Yemen denies Saudi air strike targeted its soil

SANAA/RIYADH :  A Yemeni Defense Ministry official denied on Thursday that Saudi forces had struck targets inside Yemen, after Shiite rebels launched a cross-border attack into Saudi Arabia earlier this week.

"Saudi Arabia did not hit targets in Yemen," the official told Reuters, but declined to give further comment on reports that the kingdom's air force had attacked rebel positions.

A Saudi government adviser said earlier on Thursday that the kingdom had launched heavy air strikes on rebel camps on the border region of Jabal al-Dukhan and moved ground troops nearer the border against them after they killed a Saudi border guard and wounded 11 others on Tuesday.

Hip Pakistan snubs Taliban at fashion week

Fashion week will showcase 32 local designers

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KARACHI :  Bare shoulders, backless gowns and pouting models are wowing Pakistan's glitterati as Karachi fashion week shows the world a different side of the Taliban-troubled nation.

While women in much of Muslim, conservative Pakistan opt for headscarves over baggy shalwar khamis or even burkas, on the catwalks of financial capital Karachi, designers are exposing midriffs and flashing cleavage.

Fashion week runs until Saturday, taking place three weeks late because of security jitters and as a mark of respect for more than 300 people who perished in a string of attacks blamed on Islamist militants last month.

Fashionistas in Karachi, however, shrug off security fears in the southern city of 14 million people, known for its glitzy malls and thriving cafe culture a two-hour flight away from militant hubs in the northwest.

"We, the members of Fashion Pakistan, feel great to be hosting this colorful event at difficult times in our history, when the entire nation is waging a battle against militancy," said upcoming young designer Fahad Hussain.

The eight local designers who opened the event experimented with twists on traditional Pakistani dress and western styles.

Intricate and colorful fabrics lit up the catwalk, while a towering black feather hat, off-the-shoulder dresses and halterneck gowns graced the frames of sultry models strutting in high heels past an awed audience.

"My design philosophy is as diverse as my collection, (which) shows a mix of eastern and western inspirations," said Hussain, known for edgy accessorizing and striking silhouettes.

UN evacuates hundreds of staff from Afghanistan

KABUL:  The United Nations said on Thursday it would temporarily evacuate hundreds of its international staff from Afghanistan due to deteriorating security, a sharp blow for Western efforts to stabilise the country.

“Around 600 non-Afghan staff will be temporarily relocated," U.N. spokesman Dan McNorton told AFP, adding that “the only people who will remain are regarded as essential staff."

Some would be relocated to safer sites within Afghanistan and some withdrawn from the country, said Aleem Siddique, another U.N. spokesman, adding that the final breakdown had not been determined.

Taliban militants killed five foreign U.N. staff in an attack at their international guest house in the capital on Oct. 28.

"The United Nations is reducing the number of its international staff from 1,300 to 400, effective immediately," Siddique told Reuters, adding that the world body would determine how much staff were necessary to run on-going programs.

"We will be looking at bringing people back as soon as the security situation allows and secure accommodation is found," Siddique said. "Instead of having people dotted around the city, they will be consolidated."

A U.N. statement emailed to Reuters said it would not make details of the new measures public, adding: "It is expected that they will involve short-term relocations for some staff while additional security is being put in place."