Washington, Oct 10: US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Richard Boucher has said that ‘very dangerous things’ are happening in Pakistan and some ‘very dangerous people are holed up in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA),’ but that does not mean Pakistan as a nation is in danger.

Boucher expressed confidence in the future of democracy in Pakistan and in the new government’s willingness to fight extremism.

Washington, Oct 10 : Four months after going through a successful hand transplant - 35 years after amputation in an industrial accident - a man has shown an emerging sense of touch - a development that could be seen in the former "hand area" of his brain.

The finding was made by a University of Oregon neuroscientist.

The 54-year-old man lost his limb 35 years ago in an industrial accident when he was just 19 and received the transplant in December 2006.

However, the finding is currently limited to the man''s right palm of a donated hand, which was attached along with major nerves, bones, tendons, and muscle, in a surgery by Kleinert, Kutz and Associates Hand Care Center of Louisville, Ken.

Beijing, Oct. 10: The United States'' decision to sell arms to Taiwan has been strongly condemned by the Chinese defence ministry.

Huang Xueping, a spokesman of the Chinese Defense Ministry, reacting to Pentagon spokesman Stuart Upton''s remarks on Monday that Washington''s arms sales were consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, said: "We are strongly dissatisfied and opposed to the Pentagon spokesman''s remarks. The so-called ''Taiwan Relations Act'' severely ran counter to the principles of the three Sino-U. S. joint communiqués and the fundamental norms governing international relations."

He added the United States had no right to place domestic law above international ones, or use it as an excuse to sell weapons to Taiwan.

Miranshah, Oct 10 : At least seven people, including three foreigners, were killed in a missile attack by a suspected United States drone, 20 kilometres east of Miranshah, local witnesses have said.

The attack on Ghundai village in North Waziristan Agency targeted the house of Muhammad Sultan, son of Zaley Gul.

Local tribesmen recovered seven bodies from the bombed site and feared the toll could rise. “There are three foreigners among the dead,” the Daily Times quoted witnesses, as saying.

Khost, Afghanistan - Less than six hours after a helicopter drops a combined US and Afghan army patrol by the mountain border with Pakistan, Islamic insurgents surround and pound the unit into disarray.

The surprise attack from forested slopes around the troops' positions lasts 20 minutes, during which they are pinned down and barely able to hit back, such is the intensity of the barrage of fire. Then abrupt silence replaces the crash and rattle of rocket-propelled grenades and small arms.

"They know to pull back before air support can arrive," said Sergeant Ryan Hendricks of the 2-506 Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, as he positions the two dozen soldiers against any attempt to directly storm the hilltop they are holding.

Washington, Oct. 10: Democratic strategists are reportedly quite optimistic that the ongoing economic crisis in the United States will fetch a landslide victory for their presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Four large states John McCain once seemed well-positioned to win-Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio and Florida-have in recent weeks shifted toward Obama. If Obama were to win those four states-a scenario that would represent a remarkable turn of events-he would likely surpass 350 electoral votes, reports CBS.