Aid crisis amid Pakistan violence
11 June 2009
The nine charities said they needed $42m to provide emergency supplies for 2.5 million displaced people.
They have fled fighting between the army and the Taliban which has spread to other parts of the north-west.
In South Waziristan, dozens of militants attacked army posts stationed in a tribal region.
Three soldiers were killed in the co-ordinated attacks on bases in Jandola, Chakmalai and Splitoi towns in South Waziristan.
South and North Waziristan are semi-autonomous tribal districts where al-Qaeda and the Taliban are believed to be entrenched.
Waziristan has been described by US officials as "the most dangerous place on earth". It is said to harbour some of the world's most wanted men including al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.
Two jets land safely after fire outbreaks
A Jetstar flight with 203 passengers and crew aboard landed safely in Guam early Thursday after a fire broke out in the plane's cockpit, the airline said.
A JetStar passenger jet takes off from Changi Airport in Singapore in this 2007 photo.
"It is understood there was smoke in the cockpit followed by the right hand cockpit window area catching fire before being extinguished" about four hours into the flight, according to a statement from Jetstar.
Flight 20 was en route from Osaka to Australia's Gold Coast when the problems developed.
The plane was an Airbus A330 -- the same model as the Air France plane from Rio de Janeiro to Paris plunged into the sea with 228 passengers and crew on board last week.
A replacement jetliner was set to retrieve the passengers and take them to Brisbane International Airport.
The fire in the Jetstar plane follows a similar incident in the cabin of an American Airlines Boeing 767 on Tuesday evening.
UN concern over Sri Lanka camps
But the government rejected the suggestion, saying that it aimed to resettle most by the end of this year.
About 250,000 people fled the final bloody phase of the civil war between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels.
Meanwhile, a human rights group accused the government of failing to probe rights abuses during the conflict.
It was in the final weeks of the war that hundreds of thousands of civilians streamed out of rapidly-diminishing rebel-held territory.
They were ultimately housed in government-run camps in the district of Vavuniya.
United accept record $130M offer for Ronaldo
Ronaldo is set to smash the world record transfer fee if he agrees to move to Real Madrid.
The English champions have given the big-spending Spanish giants permission to talk to the World Player of the Year, according to the United Web site.
United said on Thursday that the Portugal winger had again expressed his desire to leave Old Trafford, and the club now expect the deal to be concluded by June 30.
Madrid confirmed on the club's Web site that it hoped to seal an agreement with Ronaldo "in the coming days."
Real, who have fallen behind bitter rivals Barcelona, have swooped to follow up the $92 million signing of Brazil star Kaka from AC Milan earlier this week. What's your view? Tell us what you think about Ronaldo joining Real.
Real held the previous record when they paid €77 million (now worth $108 million) for Zinedine Zidane in 2001.
The club's president Florentino Perez said after the Kaka deal was concluded that he would do "everything possible" to sign the 24-year-old Ronaldo, as he sought to build a new empire that would match his first stint at the Bernabeu.
