A cargo plane crashed near Pakistan's Karachi airport, killing at least 11

Cargo plane crash kills 11

A cargo plane crashed near Pakistan's Karachi airport early Sunday, killing all eight crew members on board, TV reported. The Russian-made plane IL-76 crashed around 1:45 a.m. and immediately caught fire. The aircraft crashed near Dalmiya road in Gulshan-i-Jamal area which is close to a naval colony and the southern command of Pakistani air force. The cargo plane took off at 1:45 a.m. (3:45 p.m. Saturday ET) from the Jinnah Karachi International Airport for Khartoum, Sudan, and went down a few minutes later in the Gulistan-e Johar section of Karachi, an area where many Pakistani naval officers live.

Spokesman of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Pervez Jeorge told Dawn TV: "The Sudan-bound plane crashed two minutes after taking off from Karachi terminal. The pilot did not report any fault before the crash." The nationalities of the deceased passengers were not known.

Residents said the engine of the aircraft caught fire and it came down on an under-construction building. The plane was carrying relief aid to Sudan.

Earlier this month, a small passenger plane crashed soon after take-off from Karachi, killing all 21 people on board while in July, an airblue flight taking off from Karachi crashed in Margalla hills near Islamabad, killing around 130 people.

Bangladesh wins first Asian Games gold medal

Bangladesh wins first Asian Games gold medal

Bangladesh cricket team won their nation's first ever Asian Games gold medal by ending Afghanistan's dream run in the inaugural final of the Asian Games 2010 on Friday in Guangzhou, China.

Bangladesh has won a first-ever gold medal in the Asian Games, with its cricketers defeating Afghanistan in the Twenty20 competition in China. Bangladesh cricketers won their nation's first ever Asian Games gold medal by ending Afghanistan's dream run in the inaugural final on Friday.
Batting first , Afghan team scored 118 runs for 8 wickets in 20 overs. Asghar Estanakzai was the top scorer with his 38 runs and Naeem Islam , Shadat Hussain and Muhammad Ashraful took 2 wickets each.

Bangladesh chased the modest score in the last over to seal their first ever gold medal in Asian Games .Naeen Islam and Shabbir Rehman scored 34 and 33 runs, respectively.

US President Barack Obama gets 12 stitches after basketball game

President injured in basketball game

US President Barack Obama received 12 stitches in his lip after being struck by an errant elbow during a holiday basketball game with friends and family Friday morning, the White House said in a statement.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the President received a dozen stitches after getting hit with an errant elbow during a Friday morning basketball game with White House aide Reggie Love and some unidentified family members at the Fort McNair military base in Washington. Obama was playing a 5-on-5 game in the morning at local military base Fort McNair with Reggie Love, an advisor and former university basketball player, and members of his family who flew into Washington for the US Thanksgiving holiday. The White House did not say whose elbow struck the president.

Some Haitians blame "cholera spread" by UN peacekeepers from Nepal

UN worries its troops caused cholera in Haiti

It began as a rumor that farmers saw waste from a U.N. peacekeeping base flow into a river. Within days of the talk, hundreds downstream had died from cholera. The mounting circumstantial evidence that U.N. peacekeepers from Nepal brought cholera to Haiti was largely
dismissed by U.N. officials. Haitians who asked about it were called political or paranoid. Foreigners were accused of playing "the blame game." The World Health Organization said the question was simply "not a priority." The cholera outbreak began in Haiti last month; on Friday another 76 deaths were reported, bringing the total to 1,186, the health ministry said
MSF's chief in Haiti, Stefano Zannini, said more help was urgently needed to treat the sick and implement preventative measures.
"There is no time left for meetings and debate - the time for action is now," he said.
In the capital of Port-au-Prince, 350 people sought treatment at Medecins Sans Frontieres facilities in the week ending November 7. That number spiked to 2,250 the following week.

Protests have likewise spread around Haiti, as angry people took to the streets demanding the United Nations get out of their country. Many demonstrators claimed U.N. peacekeepers from Nepal were responsible for the outbreak that has afflicted eight of Haiti's 10 provinces.

Nepal's U.N. office said in a statement Friday that its peacekeepers have never been linked to a communicable disease, and that tests done by the United Nations, Haiti's government and independent groups prove that none of its peacekeepers now in Haiti has cholera.But protesters have targeted the United Nations, as well as Nepal, all week. The world body claims demonstrators have attacked its peacekeepers, as well as prevented the movement of humanitarian aid and medical help by blocking roads, bridges and airports.UN officials argue that the violence is being encouraged by forces that want to disrupt the presidential election, due on
28 November. Cholera - a water-borne disease - is present in all 10 of Haiti's regions and has affected more than 20,000 people. The first cases were reported near the Artibonite River north of Port-au-Prince, but medical experts have warned future outbreaks could be caused by contaminated food.

The U.S. Agency for International Development, said U.S. authorities have "a lot of confidence" in the Haitian government's response to the outbreak. The U.S. government strategy for aid in Haiti is to focus on prevention, he said, citing the need for clean drinking water, the addition of chlorine to the water supply, the ready availability of oral rehydration salts, education of rw not to get the disease, and money to expand treatment centers.

Nigeria: 286 pounds of heroin sent from Iran seized

Nigeria says heroin was shipped from Iran

Nigeria's drug enforcement agency says it has seized 286 pounds (130 kilograms) of high-quality heroin hidden inside a shipment of auto parts sent from Iran. The drugs were hidden inside auto parts and were discovered because of intelligence reports from foreign collaborators, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said in a statement. National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said the had received "strong intelligence" from "foreign collaborators" four months ago, so it had been monitoring the consignment before it arrived in Nigeria. The drugs were brought into Nigeria aboard a foreign vessel, the MV Montenegro. Three Nigerians have been arrested
in connection with the drugs shipment. Last month, Nigeria's security service said that it had seized 13 shipping containers filled with illegal weapons, including rockets, grenades and bullets -- believed also to have come from Iran.

Nigerian Foreign Minister Odein Ajumogobia said Tuesday the issue of the weapons shipment would be reviewed by a U.N. sanctions committee that was appointed by the Security Council to monitor the Iranian regime.

30 trapped in New Zealand's coal mine after explosion

30 trapped in NZ coal mine after explosion

Wellington Desperate efforts to reach at least 30 coal miners missing after an explosion tore through an underground mine in New Zealand stalled on Friday as fears of another blast frustrated rescue attempts. Emergency services were racing to the Pike River Coal Processing Plant near the town of Atarau on the west coast after police received reports of an explosion, police said in a statement. Local Mayor Tony Kokshoorn told New Zealand's National Radio that around 30 people at the mine were unaccounted for.

Speaking at a press conference, regional police commander Gary Knowles said tests were being carried out on samples of gas taken from in and around the mine. The tests have so far proved inconclusive and Mr Knowles said he was not prepared to send any of the volunteer rescuers into the mine until it was proved to be a safe environment. He said they needed to balance the safety of the rescuers with the lives of those underground.

"We will still look for that window of opportunity to get underground and get those men out," he said. "We still remain positive and we believe that once that window of opportunity opens, we are ready to go."

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, who spoke briefly at the end of Saturday's press conference, said that he's received offers of help from many groups and people, including an e-mail from Prince William that his heart went out to the miners. "From the government's perspective, we're doing everything we can to make sure these 29 brave men are taken out of the mine," said Key. "It's a difficult time for everyone."

Indian Chopper crashes in Arunachal, 12 dead

Indian helicopter crash kills 12

Eleven people — two pilots and nine trainee pilots — were killed today when an Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopter crashed after an explosion on board near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
ndian military authorities have ordered an inquiry to determine the cause, he said. The helicopter was carrying Air Force crew and other military personnel when it crashed

Defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said that the explosion on board the chopper occurred minutes after its take-off from the Tawang helipad at around 12 noon. The helicopter was en route to Guwahati. IAF officials said the wreckage of the medium-lift chopper has been located by the Army in Bomdir area.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu has condoled the deaths.

Iran spy harges for Germans over Ashtiani stoning case

German journalists' held in Iran over stoning case

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was convicted of adultery in September 2006. Case reopened during trial of a man accused of murdering her husband; convicted of "adultery while married"; sentenced to death by stoning despite retracting a confession Last month, Iran said the two had confessed to working as reporters in the country without the proper visas. "Mina Ahadi sent me to Iran because she knew she would benefit from my arrest, and I'll sue her when I get back to
Germany," the man said. Monday's broadcast, one of the Germans said he intended to sue activist Mina Ahadi, an Iranian exile living in Germany who has led the campaign to save Ms Ashtiani from execution. "I accept that I made a mistake. Since I had no information on the case, I was tricked by Ms Ahadi," the second German man was quoted as saying.

Monday's broadcast also showed a woman identified as Ashtiani. The woman, whose face was blurred and whose words were translated from the Azeri language to Farsi, blamed Ahadi for spreading false information about her case around the world. Ahadi denied that the journalists traveled on behalf of the anti-stoning organization.
Meanwhile, a German diplomat based in the embassy in Tehran was granted consular access for a second time Tuesday to the two German nationals, the German Foreign Office said in a statement.
Monday's broadcast on state television also included a woman identified as Ms Ashtiani who said: "I am a sinner." A spokesman for Germany's foreign ministry said it was trying to verify the reports.

Obama: Suu Kyi is a personal "hero"

Myanmar Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi release

Burma’s pro-democracy leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, was freed from house arrest on Saturday, setting her on the path to a possible new confrontation with the generals who had kept her out of the public eye for 15 of the past 21 years. Myanmar -- formerly known as Burma -- has been ruled by a Marxist military junta since 1962. The military regime has cracked down on political dissidents, forcing thousands to flee.

In a statement released Saturday, President Barack Obama called Suu Kyi a personal "hero" and called for the military regime to "release all political prisoners, not just one."

US President Barack Obama said in a statement that the US welcomed “her long overdue release”, adding: “She is a hero of mine and a source of inspiration for all who work to advance basic human rights in Burma and around the world.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron also said Suu Kyi was an "inspiration" and that the military regime must uphold its decision. "Her detention was a travesty, designed only to silence the voice of the Burmese people," he said.

Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard called Suu Kyi's detention "completely unjustified" and said her government is lobbying for an opportunity to meet with her personally.

Aung San Suu Kyi set for evening expected release

Mounts in Myanmar for Suu Kyi’s release

Ms Suu Kyi's lawyer, Nyan Win, said on Friday: "There is no law to hold her for another day. Her detention period expires on Saturday and she will be released."Nyan Win said she would meet with the NLD's central committee, members of the media and the public once she was freed.

The Nobel Peace laureate will also need to address divisions among her political supporters. A faction of the NLD, the National Democratic Force, broke away to contest the elections. It performed poorly, partly because of the rigged polls but also because of lack of support from the NLD who chose to boycott the polls and urged people not to vote, analysts said.

The daughter of Myanmar's independence hero General Aung San, Suu Kyi served as the General Secretary of the NLD which swept victory in elections two decades ago, but was never allowed to take power.Some observers believe her release could come with restrictions to ensure she cannot threaten the generals or the military-backed government to which they are preparing to hand over power.Before Sunday's elections, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Myanmar's junta to release Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners so that the voting could be deemed legitimate.

Profile: The Mounts in Myanmar Aung San Suu Ky

* Born 1945, daughter of Burma's independence hero, General Aung San assassinated in 1947
* 1960: Leaves Burma and is later educated at Oxford University
* 1988: Returns to care for sick mother and is caught up in revolt against then-dictator Ne Win
* 1989: Put under house arrest as Burma junta declares martial law
* 1990: NLD wins election; military disregards result
* 1991: Wins Nobel Peace Prize
* 1995: Released from house arrest, but movements restricted
* 2000: Near continuous period of house arrest begins
* Sept 2007: First public appearance since 2003, greeting protesting Buddhist monks * November 2010: NLD boycotts first election in 20 years and is disbanded

Karachi: Powerful explosion demolishes CID office

Death toll from Karachi blast


Thursday's bombing devastated the building, leaving at least 20 dead and 100 injured.
the hot issues of the Pakistan through the januine sources of internet news media.This news is about At least 18 people were killed and 147 including 5 police officials sustained severe injuries when a powerful blast ripped through the Central Investigation Department (CID) office located adjacent to the Chief Minister House and PIDC. According to a foreign news agency, banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility of the attack. CID building along with 10 other nearby buildings has completely demolished due to this blast and a 15 to 20 feet deep crater has been formed at the site.
Detectives are collecting footage from CCTV cameras installed at several points along the high-security zone where the office was located. The Taliban claimed the bombing. Officials believe they were trying to free militants they thought were detained there. Up to five people are still missing and feared buried in the debris, officials say. It was the biggest blast ever to hit Pakistan's commercial capital, involving 1,000kg of explosives, the authorities said.

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei says he is under house arrest

One of China's best-known artists, Ai Weiwei,

Ai Weiwei,one of China's best-known artists, he says has been under house arrest at his home in Beijing. He says the authorities want to prevent him holding a party to mark the forced demolition of his new Shanghai studio. Ai Weiwei said he had planned a concert and a river crab feast at the party in Shanghai on Sunday. About 800 people were expected to attend, he said.

The term river crab is believed to make a political statement. The Mandarin word for river crab sounds like "harmonious," a word some use to describe government censorship.

Mr Ai was initially invited to build the space, but it has now been declared illegal and will shortly be demolished.
The artist helped create Beijing's Olympic Bird's Nest stadium and his latest installation of sunflower seeds is showing at London's Tate Modern.

Obama lands in Mumbai today, looking for jobs and During ‘Strategic’ Visit

US President Barack Obama lands in Mumbai, today Nov. 6,

President Barack Obama will touch down in India on Saturday for a four-day trip that promises to be simultaneously challenging and significant.
Following his arrival in Mumbai Nov. 6, he is expected to meet with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and address a joint session of the Indian Parliament, reports Reuters. Among the varied topics Obama will reportedly discuss: lifting a 1998 ban on U.S. exports of dual-use technology, which can be used for both civilian and military purposes, to India.

The American President is the first US President to begin his maiden India visit at Gateway of India in Mumbai rather than India Gate in Delhi. And the great financial capital responded with a loud bang, in its best possible tradition. The stock market in Mumbai reached its highest closing levels, ever!
Obama's landing into Mumbai is of great significance. It is an acknowledgment of India's growing economic prowess, which is increasingly powered by the private sector. In the past 10 years, India's economic growth is dominated by private consumer spending and private investment into new factories, new power plants, airports, steel and cement units, real estate. Of course the government's infrastructure push has helped but it is dwarfed by the animal spirits exemplified by Mumbai's entrepreneurs.

In Pakistan, a second deadly mosque attack

55 people have been killed and nearly 100 injured

Suicide bomb attack on a mosque in north-west Pakistan, local officials say. A second deadly mosque attack Friday in the country's volatile northwestern region, a strike that killed four people and injured 18 other authorities in Pakistan are reporting.
The earlier incident occurred in Darra Adam Khel, about 40 kilometers south of Peshawar, during Friday prayers, a strike claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, which was targeting a local anti-Taliban group.
The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for such attacks in the past and have been particularly active in recent years in and around Peshawar. The Darra region links up with Orakzai and Khyber tribal regions in the west and has served as a convenient base for militants attacking Nato supply convoys as well as Shia commuters from Kurram.

Friday's suicide bombing is the deadliest in Pakistan since an attack on a Shia Muslim rally in Quetta killed at least 50 people on 3 September.

Killings to 58, in Iraq church standoff

Church killings may put end to Christianity in Iraq


The death toll from a hostage standoff at a Catholic church in Baghdad has risen to 58, police officials with the Iraqi Interior Ministry said Monday. On Monday, the Iraqi Communication and Media Commission accused al-Baghdadiya television of having a link to the church kidnappers and ordered the station to close, state television reported. Iraqi security forces surrounded the bureau of al-Baghdadiya TV in Baghdad. Two of the station's employees were detained, according to a statement posted on the al-Baghdadiya TV website. It said the two employees had received a call from the church kidnappers demanding the release of female prisoners in Egypt in return for the hostages' freedom. The demand was later broadcast on al-Baghdadiya TV. Abdullah al-Nawfali, head of the department representing different Christian denominations in the country, said the incident, the deadliest against Iraqi Christians since the 2003-U.S.-led invasion, has sent the wrong message to those opting to stay. “There is a danger that the incident at Our Lady of Salvation church will boomerang on the presence of Iraqi Christians in Iraq,” Nawfali, who is a director-general at the Iraqi Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments, said. “The incident is certain to lead to more emigration among members of the community,” he said. However, he urged Iraqi Christians to show “patience and stay put, asking the government to provide the necessary
protection.” Iraq's interior ministry said gunmen attacked the stock market to distract Iraqi security forces who were outside the church to protect it. The gunmen were demanding that the Iraqi government release a number of detainees and prisoners in Iraqi prisons, saying the Christian hostages would be freed in return, according to the police officials. Iraq's defense minister later said on state television that the kidnappers had demanded the release of a number of prisoners in both Iraq and Egypt.
Iraqi security forces sealed off the area surrounding the church, the officials said, and buildings were evacuated of civilians as a precautionary measure. At least 13 hostages, including two children, managed to escape ahead of the rescue operation, police said.

Volcano Mount Merapi erupts in Indonesia

Volcano erupts in Indonesia

Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano has erupted again, a deadly Indonesian volcano spewing lava and smoke for more than a week erupted yesterday with its biggest blast yet, shooting searing ash miles into the air as soldiers hastily evacuated villages and emergency shelters. An estimated 75,000 people have been evacuated from the 9,700-foot (3,000-metre) Mount Merapi's once-fertile slopes since it began erupting just over a week ago, killing 38 people and injuring dozens, most with severe burns.

The volcano, in central Java, spewed clouds of hot ash and gas some 5km (three miles) into the sky, The energy from the latest eruption was three times greater than that of the first one last week, There have been more than a dozen strong blasts in recent days including a smaller one
yesterday morning prompting some scientists earlier to say pressure building up behind a magma dome in the crater was slowly easing.

Djarot Nugroho, the head of Central Java's disaster management agency, said funding for the refugees would run out in five days unless a national disaster was declared. "Hundreds of people fled in panic from the refugee shelter in Glagaharjo, 10km from the peak."The refugees cried and screamed hysterically, and some fainted. Scientists are warning of further eruptions in the coming weeks. Indonesia is also dealing with the aftermath of another natural disaster, after a tsunami hit the Mentawai islands last week, claiming more than 400 lives and sending
thousands into emergency shelters.

Carried explosives Yemen cargo plane, Dubai police say

Yemen cargo plane carried explosives

On Friday, security officials in the UK and Dubai intercepted two packages from Yemen on US-bound cargo planes. intelligence agencies believe the packages are linked to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, based in Yemen. The packages were found on UPS and FedEx cargo planes, triggering alerts in the US, UK and Middle East. Other planes at US airports were checked because they were thought to contain items from Yemen.The two suspect packages -described by President Barack Obama as "a credible terrorist threat" - were addressed to Jewish synagogues in the Chicago area. President Barack Obama confirmed that the packages -- intercepted in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates -- originated in Yemen, the
stronghold of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. "We also know that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ... continues to plan attacks against our homeland, our citizens, and our friends and allies," he said during a press briefing on the incident Friday. "Initial examination of those packages has determined they do apparently contain explosive material," Obama said.

The devices were designed to be detonated by a cell phone. The devices were "professionally" loaded and connected using an electric circuit to a mobile phone chip tucked in a printer, Dubai police told WAM, the official news agency for the United Arab Emirates. Police said they were tipped off about the possibility of an explosive device in postal packages onboard a FedEx flight from Yemen headed to Dubai. The Saudi government provided U.S. officials with tracking numbers of the two packages, enabling quick tracing to the United Kingdom and Dubai.

NATO trucks torched in Pakistan

NATO fuel tankers attacked in Pakistan, driver killed

Islamabad shut down the maim land route NATO supplies into Afghanistan on Sep.30 after officials accused NATO of killing Pakistan troops. Pakistan initially reported that three soldiers were killed and three wounded in the attack, but one of the soldiers who was critically injured and initially reported dead ended up surviving, said Maj. Fazlur Rehman, the spokesman for the Frontier Corps.

Pakistani soldiers fired at the two U.S. helicopters prior to the attack, a move the investigation team said was likely meant to notify the aircraft of their presence after they passed into Pakistani airspace several times. The attack early on Wednesday morning came on trucks on their way to the Chaman crossing. An unidentified number of gunmen in two vehicles attacked the trucks as they sat in the parking lot of a roadside hotel on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province. At least 25 trucks were destroyed by fire that spread quickly from vehicle to vehicle, senior police official Hamid Shakil said.The convoys bring fuel, military vehicles, spare parts, clothing and other non-lethal supplies for foreign troops in Afghanistan.

It was unclear who was behind the latest attack, but the Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for similar assaults on NATO supplies, including one before dawn Monday that killed four people.

Outbreak of cholera out of Haiti's capital Port-Au-Prince

five cholera cases in Haiti's capital is a "very worrying development"

Port-au-Prince could still be safe. The five patients were infected north of the capital, and those confirmed cases do not mean cholera has spread to Port-au-Prince, Imogen Wall, spokeswoman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Haiti. The five patients in Port-au-Prince were infected in Artibonite, north of the capital, Wall said. They traveled to the nation's main city, where health officials discovered them to be infected within the incubation period. The five have been isolated and are receiving treatment she said.But meanwhile, officials are stepping up sanitation efforts and setting up quarantine areas in Port-au-Prince. And authorities are bracing themselves for a possible larger outbreak nationwide.Cholera is caused by a bacterial infection of the intestine and, in severe cases, is characterized by diarrhea, vomiting and leg cramps, according to the CDC. In such cases, rapid loss of body fluids can lead to dehydration and shock."Without treatment, death can occur within hours," the agency says.

A person can get cholera by drinking water or eating
food contaminated with the bacteria. During epidemics, the source of the contamination is often the feces of an infected person, and infections can spread rapidly in areas where there is poor sewage treatment and a lack of clean drinking water. The U.N. mission in Haiti credited access to clean water and free medical facilities for preventing feared outbreaks of cholera and tuberculosis.

(about Haiti's cholera epidemic.) Those most at risk are the very old and the very young. Dozens of infants who lay crying and uncomfortable on their mothers' laps, dehydrated and weak. Haiti's health minister, Dr. Alex Larsen, told in a telephone interview that he believes the cholera outbreak is stabilizing. Larsen added that reports of the outbreak spreading are so far unsubstantiated.

A bomb exploded outside a famous Sufi shrine in Pakistan's Punjab province.

The bomb exploded Sufi shrine in Pakistan

he bomb exploded minutes later killing at least one woman and leaving 15 other people wounded, some critically. Six people have been killed in a bomb outside a famous Sufi shrine in Pakistan's Punjab province. The dead from Monday's blast included at least one woman, said Maher Aslam Hayat, a senior government official in the town of Pak Pattan where the shrine is located. At least 13 others were wounded in the explosion, he said.

The bombing significantly damaged nearly a dozen shops on either side of the street outside the shrine, leaving large piles of rubble and broken wood. Blood stained the ground and the wall of one of the damaged shops.The shrine itself, which is dedicated to a 12th century Sufi saint, was largely undamaged. But the blast ripped off an old wooden door at the entrance to the shrine's grounds. Just outside the gate, explosive experts examined the twisted and charred body of the motorcycle on which the bomb was placed. The motor bike was parked near a group of people eating breakfast at a stall outside the shrine. They were among those killed and wounded in the blast, said Ali, the shopkeeper. The explosive device was remote-controlled.

At least a 100 people have been reported to be present at the time of the blast. The injured were taken to the District Headquarters hospital in Pakpattan. At least eight injured people were said to be in critical condition.

World Record: Sherpa Mount Everest for the 20th time

New World Record: Sherpa beats Everest for the 20th Time

Apa Sherpa just broke his own world’s record by summiting Mount Everest for the 20th time at 8:34 a.m. Saturday. The Apa Sherpa Foundation was recently organized as a nonprofit organization to help Apa extend the educational opportunities that his children have to his fellow Sherpa in the Khumbu. Apa’s goal in climbing this year was to help efforts to increase educational opportunities in the Khumbu Region, which includes the areas around Mount Everest.

Apa Sherpa -- a 50-year-old Nepali -- holds the record for summiting Everest, with 20 climbs.Everest is the world's highest mountain above sea level, at 8,848 meters (29,029 feet).Appa Sherpa, 47, reached the 8,850m-high (29,035ft) summit along with several members of his team, the Nepal Mountaineering Association said.Appa grew up in the Everest foothills and first climbed the mountain in 1989.His nearest challenger is fellow Sherpa guide Chhewang Nima, 42, who has made 15 successful trips to the summit.

Kabul, Afghanistan: Rebels die in attack on UN base in Herat

Kabul, Afghanistan: Rebels die in attack on UN base in Herat

The attackers wore suicide vests and dressed in burkas Afghan security forces have killed four militants who attacked a UN compound in the western city of Herat, officials say.A fifth attacker blew himself up at the gates, before the others, wearing suicide vests got inside, triggering a gun battle with police. Police and security forces surrounded the base, which houses a number of UN offices, and fought a 15-minute gun battle with the militants. All the attackers were killed, a

spokesman for the provincial governor said.A Taliban spokesman said the group was behind the attack, AFP news agency reported.A fifth attacker blew himself up at the gates, before the others, wearing suicide vests got inside, triggering a gun battle with police.

A UN guard and a policeman were lightly hurt.In October 2009, 12 people, including six UN workers were killed, when insurgents raided a guesthouse in the capital, Kabul. It was the largest attack against a UN target in Afghanistan since last year. KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan police say insurgents launched a pair of pre-dawn attacks on NATO bases in eastern Afghanistan. Maj. Wazir Pacha of the provincial police headquarters said attackers used heavy machine guns and rocket propelled grenades, but had been beaten back into corn fields surrounding the bases.

South Africa romp past Zimbabwe to win ODI series

South Africa odi series win 3-0

South Africa had previously won the Twenty20 international series 2-0 and made sure of the one-day whitewash in emphatic fashion.Having won the toss and chosen to bat first, Smith and opening partner Hashim Amla made 49 in the first five overs but fell within nine balls of each other to leave the home side 59-2 when Duminy and De Villiers came together. Tatenda Taibu top-scored with 28 as they were skittled for 127, with seamer Rusty Theron taking 3-18 in six overs. Duminy's only previous one-day hundred was also against Zimbabwe, in November 2009 - but he and De Villiers smashed nine sixes and 12 fours between them as Zimbabwe skipper Elton Chigumbura used nine different bowlers.

The Duminy-De Villiers stand was South Africa's highest ODI partnership for the third wicket, and the joint-ninth biggest of all time - as well as being the Proteas' third most prolific for any wicket.Duminy holed out with six overs left but Albie Morkel, David Miller and Colin Ingram ensured they compiled their third highest one-day score, finishing within a whisker of 400.
"We didn't play our best cricket today, both batting and bowling," Chigumbura commented. South Africa's five-man attack then combined well to make short work of the visitors' batting line-up, winning with 21 overs to spare.Only Taibu and Craig Ervine (24) looked set to hold up the procession of wickets, but after they were both bowled by off-spinner Johan Botha, the writing was on the wall for the tourists - despite some late entertainment as tail-ender Shingirai Masakadza lofted Botha for two sixes.

South Africa romp past Zimbabwe to win ODI series

South Africa odi series win

South Africa had previously won the Twenty20 international series 2-0 and made sure of the one-day whitewash in emphatic fashion. Having won the toss and chosen to bat first, Smith and opening partner Hashim Amla made 49 in the first five overs but fell within nine balls of each other to leave the home side 59-2 when Duminy and De Villiers came together. Tatenda Taibu top-scored with 28 as they were skittled for 127, with seamer Rusty Theron taking 3-18 in six overs. Duminy's only previous one-day hundred was also against Zimbabwe, in November 2009 - but he and De Villiers smashed nine sixes and 12 fours between them as Zimbabwe skipper Elton Chigumbura used nine different bowlers.

The Duminy-De Villiers stand was South Africa's highest ODI partnership for the third wicket, and the joint-ninth biggest of all time - as well as being the Proteas' third most prolific for any wicket. Duminy holed out with six overs left but Albie Morkel, David Miller and Colin Ingram ensured they compiled their third highest one-day score, finishing within a whisker of 400.
"We didn't play our best cricket today, both batting and bowling," Chigumbura commented. South Africa's five-man attack then combined well to make short work of the visitors' batting line-up, winning with 21 overs to spare. Only Taibu and Craig Ervine (24) looked set to hold up the procession of wickets, but after they were both bowled by off-spinner Johan Botha, the writing was on the wall for the tourists - despite some late entertainment as tail-ender Shingirai Masakadza lofted Botha for two sixes.

Haiti cholera 'detected in Port-au-Prince'

Cholera death toll in Haiti rises to 200

International aid and Haitian officials said at least five cases of cholera have been confirmed in Haiti's capital Saturday but insisted that the epidemic still had not spread to Port-au-Prince.These were people who contracted it outside of Port-au-Prince,'' Imogen Wall, a spokeswoman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. ``But we still think this epidemic has not reached its peak.''Humanitarian aid workers continued to struggle to contain the cholera outbreak that so far has killed 208 Haitians and hospitalized 2,674 as the government mounted a nationwide prevention campaign Saturday on television and radio.

A cholera epidemic spread in central Haiti on Friday as aid groups rushed doctors and supplies to fight the country's worst health crisis since January's earthquake. Nearly 200 deaths had been confirmed and more than 2,000 people were ill.The first two cases of the disease outside the rural Artibonite region were confirmed in Arcahaie, a town that is closer to the quake-devastated capital, Port-au-Prince. Officials are concerned the outbreak could reach the squalid tarp camps where hundreds of thousands of quake survivors live in the capital. by the health ministry in Arcahaie, the International Medical Corps said it was investigating other possible cases in Croix-des-Bouquet, a suburb of the capital. Radio reports also said there were two dozen cases of diarrhea on Gonave island.Cholera was not present in Haiti before the earthquake, but experts had warned that conditions were ripe for disease to strike in areas with limited access to clean water."You cannot say it is because of the earthquake, but because of the earthquake the situation here requires a high level of attention in case the epidemic extends," said Michel Thieren, a program officer for the Pan-American Health Organization.

Cholera is a bacterial infection spread through contaminated water. It causes severe diarrhea and vomiting that can lead to dehydration and death within hours.Larsen, the health minister, urged anyone suffering diarrhea to make their own rehydration serum out of salt, sugar and water to drink on the way to a hospital. The Ministry of Health confirmed 194 deaths and 2,364 cases of cholera,

people affected by floods in pakistan

floods in pakistan

Flood survivors negotiate a flooded road at Muzaffargarh, in central Pakistan on Thursday. Want to help? Individuals are being encouraged by organizations working on Pakistan flood relief to donate online. A Pakistani man reaches out from behind a truck during the distribution of relief goods for flood victims at Muzaffargarh district, Punjab province, Pakistan, thanks Weeks after

mas sive downpours first battered northern Pakistan, killing about 1,500 people and leaving mill ions homeless, those floodwaters are still sweeping downriver and through the south, adding one more layer of misery to people long accustomed to hardship.educated
Pakistanis raise funds and distribute aid directly to victims of the flood. Activist networks have sprung up as the middle class has become more prosperous and organized. Over the course of two days, they distributed, tents and food, while the two doctors checked in on some 200 patients in Kot Addu, near Muzaffargarh. “There were a lot of people suffering," she says. On top of the health problems, "some didn’t have anything to wear - they were without any clothes,” she says. “We gave iron and calcium supplements to the pregnant women, and ended up seeing a few male patients, too.” Such stories are becoming increasingly common as educated Pakistanis are taking matters into their own hands, organizing fund-raising activities and distributing aid direct to victims of the flood.activism in Pakistan Civil society According to Rasul Baksh Raees, head of social sciences at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, the reach and influence of civil society has grown as Pakistan’s middle classes have become more affluent, organized (thanks in no small part to the Internet age), and confident.In recent years, Pakistan’s civil society has made headlines for its activism.

Indeed, students and middle-class professionals joined lawyers in a movement to restore the
country’s popular Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry , who was removed from office twice in recent years by former military ruler Gen. Pervez Musharraf.The networks formed during that "lawyers movement" are the ones that Maham Ali, a student at Bahria University in Islamabad, and her friend Samad Khurram, a Harvard graduate who recently returned to Islamabad, turned to help raise funds for victims of the flooding in the country’s northwest. The US is set to increase aid to Pakistan to $150 million Sen. John Kerry announced on Thursday.

attack in russia music fastival

skinheads attack Russia music festival. people were injured while attending the Torndao festival in Miass, in Russia's Chelyabinsk region. Russia has an active far-right wing and racist community, and there have been several high-profile hate crimes and racially motivated murders in recent years. The detainees are being interrogated and the police are searching for their accomplices," a police official told the news agency. Many of Russia's top rock acts were said to be performing at the festival. However, there are no suggestions yet as to why the skinheads chose to attack the festival in Miass, some 900 miles (1,400km) east of Moscow.