Four die in Afghan rescue mission

Nato soldiers have rescued a kidnapped UK journalist from the Taliban in a dramatic pre-dawn helicopter mission in Afghanistan that left four others dead.

New York Times reporter Stephen Farrell was freed unhurt. His Afghan colleague Sultan Munadi was killed along with a UK soldier and two Afghan civilians.

Mr Farrell, who holds British and Irish nationality, was "extracted" by "a lot of soldiers", the New York Times said.

The pair were seized in northern Kunduz province on Saturday.

They were investigating a Nato air strike on two hijacked fuel tankers that left many dead.

There were bullets all around us, I could hear British and Afghan voices Stephen Farrell Kidnap reporter 'fearless' Who are the Taliban? Farrell 'kidnapped' in Iraq

It is not the first time Mr Farrell has been abducted on assignment - in 2004 he was briefly kidnapped in Iraq while working for the London Times newspaper.

In remarks quoted on the New York Times website, Mr Farrell said the Taliban tried to flee as the helicopters descended.

"There were bullets all around us. I could hear British and Afghan voices," he said.

The reporter told his newspaper he ran outside with Mr Munadi, reportedly a 34-year-old father-of-two who worked as an interpreter with Mr Farrell.

He said Mr Munadi had shouted "Journalist! Journalist!" before he fell to the ground in a hail of bullets.

Mr Farrell said he did not know whether the shots had been fired by their rescuers or the militants.

Afghan police inspect the car from which Stephen Farrell and Sultan Munadi were kidnapped

The correspondent said he was called by British voices from a ditch where he had hidden, and as he emerged saw the body of Mr Munadi.

Journalists' anger

The head of the Afghan Independent Journalists' Association, Rahimullah Samandar, said the raid showed international forces did not care about Afghan reporters.

Mr Samandar said it was not the first time a kidnapped Afghan journalist had been killed while a Western colleague was freed.

Bill Keller, the executive editor of the New York Times, said the newspaper was "overjoyed" at Mr Farrell's release, but "deeply saddened it came at such a cost".

Afghan journalists have condemned the translator's killing

A local governor told the BBC two civilians also died in the raid.

A resident of Char Dara district in Kunduz province, Mohammad Nabi, reportedly said it was his home that was raided, and that his brother's wife was killed.

The Taliban had turned up there on Tuesday night with their two captives, demanding shelter, Mr Nabi told Reuters news agency.

He said helicopters swooped later and "then the soldiers blew open the door of my house, killing my sister-in-law, and took the reporter away with them".

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the soldier killed in the British-led operation had acted with "the greatest of courage".

He said his thoughts were with the family of the soldier and also with Mr Munadi's loved ones.

Mr Brown was also joined by the leaders of France and Germany on Wednesday in urging the UN to press ahead with plans for an international conference on Afghanistan's future later this year.

Mr Farrell and Mr Munadi were kidnapped in Kunduz province on Saturday while investigating the Nato air strike a day earlier when a German commander called in a US jet to bomb two hijacked fuel tankers.

Unconfirmed reports have suggested at least 70 civilians died.

The New York Times pair were reportedly interviewing villagers at the site of the burned-out trucks when gunfire rang out and a group of armed militants arrived.

Mr Farrell is the second New York Times journalist to be kidnapped in Afghanistan in a year.

In June, Pulitzer Prize-winner David Rohde and an Afghan colleague were abducted in Kabul and taken to Pakistan, where they escaped.

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US very concerned about Iran's nuclear program

VIENNA – The United States said Wednesday it has "serious concerns" that Iran is deliberately trying to preserve a nuclear weapons option.

Glyn Davies, Washington's chief envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, also warned that the latest report by the nuclear watchdog shows that Tehran is either very near or already in possession of sufficient low-enriched uranium to produce one nuclear weapon, if the decision were made to further enrich it to weapons-grade.

"This ongoing enrichment activity ... moves Iran closer to a dangerous and destabilizing possible breakout capacity," Davies told the agency's 35-nation board of governors.

"Taken in connection with Iran's refusal to engage with the IAEA regarding its past nuclear warhead-related work, we have serious concerns that Iran is deliberately attempting, at a minimum, to preserve a nuclear weapons option," Davies said.

The latest agency report describes how Iran now has, at a minimum, 1,430 kilograms (3,153 pounds) of low-enriched uranium hexafluoride, he added.

Iran insists its program is peaceful and aimed at generating electricity. But the United States and important allies contend it is covertly trying to build a bomb.

President Barack Obama and European allies have given Iran until the end of September to take up an offer of nuclear talks with six world powers and trade incentives should it suspend uranium enrichment activities. If not, Iran could face harsher punitive sanctions.

On Monday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country will neither halt uranium enrichment nor negotiate over its nuclear rights but is ready to sit and talk with world powers over "global challenges."

In Vienna, Davies stressed that Iran — in contrast to its claims — is far from addressing all of the IAEA's concerns.

"We, as members of the board, have a responsibility to demand that the (IAEA) secretariat's questions are answered and to ensure that we can obtain confidence in the peaceful intent of the Iranian nuclear program," Davies said. "When a state such as Iran continues to violate its obligations, we must respond."

But Davies also said the U.S. welcomes constructive, honest engagement with Iran to resolve the issue and added he hoped that Tehran will take "immediate steps to restore international trust and confidence."

"The pathway to a negotiated solution remains on the table for Iran, and we continue to call on Iran's leaders to demonstrate genuine commitment to peace and security in the Middle East and to the international nonproliferation regime," he said.

Britain, France and Germany joined Washington's call, urging Iran to engage in "meaningful negotiations" aimed at achieving a comprehensive diplomatic solution to the international standoff over it's disputed nuclear program.

The three major European powers said it was "inexcusable" that Iran continues to refuse any degree of transparency or cooperation in clarifying outstanding issues and that it's current attitude further reinforces doubts about its endeavor.

"Iran should make use of the window of opportunity provided now," said the joint statement, delivered by German envoy Ruediger Luedeking. "We have extended a hand and we appeal to Iran to take it."

On Monday, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, said his watchdog was locked in a "stalemate" with Iran and urged Tehran to "substantively re-engage" with the Vienna-based organization to prove there are no military dimensions to its nuclear program.

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Why 09/09/09 Is So Special

Have special plans this 09/09/09?

Everyone from brides and grooms to movie studio execs are celebrating the upcoming calendrical anomaly in their own way.

In Florida, at least one county clerk's office is offering a one-day wedding special for $99.99. The rarity of this Sept. 9 hasn't been lost on the creators of the iPod, who have moved their traditional Tuesday release day to Wednesday to take advantage of the special date. Focus Features is releasing their new film "9," an animated tale about the apocalypse, on the 9th.

Not only does the date look good in marketing promotions, but it also represents the last set of repeating, single-digit dates that we'll see for almost a century (until January 1, 2101), or a millennium (mark your calendars for January 1, 3001), depending on how you want to count it.

Though technically there's nothing special about the symmetrical date, some concerned with the history and meaning of numbers ascribe powerful significance to 09/09/09.

For cultures in which the number nine is lucky, Sept. 9 is anticipated - while others might see the date as an ominous warning.

Math magic

Modern numerologists - who operate outside the realm of real science - believe that mystical significance or vibrations can be assigned to each numeral one through nine, and different combinations of the digits produce tangible results in life depending on their application.

As the final numeral, the number nine holds special rank. It is associated with forgiveness, compassion and success on the positive side as well as arrogance and self-righteousness on the negative, according to numerologists.

Though usually discredited as bogus, numerologists do have a famous predecessor to look to. Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician and father of the famous theorem, is also credited with popularizing numerology in ancient times.

"Pythagoras most of all seems to have honored and advanced the study concerned with numbers, having taken it away from the use of merchants and likening all things to numbers," wrote Aristoxenus, an ancient Greek historian, in the 4th century B.C.

As part of his obsession with numbers both mathematically and divine, and like many mathematicians before and since, Pythagoras noted that nine in particular had many unique properties.

Any grade-schooler could tell you, for example, that the sum of the two-digits resulting from nine multiplied by any other single-digit number will equal nine. So 9x3=27, and 2+7=9.

Multiply nine by any two, three or four-digit number and the sums of those will also break down to nine. For example: 9x62 = 558; 5+5+8=18; 1+8=9.

Sept. 9 also happens to be the 252nd day of the year (2 + 5 +2)...

Loving 9

Both China and Japan have strong feelings about the number nine. Those feelings just happen to be on opposite ends of the spectrum.

The Chinese pulled out all the stops to celebrate their lucky number eight during last year's Summer Olympics, ringing the games in at 8 p.m. on 08/08/08. What many might not realize is that nine comes in second on their list of auspicious digits and is associated with long life, due to how similar its pronunciation is to the local word for long-lasting (eight sounds like wealth).

Historically, ancient Chinese emperors associated themselves closely with the number nine, which appeared prominently in architecture and royal dress, often in the form of nine fearsome dragons. The imperial dynasties were so convinced of the power of the number nine that the palace complex at Beijing's Forbidden City is rumored to have been built with 9,999 rooms.

Japanese emperors would have never worn a robe with nine dragons, however.

In Japanese, the word for nine is a homophone for the word for suffering, so the number is considered highly unlucky - second only to four, which sounds like death.

Many Japanese will go so far as to avoid room numbers including nine at hotels or hospitals, if the building planners haven't already eliminated them altogether.

• The Most Popular Myths In Science
• Review: Animated "9" Destined to Be Next Great Cult Film
• World to End in 2012: A Hoax Gone Too Far?

• Original Story: Why 09/09/09 Is So Special

LiveScience.com chronicles the daily advances and innovations made in science and technology. We take on the misconceptions that often pop up around scientific discoveries and deliver short, provocative explanations with a certain wit and style. Check out our science videos, Trivia & Quizzes and Top 10s. Join our community to debate hot-button issues like stem cells, climate change and evolution. You can also sign up for free newsletters, register for RSS feeds and get cool gadgets at the LiveScience Store.

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Palestinians evicted in Jerusalem

Israeli police have evicted nine Palestinian families living in two houses in occupied East Jerusalem.

Jewish settlers moved into the houses almost immediately. The US has urged Israel to abandon plans for a building project in the area.

Israel has occupied East Jerusalem since 1967, a move not recognised by the international community.

The evictions have been condemned by the United Nations, the Palestinians and also the UK government.

'Deplorable'

The operation to evict the 53 Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah district of the city was carried out before dawn on Sunday by police clad in black riot gear.

It followed a ruling by Israel's Supreme Court that the land originally belonged to Jewish families. Israel wants to build a block of 20 apartments in the area.

The police were clad in black riot gear

The evictions were quickly condemned by the United Nations.

"I deplore today's totally unacceptable actions by Israel," the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert H Serry said. "These actions are contrary to the provisions of the Geneva Conventions related to occupied territory.

"These actions heighten tensions and undermine international efforts to create conditions for fruitful negotiations to achieve peace," Mr Perry said.

Palestinian negotiator Saed Erakat said: "Tonight, while these new settlers from abroad will be accommodating themselves and their belongings in these Palestinian houses, 19 newly homeless children will have nowhere to sleep."

Sovereignty 'unquestionable'

Israel considers a united Jerusalem to be the capital of the state of Israel.

"Our sovereignty over it is unquestionable," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month.

"We cannot accept the idea that Jews will not have the right to live and buy [homes] anywhere in Jerusalem."

The BBC's Tim Franks in Jerusalem says the houses are in what is probably the most contested city on earth and the diplomatic ripples from the evictions will spread.

The UK joined in the condemnation of the evictions. "These actions are incompatible with the Israeli professed desire for peace," the British Consulate in East Jerusalem said. "We urge Israel not to allow the extremists to set the agenda."

There are an estimated 250,000 Palestinians living in East Jerusalem and 200,000 Jews.

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FACT CHECK: Distortions rife in health care debate

WASHINGTON – Confusing claims and outright distortions have animated the national debate over changes in the health care system. Opponents of proposals by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats falsely claim that government agents will force elderly people to discuss end-of-life wishes. Obama has played down the possibility that a health care overhaul would cause large numbers of people to change doctors and insurers.

To complicate matters, there is no clear-cut "Obama plan" or "Democratic plan." Obama has listed several goals, but he has drawn few lines in the sand.

The Senate is considering two bills that differ significantly. The House is waiting for yet another bill approved in committee.

A look at some claims being made about health care proposals:

CLAIM: The House bill "may start us down a treacherous path toward government-encouraged euthanasia," House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio said July 23.

Former New York Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey said in a July 17 article: "One troubling provision of the House bill compels seniors to submit to a counseling session every five years ... about alternatives for end-of-life care."

THE FACTS: The bill would require Medicare to pay for advance directive consultations with health care professionals. But it would not require anyone to use the benefit.

Advance directives lay out a patient's wishes for life-extending measures under various scenarios involving terminal illness, severe brain damage and situations. Patients and their families would consult with health professionals, not government agents, if they used the proposed benefit.

CLAIM: Health care revisions would lead to government-funded abortions.

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council says in a video, "Unless Congress states otherwise, under a government takeover of health care, taxpayers will be forced to fund abortions for the first time in over three decades."

THE FACTS: The proposed bills would not undo the Hyde Amendment, which bars paying for abortions through Medicaid, the government insurance program for the poor. But a health care overhaul could create a government-run insurance program, or insurance "exchanges," that would not involve Medicaid and whose abortion guidelines are not yet clear.

Obama recently told CBS that the nation should continue a tradition of "not financing abortions as part of government-funded health care."

The House Energy and Commerce Committee amended the House bill Thursday to state that health insurance plans have the option of covering abortion, but no public money can be used to fund abortions. The bill says health plans in a new purchasing exchange would not be required to cover abortion but that each region of the country should have at least one plan that does.

Congressional action this fall will determine whether such language is in the final bill.

CLAIM: Americans won't have to change doctors or insurance companies.

"If you like your plan and you like your doctor, you won't have to do a thing," Obama said on June 23. "You keep your plan; you keep your doctor."

THE FACTS: The proposed legislation would not require people to drop their doctor or insurer. But some tax provisions, depending on how they are written, might make it cheaper for some employers to pay a fee to end their health coverage. Their workers presumably would move to a public insurance plan that might not include their current doctors.

CLAIM: The Democrats' plans will lead to rationing, or the government determining which medical procedures a patient can have.

"Expanding government health programs will hasten the day that government rations medical care to seniors," conservative writer Michael Cannon said in the Washington Times.

THE FACTS: Millions of Americans already face rationing, as insurance companies rule on procedures they will cover.

Denying coverage for certain procedures might increase under proposals to have a government-appointed agency identify medicines and procedures best suited for various conditions.

Obama says the goal is to identify the most effective and efficient medical practices, and to steer patients and providers to them. He recently told a forum: "We don't want to ration by dictating to somebody, 'OK, you know what? We don't think that this senior should get a hip replacement.' What we do want to be able to do is to provide information to that senior and to her doctor about, you know, this is the thing that is going to be most helpful to you in dealing with your condition."

CLAIM: Overhauling health care will not expand the federal deficit over the long term.

Obama has pledged that "health insurance reform will not add to our deficit over the next decade, and I mean it."

THE FACTS: Obama's pledge does not apply to proposed spending of about $245 billion over the next decade to increase Medicare fees for doctors. The White House says the extra payment, designed to prevent a scheduled cut of about 21 percent in doctor fees, already was part of the administration's policy.

Beyond that, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the House bill lacks mechanisms to bring health care costs under control. In response, the White House and Democratic lawmakers are talking about creating a powerful new board to root out waste in government health programs. But it's unclear how that would work.

Budget experts also warn of accounting gimmicks that can mask true burdens on the deficit. The bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget says they include back-loading the heaviest costs at the end of the 10-year period and beyond.

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Iran state TV confirms arrest of 3 Americans

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq – Iran state TV confirmed Saturday that it has detained three Americans who crossed the border from northern Iraq, saying they failed to heed warnings from Iranian guards. Kurdish officials from the self-ruled region in northern Iraq said the three — two men and a woman — were tourists who had mistakenly crossed into Iranian territory Friday while hiking in a mountainous area near the resort town of Ahmed Awaa.

"The Iranians said they have arrested them because they entered their land without legal permission," said Qubad Talabani, the Kurdish regional government's envoy to Washington.

Iran's state owned Arabic-language al-Alam TV station cited a "well-informed source" in the Interior Ministry that the three Americans were detained Friday after crossing into Iran's Kurdistan province.

The report said the Americans were arrested after they did not heed warnings from Iranian border guards.

State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Saturday that Washington had asked the Swiss, who represent U.S. interests in Tehran, "to confirm these reports with Iranian authorities and, if true, to seek consular access" to the detained Americans.

The detentions were the latest irritant in relations between Iran and the United States, which have had no diplomatic ties since 1979 when militant students stormed the U.S Embassy in Tehran and took Americans there hostage for 444 days. The two countries also are locked in a bitter dispute over Tehran's nuclear program.

They also came at a sensitive time for the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government as it seeks to balance delicate ties between its U.S. and Iranian allies. Iraqi security forces recently staged a deadly raid on a camp housing an Iranian opposition group that was protected by the American military for years. The raid was applauded by Tehran.

Kurds occupy an area that sprawls across southwestern Turkey, northern Iraq and eastern Iran. The borders are mountainous and not clearly marked, making them popular smuggling routes for centuries.

Iraq's Kurdish region has been relatively free of the violence that plagues the rest of Iraq. Foreigners often feel freer to move around without security guards in the area, and it's relatively easy to enter the region from Turkey, particularly by plane. The Kurdish government generally grants visitors visas valid for one week when they arrive at the airport.

The ethnic minority gained autonomy after rising up against Saddam Hussein in 1991, and the region was protected from his forces by a U.S.-British no-fly zone until Saddam's fall after the 2003 U.S. invasion.

The three Americans had traveled with a companion to Turkey, then entered the Kurdish region Tuesday through the border crossing at Zakho and traveled to Sulaimaniyah, according to the Kurdish regional government. On Thursday, the three took a taxi to Ahmed Awaa, it added.

The regional government's statement said the three went astray during an excursion and were detained by Iranian authorities at the border at about 1:30 p.m. Friday.

"After walking around the area and hiking the mountain, they lost their way due to their lack of familiarity with the location, and entered Iranian territory," it said, pledging to work with U.S. and Iranian officials to find a solution.

The three were last heard from after they contacted a friend saying they had entered Iran by mistake and troops had surrounded them, a Kurdish security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information.

The official said the account came from the fourth member of their group who was feeling sick and had stayed behind in Sulaimaniyah, 160 miles (260 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad.

The Iranian state TV report claimed the four Americans were together when they crossed the border, but "only one returned (to Iraq), while the three were arrested."

The discrepancy could not immediately be reconciled.

The area where the three disappeared is a popular hiking destination known for a picturesque waterfall and rocky scenery as well as a thick growth of fruit and nut trees. The official said camping equipment and two backpacks apparently belonging to the Americans were found in the area and it seemed they were hiking above the waterfall when they accidentally crossed the border.

Kurdish officials said U.S. helicopters and Humvees deployed to the nearby city of Halabja to search for the Americans after they were reported missing on Friday but left after it was determined they had been seized by the Iranians.

In March 2007, Iranian forces captured 15 British service members as they carried out a boarding operation in two inflatable boats launched from the HMS Cornwall in waters off southern Iraq.

Iran charged them with being in its territorial waters, and the government televised apologies by some of the captured crew. They were all eventually freed without an apology from Britain, which steadfastly insisted the crew members were taken in Iraqi waters where they were authorized to be.

___

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Oil hovers near $63 in Asian trade

SINGAPORE: Oil prices paused near $63 a barrel Thursday in Asia after signs of weak U.S. crude demand triggered a sharp sell-off this week. Benchmark crude for September delivery was down 19 cents to$63.16 a barrel by midday Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Wednesday, the contract fell$3.88 to settle at $63.35. Crude prices have slid from above $69 earlier this week on investor concerns that a slow reco .... Full Story

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CJ says constitution's interpretation is right of judiciary

ISLAMABAD: The hearing of a constitutional petition challenging the appointments of all such judges of the superior courts who had taken oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) and imposition of PCO in Supreme Court is underway.

A 14-member larger bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry resumed hearing today.

Hamid Khan advocate who started his arguments yesterday has been asked to ... Full Story

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UK: Intelligence sharing with the US threatened

LONDON: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the United States will restrict intelligence-sharing with the U.K. if a British court reveals secret details of a former Guantanamo Bay detainee's treatment, a British government lawyer said Wednesday.Karen Steyn, a lawyer acting on behalf of the British government, told Britain's High Court that Clinton had explained to her counterpart, Foreign Secretary David Miliband, that intelligence sharin .... Full Story

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Best Cities For Singles 2009

It hasn't been an easy year for New Yorkers, what with the fall of Wall Street, a media-industry shakeout and a significant decrease in consumer spending. Just in June U.S. retail sales experienced a year-over-year decrease of 9%, to $342.1 billion, according to the Commerce Department.

These financial stresses have brought a shift in priorities for singles: Living in New York City no longer requires making your first million by the age of 30, but instead means finding happiness with another person (though having achieved the former certainly can't hurt with the latter).

In Depth: Best Cities for Singles

With an unemployment rate of 8.2%, many of this metro area's finest unmarried folks-- 28% of the overall population--are taking advantage of generous severances and enjoying the spoils of the city--including its 35,000 restaurants, 3,800 bars and 734 museums--with dates they've found online. The New York metro area boasts a larger number of active accounts on dating site Match.com than any other place in the country, making up 8% of the entire site's active members.

While it's the biggest metro included--New York should have even more active members--other large metros don't participate nearly as much. For example, only 2% of Angelinos, who live in the second-largest metro in the country, actively use the site. (Match is based in Dallas, Texas, which ranks 17th on our list.)

It's still not cheap to live in New York--the average cost of a one-bedroom apartment in the borough of Manhattan, for example, is $3,522-- but the average entry-level salary is a lot higher too, at $35,593. (For singles making entry-level money, there are more affordable accommodations in Brooklyn and Queens, as well as across the river in New Jersey.) The average rent for a one-bedroom in Milwaukee is just $813.65, but the average starting salary is only $30,453. Close competition with New York includes Boston, Chicago, Seattle and Washington, D.C., which round out the top five best cities for singles.

Behind the Numbers

To generate our list, we ranked 40 of the largest continental U.S. metropolitan statistical areas in seven different categories: coolness, cost of living alone, culture, job growth, online dating participation, nightlife and the ratio of singles to the entire population of the metro. Each metro was assigned a ranking of 1 to 40 in each category, based on quantitative data, and all categories were weighted equally. The ranks were then totaled to determine the final rankings. A metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographic entity defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for use by federal agencies in collecting, tabulating and publishing federal statistics.

The biggest factor in the rankings this year was an increase in online dating, not just in New York but across the entire U.S. Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D., a sociology professor at University of Washington in Seattle and the relationship expert at Perfectmatch.com, says that the Seattle-based dating site has seen a 48% increase in subscriptions year-over-year. She believes that it's directly related to the recession.

"I don't think that it's an accident," says Schwartz. "People are telling us that when things are tough, core needs are most important. And love--someone to share your life with--is a core need."

Of course, not every single is looking to settle down. But that's why our top cities offer a little bit of everything for every kind of person. Washington, D.C., for example, has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country--6.2%, compared with a national average of 9.1%--so this metro area is a promising spot for those who are single as well as ambitious. Boston, on the other hand, is ideal for those unsure about their future prospects. Home to over 40 colleges and universities, those seeking graduate degrees find plenty of like-minded peers around them.

Farther down on the list, spots like Austin and Portland prove to be up-and-coming singles capitals. From March's annual South by Southwest music, film and media festival to the city's ever-growing creative community of artists, musicians and designers, Austin ranks high on the coolness scale. It also gets points for job growth; the number of jobs in the city will increase by 17.5% over the next five years, according to New York-based research firm Moodys' Economy.com. And while Portland is pricey--a one-bedroom apartment rents for $1,124 on average, and the entry-level salary is below the national average--the city's indie music and arts scenes, as well as its myriad bars and clubs, are all positives.

But wherever you live, even if it's Jacksonville, Fla., which falls dead last on our list, there's a community of singles making the best of that particular place. Whether that means embracing the great outdoors around Denver or buying the next round of tequila shots in nightlife-oriented Virginia Beach, there are plenty of other like-minded people on the prowl. And right now, the easiest place to find them is online.

Full Methodology

To determine the best city for singles, we ranked 40 of the largest continental U.S. metropolitan statistical areas in seven different categories: coolness, cost of living alone, culture, job growth, online dating, nightlife and number of singles. Each metro is assigned a ranking of 1 to 40 in each category, based on quantitative data. All categories are weighted equally. The ranks are then totaled to determine the final rankings. A metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographic entity defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for use by federal agencies in collecting, tabulating and publishing federal statistics.

Coolness: To determine coolness, market research company Harris Interactive conducted a poll in July 2009 of adults from across the U.S., each of whom was asked, "Among the following U.S. cities, which one do you think is the coolest?" Data were provided by Harris Interactive.

Cost of living alone: Our proprietary cost of living alone index is determined by the average cost of a metro area's one-bedroom apartment rent, a movie ticket and a six-pack of Heineken. Additionally, we factored in entry-level salary data. Raw data came from the Accra Cost of Living Index, provided by the Arlington, Va.-based Council for Community and Economic Research and New York-based Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

Culture: Our cultural index is determined by the number of museums, sports teams and live theater and concert venues per capita in each metro area. Data were provided by New York-based AOL City Guide and the U.S. Census Bureau. Job growth: Job growth rankings are determined by the projected percentage of job growth over the next five years for each metro. Data were provided by New York-based research firm Moody's Economy.com.

Online Dating: Online dating rates are determined by the percentage of active profiles in each city of the overall active member data based of Dallas, Texas-based dating site Match.com.

Nightlife: Nightlife is based on the number of restaurants, bars and nightclubs per capita in each standard metropolitan area. Data provided by AOL City Guide.

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Who are the Taliban?

Recent years have seen the re-emergence of the hardline Islamic Taliban movement as a fighting force in Afghanistan and a major threat to its government.

They are also threatening to destabilise Pakistan, where they control areas in the north-west and are blamed for a wave of suicide bombings and other attacks.

The Taliban emerged in the early 1990s in northern Pakistan following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.

A predominantly Pashtun movement, the Taliban came to prominence in Afghanistan in the autumn of 1994.

It is commonly believed that they first appeared in religious seminaries - mostly paid for by money from Saudi Arabia - which preached a hard line form of Sunni Islam.

The Taliban's promise - in Pashtun areas straddling Pakistan and Afghanistan - was to restore peace and security and enforce their own austere version of Sharia, or Islamic law, once in power.

In both countries they introduced or supported Islamic punishments - such as public executions of convicted murderers and adulterers and amputations of those found guilty of theft.

Men were required to grow beards and women had to wear the all-covering burka.

Madrassas

The Taliban showed a similar disdain for television, music and cinema and disapproved of girls aged 10 and over from going to school.

The Taliban first came to prominence in Afghanistan in 1994

Pakistan has repeatedly denied that it is the architect of the Taliban enterprise.

But there is little doubt that many Afghans who initially joined the movement were educated in madrassas (religious schools) in Pakistan.

Pakistan was also one of only three countries, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which recognised the Taliban when they were in power in Afghanistan from the mid-1990s until 2001.

It was also the last country to break diplomatic ties with the Taliban.

The attention of the world was drawn to the Taliban in Afghanistan following the attacks on the World Trade Centre in September 2001.

Mullah Omar's precise whereabouts are still unknown

The Taliban in Afghanistan was accused of providing a sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden and the al-Qaeda movement who were blamed for the attacks.

Soon after 9/11 the Taliban were driven from power in Afghanistan by a US-led coalition, although their leader Mullah Mohammad Omar was not captured - and neither was Osama Bin Laden.

In recent years the Taliban have re-emerged in Afghanistan and grown far stronger in Pakistan, where observers say there is loose co-ordination between different Taliban factions and militant groups.

The main Pakistani faction is led by Baitullah Mehsud, whose Tehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is blamed for dozens of suicide bombings and other attacks.

Observers warn against over-stating the existence of one unified insurgency against the Pakistani state, however.

The Taliban in Afghanistan are still believed to be led by Mullah Omar, a village clergyman who lost his right eye fighting the occupying forces of the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

Afghans, weary of the mujahideen's excesses and infighting after the Soviets were driven out, generally welcomed the Taliban when they first appeared on the scene.

THE TALIBAN Emerged in Afghanistan in 1994 Mainly supported by ethnic Pashtuns Toppled after US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 Fugitive leader Mullah Omar wanted, whereabouts unknown

Their early popularity was largely due to their success in stamping out corruption, curbing lawlessness and making the roads and the areas under their control safe for commerce to flourish.

From south-western Afghanistan, the Taliban quickly extended their influence.

They captured the province of Herat, bordering Iran, in September 1995.

Exactly one year later, they captured the Afghan capital, Kabul, after overthrowing the regime of President Burhanuddin Rabbani and his defence minister, Ahmed Shah Masood.

By 1998, they were in control of almost 90% of Afghanistan.

They were accused of various human rights and cultural abuses. One example was in 2001, when the Taliban went ahead with the destruction of the famous Bamiyan Buddha statues in central Afghanistan, despite international outrage.

US onslaught

On October 7, 2001, a US-led military coalition invaded Afghanistan and by the first week of December the Taliban regime had collapsed.

Mullah Omar and his comrades have evaded capture despite one of the largest manhunts in the world

Mullah Omar and most of the other senior Taliban leaders, along with Bin Laden and some of his senior al-Qaeda associates, survived the American onslaught.

Mullah Omar and most of his comrades have evaded capture despite one of the largest manhunts in the world and are believed to be guiding the resurgent Taliban.

Since then they have re-grouped in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, but are now under pressure in both countries, from the Pakistani army and Nato respectively.

But Mullah Omar and most of his comrades have evaded capture despite one of the largest manhunts in the world and violence in Afghanistan has returned to levels not seen since 2001.

Despite ever higher numbers of foreign troops, the Taliban have steadily extended their influence, rendering vast tracts of Afghanistan insecure.

Their retreat earlier this decade enabled them to limit their human and material losses and return with a vengeance.

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Suicide bombers hit Afghan city

Taliban militants have carried out suicide attacks on several government buildings in Khost, eastern Afghanistan, police say.

A gun battle broke out between security forces and the fighters who launched co-ordinated attacks on the police chief's office, a hospital and a bank.

Militants were using machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades, and there were reports of casualties.

It comes amid a spike of violence ahead of elections on 20 August.

A doctor at Khost hospital said seven civilians and three police were injured.

It was unclear how many attackers were involved, but Zabihullah Mujahid who claims to be a Taliban spokesman told the BBC from unknown location: "Four of our attackers had entered the city this afternoon."

Khost provinical police chief Abdul Qayum Baqizai told the BBC seven suicide bombers attacked various sites, including one who detonated a bomb-laden car near a military hospital.

One hospital guard was injured in that attack.

Another attacker was shot by security personnel close to Kabul Bank, and another was shot close to a government guesthouse, he said.

Mr Baqizai said the rest, dressed in border police uniforms, tried to enter the police chief's office but "our forces opened fire and killed them all".

City confusion

Khost resident Mohammad Goal Jan described the confusion during the hours of fighting.

"I can hear a lot of gunshots and loud explosions from the police chief's office.

"Police and army have blocked the main roads. Khost city is empty. There is a lot of confusion at the moment.''

One of the presidential candidates, Ramazan Bashardost, was in Khost but was not affected.

The attack is a big blow to the authorities who have promised better security for the elections next month, says the BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul.

Such attacks will only add to the worries of local Afghans in the country's restive south-eastern provinces.

Most of them live in a climate of fear. After attacks in Khost, Paktia and Ningarhar provinces recently, security was beefed up specifically on the outskirts of the city which borders Pakistan.

According to local residents, all vehicles coming in and out of Khost were checked on regular basis.

Previous attacks

In May, six people were killed when militants launched simultaneous assaults on government buildings in Khost.

Last week at least four security personnel were killed in attacks on Gardez, about 50 miles (80km) northwest of Khost, when militants attacked the police chief's office, a police station and the intelligence directorate, as well as the governor's compound.

Another security personnel died in an attack in eastern city of Jalalabad.

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Al Qaeda trying to acquire nuke weapons: Mullen

WASHINGTON: A top US military official said that al Qaeda and the Taliban leadership are trying to gain access to nuclear weapons.

"Terrorist organisations, al Qaeda in particular, have been very open and direct about their desire to get a nuclear device and continue to terrorise people in accordance with their strategic approach, killing as many Americans and westerners as they possibly can with a device like that," said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.

"So it is a very dangerous time. Those are very dangerous weapons. And we would like to contain them and see them over time reduced as much as possible," Mullen said in his address to the Junior Statesman Summer School Programme.

"It becomes all the more important to make sure no new countries are able to acquire it," he said.

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Over 300 families return to Malakand

PESHAWAR: More than 300 families have returned to Malakand division from Peshawar.

The repatriation process is underway at Larma relief camp near Peshawar. Over 300 families have so far returned from this camp to their homes in Malakand, Buner, Dir and Shangla.

Most of the IDPs taking refuge in the relief camp hail from Swat.

Now, registration for the next phase will be undertaken.

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Pakistan raises concern over US Afghan offensive

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan raised concern Wednesday with visiting U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke over a U.S.-led offensive in neighboring southern Afghanistan that Islamabad fears could send Taliban fighters across the border.

A senior Pakistani intelligence official said Islamabad has "reservations" about the offensive because militants crossing the border could destabilize Pakistan's province of Baluchistan, which for years has been facing a separate low-level insurgency by nationalist groups seeking more autonomy.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said Pakistani authorities had conveyed their unease to the "appropriate quarters."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said officials raised the issue with Holbrooke during meetings in Islamabad on Wednesday.

"We discussed with him about how to minimize the negative impact of the troop surge in Afghanistan on Pakistan's border area," Basit said.

Pakistan's army has already beefed up its presence along the border in the area, and the intelligence official said authorities had not yet seen an influx into Baluchistan of militants from Afghanistan's Helmand province, where some 4,000 U.S. Marines launched an operation on July 2 against Taliban insurgents.

If a significant influx does occur, however, Pakistan may be forced to move troops over to the northwest from its border from India. But the official stressed that Islamabad cannot make that shift "beyond a certain point."

The Pakistani establishment still views India as its greatest threat. The two nations have fought three wars over the past six decades.

Pakistan shares a 1,600-mile (2,600-kilometer) rugged border with Afghanistan, inhabited on both sides by ethnic Pashtuns with strong family and clan ties who travel freely across the frontier. The section opposite Helmand is about 160 miles (260 kilometers) long and lies in Baluchistan.

Holbrooke said the U.S. was committed to coordinating with the Pakistani government in combatting militants.

"We want to be sure that we share with your government and your military, military plans so you can be prepared and coordinate because a lot of different things can happen here," Holbrooke said.

"The Taliban could move east into Baluchistan and cause additional problems, they could move west towards Herat, they could be trapped, and we have to be prepared," he said.

Pakistani forces are also wrapping up an offensive in the Swat Valley in the country's northwest, and have been carrying out strikes in nearby South Waziristan, part of Pakistan's lawless tribal belt along the Afghan border. The military is softening up the region ahead of an offensive aimed at eliminating Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, the top commander of Pakistan's Taliban. Mehsud has been blamed for scores of suicide attacks and Islamabad considers him the country's greatest domestic threat.

On Wednesday, intelligence officials said Pakistani fighter jets destroyed two suspected militant hide-outs in South Waziristan, killing six men Tuesday believed to be associates of Mehsud. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

It was not possible to independently confirm the strikes or casualty figures in the remote area, where access for journalists is restricted.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who met with Holbrooke on Wednesday, reiterated Islamabad's objections to U.S. drone strikes in northwestern Pakistan, which target suspected top Taliban militants and al-Qaida leaders, saying they are counterproductive.

The strikes have "seriously impeded Pakistan's efforts towards rooting out militancy and terrorism from that area," Gilani's office said the prime minister told Holbrooke.

He also called on the U.S. to share intelligence with Pakistan and to provide equipment, ammunition and unmanned vehicle technology.

Pakistan already receives significant funding from the United States to arm its security forces and battle insurgents.

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Pakistani court summons Musharraf over 2007 chaos

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan's top court has summoned former President Pervez Musharraf to explain his 2007 firing of several dozen independent-minded judges. Wednesday's court notice allows Musharraf to send a lawyer in his place.

The case, brought up in petitions challenging Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule and firing of the judges that year, could lay the groundwork for future action — even a trial — against the one-time military ruler.

It could also rattle Pakistan's political scene at a time when the U.S. wants the nuclear-armed nation to focus on fighting al-Qaida and the Taliban along the Afghan border.

Pakistani Attorney General Sardar Latif Khosa confirmed the court order.

He said the federal government would not defend the actions taken by Musharraf on Nov. 3, 2007, when faced with growing challenges to his rule, he declared a state of emergency, suspended the constitution and dismissed the judges.

Musharraf is currently staying in London with his family. He could not immediately be reached for comment. The next hearing in the case is on July 29.

Wasi Zafar, a law minister during Musharraf's rule, said the retired general could appear before the Supreme Court either through his lawyer or in person.

"If he does not do it, the court can initiate proceedings against him in his absence," he said.

The former army chief seized power in a 1999 military coup and became a critical, and criticized, U.S. ally following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that sparked the American-led invasion of neighboring Afghanistan.

In early 2007, Musharraf dismissed the Supreme Court's chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry. That triggered mass protests led by lawyers that damaged Musharraf's popularity.

The court managed to bring Chaudhry back, but — faced with growing rancor — Musharraf declared the emergency, tossing out Chaudhry and around 60 other judges. That only deepened popular anger against the military ruler.

Under domestic pressure, and prodding from the U.S., Musharraf lifted the emergency rule after about six weeks, stepped down as army chief and allowed parliamentary elections to take place the following February.

The elections brought his political foes to power, and they ultimately pushed him to resign the presidency in August 2008.

But the fate of the judges, especially that of Chaudhry, has caused fissures among those who came to power.

A coalition government consisting of Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan People's Party and Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N fell apart over the slow pace of reinstating the ousted jurists.

Ultimately, facing escalating lawyer-led protests reminiscent of Musharraf's era, now-President Zardari agreed to reinstate Chaudhry — whom he'd viewed as too political a figure — in March.

Ever since, there have been rumblings in some corners about whether and when Musharraf would have to answer in court for his actions, and court petitions were filed over the issue.

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Musharraf summoned in judges case

ISLAMABAD: The 14-member larger bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday summoned former President Pervez Musharraf to defend charges leveled against him for imposing emergency on November 3, 2007. The larger bench issued a notice to Pervez Musharraf to appear in person or through counsel on July 29.The PCO judges case hearing was adjourned till July 29.A 14-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry heard t .... Full Story

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Officials: 17 die in US missile strike in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD – U.S. missiles struck a training facility operated by Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and a militant communication center Friday, killing 17 people and wounding 27 others, intelligence officials said.

The two attacks by drone aircraft took place in South Waziristan, a Mehsud stronghold close to the Afghan border where Pakistani troops are gearing up for a military offensive, two officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

They took place as U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano met government officials in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. She discussed topics of "mutual interest" with them, a U.S. Embassy spokesman said.

The drone attacks were the latest in a string of more than 40 believed to have been be carried out by the United States against militant targets in the border area since last August. Washington does not directly acknowledge being responsible for the attacks, which kill civilians as well as militants.

Most Pakistanis criticize the drone attacks, and Islamabad officially protests them as violations of its sovereignty. Still, most experts believe the government secretly approves of them and likely provides the United States with intelligence.

In one attack Friday, two missiles struck an abandoned seminary in the village of Mantoi that was being used by militants from Mehsud's group for training, the officials said. In the other strike, one missile hit an insurgent communications center in the nearby village of Kokat Khel, they said.

In total, 17 people were killed and 27 others were wounded, they said.

However, Maulvi Noor Syed, an aide to Mehsud, told The Associated Press that three Taliban fighters died in the strikes.

"We lost only three mujahedeen (holy warriors) in today's American missile attack," Syed said. "These attacks cannot cause any damage to us."

Access to the rugged, dangerous region is strictly controlled, and the death toll could not be independently verified.

The drone attack came as U.S. Marines in neighboring Afghanistan pushed deeper in the southern Helmand province, a day after 4,000 Marines launched a major anti-Taliban offensive. Pakistan said it moved troops to the stretch of its border opposite Helmand to stop militants fleeing the American assault.

The United States wants Pakistan to crack down on militants on its side of the border, believing it essential to stabilizing Afghanistan eight years after the invasion that ousted the Taliban there.

The Pakistani military launched an offensive in the Swat region close to the border in early May and is currently gearing up for operations in South Waziristan to eliminate Mehsud, who has been blamed for a string of deadly suicide attacks across the country that have killed more than 100 people in the past month.

In neighboring North Waziristan on Friday, Pakistani warplanes bombed suspected militant hide-outs, killing at least four insurgents and wounding seven others, two more intelligence officials said. Those airstrikes hit targets where Taliban fighters killed 16 government troops in an ambush earlier this week, the officials said, also speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The U.S. appears to be ramping up the pressure on Mehsud, who is viewed in Islamabad with growing alarm. Last week, the Taliban leader narrowly escaped a strike on a funeral for militants killed in an earlier drone attack. Eighty people died in the strike, although Mehsud escaped unharmed.

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Beaten Back, Iran's Opposition Looks To Reform From Within

Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi lashed out defiantly at Monday's certification, following a partial recount initiated by the clerical body that oversees Iran's elections, of the June 12 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. "From now on we will have a government... whose political legitimacy will not be accepted by the majority of people, including myself," Mousavi said in his latest statement.

Yet, Mousavi's refusal to accept defeat in an election he believes was stolen remains largely symbolic; the reality is that the protest movement he has led to challenge the results is running out of options. The authorities have taken control of the streets of Tehran through an overwhelming deployment of force that has prevented even the smallest of opposition gatherings from taking place. They have arrested scores of opposition candidates and journalists, and forced most of the Western press to leave the country. And while the government has put state media at its disposal, spinning the opposition protests as the work of foreign governments, Mousavi is reduced to speaking through statements posted on his website. (TIME Photographs: Terror in Plain Clothes.)

Denied the public space to continue its campaign except through relatively muted and scattered protest actions, the center of gravity of the challenge to Ahmadinejad's camp will likely move behind closed doors. Mousavi implied as much in his statement, saying that he will be joining a group that will push for reforms through legal means. Among the proposed changes he cited were an overhaul of election laws to prevent future instances of vote rigging, an end to surveillance and control of electronic communications, freedom of the press, and the release of reform politicians and journalists. Mousavi's statement comes on the back of several other statements from influential opposition politicians and clerics that called for protesters to cede the streets to the security forces, but to carry on the struggle as a loyal opposition. "We reserve the right to protest against the result of the election but believe that people should not pay any higher price," said the reformist Combatant Clerics' Assembly, "and that escalating tensions and street protests are not the solution."

Even then, it's not clear that the authorities will allow the election protest movement to morph into a legal political movement. Until now, power in Iran (unlike most Middle Eastern countries) has been dispersed across a number of institutions and bodies, from clerical councils to elected bodies such as parliament and the presidency, and the system was designed to allow for competition among different political groupings within the bounds of loyalty to the Islamic system. But the election and its aftermath highlighted the extent to which power has become increasingly concentrated in the hands of just a few politicians and their backers in the security services.

Many of the politicians and clerics that supported Mousavi are now in jail, despite having been known as pillars of the state and veterans of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Others have found themselves politically neutered. In the days after the election, many analysts speculated that the powerful former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was using his chairmanship of the Assembly of Experts - the body that chooses and oversees the clerical Supreme Leader of Iran - to mount a challenge to the tenure of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. So far, that challenge has not materialized.

As the influence of stalwart political and clerical figures recedes, the power of the leadership of the security services appear to be growing. On Tuesday the head of Iran's armed forces demanded that the European Union apologize for its alleged role in fomenting post-election protests before Iran would be willing to resume negotiations over its nuclear program. Such forays into international diplomacy have not traditionally been the prerogative of Iran's military.

Anyone looking to reintegrate opposition leaders into the political system may struggle to persuade the ascendant hardline faction, which has painted the protest movement as the work of foreign powers bent on undermining the Islamic Republic. Indeed, the chief of the Basij militia - the paramilitary group behind much of the crackdown against opposition protestors - asked Iran's chief prosecutor to investigate Mousavi for his role in the protests on the grounds that they undermined national security. The charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. But there will be significant pressure from other loyal sections of the regime to accommodate some of the concerns of those aggrieved by the election. The extent to which this occurs may be a measure of the relative strength of the hardline security establishment within the regime.

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Who makes bank at the White House

In the spirit of transparency, the Obama Administration posted on its White House blog a detailed list of who makes what at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

According to the WhiteHouse.gov blog, every administration since 1995 has been required to "deliver a report to Congress listing the title and salary of every White House Office employee." In January, in one of his first acts as president, Obama announced that he was freezing the salaries of employees who made more than $100,000 a year, saying, "Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington."

It may be a government job, but a gig in the White House isn't so bad: The highest earners take home $172,200, while at the low end, staff assistants get $36,000. The big winner, however, is David Marcozzi, the Director of Public Health Policy, who earns $192,934 a year.

The $172,200 Club: This exclusive club includes Obama's top aides, such as Senior Advisers David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, press secretary Robert Gibbs and Jon "Favs" Favreau, Obama's head speechwriter.

Other notable salaries:

— $102,000 Reggie Love, the president's personal aide and "body man," who was named the Hottest White House Employee according to a Huffington Post poll, barely edging out "Favs."

— $113,000 Desiree Rogers, who is on every D.C. socialite's speed-dial, was tapped to be the White House social secretary, charged with coordinating every social event held by the White House. The stylish Chicagoan pals around with Anna Wintour and was the subject of an extensive Vogue magazine feature.

— $84,000 Catherine Lelyveld, press secretary to First Lady Michelle Obama, hails from the Windy City as well, and served as Mrs. Obama's communication director during the presidential campaign.

— $36,000 That's how much Darienne Page, the White House receptionist, or "ROTUS" takes home annually. In a recent New York Times profile, Obama introduced Page as "the receptionist of the entire United States." Before serving in the Obama White House, Page served as an Army sergeant in Iraq under George W. Bush.

Joe Biden takes in $227,300 as the vice president of the United States, while Obama earns $400,000 a year, far less than the $2.6 million he earned in 2008 as a presidential candidate and author.

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