| Pakistan reopens key Afghan border crossing to Nato convoys Fuel tankers roll as 11-day blockade is lifted after US apologises for air strike that killed two Pakistani soldiersPakistan reopened a key border crossing to Nato supply convoys heading into Afghanistan today, ending an 11-day blockade imposed after a US helicopter strike killed two Pakistani soldiers.The closing of the Torkham crossing to Nato vehicles stranded many fuel tankers at parking lots and on highways where they were vulnerable to almost-daily militant attacks, in which more than 150 trucks were destroyed and drivers and police were wounded.The reopening of the north-west crossing came four days after the US apologised for the 30 September helicopter attack, saying the pilots mistook the soldiers for insurgents being pursued across the border from Afghanistan."I am very happy that our difficult days have finally ended and we are through now," said driver Khan Rehman minutes before he drove the first truck into Afghanistan just after noon. "I am thankful to the government of Pakistan for ending our hardship."By early afternoon, around 10 vehicles had crossed into Afghanistan through Torkham and authorities were working to clear hundreds that had been stranded for days, said customs official Ataur Rehman."We have cleared a bunch of oil tankers and containers after customs formalities, and the first few vehicles have already crossed the border," said Rehman.Pakistan first announced it would reopen Torkham yesterday but did not specify when it would let the first trucks through.Pakistan is a key supply route for fuel, military vehicles, spare parts, clothing and other non-lethal supplies for foreign troops in landlocked Afghanistan – although Nato has reduced its reliance on the country by using central Asian routes to the north. Nato now ships about 40% of its non-lethal supplies through Pakistan, down from 80% at its peak.Nato said the Torkham closure did not affect supplies because hundreds of trucks still crossed into Afghanistan every day through central Asia, and a border crossing in south-west Pakistan remained open. But its reopening does reduce strain on the supply line."It's easier for us to come to grips with logistics and supplies when Torkham gate is open," German brigadier general Josef Blotz, a Nato spokesman, said in Kabul.The blockade raised already-high tensions between the US and Pakistan. Washington accuses Pakistan of being unwilling to pursue Afghan Taliban militants in its territory with whom it has strong historical ties and who generally focus their attacks on western troops rather than Pakistani targets.Nato has increased its forces in key border areas, said Blotz. A stronger force has also been put in place near Spin Boldak in Kandahar province, which borders Pakistan's Baluchistan province, he said.The US has also dramatically increased CIA drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal belt, including two today in North Waziristan that killed eight people – the ninth and 10th missile strikes this month.In the first attack, a drone fired two missiles at two cars in an Afghan refugee camp in the Spin Wam area, killing six people, said Pakistani intelligence officials.Minutes later, a drone killed two people near a riverbank just outside the refugee camp, the officials said.The identities of the people killed were not known, but the area where the strikes occurred is dominated by a militant group led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur that regularly attacks Nato troops in Afghanistan.In September, the US is believed to have launched at least 21 missile strikes, nearly double the previously monthly record.The US rarely acknowledges the covert missile strike programme, but officials have said privately that they have killed several senior Taliban and al-Qaida commanders. Pakistan officially opposes the programme, but is believed to secretly support it.PakistanAfghanistanNatoguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Lid is placed on Chile mine shaft President Sebastian Pinera was applauded as he firmly placed a lid on the entrance to the rescue shaft at the San Jose mine in Chile. bbc.co.uk |
Tea Party Express loses momentum in rural Nevada Between the start of the hunting season and the success of the area's goldmines, the town of Elko failed to rise to the occasionThe Tea Party movement has gained the image of an unstoppable wave of anger sweeping everything before it as it seeks to overthrow the Washington establishment. Well in Elko, Nevada, last night it looked a little less than that.About 150 people turned up in an open field on a very chilly night to welcome the Tea Party Express, the bus tour that is crossing America in the run-up to next month's midterm elections. Most of the participants were in their sixties or above, and the event had more in common with a sedate charity gala than a political revolution.The low turnout and lack of energy was puzzling as it came just four hours' drive after a rousing start to the bus tour in Reno, addressed by Sarah Palin. I was lost for an explanation. This was after all the same state, the same battle to boot out Harry Reid, the local senator closely associated in Nevada with the big government spending habits of the Obama administration.Then I talked to Tom Norris, an affable retired truck driver. The answer was pretty simple, he told me. The hunting season had just begun. Hunters and their families were out on the trail of elk (apparently no connection to the town's name) and deer."I'd have been gone myself if my ticket had come up," Norris said.Ticket had come up?"It's a lottery. Numbers are drawn and if yours comes up you can go hunting. It's a way to control the size of the shoot."The other possible explanation for the poor turnout was that Elko is hurting slightly less than other parts of Nevada in the economic downturn. The unemployment rate here is less than 9%, compared with more than 14% for the state generally - the highest in the country.Elko is traditionally a cowboy town, serving mile upon mile of ranches in all directions. But it also has a thriving mining industry, and of one metal in particular - gold.With the slide of the dollar, gold has become ever stronger, and now stands at more than $1,300 (£827) an ounce. People have been moving in to Elko to work in its underground or surface gold mines.Gold is also one of the great staples of the Tea Party movement. Glenn Beck speaks about it on his shows with almost reverential respect (but then he does get paid by one of America's largest gold dealers to do so).Which is paradoxical. Gold is a Tea Party favourite, but here in Elko it has lifted the local spirits, perhaps rendering the populace less receptive to the movement's "knock 'em down" message.Tea Party movementUS politicsUnited StatesRepublicansUS midterm elections 2010Ed Pilkingtonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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French Retiree Unveils Picasso 'Treasure Trove' -- But Is It Legal? Talk about a shock. A retired electrician from southern France has broken 40 years of silence to reveal he owns 271 previously unknown art works by Pablo Picasso feedproxy.google.com |