Pakistani troops battle Taliban
Pakistani troops battle Taliban in streets for control of strategic town Nasa calls off Atlantis shuttle landing Mormon book used in Suu Kyi trial Civilians die in bloody Somali combat Knox DNA on murder knife, say police Tory MP MacKay to quit parliament
STREET fighting erupted in the main town of Pakistan's Swat Valley yesterday as security forces mounted a new phase of their offensive against Taliban militants, said the military. The battle for control of Mingora is crucial to the success of the offensive launched this month to regain control of the Swat Valley and stem a spreading Taliban insurgency.
"Street fighting has begun in Mingora," military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told a news conference. He said government forces had cleared parts of the town, but fierce clashes were under way in the centre of Mingora and 17 militants had been killed.
He added that the operation would be slow as security forces wanted to avoid civilian casualties. He feared militants could use civilians as "human shields".
Nasa calls off Atlantis shuttle landing
Space shuttle Atlantis and its astronauts have been forced to spend yet another day in orbit.
Nasa called off all landing attempts yesterday because of thunderstorms in Florida. Mission Control told the astronauts the weather was not cooperating at Kennedy Space Centre, but that it was looking up for today. Atlantis and its crew are trying to wind up their Hubble Space Telescope repair mission. The $1bn (€720m) overhaul should keep the telescope working for another five to 10 years.
Mormon book used in Suu Kyi trial
Several items left by an uninvited US visitor, including a book on the Mormon faith and a letter, could be used to convict and imprison Burma pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on charges of violating her house arrest, a state-run newspaper said yesterday.
Prosecutors accused Suu Kyi of accepting the items left by John W Yettaw, the Myanmar Ahlin newspaper said. Yettaw, a Mormon, swam across a lake to her Yangon home under the cover of darkness earlier this month and entered her compound uninvited.
Civilians die in bloody Somali combat
Government forces fought hardline Islamist insurgents yesterday in Somalia's capital for a second day running to try to regain control of the city.
Heavy fighting killed at least 45 people, more than half of them civilians, and wounded nearly 200 on Friday, in one of the bloodiest days of combat in Mogadishu in months. Western governments fear Somalia, which has been mired in civil war for 18 years, could become a haven for militants linked to al-Qaeda.
Knox DNA on murder knife, say police
A police forensic expert testified that a knife prosecutors say might have been used to kill a British student bore traces of the DNA of a US co-defendant in the murder trial in Perugia.
Amanda Knox is being tried in an Italian court for the 2007 murder of roommate Meredith Kercher in their rented apartment in the Umbrian university town. Also on trial for Kercher's murder is Knox's former Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito. Prosecutors have alleged that Ms Knox's DNA was found on the handle of a kitchen knife that might have been the murder weapon, while Kercher's DNA was found on the blade of the knife.
Tory MP MacKay to quit parliament
Tory MP Andrew MacKay announced he would quit parliament at the next general election after a public backlash against his expenses claims.
His decision followed a rowdy public meeting in his Bracknell constituency, when he was urged to quit. His MP wife Julie Kirkbride is also under pressure to go.
