white supremacists for threatening to assassinate Obama during a “killing spree” of some 100 African-Americans.
Daniel Cowart, 20, and Paul Schlesselman, 18, were arrested in Tennessee for possession of firearms, threats against a candidate running for president and conspiring to rob a gun store, the Department of Justice said.
The men began “discussing going on a ‘killing spree’ that included killing 88 people and beheading 14 African-Americans,” Brian Weaks, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives told a Memphis court yesterday.
“They further stated that their final act of violence would be to attempt to kill/assassinate presidential candidate Barack Obama,” he added, as the two men appeared before the federal court.
Sister says Obama plot suspect is sorry
The family of one of two suspects accused of plotting to decapitate black people and assassinate Barack Obama today said the teenager disliked blacks and considered himself part of a “master race,” but they doubted the plot was serious.
Paul Schlesselman, 18, had dropped out of school and was looking for work, his family told The Associated Press at their rural Arkansas home today. They believed he was in Texas when the Secret Service arrived Friday to seize a computer hard drive and notebooks of drawings.
“He just believes that he’s the master race,” said his sister, Kayla Schlesselman, 16, adding that she would often argue with him about his racial beliefs. “He would just say things like ‘white power’ and ‘Sieg Heil’ and ‘Heil Hitler. But she and her father, Mike, both said they didn’t believe he was capable of carrying out an attack. “I think it’s just a lot of talk. He would never do something like
this,” his father said.
Schlesselman is charged along with Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tennessee, with planning the spree. Authorities described the two as white supremacists who met on the Internet about a month ago. The charges were made public yesterday.
Kayla Schlesselman said she spoke with her older brother yesterday night, and that he expressed regret. “He said he’s sorry about everything he’s done,” she said.
Despite making sure the plot was stopped, authorities did not believe Cowart and Schlesselman had the means to carry out their threat to assassinate Obama, said a federal law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly.
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