News Updates

Pakistan

Pakistan expects to complete a decisive victory over the Taliban in the Swat Valley within days, following the successful capture of the region's main town, Mingora, on Saturday. A senior government official said the offensive to wrest control of north-west region from the Taliban would end in two or three days, but a military spokesman warned the challenge of securing the area from future infiltration would last for a lengthy time. The offensive in Swat has sparked an exodus of about 2.4 million people. The United Nations has pleaded for contributions for a $543-million fund to help.

Cuba

The U.S. and Cuba have agreed to resume direct talks on migration and open discussions on establishing direct mail service between the two countries. Cuba presented a diplomatic note to U.S. officials on Saturday agreeing to a U.S. request made last week to resume the migration talks and also agreed to a U.S. request proposing talks about direct mail service, which has been suspended for decades.

North Korea

A North Korean long-range missile has arrived at a launch base in the northwest of the country, reports said early today, amid signs Pyongyang is preparing to defy international pressure with another test. A train carried the missile from a factory near the capital to Dongchang-ri over the week-end, the Joong Ang Ilbo newspaper reported, quoting an unnamed intelligence official.

Palestine

Six people were killed in a West Bank shoot-out on Sunday when an attempt to arrest a senior Hamas commander went awry, deepening the Islamist movement's rift with rival faction Fatah. the firefight erupted when Palestinian police, dominated by Fatah, tried to arrest Mohammed al-samman, commander of Hamas's armed wing in the northern West Bank, who is also on Israel's wanted list.

Iran

Security personnel defused a homemade bomb found on a domestic flight late on Saturday, Iranian media said. The semi-official Fars news agency said the device was defused after the Tehran-bound Kish Air aircraft with 131 passengers on board made an emergency landing in the city of Ahvaz. "The plot ... was unsuccessful due to the security forces' awareness and those behind it were arrested" IRNA said.

South Africa

At least 55 whales stranded on a beach near Cape Town were put down or died after rescue teams failed to return them to the ocean, a sea rescue institute said on Sunday. Scientists shot 42 of the false killer whales on Saturday and 13 others perished, at Kommetjie Beach. Marine scientists and volunteers worked all day to try to get the whales back into the water, but many were pushed back ashore by waves.

United States

Authorities arrested a suspect Sunday in the death of a provider of late-term abortions, who was fatally shot as he walked into services at his church, officials said. Abortion doctor George tiller was shot to death just after 10 a.m. in the lobby of Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas, police and city officials said. U.S. President Barack Obama expressed outrage at the fatal shooting of the controversial doctor.

France

France and Brazil are searching waters deep in the Atlantic for an airliner carrying 228 passengers and crew which disappeared in a storm on Monday. France believes there is little hope of finding survivors from among those aboard the Air France Airbus, which was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. An automatic report of a short circuit was the last communication it put out before vanishing over the ocean. French officials believe it may have been disabled by a storm. But French President Nicholas Sarkozy cautioned that no hypothesis could yet be ruled out as a causative.