Taliban "Shaving Beards" to Flee Swat: Army
REUTERS: KOTA, Pakistan - Taliban fighters are shaving off their beards and trying to flee from a Pakistani army offensive in their Swat bastion, the military said on Friday, as it relaxed a curfew to allow civilians to get out.

The army launched an offensive in the Swat valley, northwest of Islamabad, last week to stop the spread of Taliban influence which had alarmed the United States and other Western allies of nuclear-armed Pakistan.

More than 900,000 civilians have fled and the United Nations has warned of a humanitarian tragedy unless Pakistan gets massive assistance.

Clashes had erupted in various parts of the region, the military said on Friday, adding it was achieving successes.
It also appealed to civilians to identify Taliban fighters trying to flee.

"We have confirmed reports that these Taliban terrorists, after shaving off their beards and cutting their hair, are fleeing from the area," the military said in a statement.

"We request the people of Swat to identify them," it said, while providing a telephone number for informants to call or send text messages.

Taliban members and supporters usually have long beards and many of them also have long hair. There was no immediate comment from the Taliban about the military's statement. >>> By Junaid Khan | Friday, May 15, 2009

Council Warns Staff Not to Use the Word 'British'
This must surely be Ron Davies’ second “moment of madness”! Why don’t these meddlesome politicians leave us all alone? - ©Mark

THE TELEGRAPH: A council is warning staff not to use the word "British" in case it upsets people from Scotland, Wales, Ireland or Asia.

New guidelines for town hall workers state that "many Scots, Welsh and Irish resist being called British" and says people from ethnic minorities should be called "British Asians" or "Chinese British".

Officials at Caerphilly in South Wales are warned that "the idea of 'British' implies a false sense of unity".

A guide on the use of the phrases has been drawn up for more than 9,000 council staff after being compiled by a race equality group led by shamed former Cabinet Minister Ron Davies.

It warns against using the word British as well as offensive words such as "negro", "spastic" and "half-caste".

The leaflet, called Equalities in the Delivery of Council Services, has been condemned as "political correctness gone mad" by Conservative MP for Monmouth David Davies.

It was drawn up by the Valleys Race Equality Council (Valrec) directed by former Caerphilly MP Ron Davies who resigned after what he called a "moment of madness" on Clapham Common.

Mr Davies, who is an Independent cabinet member on Caerphilly Council, said: "It's just for information, there's no advice or instruction.

"Of this council's employees, 3,900 describe themselves as white British, whereas 5,400 describe themselves as white Welsh.

"So this information is very much in accordance with the way that people in Caerphilly identify themselves."

The recommendations are contained in a document which advises staff how to deal with members of the public sensitively. >>> | November 11, 2008

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