Raghagan (Pak), Sept 27: Members of the Pashtun tribe in Pakistan’s tribal areas have given stern warnings to the US forces that they should desist from incursions on Pakistani soil, else they would retaliate giving a befitting reply and killing any invader till death.

The tribesmen told this to the reporters who were taken to the Pashtun tribal fighters in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan in a bid to show the Pakistan Army had the support of locals for a month-long operation in the area, said to be an Al-Qaeda and Taliban hotspot.

Khar (Pakistan), Sept 27: The Taliban and Al Qaeda network in Pakistan’s Bajaur Agency will be demolished within two months from now, and there has been a significant improvement in recent weeks in the fight against the insurgents and extremists in the area, said Bajaur Agency’s FC Inspector General Maj Gen Tariq Khan.

“My timeframe for Bajaur is anything from between one-and-a-half to two months to bring about stability,” Khan said while speaking to media persons on a specially orgainsed trip to the area.

Kathmandu, Sept 26: At least 250 Nepali youths have been left stranded in Kabul after their employment agent allegedly fled without providing them the promised employment.

The victims informed their relatives in Nepal about their agony just few weeks after reaching the Afghan capital.

Bishnu Prasad, one of the victims, told his elder brother Indra Prasain of Satashidham of Jhapa district, that he and many other Nepali youths have been left stranded and finding it difficult to earn a living and often hide themselves to avoid arrest.

Peshawar, Sept 26: The Afghanistan Government has refuted Pakistan’s claims that the kidnapped Afghan Ambassador-designate Abdul Khaliq Farahi didn’t take enough security measures to protect himself.

Sultan Muhammad Baheem, the spokesman for Interior Ministry of Afghanistan, said that Farahi was an experienced diplomat and that he had not shown any carelessness in ensuring his security.

Baheem said the Afghan Government didn’t blame any group or individual, and that neither they have received any demand nor had been contacted by the kidnappers.

Both the governments wanted to resolve the matter amicably and recover the abducted envoy safe and sound, The News quoted him as saying.

Hong Kong - The number of US dollar millionaires grew by 22.7 per cent in India and 20.3 per cent in China last year as the ranks of wealthy in the Asia-Pacific region swelled to 2.8 million, according to a report Friday.

Vietnam saw the fastest growth in millionaire numbers with a 24.2 per cent increase although its overall number of high net worth individuals with assets worth over one million US dollars was just 1,200.

In 2007, China had 415,000 millionaires and India 123,000, the report said. The country with the most millionaires in the region, however, was Japan with 1.51 million, a 2.2 per cent increase on 2006.

Jakarta - Going home for Eid al-Fitr is seen as an obligation for Muslims, but when you live in Indonesia - the world's fourth most-populous nation which is also the world's most-populous Muslim country - the journey can be a logistical nightmare.

The obstacles do not daunt millions of Muslims who have just completed the Ramadan month of fasting - during which they are barred from eating, drinking or having sex from dawn to dusk - and are now ready to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, or what the locals call Lebaran.

"Going home for Eid al-Fitr celebration is quite an exhaustive journey. But we're happy," claims Sungkono, the father of three. "It's an occasion of double joy - and a double headache."