Police Bust Doctor Heading Kidney Racket

Rain, landslides hamper rescue efforts

(NEWSER) - At least 55 people are dead in India, Nepal, and Tibet after yesterday’s 6.9 magnitude earthquake , and the search for more survivors in remote Himalayan villages is being hampered by rain and landslides. "The situation doesn't look good," a UN official tells Reuters . "My feeling is the death toll and number of injured are going to increase." Helicopters could not fly over affected areas due to thick clouds, but some blocked mountain passes have reopened. More»

Epicenter was near Nepal border; no immediate damage reported

(AP) - A 6.8 earthquake shook northeastern India and Nepal today, killing at least 26 people, injuring scores and damaging buildings and sending lawmakers in Nepal's capital running into the streets, reports the BBC . The quake was felt across northeast India, including the capital of New Delhi. It triggered at least two aftershocks of magnitude 6.1 and 5.3, an Indian seismology official said. He warned that more aftershocks were possible. More»

Al-Qaeda-linked extremists believed to be targeting Asian flights

(NEWSER) - Nepal's only international airport has been placed on high alert after warnings from Indian authorities that it could be the target of a terror plot. Intelligence suggests that flights in Nepal and other South Asian countries are part of a new plot by al-Qaeda, AP reports. Travelers using Kathmandu's airport have been warned to expect long delays. More»

(AP) - Guards hired by the State Department to protect diplomats and staff at the US embassy in Afghanistan live and work in a Lord of the Flies environment in which they are subjected to hazing and humiliation by supervisors, a government oversight group says. In a 10-page letter to Hillary Clinton, the independent Project on Government Oversight contended the situation has led to a breakdown in morale and leadership that compromises security. More»

UN finds child mortality rates uneven in developing nations

(NEWSER) - Citing new child mortality statistics, analysts say a nation's wealth doesn’t always translate into better health for its youngest citizens, the BBC reports. Every year, 10 million children die before their fifth birthday, with 99% of the fatalities occurring in the developing world. But even when conditions improve, survival is often just a “lottery," depending on where a baby is born, said a spokesman for Save the Children. More»