The start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan coincided in Pakistan on August 11 with the nation's worst natural disaster, the staggering scope of human suffering revealing itself in wretched ways. From the Swat Valley in the north to Sindh province in the south, as many as 15 million Pakistanis have been affected by torrential monsoon rains that have washed away villages and bloated rivers, authorities said on August 11. Pakistan's representative to the United Nations said many people have not yet grasped the massive scale of Pakistan's suffering and warned it could still get worse because of ongoing rain. "It is horrendous," said Abdullah Hussain Haroon. "It is going to put us back so many years that we're not even starting on the infrastructure." The Pakistan Disaster Authority confirmed 1,313 deaths on August 11. It said 1,588 people have been injured and 352,291 people have been rescued. More than 722,000 houses have been damaged. Many Pakistanis now face severe … [Read more...] about Pakistanis begin Ramadan with flood misery
Has ramadan started yet
Libya rebels probe general’s murder, NATO hits TV
BENGHAZI, Libya, July 30, 2011 (AFP) - Libyan rebels on Saturday probed the killing of their army chief, a murder the Kadhafi regime said proved Al-Qaeda was behind the uprising, as NATO targeted the strongman's "terror broadcasts." "The NTC has appointed an investigative committee and we will publish all the facts of this investigation," said Ali Tarhuni, who handles economic affairs for the rebel National Transitional Council. General Abdel Fatah Yunis was the faithful right-hand man of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, participating in the 1969 coup that brought him to power, before defecting to the rebels fighting to oust the strongman since February. Tarhuni said Yunis's bullet-ridden and partly burned body was found early on Friday on Benghazi's outskirts, but that the NTC had received news of his death late on Thursday when the head of a militia behind the crime confessed. "The head of the militia is imprisoned now," Tarhuni said, adding that some of the perpetrators, who he said … [Read more...] about Libya rebels probe general’s murder, NATO hits TV
Libya rebels say town captured on path to Tripoli
Libyan rebels surged down from the mountains south of Tripoli on Saturday, claiming the capture of a strategic town on the path to the capital and pushing toward the Mediterranean. An AFP correspondent on the scene said rebels from the Berber-dominated Nafusa mountain range began a two-pronged assault from Bir Ayad at 8:00am (0600 GMT). By early afternoon, commanders on one flank said that they were in control of Bir Ghanam, just 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Tripoli, and that the worst of the battle was over. In parallel, hundreds of fighters forked off towards the sea, getting within 20 kilometres of Surman -- which lies on the coastal road to the west of Tripoli -- before encountering any resistance. Their path northward was veiled in black smoke and strewn with burned-out Libyan army vehicles, some with the bodies of soldiers inside, an AFP journalist witnessed. But forces loyal to embattled Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi fought back, laying down fire in a bid to halt the rebel's … [Read more...] about Libya rebels say town captured on path to Tripoli
Indonesia welcomes BlackBerry porn pledge
Indonesia welcomed Tuesday a promise by Canadian firm Research in Motion (RIM) to filter its BlackBerry web services for pornography, after threatening to revoke the smartphone maker's licence. Men check their Blackberry phones in central Jakarta in the lead up to festivities marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. … [Read more...] about Indonesia welcomes BlackBerry porn pledge
Libyan rebels say military chief killed
Libya's rebels said their military commander was shot dead in an incident that remained shrouded in mystery, pointing either to divisions within the movement trying to oust Muammar Gaddafi or to an assassination by Gaddafi loyalists. Mustafa Abdel Jalil, top rebel leader and chairman of the Libyan National Transitional Council, makes a statement on the death of Abdel Fattah Younes in Benghazi July 28, 2011. … [Read more...] about Libyan rebels say military chief killed