Pakistan’s military intensified its drive against the Taliban in the country’s restive tribal regions Wednesday, reclaiming a key town in the northwest district of Buner.
Pakistani forces drive Taliban from key town
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Taliban Advance: Is Pakistan Nearing Collapse?
The move by Taliban-backed militants into the Buner district of northwestern Pakistan, closer than ever to Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad, have prompted concerns both within the country and abroad that the nuclear-armed nation of 165 million is on the verge of inexorable collapse. On Wednesday a local Taliban militia crossed from the Swat Valley — where a February cease-fire allowed the implementation of strict Islamic, or Shari’a, law — into the neighboring Buner district, which is just a few hours drive from Islamabad .
Australian PM: Wildfire arson is mass murder
Investigators in Australia believe some of the deadly wildfires ravaging dry southeastern bushland may have been set, a conclusion prompting Australia’s prime minister to call such acts "mass murder." Officials in Victoria state have launched arson investigations into some of the blazes, which have killed at least 166 people, decimated massive spans of land and left thousands of people homeless. “I think it’s important that the nation braces itself for more bad news,” said Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, tearing up at one point during a TV interview on Monday. “This is a little horror which few of us anticipated.” News that some fires may have been deliberately set brought a note of disgust from the prime minister