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A miraculous tale of human ingenuity and bravery lies behind an exhibition of treasures from Afghanistan that opens in the British Museum this week.

In 17 years of war after the 1989 Soviet withdrawal, and five years of Taliban rule, most of the Afghan countrywide museums riches were looted and a few were deliberately destroyed.

However the most valuable products survived, in a vault deep beneath the presidential palace, because of five men – among them museum director Omar Khan Massoudi.

‘He stored his nerve through the Talibans rule of Afghanistan and shown tremendous courage in not submitting to their demands and threats to reveal its place,’ says British Afghan expert and member of parliament Rory Stewart.

‘It was an act of extraordinary courage and he done an incredible service to his nation.’

The Kabul countrywide museum is situated a couple of kilometres south with the capital, in a place that repeatedly changed palms as mujahideen militias vied for impact inside the early 1990s.

Each time it absolutely was used, the museum was looted yet again. From the estimated a hundred,000 object on screen in 1979, some 70% had gone from the mid-1990s.

A rocket destroyed a 4th Century wall painting in 1993. Priceless goods, some looted to purchase, changed palms about the international artwork industry. Others were buried in rubble or burned as firewood.

However the legendary Bactrian gold – which experts feared had been stolen and melted down – had in fact been packed up, along with quite a few important objects in the assortment, and moved to a Central Financial institution vault inside the Presidential Palace in 1989.

Mr Massoudi was one of five men who had keys to the vault. All five keys were essential to open it – and each and every with the men risked their lives to not hand them over to the militants.

The holders with the keys stored their places secret – if a important holder died, it absolutely was agreed, the important thing will be handed on to the keepers eldest youngster.

In that way, the priceless artefacts were preserved.

‘Mr Massoudi and his workers are unquestionably unsung heroes,’ says exhibition undertaking curator Constance Wyndham.

‘Without his initiative its extremely not likely this amazing assortment will be all around nowadays.’

Ms Wyndham says the Soviet-backed President Mohammad Najibullah, whose govt fell in 1992, also played a part, though it remains unclear exactly how intently he was involved.

‘All that we do know is always that the choice was manufactured by a committee and President Najibullah ordered the objects to get moved to the presidential palace,’ she stated.

Following the ingenuity with the rescue arrived the bravery that was needed to keep the hoard protected.

Mr Massoudi and his workers have inside the intervening years remained modest – and relatively reticent – about their achievement.

But his remarks inside the museums guidebook give some thought with the hazards of retaining the treasure protected from ‘terror, violence, civil war as well as the Taliban’.

In spite of getting subjected to different threats from the Taliban – often at gunpoint – individuals who realized with the secret place gave nothing at all away.

It had been not until eventually 2003 the store of 22,000 gold and glass objects were exposed.

‘Today together with the grace of Allah Almighty, weve succeeded in seeing the central treasure of Afghanistan,’ President Hamid Karzai declared.

Chelseas new £50m signing Fernando Torres has said it would be ‘destiny’ to score against former club Liverpool when the teams meet on Sunday.

By coincidence, the Spaniard could make his debut for the Blues against the side he left on Monday.

The 26-year-old striker has not asked to be left out of the Premier League clash and stated: ‘It is like destiny.’

He admitted: ‘It is not ideal but if I have the chance to play, I will do my very best and hopefully I can score.’

Torres departure from Anfield, where he spent the most effective component of four years, was greeted with anger by several fans, some of whom burnt replica shirts bearing their former heros name.

But the player stressed: ‘I only have excellent words about Liverpool. They made me a top player and gave me the chance to play at the top level.

‘I will never say anything bad about Liverpool. I have been quite happy there but now the history is distinct and I am playing for Chelsea.’

Torres, who scored 81 objectives throughout his spell on Merseyside, risked further annoying fans of his former club when he told Chelsea TV: ‘I am joining a team thats at the top level. There is not another level after Chelsea.

‘I am joining with big names like [John] Terry, [Frank] Lampard, [Didier] Drogba and [Nicolas] Anelka and I can be component of this wonderful team.’

Torres admitted he had not yet met up with the Blues manager Carlo Ancelotti but said: ‘I wanted to join simply because Chelsea often have shown a big respect for me.

‘They really want me and its critical when you have the support of the individuals in the club, along with the support of the fans who often showed respect to me when I came to Stamford Bridge and at Anfield.

‘Now I am quite happy to be a Chelsea player.’

Fans of the Stamford Bridge outfit will be relieved not to have Torres lining up against them for once, after he proved to be a thorn in their side with seven objectives against them although playing for Liverpool.

The striker added: ‘I have excellent memories and bad memories of games against Chelsea. All the objectives are excellent memories simply because all of them are unique.

‘If they are happy too simply because I am not going to score any much more against them then its excellent.’

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The president stated he had instructed the related federal government departments to allow religious groups and students to journey in the direction of the communist-run island.

President Obama stated he believed the new, more relaxed, guidelines which also make it simpler to deliver remittances to Cuba will help civil society there.

The modifications wont finish the decades-old US trade embargo.

The guidelines will be modified to, among other things:

* Enable religious organisation to sponsor religious journey to Cuba below a basic licence
* Enable accredited institutions of greater schooling to sponsor journey to Cuba
* Enable any US person to deliver remittances (as a lot as 500 per quarter) to non-family members in Cuba to help personal financial activity
* Enable remittances to be sent to religious institutions in Cuba in help of religious actions
* Enable US airports to utilize to offer solutions to licensed charters

Improved contact

Within a statement, President Obama stated the modifications had been aimed at developing ‘people-to-people’ contacts through more academic, cultural and religious exchanges.

The moves follows an easing with the trade embargo in April 2009, once the president ordered curbs on remittances and journey by Cuban-Americans browsing family members on the island to be relaxed.

But Florida Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen stated the modifications wouldnt help improve the scenario in Cuba.

‘They wont make the Castro regime present respect for human rights, and so they undoubtedly wont help the Cuban individuals entirely free by themselves in the despotic tyranny which oppresses them,’ she stated. see also

The modifications are anticipated to come into force in roughly 3 weeks.

The European venture to develop a room jet for fare-paying passengers is still very considerably alive, says EADS Astrium.
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The plane, which would make quick hops above the atmosphere, was announced in 2007 after which nearly immediately place on hold due to the global downturn.

But Astrium, Europes biggest room company, says internal growth operate continues and itll shell out a more 10m euros (£9m) on the idea in 2011.

‘We preserve the investment heading,’ explained Astrium CEO François Auque.

‘We proceed to mature the idea, preserving the minimum team, in order that when we find the relevant partnership we are ready and have progressed sufficiently,’ he instructed reporters on Wednesday on the companys rocket manufacturing facility at Les Mureaux just north of Paris.

The Astrium car could be in regards to the dimension of a business jet and would take off from a common runway, employing typical aircraft engines to climb to about 12km. It would then ignite a liquid oxygen-methane rocket to push the car to about 100km.

At this altitude, the five passengers onboard could experience some minutes of weightlessness prior to strapping themselves back within their seats for that return flight for the floor.

Astrium has done substantial operate previously on the Romeo rocket engine that might energy the climb to room, and wind tunnel testing has proven the aerodynamic shape.

What is at present missing is the investment of a spouse that might move the venture from idea to manufacturing.

‘As you understand, we had discussions inside the Gulf prior to there was a alter inside the monetary scenario. Now weve got other discussions in other elements of the world and Im very optimistic,’ explained Mr Auque.

Much more advanced is British billionaire Sir Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic venture. This can use an American rocket plane created by Californias Scaled Composites company to send fare-paying passengers on sub-orbital trips.

Enterprise, as this rocket plane is acknowledged, is previously developed and conducting glide tests. It really is expected Enterprise will fire its rocket motor and make demonstration flights above the atmosphere later this year.

Mr Auque was talking on the annual New Yr press conference of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) group. Also to possessing the Astrium satellite and rocket worry, EADS also owns the airline manufacturer Airbus.

US authorities have charged a 22-year-old guy around Saturdays Arizona shooting by which a congresswoman was severely wounded and 6 people today died.

Federal prosecutors charged Jared Loughner with looking to assassinate Gabrielle Giffords, forty, and killing two other authorities officials.

Mr Loughner, who is because of appear in court, could deal with the death penalty.

Ms Giffords is in a vital condition immediately after being shot inside the head at a public meeting in Tucson.

She had been holding an open-invitation meeting with constituents exterior a supermarket when a guy holding a gun approached and opened fire.

She was shot from shut range by the gunman, who then began shooting in to the crowd.

Amongst the dead have been a nine-year-old woman and also a federal judge. A total of 14 people today have been injured, also to your 6 who have been killed.

Community Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said a woman tackled the gunman as he tried to reload, snatching a magazine of bullets.

Patricia Maisch, who was waiting to have her photograph taken with the congresswoman, grabbed the bottom in the suspects weapon to stop him from reloading.

He managed to reload with an additional magazine, however the gun malfunctioned and two males then restrained him.

‘Somebody said Get the magazine! so I received the magazine, and I was capable to secure that,’ Ms Maisch said. ‘Thats what necessary to be accomplished.’

The sheriff said theyd prevented a very much greater tragedy.

Police searching Mr Loughners Tucson household said theyd identified an envelope with messages saying ‘I planned ahead’, ‘my assassination’, and the identify Giffords.

To date, Mr Loughner continues to be charged only with offences relating to your assault on authorities staff, that is the obligation of federal prosecutors.

They charged him with two counts of first-degree murder for that killings of Federal Judge John Roll and Gabe Zimmerman, an aide of Ms Giffords.

He was also charged with tried assassination around the shooting of Ms Giffords, and two counts of trying to murder two other aides.

The justice division said he would appear in court in Phoenix on Monday.

State authorities are anticipated to deliver charges from him later for attacking non-government staff.

An unidentified guy, whose picture was captured on a safety camera shortly ahead of the assault and who had been suspected of acting as an accomplice, was cleared on Sunday of any involvement inside the assault, Mr Dupnik said.

The guy was a cab driver who walked in to the supermarket with Mr Loughner because he did not have change for any 20 be aware. The shooting occurred just immediately after the two exchanged money, Mr Dupnik added.

Japan has unveiled sweeping changes to its national defence polices, boosting its southern forces in response to neighbouring Chinas military rise.

Japan, which shares a maritime border with China, stated Beijings military build-up was of worldwide concern.

Japan may also strengthen its missile defences towards the threat from a nuclear-armed North Korea.

China has responded stating it can be a drive for peace and improvement in Asia and threatens no-one.

Chinas International Ministry stated no region had the best to make irresponsible comments on Chinas improvement.
Flashpoints

The National Defence Programme Guideline may be authorized through the cabinet and will form Japans defence coverage for your next 10 years.

Japan is altering its defence coverage in response towards the shifting stability of strength in Asia, analysts say.

Defences is going to be scaled down inside the north, exactly where theyve been deployed for the reason that Cold War to counter prospective threats from your former Soviet Union.

The military focus will now be inside the south of Japan, closer to China and remote flashpoint islands around Taiwan.

The guidelines say Japan is concerned by Chinas increasing military shelling out, modernisation of its armed forces, and greater naval assertiveness inside the East China and South China seas.

‘These actions, coupled together with the lack of transparency on Chinas military and safety difficulties, the pattern is a concern for your region and also the international local community,’ the new guidelines say.

Relations involving Japan and China deteriorated sharply in September, soon after collisions involving a Chinese trawler and Japanese patrol boats around a chain of disputed islands inside the East China Sea.
North Korea concerns

The evaluation paper outlines a shift in assets from your army towards the air drive and navy.

Japans submarine fleet is going to be expanded from sixteen to 22 and fighter jets upgraded, whilst the number of tanks is going to be cut by a third to 400.

North Koreas missile and nuclear programmes had been also described like a ‘pressing and significant destabilising factor’.

Pyongyang has fired missiles through Japan and staged nuclear assessments lately.

Previous month it unveiled a brand new uranium enrichment plant to US specialists, and launched an artillery assault on the South Korean island, killing four people.

In response, Japan says far more Patriot interceptor batteries is going to be deployed across the region, and also the number of warships which could shoot down missiles is going to be greater from four to six.

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Dozens of individuals are feared to have drowned following a boat carrying suspected asylum seekers crashed into rocks on Australias Xmas Island. what to when getting sr22 insurance in florida vehicle insurance anhanoleahol

Photos through the scene confirmed the boat, thought to become carrying Iranians and Iraqis, smashed to items.

Witnesses said they could do small to help since the seas had been too rough to approach the vessel.

The boat appeared to become looking to land at Xmas Island, the place Australia has an immigration detention centre.
Engine failed

The BBCs Nick Bryant, in Sydney, says he understands that about 70 folks had been on the vessel and about forty had been rescued.

Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan, standing in for Julia Gillard even though she is on vacation, confirmed that some people had died but couldnt say how many.

‘A quantity of folks have already been rescued, but sadly some bodies have already been retrieved,’ he said.

A spokeswoman for your Royal Flying Health practitioner Service said 30 folks had been being handled for injuries and 3 of them had been critically sick.

Citizens of Xmas Island said they had been alerted to your catastrophe by the sounds of screaming through the shore.

‘We threw ropes through the cliffs and we must have thrown in a very couple of hundred life-jackets,’ one resident was quoted as declaring by the West Australian newspaper site.

‘About 15 or 20 folks managed to get in to the jackets but youll find bodies all around the water.

‘There are lifeless infants, lifeless girls and lifeless young children within the water. The swell is unbelievably huge.’

One more resident, Simon Prince, advised Affiliated Press: ‘The engine had failed. They had been washing backward and ahead really close to your cliffs right here, which are jagged limestone cliffs, really nasty.

‘When the boat hit the cliff there was a sickening crack. All of the folks on board rushed to your land side, that is the worst point they could do.’

Australian media said citizens alerted the police at 0545 (2045 GMT on Tuesday).

Australia Customs launched two inflatable boats to rescue survivors.

One particular witness, documentary maker Philip Stewart, said he arrived with the shore about an hour following the boat first hit the rocks and it was previously in items.

He said he saw about seven survivors but ailments had been too rough for rescuers to get close plenty of to help.

‘They had been waving and shouting and screaming for enable,’ he advised Australias ABC Information.

‘They had been desperate, by that stage theyd been within the water for an hour previously.

‘They hung on for so long as they maybe could and every single among them was at some point thrown off in to the sea on to your rocks.’

He said he saw one person picked up even though the other people drowned.

Australia has seen a rise this 12 months in asylum seekers arriving by boat.

Youll find presently practically three,000 folks within the Xmas Island processing centre awaiting officials to rule on their scenarios.

The island is within the Indian Ocean, about one,200km (750 miles) north-west from the Australian mainland and about 300km south of Indonesia.

Australias overseas minister has said the US is always to blame for the launch of a huge number of diplomatic cables on Wikileaks, not its Australian founder, Julian Assange. automotive automobile

Kevin Rudd said the discharge raised inquiries about US protection.

Mr Rudd said he didnt ‘give a damn’ about criticism of him from the cables.

Mr Assange, arrested from the UK over sex crime allegations in Sweden, has accused the Australian government of ‘disgraceful pandering’ to the US.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard had earlier named Mr Assanges launch with the cables ‘grossly irresponsible’.

About the previous two weeks, Wikileaks has introduced a huge number of classified messages from US envoys around the globe, from more than 250,000 it has been offered.

Washington has named their publication ‘irresponsible’ and an ‘attack around the worldwide community’.
First class job

In an interview with Reuters information agency, Mr Rudd said: ‘Mr Assange just isnt himself accountable for the unauthorised launch of 250,000 documents from the US diplomatic communications community. The Americans are accountable for that.’

Mr Rudd, the former prime minister who was replaced by Julia Gillard in June, additional: ‘I feel there are actual inquiries to be requested in regards to the adequacy of [the US] protection methods and also the degree of accessibility that folks have needed to that materials.

‘The core responsibility, and therefore legal liability, goes to individuals individuals accountable for that preliminary unauthorised launch.’

The White Residence has ordered US government businesses to tighten their managing of classified documents from the wake with the Wikileaks releases.

Mr Rudd was dismissed in a single leaked US cable as being a ‘mistake-prone handle freak’.

In cables published by the Sydney Morning Herald former US ambassador Robert McCallum said Mr Rudd manufactured ‘snap announcements devoid of consulting other international locations or inside of the Australian government’.

The US was also angered at what it named Mr Rudds ‘self-serving and inaccurate leaking’ of a phone call with then US President George W Bush through which Mr Rudd was noted as stating: ‘Stunned to listen to Bush say, Whats the G20?’

Mr Rudd shrugged off the criticism, stating: ‘Im sure much worse has been published about me in the past and possibly much worse will probably be published about me from the potential but frankly, mate, I will not care.

Ms Gillard defended Mr Rudd, stating: ‘Hes bringing [his] knowledge to bear for the Australian nation and undertaking an definitely 1st class position.’

Mr Assange has been very crucial with the Australian governments stance around the launch with the cables.

In an opinion piece from the Australian on Wednesday, Mr Assange accused the Australian government of ‘disgraceful pandering’ to the Americans and of placing the powers with the government completely at the disposal with the US.

In the piece headlined ‘Dont shoot the messenger for revealing unpleasant truths’, he says: ‘Democratic societies need a robust media and Wikileaks is part of that media. The media helps hold government truthful.’

He adds: ‘The Australian attorney-general is undertaking anything he can to help a US investigation clearly directed at framing Australian citizens and shipping them to the US.’

Mr Assange has been refused bail by a courtroom in London but has vowed to fight extradition to Sweden.

He denies sexually assaulting two women in Sweden but was remanded in custody pending a listening to subsequent week.

Mr Assanges lawyer, Mark Stephens, has claimed the charges are ‘politically motivated’.

On the pay a visit to to Serbia on Wednesday, Swedish International Minister Carl Bildt said there had been no make contact with with US authorities in regards to the possible extradition of Mr Assange from Sweden to the US.

The US has begun a felony investigation and vowed to punish everyone identified accountable for unlawful leaks.

No-one has been charged with passing the diplomatic files to Wikileaks, but suspicion has fallen on US Army private Bradley Manning, an intelligence analyst arrested in Iraq in June and charged over an earlier leak.

The Swiss post offices bank, PostFinance, has frozen the accounts of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. frontarticle freearticlesubmission

The whistle-blowing web site says the freeze incorporates a defence fund and personal assets value 31,000 euros.

Wikileaks has published countless secret US diplomatic cables, angering the US govt and triggering moves by several businesses which includes PayPal and Amazon to stop their providers.

At the same time, a warrant for Mr Assanges arrest has reached the united kingdom authorities.

Sources have advised the BBC that the European Arrest Warrant for Mr Assange arrived on Monday afternoon.

Swedish prosecutors would like to question Mr Assange in connection with allegations of rape, which he denies.

He is thought to become in hiding someplace in south-east England. As soon as the police have positioned him, he will be anticipated to appear at a magistrates court inside 24 hrs, pending extradition to Sweden, says the BBCs security correspondent Frank Gardner.
Setbacks for Wikileaks

Sweden initially issued an arrest warrant for Mr Assange on 18 November but it was invalidated by a procedural error. A brand new warrant was issued on 2 December.

The transfer by Switzerlands PostFinance to freeze the Wikileaks accounts would be the most recent setback to hit the whistle-blowing web site considering it commenced publishing the US cables final week.

Inside a assertion on its web site, PostFinance mentioned Mr Assange had ‘provided fake info regarding his location of residence’ through the account opening practice.

‘(Mr) Assange entered Geneva as his domicile. Upon inspection, this info was located to become incorrect.

‘(Mr) Assange wont be able to give proof of residence in Switzerland and therefore wont meet the standards for a customer romantic relationship with PostFinance. For this reason, PostFinance is entitled to close his account.’

For its element, a Wikileaks assertion says it and Mr Assange have misplaced 100,000 euros in assets in a week.

‘Late final week, the internet payment large PayPal froze 60,000 euros of donations for the German charity the Wau Holland Foundation, which were targeted to advertise the sharing of knowledge by means of Wikileaks,’ Wikileaks mentioned in a assertion.
Verging on the criminal

On Monday, Wikileaks introduced an extensive checklist of amenities approximately the world that, in accordance for the most recent leaked cables, the US describes as critical to its nationwide security.

The checklist incorporates pipelines, communication and transport hubs.

A number of UK websites are listed, which includes cable areas, satellite websites and BAE Methods crops.

This can be most likely the most controversial document yet from the Wikileaks organisation, says BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus.

Former UK Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind mentioned WikiLeaks actions were ‘verging on the criminal’.

He advised the BBC: ‘Its not only negligence, its not only stupidity, it truly is a little something which may be of active assistance to terrorist organisations.’

UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox echoed Sir Malcolms remarks, stating: ‘I feel you need to ask in regards to the motives for those who are behind a number of the WikiLeaks material. Do they see themselves as some type of power of anarchy?

‘These are some comments, these are selective leaks constructed to drive a wedge concerning us along with the Americans and I dont feel we must tolerate that.’

Whistle-blowing website Wikileaks has been compelled to vary its net handle immediately after the business providing its domain name minimize off service. suv auto car ins increase teen drivers safety

EveryDNS.internet mentioned it had terminated providers for the reason that Wikileaks.org had come under massive cyber attacks.

But Wikileaks has by now reappeared employing a Swiss net handle.

Wikileaks has also put to use the micro-blogging web-site Twitter to urge its fans to redistribute its ‘raw’ internet handle so it could be seen at any time.

This numerical world-wide-web protocol (IP) handle stays stay and accessible even when net domains – the standard ‘www’ addresses put to use to entry most websites – are unavailable.

Authorities say it really is most likely that Wikileaks has done specials with a great deal of web hosting companies, while numerous are prone to back away from dealing with the controversial web-site while in the light of latest net attacks.

There may be also a printed checklist of mirror websites, which Wikileaks hopes will offer consistent entry towards the web-site.

A few of these websites have just copied Wikileaks material and set it on a unique net server, although others are employing unique domain names to level in the unique material.

The more of those websites there are, the harder it will be to shut Wikileaks down, security analyst Paul Mutton advised the BBC.

In France, Trade Minister Eric Besson has referred to as to get a ban of Wikileaks on French servers.

One particular on the mirror websites, Wikileaks.ch, is at the moment hosted on servers in France.
Downtime

In a publish on Twitter, Wikileaks acknowledged that its domain had been ‘killed’ by EveryDNS.internet.

It was not clear how extended disruption towards the wikileaks.org web-site would last.

In a statement on its website, EveryDNS.internet mentioned it had issued a 24-hour termination observe to Wikileaks which ended at 0300 GMT on 2 December.

It mentioned the domain wikileaks.org had come to be the target of ‘multiple distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks’.

‘These attacks have, and long term attacks would, threaten the balance on the EveryDNS.internet infrastructure, which enables entry to just about 500,000 other sites,’ it mentioned.

‘Any downtime on the wikileaks.org website has resulted from its failure to make use of an additional hosted DNS service provider,’ it additional.

Internet websites use hosting firms such as EveryDNS.internet to translate their uncooked IP addresses to a more memorable net handle such as Wikileaks.org.

However the IP handle of a website may also direct users towards the web-site.

One particular net expert explained that Wikileaks had managed to re-establish net entry by means of a unique handle.

‘Users visiting the www.wikileaks.ch website seem to be directed by means of a Swedish website on to a server in France that is now hosting their most important website,’ explained Sebastien Lahtinen, director of web hosting agency NetConnex.

In a surprising twist, the .ch handle is also hosted by EveryDNS.

‘It looks a strange choice offered that they pulled the plug on the .org handle just a few hours ago,’ mentioned Paul Mutton, a security analyst at world-wide-web providers agency Netcraft. ‘It could possibly be that Wikileaks is kind of happy to play a cat and mouse sport with them,’ he additional.
Death threats

Utilizing a Swiss domain could possibly be Wikileaks anticipating the subsequent line of assault – getting its IP handle de-registered, thinks Mr Mutton.

‘Moving to a non-US domain makes sense. Its past domain was registered using a US business and as such has to do the job inside US legal guidelines, with prospective for that federal government to lean on it and get it suspended,’ mentioned Mr Mutton.