| Filipino declared world's shortest man Posted: 12 Jun 2011 03:23 AM PDT 
SINDANGAN (PHILIPPINES): A Filipino blacksmith's son who stopped growing when he was a toddler was declared the world's shortest man today as he celebrated his 18th birthday. Measuring just 59.93 centimetres, or 23.5 inches, Junrey Balawing is the oldest of four siblings -- the rest all of normal stature -- born in the rural town of Sindangan on southern Mindanao island. "Officially he is the world's shortest man," said Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of the Guinness Book of World Records who measured Balawing in front of cheering relatives and villagers. The previous record holder was Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal, who was measured in 2010 at just over 26 inches. "Thank you to all of you for supporting my son, the world's shortest man," Junrey's father, Reynaldo, told a crush of reporters and photographers. Junrey then blew out a candle on a cake specially made for him, before telling the crowd in a tiny voice in the local dialect: "Kapoy (I'm tired)." A throng of wellwishers, including politicians, witnessed the official measurement then handed him wads of cash which his parents said would go towards the family's meagre savings. Junrey's father said he had always believed his son to be special. He said he had been sickly as a toddler and stopped growing when he was two years old, but all the local doctors who examined him could not diagnose the problem. His mother, Concepcion, said Junrey has difficulty standing for long periods and has to be assisted when walking. His uncle, Paulino Empag, who is the local village chief, said friends and relatives were very protective of Junrey and some considered his special condition a lucky charm for the rural, superstitious community. "He is a very special boy. He has trouble speaking and standing up, but he is God's blessing to his family and to the community," he said. After the official announcement, Empag said the family was expected to return to their modest home in the village and celebrate Junrey's birthday. "Noodles and meat have been prepared. We're just happy for him," Empag said. |
| Blasts kills 34 in Pak, as CIA chief visits Posted: 12 Jun 2011 03:22 AM PDT 
PESHAWAR: Two explosions went off minutes apart in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar on Sunday, killing 34 people and injuring nearly 100 in one of the deadliest attacks since the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden last month, officials said. The blasts, one of which was caused by a suicide bomber, occurred just after midnight in an area of the city that is home to political offices and army housing. The attack took place as CIA Director Leon Panetta and Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited Islamabad, 95 miles (150 kilometers) to the east, to speak separately with senior Pakistani officials about intelligence sharing and efforts to reconcile with the Taliban. The first explosion was relatively small and drew police and rescue workers to the site, said Dost Mohammed, a senior local police official. A large explosion rocked the area a few minutes later, causing the fatalities and injuring 98 people, 18 critically, said Rahim Jan, a senior doctor at a local hospital. The second blast was caused by a suicide bomber riding a motorcycle packed with 22 pounds (10 kilograms) of explosives, said Ejaz Khan, a senior police official. The source of the first explosion was unknown. No group claimed responsibility, but the Pakistani Taliban have pledged to carry out attacks in retaliation for the covert US Navy SEAL raid that killed bin Laden in an army town outside Islamabad on May 2. Saturday's attack took place across the street from the offices of the top political agent to Khyber, part of Pakistan's volatile tribal region, and only about 100 yards from army housing units. Peshawar borders the tribal region and has been repeatedly hit by bombings over the past few years. The dead included at least one journalist, said Mohammed Farooq, a hospital doctor. Another four journalists and at least 10 police were injured, he said. Many of the people killed were so badly burned they were difficult to identify. Jamal Khan, a 22-year-old student, was in his apartment when the first blast went off. He rushed to the scene as the second explosion occurred, peppering his face and arms with flying debris. "The explosion was so huge I will never forget it all my life," said Khan as he recovered in a hospital. "It was deafening, and then there was a cloud of dust and smoke. When the dust settled, I saw people crying for help and body parts scattered everywhere." The attack followed a second day of meetings between Panetta, the CIA chief, and senior Pakistani officials. The talks were slated to focus on the size and scope of US intelligence activities in the wake of the raid that killed bin Laden, said a Pakistani official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. The bin Laden operation plunged an already strained relationship between the CIA and Pakistan's main intelligence agency, the ISI, to new lows and threatened cooperation that is key to the US fight against al-Qaida and Taliban militants battling foreign troops in Afghanistan. The US also needs Pakistan's help to promote and guide negotiations with the Taliban that can help end the decade- long Afghan war. Pakistan and Afghanistan inaugurated a joint peace commission Saturday during a visit by Karzai, the Afghan president. In an attempt to rebuild their relationship, Washington and Islamabad have agreed to form a joint intelligence team to track down militant targets inside Pakistan, drawing in part from the trove of records taken from bin Laden's personal office during the raid. Panetta and Pakistani officials planned to discuss what US intelligence officers will be permitted to do, and how many will be allowed into the country as part of the team, said the Pakistani official. But new suspicions have marred this attempt at renewed cooperation. As an act of faith to restore relations with the Pakistanis, US intelligence shared the suspected location of explosive material held by the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network at two compounds in the Pakistani tribal areas, according to a Pakistani and a US official. The US official said that after the intelligence was shared, the explosive material was moved. The Pakistani official told The Associated Press that they checked out the locations, but nothing was there, and that they intend to investigate to dispel US suspicions that the Pakistani intelligence service had tipped off the militants. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence operations. Panetta's visit is his first to Pakistan since the bin Laden raid. His ties with Pakistan will be key in his new role as US defense secretary, presuming he is speedily confirmed by Congress. The US wants the proposed joint intelligence team under discussion Saturday to pursue a list of five high-value targets it handed to the Pakistani leadership recently. The target list included al-Qaida's military operations chief in Pakistan, Ilyas Kashmiri, who was reportedly killed by a drone strike in the Pakistani tribal areas June 3. Karzai pressed Pakistan for support in facilitating negotiations with Taliban militants with whom the Pakistani government has historical ties. There is a significant level of distrust between the two countries, but Pakistan promised to help as Afghanistan sees fit. "We both want stability in Afghanistan and in Pakistan," said Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in a news conference held with Karzai after the first meeting of the joint peace commission. "Our only aim is to support the peace process, which is Afghan-led." |
| Alaska publishes Sarah Palin emails Posted: 11 Jun 2011 08:46 AM PDT 
LOS ANGELES: Journalists and others began on Friday rifling through thousands of emails by or to Sarah Palin, published in response to a freedom of information request into her correspondence as Alaska governor. The northwestern US state released the mails in print form to a number of media outlets, keen to find nuggets as speculation grows that the Tea Party favorite and former Alaskan governor will run for the White House next year. More than 24,000 pages of emails were published, although 2,415 pages the state deems privileged, personal or otherwise exempt will remain under wraps. The media are not the only ones seeking nuggets in the Palin emails: the New York Times has asked its readers to help it sift through the huge mass of mostly banal material. For anyone who wants to help in the hunt search engines were set up, including at http:// palinemail.msnbc.msn.com/ palin2011/allList.html. News outlets including CNN and the Anchorage Daily News asked for Palin's emails to be released in 2008, after Palin became the surprise running-mate of Republican presidential candidate John McCain. At the time officials said they could not be released because of the antiquated electronic databases they were stored on, complicated by the fact that Palin commonly used a Yahoo account to conduct state business. The release comes as speculation mounts over whether Palin will run for the Republican nomination in next year's election against Democratic President Barack Obama. Palin has kept the media guessing, including during a "One Nation" bus tour when journalists had to scramble to follow her, with no details given in advance about her travel plans. |
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