PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Three suicide attackers, including a woman, attacked a police station in northwestern Pakistan, killing 13 people Friday while army airstrikes killed a dozen suspected militants in a Taliban stronghold ahead of an expected ground offensive.
The bombing in Peshawar city was the latest in a surge of terrorist attacks over the last 11 days that has killed more than 150 people and underscored the power of the Taliban, who have warned the army against launching any operation in the militants’ base close to the Afghan border.
In Islamabad, the army chief met with the prime minister and other political leaders for talks that included plans for an offensive in South Waziristan. After the meeting, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira vowed the country’s leaders would “take all steps to eradicate terrorism and extremism from the country,” but he refused to discuss military plans. (more…)
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Tropical Storm Rick formed off Mexico’s Pacific coast on Thursday and could become a hurricane within the next day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Rick was located 345 miles south-southeast of the resort city of Acapulco with maximum sustained winds near 50 mph.
“Continued strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours,” the Miami-based hurricane center said.
Salina Cruz, Mexico’s main oil-exporting port on the Pacific coast, was not in the path of the storm. Most of Mexico’s oil installations are in the Gulf of Mexico.
KABUL – Four more American troops died in a bombing in southern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Friday, as a U.N.-backed panel completed most of its investigation into whether the level of fraud in the August presidential election would require a runoff.
Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United States says he expects a second round vote will be required.
Rising death tolls and the political crisis brought on by a fraud-marred election have prompted the Obama administration to review its entire Afghanistan war strategy. (more…)
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US military launched a nighttime search for a pilot missing in the Atlantic ocean Thursday after two F-16 fighter jets collided, the US Air Force said.
One of the two aircraft landed safely at an air force base near Charleston in the southeastern state of South Carolina, from where the single-pilot fighters were conducting a night proficiency training mission.
“There is a search underway for one pilot,” Air Force Technical Sergeant Vincent Mouzon told AFP, adding that the search was continuing into early Friday. (more…)
By MATT SEDENSKY, Associated Press Writer Matt Sedensky, Associated Press Writer – Fri Oct 16, 8:09 am ET
PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – If her check were bigger, 76-year-old Agnes Conti might be able to spring for a better cut of meat for her pot roast. She could afford to send her nine grandchildren more than $20 for their birthdays and Christmas. She’d be able to buy some nice new clothes, like she sees on QVC, not what she settles for at Walmart.
If only. The government has said the Social Security checks Conti and tens of millions of other seniors rely on as their primary source of income will not increase next year as consumer prices have fallen overall. And while the retired hospital clerk will get by, she’ll be watching her spending even closer, knowing she can’t expect the annual raise she’s been accustomed to. (more…)
A hot-air balloon has exploded and crashed in one of the most popular tourist spots in China, killing four Dutch tourists and injuring three people.
The group of five Dutch tourists and two balloon pilots had floated for about an hour over the dramatic karst hills that rise up around the town of Yangshuo.
As the balloon was preparing to land, it developed a leak, caught fire and crashed to the ground from a height of about 150 metres. (more…)
The fashion magazine French Vogue has provoked controversy after painting a white model black for its October issue.
In a shoot styled by its editor-in-chief, Carine Roitfeld, the arms, legs and face of the Dutch model Lara Stone’s are painted with dark make-up. In one picture she wears a head scarf, in another, a white dress made from feathers. In later pages, Stone’s skin is painted powder-white and appears to be cracking.
The pictures for the model-themed issue, which has British supermodel Kate Moss as its cover star, were taken by the American photographer Steven Klein. (more…)
Ryanair’s pre-emptive attack on the BBC over its Why Hate Ryanair programme was futile. The broadcaster came out worst after last night’s Panorama.
Hours before the show aired, Ryanair sent out one of its shouty press releases, the headline in capitals: “FIRST BBC PANORAMA CENSORS THE TRUTH, NOW TELLS LIES”.
The release accused the BBC of a “hatchet job” and said the broadcaster refused to agree to air an unedited interview with its ebullient chief executive – and who can blame them? The half-hour slot would have been filled by a ranting Michael O’Leary. (more…)
The far-right Dutch MP who overturned a United Kingdom travel ban, despite being labelled a threat to “community harmony”, is planning to visit the capital this week.
Geert Wilders, who is accused of Islamophobia but won a case against the Home Office yesterday to allow him to enter the country, said that he did not want to come to incite violence, but to have a debate.
He will not be showing his controversial anti-Muslim film Fitna, which fuelled racist violence, although he said that he planned to show it on a later date. (more…)
Investment bankers are about to enjoy a record bonus season as confidence surges in the financial markets.
Just 12 months after the global economy was brought close to collapse by reckless lending — forcing banks to turn to taxpayers for help — stock markets in London and New York are enjoying one of the strongest bull runs in decades and investment banks are preparing to announce huge profits.
In Britain, job losses slowed in the three months to August. Unemployment rose by 88,000 to 2.47 million, the lowest rise since July last year, and youth unemployment fell slightly. China reported strong trade figures and oil hit a high for the year. (more…)
