Karzai announces council to deal with Taliban reconciliation

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced the creation of a high peace council as part of the reconciliation effort to reintegrate some Taliban militants, a spokesman for his office said on Saturday.

Syamak Herawi, the spokesman, said the council will be very effective in bringing peace and stability in the country. The list of council members will be announced early next week.

Earlier this week, Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military man in Afghanistan, said initial approaches to some Taliban members as part of a reconciliation initiative have shown promise and could help in the effort to resolve the conflict there.

Petraeus, who heads the U.S. and NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, spoke to reporters after greeting U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who arrived in the war-torn country Thursday to consult with political and military officials.

Petraeus said there have already been approaches toward Taliban officials at senior levels that hold some promise. This comes amid discussions about reaching out to some Taliban members as part of a reconciliation process, but the military isn't envisioning peace talks with hard-liners.

CNN

Adult services censored on Craigslist

(CNN) -- Online classified service Craigslist's decision to censor its adult services section could be a model for other websites, a leader in the fight against prostitution ads said Saturday.

"This step is very much in the right direction," said Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who spearheaded a letter from 17 attorneys general who recently banded together to urge Craigslist to discontinue its adult services section.

The embattled website has been under fire for allegations that it promotes prostitution.

"These prostitution ads enable human trafficking and assaults on women," said Blumenthal. "They are flagrant and rampant. Craigslist has lacked the wherewithal or will to effectively screen them out".

The section that usually reads "adult services" on Craigslist was replaced by the word "censored".

It was not immediately clear whether Craigslist removed the adult services and replaced them with the "censored" section, which had a link that was not active. But for users who accessed the account outside the U.S., the erotic services link was still active.

CNN

U.N. agency to hold special meeting over food prices

(CNN) -- Concerned with the recent outbreak of riots over food prices in the African nation of Mozambique, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced Saturday it will hold a special meeting this month to discuss rising wheat prices.

FAO officials, food experts and government representatives are scheduled to meet in Rome on Sept. 24 to find ways to ease the price fluctuation affecting grain markets, U.N. officials said in a statement.

Studies show that wheat prices soared in August, the biggest monthly rise in almost a year, officials said. They want to prevent a food crisis like ones in 2007 and 2008 that sparked riots in several nations.

Russia's restricted sale of grains, resulting from this summer's persistent drought, caused wheat prices to go up by five percent in August, the U.N. agency said. Russia recently banned grain exports.

Higher sugar and oilseed prices also contributed to the international food price hike, FAO officials said.

In the meantime, calm has returned to Mozambique's capital of Maputo after rioters protesting higher food prices caused mayhem in the city. Ten people died, including two children, officials said. More than 400 were injured, Mozambique officials said.

CNN

Report: Bahrain to charge 23 with belonging to a 'terrorist network'

(CNN) -- Bahrain says it plans to charge 23 people for plotting to overthrow the government and for belonging to what officials described as a sophisticated terrorist network, the Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported on Saturday.

The agency said the charges, to be brought by public prosecutors, follow an intelligence operation and that arrests of those in the network started on August 13.

Bahrain is a tiny island kingdom on Saudi Arabia's eastern coast. It is predominantly Shiite but has Sunni rulers. Among the accused, at least 20 are Shiite opposition leaders, according to Reuters.

"This sophisticated terrorist network with operations inside and outside Bahrain has undertaken and planned a systematic and layered campaign of violence and subversion aimed squarely at undermining the national security of Bahrain," said Bahraini public prosecution official Abdulrahman al-Sayed, according to BNA.

Members of the suspected 23-man network include academics, taxi drivers, civil servants and dentists, BNA reported.

It said two London-based Bahraini nationals would also be charged.

CNN

6 killed, dozens injured in Darfur camp clashes, UN says

(CNN) -- Six people were killed and 33 were injured in apparent clashes at a displaced persons camp in Sudan's Darfur region on Saturday, days after another attack in the region left 37 dead, officials said.

Three of the injured are in critical condition, said Chris Cycmanick, spokesman for the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur.

The violence occurred in at the Hamadiya internally displaced persons camp in Zalingei, in West Darfur state, Cycmanick told CNN. Gunshots rang out sporadically in the camp from midnight Friday to around 8 a.m. Saturday, he said.

"We don't know who was responsible for attack," Cycmanick said. "There was apparently fighting between two groups".

Earlier this week, men on horses and camels slaughtered 37 and left 30 injured at a market elsewhere in Darfur, Cycmanick said.

CNN

Craigslist dumps 'adult service' adverts

The online marketplace Craigslist has closed the controversial "adult services" listing in the US.

The company has not said why it took the decision, but it has faced an ongoing barrage of criticism from attorneys general and advocacy groups.

They have claimed the listing was a virtual tool for pimps and prostitutes.

The section has now been replaced with a black and white bar that reads "censored". An "erotic" service is still active outside the US.

A statement from Craigslist executives is expected in the coming days.

BBC News

Chile miners get support from 'Alive' crash survivors

Miners trapped deep underground in Chile have been contacted by four survivors of a famous 1972 plane crash in the Andes mountains.

Speaking to the 33 miners on video link, the four Uruguayan survivors said they brought a message of hope to the miners and their families.

They were among a group of 16 who endured extreme conditions for 72 days before being rescued in Chile.

The miners have now been stuck 2,300ft (700m) underground for a month.

They must now wait two to four months for engineers to drill an escape shaft.

'They will survive'

The Uruguayan survivors met relatives of the trapped miners at the San Jose mine before speaking to the miners via video.

They said they had come to show their solidarity with the miners, as will as to express their thanks to Chile for rescuing them 38 years ago.

And they said they were confident the miners would come out alive.

"In the same way we were able to get off the mountain and lead normal lives, they too will get out and lead fantastic lives," said Pedro Algorta, one of the plane crash survivors.

"Look at us, 38 years after we crashed, 16 of us who were rescued are still alive. It is proof that man can survive the most difficult situations and they will survive. The worst is already over".

BBC News

4 dead after suspected U.S. drone strike in Pakistan

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- An apparent U.S. drone strike killed four suspected militants in Pakistan near the Afghanistan border, two Pakistani intelligence officials told CNN on Saturday.

The officials said missiles from the drones hit two vehicles in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, one of seven districts in Pakistan's mostly ungoverned tribal region along the Afghanistan border, a longtime militant stronghold.

Saturday's drone strike was at least the second in the past 24 hours and the 49th strike this year.

The officials asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media on the record.

CNN

Israel targets 3 Gaza tunnels after rocket hits Israeli town

(CNN) -- Israel targeted three tunnels in Gaza in air strikes late Saturday night and early Sunday after a rocket from Gaza landed in Israel, an Israel Defense Forces spokesman said.

The attacks in Gaza injured two people and three others are missing, according to a statement from Hamas police in Gaza.

The rocket from Gaza landed in the Israeli town of Sderot early Saturday morning, the IDF spokesman said. There were no reports of injuries or damages, he added.

The spokesman, who would not give his name, said two of the three Gaza tunnels the Israelis targeted are smuggling tunnels.

CNN

In Dagestan, a bomb wounds a government minister

Moscow, Russia (CNN) -- A car bomb in the Russian republic of Dagestan killed a driver and injured a government official and his two bodyguards on Saturday, state-run news agencies said.

Bekmurza Bekmurzayev -- Dagestan's minister of national policy, Information and external relations -- received minor, non life-threatening, injuries, Itar-Tass reported.

Investigators said the victims were headed to work in two cars from the minister's apartment in Makhachkala, the region's capital, when a device at the bottom of one of the vehicles exploded seconds later and caused a fire. It wasn't clear which car Bekmurzayev was riding in.

Bekmurzayev was targeted because of his work, Itar-Tass said. Similar attacks in 2003 and 2005 killed his two predecessors, Russia Today said.

Moscow has been targeting terrorism in Dagestan and other regions of the Caucasus, such as Ingushetia and Chechnya.

CNN

Nasa hopes to send a craft into the Sun's atmosphere

Nasa is aiming to get closer to the Sun than ever before, with plans to plunge a car-sized unmanned spacecraft into the star's outer atmosphere.

Scientists hope to launch the Solar Probe Plus (SPP) sometime before 2018.

Before it is destroyed by the sizzling temperatures exceeding 1,400C (2,550F), the craft will have to obtain valuable data about our parent star.

The solar probe project is expected to cost in the region of about $180m (£120m).

To withstand the temperatures and the radiation, the instruments will be protected by a huge carbon-composite heat shield that still needs to be built.

Researchers say that the Sun is one of the few places people have not yet sent a spacecraft.

"Trying to understand how the Sun influences the Earth is quite a big thing these days," Richard Harrison, a solar physicist from the UK's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, told BBC News.

"The one thing we've never done is actually go there. You think of a spacecraft flying past Mars or Venus, but with the Sun, it is a little bit different.

"[But we are capable of sending] spacecraft near the Sun and that's the plan for the next generation of spacecraft".

BBC News

Lisbon sex abuse trial ends after 6 years

LISBON, Portugal, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Judges in Portugal have convicted six people of rape and running a pedophile ring at a state-run home for needy children in a trial lasting nearly six years.

Among those convicted Friday were a former driver and gardener at Lisbon's Casa Pia, who admitted to more than 600 crimes, including child sexual abuse and aggravated rape, The New York Times said Saturday.

Carlos Silvino also admitted to procuring children for others in exchange for money. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

The trial involved the rapes and sexual abuse of 32 children who were residents of Casa Pia in Lisbon. The crimes occurred in the 1990s, but came to light in 2002 when a former resident accused Silvino of raping him, the newspaper said.

The former residents said they were raped and sexually abused during sex parties attended by prominent people, including a former television personality.

UPI

Air India Express to cancel 203 flights

Passengers have once again been left in the lurch following an announcement by India's budget airline Air India Express that it plans to cancel almost 203 flights to various destinations, including the Middle East.

The destinations of the cancelled flights include Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Muscat and Kuwait.

A senior airline official told Emirates 24|7 that the decision has been taken due to the shortage of cabin crew and the forthcoming lean period. "No passengers will be affected because of the cancellation," said Abhay Pathak, the regional head of Air India in the Gulf.  

According to reports quoting airline officials in India, the cancellations would begin from next week and would be there until the end of October.

“Around 203 (73 from Kozhikode, 74 from Thiruvananthapuram and 56 from Kochi) flights stand cancelled. Some of these flights which originate from here, touch Kochi and then fly to the Middle-East. Hence this is taken as two flights and hence the number looks so large,” said an IANS report, quoting an airline spokesperson.

The main reason behind the cancellation is the shortage of cabin crew. "There is a rule that cabin crew should not exceed more than 1,000 hours of flying in a year. There is no way we will be able to meet this target unless we cancel some of the services," said Pathak.

Emirates Business

Saudi TV under fire for showing potency pills

A Saudi newspaper on Saturday slammed the kingdom’s state-run television channel for showing what it described an unprecedented promotional advertisement involving a sex-enhancing medicine.

Kabar Arabic language daily said it had received complaints from many local viewers protesting the show by the official Arabic TV channel in the kingdom, one of the most conservative Muslim countries.

 

The paper said the advertisement showed a smiling woman watching her happy husband as he takes the potency-enhancing pill.

 

“With a meaningful smile on her face, the wife tells her husband after he took the pill… ‘the children has completed their homework…don’t forget yours’….how can an official media organ, which is trusted by Saudi families, show this,” It said.

 

“It was an unprecedented show that has caused resentment and dismay among a large segment of viewers… all of them expressed their anger at such an advertisement, which they said had never seen it before".

Emirates Business

Public urged to report mobile, Net scams

Abu Dhabi Police have called upon the public to immediately report any attempts by swindlers posing as lottery organizers or other unknown personalities to rob them through their mobile phones or the internet.

The call followed a surge in such attempts which involved mails or sending text messages to mobile phone users telling them they have won a large sum of money and asking them to transfer fees for the dispatch of their funds.

 

In a statement carried by local newspapers this week, police said they had received more than 100 reports about swindling and deception attempts by unknown thieves through mobile phones and internet over the past year.

 

The statement said the persons who have fallen victims to such operations have been robbed by more than Dh250,000, adding that there has been a sharp increase in these attempts in the past three years.

 

“The public should instantly report any attempt to rob their money through their mobile phones or by e mail whether or not they fall victim to such operations…this will help the police arrest these criminals and thieves and rid the society from their criminal practices,” the statement said.

 

Many persons have reported they have received text messages on their mobile phones or e mails telling them they have a won a large sum of money in a lottery that has randomly picked their phone number or e mail address.

Emirates Business

UAE ranks 4th in reliability of police services

The UAE has become the world's fourth best country in terms of reliability of police services in 2010, an international report has said.

According to the Global Enabling Trade 2010, released by the World Economic Forum, the UAE came among the top 20 countries in the Enabling Trade Index, leading the region at a very strong 16th position, ahead of the United Kingdom, Chile, and the United States.

 

The UAE also achieved another distinct advantage, ranking fourth in physical security.

 

The report measures levels of violence in each country, including crime rates and threats to security.

 

Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan described the achievement as an "outcome of the wise policy of the country's leadership and the strategies of the federal government".

 

"This ranking is a fruit of the unlimited and continuous support by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces".

Emirates Business