Top al-Qaida leader killed in Pakistan

Al Qaeda's top leadership continues to crumble with US officials saying that the organisations chief of operations in Pakistan Abu Hafs al-Shahri was killed in the country's north-west on Thursday.

Al-Shahri was killed in the Waziristan region. The militant collaborated closely with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, a report said quoting an unnamed official.

Reports claim that another senior leader of the al Qaeda, Younis al Mauretani, has been captured.

US has launched an aggressive drone strike campaign in Pakistan's north-west region after Osama bin Laden was killed on May 2 in Abbottabad.

7 Lies that men tell women

Sometimes, one might say, lying is necessary, but otherwise, they might be better off just admitting the truth.

Men can try to justify their lies by convincing themselves that they're simply optimising their truth management skills, but at the end of the day, they know deep down inside that they've been keeping the truth neatly tucked away. Here are some of the most used lies by men.

Lie # 1: No, you don't look fat
You and your boyfriend are preparing for a night out and you ask him, "Do I look fat in this? The best answer that will come from them is, "No, of course you don't look fat." Other than ignoring your question, this is the only way, the men feel, to come out of the situation unscathed.

Lie # 2: We'll talk about it later
This little phrase helps most of the men end an argument or potential squabble. In most cases, men really don't want to "talk about it later," they never want to talk about it, actually. Putting off the possibility of a fight gives them some time to underline the uselessness of arguing over something so minute.

Lie # 3: You remind me of Jennifer Lopez
The ultimate compliment can also be your boyfriend's biggest lie. Comparing you to an incredibly beautiful movie star may raise your self-confidence, but let's face it - are you really that hot? You might be beautiful, but your boyfriend's lie may actually do more harm than good in certain cases.

Lie # 4: I don't think of other women
Another denial of programmed emotions men face, this lie is usually called for, no matter how moral they are. They don't want to hurt you. If you believed him when he said, "I've never seen a woman more beautiful than you," this will be a piece of cake for him. If they don't think about other women all the time, they're in the clear because fantasising or drooling over a hot babe in a magazine from time to time is no crime - even a psychiatrist would tell you that.

Lie # 5: I love Meg Ryan movies
Some untruths exist simply to help men save their energy and this is certainly one of them. Instead of explaining how unrealistic, silly and boring romantic comedies are, they feel that it is better to simply tune out during the movie and reap the benefits of a happy, romantic-minded girlfriend afterwards.

Lie # 6: I love spending time with your mom
Sometimes, the key to a woman's heart is through her family. Your boyfriend will put up with your parents if he is really serious about his relationship with you. He will admit to you that he enjoys going over to your parents' house for dinner and loves every moment of time spent with your family.

Lie # 7: I'm sorry
Whether it's to escape a sticky situation or nip an argument in the bud, these two little words can come in quite handy. Used sparingly, this device is men's greatest route to turning your scowl into a smile, if it's said with conviction. Men find this as the easiest way to solve all the problems.

Grandparents with webcam become new online stars

It slowly began to dawn on Esther and Bruce Huffman that perhaps they were being filmed.

"Warning," the gray-haired, bespectacled grandmother reads off the screen. "You must stop recording before trying to close cyber link."

Pause. "Maybe this recorded us," says the neatly coiffed, rosy-cheeked man next to her.
"Aw, gee," Esther replies.

The realization came toward the end of a nearly three-minute video that has launched the retired Oregon couple to YouTube stardom. They had unwittingly captured their first attempt at learning how to work the webcam on a new laptop. (Watch Video)

The Huffmans met a couple of years after Bruce's first wife died, at the retirement complex in which they both lived. She liked his vivacity; he thought she would be a sturdy rudder to his boundless energy.

In the video, she plays the straight man as she tries to make a serious attempt at the request of their children and grandchildren. He's bouncing in his seat next to her, making monkey faces.

Esther had bought a laptop late this summer. Already a Facebook user, she was asked by her family to try recording videos for the amusement of the grandchildren.

In mid-August, the couple sat in front of their laptop, fiddling with the controls of a video recording program. Somehow, they got the program running. Somehow, they pressed "record."

It was filming as Bruce jokingly fretted about his appearance. "I'm so sad, Esther, I'm so sad," Bruce says with a sad-clown expression. "Look at all the wrinkles up there and the cracks in my head."

There is singing.

"Hello my darling, hello my baby, hello my ga-doh-go," Bruce intones, sliding from Looney Tunes into gibberish. "Lala-te-ki-ka."

Bruce makes faces, leaning close to the laptop screen and blowing out his cheeks: "Now look at the monkey. That's a pretty good monkey!"

When the couple realizes the webcam might have been recording their antics, they stiffen. But their 21-year-old granddaughter, Mindy, saw the video's potential. With their permission, she uploaded the file, dubbing it "Webcam 101 for Seniors." By Thursday, it was nearing 3 million views on YouTube.

In the crush of media that has descended on them, the Huffmans struggle to explain what made the video so compelling. After all, it was just a couple minutes of two Oregonians in a retirement community doing ... well, not much.

Perhaps, Esther said, people were attracted to its joy. We're under such a negative news barrage daily, she said. War, crime, natural disasters - wouldn't people rather watch an 86-year-old man singing Looney Tunes?

Lynette Paulson, Esther's daughter, ventured that the unmitigated happiness in the video resonates with viewers.

"They want to see that joy," Paulson said. "It just brings you up."

Or maybe, said 27-year-old grandson Luke Erickson, it shows the possibility that age doesn't mean infirmness or discontent, but that two spectacularly unself-conscious people eight decades on are capable of happiness and supporting and loving each other.

"I don't know how to do this," Esther complains in the video.

Bruce leans in to her.

"Whatever you do," he says, "you do fine."