At the peak of their commitment, the Dutch had nearly 2,000 troops in Afghanistan. Some staff units remain in Afghanistan, according to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, but the Dutch government said the last of its troops will return by December.

"The past four years brought the population of Uruzgan great improvements," the Defense Ministry said in a statement Sunday. "Regrettably, the Netherlands is saddened by its 24 war casualties and 140 wounded."

The Dutch government already had extended its mission by two years. Nato requested the Netherlands another extension of its mission, but the request triggered a political row that brought down the country's coalition government in February.

According to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the security situation has significantly improved, in the last four years.

"There are 1600 active police agents in Afghanistan, while in 2006 there was hardly any professional police. A growing number of social organizations that can operate in the province have evolved. Almost everyone has access to health care in Afghanistan. The number of schools has doubled since 2006. Approximately 53,000 children, including almost 7600 girls go to school. Improving the infrastructure in Uruzgan gave an enormous boost. "

A Taliban spokesman told the Dutch newspaper that the group wanted to "wholeheartedly congratulate the citizens and government of the Netherlands" for pulling out its troops and urged others to follow suit.

Officials in Brussels insist the rest of the military alliance remains solid and note that the decision of the Dutch to go ahead with the withdrawal did not produce a chain reaction of other announcements about pull-outs.

Paul will go back to his old job "making children laugh", a spokeswoman for the German aquarium said.

The octopus correctly predicted the outcomes of all seven of Germany's games plus the Spain-Netherlands final.

As a reward, aquarium staff presented him with his very own replica World Cup trophy garnished with his favourite food - mussels.

Tanja Munzig, of the Sea Life Aquarium in the western German city of Oberhausen, said they had received offers for Paul but he was not for sale.

"There are a lot of offers for Paul from betting offices and other areas. One thing is clear: Paul is staying with us," she said.

She added he would now "step back from the official oracle business".

"He won't give any more oracle predictions - either in football, or in politics, lifestyle or economy. Paul will get back to his former job, namely making children laugh."

Paul made his uncanny predictions for each game by choosing a mussel from one of two jars bearing the flags of World Cup opponents. The two-year-old cephalopod quickly became a worldwide celebrity.

Paul's home at Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen has been inundated with visitors and media from across Europe. Many networks broadcast his picks live. Hundreds were on hand to watch the World Cup replica lowered into his tank on Monday.

Seemingly unimpressed with his star status, Paul at first ignored the golden trophy - adorned with three mussels - placed in his tank.

But after several minutes he finally picked off a mussel and devoured it in front of TV cameras.

The father stuffed the report into the 12-year-old boy's mouth and ordered him to 'chew it up and swallow it', it was heard.

When his son was unable to eat the three sheets of paper, his father tried to push it down his throat with his finger, before hitting him on the head, the court in Poitiers, western France, was told.

Teachers of the boy alerted the police after the boy came to school with one blue eye and a busted lip and the father was arrested and charged with assault.

Neither the father nor the son could be named for legal reasons.

The man told the court: 'It was a poor report and I lost my temper. I sent him up to his room, then followed him up there with the report.

Photo by Rob Shenk

Licciardi said that just how the rings form remains a mystery. It's possible that bursts of gas through narrow vents would do the job, much like cigar or cigarette smokers blow rings with their mouths.

"The ring lasted about 5 minutes or so before dissipating," Licciardi told Discovery News. "The apparent fact that Eyjafjallajokull has blown only one observed smoke ring in the past month or so seems to indicate that this is an exceedingly rare occurrence during the present eruption. I feel incredibly fortunate to have witnessed it!"

The volcano on Iceland caused major problems for air traffic in Europe. At the moment it seems to have ceased its activity. There is no volcanic ash or lava coming any more from the volcano in the glacier Eyjafjallajökull, according to a spokesperson for the Meteorological Institute in Reykjavik.

The cloud in the atmosphere consists only of water vapor but if the volcano's track record is any indication, it may be a long time before Eyjafjallajokull is done with us.

The Swedish "Treskilling Yellow" is one of world's rarest stamps and is believed to be the only surviving misprint of an 1855 three shilling stamp that was supposed to be green. It has fabled status among collectors and is considered one of the world's most valuable objects pound for pound.

"I'm hoping it will be a new record," auctioneer David Feldman said Friday. He oversaw its last official sale in 1996 for 2.875 million Swiss francs (then about US$2.3 million).

Saturday's auction will involve several undisclosed telephone bidders whose credentials have been checked. All who take part have been sworn to secrecy, but the buyer will have the right to decide whether his name and the purchase price can be revealed after the sale, said Feldman.

The Treskilling Yellow is "one of about a half dozen highly notorious stamps in the world," according to noted U.S. stamp expert Robert Odenweller.

But the Dutch anti-terrorism office and Danish authorities said they aren't yet planning any new security measures in response.

Judith Sluiter of the Netherlands' anti-terrorism coordination office says the comments made by Abdullah Azam Saleh al-Qahtani were in line with her agency's perception of potential threats.

"Dutch interests abroad are more at risk than they are inside this country at the moment," Sluiter said. "Here, they're limited, but abroad, they're substantial."

Al-Qahtani said he considered attacking the Dutch and Danish teams or fans to avenge perceived insults to Islam.

"We discussed the possibility of taking revenge for the insults of the prophet by attacking Denmark and Holland," al-Qahtani told The Associated Press. "If we were not able to reach the teams, then we'd target the fans."

Al-Qahtani, a Saudi citizen, was arrested in Iraq on May 3 after a note he had written detailing similar plans was found at a house where two leading al-Qaida suspects were killed in April.

Dutch citizens are considered potential targets in part due to an anti-Islam film made by right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders. Similarly, Danes have been considered at risk due to the publication of cartoons featuring Islam's prophet Mohammed.

Vish Naidoo, a spokesman for South African police, said the report from Baghdad would not affect World Cup security planning because terrorism had always been part of the calculations.

The Dutch State Department advises travelers to South Africa and especially visitors to the World Cup to be vigilant in relation to terrorist threats.

Photo by Dan Kamminga

Dutch pilots were the first in a long line of international students to ever train with the 162nd Fighter Wing. Starting in 1989, they were a mainstay program at the Arizona Air National Guard unit for 18 years until they moved to Springfield, Ohio, for a five-year agreement to train with the Ohio Air National Guard's 178th Fighter Wing.

The details of their return, scheduled for January 2011, were the subject of discussion between wing and Dutch air force leaders during a site visit April 26-28.

The Dutch plan to base 14 of their own jets here to participate in basic F-16 training as well as advanced courses such as flight lead upgrade and instructor pilot certification.

In addition to student training, the 162nd will periodically host experienced Dutch pilots for operational training before deployments to Afghanistan; training opportunities similar to those offered at Operation Snowbird, a wing detachment at nearby Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

The initial agreement for training in Tucson is a three year program with an option to extend based on the needs of the Dutch air force.

Courtesy of 162nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

A Nissan Pathfinder was found to contain explosive powder, gasoline, propane and burned wires. A police robot was used to break the windows of the black Nissan Pathfinder to remove explosive materials.

Police spokesman Paul Browne said bomb-making materials including propane tanks, explosive powders and a crude timing device were found. He said: "There were explosive elements, including powder, gasoline, propane and some kind of electrical wires attached to a clock. No motive has been identified.

"This appears to be a car bomb that the bomb squad is in the process of dismantling,"
Mr Browne said a mounted policeman had spotted a box smoking in the back of the vehicle, followed by a small flash. The alarm was raised at 6.30pm (10.20pm GMT).

A police source said the device was a car bomb and included three tanks of propane and two canisters of gasoline. "Luckily, no one is hurt, and now the full attention of city, state and federal law enforcement will be turned to bringing the guilty party to justice in this act of terrorism," Paterson said in a statement.

President Barack Obama, who was at the same dinner, praised the quick response by the New York Police Department and said the federal government was prepared to provide support.

Times Square is always full of people on Saturday night, going to the theater. Thousands of people, including many tourists, had to leave the area.

The Dutchman, born in Istanbul, murdered the 37-year-old pilot of the private plane on which he was flying and then switched off the engine.

The plane, a Piper Cherokee, crashed in a field near the airport of Bariloche in Patagonia. The Argentine police think of murder because a bloody knife was found onboard the crashed plane. Also the key was no longer in the ignition. At the hotel room of the Dutchman a farewell letter was found to his wife.

The Dutch journalist himself had a pilot's license. He had actually wanted to rent a plane and just want to leave alone. His request was rejected and arranged an aircraft with pilot for a flight over Patagonia.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague confirmed that a Dutchman was killed but that the case is still under investigation. He could not give more information.

Weighing in at just 6lb (2.7kg) and standing just 14-inches (35cm) tall, the tiny creature, which has been named Einstein, is set to take the crown from Thumbelina, who at 17.5-inches currently hold the title of worlds’ smallest mare.

Einstein was born last friday in Barnstead, New Hamshire to the breeder Judy Smith. She takes care of the horse at Tiz a miniature horse farm. Judy thought the stallion was dead because he wasn't moving, but the little bitty creature survived and has been named the smallest. Thumbelina, a chestnut mare, had the title of smallest horse who was 9 lbs and 17.5 inches tall. Whats so weird is the proportions of the horse is normal and there is no size of dwarfism.

According to Smith, over her 20 years of being in the business she has never seen a horse so tiny.

Oh my gosh, I want one so bad! How cute is he!!! He is the size of my creepy little Chihuahua! Awe, Einstein come over and play with Lida, you're so cute I just want to squeeze you!

Einstein’s breeders at the farm are so confident that he is small enough to enter the Guinness Book of World Records that they have uploaded a film of the newborn’s first trip into the paddock and wobbly first steps onto YouTube, with the caption ‘The Smallest Horse in the World.’

Einstein's physical proportions are similar to those of a normal-sized foal, and as Rachel Wagner, one of Einstein’s co-owners, who features in the YouTube video, remarks: "He is very perfect looking little boy and not dwarfy looking at all."