Myanmar military charges Suu Kyi

Myanmar's military government has charged Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's opposition leader, with violating the terms of her house arrest after an American allegedly sneaked into her home, her lawyer says.Kyi Win, the lawyer, said the Nobel Peace laureate's trial would start on May 18, adding that she could be jailed for up to five years.Critics have denounced the trial at Insein prison in Yangon, the former capital, where Aung San Suu Kyi and two women who live with her were taken by police on Thursday.

The say such a trial could be used to justify another extension of her home detention which officially expires on May 27.

Zin Linn, the director of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, a pro-democracy group that supports Aung San Suu Kyi, told Al Jazeera there was an "ulterior" motive to the trial.

Taliban wants 'new world order'

Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, has said that his country's fight against the Taliban is not just a domestic battle but one that the whole world needs to be aware of. Speaking during a news conference in London with Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, Zardari said the Taliban are seeking to create a "new world order" and that more effort was needed by the international communty to defeat the fighters.Standing alongside Brown, Zardari said: "It [the Taliban's cause] is a long-term endeavour and we are both united to fight against this endeavour which is challenging our way of life and wants to change the way of life of the world."The president's comments came as the Taliban in Pakistan warned politicians from the Swat valley that they and their families will be attacked unless they quit their posts in protest against the continuing army offensive in the troubled region.Brown, who promised $18m in humanitarian aid for civilians fleeing the fighting in Swat valley, said: "We will help provide shelter, water, food and sanitation for those people who have been displaced as a result of these terrorist acts. But there's scope for us to do far more."We [Britain and Pakistan] need a more comprehensive approach and we need therefore a new concordat, spanning economic development, strengthening our institutions, improved security through deeper co-operation on both counter-terrorism and other issues."

Stealth Bomber Snapped At The Sound Barrier

The US military has released a spectacular photograph showing its B-2 stealth bomber as it approaches the sound barrier over the Californian desert.The B-2, officially known as the Spirit Bomber, has been captured on camera reaching high subsonic speed during a flight over Palmdale, near Los Angeles.The image has been released to coincide with the announcement of upgraded military software for the United States Air Force's fleet of 20 B-2s.A statement from technology group Semantic Designs, which designed the flight management system software, said the project "will enhance and extend the lifetime of the B-2".The aircraft's unusual design and use of composite materials makes it difficult to be detected by enemy radar.The US Air Force operates twenty B-2 stealth bombers, some of which have been used in action in Iraq and Afghanistan.The B-2 can travel as high as 50,000ft and weighs 153,700lbs without its payload of bombs.

Cricket makes place in Asian Games 2010

The sound of leather against willow will be heard for the first time at an Asian Games next year after the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced that cricket had been added to the programme on Wednesday.Earlier this week, the OCA general assembly gathered in Kuwait and approved a proposal to include cricket as a discipline at the 16th edition of the multi-sports event in Guangzhou, China.The popular Twenty20 format has been selected for the Nov. 12-27 Games, with gold medals available for both men and women."India and Pakistan were the drivers," OCA president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah said in a statement."Pakistan and India will come with their best teams because it will be a big competition.”"Asia's four test-playing nations have committed to sending their best available teams," the statement added.India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the four test-playing nations from the region, had automatically qualified for the competition along with hosts China, the statement said.

Deccan Chargers vs Delhi Daredevils

Delhi Daredevils won by 12 runs.It was the third game in the IPL this year where Deccan have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. First they lost to Royals in the last over, then against Punjab they lost it to Lee and Chawla. Then today was the mother of all goof up's as they collapsed spectacularly. DC will take a long time to recover from today's defeat.What a match this has been. Gilchrist got Deccan off to the perfect start, smashing 64 off 33 balls but once he departed things slowed down a bit. Symonds continued his good form and brought Deccan close before Rajat Bhatia gatecrashed their party, removing Symonds and Dwayne Smith in one over to seal things for Delhi. The pressure was too much for the lower order with Deccan caving in quickly. 7 wickets fell in the space of just 17 balls for the addition of only 12 runs.HYD 161-all out (19.4 Ovs) | DEL 173/7 (20.0 Ovs)

Google Announces Search Engine Changes

Web giant Google has unveiled changes to its search engine to let users to "dig deeper" into results.he developments include automatic tables of information on a subject, arrange results by date and genre, and a GPS phone app for naming stars in the sky.Google believes the changes will keep their search engine ahead of rivals such as Yahoo and Microsoft's Live search.They currently have 63% of the US search market to Yahoo's 20%.Vice President Marissa Mayer said search technology is "in its infancy" and Google engineers hope to identify the next big thing first.Innovations unveiled include Google Squared, which does not return page results but arranges what appear to be facts from across the web.For example, a search for breeds of dog could return a table of types, names and sizes.Rich Snippets offers more detail in the preview text below web page links.This is aimed at those searching for reviews, as it could offer average scores or price ranges for a restaurant.

Atlantis Crew Grabs Hubble Space Telescope

It's rendezvous day for the crew of space shuttle Atlantis.At around 1:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday, as Atlantis was over the Pacific, astronaut Megan McArthur used the shuttle's 50-foot robot arm to grasp the school bus-sized Hubble Space Telescope.She'll use the arm to bring it into the shuttle's cargo bay.Over the next week, other astronauts will go on five spacewalks to repair Hubble for the last time.Because of the cloud of space debris in Hubble's orbit, the Atlantis crew members are running an especially high risk of collision with another object.Space shuttle Endeavour is on standby at Cape Canaveral in case a rescue mission is needed. The astronauts can't get to the International Space Station from Hubble's orbit.

Intel to appeal EU fine of 1 billion euros

US computer chip giant Intel has hit back at the European Commission's record 1.06-billion-euro fine for anti-competitive practices, saying it would fight the ruling with an appeal in EU courts.EU antitrust regulators fined US chip giant Intel a record 1.06 billion euros (1.45 billion dollars) on Wednesday, claiming it abused its stranglehold on the semiconductor market to crush its main rival.The company hit back, saying it would fight the ruling with an appeal in EU courts, raising the spectre of a new antitrust saga between Brussels and a US technology giant after Microsoft's years of European legal battles.The European Commission, Europe's top competition watchdog, accused Intel of using illegal loyalty rebates to squeeze rivals out of the market for central processing units (CPUs) -- the brains inside personal computers.The Santa Clara, California-based company dominated the 22-billion-euro (30-billion-dollar) market for the ubiquitous x86 CPUs with a 70-percent share during the more than five years it was accused of breaking EU antitrust rules."Intel has harmed millions of European consumers by deliberately acting to keep competitors out of the market for computer chips for many years," EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said. "Such a serious and sustained violation of the EU's antitrust rules cannot be tolerated," she added.

Moscow warns of future energy wars

Russia has warned that military conflicts over energy resources could erupt along its borders in the near future, as the race to secure oil and gas reserves gains momentum.A Kremlin policy paper, which maps out Russia's main challenges to national security for the next decade, said "problems that involve the use of military force cannot be excluded" in competition for resources.The National Security Strategy's release coincides with a deadline for countries around the world to submit sea bed ownership claims to a United Nations commission, including for the resource-rich Arctic.The paper, signed off by Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's president, says international relations in the next 10 years will be shaped by battles over energy reserves."The attention of international politics in the long-term perspective will be concentrated on the acquisition of energy resources," it said.

Govt has popular support for its actions: Gallup survey

Pakistani army troops patrol near a makeshift camp

A Gallup poll survey released Wednesday says the Pakistan government may have some popular support for its actions despite a major offensive against Taliban insurgents which has displaced more than half a million Pakistanis.According to the survey conducted in December, before the current military operation, nearly half of Pakistanis (47 per cent ) believed the Taliban's presence in some areas of the country has a negative influence; 14 per cent said it has a positive influence and 39 per cent had no opinion.The survey concludes that although much has changed in Pakistan since the Gallup survey, with a troubled economy and many Pakistanis struggling to afford food and shelter even before this crisis, any popular support for the offensive could hinge on how Pakistan handles the internal refugee situation.In the event that the offensive successfully drives out the Taliban, what the government does then will be nearly as crucial to Pakistan's future as the military operation itself.Displaced Pakistanis who escaped the fighting will need help with rebuilding their homes, schools, and businesses when and if they return home. They will also require some type of assurance that the government will continue to pressure the militants and keep them from returning again.In the NWFP, where a resurging Taliban has used often-brutal tactics to extend its control in the last year, roughly half of residents (49 per cent ) told Gallup in December that the presence of the Taliban has a negative influence. While only 10 per cent in this province said the Taliban had a positive influence, 41per cent said they did not know or would not say.Sizable percentages in the Sindh (44 per cent ) and Punjab (60 per cent ) provinces also saw the Taliban's influence as negative. However, the picture looked different in the province of Baluchistan, where some fear the Taliban will flee during the military operation. Here, similar percentages said the Taliban's influence is positive (21 per cent ) as said its influence is negative (22 per cent ) and the highest percentage of any region (58 per cent ) said they did not know or would not say.

UK pledges 12 mn pounds for Pakistan IDPs

Britain Prime Minister Gorden Brown has announced 12 million pounds in aid for the internally displaced persons affected by the military operation against militants in north west of Pakistan.Addressing a joint press conference with President Asif Ali Zardari who visited 10 Downing Street Wednesday, Brown assured his country’s all-out support to Pakistan in its war against militants in its territory.“We want the elimination of militants’ sanctuaries besides assuring that these elements could not be helped with concealed monetary assistance,” Brown told the newsmen, adding that his country wants to pour more aid in Pakistan’s northern and border areas to root out extremism from there.Praising Pakistan’s role in war against militants he said that the people of both Pakistan and Britain are the victim of terrorism.“We also discussed strategic ties between the two countries,” Brown told the newsmen about his meeting with Zardari. To a query Brown said that he didn’t discuss the issue of induction of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in President Zardari-led Pakistani government in his meeting with party chief Mian Nawaz Sharif held during his recent visit to Pakistan.President Asif Ali Zardari said that his country is doing his best to root out extremism from its territory.

Pakistani Troops Find Headless Corpses Left By Taliban Attackers

Troops secured footholds Wednesday in a Pakistani valley overrun by the Taliban, killing 11 enemy fighters and discovering five headless corpses near the region's main town, the army said.Elsewhere in the turbulent northwest, police said dozens of assailants stormed a transport depot handling supplies for NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan and torched eight trucks before escaping.Rising violence, including a string of attacks on NATO and U.S. supplies, have fed concern that more of Pakistan's border region is slipping from government control and into the hands of the Taliban and Al Qaeda.Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned Wednesday that the threat militants pose to both countries is very real."Terrorists and extremists are extending their reach in whole areas of our countries," Karzai told a regional economic conference in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.Under strong U.S. pressure, Pakistani authorities abandoned peace talks last month with Taliban militants and launched a military operation to expel them from their stronghold in the Swat Valley.The army claims to have killed more than 750 militants since the operation began. But the fighting has also driven some 800,000 people from their homes, creating a humanitarian emergency that could undercut support for the pro-Western government.The army said Wednesday that commandos airlifted into the valley the day before had established a "firm hold" in the remote Piochar area, the rear base of Swat Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah.Troops were also consolidating their positions near a strategic bridge and a shrine in the valley, an army statement said. Various clashes in the previous 24 hours left four soldiers and 11 militants dead, it said.The five headless bodies were found near the valley's main town, Mingora, the army said, giving no details of the victims' identities. Residents have said the Taliban have repeatedly decapitated opponents and dumped their bodies in Mingora.The army has yet to start operations in Mingora, where witnesses say Taliban insurgents are in control and preparing for what could be bloody door-to-door fighting.

After voting ends, exit polls put Congress ahead

Voting in India's marathon elections ended Wednesday, with notoriously inaccurate early exit polls giving the ruling Congress party an edge over the opposition bloc led by the Hindu nationalist BJP. The official result will be announced Saturday.Voting in India's marathon elections ended Wednesday, with early exit polls giving the ruling Congress party and its allies a slight edge over the opposition bloc led by the Hindu nationalist BJP.Neither grouping was seen as getting close to the 272 seats required to secure a parliamentary majority.Exit polls have proved notoriously inaccurate in previous Indian elections, and the official result will only be announced by the Election Commission on Saturday.The first two surveys carried by news channels both put the Congress-led coalition ahead, with one predicting a final tally of 191 seats, against 180 for the alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).The other put the lead at 195 seats to 189 seats.Saturday's count is expected to trigger a frantic round of political horse-trading as both alliances scrabble among a multitude of regional parties for the extra partners needed to form a viable government."Everything will depend on numbers," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh acknowledged at a press briefing this week.The world's largest democratic exercise wrapped up when polling stations across seven states closed after the fifth and final phase of the month-long ballot, which began way back on April 16.Whatever formation emerges to govern India's 1.1 billion people, observers say it will likely be an unwieldy coalition that will struggle to present a united front at a time when India is facing a sharp economic downturn and numerous foreign policy challenges.

Nationwide strikes planned to protest rising fuel costs

Nigeria's labour leaders plan a series of rallies around the nation to protest the planned privatisation of oil concerns, which some feel will hike up prices in a nation already beset by poverty and a lack of basic utilities.Nigeria’s main labour movement is planning rallies around the country to protest against the threat of rising fuel prices, a low minimum wage and lack of progress with electoral reform in Africa’s top oil exporter.The protests are due to begin with a march in the commercial capital Lagos on Wednesday before moving to Asaba, capital of the southern Delta state and the northern cities of Kano and Maiduguri over the next 10 days.A second phase of demonstrations is planned for other cities around Africa’s most populous nation, said Owei Lakemfa, spokesman for the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), an umbrella labour movement which is co-ordinating the planned action.“Generally the Nigerian people are not happy about the government because it has not met the minimum demands,” he said.“These protests are a midway between the dialogue we have been trying to hold with government and a national general strike. If the government does not respond we will move to the next phase,” he added.The ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said the protests may be used by “desperate elements to cause chaos and anarchy” and called on labour leaders to return to the negotiating table.

Obama seeks to block release of detainee-abuse photos

In a reversal, US President Barack Obama has objected to the release of dozens of photographs showing the abuse of terrorism suspects, fearing the pictures could fuel anti-American sentiment and trigger a backlash against US troops.In a reversal, President Barack Obama objected on Wednesday to the release of dozens of photographs showing the abuse of terrorism suspects, fearing the pictures could trigger a backlash against U.S. troops.The Obama administration had said last month it would comply with a court order to release the pictures by May 28, amid concerns that they could fan the flames of a political firestorm over the treatment of terrorism suspects and other detainees during George W. Bush’s presidency.A U.S. official said Obama told his legal team last week that he did not feel comfortable with the release of the photos although in no way did he excuse the behavior of those responsible for tough interrogation tactics.“The president strongly believes that the release of these photos, particularly at this time, would only serve the purpose of inflaming the theaters of war, jeopardizing U.S. forces, and making our job more difficult in places like Iraq and Afghanistan,” the official said.

Pakistan conflict map

A map produced by the BBC suggests only 38% of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and surrounding areas is under full government control.The map, compiled by the BBC's Urdu language service, was based on local research and correspondent reports as well as conversations with officials.It shows the Taleban strengthening their hold across the north-west.Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari rejected the findings, telling the BBC it was an "incorrect survey".He was speaking after talks in London with UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who pledged £12m ($18m) in humanitarian aid for north-west Pakistan.Mr Zardari said the two countries were united in fighting the threat to their countries' democratic way of life, and also repeated assurances that his country's arsenal was in safe hands.There was an international outcry recently when the militants moved into Buner district, just 100km (67 miles) from Islamabad.Pakistan has continued its military offensive to regain control of the region, and has reported the deaths of 11 militants in the Swat valley in the past 24 hours.Residents trapped in Mingora, the main town in Swat, told AFP news agency by telephone that militants had planted mines and were digging trenches.