IPL 20 20 score card Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals

Wednesday 28 May
Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals
Venue: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Result : Kings XI Punjab won by 41 runs

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020KingsXIPunjabvsRajasthanRoyals93884

IPL 20 20 score card Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Chargers

Sunday 27 April
Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Chargers
Venue: Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai
Result : Deccan Chargers won by 10 wickets

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020MumbaiIndiansvsDeccanChargers70320

IPL 20 20 score card Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Chennai Super Kings

Monday 28 April
Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Result : Chennai Super Kings won by 13 runs

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020BangaloreRoyalChallengersvsChennaiSuperKings63395

IPL 20 20 Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians

Tuesday 29 April
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Result : Mumbai Indians won by 7 wickets

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020KolkataKnightRidersvsMumbaiIndians15922

IPL 20 20 Delhi Dare devils vs Bangalore Royal Challengers

Wednesday 30 April
Delhi Daredevils vs Bangalore Royal Challengers
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Result : Delhi Daredevils won by 10 runs

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020DelhiDaredevilsvsBangaloreRoyalChallengers53264

IPL 20 20 score card Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Result : Rajasthan Royals won by 45 runs

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020RajasthanRoyalsvsKolkataKnightRiders75622

IPL 20 20 score card Deccan Chargers vs Kings XI Punjab

Thursday 01 May
Deccan Chargers vs Kings XI Punjab
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Result : Kings XI Punjab won by 7 wickets

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020DeccanChargersvsKingsXIPunjab56899

IPL 20 20 score card Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Dare devils

Friday 02 May
Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Result : Delhi Daredevils won by 8 wickets

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020ChennaiSuperKingsvsDelhiDaredevils37578

IPL 20 20 score card Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Deccan Chargers

Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Deccan Chargers
Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Result : Bangalore Royal Challengers won by 3 runs

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020BangaloreRoyalChallengersvsDeccanChargers69172

IPL 20 20 score card Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Saturday 03 May
Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Venue: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Result : Kings XI Punjab won by 9 runs

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020KingsXIPunjabvsKolkataKnightRiders95291

IPL 20 20 score card Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Dare devils

Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils
Venue: Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai
Result : Mumbai Indians won by 29 runs

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020MumbaiIndiansvsDelhiDaredevils78066

IPL 20 20 score card Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings

Sunday 04 May
Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Result : Rajasthan Royals won by 8 wickets

open the site below 4 score card

http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020RajasthanRoyalsvsChennaiSuperKings50244

IPL 20 20 score card Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kings XI Punjab

Monday 05 May
Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kings XI Punjab
Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Result : Kings XI Punjab won by 6 wickets

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020BangaloreRoyalChallengersvsKingsXIPunjab76107

IPL 20 20 score card Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers

Tuesday 06 May
Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Result : Deccan Chargers won by 7 wickets


open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020ChennaiSuperKingsvsDeccanChargers67569

IPL 20 20 Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals

Wednesday 07 May
Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals
Venue: Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai
Result : Mumbai Indians won by 7 wickets

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020MumbaiIndiansvsRajasthanRoyals53896

IPL 20 20 score card Delhi Dare devils vs Chennai Super Kings

Delhi Daredevils vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Result : Chennai Super Kings won by 4 wickets


open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020DelhiDaredevilsvsChennaiSuperKings87714

IPL 20 20 score card Kolkata Knight Riders vs Bangalore Royal Challengers

Thursday 08 May
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Bangalore Royal Challengers
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Result : Kolkata Knight Riders won by 5 runs

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020KolkataKnightRidersvsBangaloreRoyalChallengers75128

IPL 20 20 score card Rajasthan Royals vs Deccan Chargers

Friday 09 May
Rajasthan Royals vs Deccan Chargers
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Result : Rajasthan Royals won by 8 wickets

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020RajasthanRoyalsvsDeccanChargers18950

IPL 20 20 score card Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab

Saturday 10 May
Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Result : Chennai Super Kings won by 18 runs

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020ChennaiSuperKingsvsKingsXIPunjab20346

IPL 20 20 score card Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Result : Kolkata Knight Riders won by 23 runs

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020DeccanChargersvsKolkataKnightRiders73289

IPL 20 20 score card Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Dare devils

Sunday 11 May
Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Daredevils
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Result : Rajasthan Royals won by 3 wickets

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020RajasthanRoyalsvsDelhiDaredevils36755

IPL 20 20 score card Kings XI Punjab vs Bangalore Royal Challengers

Monday 12 May
Kings XI Punjab vs Bangalore Royal Challengers
Venue: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Result : Kings XI Punjab won by 9 wickets

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020KingsXIPunjabvsBangaloreRoyalChallengers91184

IPL 20 20 score card Deccan Chargers vs Chennai Super Kings

Tuesday 27 May
Deccan Chargers vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Result : Chennai Super Kings won by 7 wickets

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020DeccanChargersvsChennaiSuperKings36821

IPL 20 20 score card Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Mumbai Indians

Wednesday 28 May
Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Mumbai Indians
Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Result : Mumbai Indians won by 9 wickets

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020BangaloreRoyalChallengersvsMumbaiIndians99002

IPL 20 20 sore card Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Dare devils

Tuesday 13 May
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Result : Kolkata Knight Riders won by 23 runs

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020KolkataKnightRidersvsDelhiDaredevils59788

IPL 20 20 score card Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings

Wednesday 14 May
Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Result : Mumbai Indians won by 9 wickets

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020MumbaiIndiansvsChennaiSuperKings14361

IPL 20 20 score card Delhi Dare devils vs Deccan Chargers

Thursday 15 May
Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Result : Delhi Daredevils won by 12 runs

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020DelhiDaredevilsvsDeccanChargers40564

IPL 20 20 sore card Rajasthan Royals vs Bangalore Royal Challengers

Rajasthan Royals vs Bangalore Royal Challengers
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Result : Rajasthan Royals won by 65 runs

open this site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020RajasthanRoyalsvsBangaloreRoyalChallengers25328

IPL 20 20 Delhi Dare devils vs Kings XI Punjab

Saturday 17 May
Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Result : Match delayed by rain

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020DelhiDaredevilsvsKingsXIPunjab89036

IPL 20 20 sore card Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Result : Match delayed by rain

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020KolkataKnightRidersvsChennaiSuperKings70439

IPL 20 20 score card Deccan Chargers vs Mumbai Indians

Sunday 18 May
Deccan Chargers vs Mumbai Indians
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Result : Mumbai Indians won by 25 runs

open the site below 4 results
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020DeccanChargersvsMumbaiIndians77491

IPL 20 20 score card Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians

Kolkata Knight Riders on 29 for 5 wickets after 7.6 overs Kolkata Knight Riders Innings R M B 4s 6s SR
Salman Butt caught Tendulkar b Pollock 13 13 1 1 100.0
A Chopra runout b Pollock 1 4 0 0 25.0
SC Ganguly notout 2 6 0 0 33.33
DJ Hussey caught Takawale b Pollock 2 7 0 0 28.57
Mohammad Hafeez caught Uthappa b Pollock 5 11 1 0 45.45
WP Saha caught Tendulkar b Bravo 1 6 0 0 16.67
LR Shukla notout 0 1 0 0 0.0
I Sharma dnb 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
A Dinda dnb 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Shoaib Akhtar dnb 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
AB Agarkar dnb 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Extras (b 0 , lb 0, w 5, nb 0) 5
Total ( 5 wickets; 7.6 overs) 29 (3.63 runs per over)

Bowling O M R W Econ
SM Pollock 4.0 0 12 3 3.0
A Nehra 2.0 0 12 0 6.0
DJ Bravo 1.6 0 5 1 2.5

http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020MumbaiIndiansvsKolkataKnightRiders39517

IPL 20 20 Score Card Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Friday 16 May
Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Result :

open this site 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020MumbaiIndiansvsKolkataKnightRiders39517

IPL 20 20 Score Card Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Delhi Dare devils

Monday 19 May
Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Delhi Daredevils
Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Result : Delhi Daredevils won by 5 wickets

open the site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020BangaloreRoyalChallengersvsDelhiDaredevils75073

IPL 20 20 Score Card Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals

Tuesday 20 May
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Result : Rajasthan Royals won by 6 wickets

open this site below 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020KolkataKnightRidersvsRajasthanRoyals77978

IPL 20 20 Score Card Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab

Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Result : Kings XI Punjab won by 1 run

open this site 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020MumbaiIndiansvsKingsXIPunjab45711

IPL 20 20 Score Card Chennai Super Kings vs Bangalore Royal Challengers

Wednesday 21 May
Chennai Super Kings vs Bangalore Royal Challengers
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Result : Bangalore Royal Challengers won by 14 runs

open this site 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020ChennaiSuperKingsvsBangaloreRoyalChallengers52110

IPL 20 20 Score Card Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals

Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Result : Rajasthan Royals won by 10 runs

open this site 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020ChennaiSuperKingsvsRajasthanRoyals72033

IPL 20 20 Score Card Delhi Dare devils vs Mumbai Indians

Saturday 24 May
Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Result : Delhi Daredevils won by 5 wickets

open below written site
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020DelhiDaredevilsvsMumbaiIndians28944

IPL 20 20 Score Card Deccan Chargers vs Bangalore Royal Challengers

Deccan Chargers vs Bangalore Royal Challengers
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Result : Bangalore Royal Challengers won by 5 wickets

open this site 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020DeccanChargersvsBangaloreRoyalChallengers59366

IPL 20 20 Score Card Deccan Chargers vs Bangalore Royal Challengers

Deccan Chargers vs Bangalore Royal Challengers
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Result : Bangalore Royal Challengers won by 5 wickets

open this site 4 score card
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020DeccanChargersvsBangaloreRoyalChallengers59366

IPL 20 20 Score card of Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab

Sunday 25 May
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Result : Kolkata Knight Riders won by 3 wickets

open this site 4 results
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020KolkataKnightRidersvsKingsXIPunjab42892

IPL 20 20 Score Card Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab

Sunday 25 May
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Result : Kolkata Knight Riders won by 3 wickets

open this site
http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020KolkataKnightRidersvsKingsXIPunjab42892

DLF IPL 20 20 Score Card Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians

Monday 26 May
Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Result : Rajasthan Royals won by 5 wickets


http://www.minglebox.com/IPL2020RajasthanRoyalsvsMumbaiIndians70090


Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians
Rajasthan Royals won by 5 wickets
Rajasthan Royals Innings R M B 4s 6s SR
Kamran Akmal runout Pandey b Nehra 18 16 4 0 112.5
SA Asnodkar caught Takawale b Fernando 17 18 2 0 94.44
YK Pathan caught Nehra b Fernando 2 4 0 0 50.0
SR Watson caught Tendulkar b Raje 18 19 3 0 94.74
M Kaif runout b Raje 12 15 0 0 80.0
RA Jadeja notout 23 20 0 1 115.0
NK Patel notout 40 29 2 1 137.93
SK Warne dnb 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Sohail Tanvir dnb 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
SK Trivedi dnb 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Pankaj Singh dnb 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Extras (b 4 , lb 6, w 5, nb 1) 16
Total ( 5 wickets; 20.0 overs) 146 (7.3 runs per over)

Bowling O M R W Econ
SM Pollock 4.0 0 26 0 6.5
A Nehra 3.0 0 18 0 6.0
CRD Fernando 4.0 0 27 2 6.75
DR Smith 2.0 0 16 0 8.0
AM Nayar 1.0 0 4 0 4.0
RR Raje 4.0 0 37 1 9.25
ST Jayasuriya 2.0 0 8 0 4.0


Mumbai Indians Innings R M B 4s 6s SR
ST Jayasuriya caught Pankaj Singh b Trivedi 38 37 4 0 102.7
SR Tendulkar caught Trivedi b Trivedi 30 34 2 0 88.24
AM Nayar lbw b Sohail Tanvir 25 18 3 0 138.89
RV Uthappa st Kamran Akmal b Warne 3 8 0 0 37.5
DR Smith caught NK Patel b Sohail Tanvir 8 7 1 0 114.29
SM Pollock caught Kamran Akmal b Sohail Tanvir 0 1 0 0 0.0
M Pandey bowled b Sohail Tanvir 3 6 0 0 50.0
YV Takawale notout 24 8 4 1 300.0
RR Raje notout 1 2 0 0 50.0
CRD Fernando dnb 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
A Nehra dnb 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Extras (b 0 , lb 6, w 6, nb 1) 13
Total ( 7 wickets; 20.0 overs) 145 (7.25 runs per over)

Bowling O M R W Econ
Sohail Tanvir 4.0 0 14 4 3.5
SR Watson 3.0 0 30 0 10.0
Pankaj Singh 2.0 0 25 0 12.5
YK Pathan 3.0 0 9 0 3.0
SK Trivedi 4.0 0 31 2 7.75
SK Warne 4.0 0 30 1 7.5

Sri Lanka train blast kills 7, wounds 62

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 26 (UPI) -- An explosion took place on a crowded commuter train in Sri Lanka Monday, killing at least seven people and wounding 62 others, military officials said.

The explosion was at the Dehiwala railway station on a Colombo-Panadura train, spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

Military officials said the area surrounding the blast was shut down.

Nanayakkara told the BBC the blast may have been organized by members of the extremist Tamil Tiger group.

Tamil Tiger members were linked to another attack at a train station in Colombo in February, the BBC said.

Spacecraft lands safely at Mars north pole

The spacecraft, known as Phoenix, landed at 4:53 p.m. PDT after a do-or-die plunge through the planet's thin atmosphere and thruster-jet landing to the Mars surface. It marked the first time that a spacecraft had successfully landed at one of the planet's polar regions.

"It was a hell of a lot scarier than the two Mars rovers," NASA's space sciences chief Ed Weiler said, referring to the cushioned landings of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers. "I kept thinking, 'I wish I had airbags."'

Pulled by Mars' gravity, Phoenix was tearing along at 12,700 mph before it entered the atmosphere, which slowed the craft so it could pop out a parachute and fire thruster rockets to gently float to the ground.

"It's down, baby, it's down!," yelled a NASA flight controller, looking at signals from Mars showing that Phoenix had landed.

Flight controllers and scientists battled nerves as Phoenix wrapped up its 10-month, 423 million-mile journey. In 14 minutes, the probe transformed from an interplanetary cruiser to a free-standing science station.

"People got really uncomfortable," said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, which oversees the mission.

Scientists found in 2002 that Mars' polar regions have vast reservoirs of water frozen beneath a shallow layer of soil. Phoenix was launched August 4, 2007, to sample the water and determine if the right ingredients for life are present.

NASA attempted a landing on Mars' south pole in 1999, but a problem during the final minutes of descent ended the mission.

The U.S. space agency canceled its next Mars lander but successfully dispatched Spirit and Opportunity to the planet's equatorial region to search for signs of past surface water.

Phoenix was created out of spare parts from the failed Polar Lander mission and the mothballed probe. Unlike the rovers, Phoenix did not bounce to the planet's surface in airbags, which are not suitable for larger spacecraft.

Instead, like the 1970s-era Viking probes and the failed Polar Lander mission, it used a jet pack to lower itself to the ground and fold-out legs to land on.

"We haven't landed successfully on legs and propulsive rockets in 32 years," Weiler said. "When we send humans there, women and men, they're going to be landing on rockets and legs, so it's important to show that we still know how to do this."

Russian leader Medvedev defends Russia-China ties

Speaking at a university a day after he and Chinese President Hu Jintao criticized U.S. missile defense plans, Medvedev rejected what he said was opposition to Russian-Chinese cooperation in remarks that sounded like a veiled jab at the United States.

"Some don't like such strategic cooperation between our countries, but we understand that this cooperation serves the interests of our people, and we will strengthen it, regardless of whether others like it or not," the Russian leader said. "Russian-Chinese relations are one of the most important factors of maintaining stability in modern conditions."

The former Cold War-era rivals have forged close political, military and commercial ties since the Soviet collapse, trying to counter what they see as U.S. global dominance.

On Friday, Medvedev and Hu said they want to see the peaceful use of space and reject the deployment of weapons there, a reference to U.S. plans for an orbiting missile-defense system.

In Saturday's appearance at elite Tsinghua University, Hu's alma mater, Medvedev never mentioned the United States by name and said the Russian-Chinese alliance "is not directed against any other nation.

"It is aimed at maintaining a global balance," he said.

Medvedev said Russia and China support international law and a "decisive role" for the United Nations. Moscow has criticized Washington and other Western governments of abusing international law in Iraq and Kosovo.

Russia also strengthened its role as a supplier to China's booming nuclear power industry Friday, signing a $1 billion deal to build a fuel enrichment facility and supply uranium.

The joint Russian-Chinese criticism of missile defense plans appeared to raise the stakes for Washington, which has been trying to persuade Beijing and especially Moscow not to see them as a threat.

The diplomatic cooperation masks Russian unease at China's growing power and differences over military and energy sales.

The White House said Friday that it is disappointed that Medvedev has not changed the opposition expressed by his predecessor, Vladimir Putin.

"We're going to work with them to work through these concerns, and we think we can resolve any concerns that anyone has about this and the true nature of the program," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said.

After a slow warming in the 1990s, Beijing and Moscow have in recent years joined together in opposing Kovoso's independence and on Iran's nuclear crisis. The two have held joint military maneuvers on each other's turf and created a regional security grouping, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, to keep the West out of energy-rich Central Asia.

Statements of cooperation and support come aside friction and uncertainties over energy, while the countries' shifting economic and diplomatic fortunes also bedevil ties.

Medvedev stopped in Kazakhstan en route to China, apparently trying to send a message to both Beijing and the West that Moscow sees former Soviet Central Asia as its home turf.

Asked about energy relations between Russia, China and Kazakhstan, the Russian leader said, "energy is an important part of our dialogue." He added that Russia and China could use the Shanghai security group to promote energy projects.

Moscow and Beijing also have bickered over the price of Russian energy exports. Disagreements over pricing have slowed construction of an oil pipeline from Siberia and blocked plans for a natural gas pipeline. A separate pipeline to Russia's Pacific coast will force China to compete with Japan for Siberian crude.

Muted welcome for Russia leader

Muted welcome for Russia leader

Mr Putin (left) congratulated Mr Medvedev late on Sunday
Western leaders have congratulated Dmitry Medvedev on becoming Russia's new president, but election observers have highlighted flaws in the poll.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said he was confident that the EU-Russia "strategic partnership" would develop.

German congratulations were mixed with regret about apparent irregularities in Mr Medvedev's landslide poll win.

In Moscow, police arrested dozens of people ahead of an opposition rally.


Graph showing election results
More than 100 officers swooped on opposition activists as they were gathering for the unauthorised demonstration in the Russian capital on Monday.

Some of the protesters lit flares and chanted: "Your election is a farce!"


We will increase stability, improve the quality of life and move forward on the path we have chosen

Dmitry Medvedev


Profile: Dmitry Medvedev
Will power shift?
World watches for change
Press cool on Medvedev win

An authorised march in Mr Putin's home city of St Petersburg drew 2,000 demonstrators, including ex-chess champion and Other Russia opposition leader Garry Kasparov.

Mr Medvedev, President Vladimir Putin's chosen successor, won 70.23% of the vote on Sunday, with nearly all votes counted, according to official results.

"I think (my presidency) will be a direct continuation," he said, referring to Mr Putin's eight years in office.

His nearest rival was Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov, with 17.76% of the vote. Mr Zyuganov vowed to go to court over alleged fraud, Itar-Tass news agency reports.

Britain said it would "judge the new [Russian] government on its actions", while French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said the EU and Russia had to start a new dialogue.

In Washington, a White House spokesman said "the United States looks forward to working with him [Medvedev]" - but he avoided commenting on the election itself.

Flaws highlighted

Earlier, the head of observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Andreas Gross, said Russia's "democratic potential" was unfulfilled.


Riot police dispersed an unauthorised protest in Moscow

Mr Gross, whose team was the only Western observer mission in Russia, said candidates had been denied equal access to the media, and registration procedures made it hard for independents to stand.

But he conceded that Mr Medvedev had a solid mandate.

The PACE 22-member observer mission said the elections "had more the character of a plebiscite on the last eight years in this country".

It added: "The president-elect will have a solid mandate given to him by the majority of Russians."

Mr Putin was barred by the constitution from seeking a third consecutive term but is expected to become prime minister, after his United Russia party won a huge majority in December's parliamentary election.

Last month, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the continent's main election watchdog, decided not to monitor the presidential election because of Moscow's restrictions.

NASA probe sends first pictures from Martian arctic

A NASA probe sent back never-seen pictures of Mars' north pole Monday after a near perfect landing in the most ambitious mission to date to find life-sustaining minerals on the Red Planet.
Pictures from the Phoenix probe provided the first glimpse of the planet's Arctic plains -- a desolate landscape of stony, frozen ground.

The images also confirmed that the solar arrays needed for the mission's energy supply had unfolded properly, as the craft's batteries would have run out in about 30 hours. The photos also showed masts for the stereo camera and weather station had swung into vertical position as planned.

The dramatic images showed the spacecraft's footpad planted on the dusty surface as well polygonal patterns on the ground that looked similar to icy arctic regions on Earth.

The flat Martian valley floor is expected to have water-rich permafrost within reach of the lander's robotic arm.

"Seeing these images after a successful landing reaffirmed the thorough work over the past five years by a great team," Goldstein told reporters.

After a nine-month journey from Earth, the Phoenix probe touched down in a relatively flat target area, according to Barry Goldstein, Phoenix project manager at the mission's control center at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.

Radio signals received at 7:53 pm Eastern Time (2353 GMT) Sunday confirmed the Phoenix Mars Lander had survived its difficult final descent and touchdown, officials said.

"For the first time in 32 years, and only the third time in history, a JPL team has carried out a soft landing on Mars ," National Aeronautics and Space Administration head Michael Griffin said in a statement. "I couldn't be happier to be here to witness this incredible achievement."

As planned, Phoenix stopped transmitting signals one minute after landing and focused its limited battery power on opening its solar arrays, and other critical activities.

But a key task still ahead was the first use of the lander's robotic arm, which was planned for Tuesday.

The backhoe-like arm, 2.35 meters (7.7 feet) long, is designed to dig trenches up to one meter (three feet) deep for samples of soil and water ice.

The arm will deliver the samples to instruments aboard the lander for detailed chemical and geological analysis.

The robotic arm also carries a box-shaped camera with a double Gauss lens system like that in 35mm cameras, and two lighting assemblies.

This will take images of the surrounding area and of samples the arm picks up.

Another camera device is the surface stereo imager, what NASA calls Phoenix's "eyes." Sitting two meters (6.6 feet) above the ground, the SSI will produce high-definition and panoramic images of the surrounding landscape.

Its stereo capability will help give scientists on Earth three-dimensional views of the work the robotic arm does. It can also be turned vertically to take images that will provide information on atmospheric particles.

"Only five of our planet's 11 previous attempts to land on the Red Planet have succeeded," said Ed Weiler, NASA associate administrator. "In exploring the universe, we accept some risk in exchange for the potential of great scientific rewards."

Working in the flat circumpolar region known as Vastitas Borealis -- akin to northern Canada in Earth's latitude -- Phoenix, with a panoply of high-tech equipment, will over three months dig below the surface to probe the icy ground for signs of liquid water and organic, life-supporting minerals.

Given that Mars' polar region is subject to Earth-like seasonal changes, the scientists think that, like on Earth, the Martian arctic might have a geological record of a warmer, habitable climate.

The team had been worried about the high risk of the project, with a roughly 50 percent failure rate on all Mars missions since the Soviet Union launched the first one in 1960.

Phoenix will not be alone. Two other NASA robots named Spirit and Opportunity have roamed the Martian surface's equator for three years.

Sri Lanka: Ambush kills 2 SLA soldiers in Mannaar, 11 wounded (TamilNet)

Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and 11 wounded when a pressure mine ambush targeted their bus, which was on its way to South Bar SLA camp, on Station Road, 2 km south of Mannaar city, Friday around 7:30 p.m. The SLA and Police blocked the road and launched a cordon and search operation. Hundreds of civilians who are residents of Chaanthinakar located close to South Bar

Burma shuns foreign aid workers

Burma shuns foreign aid workers

The cyclone devastated parts of Burma's main city, Rangoon
Enlarge Image
Burma's military junta says the country is not ready to accept foreign aid workers, amid mounting criticism of its response to the devastating cyclone.
The foreign ministry said Burma was happy to accept aid, but insisted it would control the distribution itself.
The statement follows pressure from the United Nations to speed up the issuing of visas to foreign relief experts.
The World Food Programme's Paul Risley said the delays were "unprecedented in modern humanitarian relief efforts".
Dozens of aid experts are reported to be waiting for visas in neighbouring Thailand - but the Burmese embassy there has closed for a public holiday and will not reopen until next Tuesday.
AID PLEDGES
UK $10m
UN $10m
Japan $10m
US $3m
France $3m
Australia $2.8m
In pictures: Cyclone survivors
Rangoon's hardship
The UN says up to 1.5 million people may have been affected by Cyclone Nargis, which devastated the Irrawaddy Delta region on Saturday.
Burmese state media say 22,980 people were killed, but there are fears the figure could rise to 100,000.
Hundreds of thousands of people have no food, water or shelter. International aid agencies on the ground say they have reached only 10% of those that need help.
Human rights groups have urged the generals to postpone a referendum on their much-criticised constitution, due to take place on Saturday.
They have delayed the vote in the most badly-hit regions, but intend to press ahead in the north of the country.
The UN also urged postpone, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying it would be "prudent to focus instead on mobilising all available resources and capacity for the emergency response efforts".
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was due to fly to Burma on Sunday to urge its leaders to allow foreign aid workers in.
But following the junta's statement, the Thai leader said there was "no point" in his visit.
'Not ready'
In a foreign ministry statement carried by The New Light of Myanmar daily, Burma's government said it would welcome cash and emergency aid.
EXTENT OF THE DEVASTATION

See map and satellite images
Send us your comments
But it said it had turned back a relief flight from Qatar which had an aid team and a media crew on board.
"Currently Myanmar [Burma] has prioritised receiving emergency relief provisions and is making strenuous efforts to transport those provisions without delay by its own labours to the affected areas," it said.
"As such, Myanmar is not ready to receive search and rescue teams as well as media teams from foreign countries."
Although reports suggest troops have begun to distribute significantly more aid, experts agree that the military regime lacks the resources to co-ordinate an effective relief effort.
On Thursday, the UN's humanitarian chief, John Holmes, told reporters that Burma's response to the disaster was "nothing like as much as is needed".
It has accepted limited help - some countries which have good relations with Burma have flown in aid.

Cannot play media. You do not have the correct version of the flash player. Download the correct version
Advertisement
function syncRoadBlock(src) {
BBC.adverts.empCompanionResponse(src);
};
Burmese TV reports on the foreign aid that is arriving
Four flights carrying supplies from the UN's World Food Programme arrived in Rangoon on Thursday, as did an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) flight.
Reports on Thursday had suggested the US had been granted permission to fly in supplies using military planes - but officials later said no agreement had been reached.
It's more than frustrating - it's a tragedy
Eric JohnUS ambassador to Thailand
Burma: How you can help
Eyewitness: Terrible disruption
Burma: The aid effort
"We are in a long line of nations who are ready, willing and able to help, but also, of course, in a long line of nations the Burmese don't trust," US ambassador Eric John said in Bangkok.
"It's more than frustrating. It's a tragedy," he said.
The BBC's Paul Danahar, in southern Burma, says that the devastation caused by the storm is apparent everywhere.
Most of those killed were living in small communities among the patchwork of rivers and streams that make up the western part of the delta.
It was via these inlets that the tidal surge washed its way inland, swallowing up entire villages, two or three hundred people at a time, our correspondent says.

Burma shuns foreign aid workers

Burma shuns foreign aid workers

The cyclone devastated parts of Burma's main city, Rangoon
Enlarge Image
Burma's military junta says the country is not ready to accept foreign aid workers, amid mounting criticism of its response to the devastating cyclone.
The foreign ministry said Burma was happy to accept aid, but insisted it would control the distribution itself.
The statement follows pressure from the United Nations to speed up the issuing of visas to foreign relief experts.
The World Food Programme's Paul Risley said the delays were "unprecedented in modern humanitarian relief efforts".
Dozens of aid experts are reported to be waiting for visas in neighbouring Thailand - but the Burmese embassy there has closed for a public holiday and will not reopen until next Tuesday.
AID PLEDGES
UK $10m
UN $10m
Japan $10m
US $3m
France $3m
Australia $2.8m
In pictures: Cyclone survivors
Rangoon's hardship
The UN says up to 1.5 million people may have been affected by Cyclone Nargis, which devastated the Irrawaddy Delta region on Saturday.
Burmese state media say 22,980 people were killed, but there are fears the figure could rise to 100,000.
Hundreds of thousands of people have no food, water or shelter. International aid agencies on the ground say they have reached only 10% of those that need help.
Human rights groups have urged the generals to postpone a referendum on their much-criticised constitution, due to take place on Saturday.
They have delayed the vote in the most badly-hit regions, but intend to press ahead in the north of the country.
The UN also urged postpone, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying it would be "prudent to focus instead on mobilising all available resources and capacity for the emergency response efforts".
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was due to fly to Burma on Sunday to urge its leaders to allow foreign aid workers in.
But following the junta's statement, the Thai leader said there was "no point" in his visit.
'Not ready'
In a foreign ministry statement carried by The New Light of Myanmar daily, Burma's government said it would welcome cash and emergency aid.
EXTENT OF THE DEVASTATION

See map and satellite images
Send us your comments
But it said it had turned back a relief flight from Qatar which had an aid team and a media crew on board.
"Currently Myanmar [Burma] has prioritised receiving emergency relief provisions and is making strenuous efforts to transport those provisions without delay by its own labours to the affected areas," it said.
"As such, Myanmar is not ready to receive search and rescue teams as well as media teams from foreign countries."
Although reports suggest troops have begun to distribute significantly more aid, experts agree that the military regime lacks the resources to co-ordinate an effective relief effort.
On Thursday, the UN's humanitarian chief, John Holmes, told reporters that Burma's response to the disaster was "nothing like as much as is needed".
It has accepted limited help - some countries which have good relations with Burma have flown in aid.

Cannot play media. You do not have the correct version of the flash player. Download the correct version
Advertisement
function syncRoadBlock(src) {
BBC.adverts.empCompanionResponse(src);
};
Burmese TV reports on the foreign aid that is arriving
Four flights carrying supplies from the UN's World Food Programme arrived in Rangoon on Thursday, as did an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) flight.
Reports on Thursday had suggested the US had been granted permission to fly in supplies using military planes - but officials later said no agreement had been reached.
It's more than frustrating - it's a tragedy
Eric JohnUS ambassador to Thailand
Burma: How you can help
Eyewitness: Terrible disruption
Burma: The aid effort
"We are in a long line of nations who are ready, willing and able to help, but also, of course, in a long line of nations the Burmese don't trust," US ambassador Eric John said in Bangkok.
"It's more than frustrating. It's a tragedy," he said.
The BBC's Paul Danahar, in southern Burma, says that the devastation caused by the storm is apparent everywhere.
Most of those killed were living in small communities among the patchwork of rivers and streams that make up the western part of the delta.
It was via these inlets that the tidal surge washed its way inland, swallowing up entire villages, two or three hundred people at a time, our correspondent says.

Champions League final: Cristiano Ronaldo refuses to commit to Manchester United

"I don't promise nothing, I don't promise nothing to my mum, I don't promise nothing to the supporters," he said.

Smiles better: But will Ronaldo be defending the European Cup with United next season?
"I want to stay, but the future ... no one knows. I want to stay. We are going to see in the next two weeks, I don't say I make a decision."
Speculation linking the Portuguese winger, 23, with a £100 million move to Real Madrid this summer has grown exponentially this past week, so much so that United chief executive David Gill was forced to state on the eve of the final that the player would definitely be plying his trade at Old Trafford next season.
"He's got four more years with us and we're sure he'll be with us for many years," Gill said.
Ronaldo, who scored his 42nd goal of an outstanding season to give United the lead in the Russian capital, has consistently said how happy he is at the club, although his latest comments in the aftermatch of United's triumph will throw up further question marks over his future.
His remarks were also in contrast to his televised interview following United's penalty shoot-out win.
Ronaldo said: "I'm going to stay. I feel very proud for the lads," Ronaldo had said pitchside immediately after picking up the trophy. "The lads deserve the Champions League. It's a magnificent season for me."


Watch: Alan Smith's Moscow final analysis
The Premier League champions have steadfastly refused to countenance the departure of their Portugal international to the Spanish capital, or to any other of Europe's big clubs, especially as the player is just one year into a five-year contract at United.
When questioned on Ronaldo's possible departure by a Spanish journalist on the eve of the final, Ferguson had bullishly predicted that the player was going nowhere: "If you want to put a bet on it (Ronaldo joining Madrid), I'll put a big bet on it."
However, Spanish press are adamant that Ronaldo has reached an agreement with Real Madrid, and that it is now left for the club to persuade United to sell the Portuguese. Spanish newspaper Marca report that Real's strategy will be to cut out United executives such David Gill and directly approach the Glazer family, who they believe will sanction the sale.

Food-Price Crisis

Rocketing food prices — some of which have more than doubled in two years — have sparked riots in numerous countries recently. Millions are reeling from sticker shock and governments are scrambling to staunch a fast-moving crisis before it spins out of control. From Mexico to Pakistan, protests have turned violent. Rioters tore through three cities in the West African nation of Burkina Faso last month, burning government buildings and looting stores. Days later in Cameroon, a taxi drivers' strike over fuel prices mutated into a massive protest about food prices, leaving around 20 people dead. Similar protests exploded in Senegal and Mauritania late last year. And Indian protesters burned hundreds of food-ration stores in West Bengal last October, accusing the owners of selling government-subsidized food on the lucrative black market. "This is a serious security issue," says Joachim von Braun, director-general of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in Washington. In recent weeks, he notes, he has been bombarded by calls from officials around the world, all asking one question: How long will the crisis last?
The forecast is grim. Governments might quell the protests, but bringing down food prices could take at least a decade, food analysts say. One reason: billions of people are buying ever-greater quantities of food — especially in booming China and India, where many have stopped growing their own food and now have the cash to buy a lot more of it. Increasing meat consumption, for example, has helped drive up demand for grain, and with it the price.
There are other problems too. The spike in oil prices, which hit $103 per barrel in recent days, has pushed up fertilizer prices, as well as the cost of trucking food from farms to local markets and shipping it abroad. Then there is climate change. Harvests have been seriously disrupted by freak weather, including prolonged droughts in Australia and southern Africa, floods in West Africa, and this past winter's deep frost in China and record-breaking warmth in northern Europe.
The push to produce biofuels as an alternative to hydrocarbons is further straining food supplies, especially in the U.S., where generous subsidies for ethanol have lured thousands of farmers away from growing crops for food. "The area used for biofuels is increasing each year," says Nik Bienkowski, head of research at ETF Securities, a commodities-trading firm in London. To make matters worse, global stockpiles of some basics have dwindled to their lowest point in decades. Rice — a staple for billions of Asians — has soared to its highest price in 20 years, while supplies are at their lowest level since the early 1980s, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Meanwhile, the global supply of wheat is lower than it's been in about 50 years — just five weeks' worth of world consumption is on hand, according to the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization.
As always in a crisis, there are winners. The creeping fear that the world might actually run short of food — no longer simply the stuff of sci-fi movies — has led speculators to pour billions into commodities, further accelerating price rises. In a single day in February, global wheat prices jumped 25% after Kazakhstan's government announced plans to restrict exports of its giant wheat crop for fear that its own citizens might go hungry. Jittery officials in India and Egypt are also restricting food exports. "Prices have risen at a much faster rate in the last few months," says Fazlul Kader in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where he coordinates rural projects for the U.N.'s International Fund for Agricultural Development; there, soybean oil alone has shot up 60% in a year.

Air traffic controllers strike in Paris

PARIS - Paris air traffic controllers began a five-day strike on Monday, causing flight delays and cancellations.
About half of flights at Orly airport were canceled, France's civil aviation authority said, adding that only domestic flights were called off entirely. International flights and trips to France's overseas territories went ahead, albeit with delays of about one hour.
Travelers at Charles de Gaulle, the larger of the two Paris airports, faced delays but no cancellations.

Transit Strike Hits Much of France

PARIS, Oct. 17 — Public transportation halted here on Wednesday night as most Métro and suburban trains stopped running, scores of subway stations were closed and buses suspended services at the start of a 24-hour strike that some unions said could be extended.
Only 80 of 600 national trains were expected to operate Thursday, the main day of the strike, said the national rail company, S.N.C.F.
In some parts of the country, notably the north and the east, the high-speed trains, or T.G.V.’s, were canceled, while in the west and the south a small number of T.G.V. trains were said to be operating.
It was unclear Wednesday night how air travel out of Paris would be affected Thursday, but trains connecting the two main airports to the center of Paris stopped running Wednesday night.
The walkout began at 8 p.m. to protest plans by President Nicolas Sarkozy to overhaul early retirement plans for a group of public-sector workers.
In the capital, the number of cyclists and skaters in the streets increased throughout the afternoon, and automobile traffic continued to build. Many docking stations of the communal bicycle system were empty as Parisians sought alternatives to public transport.
According to the latest information available from the R.A.T.P., the city’s urban transport company, three Métro lines — 1 and 6, which run east-west, and 4, which runs on a central north-south axis — may run one in five trains; all other urban and suburban lines were expected to be closed down.
Estimates were that about one in 10 buses and tramways could be running in Paris, while elsewhere in France public transportation was expected to be heavily disrupted.
The only subway in Paris that remained open was Line 14, which runs for about five miles along the Right Bank. It is fully automated.

Airlines face worst crisis since 2001

Major airlines that survived a decade of reorganization through bankruptcy are now facing their biggest test since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
The latest signals from credit markets show default and bankruptcy risk is rising, even after four main carriers — UAL's United Airlines, US Airways, Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines — retooled themselves under Chapter 11 filings this decade.
Those insolvencies already helped slash labor costs, and it will be tough to squeeze out more savings. That could mean a new round of airline bankruptcies may be afoot.
Rising fuel prices, falling consumer demand and the prospect of a U.S. recession threaten to cripple the industry that was just starting to get on its feet before fuel prices soared to record levels, ravaging profits.
U.S. jet fuel prices hit another record over $3.50 a gallon this week, tracking a rally in the cost of crude. Meanwhile, airline shares have plummeted 28% this year, hitting all-time lows. However, shares of most major airlines rose today as oil prices fell.
"This is the most perilous time for airlines since Sept. 11," said Vicki Bryan, an airline analyst for Gimme Credit in Houston. "United and US Airways are scrambling, and they could go bankrupt by the end of the year."
UAL lost $537 million in the first quarter and has about $2.9 billion of unrestricted cash in hand.
Another near-term concern is the airlines' ability to comply with bank covenant and loan agreements. Northwest has asked lenders in its $1.2 billion bank loan to do away with fixed-charge coverage ratios in its loan agreement for the next 12 months, according to Reuters Loan Pricing.
United Airlines and American Airlines are at risk of breaching similar lending agreements, said Phil Baggaley, a Standard & Poor's analyst. "A big near-term concern has been compliance with bank covenants," he said.
Jean Medina, a spokeswoman for United, dismissed the prospect of bankruptcy and said the company has $2.9 billion in cash and $3 billion in unencumbered hard assets that it could use as collateral.
"The large losses posted by U.S. airlines this quarter, the forecast for further losses and the recent liquidations and bankruptcies of a number of carriers indicate quite clearly that the U.S. airline industry is in financial turmoil," US Airways Chief Executive Doug Parker said in a statement last month.
A spokeswoman for US Airways also said the company is comfortable with its liquidity position.
Fuel costs, on average, now consume a third of airline revenue, up from 25% a year ago. For some, such as AirTran, rising fuel costs are eating away at nearly half of its revenue, according to company filings.
Airlines are pursuing alliances and mergers as one way to survive and grow.
British Airways said on Wednesday it was in discussions with two of its largest U.S. rivals, American Airlines and Continental Airlines, which a source briefed on the matter said was about a potential alliance.
Large carriers and low-cost carriers alike are feeling the pinch from higher fuel costs.
A slew of smaller carriers including Eos Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Skybus Airlines and ATA Airlines declared bankruptcy in April.
Those bankruptcies may be a warning sign, but so far are only "drops in the ocean," said Roger King, an analyst with CreditSights, a New York-based research firm. "Airlines are in a race to profitability, and no one's winning right now."
King doesn't foresee near-term bankruptcy threats to bigger airlines, but convertible bonds of UAL, parent of United Airlines, for example, are trading at distressed levels of 72 cents on the dollar, with sky-high yields of 19%.
US Airways' convertible bonds now trade at about 85 cents to yield almost 15%.
Moreover, the real stresses won't come until airlines find out what consumers will pay after demand dips.
"The real solution isn't consolidation, it's raising fares," King said.
UAL's United and US Airways also are in advanced merger talks prompted by Continental Airlines' decision this weekend to walk away from similar talks with UAL, sources with knowledge of the matter said. Delta Air Lines also agreed to buy Northwest Airlines in an all-stock deal in April.
For investors, potential mergers and long-term trends mean value will be tough to find.
"Airlines have always been something you rent, you don't own," Bryan said. "Short-term, when they are good, you can make some money, but you can lose a whole lot of money long-term and you're going to wear your breakfast for years."

French Crisis(June 1958)

The last couple of weeks have witnessed a deepening political and social crisis in France and Algeria. French militarists, together with fanatical colonists in Algeria, who look upon themselves as the “Herrernvolk” are trying to impose on France a right-wing dictatorship under de Gaulle.
This is a new chapter in the dreary history of the Fourth Republic, which cannot be understood without reference to the continued weakening of the French labour movement since the war. This weakening has been caused by the betrayal of the French labour movement by their official leaders.
Revolution Betrayed
In August, 1944, the armed resistance movement, consisting mainly of workers, used the fall of German power to take control of Pads. They seized the main factories, and, arms in hand, patrolled the town, disarming the collaborating police. The “200 families” – the financial magnates of France – had no popular support at all, as they had willingly collaborated with Hitler and done good business under Nazi rule. Indeed, one can unquestionably say that the knell of French capitalism had sounded. How, then, did it survive? The answer is to be found mainly in the conduct of the French Communist and Socialist parties.
After de Gaulle signed the 20-year Franco-Soviet alliance in December 1944, Thorez, the General Secretary of the French Communist Party, declared him a “great friend and ally of the Soviet Union.” The Party acted in the spirit of this “friendship” and immediately after his return from Moscow agreed to the disarming of the popular militia, a measure which they had opposed earlier in the year by General Koenig. Thorez then raised the slogan “One Government, one army, one police force;” and the Stalinist Cabinet ministers, Tillon and Billoux, voted for the decree dissolving the people’s militia.
Keeping the Workers Quiet
The “one police force” which was to remain was the very same as served the strike-breaking government of Daladier, and late that of Vichy and the Gestapo, the same force which persecuted the Resistance for four years and which had not since been purged. Thorez could shamelessly declare: “We do not put forward any socialist demands.” And another leader of the party. Dittos, could say on 19th November, 1945: “Since the Liberation we have contributed to the re-establishment of order in the country. We have led a campaign for the disarmament of the armed groups and for production.”
At that time the Communist Party, together with the Socialist Party, collaborated with the bourgeoisie in opposing every strike. The Stalinist Ministers were given all the ministries of production: Tillon – the Ministry of Armaments, Paul – the Ministry of Industry, Billoux – the Ministry of National Economy, and Choizat – the Ministry of Labour. The bourgeoisie was happy to give the Stalinists the job of keeping the workers quiet. During this revolutionary period, the superpatriotic Stalinists openly supported French imperialism. Thus, for instance, at the tenth congress of the French Communist Party (June 1945), Caballero, General Secretary of the Algerian Communist Party “concluded by emphasizing that the Algerian people had the same enemies as the French people, and do not want to be separated from France. Those who claim independence for Algeria, are the conscious or unconscious agents of another imperialism.” (L’Humanité, 30th June 1945.)
Support to Imperialism
Again, on 4th April 1946, the Stalinist Deputies in the French parliament voted for the following message of congratulations to the French troops fighting in Indo-China against Vietminh: “The National Constituent Assembly sends to the troops of the Expeditionary Force in the Far East and to their leaders the expression of the country’s gratitude and confidence on the morrow of the day in which their entry into Hanoi sets the seal on the success of the government of the Republic’s policy of peaceful liberation of all the peoples of the Union of Indo-China.” Again, “On the occasion of Christmas, the Commission of National Defence sends to the French soldiers in Indo-China the expression of its affectionate sympathy and salutes their efforts to maintain in the Far East the civilizing and peaceful presence of France.” (10th December 1946.)
Fascism Threatens
The same years, 1944-47, in which the working class was hamstrung by the Stalinist and “Socialist” leadership, saw the return of confidence to the discredited bourgeoisie. It took the offensive: it accepted the Marshall Plan, thus openly declaring its orientation towards the United States, and on May 3rd 1947, it threw Thorez and the other Communist Party members out of the government. Nor did it stop at this. De Gaulle, who prior to the war had been a member of the Fascist organization, Croix de Feu, and during the war had been comrade-in-arms to Thorez, now declared the need for an authoritarian, totalitarian fascist dictatorship and organized the Rally of the French People (RPF). In October, 1947, he put his strength to the test, coming out with flying colours in the municipal elections.
The RPF got 40 per cent of the total vote, as against 29.3 per cent for the Communist Party. In Paris the RPF got 55 per cent of the votes. It controlled the municipalities of Paris, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Lille and many other important cities and towns. It seemed that after the revolutionary situation immediately following the war had died down, a counter-revolutionary situation arose. Fascism was an immediate threat.
Balancing Act
But on his side, too, de Gaulle could not consummate his victory. In November, one month after his electoral victory, mass strikes broke out all over the country. In a number of places the workers took to arms spontaneously, and in a whole series of enterprises – power stations, mines, etc. – the police were disarmed, and the workers were in power in actual fact. But again these strikes petered out to nothing, as the Stalinist leadership was too frightened of any serious, independent activity of the working class. Instead of a general strike that would have brought the capitalists to their knees, the Stalinist leaders adopted the method of a strike wave, shifting from one industry to another. As workers in one industry got a wage increase, prices immediately rose, and workers in another industry came into the fray. Thus wages ran after prices, without ever catching up. The net result was that the workers lost their self-confidence, and became apathetic. Nothing symbolises this better than the change between the strikes of November-December 1947, in which four million workers participated, and the Stalinist organised demonstration against General Ridgway on May 28 1952, in which not more than 20,000 people took part. The apathy of the working class is expressed in the decline in the number of members of the CGT – the Stalinist controlled trade unions – from 6 million to barely one million, the decline in the membership of the Communist Party, from one million at the end of the war to 430,000 today, and the decline in the circulation of L’Humanité from 601,000 copies in 1945/6 to 173,000 copies in 1954.
Disintegration
Even sharper was the decline of the Socialist Party. As the party of “social order,” defending capitalism at home and imperialism in Indo-China and North Africa, it lost practically all working-class support. The membership of the Party declined from 353,742 in 1946, to 96,000 in 1957. In the trade union federation controlled by the Socialist Party – Force Ouvriére – there are not more than 300,000 members. The Socialist Party paper Il Populaire, dropped from a circulation of 278,000 in 1945/6 to a bare 10,000 (paid) circulation today of a poor-looking one-sheet newspaper.
Fourteen years of damping the spirits and misleading of the working class led to such a weakening of the labour movement that the capitalist right wing dares to take the offensive.
The right wing of the bourgeoisie, however, is not free of serious crisis. After de Gaulle’s October 1947 election victory, his hopes for the establishment of a fascist dictatorship were high. But the mass strikes of November-December made it clear to him that the forces of the working class were not yet exhausted, and a French Hitler would not find his path to power smooth. The result was that the de Gaullists themselves did not dare to cast aside the traditional parliamentary system, and establish a fascist dictatorship. The RPF began to ebb – disappointments and disagreements were reflected in splits. In the end, de Gaulle found that the other de Gaullist leaders were ready to take part in all the parliamentary horse-deals – enter governments without having control, etc. De Gaulle resigned from the organization, and the RPF as a united Party is no more.
Thus it is clear that after 14 years of the Fourth Republic of France everybody is sick of it. The workers are disgusted with a regime that lets speculators and people who collaborated with Hitler rule supreme, in which wages lag far behind prices, in which corruption eats into every fibre of the state. The “200 families” are sick of a regime that cannot crush the workers successfully, does not smash their organizations, does not establish firmly “the rule of order. The workers are sick of a regime that sacrifices the lives of thousands of people and millions of francs on an imperialist war in the French colonies. The bourgeoisie is sick of a regime that is unsuccessful in its attempt to wage an imperialist war. Everyone hates the present regime. No political regime was more isolated from mass support that the present one in France.
In the teeth of the right-wing offensive, the working class parties in France limit themselves to verbal statements of support for the Pflimlin Government: the Socialist Party takes part in the Government: and the Communist Party voted to give it emergency powers in Algeria. At the same time this Government declares solidarity with the militarists in Algeria.

Animal-human embryo research approved

Experiments to create Britain’s first embryos that combine human and animal material will begin within months after a government watchdog gave its approval yesterday to two research teams to carry out the controversial work.
Scientists at King’s College London, and the University of Newcastle will inject human DNA into empty eggs from cows to create embryos known as cytoplasmic hybrids, which are 99.9 per cent human in genetic terms.
The experiments are intended to provide insights into diseases such as Parkinson’s and spinal muscular atrophy by producing stem cells containing genetic defects that contribute to these conditions. These will be used as cell models for
investigating new approaches to treatment, and to improve the understanding of how embryonic stem cells develop. They will not be used in therapy, and it is illegal to implant them into the womb. The decision, taken by the by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), to grant one-year licences to both teams ends more than a year of uncertainty for the researchers, who first applied for permission in the autumn of 2006.
Related Links
Doctor clones human embryo from his own skin cell
Stem cell advance could herald 'organ repair kit'
Cancer patients let down on fertility
Last January the authority deferred its decision and began a consultation on the issue, which reported in September that the public was broadly supportive. In late November, it again delayed ruling because of concerns about procedures for obtaining consent from the donors of the human DNA to be used.
While the HFEA was deliberating, the Government proposed a ban on the creation of human-animal embryos, also known as “cybrids”, but retreated after a revolt by scientists.
The creation of human-animal embryos will be explicitly permitted by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill currently passing through Parliament, subject to HFEA licensing. An amendment that would have blocked such research was defeated in the House of Lords on Monday by a majority of 172. Stephen Minger, who leads the King’s team, said yesterday he was delighted that he would be able to start the experiments. “I am pleased that the HFEA has finally after a year and a half realised the importance that the work that we and the group from Newcastle have been licensed for,” he said.
Lyle Armstrong, who leads the Newcastle group, said: “Finding better ways to make human embryonic stem cells is the long-term objective of our work and understanding reprogramming is central to this. Cow eggs seem to be every bit as good at doing this job as human eggs so it makes sense to use them since they are much more readily available, but it is important to stress that we will only use them as a scientific tool and we need not worry about cells derived from them ever being used to treat human diseases.”
Some critics of cybrid embryos have argued that their use is no longer necessary, given the recent development of a reprogramming technique that can turn back the clock on adult tissue to make “induced pluripotent” stem cells with embryo-like properties, but the HFEA licence committee rejected this.

AIDS in Burma Humanitarian help can't wait for politics

Donors to Burma face a dilemma. The country's AIDS and humanitarian crisis demands immediate attention. One in 50 adults is estimated to be infected with HIV, poverty is worsening and education standards are falling, reducing people's economic opportunities and ability to care for themselves.
But many of those providing aid fear that re-engagement, even in the form of limited humanitarian aid, could boost Burma's military government.
On the other hand, strategies of coercive diplomacy and economic isolation are failing. There are also no indications that existing aid programs have any significant political costs.
The prevailing mood in Burma is one of despair. While the population endures rising poverty and illness, many donors focus on the country's political fate and particularly that of the National League for Democracy and its leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
To put pressure on the military regime after the crackdown in 1988, the West suspended new loans and aid programs and applied restrictions on trade and investments. In principle, these sanctions have excluded humanitarian assistance. In reality, such aid has been cut dramatically as well.
Today in Opinion
What FBI agents saw during U.S. interrogations
Regulatory oversight and the global economy
More shame on the Burmese junta
ord = Math.random() * 10000000000000000;
document.write('');

on error resume next
ShockMode = (Isobject(Createobject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash.8")))

if ((!document.images && navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Mozilla/2.') >= 0) navigator.userAgent.indexOf("WebTV") >= 0){
document.write('');
}

Political talks between the ruling State Peace and Development Council and the league have gone on for more than a year with little visible headway. The human costs of Burma's deprivation cannot wait until some indefinite democratic future.
All parties — the European Union, the United Nations, nongovernmental organizations, donor governments, the Burmese military regime and the league — need to think carefully about current aid restrictions.
The spread of AIDS is deeply worrying. It could cripple economic and political prospects for many years to come. Burma is close to the point where the critical mass of infection gets so great that the epidemic becomes widely prevalent in the general population. This makes it much harder and more expensive to address even if behavior among drug users and sex workers improves.
The epidemic is fueled by population mobility, poverty and frustration, all of which breed risky sexual behavior and drug taking. Thailand and Cambodia have shown that concerted, nationwide intervention at this stage can succeed in controlling the epidemic.
Two guiding principles have been established in successful prevention and care campaigns: Be pragmatic, and work on a large scale. To do both in Burma, aid organizations, UN agencies and NGOs will have to make a substantial change in the way they work.
Donors should be less cautious and more innovative in their approach to aid. Many aid organizations on the ground have the knowledge and commitment to pursue a progressive agenda but are constrained by the conservatism of donors.
There are signs that at least some important factions within the Burmese government are willing to take a pragmatic approach to the AIDS epidemic.
Burma needs far more resources if it is to mount an effective response to AIDS. The response must surpass the capacity of existing nongovernmental organizations. This means, in short, working with the government and through government institutions.
The good news is that the most relevant of these institutions, the public health infrastructure, is in the hands of competent professionals who have demonstrated willingness to work hard to deliver services to at-risk groups. They have established good working relations with NGOs and international organizations, although they have often been obliged to fly below the radar of their political bosses to do so. It should be possible to capitalize on these informal relationships and find creative ways to fund AIDS-related programs in Burma.
It is by no means certain that attempts to work with the government to avoid a health disaster will succeed. What is certain is that the country cannot stem the tide without immediate, substantial and sustained financial and technical support. The AIDS crisis cannot be put on a back burner until the political situation improves or a more amenable regime is in power.
*
The writer is the Asia program director for the International Crisis Group in Brussels. He contributed this comment to the International Herald Tribune.[Not to be reproduced without the permission of the author.]

Burma's junta lies because

The new dispensation would make the president a military appointee, and the generals will have the right to seize power if they feel national security is threatened.
A quarter of the parliamentary seats will be reserved for military appointees who will also control the key ministries.
It is also unlikely the May referendum on this travesty will be a plebiscite in any recognizable sense.

var addthis_pub = 'canada.com';
function textCounter(field,cntfield,maxlimit)
{
if (field.value.length > maxlimit) // if too long...trim it!
field.value = field.value.substring(0, maxlimit);
// otherwise, update 'characters left' counter
else
{
var divLabel = document.getElementById("divLabel");
divLabel.innerHTML = maxlimit - field.value.length + " characters remaining";
}
}


Responsibility for organizing the referendum and the 2010 elections is being given to the United Solidarity and Development Association.
The USDA is an organization of paid thugs and off-duty civil servants which claims to have 24 million members, almost half the population of Burma.
It has experience in arranging referendums, such as the 1994 outpouring of popular support for the constitutional convention. People were bribed or intimidated to attend mass rallies and thus "approve" the work of the convention.
The USDA will not only vet and select the candidates for the 2010 parliamentary election, it is also set to become a political party and the only one whose victory the generals will accept.
Sun International Affairs Columnist
jmanthorpe@png.canwest.com

Bush to cut subsidies

While the high-profile battle over the size of the tax cut package for the rich has dominated the headlines, the Bush administration has been quietly moving to reshape the Federal role in assisting the poor.
The US tax office, the IRS, has recently announced that it will demand tougher certification before families qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit, which boosts the income of low-income working families.
The health care programme for the poor, Medicaid, which is jointly funded by the Federal government and the states, is under severe pressure due to the budget crisis, and many states are proposing sharp cutbacks in the range of coverage and who might be eligible.
And now the Federal government is proposing to return responsibility for helping low-income people with their housing costs to the states.
Rent subsidies
Under the current system, two million families receive rent subsidies to help pay the cost of renting homes in the private sector.
The programme ensures that poor people pay no more than 30% of their income on rent, and 75% of participants must be "extremely poor".
It is not, however, an entitlement, and demand for the programme has been rising as apartment rents have been increasing. Only one in four of those eligible receives assistance.
Local housing authorities administer the programme.
Under the new housing proposal, the federal government would give a fixed sum - a block grant - to each state to use as they saw fit.
The states could then change who was eligible for the programme, for example linking it to recipients of welfare assistance, which was devolved the states in 1996.
Under that programme, known as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), help expires after five years, and recipients must take part in jobs or training programmes.
Working poor
Most of the people currently receiving housing benefits are not on welfare, with 35% in work and the rest either disabled or retired.
"The notion that there is a group of people they have to force off assistance is erroneous," said Sheila Crowley, president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition told the Washington Post.
"These are people who have income, but it is insufficient to be able to afford housing in America."
There are also worries that the new block grants will not keep pace with the rise in housing costs.
But some advocates of welfare reform say the same principles should be applied to housing aid.
Howard Husock of the Manhattan Institute says that the current programme "is the last redoubt of non time-limited public assistance".
Religious groups
Under the new plan, it would also be possible for religious groups and other non-profit agencies to administer the housing vouchers.
President Bush has been frustrated in his plans to introduce a faith-based initiative through Congress, and has sought to include religious organisations in social programmes through executive orders instead.
But the housing plan could face significant opposition in Congress.
Newspaper reports suggest that a group of 42 senators, including eight Republicans, were opposed to the plan and prepared to sign a statement saying that it would undermine the rent voucher programme.
With other key battles ahead, including tax cuts and health care reform, the Bush administration is likely to continue its drive to find savings across a wide range of domestic programmes.
The poor, who vote less than other groups, are likely to be a target for many of those savings.

Zimbabwe opposition leader Tsvangirai to go

Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Thursday he would return home on Saturday ahead of an election run-off against President Robert Mugabe.Tsvangirai made the announcement to cheers from Zimbabwean refugees sheltering at a police station in Johannesburg after deadly xenophobic attacks. He said he would work to end political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe that has caused millions to flee abroad.Tsvangirai postponed his planned return to Zimbabwe last week after his Movement for Democratic Change party said it had uncovered a plot to assassinate him. He left Zimbabwe on April 8 to build support for his bid to end Mugabe's 28-year rule.Tsvangirai won the March 29 presidential poll but not with a big enough margin to avoid a second ballot. That vote is set for June 27.A spokesman said there were concerns about Tsvangirai's security in Zimbabwe but added that they would not stop the MDC leader from returning this time."At a certain point you've got to take a risk," spokesman George Sibotshiwe said.The MDC has scheduled two rallies over the weekend in Zimbabwe but has not confirmed Tsvangirai's attendance.Zimbabweans hope the June poll will help end political and economic turmoil, which has led to 165,000 percent inflation, 80 percent unemployment, chronic food and fuel shortages and sent a flood of refugees to neighbouring countries.Tsvangirai blamed the crisis for forcing many Zimbabweans to move to South Africa and other countries in search of work."The cause of this crisis is none other than our political situation back home," Tsvangirai, standing on a wooden table and occasionally pumping his fist in the air, told the refugees in the police station's car park.Alexandra township was the flashpoint for the anti-foreigner attacks that have killed at least 42 people and prompted more than 15,000 African migrants to seek shelter in churches, police stations and community centres.An estimated three million Zimbabweans live in South Africa, but their presence in South Africa has prompted a backlash from poor shantytown dwellers, who accuse them of stealing jobs and fuelling crime.Tsvangirai said the MDC would try to arrange transport for Zimbabweans who want to return to their country. (Reporting by Paul Simao in Johannesburg; Writing by Marius Bosch; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)

Madonna in cannon for a movie on AIDS

Madonna has joined forces with convicted rapist Mike Tyson to save the children of Malawi. The Material Girl met the former heavyweight boxing champ at the Cannes Film Festival; both satrs are in Southern France promoting new documetaries. “Iron Mike” agreed to accompany Madonna to Malawi thiw summer to promote awareness for children with AIDS.
“Mike agreed immediately. And, aware that having a celebrity fan will do wonders for his doc, he offered to do a favor in return. Mike is eager to show he’s turned over a new leaf and thinks this is the perfect way to do it.”
“Madonna thinks Mike is amazing and asked if she could have a private screening of his documentary, Tyson, while she was in the Riviera,” a celebrity insider revealed to the Daily Mail.

Increase in oil prices rise to inflation.

Recent increase in prices of diesel and other petroleum products is bound to further increase in inflation level in the country not just due to rise in transportation cost but through making food items and other farm products costlier for the poor. Diesel is the prime source of energy utilized in almost all steps of today's farming whether it is ploughing by tractors, drilling, irrigation, spraying, harrowing, harvesting or thrashing. Since the advent of drought dependence over diesel-run tube wells has been increased for irrigation in areas where ground water is sweet and the recent 17.2 per cent increase in price of High Speed Diesel (HSD) will play a prime role in snatching bread from the hands of the poor. According to an estimate this increase in price of diesel will push up the per acre cost of production of wheat by Rs. 350 and in terms of per 40 kilogrammes the cost of production will rise by Rs. 10 to Rs. 15. In cases of rice and sugarcane the production cost will increase by even higher proportions since these crops consume more water than wheat....

Pakistan peace deal with pro-Taliban militants

In a move that some say appears 'a total capitulation' to pro-Taliban forces, Pakistan signed a peace deal with tribal leaders in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan Tuesday, and is withdrawing military forces in exchange for promises that militant tribal groups there will not engage in terrorist activities.
The Associated Press reports that the agreement is meant to end five years of fighting in the province, located along the border with Afghanistan, that has claimed the lives of over 350 Pakistani troops and hundreds of militants and civilians.
Under the pact – signed by a militant leader, Azad Khan, and a government representative, Fakhr-e-Alam – no militant in North Waziristan will shelter foreign militants.
Militants also will not target Pakistani government and security officials or pro-government tribal elders or journalists, North Waziristan lawmaker Maulana Nek Zaman said.
For almost five years, Pakistani soldiers and paramilitary forces have battled local tribesmen, many believed to be allied with the Taliban and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, in the fiercely independent mountain region where central government powers do not reach. Bin Laden is also believed to be hiding along the porous Pakistani-Afghan frontier.

Sign up to be notified daily:
Find out more.
Subscribe via RSS Feed:
What is this?




The New York Times reports that the deal "is widely viewed as a face-saving retreat for the Pakistani Army, which has taken a heavy battering at the hands of the mountain tribesmen and militants, who are allied with the Taliban and Al Qaeda." But while the militants have promised to cease attacks across the border into Afghanistan and to expel foreign fighters, the treaty has given them a significant loophole.
In one of the most obvious capitulations since it began its campaign to rout foreign fighters from the area, the government said foreigners would be allowed to stay if they respected the law and the peace agreement. Osama bin Laden and other leaders of Al Qaeda are believed to be among the foreigners who have taken refuge in the area. ...
A spokesman for the militants, Abdullah Farhad, denied in a telephone call from an undisclosed location that there were any foreign militants in North Waziristan, and said the government should provide evidence of their presence.
"Why should we bother if they are not here," he said, speaking of foreign fighters.
Although Mr. bin Laden is thought to be in the area, Pakistani officials have given mixed signals as to whether he would still be considered a target by government forces. In his blog for ABC News, Brian Ross reports that Pakistani Major General Shaukat Sultan said in an interview that bin Laden "would not be taken into custody, as long as [he] is being like a peaceful citizen."
Soon after in a statement, however, the Pakistani ambassador to the US said, "If [bin Laden] is in Pakistan, today or any time later, he will be taken into custody and brought to justice." The ambassador also said that Gen. Sultan's comments were taken out of context, though Mr. Ross presents the transcript of the interview in his blog.
Though the treaty was met with hugs and the exchange of greetings between Pakistani soldiers and Talibani forces upon its signing, Ismail Khan of the Pakistan newspaper Dawn said the deal sent the government "back to square one."
Like a pendulum, the government policy has swung from one extreme to another, from the use of brute military force to what appears to be total capitulation to militants. Never did the government try to intelligently combine the use of force with pursuit of dialogue. ...
For now the government has been able to achieve peace but whether it will be durable and not relapse into more chaos and lawlessness, remains to be seen. It will indeed be a daunting task for the government to ensure that there is no cross-border movement by local and foreign militants and they do not indulge in activities detrimental to peace and security.
Unless that happens, the government would continue to be under pressure from Afghanistan and the US-led coalition partners to rein in militants, prompting it to launch another operation and that may result in the unravelling of the agreement.
The Washington Post notes that the peace deal may bode ill for Afghan and US forces across the border in Afghanistan, as it could embolden militants "to operate more freely in Pakistan and to infiltrate more aggressively into Afghanistan to fight US and allied forces there."
"This could be a very dangerous development," said one official at an international agency, speaking anonymously because the issue is sensitive in both countries. "Until recently there has been relative stability in eastern Afghanistan, but now that could start to deteriorate."
The agreement could add a new element of tension to [Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez]Musharraf's visit [to Afghanistan on Wednesday], aimed at smoothing over his relations with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The two Muslim leaders, both allies in the U.S.-led war against Islamic extremists, have clashed heatedly over allegations that Taliban forces in Afghanistan are receiving support and shelter from inside Pakistan.
Pakistan's move also appeared to complicate the U.S. role in the region. U.S. officials have praised Musharraf for his help in capturing al-Qaeda members and refrained from pressing him hard on cross-border violence. A withdrawal of Pakistani forces could reduce pressure on al-Qaeda figures believed to be hiding in the region, including Osama bin Laden, allowing them more freedom of action.
The Indo-Asian News Service reports that the US would prefer Pakistan retain control of its tribal areas like North Waziristan, in the interests of deterring terrorist groups.
"It is in the interest of Pakistan and the Pakistani people that the government be able to exercise its sovereignty throughout all of Pakistan," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters in response to a question about a reported peace agreement with pro-Taliban militants in the North Waziristan region. ...
"Certainly everybody understands the importance of not having safe havens where you can have these ungoverned areas where Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, other terrorist groups can plan and launch terrorist attacks not only against Afghans and international forces in Afghanistan but against Pakistanis and Pakistan."
However, Mr. McCormack said that he was unaware of the Pakistani peace deal in North Waziristan, and noted, "This is an area that traditionally has not been under the control of the central government, so this is a historical problem, I think, in Pakistan."

United Plans Direct Moscow Flights

United Airlines plans to start nonstop passenger and cargo flights from Washington on Oct. 26, becoming the third U.S. airline to offer direct flights to Moscow.The 10-hour daily flights would connect United's Washington Dulles hub with Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, the airline said in a statement.The new route is expected to serve as an important cargo entryway for Russia's growing demand for industrial and consumer commodities, United executive vice president John Tague said.United will offer a similar direct flight to Dubai. "Commerce and tourism are growing exponentially in both Dubai and Moscow, and many of our cargo and corporate customers are traveling and shipping there more often to capitalize upon the economic health in these regions," Tague said. Mail also is expected to represent a significant amount of cargo volume on the flights.The plans still require government approval.Domodedovo Airport spokeswoman Yevgenia Bekmambetova confirmed Wednesday that negotiations were under way with United.United Airlines would be the third U.S. carrier to offer direct flights after Delta Air Lines, which offers daily flights to New York and Atlanta, and American Airlines, which plans to launch a Chicago-Moscow flight on June 2.United would compete directly with Aeroflot, which operates nonstop flights between Moscow and Washington on Saturdays.It was unclear how United's daily return flights from Moscow to Washington would garner enough passenger traffic. Aeroflot's once-a-week flight from Moscow to Washington is rarely full, an Aeroflot representative said. She spoke on condition of anonymity, saying she was not authorized to speak with the media.United Airlines said its trump card would be Boeing 767 jets flying in combined passenger and cargo mode between Washington and Moscow. The Boeing 767s would be configured with 10 first-class seats, 32 business-class seats and 141 economy seats, the airline said.Delta and Aeroflot offer two-class cabins.American Airlines and United say they are looking to Russia to capitalize on the country's fast-growing economy. A total of 172,000 people came to Russia from United States last year, of which 38,000 were tourists, said Irina Tyurina, spokeswoman for the Russian Union of Travel Agencies. The number of Russian tourists visiting the United States was 32,800 last year, she said.United's flights would leave Washington at 4:45 p.m. and arrive in Moscow at 9:30 a.m. the next day. The return flights would leave Moscow at 11:20 a.m. and arrive in Washington at 3:35 p.m.

American Airlines to cut flights

American Airlines said Wednesday it was cutting domestic flights and hiking certain fees as it battles to offset rocketing crude oil prices.
The largest US carrier said it planned to slash its domestic flight capacity by up to 12 percent during the fourth quarter of the year and to retire at least 75 aircraft in the face of spiking jet fuel costs.
The airline's parent firm AMR Corp. said its moves would lead to an unspecified number job losses at American Airlines and American Eagle Airlines and could result in the closure of some facilities.
"The airline industry as it is constituted today was not built to withstand oil prices at 125 dollars a barrel, and certainly not when record fuel expenses are coupled with a weak US economy," said AMR chairman and chief executive Gerard Arpey.
American announced its overhaul as world oil prices jumped to new all-time peaks Wednesday, smashing the 130-dollar barrier for the first time.
Arpey said the company's management could not afford to sit by hoping that oil prices would fall anytime soon.
The double-digit cut to its domestic schedules marks an aggressive acceleration from a prior stance in April when the company had said it was expecting to reduce capacity by 4.6 percent.
Arpey said the flight reductions would help American Airlines to cut its costs.
The airline anticipates retiring 40-45 aircraft, which will mostly be MD-80s, but will also include the mothballing of some Airbus A300 jets. It also plans to retire 35-40 regional jets and some turboprop aircraft.
In a bid to boost its pinched revenues, Arpey said American was introducing a new 15-dollar fee for each passenger's first checked bag, although business and international flyers and customers who buy full-fare tickets will be exempt from the fee.
Fees, covering reservation services, pet transportation and oversized bags, will meanwhile be increased from five to 50 dollars depending on the service.
The carrier said the fee hikes would generate increased revenues.
American paid 665 million dollars more for fuel during the first quarter of this year compared with last year. Its January-March fuel bill surged 45 percent on an annual basis.

Channel [V]'s Get Gorgeous season 5

Channel [V] is coming up with the fifth season of Get Gorgeous series. The new season begins on May 16 at 7:30 pm, the show will include higher levels of competition and drama that leads the way to find India's next super model.Sheetal Sudhir, Creative director, Channel [V] says, "Modeling as a profession has got more serious over the years. It has become more competitive and many youngsters want to take it up as a full-time profession. And this is why we are coming up with the fifth season of the show."To catch a viewer's attention there should be something different from the previous season. So, what is the USP of the show this time? "Besides celebrity judges, this time there would be mentors too. Models Diandara Sores and Gauhar Khan will guide the contestants about the nuances of Modeling Moreover, unlike the previous season, this time the contestants are shooting for actual projects, that will give them more experience about Modeling as a career," says Sheetal. The show is coming up with a new panel of judges. Fashion designers Rahul Khanna and Rohit Gandhi, fitness expert Yasmin Haz, photographer Nisha Kutty and actor Upen Patel, will test the contestants focusing on different aspects of modeling.Speaking about the show and the contestants, Yasmin, who helped Kareena Kapoor get a size zero, says, "This time we are looking for someone who can make an impression on the viewers as well as the judges. She should have all the qualities to carry herself well. She should know how to walk with balance and speak with confidence." Photographer Nisha Kutty feels that in Modeling posing for a shoot is the most important thing. "A model who poses confidently in front of the camera is the most sought after. Their potential, height and looks all add up to it," says Nisha. Talking about the fitness regimen, Yasmin says, "Most of the girls slouch, so we are focusing more on their posture. We have included circuit training, boot camping and pilates training to make them fit. Similarly, we have also given them diet schedules. Moreover, to boost their morale, many interactive sessions will be organised to clear their doubts."Talking about the shooting sessions, Nisha says, "Earlier the contestants were informed about their shoots in advance, but this time, to check their natural look, surprise-shooting sessions too will be organised. Besides bikini shots, shots with male partners are also being organised to verify their level of confidence and the way they carry themselves in different situations."So it seems, the show has become tough for the contestants. The focus is not just on physical fitness or looks, it will also lay emphasis on all the aspects of modeling. Revealing more about the show, Sheetal says, "The show is going to be more dramatic and the contestants are fiercely fighting for the Get Gorgeous title