British death toll in Afghanistan passes 200

Two soldiers wounded by explosions in southern Afghanistan have died , bringing to 201 the number of British troops killed in the country since 2001, officials said Sunday. The first soldier, who was wounded while on car patrol in Helmand province on Thursday, died at a hospital in Britain, the Ministry of Defence said Sunday. He was a member of the 2nd Battalion the Royal Welsh

Share

Behind the scenes: A refugee camp for Pakistani Christians

They are not war refugees, not displaced by violence; rather they believe they’re here because they are Christian. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) — They are not war refugees, not displaced by violence; rather they believe they’re here because they are Christian

Share

An Impossible Mountain Rescue on Latok II in Pakistan

For nearly a week now, Spaniard Oscar Pérez has been alone on the wall of ice and rock that is Latok II. The 33-year-old mountaineer fell while attempting to summit the notoriously difficult peak in northeast Pakistan’s Karakorum range, breaking his leg and possibly his wrist.

Share

Vulture Restaurants: Serving Up Clean Carcasses, Free of Charge

For the small number of vulture lovers the world over, good news comes this summer from Sindh, Pakistan. In June, a new “vulture restaurant” opened to provide safe food for the endangered birds — no reservations needed, but it’s always a fierce fight for the flesh. Similar vulture ventures have already been successful in South Africa, India and Nepal, where one region in which a restaurant started to provide vultures with clean carcasses saw a doubling of nesting pairs in just two years, according to Bird Conservation Nepal

Share

Pakistan Military Not Capitalizing on Taliban Disarray

A week after a CIA drone strike is believed to have killed Baitullah Mehsud, you’d think the Pakistan military would be rushing to capitalize on the apparent disarray in the leadership of the Pakistani Taliban as rivals fight to succeed him. But rather than mount an offensive in the strongholds of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan in South Waziristan — the sort of campaign promised by President Asif Ali Zardari back in May — Pakistan’s generals seem content to let the CIA’s drones do most of the fighting. Indeed, some officials in Islamabad say Mehsud’s death may open the way for a truce with the TTP, if his successor agrees to stop fighting the Pakistani state and instead turns their weapons on Western forces in Afghanistan

Share

Musharraf faces arrest on return to Pakistan

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf faces arrest if he returns, Pakistani officials said Tuesday. Pakistani police registered a case Tuesday against Musharraf over his order to arrest and detain judges in late 2007, the Pakistani High Commission in London said. As a result, “If Musharraf returned to Pakistan, he would face a court who would decide whether he is arrested or released on bail,” a spokeswoman for the High Commission said

Share

Pakistan launches global manhunt for Mumbai suspects

Pakistan has launched a global manhunt for 13 fugitives wanted in connection with last year’s terror attacks on the Indian financial capital of Mumbai. Pakistan asked the international police agency Interpol to issue a global alert for the wanted men, Interpol announced Thursday. The alert did not identify the 13 suspects, but it said that “the fugitives’ names and other nominal data” will be sent to police in Interpol’s 186 member countries

Share