In Brief

She’s Truly A Miracle’ MIAMI – A tiny tot has stunned doctors by surviving being born at just 21 weeks and six days.

Amillia Taylor is no longer than a fountain pen and weighs just ten ounces. She is thought to be the first baby known to survive after a gestation period of fewer than 23 weeks.Amillia has experienced respiratory problems, a very mild brain haemorrhage and some digestive problems, but none of the health concerns are expected to pose long-term problems.The baby is expected to leave hospital in Miami, Florida soon.Her mother, Sonja, said: “I knew we were going to be able to take her home because she had great doctors, nurses and physical therapists.”Everyone was there to support us.So I knew she was coming home.”Amillia has been in an incubator since birth, on October 24th, at the Baptist Children’s Hospital and will be on a monitor to watch her breathing when she gets home.She was conceived by in vitro fertilisation and delivered by Caesarean section.William Smalling, a neo-natologist who helped care for Amillia, said: “She’s truly a miracle.We didn’t even know what a normal blood pressure was for a baby this small.”Amillia is Sonja and husband Eddie’s first child.* US ‘spy’ beheaded, mutilated MIRANSHAH – Suspected pro-Taliban militants beheaded and cut off the hands and feet of a man in a Pakistani border area, accusing him of spying for US forces in Afghanistan, officials said yesterday.Authorities in North Waziristan tribal district found the body of the Afghan national dumped on a road near the frontier late on Monday with a note identifying the man as “American spy Nek Amal,” a security official told AFP.The man’s head, hands and feet had all been severed and were lying near the body, the official said, adding that the remains were taken to Afghanistan’s Khost province by relatives.Islamist militants have killed several tribesmen in recent months after accusing them of spying for the US-led coalition forces across the border in Afghanistan.Violence has again surged in the rugged region after a Pakistani air strike in neighbouring South Waziristan region last month destroyed a suspected al Qaeda hideout.Pakistani authorities signed a controversial peace deal with pro-Taliban militants in North Waziristan last September, under which the insurgents agreed to stop targeted killings.Nampa-AFP-SkynewsShe is thought to be the first baby known to survive after a gestation period of fewer than 23 weeks.Amillia has experienced respiratory problems, a very mild brain haemorrhage and some digestive problems, but none of the health concerns are expected to pose long-term problems.The baby is expected to leave hospital in Miami, Florida soon.Her mother, Sonja, said: “I knew we were going to be able to take her home because she had great doctors, nurses and physical therapists.”Everyone was there to support us.So I knew she was coming home.”Amillia has been in an incubator since birth, on October 24th, at the Baptist Children’s Hospital and will be on a monitor to watch her breathing when she gets home.She was conceived by in vitro fertilisation and delivered by Caesarean section.William Smalling, a neo-natologist who helped care for Amillia, said: “She’s truly a miracle.We didn’t even know what a normal blood pressure was for a baby this small.”Amillia is Sonja and husband Eddie’s first child. * US ‘spy’ beheaded, mutilated MIRANSHAH – Suspected pro-Taliban militants beheaded and cut off the hands and feet of a man in a Pakistani border area, accusing him of spying for US forces in Afghanistan, officials said yesterday.Authorities in North Waziristan tribal district found the body of the Afghan national dumped on a road near the frontier late on Monday with a note identifying the man as “American spy Nek Amal,” a security official told AFP.The man’s head, hands and feet had all been severed and were lying near the body, the official said, adding that the remains were taken to Afghanistan’s Khost province by relatives.Islamist militants have killed several tribesmen in recent months after accusing them of spying for the US-led coalition forces across the border in Afghanistan.Violence has again surged in the rugged region after a Pakistani air strike in neighbouring South Waziristan region last month destroyed a suspected al Qaeda hideout.Pakistani authorities signed a controversial peace deal with pro-Taliban militants in North Waziristan last September, under which the insurgents agreed to stop targeted killings.Nampa-AFP-Skynews