6:49 PM
BEIJING (AFP) - - Strong winds helped clear Beijing's skies on Tuesday of the pollution that is threatening the Olympics, but authorities hoping to breathe easy faced pressure over China's human rights record.
After a dismal few days when athletes arriving for the Games were greeted by heavy smog, visibility across the Chinese capital dramatically improved thanks to the winds and Beijing claimed success in its anti-pollution battle.
"We have seen comprehensive measures implemented already and we have seen that they have had comprehensive results," Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau deputy director Du Shaozhong said 10 days out from the Games.
He cited the raft of short-term fixes taken since the start of the month, such as taking one million cars off the road and closing down more than 100 polluting factories, for an improvement of over 20 percent in the air quality.
However it appeared the winds, powered partly by a tropical storm to the southeast, were the key factor in the turnaround from Monday, and Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates said pollution concerns remained.
"There doesn't appear to be a great improvement," Coates said, comparing the situation with when he was last in the Chinese capital in March.
"Let's hope that there are more solutions and that they will kick in and there will be an improvement, that's what we're all hoping for," added Coates, who arrived in Beijing on Monday along with some Australian athletes.
One other controversy swirling around the Games has been the human rights record of China's communist leaders, and Amnesty International and other critics stepped up the pressure over the issue.
"Unless the authorities make a swift change of direction, the legacy of the Beijing Olympics will not be positive for human rights in China," Amnesty said in a report.
"In fact, the crackdown on human rights defenders, journalists and lawyers has intensified because Beijing is hosting the Olympics."
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark also put her name to an Amnesty campaign aimed at pressuring China to improve its rights record ahead of the Games, the rights group said in Wellington.
Clark signed an Amnesty "Olympic legacy banner" and added the message: "My wish is that all nations stop executions."
Adding to rights groups' concerns, a Chinese lawyer said a Beijing-based activist who had campaigned for the rights of people evicted from their homes for the Olympics would go on trial Monday, four days before the Games start.
Ni Yulan , a 47-year-old former rights lawyer who was disbarred in 2002, has already been detained for three months, according to her lawyer, Hu Xiao.
Ni had spent most of this decade assisting victims of forced eviction in the Chinese capital, many of whom lost their homes to make way for Olympic facilities.
Nicholas Bequelin, a Hong Kong-based researcher with Human Rights Watch, said Ni's situation was part of a much bigger problem.
"There's no doubt that the Olympics have had a very negative impact on the human rights situation in China," Bequelin told AFP.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao hit back at Amnesty and other critics, defending the government's human rights record.
"Anybody who knows about China will not agree on this report on the deterioration of the Chinese human rights situation," Liu said in response to the Amnesty report.
"We hope it can take off the coloured glasses it has worn for many years to see China in an objective way."
6:49 PM
SINGAPORE: A good tune—up for the Brazilians — that’s Coach Carlos Dunga’s take on the exhibition match between the Brazilian Olympic Team and Singapore.
Brazil won 3—0 in the game played at the National Stadium on Monday night.
Some 33,000 fans turn up to support the Lions and Brazil, expecting some fancy samba football.
Ronaldinho finally displayed that magic, his back heel seeing Diego powering a low drive to give Brazil the lead.
Having most of the possesion, it was a matter of time before the Brazilians scored the second.
Ronaldinho obliged with an easy effort from close range in the 25th minute.
From then on, it was a dull affair as both sides took it easy.
In the second half, Singapore threatened a little, but not enough for Brazil substitute Jo headed home a third in the 84th minute.
Singapore’s Coach Raddy Avromovic felt that his team did not take their chances well.
Still the game helped his players.
"We help them in their preparation and we help ourselves in some part of the game as the players can see that they can compete for some moments with the top teams," he said.
The Brazilian Coach Dunga felt that his team had performed well under the challenging weather conditions, and their lack of full match fitness.
Captain Ronaldinho, who was mobbed by the media, also gave his and the teams performance the thumbs up.
"I am happy I scored a goal, but more importantly, I created the opportunity for others to score and do well in the Olympics."
The Brazilians leave for Vietnam on Tuesday, the second of their tune—up matches ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
But against Vietnam, the Brazilians can expect a more physically demanding and challenging game as the Vietnamese are known to take their football more seriously.
6:47 PM
HONG KONG (AFP) - - China is using the Beijing Olympics as a pretext to pursue -- and in some cases tighten -- a crackdown on human rights, notably ridding the capital of "undesirables," Amnesty International charged Monday.
Reporting 11 days ahead of the August 8 opening ceremony, the rights group said that despite some minor reforms, authorities had stepped up repression of activists and lawyers to present a picture of stability and harmony.
Amnesty urged the International Olympic Committee and political leaders to do far more to challenge China, warning of even more repressive measures once the spotlight on the Games has faded away.
"Unless the authorities make a swift change of direction, the legacy of the Beijing Olympics will not be positive for human rights in China," it warned.
"In fact, the crackdown on human rights defenders, journalists and lawyers has intensified because Beijing is hosting the Olympics."
Amnesty's report, citing specific cases, said activists who had tied their cause to the Games had been singled out for the pre-Olympics "clean-up," while many others were being detained, imprisoned or placed under house arrest.
"Authorities have used the Olympic Games as a pretext to continue and in some respects, intensify existing policies and practices that have led to serious and widespread violations of human rights," the report added.
It listed a series of recommendations urging China to:
- release all prisoners of conscience;
- stop police arbitrarily detaining activists and dissenters;
- impose a moratorium on the death penalty;
- allow complete media freedom; and
- account for those killed or detained in Tibet.
"It is very disturbing that Chinese authorities have indulged in such a big crackdown on the activists," Mark Allison, China researcher for Amnesty, told AFP.
"These are people who represent many many more people in China."
Officials were also extending the use of punitive administrative detention, notably of activists and petitioners as well as beggars and peddlers, Amnesty said.
In January, Beijing police launched a campaign against "illegal activities that tarnish the city's image and affect the social order," it noted.
In May, authorities adopted a "re-education through labour" law to control various types of "offending behaviour."
In June, authorities in Shanghai sent notices to activists and petitioners ordering them to report to the police every week and barring them from leaving without permission or visiting Beijing until after the Games.
A clampdown on journalists has also intensified in recent months, Amnesty said, citing figures from the Foreign Correspondents Club of China showing as many as 230 cases of reporters being obstructed from interviews this year so far, compared to 180 cases in the whole of last year.
Internet controls have also been tightened up and many websites closed down for providing information deemed sensitive, the group noted.
Amnesty said that journalists working from Beijing's Olympic press centre were unable to access the group's website, as well as those of the BBC, Germany's Deutsche Welle, Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, and Taiwan newspaper Liberty Times.
"This flies in the face of official Chinese promises to ensure 'complete media freedom' for the Games," said Allison.
Such tactics raised concerns that officials would seek to block broadcasts of anything deemed sensitive or inappropriate, despite public commitments by organisers not to cut coverage.
Amnesty said China's crackdown in Tibet earlier this year, and restrictions on reporting there, highlighted the authorities' ongoing censorship.
It urged the IOC and the international community to express concerns publicly and press China to fulfil its obligations on human rights and dissent.
"The danger now becomes that after the Olympic Games, these patterns of serious human rights violations may continue or intensify with even less attention paid by the international community than has been the case so far," it said.
6:47 PM
HAMBURG, Germany (Reuters) - First-class passengers will be able to take a shower at 43,000 feet and enjoy a drink at the upstairs bar on Dubai-based airline Emirates's double-decker Airbus A380s, the airline said on Monday.
Emirates boasted at a ceremony to take delivery of the first of 58 A380s at Airbus's Hamburg plant that the plane would have two bathrooms with showers in its first-class cabins as well as a lounge for premium travellers.
But luxury has its limits, as Emirates President Tim Clark warned passengers could not spend too long relaxing under the jets of water.
"The showers are regulated through a software programme that gives people a five-minute shower, which is ample in most cases," Clark told a news conference, adding that a traffic light system would let passengers know how long they had left.
"If you're on amber and your hair's full of shampoo, you want to get moving."
The shower also complicates attempts by Emirates and Airbus to slim down the superjumbo by some 5 tonnes by 2011/2012 to cut fuel use amid soaring oil prices and increasing calls for the industry to reduce its impact on the environment.
The plane will have to take on board an additional 500 kg of water, an increase of some 25 percent.
But Clark told journalists he was looking for ways to trim weight off the aircraft, such as by reducing the amount of paper.
"At the moment we have 1.8 kg in each seat pocket. We can't be completely paperless," he said, but information associated with sales, such as Duty Free products, currently in paper form was being put onto a retail TV channel, for example.
Emirates was also looking at curtains, carpets and seat-back entertainment hardware for ways to contribute a total of 2 tonnes in weight reduction.
Airbus meanwhile aimed to slim the A380 by a further 3 tonnes, including the airframe and by re-machining components.
"With today's fuel prices, then there's a huge pressure," Airbus programmes chief Tom Williams told Reuters on the sidelines of the event.
"It's shaving. It's not like we're going to go to one section and remove all the weight. It's more a question of trying to get the thing refined and squeezing a few kilos here and there."
Progress was also being made smoothing the A380 production process but the "question is 'does the rate of improvement match the rate of ramp-up in production?' Because of course every week that goes by we see improvement but at the same time of course the production rate's going up," Williams added.
Airbus hopes to reach a maximum production rate of four A380s a month in around three years.
1:05 PM
Walao this stupid Standard chartered bank dun give a damn,they dun let 13 yrs old ppl to join the damn 10km marathon,kns la i wan join lehhh still must wait for the next year end ,u noe wad anot still nid to wait for more than 365 days seh,i dun feel like waiting and i want to join it now!!!!!!!!!!!!10km oso dun let mi join,go die la !!!! still ask me to join the wad...kid run 750m,they think 13 yrs old is kid seh,lolz then dun let us join.some of them want to join oso cannot ar...no more race to take part liao...T_T Let me JOIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1:04 PM
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Investigators probing what punched a gaping hole mid-air in an Australian jumbo jet are focusing on whether it was caused by exploding emergency oxygen bottles, a civil aviation official said Sunday.
If proven, the finding would have implications for other 747 planes around the world, Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson told AFP in Sydney.
The Qantas Boeing 747 was flying to Melbourne on Friday when an explosive bang led to a sudden loss of air pressure in the cabin.
The plane plunged 6,000 metres (20,000 feet) before stabilising and then making an emergency landing in the Philippines capital Manila, where stunned passengers saw a three-metre rip in the fuselage next to the right wing.
"There are two cylinders located pretty much exactly where that hole appeared," Gibson said. "Clearly that is one key focus of the investigation.
"We cannot just say that is the cause, but clearly the fact that two oxygen bottles are in that location, and clearly this was damage caused by some sort of outward pressure, obviously that means that is a key aspect of the investigation.
"It is emergency oxygen for the flight deck."
If confirmed, Gibson said, it would have implications for all of Qantas's 747s and probably for many others around the world.
"Not every 747 is going to have these exact oxygen bottles on them," Gibson added.
Asked if there would be major implications, he added: "It could have. It will affect probably all of Australia's (747s) and there would be others out there."
As the incident was in international air space, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau is leading the probe. The US Federal Aviation Administration is also involved, along with the plane's manufacturer Boeing.
Gibson discounted a report that corrosion was to blame for the incident, saying that although minor rust had been found in the plane during a routine check a few months ago, it was in a totally different part of the aircraft.
Investigators, however, would examine the issue of corrosion in general, he added.
A preliminary report is expected in about 30 days.
12:43 PM
This year upcoming olympic (Beijing 2008) created much surprise as itsa starting in 12 days time ,the olympic opening ceremony is on August 8 and the next days is our nation 43rd birthday,it really does bring much joy as it is rare to see the olympic coming the day before the NDP.Channel 5 bringing a live HD TV screen on the Beijing Olympic and i definetley going to watch it,watching the news that the olympic ticket are fast solding out and i think now already sold out ,seeing chinese riot police standing outside the Beijing natonal stadium guarding as chinese rush to buy the ticket.They all look very .........u noe zzzzz... cos they dun even wait for the ticket to be given to them and when the last tickets comes to hand ,all the ppl rush forward to grab it and even the police have diificulty stopping them,dun they have the patients to wait for their turn ,lolzzs
Sianzzz
12:31 PM
SINGAPORE : While Singapore is increasingly urbanised, some areas are still being used by poachers to set traps for wild animals.
A volunteer from a non—profit nature organisation recently discovered a trap on mainland Singapore.
The large wild animal trap is able to hold between six and eight wild boars.
The trap was not found on Pulau Ubin — where five illegal animal traps were discovered last year — but on mainland Singapore, in the Lim Chu Kang area.
Ben Lee, a volunteer with Nature Trekker — a non—profit organisation — was surprised to find the trap on the evening of July 24.
He also saw three men loitering in the area with a pickup truck. He believed the truck could be used to carry trapped animals out of the heavily forested area.
Mr Lee said, "They are not really professional. They are trapping it for many purposes — maybe for personal consumption, for food..." He added that wild boar meat could fetch up to S$12 per kilogramme.
In February this year, a man was fined S$50 for setting up an illegal net in the Choa Chu Kang area.
Under the Wild Animals and Birds Act, anyone found guilty of killing, taking or keeping unlicensed wild animals or birds can be fined up to S$1,000.
2:11 PM
LONDON (AFP) - - Former world record holder Asafa Powell grabbed a second pre-Olympics 100m win in three days on Friday when he cruised to victory at the London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace.
The Jamaican clocked 9.94sec to win ahead of Trinidad's Marc Burns (9.97sec) in a race which had been originally billed as a clash with world champion Tyson Gay.
However, the American pulled out after failing to recover from the hamstring injury he suffered during the Olympic trials last month.
Powell had defeated compatriot and world record holder Usain Bolt in Stockholm on Tuesday in a time of 9.88sec, but a tough headwind compromised the Jamaican's attempts to press faster on Friday.
Bolt will run in the 200m on Saturday.
"It wasn't as quick as it could have been, but I'm ready," said Powell. "There is some more work to do but everything is looking fine for Beijing."
America's double world champion Allyson Felix left the stadium refusing to discuss her limp 200m performance which so enraged her that she didn't take her place in the 4x100m relay.
Felix was fourth in the 200m in a time of 23.00sec, a time which wouldn't guarantee her a place in the Beijing final in three weeks' time.
The event was won by Jamaica's Sherone Simpson in 22.70sec.
Two weeks after setting her 23rd polevault world record in Rome, Russia's Yelena Isinbaeva narrowly failed in her bid to make it 24 when she attempted to clear 5.04m.
America's Jenny Stuczynski, Isinbayeva's closest rival, only cleared 4.81m and looks powerless to prevent the Russian from successfully defending her Olympic title.
World 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu of Britain won her race, her only outing before Beijing.
Britain's Phillips Idowu, the world indoor champion, won the triple jump with a distance of 17.42m.
"I had to wait until rounds four and five to get going but I've been saying all year that I feel regardless of whatever anyone else does, I'm not going to lose," said Idowu.
In the absence of world 110m hurdles record holder Dayron Robles, David Oliver of America took victory in 13.20sec.
Russia's Andrey Silnov, who missed out on selection for the Olympics, won the men's high jump with a season best leap of 2.38m.
12:42 AM
CANBERRA, Australia - An Australian sports scientist who helped develop a test to detect EPO thinks the abuse by athletes of legal performance-enhancing substances could become a major issue of the Beijing Olympics.
"Beijing will probably be remembered for the abuse of legal drugs like Viagra," Robin Parisotto told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio on Friday. "Any physical activity that goes for longer than two minutes would be a beneficiary of something like Viagra, just like the normal blood doping drugs."
The World Anti-Doping Agency is investigating whether or not to include Viagra on its list of banned substances, but no decision will be taking until after the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Olympics.
EPO, a synthetic hormone which enhances endurance by stimulating the production of oxygen-rich red blood cells, is among the main drugs of choice among cheaters.
Parisotto, who helped design the first recognized EPO test before the Sydney 2000 Olympics, said Viagra had the same benefits as blood doping because of its circulatory effects "and not only in the private parts."
Other substances, like psychological medication, can also enhance performance, Parisotto said.
"To take a drug which will keep your mind clear and focused certainly is another area of drug-taking that would be of benefit to athletes."
Experts are divided over whether Viagra actually offers athletes an edge.
Some sports authorities say the drug is now finding a following among athletes. It isn't clear how many might be taking it in hopes of improving athletic performance.
Viagra, also known as sildenafil, is manufactured by Pfizer Inc. It originally was developed as a heart drug. Its use as a treatment for erectile dysfunction was accidentally discovered.
The drug works by increasing the effects of nitric oxide, which makes blood vessels expand. That should theoretically allow blood cells to get more oxygen from the lungs. It also might improve heart function.
Viagra also is approved to treat pulmonary hypertension, a condition in which the lungs' blood vessels tighten. Doctors have used the drug experimentally to treat pregnant women with high blood pressure and to ward off jet lag.
But whether Viagra makes athletes faster, higher or stronger is uncertain.
"Just because you have more nitric oxide doesn't mean that you are going to be a better athlete," said Anthony Butch, director of the Olympic Analytical laboratory at UCLA. "If you have all the nitric oxide you need, and if you generate more from Viagra, it's not clear what effect that would have."
Some preliminary studies have shown that cyclists taking Viagra improved their performances by up to 40 percent.
"If you have more oxygen going to your muscles, that's more energy and that makes you a better athlete," said Dr. Andrew McCullough, a sexual health expert at the New York University School of Medicine. "Even if it only gives you a 10 percent increase, in peak athletes that is enough to win."
McCullough said Viagra is only likely to help athletes such as runners, cyclists or skiers _ sports where endurance and speed are key. Viagra does not work directly on muscles, so will not make athletes stronger.
12:41 AM
BEIJING - The Olympics are two weeks away, but athletes are already arriving in Beijing.
The Athletes Village, a sprawling complex of high-rise apartments that will lodge 16,000 athletes and officials, formally opens Sunday.
"We want the village to be a cozy place that makes athletes feel like they are coming home," said Deng Yaping, an Olympic table-tennis gold medalist and deputy director of the Olympic Village Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee.
Deng said 35 of the 205 delegations already had some representation in the village.
The village will contain a restaurant that can feed 5,000 people, teahouses, a barbershop, post office, its own fire station, shopping areas, library, a clinic, and coffee shops. Western and Asian cuisine will be available 24 hours a day.
Village restaurants will serve traditional Beijing dishes such as Peking Duck, Chinese-style porridge and hand-shaved noodles.
"Athletes can also request their favorite dishes they're craving from home and we will try our best to accommodate them," Deng said.
Located about a 25-minute walk northwest of the two centerpiece venues for the games _ the Bird's Nest stadium and swimming's Water Cube _ high-rise apartments in the 66-hectare (163-acre) complex will be sold after the games for US$500,000-US$1 million each.
In November, China denied allegations of religious intolerance when media reports surfaced that Bibles would be banned during the games. Since then, organizers have announced that 10,000 copies of the Bible will be distributed in places of worship throughout the Athletes Village.
12:40 AM
SINGAPORE: Football star Ronaldinho said he is on top of his game to help Brazil win their first Olympic gold at the Beijing Games in August.
The two—time World Player of the Year is a midfielder in the Brazilian Olympic Team, which will play an exhibition match against a Singapore Selection on Monday.
He said: "I am very happy to be back on the national team as part of an important competition and as part of such a talented group. I’m very confident and willing to do my best to help the team achieve the gold medal."
Ronaldinho, who has just joined AC Milan, said he is much fitter and happier after a lean spell at Barcelona last season.
And as the oldest player on the Olympic squad, the 28—year—old will also provide the much—needed experience.
Another midfielder on the Brazilian team, Lucas Leiva, said: "He is one of the best players in the world... Hopefully, he will help us and that is the important thing now."
Organisers said ticket sales for the match against Singapore have been slow, but they are confident that come Monday, the National Stadium will be packed.
12:32 AM
BEIJING - Thousands of eager fans who had waited for up to two days swarmed sales windows Friday for the final batch of tickets to next month's Olympic Games, knocking people to the ground and bending metal barricades in the chaotic crush.
Witnesses said scuffles broke out at one ticket site as officials opened additional sales windows at the last minute, causing some fans to stampede ahead of others in a bid to buy some of the 250,000 tickets that went on sale in different parts of the host city.
"It was so unfair," said Ji Liqiang, who waited for 28 hours with Wang Zhenqiang, a fellow businessman from eastern Shandong province, for a chance to buy tickets to the diving competition.
"Those who came late but were able to push forward got the tickets," he said.
The two lost their place in line in the scramble and ended up with tickets to the synchronized swimming instead of diving _ where China is a gold-medal favorite.
"It was very dangerous. I was afraid," Wang said. "People got hurt around me. They fell and injured their knees and elbows. A barricade was bent out of shape by the crowd."
Zhang Xiaojing, 17, who came from Hebei province with her cousin and three friends, said the line was fairly orderly when she arrived Thursday afternoon. But during Friday's rush, only three of her friends were able to elbow their way close enough to be in a position to buy tickets.
"If I'm going to be disappointed, I'm going to be disappointed. But I'm so tired. I didn't sleep last night," she said.
The official Xinhua News Agency said 30,000 people lined up for tickets, but muggy weather with temperatures above 93 degrees Fahrenheit coupled with the long wait made people impatient. Police immediately took actions to maintain order, including limiting access to some areas, it said.
Some journalists were escorted away after going into the off-limit areas, Xinhua said. Hong Kong television showed several journalists pushing back and forth with police.
Footage from Hong Kong Cable TV showed a policeman putting his arm around the neck of a Hong Kong Cable TV reporter and pulling him to the ground. The reporter said he was assaulted after his crew refused to leave a media zone, Cable TV reported. They were seen surrounded by dozens of police.
A spokeswoman for Hong Kong Cable TV said it was "unacceptable" for Chinese authorities to treat the media that way.
"We hope the authorities will live up to their earlier promise to allow full freedom of the press during the Olympic Games," said Shum Siu-wah.
Despite the problems, an Olympic official said the start of the sale went well.
"There were so many people who wanted tickets so we decided to open more ticket windows. ... In general, so far the ticket sale has gone smoothly," said Sun Weide, spokesman for Beijing's Olympic organizing committee.
At Wukesong in the western part of Beijing, tens of thousands of people were lined up to buy tickets for the popular basketball competition. About 20,000 basketball tickets were expected to go on sale.
In addition to the tickets for Olympic events in Beijing, another 570,000 tickets are on sale for soccer matches in co-host cities: Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang and Qinhuangdao.
All told, 6.8 million Olympic tickets have been available for domestic and foreign sales. The Olympics start Aug. 8.
Though previous Olympic Games have had problems filling seats for less popular events, venues in Beijing are expected to be filled with enthusiastic fans. Some tickets were given away to school groups and government work units in an effort to present packed stadiums to television viewers around the world.
In November, organizers were embarrassed when the computer system crashed, forcing organizers to sack the Olympic ticketing chief and revert to a lottery system to sell tickets.
Organizers have said they are taking precautions against fake tickets and black market scalping, both of which are common in China. Buyers on Friday were limited to two tickets per person to discourage scalpers.
Xinhua said Thursday that Beijing police have detained 60 suspects for scalping Olympic tickets in the past two months, citing a police spokesman. Those found selling tickets on the black market can face 10 to 15 days in detention, Xinhua said.
Still, Olympic tickets can easily be found online, though few sellers openly advertise the resale price. In sports that are unpopular in China, like baseball, 50 yuan ($7.30) tickets were offered at 1000 yuan ($150). Other tickets were being resold for 100 times the face value, Xinhua said.
12:25 AM
9:48 PM
BEIJING (AFP) - - Police struggled on Friday to control surging crowds of more than 50,000 people desperate to grab the last Olympic tickets in Beijing, as a Hong Kong journalist trying to cover the chaos was detained.
Frustration boiled over as the fans -- many of whom had been queueing for two days -- jostled to maintain their spot in the long line as latecomers tried to force their way into prime positions.
At one point the surging crowd broke through a control barrier and lurched towards the ticket counters, sparking a sharp reaction from police.
In hot and dusty conditions, some groups in the crowd chanted insults at the officers, who were seen dragging people out of the line and kicking and punching them before leading them away.
"The police didn't have a clue how many people would come here and there was no organisation at all, it was chaos," said Wang Zhongliang, a delivery worker for UPS.
It was the last chance for Chinese to buy tickets for the Games, with 250,000 on sale at several locations in Beijing from 9:00am (0100 GMT) for events including athletics, diving, and gymnastics.
Demand was so high that more than 10,000 people were in a line by Thursday at one of the main ticket selling centres near the Olympic Stadium, district police chief Xiong Xingguo said.
By early Friday huge reinforcements of police were moved in to maintain order as numbers ballooned to between 40,000 and 50,000 at that one line alone, Xiong said.
Xiong conceded that police had been taken by surprise by the demand.
"The situation was chaotic and difficult," he said. "Once the newspapers released the news about the ticket sale, too many people came at once so we had a security problem."
Amid the confrontations, an AFP reporter saw police manhandle and lead away Felix Wong, a photographer with Hong Kong's South China Morning Post. Staff at the newspaper's headquarters told AFP he was detained for several hours.
A Beijing Olympic spokeswoman confirmed to AFP that Wong was detained, but said it was because he was disobeying police orders to leave a restricted zone and had injured a police officer.
Despite the chaos, the sales did offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to some fans, such as 23-year-old Lei Peng, who had slept on the footpath for two nights.
The engineering graduate from eastern China's Anhui province managed to score two seats to one of the hottest events of the Games -- the final of the men's 110m hurdles.
Chinese hopes for an athletics gold medal rest on defending Olympic and world champion 110m hurdler Liu Xiang.
"It was hard but worth it," said Lei, who had been queuing since midday on Wednesday.
Han Ruxiang, 76, had spent two nights sleeping on a bamboo mat so that he and his 67-year-old wife could see the finals of the diving competition.
"How can you be Chinese and not go to the Olympics when it is in China?" he said. "I am tired but so happy."
The demand has fuelled a flourishing black market in selling tickets at a massive profit, even though ticket touting has been outlawed. Police have arrested 60 touts over the past two months, according to state media reports.
Outside Beijing, 570,000 tickets for football matches went on sale in football competition host cities Tianjin, Shanghai, Qinhuangdao and Shenyang.
Altogether around seven million tickets were up for sale for the Games, with around 75 percent going to China's vast domestic audience, with the rest made available overseas through each country's National Olympic Committee.
Friday's release of tickets was the fourth and final round of sales for the August 8-24 Games.
9:46 PM
2dae i chnge my blogskins on my oringinal blog liao,the blogskins i change in my opinion , i find it nicer to see than my last blogskins which is the singapore airlines blogskins. Hope you all will like it,and thanks for viewing my blog,Beijing 2008 Olympic (One World One Dream) 14 days to opening ceremony.Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9:45 PM
BAGHDAD - Just two weeks before the start of the Olympics, Iraq was told Thursday it's not welcome in Beijing because of a political feud in Baghdad that angered the games' guardians and exiled a country that arrived to a roaring ovation at the opening ceremony four years ago.
The International Olympic Committee told Iraqi sports officials in a letter that it would uphold its ban imposed in June after the government in Baghdad replaced its national Olympic panel with members not recognized by the IOC.
The IOC had called the move unacceptable government interference.
In Iraq, it also smacked of the lingering sectarian bitterness between the new Shiite power brokers and the Sunnis who were once favored under Saddam Hussein _ whose son, Odai, ran the nation's Olympic committee as a personal fiefdom and was accused of torturing athletes who came up short.
"Clearly we'd very much like to have seen Iraq's athletes in Beijing," said IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies. "We are very disappointed that the athletes have been so ill-served by their own government's actions."
But Davies suggested there was still a possibility for last-ditch talks to salvage Iraq's place before the games open Aug. 8.
"If there can be some movement and if a resolution can be found, that's still an open door," she told CNN. When asked if there's a window of about a week, she said "Correct."
At the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, the crowd at the opening ceremony rose to its feet as the small Iraqi team entered the stadium for the first Olympics since the fall of Saddam. The team was led by Najah Ali, a 106-pound boxer who carried the red-white-and-green flag. Later, the pint-sized underdog pumped his fists after winning a bout in an early round and shouted from the ring that his victory was "a symbol of freedom."
Iraq's soccer team also became one of the feel-good stories of Athens when it made a surprising run to the semifinals _ only to be defeated by Italy 1-0 in the bronze-medal game.
This year, at least seven Iraqi athletes were expected to compete in Beijing in sports including weightlifting, rowing and archery. Their spots were given to other nations by the IOC.
Iraqi sports officials reacted with disbelief and outrage as they watched the efforts for Beijing vanish. Iraq has only one medal _ a bronze in weightlifting in 1960 _ since its first appearance at the Summer Olympics in 1948.
"Unjust," said Fawzi Akram, a member of the sports committee in parliament. "Iraq is passing through an exception period and should be given special consideration."
The official who received the IOC's letter _ Jassim Mohammed Jaafar, the minister of sport and youth _ grumbled: "We reject this unfair decision."
But it's been coming to a head for months.
In May, Iraq's government dissolved the 11-member National Olympic Committee. Among the claims was that it was illegitimate because it lacked enough members for a legal quorum _ even though four members of the committee, including its chief, were kidnapped two years ago and their fates remain unknown.
There's also possible echoes of Iraq's sectarian rifts. The Youth and Sports Ministry is dominated by Shiites who also control the government. Iraq's Olympic Committee had included several holdovers from the Saddam era.
The IOC banned Iraq in June, but said it was open for talks. Iraq, too, promised to meet the IOC and present "solid evidence" of corruption, unfair elections and other alleged failings by the committee.
But on Thursday, the IOC said the deadline to open negotiations had run out _ just as athletes begin their final preparations for Beijing.
"We are deeply sorry for this result," said the IOC letter.
Iraq is not the first country to miss an Olympics because of government interference.
In the most recent case, Afghanistan was prevented from sending a team to the Sydney Games in 2000 when the Taliban regime's heavy hand extended to sports.
The U.S. Olympic Committee also had a stake in the Iraq team, signing an agreement in 2006 to help with training for Beijing.
White House press secretary Dana Perino expressed disappointment.
"I'm sure that the Iraqi athletes who have trained so hard and were finally going to represent a country that is free and sovereign and working to establish its democracy, they have to be terribly disappointed, and I'm disappointed for the athletes as well," she said.
While many Iraqi officials rallied behind the government, the mood among fans was sour.
"The (IOC) decision will be a catastrophe for Iraqi sports," said Dia Hussein, coach of the Iraq Police Soccer team, which plays in the national league. "I blame the Iraqi government for bringing this on the country."
Yaroub Kadim, a 22-year-old university student, described sports as "one of the only real lifelines connecting everyone in the country."
There's a cruel irony in the suspicions that sectarian power plays may have sunk Iraq's Olympic hopes. Sports has become one of the few genuine sources of national unity since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
In July 2007, Iraqis erupted with joy when their national team _ the Lions of the Two Rivers _ won the Asia Cup. Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds poured into streets lined with blast walls to celebrate, shoot guns in the air and bask in a common Iraqi pride.
The soccer team was also hit by a ban by the sport's governing body, but was lifted in time for Iraq to compete in the World Cup qualifying tournament. Sports figures also have joined the long rolls of civilians killed in the war.
The Olympic cycling coach, national wrestling coach, a soccer federation member and a prominent volleyball player have been killed, most in 2006 during the height of sectarian slayings.
(This version CORRECTS SUBS 10th graf to correct number of athletes to at least seven sted five. )
9:45 PM
LONDON (AFP) - - Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell has warned his Olympic rivals that he is back to his best after the shoulder injury that threatened to wreck his Beijing gold medal challenge.
Powell expects to provide further evidence that he has made a complete recovery from a shoulder problem which sidelined him for several weeks when he runs in the London Grand Prix on Friday.
The 25-year-old laid down a marker by recording a season's best of 9.88seconds on Tuesday to defeat fellow Jamaican and world record holder Usain Bolt.
Powell, who has clocked times under 10 seconds 37 times in his career, has arrived in England full of confidence ahead of a meeting that will play a key role in his preparations for next month's Games in China.
"I got very nervous with the shoulder injury and I thought to myself my Olympic Games is over," Powell said.
"Now I'm still running 9.88secs so I'm content. I forgot what it takes to run a fast race - I was trying too hard and I do better when I don't try too hard."
Powell took a cheeky swipe at Tyson Gay's withdrawal from the event with a hamstring injury when he appeared to hint that his rival was hiding from racing aganst him.
"If you know someone is better than you, hiding from them won't make it better," he said "To run together as much as possible is no problem.
"Tyson not running, makes no difference to me."
With Gay ruled out, Powell has the perfect opportunity for another morale-boosting victory.
But he admitted success in London would mean nothing unless it is followed by gold in Beijing.
"It won't mean a thing, what is important to all of us is what happens in Beijing next month," Powell said.
"Going away with two wins - I'm used to that, but it won't make a big difference to me because anything can happen at the Olympic Games."
Despite Gay's absence from Crystal Palace there are still several sub-10 second sprinters in the field, prompting the suggestion Powell could claim back his world record.
"Of course it's possible but I've never once gone onto a track thinking about a world record. So I always surprise myself when I do it," he added.
Bolt, despite being the world's fastest man, still has to decide whether to run the Olympic 100m or compete over 200m which he admits is his favourite event.
The 21-year-old former world junior champion's decision could come after his outing over the half-lap distance at the London meeting's second day on Saturday.
Bolt, who will be defending his London title, said: "My coach has still given me no clue. It's a good thing, making me prepared to do either event but the important thing, whatever I do, on my mind is the gold medal."
The 6ft 5in sprinter, after running 19.67secs over 200m for the world's fifth fastest ever time a fortnight ago, believes coach Glen Mills will definitely give his decision after watching his form at the Palace.
"If the weather's good I can run a fast time but a personal best's not a factor for me," said Bolt.
"I need to improve some features of my race before Beijing."
9:44 PM
SINGAPORE: Five—time world champions Brazil have never won the Olympic gold medal, but they are determined to win at next month’s Beijing Games.
The Brazilians are taking their warm—up games against Singapore and Vietnam seriously before heading to the Chinese capital.
The Brazilians are not wasting any time after arriving in Singapore. They got down to training a day later as Ronaldinho and company are on a mission.
Not surprisingly, the Brazilian Olympic Team know little of their opponents — but they will be doing their homework.
Diego, Midfielder, said: "We know very little about the Singapore team, but we are going to get to know more soon. We are going to watch videos of Singapore games and get to know more about them."
Coach Carlos Dunga said there is little time for the Brazilian team to prepare for the Olympics, and the tune—up in Southeast Asia is crucial.
Despite the big task at hand, the visitors have been gracious, inviting six young Singaporeans to train with them.
The Brazilians are indeed serious about their Olympic preparations. They will be training daily until their match against a Singapore selection side on Monday.
3:08 PM
SINGAPORE: More than 500 screaming fans turned up at Changi Airport to welcome the players of the Brazilian football team, with star player Ronaldinho clearly the favourite.
The Brazilian Olympic team will play a Singapore selection at the National Stadium on July 28.
The trip to Singapore is part of their two—stop practice camp.
After Singapore, they are off to Vietnam on July 29, before heading to Beijing for the Olympics.
Brazil has never won the Olympic gold before, yet they are hot favourites this time round.
7:05 PM
QUETTA, Pakistan (AFP) - - At least six Pakistani paramilitary troops and 30 separatist rebels have been killed in clashes in the troubled southwestern province of Baluchistan, security officials said Monday.
Security forces launched a major operation against rebel camps in the gas- and mineral-rich province after a convoy of Frontier Corps soldiers came under attack on Saturday, the officials said.
Troops also arrested 30 militants and destroyed two insurgent bases used for plotting attacks in the operation near Uch, a town in the restive Dera Bugti district of Baluchistan, they said.
Impoverished Baluchistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has seen a recent flare-up in attacks by ethnic Baluch tribes seeking more political rights and a greater share of profits from the region's natural resources.
"Six Frontier Corps men have been killed and around 30 militants have been arrested. Militants have been killed in a big number but I don't have the exact figure," a senior Pakistani security official told AFP.
Other intelligence officials in Quetta said however that at least 30 insurgents, including three rebel commanders, had been killed. Twenty-two rebels were killed on Sunday alone in the heaviest of the clashes, they said.
"The entire operation started after these militants fired on a Frontier Corps convoy," the senior security official said.
"There were two camps there of these militants, they were destroyed last night. The militants were using these two camps to destroy (electricity) pylons, carry out bomb blasts and other terrorist activities," he said.
Dera Bugti is near Pakistan's biggest natural gas field and was formerly the base of late Baluch rebel leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, who was killed in a military operation in August 2006.
Hundreds of people have died in violence in the province since the insurgency flared in late 2004, but until recently it had quietened down after Bugti's death.
The province has also been hit by attacks blamed on Islamist Taliban militants, but officials say that the separatist insurgents do not have links to the hardliners.
Pakistani officials have previously accused rival India of sponsoring the separatist rebels from its consulates in southern and eastern Afghanistan, a charge that New Delhi denies.
Last Wednesday a bomb blast in the town of Mastung, 35 kilometres (22 miles) south of the provincial capital Quetta, wounded 14 people, including eight security personnel.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
7:03 PM
HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwe, grappling with a record 2.2 million percent inflation, has introduced a new 100-billion-dollar bank note in a bid to tackle rampant cash shortages, the central bank said Saturday.
The new note will go into circulation on Monday, the bank said in a statement cited by state media, joining about half a dozen new high denomination notes already issued this year.
In January, a 10-million-dollar note was issued, then a 50-million-dollar note in April. In May, notes for 100 million and 250 million dollars were issued, swiftly followed by those for five billion, 25 billion and 50 billion.
The southern African nation, currently gripped by a post-election crisis, has been ravaged by hyperinflation which shot up from 165,000 percent in February to 2.2 million in June.
Independent economists however believe the official inflation figure is grossly understated, estimating it could be running between 10 million and 15 million percent.
Zimbabwe's chronic economic crisis has left at least 80 percent of the population living below the poverty threshold and mass shortages of basic goods in shops.
7:00 PM
SINGAPORE — A cash reward of S$1 million is being offered for information leading to the apprehension of Mas Selamat inside or outside Singapore.
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng revealed this in Parliament on Monday in response to a question on fugitive JI leader Mas Selamat.
The million dollar reward has been put up by two private individuals who approached the Home Affairs Ministry.
DPM Wong said the individuals had asked the ministry to operationalise their proposal because they wished to remain anonymous to protect themselves, families or business interests in the region from becoming a target for retaliation.
The House was also reminded that the Singapore Police Force, as a policy does not offer cash rewards for information on fugitives and unsolved crimes,
or for assistance from the public.
However, the authorities do not object if private corporations and individuals wish to offer cash reward as a labour—supply company and a non—government organisation did in March, offering $50,000 and $5,000 respectively for information on Mas Selamat.
On the whereabouts of Mas Selamat, the DPM said that up till now, Singapore’s security agencies have not received any information from their Indonesian counterparts to confirm that the JI fugitive is hiding in Indonesia.
Neither has domestic intelligence shown that the Singapore JI leader has left the country.
"We obviously cannot dismiss the possibility that Mas Selamat could have managed to escape Singapore for another country. Singapore is not a fortress" added Mr Wong.
However, if Mas Selamat has escaped abroad, DPM Wong said Singapore will work with the relevant foreign counterparts to track him down and bring him back into custody in Singapore.
Parliament was told that given the time since Mas Selamat’s escape, the scenario of Mas Selamat being harboured by sympathisers inside or outside Singapore must logically be treated as increasingly plausible. However, there is no intelligence at present to substantiate it said Mr Wong.
8:57 PM
HERAT, Afghanistan (AFP) - - Nine policemen were killed in Afghanistan Sunday in international military air strikes called in when police and troops clashed after mistaking each other for Taliban, authorities said.
The "friendly fire" incident occurred before dawn when Afghan and international soldiers moved into a district in the southwest without informing police, who thought they were militants, the deputy governor of Farah province said.
"An engagement took place, each side thinking the other was the Taliban," said Mohammad Younus Rasouli.
The troops called for air support and military attack aircraft arrived and bombed a police post, he said. Nine police were killed and five wounded.
Rasouli said NATO's International Security Assistance Force had carried out the strikes, but ISAF said it was an operation by the separate US-led coalition. The coalition confirmed an incident and said it was investigating.
Rasouli said the police chief of Farah's Anar Dara district, on the border with Iran, was among the wounded and was in a serious condition.
The incident comes as US presidential hopeful Barack Obama is visiting Afghanistan to find out how international efforts against extremist militants trying to overthrow the Afghan government are progressing.
There have been several deadly incidents of "friendly fire" in Afghanistan, where many local and international security forces are involved in a growing fight against Taliban insurgents.
Earlier this month a British helicopter mistakenly opened fire on a group of British soldiers in Helmand province, injuring nine of them, three seriously, the defence ministry said.
In January nine Afghan policemen were killed in the central province of Ghazni by US-led soldiers hunting militants, Afghan officials said.
ISAF meanwhile said Sunday that its soldiers had killed four Afghan civilians by accident when mortar rounds landed off target in the eastern province of Paktika near the border with Pakistan.
"An ISAF unit on a fire mission accidentally killed four civilians, with an unconfirmed further three deaths," it said in a statement. "Four civilians were also wounded and are now under treatment by ISAF forces."
It is the latest incident in which the international soldiers helping the Afghan government have killed civilians by mistake.
The US-led coalition admitted last week that it had killed eight civilians in an air strike targeting militants in Farah. Afghan officials said nine women and a boy were killed.
The coalition and ISAF are also investigating official Afghan reports that 64 civilians were killed in two strikes in northeastern Afghanistan early this month.
One hit a wedding party, killing 47 people including the bride, an investigation appointed by President Hamid Karzai found.
Civilians are regularly caught in the crossfire of the insurgency launched after the hardline Islamic Taliban regime was removed from power in late 2001 in a US-led invasion for harbouring Al-Qaeda.
Most are killed in rebel attacks, but dozens have also been killed in military action this year.
On Sunday, three children were killed in the southern province of Hemland when a bomb blew up a minivan, provincial police chief Mohammad Hussien Andiwal said. Two children and two adults were wounded.
Taliban fighters attacked a police post in the same area around midnight and two of the attackers were killed in the ensuing fight, Andiwal said.
The defence ministry said in a statement meanwhile that its soldiers had killed nine "terrorists" in an operation to secure the road between Kabul and Kandahar, a dangerous route along which Taliban are active.
And 18 were killed in a week of action in Kandahar province's volatile Panjwayi district, it said.
8:56 PM
ANKARA (AFP) - - Three German climbers kidnapped earlier this month by Kurdish rebels in eastern Turkey were freed Sunday, the Turkish foreign ministry announced.
"(Turkish) Foreign Minister Ali Babacan called his opposite number in Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to tell him that the three German citizens are now in the hands of Turkish forces and are in good health," said spokesman Burak Ozugergin.
The trio -- Helmut Johann, Martin Georpe and Lars Holper Reime -- were seized by separatist rebels from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) on July 8 during a climbing expedition to Mount Ararat in Agri province.
Agri Governor Mehmet Cetin told the press that the rebels "were forced to release the hostages because the army operations aimed at freeing them were tightening their grip."
The men were released on a mountain in the region and were picked up 30 minutes later by police, the spokesman said.
"They are currently undergoing health checks and then will be handed over to the German authorities so they can return to their country," Cetin said at a televised news conference.
The rebels had said they would hold the hostages until Berlin ended its crackdown on PKK supporters in Germany, which is home to about 2.4 million immigrants from Turkey, including about 600,000 Kurds.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a personal appeal for the release of the Germans, but Steinmeier at the time rejected the demands for a change in policy in return for their freedom.
Listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and much of the international community, the PKK has waged a bloody campaign for self-rule in the Kurdish-majority east and southeast since 1984.
The conflict has claimed more than 37,000 lives, but the group's attacks in the past 10 years have usually targeted security forces rather than civilians.
3:15 PM
SYDNEY, Australia - A veterinarian in Australia plunged his arm up to his shoulder into the throat of a rare shark to save the animal after it swallowed a grappling hook.
David Blyde reached between the jaws of the 10-foot (3-meter) gray nurse shark to dislodge the hook, which was stuck in the animal's digestive tract, leaving a long metal handle sticking from its mouth.
Divers spotted the shark Monday as it swam with a group of others near Byron Bay, 500 miles (800 kilometers) north of Sydney, Trevor Long of the Sea World marine park said Friday.
Rescuers from the park lassoed it with a noose to capture it and lifted it into a holding tank. They rolled its onto its back before pushing a stiff plastic pipe into the shark's throat over the hook's handle.
Blyde then reach down through the pipe, which protected his arm from the shark's teeth as he freed the hook.
"As a veterinarian you often end up putting your hands in places that people find somewhat unattractive," Blyde told Seven Network television.
The delicate operation took about 45 minutes, and the shark was expected to fully recover, Long said.
"There was only a couple of times when the shark became feisty and David had to get his hand out _ quickly," he told Seven.
The gray nurse shark is one of Australia's most endangered marine species after being fished to near-extinction, with some estimates running as low a fewer than 300 animals left in the wild in waters off the country's east coast.
They live mostly in shallow coastal waters near reefs or rocky caves, feeding in fish and rays and growing up to 13 feet (4 meters) long. They are not considered a threat to people.
3:14 PM
QUNU, South Africa (AFP) - - Nelson Mandela, the icon of the anti-apartheid movement and South Africa's first black president, was marking his 90th birthday Friday as tributes poured in from around the world.
Mandela, whose stint as head of state between 1994-99 came after three decades behind bars, was to enjoy a private party with his family at his rural homestead in the Eastern Cape before a glittering bash on Saturday.
Friday also marks 10 years since Mandela's wedding to his third wife Graca Machel who has been at the head of a long queue wanting to sing his praises.
"He is simply a wonderful husband ... and we enjoy every single day as if it is the last day," Machel, the widow of the former Mozambican president Samora Machel, told CNN television.
"When we married we didn't know we'd be given 10 years together. We have been very lucky."
One of Mandela's grand-daughters, Ndileka Mandela, said the family was planning "a surprise" for him in Qunu.
"We don't want to give too much away as it would be like knowing what's in a present before opening it," she told AFP.
"For him it is a special day, but for all of us too."
Celebrations of Mandela's birthday have been ongoing for several weeks, including a massive concert last month in Hyde Park, London, to raise funds for his AIDS charity while limited edition coins and stamps bearing his image have been launched to also generate money for his charitable foundation.
The current South African President Thabo Mbeki and the new leader of Mandela's beloved African National Congress (ANC) Jacob Zuma are among a group of some 500 guests due to attend Saturday's get-together in Qunu.
But events are also taking place up and down the country, including a boxing tournament in honour of the former amateur pugilist, and a concert in Johannesburg's landmark Mandela Square.
Ahead of his birthday, hundreds of thousands of well-wishers have been paying their respects on special websites, in newspaper notices and on radio stations.
F.W. de Klerk, the last president of the apartheid era South Africa, described Mandela -- who spent 27 years in prison for tyring to overthrow the whites-only regime -- as one of the greatest figures of the 20th century.
"After his inauguration, Nelson Mandela used his personal charm to promote reconciliation and to mould our widely diverse communities into an emerging multicultural nation. This, I believe, will be seen as his greatest legacy."
Sepp Blatter, president of football's world governing body FIFA, described him as the "epitome of grace and dignity, a man with determination to overcome even the greatest odds", as he recalled the key role played by Mandela in bringing the 2010 World Cup to South Africa.
Mandela retired from public life four years ago but has continued to be involved with his charity foundation, raising millions of dollars for AIDS charities and to help underprivileged children.
7:01 PM
KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan police spokesman says unknown gunmen have kidnapped two Turkish nationals in western Afghanistan.
Spokesman Rauf Ahmadi says authorities found the Turks' abandoned car along with their passports west of Herat city, near the border with Iran.
He says the two men worked for a road construction company in the area. They disappeared on Monday.
There have been a number of kidnappings in Herat province in recent months, mainly targeting Afghans.
Most of the kidnap cases there are of a criminal nature and not linked to the Taliban insurgency.
7:01 PM
KABUL, Afghanistan - An insurgent raid that penetrated an American outpost in eastern Afghanistan, killing nine soldiers, has deepened doubts about the U.S. military's effort to contain Islamic militants and keep locals on its side.
Moving in darkness before dawn Sunday, some 200 fighters surrounded the newly built base in a remote area near the Pakistan border without being spotted by the troops inside, said Gen. Mohammad Qasim Jangalbagh, the provincial police chief.
He said people in the adjacent village of Wanat aided the assault. About 20 local families left their homes in anticipation of the raid, while other tribesmen stayed behind "and helped the insurgents during the fight," Jangalbagh said.
The result was the deadliest incident for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since June 2005, when 16 American soldiers were killed as a rocket-propelled grenade shot down their helicopter.
Violence has been increasing in Afghanistan, and many people are questioning whether the Taliban-led insurgency is gaining, not losing, momentum seven years after the hard-line Islamic regime was ousted by a U.S.-led invasion.
The coordinated assault at Wanat sent a strong signal to other insurgent groups that "America cannot resist them anymore," said Tamim Nuristani, who was fired as provincial governor last week by President Hamid Karzai's administration for criticizing a U.S. airstrike that Afghan officials say killed civilians July 4 in the same area as Sunday's attack.
Nuristani said the attackers at Wanat were a mix of Afghan- and Pakistan-based militants, some with al-Qaida links _ a sign, he said, that cooperation is growing between what had been often fractious factions fighting the Western military presence in Afghanistan.
"The (attackers) were not only from Nuristan but from other districts," Nuristani said. "They are not only Taliban. They were (Pakistan-based) Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Hezb-i-Islami, Taliban and those people who are dissatisfied with the (Karzai) government after these recent incidents. They all came together for this one."
The attack _ which U.S. and NATO officials said happened in Kunar province but which Afghan officials said was in neighboring Nuristan _ reinforced recent assessments by U.S. officials that militant attacks are becoming more complex and better coordinated.
A NATO official said the attackers used houses, shops and a mosque in Wanat for cover during the hours-long battle.
The militants showered the small base _ which had been established just three days earlier _ with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar shells, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information.
Some of the militants breached the wall and got inside, killing nine American soldiers and wounding 15 others, he said.
Other American soldiers managed to drive out the attackers and called in air support. Attack helicopters swooped over the battlefield, and in hours of fighting dozens of insurgents were killed and about 40 were wounded, the NATO official said.
The official described the militant raid as "serious," but also said it was a rarity for insurgents to get inside a base.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack expressed regret that American lives were lost, but argued the attack was a sign of the pressure being put on the insurgency.
The U.S.-led coalition and NATO military mission, which together have about 60,000 soldiers, have long maintained that insurgents can now operate only in small groups and have lost every battle with the militarily superior Western forces.
Yet the insurgents' ability to assemble a large militant force to launch the attack undetected and with the apparent complicity of locals is a worrying signal for U.S. commanders.
A Western official with detailed knowledge of the area said the raid underlined questions about the military campaign against the Taliban.
There is "overwhelming evidence that anti-coalition elements are operating effectively and that our counterinsurgency strategy is not successful ... because it has not addressed the most basic need to bring security to the people and devised a means to separate the people from the enemy," said the official, who agreed to discuss the sensitive issue only if not quoted by name.
Nuristan has been a tough nut to crack for any central authority for centuries and was a hub of resistance against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Its rough terrain _ mountains with forests, deep ravines and countless caves and gorges _ provides a well-protected gateway from Pakistan's lawless tribal areas where al-Qaida and Taliban fighters find haven.
7:00 PM
WASHINGTON: Insurgent attacks have put US and NATO forces on the defensive in eastern Afghanistan, an area recently touted as a counter-insurgency success but now a focus of spreading insecurity, analysts say.
In the latest attack, at least nine US soldiers were killed Sunday when insurgents stormed a remote combat outpost in Kunar province near Pakistan.
It was the deadliest attack against US forces since 2005, but it followed a trend of bolder and more capable insurgent operations as Pakistan's new government has taken a hands-off approach to militant sanctuaries in its tribal areas.
"It's very serious because NATO is already under a lot of pressure," said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer now at the Brookings Institution.
"There used to be one deteriorating front, the front in the south. Now that we see the situation in the east is heating up too, it really stretches NATO and American resources very far," he said.
Increasingly concerned about the rising violence, the Pentagon has begun shifting the weight of its combat operations to Afghanistan but within constraints on available forces imposed by the war in Iraq.
It has repositioned an aircraft carrier from the Gulf to the Arabian Sea to support military operations in Afghanistan, extended the deployment of 2,200 Marines in the south and is weighing deeper troop cuts in Iraq to free up more soldiers.
Currently there are 36,000 US troops in Afghanistan, and 150,000 in Iraq, the Pentagon said.
Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, meanwhile made an unannounced visit to Islamabad over the weekend to urge the Pakistan military to do more to stem the flow of insurgents into Afghanistan.
"Part of the effort here is not just militarily in Afghanistan, but it's working with our Pakistan colleagues, and the Pakistani government in addressing the situation on the Pakistan side of the border," said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman.
But Pakistan has shown little willingness to get tough on insurgents.
On Monday, Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai directly accused the Pakistani intelligence services of fomenting the violence, charges that some experts regard as credible.
"It shows that there is a real breakdown in trying to build a common front between Afghanistan, Pakistan and India against the Islamic extremists. And that is not good news," said Riedel.
Sam Brannen, an expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the ability of US and NATO forces "to impact events and to really know what is going on ends at the Pakistani border," said
"It is a 2,400 kilometre border. It is very difficult to defend in the best of times, but these are not the best of times," he said.
The sense that the war is shifting in the Taliban's favour in the east also undermines support for NATO forces in the area, he said.
"The tribes in that region are notorious for shifting allegiances. And the winning party, whoever is on top, enjoys their support," he said.
"I think you're seeing a growth in the number of recruits of young men who are joining up for the jihad. So the tables are turning just when Pakistan is taking more of a laissez-faire approach to that area again," he said.
US military officials have noted that not only is the incidence of attacks up but they have grown more sophisticated.
Hundreds of militants were reported to have taken part in Sunday's assault, an hours-long engagement that officials described as fierce and well-organised.
Last month, Taliban insurgents succeeded in blasting open a prison in the southern city of Kandahar and freeing hundreds of captured insurgents.
Analysts see further evidence of the Taliban's expanded reach in the July 7 suicide bombing at the Indian embassy in Kabul, which killed as many as 60 people, and the attempted assassination of President Hamid Karzai at a military parade in April.
"We've definitely seen the Taliban learn from its mistakes, and employ tactics which are much more similar to the tactics we've seen Iraqi insurgents using," said Riedel.
"And there is good reason to believe that is not an accident, that al-Qaeda is providing the link between insurgent tactics in Iraq and insurgent tactics in Afghanistan," he added.
6:59 PM
As of Monday, July 14, 2008, at least 473 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department. The department last updated its figures July 5 at 10 a.m. EDT.
Of those, the military reports 332 were killed by hostile action.
Outside the Afghan region, the Defense Department reports 65 more members of the U.S. military died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Of those, two were the result of hostile action. The military lists these other locations as Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba; Djibouti; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Jordan; Kenya; Kyrgyzstan; Philippines; Seychelles; Sudan; Tajikistan; Turkey; and Yemen.
There were also four CIA officer deaths and one military civilian death.
___
The latest deaths reported by the military:
_ No deaths reported.
___
The latest identifications reported by the military:
_ Army Master Sgt. Mitchell W. Young, 39, Jonesboro, Ga.; died Sunday when his vehicle struck an explosive in Kajaki Sofla, Afghanistan; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.
6:58 PM
KABUL, Afghanistan - U.S. troops on Monday reinforced a remote military outpost after well-armed militants got inside and killed nine American soldiers in the deadliest assault on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in three years.
Sunday's assault has deepened doubts about the U.S. military's ability to contain Islamic militants. Attacks in Afghanistan are becoming more complex, intense and better coordinated than a year ago, U.S. officials say.
The militants with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars attacked the remote base in the village of Wanat in the mountainous northeastern province of Kunar at about 4:30 a.m. Sunday, with insurgents firing from homes and a mosque.
It was a "concerted attempt" to overrun the small base near the Pakistan border that was built only about three days ago, said an official with NATO's International Security Assistance Force.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information, estimated the attacking force was several hundred.
Gen. Mohammad Qasim Jangalbagh, the police chief of Nuristan province, where Afghan officials have said the attack took place, said there were 200 militants involved in the raid.
The militants got inside the outpost, the reason the fighters were able to inflict such high casualties, said a second military official who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
After the breach, U.S. troops pushed back against the invading militants, and attack helicopters swooped in. The second official said more than 40 insurgents were killed in the fighting. Fifteen U.S. soldiers also were wounded.
"We mourn the loss of life here," U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. "Instead of looking at it necessarily from the perspective of the Taliban or terrorists being more aggressive in coming after NATO or U.S. forces or Afghan forces, in this particular case it was an example of NATO, U.S. and Afghan forces being aggressive in combatting cross-border infiltration."
The latest assault came at a time of rising violence in Afghanistan.
Monthly death tolls of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan surpassed U.S. military deaths in Iraq in May and June. And last Monday, a suicide bomber attacked the Indian Embassy in Kabul, killing 58 people in the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since 2001.
U.S. officials are considering drawing down additional forces from Iraq in coming months, in part because of less violence in Iraq and the need for additional U.S. troops in Afghanistan. U.S. officials have said they need at least three more brigades in Afghanistan _ or more than 10,000 troops.
NATO confirmed nine of its soldiers had been killed and 15 wounded. A Western official said the nine dead were Americans, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the troops' nationalities. Four Afghan soldiers also were wounded, NATO said.
The attack was the deadliest for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since June 2005, when 16 American troops were killed in Kunar province when their helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade.
Afghanistan's government on Monday accused Pakistan's army and its intelligence service of supporting the insurgency and said it is suspending a series of meetings planned for coming weeks. Pakistan, which formally supported the Taliban before joining the U.S.-led war on terror, denies the allegations.
Mark Laity, a NATO spokesman in Kabul, said it was not yet clear whether militants had crossed from Pakistan to conduct the attack.
But Tamim Nuristani, who was sacked as provincial governor last week after criticizing a U.S. air strike that killed civilians, said that attackers were a mix Afghan- and Pakistan-based militants, some with al-Qaida links _ sign of the growing cooperation between often-fractious jihadi factions in combating the Western military presence in Afghanistan.
Also on Sunday, a suicide bomber targeting a police patrol killed 24 people, including 19 civilians, while U.S. coalition and Afghan soldiers killed 40 militants elsewhere in the south.
More than 2,300 people _ mostly militants _ have died in insurgency-related violence this year, according to an Associated Press tally of official figures. Attacks in eastern Afghanistan are up 40 percent this year compared with last year.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned during a visit to Kabul last week that there are more foreign fighters, including al-Qaida members, in Pakistan's tribal areas, militants who cross the border and launch attacks against U.S. and Afghan troops.
6:57 PM
KHARTOUM (AFP) - - The United Nations prepared on Tuesday to fly non-essential staff from Darfur as supporters of Sudan President Omar al-Beshir planned protests in Khartoum to denounce the world court prosecutor's call for him to be arrested for alleged war crimes.
On Monday, the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court asked for an arrest warrant against Beshir , accusing him of 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur .
The African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission announced the staff "relocations" as Sudan promised it would do its utmost to protect peacekeepers and humanitarian workers, but said there could be no security guarantee.
Sudanese and Western officials have widely predicted that the ICC move -- seen by many in Sudan as an assault on national sovereignty -- could spark violent relatiation against Western embassies and UN peacekeepers.
"It's not an evacuation. We're temporarily relocating staff, some non-essential staff. This will probably begin today," said Josephine Guerrero, spokeswoman in Darfur for the UN-led peacekeeping mission.
"UNAMID is not pulling out. All the forces are going to be on the ground and humanitarian operations are continuing," she added, referring to the joint UN-African Union force.
A UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the move, ordered by UNAMID force commander Martin Agwai, affected only about 1,800 police and 1,000 civilians who are to leave the country temporarily in coming days.
A UNAMID statement linked the move to an ambush by heavily armed militia last Tuesday in which seven peacekeepers were killed and 22 others wounded.
The Sudanese capital was bracing for angry protests against the ICC move, after Beshir's National Congress Party announced on Monday it would organise a demonstration starting at 1:00 pm (1000 GMT).
Organisers said the protest would begin at Khartoum University, go past the UNDP office, the British embassy and the UN headquarters in Khartoum.
ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told journalists in The Hague on Monday that the Sudanese head of state had "personally instructed" his forces to annihilate three ethnic groups in the western Sudanese region.
"His motives were largely political. His alibi was a counter-insurgency.' His intent was genocide," he said.
It was the first time the ICC prosecutor has sought an arrest warrant for a sitting head of state and the first time it has levelled accusations of genocide.
Sudan does not recognise the ICC and refuses to hand over two other Sudanese -- including a current cabinet minister -- who face outstanding arrest warrants for alleged crimes in Darfur and said Monday's move damaged peace efforts.
In his first public appearance after the accusations were levelled, Beshir danced, punched the air in delight with his trademark walking stick and shouted 'God is Great' at an elaborate ceremony to ink the new Sudanese electoral law.
Sitting on a podium in the giant Chinese-built Friendship Hall in Khartoum before more than 500 supporters and Sudan's most senior leaders, Beshir was given roars of support as he stood to sign the landmark legislation.
The law paves the way for national elections due next year as part of a 2005 north-south peace deal in a move towards democratic transformation.
Vice President Ali Osman Taha said Sudan was in contact with the permanent members of the UN Security Council in a bid to block a formal arrest warrant. The council has the power to intervene to defer any prosecution for a year.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro that he was "very worried" by the possible fallout of any indictment of Beshir.
His office called on Khartoum to "continue to cooperate fully with the United Nations in Sudan, while fulfilling its obligation to ensure the safety and security of all United Nations personnel and property".
Darfur has been wracked by conflict since 2003. The United Nations says up to 300,000 people have died and displaced some 2.5 million from their villages.
The African Union warned the indictment of Beshir would create a power vacuum that risked "military coups and widespread anarchy".
Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Membe, speaking on behalf of AU chair President Jakaya Kikwete, urged the ICC to defer bringing charges "because there is a risk of anarchy in a proportion we have not seen in this continent."
The Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference have also voiced concern that Ocampo's action could undermine peace efforts in Sudan, and the United States called on all parties to stay calm.
The US government said it was bolstering security for its staff in Sudan and press secretary Dana Perino said President George W. Bush is "gravely concerned" by increasing violence in Darfur.
7:10 PM
SINGAPORE, July 10 - Bangkok was voted the world's best city for 2008 and the Galapagos were picked as the best islands in an online poll by Travel + Leisure magazine, trumping last year's winners Florence, Italy and Bali, Indonesia.
Magazine readers also voted Singita Sabi Sand, at the Kruger National Park, South Africa, as the world's top hotel while Singapore Airlines grabbed the best airline award again.
It was the first time that Bangkok, the vibrant capital of Thailand, and the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador topped their respective categories, said Nancy Novogrod, editor-in-chief of Travel + Leisure.
Last year, Bangkok was ranked number 3 and the Galapagos number 8. The 2007 winners of best city and best island -- Florence an Bali -- fell to number 5 and number 2 respectively.
"We're delighted to welcome so many new winners this year," she said in a statement. "Nature, and adventure, were clearly a draw in the selections."
Last year's number one hotel, the Oberoi Udaivilas in India, fell to number 4 this year. Singita Sabi Sands was voted the number two hotel in 2007.
The results were complied from votes by magazine subscribers in an Internet poll which went live between January and March. Travel + Leisure will honour winners on July 24 in New York City.
The complete "World's Best Awards" is available on www.travelandleisure.com. Following are some highlights:
Best city - Bangkok, Thailand
Best hotel - Singita Sabi Sand, South Africa
Best island - Galapagos, Ecuador
Best cruise line - Crystal Cruises
Best cruise line - Silversea Cruises
Best international airline - Singapore Airlines
Best domestic airline - Virgin America
Best tour operator - Micato Safaris
Best car-rental agency - Hertz
Best hotel for $250 or less - Domaine des Hauts de Loire, France
7:09 PM
BEIJING (AFP) - - Chinese police have this year detained 82 suspected terrorists in the nation's Muslim-populated far northwest who were planning to attack the Beijing Olympics, state media reported on Thursday.
The 82 belonged to five groups that "allegedly plotted sabotage against the Beijing Olympics," Xinhua news agency reported, citing the head of the police in Urumqi, the capital of remote Xinjiang region that borders central Asia.
It was the first time that Chinese officials had given a total number of suspects detained in a series of raids this year.
The announcement came a day after state press said police shot dead five Muslims who allegedly wanted to launch a "holy war".
Exiled members of Xinjiang's Turkic-speaking Uighur population have denied that such a terrorist threat exists in the region.
They have accused the Chinese government of exaggerating or fabricating the threat as an excuse to crack down on all forms of dissent ahead of next month's Games.
Urumqi police chief Chen Zhuangwei however insisted that the terrorist threat was very real, reportedly saying that 41 illegal places of worship in Xinjiang had been closed because they were training grounds for "holy war".
"From now, all police officers must act urgently, get involved once more in Olympic security, to make sure huge and small incidents alike do not happen," Chen said, according to the Xinjiang Daily newspaper.
7:08 PM
TOKYO - A Japanese labor bureau has ruled that one of Toyota's top car engineers died from working too many hours, the latest in a string of such findings in a nation where extraordinarily long hours for some employees has long been the norm.
The man who died was aged 45 and had been under severe pressure as the lead engineer in developing a hybrid version of Toyota's blockbuster Camry line, said Mikio Mizuno, the lawyer representing his wife. The man's identity is being withheld at the request of his family, who continue to live in Toyota City where the company is based.
In the two months up to his death, the man averaged more than 80 hours of overtime per month, according to Mizuno.
He regularly worked nights and weekends, was frequently sent abroad and was grappling with shipping a model for the pivotal North American International Auto Show in Detroit when he died of ischemic heart disease in January 2006. The man's daughter found his body at their home the day before he was to leave for the United States.
The ruling was handed down June 30 and will allow his family to collect benefits from his work insurance, Mizuno said.
An officer at the Aichi Labor Bureau on Wednesday confirmed the ruling, but declined to comment on the record.
In a statement, Toyota Motor Corp. offered its condolences and said it would work to improve monitoring of the health of its workers.
There is an effort in Japan to cut down on deaths from overwork, known as "karoshi." Such deaths have steadily increased since the Health Ministry first recognized the phenomenon in 1987.
Last year, a court in central Japan ordered the government to pay compensation to Hiroko Uchino, the wife of a Toyota employee who collapsed at work and died at age 30 in 2002. She took the case to court after her application to the local labor bureau for compensation was rejected.
7:40 PM
ISTANBUL (AFP) - - Three unidentified gunmen and three Turkish policeman were killed in a shootout outside the US consulate in Istanbul, provincial Governor Muammer Guler said Wednesday.
The assailants were killed at the scene, the governor told reporters, adding that they had "directly" targetted the police post outside the high-walled US consulate in the district of Istinye.
One policeman died on the spot, while two others succumbed to their injuries in hospital. Another policeman and the civilian driver of a police truck were injured.
Prosecutors specialising in terrorism cases had launched an investigation into the incident, Guler said, adding that guns and rifles were seized at the scene.
Television footage showed a bloodied body, covered with newspaper, lying in the street.
No consulate personnel were injured, the spokeswoman of the US embassy in Ankara, Kathy Schallow, told AFP.
The three assailants jumped from a white car and opened fire at the police checkpoint around 11:00am (0800 GMT), a witness told NTV television.
The security forces returned fire, killing all three gunmen.
The shootout lasted about eight minutes, witnesses said.
The white car, driven by a fourth accomplice, drove off after the attack and immediately became the target of a major police hunt.
The police post was situated outside a gate for visa applicants from where steep steps lead up to the fortified consulate building.
The consulate was moved to its current high-security location in 2003 as foreign missions across the world enhanced security measures following the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York.
The most recent attack on a foreign mission in Turkey was in 2003 when Al-Qaeda militants detonated a car bomb outside the British consulate in Istanbul, and simultaneously attacked the British HSBC bank.
6:48 PM
LONDON (AFP) - - London marked the third anniversary Monday of the suicide bombings on the city's transport network, with ceremonies at blast sites as survivors and the victims' families remembered the deadly attacks.
A total of 56 people were killed, the four bombers included, in the July 7, 2005 blasts that tore through three London Underground trains and a bus at the height of the morning rush hour.
London Mayor Boris Johnson, the government's London minister Tessa Jowell and transport chiefs were among those who laid flowers outside King's Cross railway station at 8:50 am (0750 GMT).
Johnson's tribute on his wreath read: "We honour the memory of those who died on 7/7 2005, we salute the courage of those who were injured and our thoughts and prayers are with all victims and their families."
The event was exactly three years on from when three bombs ripped through the Tube trains at the height of the morning rush hour.
Survivors and families of the 52 victims visited the three Underground stations -- Russell Square, Aldgate and Edgware Road -- where the bombs went off, and Tavistock Square, where another home-made bomb later wrecked a double-decker bus.
Compared to the first anniversary in 2006, subsequent anniversaries of the attacks have been low-key. Twelve months after the bombings, there was a national two-minute silence and a day-long memorial programme.
Dozens of the victims' families and some of the 700 who were injured are still waiting for compensation payments.
The attacks, perpetrated by four British Muslims, threw the spotlight on the threat from homegrown extremism, and the extent of opposition to Britain's foreign policy in Iraq and Afghanistan among the country's 1.6-million-strong Muslim community.
Three years on, Britain is still facing a "severe" threat from terrorism -- the highest level -- according to the security services, with increasingly frequent arrests of suspects under anti-terrorism legislation.
Last year, Jonathan Evans, the head of the domestic intelligence service MI5, said the number of people with suspected links to extremists in Britain had risen from 1,600 in 2006 to at least 2,000.
The government is currently pushing through parliament proposals to increase the pre-charge detention limits for suspected extremists from the current 28 days to 42 days, despite widespread outrage from civil liberties groups.
Britain's multi-cultural model, once held up as an example, has also come under scrutiny, with some suggesting Islamist sentiment is increasing, due in part to segregation and alienation among younger British Muslims.
In a television documentary looking at whether fear of terrorism had fuelled violence and intolerance towards British Muslims, international development minister Shahid Malik said many felt "like the Jews of Europe".
Malik -- Britain's first Muslim minister -- said he was not comparing Muslims' experiences to what Jews experienced during the Holocaust in Nazi Germany.
But in comments due to be broadcast later Monday, Malik said: "In the way that it was legitimate almost -- and still is in some parts -- to target Jews, many Muslims would say that we feel the exact same way.
"Somehow there's a message out there that it's OK to target people as long as it's Muslims. And you don't have to worry about the facts, and people will turn a blind eye."
An ICM survey for the documentary suggested that 51 percent of Britons blame Islam to some degree for the bombings while eight out of 10 Muslims believed their faith had faced more prejudice since then.
6:49 PM
BEIJING (AFP) - - Strong winds helped clear Beijing's skies on Tuesday of the pollution that is threatening the Olympics, but authorities hoping to breathe easy faced pressure over China's human rights record.
After a dismal few days when athletes arriving for the Games were greeted by heavy smog, visibility across the Chinese capital dramatically improved thanks to the winds and Beijing claimed success in its anti-pollution battle.
"We have seen comprehensive measures implemented already and we have seen that they have had comprehensive results," Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau deputy director Du Shaozhong said 10 days out from the Games.
He cited the raft of short-term fixes taken since the start of the month, such as taking one million cars off the road and closing down more than 100 polluting factories, for an improvement of over 20 percent in the air quality.
However it appeared the winds, powered partly by a tropical storm to the southeast, were the key factor in the turnaround from Monday, and Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates said pollution concerns remained.
"There doesn't appear to be a great improvement," Coates said, comparing the situation with when he was last in the Chinese capital in March.
"Let's hope that there are more solutions and that they will kick in and there will be an improvement, that's what we're all hoping for," added Coates, who arrived in Beijing on Monday along with some Australian athletes.
One other controversy swirling around the Games has been the human rights record of China's communist leaders, and Amnesty International and other critics stepped up the pressure over the issue.
"Unless the authorities make a swift change of direction, the legacy of the Beijing Olympics will not be positive for human rights in China," Amnesty said in a report.
"In fact, the crackdown on human rights defenders, journalists and lawyers has intensified because Beijing is hosting the Olympics."
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark also put her name to an Amnesty campaign aimed at pressuring China to improve its rights record ahead of the Games, the rights group said in Wellington.
Clark signed an Amnesty "Olympic legacy banner" and added the message: "My wish is that all nations stop executions."
Adding to rights groups' concerns, a Chinese lawyer said a Beijing-based activist who had campaigned for the rights of people evicted from their homes for the Olympics would go on trial Monday, four days before the Games start.
Ni Yulan , a 47-year-old former rights lawyer who was disbarred in 2002, has already been detained for three months, according to her lawyer, Hu Xiao.
Ni had spent most of this decade assisting victims of forced eviction in the Chinese capital, many of whom lost their homes to make way for Olympic facilities.
Nicholas Bequelin, a Hong Kong-based researcher with Human Rights Watch, said Ni's situation was part of a much bigger problem.
"There's no doubt that the Olympics have had a very negative impact on the human rights situation in China," Bequelin told AFP.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao hit back at Amnesty and other critics, defending the government's human rights record.
"Anybody who knows about China will not agree on this report on the deterioration of the Chinese human rights situation," Liu said in response to the Amnesty report.
"We hope it can take off the coloured glasses it has worn for many years to see China in an objective way."
6:49 PM
SINGAPORE: A good tune—up for the Brazilians — that’s Coach Carlos Dunga’s take on the exhibition match between the Brazilian Olympic Team and Singapore.
Brazil won 3—0 in the game played at the National Stadium on Monday night.
Some 33,000 fans turn up to support the Lions and Brazil, expecting some fancy samba football.
Ronaldinho finally displayed that magic, his back heel seeing Diego powering a low drive to give Brazil the lead.
Having most of the possesion, it was a matter of time before the Brazilians scored the second.
Ronaldinho obliged with an easy effort from close range in the 25th minute.
From then on, it was a dull affair as both sides took it easy.
In the second half, Singapore threatened a little, but not enough for Brazil substitute Jo headed home a third in the 84th minute.
Singapore’s Coach Raddy Avromovic felt that his team did not take their chances well.
Still the game helped his players.
"We help them in their preparation and we help ourselves in some part of the game as the players can see that they can compete for some moments with the top teams," he said.
The Brazilian Coach Dunga felt that his team had performed well under the challenging weather conditions, and their lack of full match fitness.
Captain Ronaldinho, who was mobbed by the media, also gave his and the teams performance the thumbs up.
"I am happy I scored a goal, but more importantly, I created the opportunity for others to score and do well in the Olympics."
The Brazilians leave for Vietnam on Tuesday, the second of their tune—up matches ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
But against Vietnam, the Brazilians can expect a more physically demanding and challenging game as the Vietnamese are known to take their football more seriously.
6:47 PM
HONG KONG (AFP) - - China is using the Beijing Olympics as a pretext to pursue -- and in some cases tighten -- a crackdown on human rights, notably ridding the capital of "undesirables," Amnesty International charged Monday.
Reporting 11 days ahead of the August 8 opening ceremony, the rights group said that despite some minor reforms, authorities had stepped up repression of activists and lawyers to present a picture of stability and harmony.
Amnesty urged the International Olympic Committee and political leaders to do far more to challenge China, warning of even more repressive measures once the spotlight on the Games has faded away.
"Unless the authorities make a swift change of direction, the legacy of the Beijing Olympics will not be positive for human rights in China," it warned.
"In fact, the crackdown on human rights defenders, journalists and lawyers has intensified because Beijing is hosting the Olympics."
Amnesty's report, citing specific cases, said activists who had tied their cause to the Games had been singled out for the pre-Olympics "clean-up," while many others were being detained, imprisoned or placed under house arrest.
"Authorities have used the Olympic Games as a pretext to continue and in some respects, intensify existing policies and practices that have led to serious and widespread violations of human rights," the report added.
It listed a series of recommendations urging China to:
- release all prisoners of conscience;
- stop police arbitrarily detaining activists and dissenters;
- impose a moratorium on the death penalty;
- allow complete media freedom; and
- account for those killed or detained in Tibet.
"It is very disturbing that Chinese authorities have indulged in such a big crackdown on the activists," Mark Allison, China researcher for Amnesty, told AFP.
"These are people who represent many many more people in China."
Officials were also extending the use of punitive administrative detention, notably of activists and petitioners as well as beggars and peddlers, Amnesty said.
In January, Beijing police launched a campaign against "illegal activities that tarnish the city's image and affect the social order," it noted.
In May, authorities adopted a "re-education through labour" law to control various types of "offending behaviour."
In June, authorities in Shanghai sent notices to activists and petitioners ordering them to report to the police every week and barring them from leaving without permission or visiting Beijing until after the Games.
A clampdown on journalists has also intensified in recent months, Amnesty said, citing figures from the Foreign Correspondents Club of China showing as many as 230 cases of reporters being obstructed from interviews this year so far, compared to 180 cases in the whole of last year.
Internet controls have also been tightened up and many websites closed down for providing information deemed sensitive, the group noted.
Amnesty said that journalists working from Beijing's Olympic press centre were unable to access the group's website, as well as those of the BBC, Germany's Deutsche Welle, Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, and Taiwan newspaper Liberty Times.
"This flies in the face of official Chinese promises to ensure 'complete media freedom' for the Games," said Allison.
Such tactics raised concerns that officials would seek to block broadcasts of anything deemed sensitive or inappropriate, despite public commitments by organisers not to cut coverage.
Amnesty said China's crackdown in Tibet earlier this year, and restrictions on reporting there, highlighted the authorities' ongoing censorship.
It urged the IOC and the international community to express concerns publicly and press China to fulfil its obligations on human rights and dissent.
"The danger now becomes that after the Olympic Games, these patterns of serious human rights violations may continue or intensify with even less attention paid by the international community than has been the case so far," it said.
6:47 PM
HAMBURG, Germany (Reuters) - First-class passengers will be able to take a shower at 43,000 feet and enjoy a drink at the upstairs bar on Dubai-based airline Emirates's double-decker Airbus A380s, the airline said on Monday.
Emirates boasted at a ceremony to take delivery of the first of 58 A380s at Airbus's Hamburg plant that the plane would have two bathrooms with showers in its first-class cabins as well as a lounge for premium travellers.
But luxury has its limits, as Emirates President Tim Clark warned passengers could not spend too long relaxing under the jets of water.
"The showers are regulated through a software programme that gives people a five-minute shower, which is ample in most cases," Clark told a news conference, adding that a traffic light system would let passengers know how long they had left.
"If you're on amber and your hair's full of shampoo, you want to get moving."
The shower also complicates attempts by Emirates and Airbus to slim down the superjumbo by some 5 tonnes by 2011/2012 to cut fuel use amid soaring oil prices and increasing calls for the industry to reduce its impact on the environment.
The plane will have to take on board an additional 500 kg of water, an increase of some 25 percent.
But Clark told journalists he was looking for ways to trim weight off the aircraft, such as by reducing the amount of paper.
"At the moment we have 1.8 kg in each seat pocket. We can't be completely paperless," he said, but information associated with sales, such as Duty Free products, currently in paper form was being put onto a retail TV channel, for example.
Emirates was also looking at curtains, carpets and seat-back entertainment hardware for ways to contribute a total of 2 tonnes in weight reduction.
Airbus meanwhile aimed to slim the A380 by a further 3 tonnes, including the airframe and by re-machining components.
"With today's fuel prices, then there's a huge pressure," Airbus programmes chief Tom Williams told Reuters on the sidelines of the event.
"It's shaving. It's not like we're going to go to one section and remove all the weight. It's more a question of trying to get the thing refined and squeezing a few kilos here and there."
Progress was also being made smoothing the A380 production process but the "question is 'does the rate of improvement match the rate of ramp-up in production?' Because of course every week that goes by we see improvement but at the same time of course the production rate's going up," Williams added.
Airbus hopes to reach a maximum production rate of four A380s a month in around three years.
1:05 PM
Walao this stupid Standard chartered bank dun give a damn,they dun let 13 yrs old ppl to join the damn 10km marathon,kns la i wan join lehhh still must wait for the next year end ,u noe wad anot still nid to wait for more than 365 days seh,i dun feel like waiting and i want to join it now!!!!!!!!!!!!10km oso dun let mi join,go die la !!!! still ask me to join the wad...kid run 750m,they think 13 yrs old is kid seh,lolz then dun let us join.some of them want to join oso cannot ar...no more race to take part liao...T_T Let me JOIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1:04 PM
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Investigators probing what punched a gaping hole mid-air in an Australian jumbo jet are focusing on whether it was caused by exploding emergency oxygen bottles, a civil aviation official said Sunday.
If proven, the finding would have implications for other 747 planes around the world, Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson told AFP in Sydney.
The Qantas Boeing 747 was flying to Melbourne on Friday when an explosive bang led to a sudden loss of air pressure in the cabin.
The plane plunged 6,000 metres (20,000 feet) before stabilising and then making an emergency landing in the Philippines capital Manila, where stunned passengers saw a three-metre rip in the fuselage next to the right wing.
"There are two cylinders located pretty much exactly where that hole appeared," Gibson said. "Clearly that is one key focus of the investigation.
"We cannot just say that is the cause, but clearly the fact that two oxygen bottles are in that location, and clearly this was damage caused by some sort of outward pressure, obviously that means that is a key aspect of the investigation.
"It is emergency oxygen for the flight deck."
If confirmed, Gibson said, it would have implications for all of Qantas's 747s and probably for many others around the world.
"Not every 747 is going to have these exact oxygen bottles on them," Gibson added.
Asked if there would be major implications, he added: "It could have. It will affect probably all of Australia's (747s) and there would be others out there."
As the incident was in international air space, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau is leading the probe. The US Federal Aviation Administration is also involved, along with the plane's manufacturer Boeing.
Gibson discounted a report that corrosion was to blame for the incident, saying that although minor rust had been found in the plane during a routine check a few months ago, it was in a totally different part of the aircraft.
Investigators, however, would examine the issue of corrosion in general, he added.
A preliminary report is expected in about 30 days.
12:43 PM
This year upcoming olympic (Beijing 2008) created much surprise as itsa starting in 12 days time ,the olympic opening ceremony is on August 8 and the next days is our nation 43rd birthday,it really does bring much joy as it is rare to see the olympic coming the day before the NDP.Channel 5 bringing a live HD TV screen on the Beijing Olympic and i definetley going to watch it,watching the news that the olympic ticket are fast solding out and i think now already sold out ,seeing chinese riot police standing outside the Beijing natonal stadium guarding as chinese rush to buy the ticket.They all look very .........u noe zzzzz... cos they dun even wait for the ticket to be given to them and when the last tickets comes to hand ,all the ppl rush forward to grab it and even the police have diificulty stopping them,dun they have the patients to wait for their turn ,lolzzs
Sianzzz
12:31 PM
SINGAPORE : While Singapore is increasingly urbanised, some areas are still being used by poachers to set traps for wild animals.
A volunteer from a non—profit nature organisation recently discovered a trap on mainland Singapore.
The large wild animal trap is able to hold between six and eight wild boars.
The trap was not found on Pulau Ubin — where five illegal animal traps were discovered last year — but on mainland Singapore, in the Lim Chu Kang area.
Ben Lee, a volunteer with Nature Trekker — a non—profit organisation — was surprised to find the trap on the evening of July 24.
He also saw three men loitering in the area with a pickup truck. He believed the truck could be used to carry trapped animals out of the heavily forested area.
Mr Lee said, "They are not really professional. They are trapping it for many purposes — maybe for personal consumption, for food..." He added that wild boar meat could fetch up to S$12 per kilogramme.
In February this year, a man was fined S$50 for setting up an illegal net in the Choa Chu Kang area.
Under the Wild Animals and Birds Act, anyone found guilty of killing, taking or keeping unlicensed wild animals or birds can be fined up to S$1,000.
2:11 PM
LONDON (AFP) - - Former world record holder Asafa Powell grabbed a second pre-Olympics 100m win in three days on Friday when he cruised to victory at the London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace.
The Jamaican clocked 9.94sec to win ahead of Trinidad's Marc Burns (9.97sec) in a race which had been originally billed as a clash with world champion Tyson Gay.
However, the American pulled out after failing to recover from the hamstring injury he suffered during the Olympic trials last month.
Powell had defeated compatriot and world record holder Usain Bolt in Stockholm on Tuesday in a time of 9.88sec, but a tough headwind compromised the Jamaican's attempts to press faster on Friday.
Bolt will run in the 200m on Saturday.
"It wasn't as quick as it could have been, but I'm ready," said Powell. "There is some more work to do but everything is looking fine for Beijing."
America's double world champion Allyson Felix left the stadium refusing to discuss her limp 200m performance which so enraged her that she didn't take her place in the 4x100m relay.
Felix was fourth in the 200m in a time of 23.00sec, a time which wouldn't guarantee her a place in the Beijing final in three weeks' time.
The event was won by Jamaica's Sherone Simpson in 22.70sec.
Two weeks after setting her 23rd polevault world record in Rome, Russia's Yelena Isinbaeva narrowly failed in her bid to make it 24 when she attempted to clear 5.04m.
America's Jenny Stuczynski, Isinbayeva's closest rival, only cleared 4.81m and looks powerless to prevent the Russian from successfully defending her Olympic title.
World 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu of Britain won her race, her only outing before Beijing.
Britain's Phillips Idowu, the world indoor champion, won the triple jump with a distance of 17.42m.
"I had to wait until rounds four and five to get going but I've been saying all year that I feel regardless of whatever anyone else does, I'm not going to lose," said Idowu.
In the absence of world 110m hurdles record holder Dayron Robles, David Oliver of America took victory in 13.20sec.
Russia's Andrey Silnov, who missed out on selection for the Olympics, won the men's high jump with a season best leap of 2.38m.
12:42 AM
CANBERRA, Australia - An Australian sports scientist who helped develop a test to detect EPO thinks the abuse by athletes of legal performance-enhancing substances could become a major issue of the Beijing Olympics.
"Beijing will probably be remembered for the abuse of legal drugs like Viagra," Robin Parisotto told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio on Friday. "Any physical activity that goes for longer than two minutes would be a beneficiary of something like Viagra, just like the normal blood doping drugs."
The World Anti-Doping Agency is investigating whether or not to include Viagra on its list of banned substances, but no decision will be taking until after the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Olympics.
EPO, a synthetic hormone which enhances endurance by stimulating the production of oxygen-rich red blood cells, is among the main drugs of choice among cheaters.
Parisotto, who helped design the first recognized EPO test before the Sydney 2000 Olympics, said Viagra had the same benefits as blood doping because of its circulatory effects "and not only in the private parts."
Other substances, like psychological medication, can also enhance performance, Parisotto said.
"To take a drug which will keep your mind clear and focused certainly is another area of drug-taking that would be of benefit to athletes."
Experts are divided over whether Viagra actually offers athletes an edge.
Some sports authorities say the drug is now finding a following among athletes. It isn't clear how many might be taking it in hopes of improving athletic performance.
Viagra, also known as sildenafil, is manufactured by Pfizer Inc. It originally was developed as a heart drug. Its use as a treatment for erectile dysfunction was accidentally discovered.
The drug works by increasing the effects of nitric oxide, which makes blood vessels expand. That should theoretically allow blood cells to get more oxygen from the lungs. It also might improve heart function.
Viagra also is approved to treat pulmonary hypertension, a condition in which the lungs' blood vessels tighten. Doctors have used the drug experimentally to treat pregnant women with high blood pressure and to ward off jet lag.
But whether Viagra makes athletes faster, higher or stronger is uncertain.
"Just because you have more nitric oxide doesn't mean that you are going to be a better athlete," said Anthony Butch, director of the Olympic Analytical laboratory at UCLA. "If you have all the nitric oxide you need, and if you generate more from Viagra, it's not clear what effect that would have."
Some preliminary studies have shown that cyclists taking Viagra improved their performances by up to 40 percent.
"If you have more oxygen going to your muscles, that's more energy and that makes you a better athlete," said Dr. Andrew McCullough, a sexual health expert at the New York University School of Medicine. "Even if it only gives you a 10 percent increase, in peak athletes that is enough to win."
McCullough said Viagra is only likely to help athletes such as runners, cyclists or skiers _ sports where endurance and speed are key. Viagra does not work directly on muscles, so will not make athletes stronger.
12:41 AM
BEIJING - The Olympics are two weeks away, but athletes are already arriving in Beijing.
The Athletes Village, a sprawling complex of high-rise apartments that will lodge 16,000 athletes and officials, formally opens Sunday.
"We want the village to be a cozy place that makes athletes feel like they are coming home," said Deng Yaping, an Olympic table-tennis gold medalist and deputy director of the Olympic Village Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee.
Deng said 35 of the 205 delegations already had some representation in the village.
The village will contain a restaurant that can feed 5,000 people, teahouses, a barbershop, post office, its own fire station, shopping areas, library, a clinic, and coffee shops. Western and Asian cuisine will be available 24 hours a day.
Village restaurants will serve traditional Beijing dishes such as Peking Duck, Chinese-style porridge and hand-shaved noodles.
"Athletes can also request their favorite dishes they're craving from home and we will try our best to accommodate them," Deng said.
Located about a 25-minute walk northwest of the two centerpiece venues for the games _ the Bird's Nest stadium and swimming's Water Cube _ high-rise apartments in the 66-hectare (163-acre) complex will be sold after the games for US$500,000-US$1 million each.
In November, China denied allegations of religious intolerance when media reports surfaced that Bibles would be banned during the games. Since then, organizers have announced that 10,000 copies of the Bible will be distributed in places of worship throughout the Athletes Village.
12:40 AM
SINGAPORE: Football star Ronaldinho said he is on top of his game to help Brazil win their first Olympic gold at the Beijing Games in August.
The two—time World Player of the Year is a midfielder in the Brazilian Olympic Team, which will play an exhibition match against a Singapore Selection on Monday.
He said: "I am very happy to be back on the national team as part of an important competition and as part of such a talented group. I’m very confident and willing to do my best to help the team achieve the gold medal."
Ronaldinho, who has just joined AC Milan, said he is much fitter and happier after a lean spell at Barcelona last season.
And as the oldest player on the Olympic squad, the 28—year—old will also provide the much—needed experience.
Another midfielder on the Brazilian team, Lucas Leiva, said: "He is one of the best players in the world... Hopefully, he will help us and that is the important thing now."
Organisers said ticket sales for the match against Singapore have been slow, but they are confident that come Monday, the National Stadium will be packed.
12:32 AM
BEIJING - Thousands of eager fans who had waited for up to two days swarmed sales windows Friday for the final batch of tickets to next month's Olympic Games, knocking people to the ground and bending metal barricades in the chaotic crush.
Witnesses said scuffles broke out at one ticket site as officials opened additional sales windows at the last minute, causing some fans to stampede ahead of others in a bid to buy some of the 250,000 tickets that went on sale in different parts of the host city.
"It was so unfair," said Ji Liqiang, who waited for 28 hours with Wang Zhenqiang, a fellow businessman from eastern Shandong province, for a chance to buy tickets to the diving competition.
"Those who came late but were able to push forward got the tickets," he said.
The two lost their place in line in the scramble and ended up with tickets to the synchronized swimming instead of diving _ where China is a gold-medal favorite.
"It was very dangerous. I was afraid," Wang said. "People got hurt around me. They fell and injured their knees and elbows. A barricade was bent out of shape by the crowd."
Zhang Xiaojing, 17, who came from Hebei province with her cousin and three friends, said the line was fairly orderly when she arrived Thursday afternoon. But during Friday's rush, only three of her friends were able to elbow their way close enough to be in a position to buy tickets.
"If I'm going to be disappointed, I'm going to be disappointed. But I'm so tired. I didn't sleep last night," she said.
The official Xinhua News Agency said 30,000 people lined up for tickets, but muggy weather with temperatures above 93 degrees Fahrenheit coupled with the long wait made people impatient. Police immediately took actions to maintain order, including limiting access to some areas, it said.
Some journalists were escorted away after going into the off-limit areas, Xinhua said. Hong Kong television showed several journalists pushing back and forth with police.
Footage from Hong Kong Cable TV showed a policeman putting his arm around the neck of a Hong Kong Cable TV reporter and pulling him to the ground. The reporter said he was assaulted after his crew refused to leave a media zone, Cable TV reported. They were seen surrounded by dozens of police.
A spokeswoman for Hong Kong Cable TV said it was "unacceptable" for Chinese authorities to treat the media that way.
"We hope the authorities will live up to their earlier promise to allow full freedom of the press during the Olympic Games," said Shum Siu-wah.
Despite the problems, an Olympic official said the start of the sale went well.
"There were so many people who wanted tickets so we decided to open more ticket windows. ... In general, so far the ticket sale has gone smoothly," said Sun Weide, spokesman for Beijing's Olympic organizing committee.
At Wukesong in the western part of Beijing, tens of thousands of people were lined up to buy tickets for the popular basketball competition. About 20,000 basketball tickets were expected to go on sale.
In addition to the tickets for Olympic events in Beijing, another 570,000 tickets are on sale for soccer matches in co-host cities: Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang and Qinhuangdao.
All told, 6.8 million Olympic tickets have been available for domestic and foreign sales. The Olympics start Aug. 8.
Though previous Olympic Games have had problems filling seats for less popular events, venues in Beijing are expected to be filled with enthusiastic fans. Some tickets were given away to school groups and government work units in an effort to present packed stadiums to television viewers around the world.
In November, organizers were embarrassed when the computer system crashed, forcing organizers to sack the Olympic ticketing chief and revert to a lottery system to sell tickets.
Organizers have said they are taking precautions against fake tickets and black market scalping, both of which are common in China. Buyers on Friday were limited to two tickets per person to discourage scalpers.
Xinhua said Thursday that Beijing police have detained 60 suspects for scalping Olympic tickets in the past two months, citing a police spokesman. Those found selling tickets on the black market can face 10 to 15 days in detention, Xinhua said.
Still, Olympic tickets can easily be found online, though few sellers openly advertise the resale price. In sports that are unpopular in China, like baseball, 50 yuan ($7.30) tickets were offered at 1000 yuan ($150). Other tickets were being resold for 100 times the face value, Xinhua said.
12:25 AM
9:48 PM
BEIJING (AFP) - - Police struggled on Friday to control surging crowds of more than 50,000 people desperate to grab the last Olympic tickets in Beijing, as a Hong Kong journalist trying to cover the chaos was detained.
Frustration boiled over as the fans -- many of whom had been queueing for two days -- jostled to maintain their spot in the long line as latecomers tried to force their way into prime positions.
At one point the surging crowd broke through a control barrier and lurched towards the ticket counters, sparking a sharp reaction from police.
In hot and dusty conditions, some groups in the crowd chanted insults at the officers, who were seen dragging people out of the line and kicking and punching them before leading them away.
"The police didn't have a clue how many people would come here and there was no organisation at all, it was chaos," said Wang Zhongliang, a delivery worker for UPS.
It was the last chance for Chinese to buy tickets for the Games, with 250,000 on sale at several locations in Beijing from 9:00am (0100 GMT) for events including athletics, diving, and gymnastics.
Demand was so high that more than 10,000 people were in a line by Thursday at one of the main ticket selling centres near the Olympic Stadium, district police chief Xiong Xingguo said.
By early Friday huge reinforcements of police were moved in to maintain order as numbers ballooned to between 40,000 and 50,000 at that one line alone, Xiong said.
Xiong conceded that police had been taken by surprise by the demand.
"The situation was chaotic and difficult," he said. "Once the newspapers released the news about the ticket sale, too many people came at once so we had a security problem."
Amid the confrontations, an AFP reporter saw police manhandle and lead away Felix Wong, a photographer with Hong Kong's South China Morning Post. Staff at the newspaper's headquarters told AFP he was detained for several hours.
A Beijing Olympic spokeswoman confirmed to AFP that Wong was detained, but said it was because he was disobeying police orders to leave a restricted zone and had injured a police officer.
Despite the chaos, the sales did offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to some fans, such as 23-year-old Lei Peng, who had slept on the footpath for two nights.
The engineering graduate from eastern China's Anhui province managed to score two seats to one of the hottest events of the Games -- the final of the men's 110m hurdles.
Chinese hopes for an athletics gold medal rest on defending Olympic and world champion 110m hurdler Liu Xiang.
"It was hard but worth it," said Lei, who had been queuing since midday on Wednesday.
Han Ruxiang, 76, had spent two nights sleeping on a bamboo mat so that he and his 67-year-old wife could see the finals of the diving competition.
"How can you be Chinese and not go to the Olympics when it is in China?" he said. "I am tired but so happy."
The demand has fuelled a flourishing black market in selling tickets at a massive profit, even though ticket touting has been outlawed. Police have arrested 60 touts over the past two months, according to state media reports.
Outside Beijing, 570,000 tickets for football matches went on sale in football competition host cities Tianjin, Shanghai, Qinhuangdao and Shenyang.
Altogether around seven million tickets were up for sale for the Games, with around 75 percent going to China's vast domestic audience, with the rest made available overseas through each country's National Olympic Committee.
Friday's release of tickets was the fourth and final round of sales for the August 8-24 Games.
9:46 PM
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9:45 PM
BAGHDAD - Just two weeks before the start of the Olympics, Iraq was told Thursday it's not welcome in Beijing because of a political feud in Baghdad that angered the games' guardians and exiled a country that arrived to a roaring ovation at the opening ceremony four years ago.
The International Olympic Committee told Iraqi sports officials in a letter that it would uphold its ban imposed in June after the government in Baghdad replaced its national Olympic panel with members not recognized by the IOC.
The IOC had called the move unacceptable government interference.
In Iraq, it also smacked of the lingering sectarian bitterness between the new Shiite power brokers and the Sunnis who were once favored under Saddam Hussein _ whose son, Odai, ran the nation's Olympic committee as a personal fiefdom and was accused of torturing athletes who came up short.
"Clearly we'd very much like to have seen Iraq's athletes in Beijing," said IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies. "We are very disappointed that the athletes have been so ill-served by their own government's actions."
But Davies suggested there was still a possibility for last-ditch talks to salvage Iraq's place before the games open Aug. 8.
"If there can be some movement and if a resolution can be found, that's still an open door," she told CNN. When asked if there's a window of about a week, she said "Correct."
At the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, the crowd at the opening ceremony rose to its feet as the small Iraqi team entered the stadium for the first Olympics since the fall of Saddam. The team was led by Najah Ali, a 106-pound boxer who carried the red-white-and-green flag. Later, the pint-sized underdog pumped his fists after winning a bout in an early round and shouted from the ring that his victory was "a symbol of freedom."
Iraq's soccer team also became one of the feel-good stories of Athens when it made a surprising run to the semifinals _ only to be defeated by Italy 1-0 in the bronze-medal game.
This year, at least seven Iraqi athletes were expected to compete in Beijing in sports including weightlifting, rowing and archery. Their spots were given to other nations by the IOC.
Iraqi sports officials reacted with disbelief and outrage as they watched the efforts for Beijing vanish. Iraq has only one medal _ a bronze in weightlifting in 1960 _ since its first appearance at the Summer Olympics in 1948.
"Unjust," said Fawzi Akram, a member of the sports committee in parliament. "Iraq is passing through an exception period and should be given special consideration."
The official who received the IOC's letter _ Jassim Mohammed Jaafar, the minister of sport and youth _ grumbled: "We reject this unfair decision."
But it's been coming to a head for months.
In May, Iraq's government dissolved the 11-member National Olympic Committee. Among the claims was that it was illegitimate because it lacked enough members for a legal quorum _ even though four members of the committee, including its chief, were kidnapped two years ago and their fates remain unknown.
There's also possible echoes of Iraq's sectarian rifts. The Youth and Sports Ministry is dominated by Shiites who also control the government. Iraq's Olympic Committee had included several holdovers from the Saddam era.
The IOC banned Iraq in June, but said it was open for talks. Iraq, too, promised to meet the IOC and present "solid evidence" of corruption, unfair elections and other alleged failings by the committee.
But on Thursday, the IOC said the deadline to open negotiations had run out _ just as athletes begin their final preparations for Beijing.
"We are deeply sorry for this result," said the IOC letter.
Iraq is not the first country to miss an Olympics because of government interference.
In the most recent case, Afghanistan was prevented from sending a team to the Sydney Games in 2000 when the Taliban regime's heavy hand extended to sports.
The U.S. Olympic Committee also had a stake in the Iraq team, signing an agreement in 2006 to help with training for Beijing.
White House press secretary Dana Perino expressed disappointment.
"I'm sure that the Iraqi athletes who have trained so hard and were finally going to represent a country that is free and sovereign and working to establish its democracy, they have to be terribly disappointed, and I'm disappointed for the athletes as well," she said.
While many Iraqi officials rallied behind the government, the mood among fans was sour.
"The (IOC) decision will be a catastrophe for Iraqi sports," said Dia Hussein, coach of the Iraq Police Soccer team, which plays in the national league. "I blame the Iraqi government for bringing this on the country."
Yaroub Kadim, a 22-year-old university student, described sports as "one of the only real lifelines connecting everyone in the country."
There's a cruel irony in the suspicions that sectarian power plays may have sunk Iraq's Olympic hopes. Sports has become one of the few genuine sources of national unity since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
In July 2007, Iraqis erupted with joy when their national team _ the Lions of the Two Rivers _ won the Asia Cup. Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds poured into streets lined with blast walls to celebrate, shoot guns in the air and bask in a common Iraqi pride.
The soccer team was also hit by a ban by the sport's governing body, but was lifted in time for Iraq to compete in the World Cup qualifying tournament. Sports figures also have joined the long rolls of civilians killed in the war.
The Olympic cycling coach, national wrestling coach, a soccer federation member and a prominent volleyball player have been killed, most in 2006 during the height of sectarian slayings.
(This version CORRECTS SUBS 10th graf to correct number of athletes to at least seven sted five. )
9:45 PM
LONDON (AFP) - - Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell has warned his Olympic rivals that he is back to his best after the shoulder injury that threatened to wreck his Beijing gold medal challenge.
Powell expects to provide further evidence that he has made a complete recovery from a shoulder problem which sidelined him for several weeks when he runs in the London Grand Prix on Friday.
The 25-year-old laid down a marker by recording a season's best of 9.88seconds on Tuesday to defeat fellow Jamaican and world record holder Usain Bolt.
Powell, who has clocked times under 10 seconds 37 times in his career, has arrived in England full of confidence ahead of a meeting that will play a key role in his preparations for next month's Games in China.
"I got very nervous with the shoulder injury and I thought to myself my Olympic Games is over," Powell said.
"Now I'm still running 9.88secs so I'm content. I forgot what it takes to run a fast race - I was trying too hard and I do better when I don't try too hard."
Powell took a cheeky swipe at Tyson Gay's withdrawal from the event with a hamstring injury when he appeared to hint that his rival was hiding from racing aganst him.
"If you know someone is better than you, hiding from them won't make it better," he said "To run together as much as possible is no problem.
"Tyson not running, makes no difference to me."
With Gay ruled out, Powell has the perfect opportunity for another morale-boosting victory.
But he admitted success in London would mean nothing unless it is followed by gold in Beijing.
"It won't mean a thing, what is important to all of us is what happens in Beijing next month," Powell said.
"Going away with two wins - I'm used to that, but it won't make a big difference to me because anything can happen at the Olympic Games."
Despite Gay's absence from Crystal Palace there are still several sub-10 second sprinters in the field, prompting the suggestion Powell could claim back his world record.
"Of course it's possible but I've never once gone onto a track thinking about a world record. So I always surprise myself when I do it," he added.
Bolt, despite being the world's fastest man, still has to decide whether to run the Olympic 100m or compete over 200m which he admits is his favourite event.
The 21-year-old former world junior champion's decision could come after his outing over the half-lap distance at the London meeting's second day on Saturday.
Bolt, who will be defending his London title, said: "My coach has still given me no clue. It's a good thing, making me prepared to do either event but the important thing, whatever I do, on my mind is the gold medal."
The 6ft 5in sprinter, after running 19.67secs over 200m for the world's fifth fastest ever time a fortnight ago, believes coach Glen Mills will definitely give his decision after watching his form at the Palace.
"If the weather's good I can run a fast time but a personal best's not a factor for me," said Bolt.
"I need to improve some features of my race before Beijing."
9:44 PM
SINGAPORE: Five—time world champions Brazil have never won the Olympic gold medal, but they are determined to win at next month’s Beijing Games.
The Brazilians are taking their warm—up games against Singapore and Vietnam seriously before heading to the Chinese capital.
The Brazilians are not wasting any time after arriving in Singapore. They got down to training a day later as Ronaldinho and company are on a mission.
Not surprisingly, the Brazilian Olympic Team know little of their opponents — but they will be doing their homework.
Diego, Midfielder, said: "We know very little about the Singapore team, but we are going to get to know more soon. We are going to watch videos of Singapore games and get to know more about them."
Coach Carlos Dunga said there is little time for the Brazilian team to prepare for the Olympics, and the tune—up in Southeast Asia is crucial.
Despite the big task at hand, the visitors have been gracious, inviting six young Singaporeans to train with them.
The Brazilians are indeed serious about their Olympic preparations. They will be training daily until their match against a Singapore selection side on Monday.
3:08 PM
SINGAPORE: More than 500 screaming fans turned up at Changi Airport to welcome the players of the Brazilian football team, with star player Ronaldinho clearly the favourite.
The Brazilian Olympic team will play a Singapore selection at the National Stadium on July 28.
The trip to Singapore is part of their two—stop practice camp.
After Singapore, they are off to Vietnam on July 29, before heading to Beijing for the Olympics.
Brazil has never won the Olympic gold before, yet they are hot favourites this time round.
7:05 PM
QUETTA, Pakistan (AFP) - - At least six Pakistani paramilitary troops and 30 separatist rebels have been killed in clashes in the troubled southwestern province of Baluchistan, security officials said Monday.
Security forces launched a major operation against rebel camps in the gas- and mineral-rich province after a convoy of Frontier Corps soldiers came under attack on Saturday, the officials said.
Troops also arrested 30 militants and destroyed two insurgent bases used for plotting attacks in the operation near Uch, a town in the restive Dera Bugti district of Baluchistan, they said.
Impoverished Baluchistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has seen a recent flare-up in attacks by ethnic Baluch tribes seeking more political rights and a greater share of profits from the region's natural resources.
"Six Frontier Corps men have been killed and around 30 militants have been arrested. Militants have been killed in a big number but I don't have the exact figure," a senior Pakistani security official told AFP.
Other intelligence officials in Quetta said however that at least 30 insurgents, including three rebel commanders, had been killed. Twenty-two rebels were killed on Sunday alone in the heaviest of the clashes, they said.
"The entire operation started after these militants fired on a Frontier Corps convoy," the senior security official said.
"There were two camps there of these militants, they were destroyed last night. The militants were using these two camps to destroy (electricity) pylons, carry out bomb blasts and other terrorist activities," he said.
Dera Bugti is near Pakistan's biggest natural gas field and was formerly the base of late Baluch rebel leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, who was killed in a military operation in August 2006.
Hundreds of people have died in violence in the province since the insurgency flared in late 2004, but until recently it had quietened down after Bugti's death.
The province has also been hit by attacks blamed on Islamist Taliban militants, but officials say that the separatist insurgents do not have links to the hardliners.
Pakistani officials have previously accused rival India of sponsoring the separatist rebels from its consulates in southern and eastern Afghanistan, a charge that New Delhi denies.
Last Wednesday a bomb blast in the town of Mastung, 35 kilometres (22 miles) south of the provincial capital Quetta, wounded 14 people, including eight security personnel.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
7:03 PM
HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwe, grappling with a record 2.2 million percent inflation, has introduced a new 100-billion-dollar bank note in a bid to tackle rampant cash shortages, the central bank said Saturday.
The new note will go into circulation on Monday, the bank said in a statement cited by state media, joining about half a dozen new high denomination notes already issued this year.
In January, a 10-million-dollar note was issued, then a 50-million-dollar note in April. In May, notes for 100 million and 250 million dollars were issued, swiftly followed by those for five billion, 25 billion and 50 billion.
The southern African nation, currently gripped by a post-election crisis, has been ravaged by hyperinflation which shot up from 165,000 percent in February to 2.2 million in June.
Independent economists however believe the official inflation figure is grossly understated, estimating it could be running between 10 million and 15 million percent.
Zimbabwe's chronic economic crisis has left at least 80 percent of the population living below the poverty threshold and mass shortages of basic goods in shops.
7:00 PM
SINGAPORE — A cash reward of S$1 million is being offered for information leading to the apprehension of Mas Selamat inside or outside Singapore.
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng revealed this in Parliament on Monday in response to a question on fugitive JI leader Mas Selamat.
The million dollar reward has been put up by two private individuals who approached the Home Affairs Ministry.
DPM Wong said the individuals had asked the ministry to operationalise their proposal because they wished to remain anonymous to protect themselves, families or business interests in the region from becoming a target for retaliation.
The House was also reminded that the Singapore Police Force, as a policy does not offer cash rewards for information on fugitives and unsolved crimes,
or for assistance from the public.
However, the authorities do not object if private corporations and individuals wish to offer cash reward as a labour—supply company and a non—government organisation did in March, offering $50,000 and $5,000 respectively for information on Mas Selamat.
On the whereabouts of Mas Selamat, the DPM said that up till now, Singapore’s security agencies have not received any information from their Indonesian counterparts to confirm that the JI fugitive is hiding in Indonesia.
Neither has domestic intelligence shown that the Singapore JI leader has left the country.
"We obviously cannot dismiss the possibility that Mas Selamat could have managed to escape Singapore for another country. Singapore is not a fortress" added Mr Wong.
However, if Mas Selamat has escaped abroad, DPM Wong said Singapore will work with the relevant foreign counterparts to track him down and bring him back into custody in Singapore.
Parliament was told that given the time since Mas Selamat’s escape, the scenario of Mas Selamat being harboured by sympathisers inside or outside Singapore must logically be treated as increasingly plausible. However, there is no intelligence at present to substantiate it said Mr Wong.
8:57 PM
HERAT, Afghanistan (AFP) - - Nine policemen were killed in Afghanistan Sunday in international military air strikes called in when police and troops clashed after mistaking each other for Taliban, authorities said.
The "friendly fire" incident occurred before dawn when Afghan and international soldiers moved into a district in the southwest without informing police, who thought they were militants, the deputy governor of Farah province said.
"An engagement took place, each side thinking the other was the Taliban," said Mohammad Younus Rasouli.
The troops called for air support and military attack aircraft arrived and bombed a police post, he said. Nine police were killed and five wounded.
Rasouli said NATO's International Security Assistance Force had carried out the strikes, but ISAF said it was an operation by the separate US-led coalition. The coalition confirmed an incident and said it was investigating.
Rasouli said the police chief of Farah's Anar Dara district, on the border with Iran, was among the wounded and was in a serious condition.
The incident comes as US presidential hopeful Barack Obama is visiting Afghanistan to find out how international efforts against extremist militants trying to overthrow the Afghan government are progressing.
There have been several deadly incidents of "friendly fire" in Afghanistan, where many local and international security forces are involved in a growing fight against Taliban insurgents.
Earlier this month a British helicopter mistakenly opened fire on a group of British soldiers in Helmand province, injuring nine of them, three seriously, the defence ministry said.
In January nine Afghan policemen were killed in the central province of Ghazni by US-led soldiers hunting militants, Afghan officials said.
ISAF meanwhile said Sunday that its soldiers had killed four Afghan civilians by accident when mortar rounds landed off target in the eastern province of Paktika near the border with Pakistan.
"An ISAF unit on a fire mission accidentally killed four civilians, with an unconfirmed further three deaths," it said in a statement. "Four civilians were also wounded and are now under treatment by ISAF forces."
It is the latest incident in which the international soldiers helping the Afghan government have killed civilians by mistake.
The US-led coalition admitted last week that it had killed eight civilians in an air strike targeting militants in Farah. Afghan officials said nine women and a boy were killed.
The coalition and ISAF are also investigating official Afghan reports that 64 civilians were killed in two strikes in northeastern Afghanistan early this month.
One hit a wedding party, killing 47 people including the bride, an investigation appointed by President Hamid Karzai found.
Civilians are regularly caught in the crossfire of the insurgency launched after the hardline Islamic Taliban regime was removed from power in late 2001 in a US-led invasion for harbouring Al-Qaeda.
Most are killed in rebel attacks, but dozens have also been killed in military action this year.
On Sunday, three children were killed in the southern province of Hemland when a bomb blew up a minivan, provincial police chief Mohammad Hussien Andiwal said. Two children and two adults were wounded.
Taliban fighters attacked a police post in the same area around midnight and two of the attackers were killed in the ensuing fight, Andiwal said.
The defence ministry said in a statement meanwhile that its soldiers had killed nine "terrorists" in an operation to secure the road between Kabul and Kandahar, a dangerous route along which Taliban are active.
And 18 were killed in a week of action in Kandahar province's volatile Panjwayi district, it said.
8:56 PM
ANKARA (AFP) - - Three German climbers kidnapped earlier this month by Kurdish rebels in eastern Turkey were freed Sunday, the Turkish foreign ministry announced.
"(Turkish) Foreign Minister Ali Babacan called his opposite number in Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to tell him that the three German citizens are now in the hands of Turkish forces and are in good health," said spokesman Burak Ozugergin.
The trio -- Helmut Johann, Martin Georpe and Lars Holper Reime -- were seized by separatist rebels from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) on July 8 during a climbing expedition to Mount Ararat in Agri province.
Agri Governor Mehmet Cetin told the press that the rebels "were forced to release the hostages because the army operations aimed at freeing them were tightening their grip."
The men were released on a mountain in the region and were picked up 30 minutes later by police, the spokesman said.
"They are currently undergoing health checks and then will be handed over to the German authorities so they can return to their country," Cetin said at a televised news conference.
The rebels had said they would hold the hostages until Berlin ended its crackdown on PKK supporters in Germany, which is home to about 2.4 million immigrants from Turkey, including about 600,000 Kurds.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a personal appeal for the release of the Germans, but Steinmeier at the time rejected the demands for a change in policy in return for their freedom.
Listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and much of the international community, the PKK has waged a bloody campaign for self-rule in the Kurdish-majority east and southeast since 1984.
The conflict has claimed more than 37,000 lives, but the group's attacks in the past 10 years have usually targeted security forces rather than civilians.
3:15 PM
SYDNEY, Australia - A veterinarian in Australia plunged his arm up to his shoulder into the throat of a rare shark to save the animal after it swallowed a grappling hook.
David Blyde reached between the jaws of the 10-foot (3-meter) gray nurse shark to dislodge the hook, which was stuck in the animal's digestive tract, leaving a long metal handle sticking from its mouth.
Divers spotted the shark Monday as it swam with a group of others near Byron Bay, 500 miles (800 kilometers) north of Sydney, Trevor Long of the Sea World marine park said Friday.
Rescuers from the park lassoed it with a noose to capture it and lifted it into a holding tank. They rolled its onto its back before pushing a stiff plastic pipe into the shark's throat over the hook's handle.
Blyde then reach down through the pipe, which protected his arm from the shark's teeth as he freed the hook.
"As a veterinarian you often end up putting your hands in places that people find somewhat unattractive," Blyde told Seven Network television.
The delicate operation took about 45 minutes, and the shark was expected to fully recover, Long said.
"There was only a couple of times when the shark became feisty and David had to get his hand out _ quickly," he told Seven.
The gray nurse shark is one of Australia's most endangered marine species after being fished to near-extinction, with some estimates running as low a fewer than 300 animals left in the wild in waters off the country's east coast.
They live mostly in shallow coastal waters near reefs or rocky caves, feeding in fish and rays and growing up to 13 feet (4 meters) long. They are not considered a threat to people.
3:14 PM
QUNU, South Africa (AFP) - - Nelson Mandela, the icon of the anti-apartheid movement and South Africa's first black president, was marking his 90th birthday Friday as tributes poured in from around the world.
Mandela, whose stint as head of state between 1994-99 came after three decades behind bars, was to enjoy a private party with his family at his rural homestead in the Eastern Cape before a glittering bash on Saturday.
Friday also marks 10 years since Mandela's wedding to his third wife Graca Machel who has been at the head of a long queue wanting to sing his praises.
"He is simply a wonderful husband ... and we enjoy every single day as if it is the last day," Machel, the widow of the former Mozambican president Samora Machel, told CNN television.
"When we married we didn't know we'd be given 10 years together. We have been very lucky."
One of Mandela's grand-daughters, Ndileka Mandela, said the family was planning "a surprise" for him in Qunu.
"We don't want to give too much away as it would be like knowing what's in a present before opening it," she told AFP.
"For him it is a special day, but for all of us too."
Celebrations of Mandela's birthday have been ongoing for several weeks, including a massive concert last month in Hyde Park, London, to raise funds for his AIDS charity while limited edition coins and stamps bearing his image have been launched to also generate money for his charitable foundation.
The current South African President Thabo Mbeki and the new leader of Mandela's beloved African National Congress (ANC) Jacob Zuma are among a group of some 500 guests due to attend Saturday's get-together in Qunu.
But events are also taking place up and down the country, including a boxing tournament in honour of the former amateur pugilist, and a concert in Johannesburg's landmark Mandela Square.
Ahead of his birthday, hundreds of thousands of well-wishers have been paying their respects on special websites, in newspaper notices and on radio stations.
F.W. de Klerk, the last president of the apartheid era South Africa, described Mandela -- who spent 27 years in prison for tyring to overthrow the whites-only regime -- as one of the greatest figures of the 20th century.
"After his inauguration, Nelson Mandela used his personal charm to promote reconciliation and to mould our widely diverse communities into an emerging multicultural nation. This, I believe, will be seen as his greatest legacy."
Sepp Blatter, president of football's world governing body FIFA, described him as the "epitome of grace and dignity, a man with determination to overcome even the greatest odds", as he recalled the key role played by Mandela in bringing the 2010 World Cup to South Africa.
Mandela retired from public life four years ago but has continued to be involved with his charity foundation, raising millions of dollars for AIDS charities and to help underprivileged children.
7:01 PM
KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan police spokesman says unknown gunmen have kidnapped two Turkish nationals in western Afghanistan.
Spokesman Rauf Ahmadi says authorities found the Turks' abandoned car along with their passports west of Herat city, near the border with Iran.
He says the two men worked for a road construction company in the area. They disappeared on Monday.
There have been a number of kidnappings in Herat province in recent months, mainly targeting Afghans.
Most of the kidnap cases there are of a criminal nature and not linked to the Taliban insurgency.
7:01 PM
KABUL, Afghanistan - An insurgent raid that penetrated an American outpost in eastern Afghanistan, killing nine soldiers, has deepened doubts about the U.S. military's effort to contain Islamic militants and keep locals on its side.
Moving in darkness before dawn Sunday, some 200 fighters surrounded the newly built base in a remote area near the Pakistan border without being spotted by the troops inside, said Gen. Mohammad Qasim Jangalbagh, the provincial police chief.
He said people in the adjacent village of Wanat aided the assault. About 20 local families left their homes in anticipation of the raid, while other tribesmen stayed behind "and helped the insurgents during the fight," Jangalbagh said.
The result was the deadliest incident for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since June 2005, when 16 American soldiers were killed as a rocket-propelled grenade shot down their helicopter.
Violence has been increasing in Afghanistan, and many people are questioning whether the Taliban-led insurgency is gaining, not losing, momentum seven years after the hard-line Islamic regime was ousted by a U.S.-led invasion.
The coordinated assault at Wanat sent a strong signal to other insurgent groups that "America cannot resist them anymore," said Tamim Nuristani, who was fired as provincial governor last week by President Hamid Karzai's administration for criticizing a U.S. airstrike that Afghan officials say killed civilians July 4 in the same area as Sunday's attack.
Nuristani said the attackers at Wanat were a mix of Afghan- and Pakistan-based militants, some with al-Qaida links _ a sign, he said, that cooperation is growing between what had been often fractious factions fighting the Western military presence in Afghanistan.
"The (attackers) were not only from Nuristan but from other districts," Nuristani said. "They are not only Taliban. They were (Pakistan-based) Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Hezb-i-Islami, Taliban and those people who are dissatisfied with the (Karzai) government after these recent incidents. They all came together for this one."
The attack _ which U.S. and NATO officials said happened in Kunar province but which Afghan officials said was in neighboring Nuristan _ reinforced recent assessments by U.S. officials that militant attacks are becoming more complex and better coordinated.
A NATO official said the attackers used houses, shops and a mosque in Wanat for cover during the hours-long battle.
The militants showered the small base _ which had been established just three days earlier _ with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar shells, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information.
Some of the militants breached the wall and got inside, killing nine American soldiers and wounding 15 others, he said.
Other American soldiers managed to drive out the attackers and called in air support. Attack helicopters swooped over the battlefield, and in hours of fighting dozens of insurgents were killed and about 40 were wounded, the NATO official said.
The official described the militant raid as "serious," but also said it was a rarity for insurgents to get inside a base.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack expressed regret that American lives were lost, but argued the attack was a sign of the pressure being put on the insurgency.
The U.S.-led coalition and NATO military mission, which together have about 60,000 soldiers, have long maintained that insurgents can now operate only in small groups and have lost every battle with the militarily superior Western forces.
Yet the insurgents' ability to assemble a large militant force to launch the attack undetected and with the apparent complicity of locals is a worrying signal for U.S. commanders.
A Western official with detailed knowledge of the area said the raid underlined questions about the military campaign against the Taliban.
There is "overwhelming evidence that anti-coalition elements are operating effectively and that our counterinsurgency strategy is not successful ... because it has not addressed the most basic need to bring security to the people and devised a means to separate the people from the enemy," said the official, who agreed to discuss the sensitive issue only if not quoted by name.
Nuristan has been a tough nut to crack for any central authority for centuries and was a hub of resistance against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Its rough terrain _ mountains with forests, deep ravines and countless caves and gorges _ provides a well-protected gateway from Pakistan's lawless tribal areas where al-Qaida and Taliban fighters find haven.
7:00 PM
WASHINGTON: Insurgent attacks have put US and NATO forces on the defensive in eastern Afghanistan, an area recently touted as a counter-insurgency success but now a focus of spreading insecurity, analysts say.
In the latest attack, at least nine US soldiers were killed Sunday when insurgents stormed a remote combat outpost in Kunar province near Pakistan.
It was the deadliest attack against US forces since 2005, but it followed a trend of bolder and more capable insurgent operations as Pakistan's new government has taken a hands-off approach to militant sanctuaries in its tribal areas.
"It's very serious because NATO is already under a lot of pressure," said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer now at the Brookings Institution.
"There used to be one deteriorating front, the front in the south. Now that we see the situation in the east is heating up too, it really stretches NATO and American resources very far," he said.
Increasingly concerned about the rising violence, the Pentagon has begun shifting the weight of its combat operations to Afghanistan but within constraints on available forces imposed by the war in Iraq.
It has repositioned an aircraft carrier from the Gulf to the Arabian Sea to support military operations in Afghanistan, extended the deployment of 2,200 Marines in the south and is weighing deeper troop cuts in Iraq to free up more soldiers.
Currently there are 36,000 US troops in Afghanistan, and 150,000 in Iraq, the Pentagon said.
Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, meanwhile made an unannounced visit to Islamabad over the weekend to urge the Pakistan military to do more to stem the flow of insurgents into Afghanistan.
"Part of the effort here is not just militarily in Afghanistan, but it's working with our Pakistan colleagues, and the Pakistani government in addressing the situation on the Pakistan side of the border," said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman.
But Pakistan has shown little willingness to get tough on insurgents.
On Monday, Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai directly accused the Pakistani intelligence services of fomenting the violence, charges that some experts regard as credible.
"It shows that there is a real breakdown in trying to build a common front between Afghanistan, Pakistan and India against the Islamic extremists. And that is not good news," said Riedel.
Sam Brannen, an expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the ability of US and NATO forces "to impact events and to really know what is going on ends at the Pakistani border," said
"It is a 2,400 kilometre border. It is very difficult to defend in the best of times, but these are not the best of times," he said.
The sense that the war is shifting in the Taliban's favour in the east also undermines support for NATO forces in the area, he said.
"The tribes in that region are notorious for shifting allegiances. And the winning party, whoever is on top, enjoys their support," he said.
"I think you're seeing a growth in the number of recruits of young men who are joining up for the jihad. So the tables are turning just when Pakistan is taking more of a laissez-faire approach to that area again," he said.
US military officials have noted that not only is the incidence of attacks up but they have grown more sophisticated.
Hundreds of militants were reported to have taken part in Sunday's assault, an hours-long engagement that officials described as fierce and well-organised.
Last month, Taliban insurgents succeeded in blasting open a prison in the southern city of Kandahar and freeing hundreds of captured insurgents.
Analysts see further evidence of the Taliban's expanded reach in the July 7 suicide bombing at the Indian embassy in Kabul, which killed as many as 60 people, and the attempted assassination of President Hamid Karzai at a military parade in April.
"We've definitely seen the Taliban learn from its mistakes, and employ tactics which are much more similar to the tactics we've seen Iraqi insurgents using," said Riedel.
"And there is good reason to believe that is not an accident, that al-Qaeda is providing the link between insurgent tactics in Iraq and insurgent tactics in Afghanistan," he added.
6:59 PM
As of Monday, July 14, 2008, at least 473 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department. The department last updated its figures July 5 at 10 a.m. EDT.
Of those, the military reports 332 were killed by hostile action.
Outside the Afghan region, the Defense Department reports 65 more members of the U.S. military died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Of those, two were the result of hostile action. The military lists these other locations as Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba; Djibouti; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Jordan; Kenya; Kyrgyzstan; Philippines; Seychelles; Sudan; Tajikistan; Turkey; and Yemen.
There were also four CIA officer deaths and one military civilian death.
___
The latest deaths reported by the military:
_ No deaths reported.
___
The latest identifications reported by the military:
_ Army Master Sgt. Mitchell W. Young, 39, Jonesboro, Ga.; died Sunday when his vehicle struck an explosive in Kajaki Sofla, Afghanistan; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.
6:58 PM
KABUL, Afghanistan - U.S. troops on Monday reinforced a remote military outpost after well-armed militants got inside and killed nine American soldiers in the deadliest assault on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in three years.
Sunday's assault has deepened doubts about the U.S. military's ability to contain Islamic militants. Attacks in Afghanistan are becoming more complex, intense and better coordinated than a year ago, U.S. officials say.
The militants with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars attacked the remote base in the village of Wanat in the mountainous northeastern province of Kunar at about 4:30 a.m. Sunday, with insurgents firing from homes and a mosque.
It was a "concerted attempt" to overrun the small base near the Pakistan border that was built only about three days ago, said an official with NATO's International Security Assistance Force.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information, estimated the attacking force was several hundred.
Gen. Mohammad Qasim Jangalbagh, the police chief of Nuristan province, where Afghan officials have said the attack took place, said there were 200 militants involved in the raid.
The militants got inside the outpost, the reason the fighters were able to inflict such high casualties, said a second military official who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
After the breach, U.S. troops pushed back against the invading militants, and attack helicopters swooped in. The second official said more than 40 insurgents were killed in the fighting. Fifteen U.S. soldiers also were wounded.
"We mourn the loss of life here," U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. "Instead of looking at it necessarily from the perspective of the Taliban or terrorists being more aggressive in coming after NATO or U.S. forces or Afghan forces, in this particular case it was an example of NATO, U.S. and Afghan forces being aggressive in combatting cross-border infiltration."
The latest assault came at a time of rising violence in Afghanistan.
Monthly death tolls of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan surpassed U.S. military deaths in Iraq in May and June. And last Monday, a suicide bomber attacked the Indian Embassy in Kabul, killing 58 people in the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since 2001.
U.S. officials are considering drawing down additional forces from Iraq in coming months, in part because of less violence in Iraq and the need for additional U.S. troops in Afghanistan. U.S. officials have said they need at least three more brigades in Afghanistan _ or more than 10,000 troops.
NATO confirmed nine of its soldiers had been killed and 15 wounded. A Western official said the nine dead were Americans, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the troops' nationalities. Four Afghan soldiers also were wounded, NATO said.
The attack was the deadliest for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since June 2005, when 16 American troops were killed in Kunar province when their helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade.
Afghanistan's government on Monday accused Pakistan's army and its intelligence service of supporting the insurgency and said it is suspending a series of meetings planned for coming weeks. Pakistan, which formally supported the Taliban before joining the U.S.-led war on terror, denies the allegations.
Mark Laity, a NATO spokesman in Kabul, said it was not yet clear whether militants had crossed from Pakistan to conduct the attack.
But Tamim Nuristani, who was sacked as provincial governor last week after criticizing a U.S. air strike that killed civilians, said that attackers were a mix Afghan- and Pakistan-based militants, some with al-Qaida links _ sign of the growing cooperation between often-fractious jihadi factions in combating the Western military presence in Afghanistan.
Also on Sunday, a suicide bomber targeting a police patrol killed 24 people, including 19 civilians, while U.S. coalition and Afghan soldiers killed 40 militants elsewhere in the south.
More than 2,300 people _ mostly militants _ have died in insurgency-related violence this year, according to an Associated Press tally of official figures. Attacks in eastern Afghanistan are up 40 percent this year compared with last year.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned during a visit to Kabul last week that there are more foreign fighters, including al-Qaida members, in Pakistan's tribal areas, militants who cross the border and launch attacks against U.S. and Afghan troops.
6:57 PM
KHARTOUM (AFP) - - The United Nations prepared on Tuesday to fly non-essential staff from Darfur as supporters of Sudan President Omar al-Beshir planned protests in Khartoum to denounce the world court prosecutor's call for him to be arrested for alleged war crimes.
On Monday, the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court asked for an arrest warrant against Beshir , accusing him of 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur .
The African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission announced the staff "relocations" as Sudan promised it would do its utmost to protect peacekeepers and humanitarian workers, but said there could be no security guarantee.
Sudanese and Western officials have widely predicted that the ICC move -- seen by many in Sudan as an assault on national sovereignty -- could spark violent relatiation against Western embassies and UN peacekeepers.
"It's not an evacuation. We're temporarily relocating staff, some non-essential staff. This will probably begin today," said Josephine Guerrero, spokeswoman in Darfur for the UN-led peacekeeping mission.
"UNAMID is not pulling out. All the forces are going to be on the ground and humanitarian operations are continuing," she added, referring to the joint UN-African Union force.
A UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the move, ordered by UNAMID force commander Martin Agwai, affected only about 1,800 police and 1,000 civilians who are to leave the country temporarily in coming days.
A UNAMID statement linked the move to an ambush by heavily armed militia last Tuesday in which seven peacekeepers were killed and 22 others wounded.
The Sudanese capital was bracing for angry protests against the ICC move, after Beshir's National Congress Party announced on Monday it would organise a demonstration starting at 1:00 pm (1000 GMT).
Organisers said the protest would begin at Khartoum University, go past the UNDP office, the British embassy and the UN headquarters in Khartoum.
ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told journalists in The Hague on Monday that the Sudanese head of state had "personally instructed" his forces to annihilate three ethnic groups in the western Sudanese region.
"His motives were largely political. His alibi was a counter-insurgency.' His intent was genocide," he said.
It was the first time the ICC prosecutor has sought an arrest warrant for a sitting head of state and the first time it has levelled accusations of genocide.
Sudan does not recognise the ICC and refuses to hand over two other Sudanese -- including a current cabinet minister -- who face outstanding arrest warrants for alleged crimes in Darfur and said Monday's move damaged peace efforts.
In his first public appearance after the accusations were levelled, Beshir danced, punched the air in delight with his trademark walking stick and shouted 'God is Great' at an elaborate ceremony to ink the new Sudanese electoral law.
Sitting on a podium in the giant Chinese-built Friendship Hall in Khartoum before more than 500 supporters and Sudan's most senior leaders, Beshir was given roars of support as he stood to sign the landmark legislation.
The law paves the way for national elections due next year as part of a 2005 north-south peace deal in a move towards democratic transformation.
Vice President Ali Osman Taha said Sudan was in contact with the permanent members of the UN Security Council in a bid to block a formal arrest warrant. The council has the power to intervene to defer any prosecution for a year.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro that he was "very worried" by the possible fallout of any indictment of Beshir.
His office called on Khartoum to "continue to cooperate fully with the United Nations in Sudan, while fulfilling its obligation to ensure the safety and security of all United Nations personnel and property".
Darfur has been wracked by conflict since 2003. The United Nations says up to 300,000 people have died and displaced some 2.5 million from their villages.
The African Union warned the indictment of Beshir would create a power vacuum that risked "military coups and widespread anarchy".
Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Membe, speaking on behalf of AU chair President Jakaya Kikwete, urged the ICC to defer bringing charges "because there is a risk of anarchy in a proportion we have not seen in this continent."
The Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference have also voiced concern that Ocampo's action could undermine peace efforts in Sudan, and the United States called on all parties to stay calm.
The US government said it was bolstering security for its staff in Sudan and press secretary Dana Perino said President George W. Bush is "gravely concerned" by increasing violence in Darfur.
7:10 PM
SINGAPORE, July 10 - Bangkok was voted the world's best city for 2008 and the Galapagos were picked as the best islands in an online poll by Travel + Leisure magazine, trumping last year's winners Florence, Italy and Bali, Indonesia.
Magazine readers also voted Singita Sabi Sand, at the Kruger National Park, South Africa, as the world's top hotel while Singapore Airlines grabbed the best airline award again.
It was the first time that Bangkok, the vibrant capital of Thailand, and the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador topped their respective categories, said Nancy Novogrod, editor-in-chief of Travel + Leisure.
Last year, Bangkok was ranked number 3 and the Galapagos number 8. The 2007 winners of best city and best island -- Florence an Bali -- fell to number 5 and number 2 respectively.
"We're delighted to welcome so many new winners this year," she said in a statement. "Nature, and adventure, were clearly a draw in the selections."
Last year's number one hotel, the Oberoi Udaivilas in India, fell to number 4 this year. Singita Sabi Sands was voted the number two hotel in 2007.
The results were complied from votes by magazine subscribers in an Internet poll which went live between January and March. Travel + Leisure will honour winners on July 24 in New York City.
The complete "World's Best Awards" is available on www.travelandleisure.com. Following are some highlights:
Best city - Bangkok, Thailand
Best hotel - Singita Sabi Sand, South Africa
Best island - Galapagos, Ecuador
Best cruise line - Crystal Cruises
Best cruise line - Silversea Cruises
Best international airline - Singapore Airlines
Best domestic airline - Virgin America
Best tour operator - Micato Safaris
Best car-rental agency - Hertz
Best hotel for $250 or less - Domaine des Hauts de Loire, France
7:09 PM
BEIJING (AFP) - - Chinese police have this year detained 82 suspected terrorists in the nation's Muslim-populated far northwest who were planning to attack the Beijing Olympics, state media reported on Thursday.
The 82 belonged to five groups that "allegedly plotted sabotage against the Beijing Olympics," Xinhua news agency reported, citing the head of the police in Urumqi, the capital of remote Xinjiang region that borders central Asia.
It was the first time that Chinese officials had given a total number of suspects detained in a series of raids this year.
The announcement came a day after state press said police shot dead five Muslims who allegedly wanted to launch a "holy war".
Exiled members of Xinjiang's Turkic-speaking Uighur population have denied that such a terrorist threat exists in the region.
They have accused the Chinese government of exaggerating or fabricating the threat as an excuse to crack down on all forms of dissent ahead of next month's Games.
Urumqi police chief Chen Zhuangwei however insisted that the terrorist threat was very real, reportedly saying that 41 illegal places of worship in Xinjiang had been closed because they were training grounds for "holy war".
"From now, all police officers must act urgently, get involved once more in Olympic security, to make sure huge and small incidents alike do not happen," Chen said, according to the Xinjiang Daily newspaper.
7:08 PM
TOKYO - A Japanese labor bureau has ruled that one of Toyota's top car engineers died from working too many hours, the latest in a string of such findings in a nation where extraordinarily long hours for some employees has long been the norm.
The man who died was aged 45 and had been under severe pressure as the lead engineer in developing a hybrid version of Toyota's blockbuster Camry line, said Mikio Mizuno, the lawyer representing his wife. The man's identity is being withheld at the request of his family, who continue to live in Toyota City where the company is based.
In the two months up to his death, the man averaged more than 80 hours of overtime per month, according to Mizuno.
He regularly worked nights and weekends, was frequently sent abroad and was grappling with shipping a model for the pivotal North American International Auto Show in Detroit when he died of ischemic heart disease in January 2006. The man's daughter found his body at their home the day before he was to leave for the United States.
The ruling was handed down June 30 and will allow his family to collect benefits from his work insurance, Mizuno said.
An officer at the Aichi Labor Bureau on Wednesday confirmed the ruling, but declined to comment on the record.
In a statement, Toyota Motor Corp. offered its condolences and said it would work to improve monitoring of the health of its workers.
There is an effort in Japan to cut down on deaths from overwork, known as "karoshi." Such deaths have steadily increased since the Health Ministry first recognized the phenomenon in 1987.
Last year, a court in central Japan ordered the government to pay compensation to Hiroko Uchino, the wife of a Toyota employee who collapsed at work and died at age 30 in 2002. She took the case to court after her application to the local labor bureau for compensation was rejected.
7:40 PM
ISTANBUL (AFP) - - Three unidentified gunmen and three Turkish policeman were killed in a shootout outside the US consulate in Istanbul, provincial Governor Muammer Guler said Wednesday.
The assailants were killed at the scene, the governor told reporters, adding that they had "directly" targetted the police post outside the high-walled US consulate in the district of Istinye.
One policeman died on the spot, while two others succumbed to their injuries in hospital. Another policeman and the civilian driver of a police truck were injured.
Prosecutors specialising in terrorism cases had launched an investigation into the incident, Guler said, adding that guns and rifles were seized at the scene.
Television footage showed a bloodied body, covered with newspaper, lying in the street.
No consulate personnel were injured, the spokeswoman of the US embassy in Ankara, Kathy Schallow, told AFP.
The three assailants jumped from a white car and opened fire at the police checkpoint around 11:00am (0800 GMT), a witness told NTV television.
The security forces returned fire, killing all three gunmen.
The shootout lasted about eight minutes, witnesses said.
The white car, driven by a fourth accomplice, drove off after the attack and immediately became the target of a major police hunt.
The police post was situated outside a gate for visa applicants from where steep steps lead up to the fortified consulate building.
The consulate was moved to its current high-security location in 2003 as foreign missions across the world enhanced security measures following the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York.
The most recent attack on a foreign mission in Turkey was in 2003 when Al-Qaeda militants detonated a car bomb outside the British consulate in Istanbul, and simultaneously attacked the British HSBC bank.
6:48 PM
LONDON (AFP) - - London marked the third anniversary Monday of the suicide bombings on the city's transport network, with ceremonies at blast sites as survivors and the victims' families remembered the deadly attacks.
A total of 56 people were killed, the four bombers included, in the July 7, 2005 blasts that tore through three London Underground trains and a bus at the height of the morning rush hour.
London Mayor Boris Johnson, the government's London minister Tessa Jowell and transport chiefs were among those who laid flowers outside King's Cross railway station at 8:50 am (0750 GMT).
Johnson's tribute on his wreath read: "We honour the memory of those who died on 7/7 2005, we salute the courage of those who were injured and our thoughts and prayers are with all victims and their families."
The event was exactly three years on from when three bombs ripped through the Tube trains at the height of the morning rush hour.
Survivors and families of the 52 victims visited the three Underground stations -- Russell Square, Aldgate and Edgware Road -- where the bombs went off, and Tavistock Square, where another home-made bomb later wrecked a double-decker bus.
Compared to the first anniversary in 2006, subsequent anniversaries of the attacks have been low-key. Twelve months after the bombings, there was a national two-minute silence and a day-long memorial programme.
Dozens of the victims' families and some of the 700 who were injured are still waiting for compensation payments.
The attacks, perpetrated by four British Muslims, threw the spotlight on the threat from homegrown extremism, and the extent of opposition to Britain's foreign policy in Iraq and Afghanistan among the country's 1.6-million-strong Muslim community.
Three years on, Britain is still facing a "severe" threat from terrorism -- the highest level -- according to the security services, with increasingly frequent arrests of suspects under anti-terrorism legislation.
Last year, Jonathan Evans, the head of the domestic intelligence service MI5, said the number of people with suspected links to extremists in Britain had risen from 1,600 in 2006 to at least 2,000.
The government is currently pushing through parliament proposals to increase the pre-charge detention limits for suspected extremists from the current 28 days to 42 days, despite widespread outrage from civil liberties groups.
Britain's multi-cultural model, once held up as an example, has also come under scrutiny, with some suggesting Islamist sentiment is increasing, due in part to segregation and alienation among younger British Muslims.
In a television documentary looking at whether fear of terrorism had fuelled violence and intolerance towards British Muslims, international development minister Shahid Malik said many felt "like the Jews of Europe".
Malik -- Britain's first Muslim minister -- said he was not comparing Muslims' experiences to what Jews experienced during the Holocaust in Nazi Germany.
But in comments due to be broadcast later Monday, Malik said: "In the way that it was legitimate almost -- and still is in some parts -- to target Jews, many Muslims would say that we feel the exact same way.
"Somehow there's a message out there that it's OK to target people as long as it's Muslims. And you don't have to worry about the facts, and people will turn a blind eye."
An ICM survey for the documentary suggested that 51 percent of Britons blame Islam to some degree for the bombings while eight out of 10 Muslims believed their faith had faced more prejudice since then.
