As a result of a large-scale military operation against Taliban militants, parts of the Pakistani army captured the administrative center of the Buner region, the city of Dagar, reports Agence France-Presse . The operation to destroy the militants, in which aviation and ground special forces take part, continues. The fighting against the Taliban began on Tuesday, April 28.

net consolidated profit Gazprom's according to international financial reporting standards (IFRS) in 2008 amounted to 771.38 billion rubles, the concern said in a press release . Thus, taking into account all weekends and holidays last year, the concern earned 2.1 billion rubles per day. At the end of 2007, Gazprom's net profit amounted to 694.98 billion rubles. The net profit of the Russian gas company in the fourth quarter of 2008 amounted to 37.518 billion rubles.

In the first quarter of 2009, 74.9 million GPUs were sold worldwide, down 21.1 percent from a year ago. In the first three months of 2008, 94.9 million graphics chips were sold. This was reported in a press release from the analytical company Jon Peddie Research. The market leader is Intel, which shipped 37.2 million graphics chips to the market in the first quarter. Intel's market share was 49.7 percent. A quarter ago, this figure for Intel was 47.7 percent, a year ago - 42.7 percent.

At the World Hockey Championship in Switzerland, the Canadian team defeated the Slovak team 7:3, according to the tournament website on April 28. During the match the score was 7:1, but in the end the Slovaks managed to win back two goals. Three times Canada scored thanks to the use of a numerical advantage. For the Maple Leafs, it is worth noting the play of defender Shea Weber, who recorded a goal and three assists, and Martin St. Louis with four assists.

Mexican soap opera producer TV Azteca removed scenes of kissing and affectionate touching from series scripts after a case of swine flu was recorded on the television company's sets. writes about this Critica de la Argentina . A company representative said that many actors refused to appear in romantic episodes, key to the entire genre, for fear of getting infected.

North Korea's leadership has threatened to conduct nuclear tests and launch a ballistic missile if the UN Security Council does not apologize for criticizing previous tests. Reuters reported this on April 29. The DPRK also demands the repeal of all UN Security Council resolutions adopted in connection with Pyongyang's nuclear program since 2006. These demands are contained in an official statement by the North Korean Foreign Minister, relayed by KCNA.

The net loss of ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel producer, in the first quarter of 2009 amounted to $1.063 billion. This is stated in a press release from the steel company. The company's net profit for the first quarter of 2008 reached $2.372 billion. ArcelorMittal's operating losses in the first quarter of 2009 amounted to $1.483 billion. The reason for the financial losses was a sharp decline in demand for the company's products amid the global economic crisis.

For the first time in NHL history, three Russian players became contenders for the Hart Trophy, which is awarded to the most valuable player of the league's regular season. The prize may go to the best sniper of the 2008/09 season, Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin , Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk. The official website of the NHL reports this.

Rental rates for street retail properties on the main shopping street of St. Petersburg, Nevsky Prospekt, have decreased by an average of 50 percent over the year. This is stated in the review of the consulting company RRG. Among the most attractive street-retail objects (inexpensive clothing and perfume stores, restaurants, cafes, coffee shops), experts highlight Nevsky Prospekt, Bolshoi Prospekt (Petrogradskaya Side), Sredny Prospekt, and the 6-7 line of Vasilievsky Island.

The Moscow City Hall did not give the Right Cause party permission to hold a May Day rally. reported this on April 29 RIA Novosti . "Right Cause" was going to hold an action called "Moscow - an open city", at which it was supposed to demand the abolition of temporary registration for labor migrants.

Barcelona and Chelsea played out a draw in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final . The game, which took place on the evening of April 28 in Spain, ended with a score of 0:0. The match was played with a noticeable advantage of Barcelona, ​​but both teams had chances to score. The return match will take place on May 6 in London. Chelsea's most realistic chance to open the scoring in the first half was missed by Didier Drogba.

The Constitutional Court of Ukraine on the morning of April 29 began oral hearings in the case on the timing of the country's presidential elections, reports RBC-Ukraine . The current head of state, Viktor Yushchenko, addressed the Constitutional Court with a request to establish whether the Verkhovna Rada's resolution on holding elections on October 25, 2009 is in accordance with the Basic Law. Yushchenko himself considers this date illegal, insisting on January 17, 2010.

Tests of a new geothermal power plant in Australia have failed, reports New Scientist. Unlike conventional geothermal power plants, which use thermal energy from hot springs of water, the new power plant was supposed to use the energy of hot rock lying at a depth of 3-5 kilometers. Scientists knew that in this region, rocks containing radioactive elements occur at great depths. The decay of the latter leads to heating of the stones.

A Miami court on Tuesday, April 28, sentenced Colombian drug lord Eugenio Montoya, also known as Don Hugo, to 30 years in prison. reports this BBC News . Montoya was arrested in Colombia in 2007 after being wanted by the FBI. That same year, he was extradited to the United States, where he was charged with drug trafficking and money laundering. According to investigators, Don Hugo was the main financier of the largest Colombian drug cartel, Norte del Valle.

Sociologists from the Public Opinion Foundation - Ukraine conducted a survey in which participants were asked who they would vote for in the presidential elections in Ukraine if they took place on April 26. As Ukrainian News reports , the majority of respondents (21.9 percent) are ready to vote for the leader of the Party of Regions, Viktor Yanukovych . 15.3 percent of those surveyed said they would vote for Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko . 15.1 percent would vote against everyone.