Oxfam warning over Nepal climate

International aid agency Oxfam has warned that millions of rural poor in Nepal could face hunger as a result of climate change.

A report says that poor harvests, water shortages and extreme temperatures will put pressure on millions of Nepalis already living below the poverty line.
Nepal is only just emerging from a decade-long civil conflict.
The report comes ahead of a summit in the capital, Kathmandu, on the threat of climate change to the Himalayas.
Millions of people are dependent on the water which flows from the mountains.
It is also just 100 days until world leaders come together to discuss a new global climate change treaty in Copenhagen in December.
Nepal has experienced its driest winter in 40 years, followed by late and unpredictable monsoon rains, and this has meant the land is more susceptible to erosion.
But the prolonged drought has had a bigger impact.
Grim situation
Several million villagers living in Nepal's hills are facing water shortages which have, in turn, led to falling crop yields.
A lack of ground water has also contributed to the spread of diseases such as diarrhoea, as villagers use dirty streams and rivers for drinking water.
Prabin Man Singh from the international aid agency Oxfam said the change in weather patterns was putting more pressure on the rural poor.
"The people living in the rural areas were already having lots of problems in their livelihoods. But with the climate change, the whole scenario, the whole struggle of their survival has been exaggerated," he said.
Residents in the affected area have expressed their concerns about the nature of the problem.
In the remote village of Bhattegaun in western Nepal, the stream that provides water has dried up to a thin trickle.
Residents here have complained about water shortages in the area.
"We do not get a good production from agriculture at all. We cannot depend on farming and irrigation to make a living or educate our children," 35-year-old Naina Shahi told the BBC.
The changes seen in Nepal's climate over the past few years - drier winters, unreliable monsoon rains - are in line with what climate scientists are predicting will happen as the Earth gets warmer.
Oxfam has called on leaders from the world's richest countries to help Nepal better adapt to the affects of climate change when they meet to discuss the issue in Copenhagen this December.

'Militant deaths' in US drone hit

At least 10 militants have died after missiles were fired by a suspected US drone aircraft at a Taliban target in Pakistan, intelligence officials say.
Unnamed officials said it was an attack on a militant training facility in the South Waziristan area.
It took place in an area on the Afghan border controlled by Pakistan's top Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud.
There have been more than 35 US strikes since last August, killing over 340 people, it is estimated.
Most hits have taken place in the North and South Waziristan areas.
Critical
"Three missiles hit the hideout of Taliban commander Noor Wali. Casualties are feared, but details are not immediately available," news agency AFP quoted a security official as saying.
The attacks took place in Mochikhel, an area controlled by Noor Wali, who is part of Baitullah Mehsud's Tehrik-e-Taliban organisation.
Mochikhel is near the key Servakai route, currently the scene of fighting between Pakistani security forces and Mehsud's militants.
Any casualty figures could not be immediately confirmed but unnamed intelligence officials and residents said at least 10 militants were killed.
Pakistan has been publicly critical of drone attacks, arguing that they kill civilians and fuel support for the militants.
The US military does not routinely confirm drone attacks but the armed forces and the Central Intelligence Agency operating in Afghanistan are believed to be the only forces capable of deploying drones in the region.
The BBC's Mike Wooldridge in Islamabad says that assuming that the accounts from Pakistani officials of Friday's suspected drone strike in South Waziristan are correct, then it shows that the major new offensive the Americans are carrying out across the border in Afghanistan is not diverting them from their efforts to tackle militant sanctuaries in Pakistan.
Recently the Americans carried out their deadliest drone strike here, with Pakistani officials and local residents saying at least 50 people were killed.
The strike brought renewed public calls from the government for the US drone attacks to stop, our correspondent reports.
In March, US President Barack Obama said his government would consult Pakistan on drone attacks.

Main Mumbai suspect pleads guilty

The leading suspect in last November's deadly attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay) has pleaded guilty.
Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab stood up before the court to say he admitted his role in the killings.
Mr Qasab, who is a Pakistani, faces 86 charges, including waging war on India, murder and possessing explosives.
It is not clear why he changed his plea after pleading not guilty in May to all charges. More than 170 people died in the attacks, nine of them gunmen.
Prosecutors say Mr Qasab is the sole surviving attacker.
He could face the death penalty if his confession is accepted and judges agree to impose the maximum penalty.
'Shocked'
The BBC's Prachi Pinglay, who was in the courtroom in Mumbai, said Mr Qasab appeared calm.He said there had been no pressure on him to confess and it had been his decision to do so.
"I request the court to accept my plea and pronounce the sentence," he told the judge, smiling.
Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said: "We were not expecting this. We were all shocked when he made a plea of guilt.
"It is for the court to decide whether to accept his plea or not. It was all of a sudden. The court is now recording his plea."
Shortly afterwards Mr Nikam told the BBC the confession was "a victory for the prosecution".
During his testimony, the suspect gave details of his journey from Pakistan, the attacks at a historic railway station in Mumbai and the city's Cama hospital.
Mr Qasab's lawyer said he had nothing to do with the confession.
It is not fully clear what prompted Mr Qasab to change his plea.
He said he had done so because Pakistan had finally admitted he was a Pakistani citizen, but that was some time ago.
Police say Mr Qasab confessed before a magistrate to the attacks after his arrest, but he retracted that confession at an early hearing.
His lawyers said then that it had been coerced.
Wept in court
Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, 21, was arrested on the first day of the attacks and has been in Indian custody ever since.In his initial appearances before the court, Mr Qasab appeared relaxed and smiled and grinned.
But more recently, he broke down and wept in court as a witness recounted the violent events which took place over three days in late November.
The attacks led to a worsening of relationship between India and Pakistan.
India accused Pakistan-based fighters from the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba of carrying out the attacks.
In the immediate aftermath of the killings, Pakistan denied any responsibility, but later admitted the attacks had been partly planned on its soil.
Islamabad also eventually admitted that Mr Qasab was a Pakistani citizen.

India toxic alcohol toll tops 100

The number of people who have died in the western Indian state of Gujarat after drinking toxic illegal alcohol has now risen to 107, police say.
Meanwhile, in raids across the state, police have detained over 800 people and Chief Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to punish those responsible.
In Ahmedabad city, where the deaths have taken place, schools and colleges have shut in protest.
Officials say the final toll may be higher as more people are in hospital.
Most of the dead are slum dwellers. Gujarat is a "dry" state where the sale of alcohol is banned.
But deaths from illegally brewed alcohol are common in South Asia.
Last year, about 150 people died from drinking tainted alcohol in the southern states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
'Done nothing'
"The way more than 100 people have died because of hooch tragedy... is really shameful on the part of the state government," news agency Reuters quoted Manish Doshi, a leader of the youth wing of the state opposition Congress party, as saying.
India's toxic liquor tragedy
"It's been three days since the tragedy took place and the government has done nothing," he said.
The Youth Congress and the Congress-supported students' association National Students' Union of India (NSUI) called on schools and colleges in the city to remain shut.
The Congress has also called for the resignation of Chief Minister Narendra Modi who belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Slum dwellers and poor labourers in Ahmedabad were first admitted to hospital on Tuesday after they fell ill following a night of drinking.
After the fatalities rose sharply, the state government suspended six policemen for negligence.
Illegally brewed alcohol is readily found across India and is popular because it is cheap and said to be stronger than legal brews.
But it is often laced with chemicals and pesticides in an attempt to boost its strength and has often caused people to die.
Gujarat is a "dry" state where consumption and sale of alcohol is banned.
It was the home state of India's independence leader, Mohandas Gandhi, who was a strong advocate of prohibition.
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Labels: South Asia.

Pakistan petrol tax row continues
The row has left petrol consumers furious
A lawyer has challenged in court the new petrol levy imposed by Pakistan's government on Thursday.
Advocate Shoaib Shahid argued that under the constitution Pakistan's president has no powers to impose taxes through an ordinance.
Correspondents say it is the latest move in a mounting row over oil prices.
On Thursday Pakistan introduced an ordinance imposing a petrol levy after the Supreme Court cut a carbon tax imposed by parliament last month.
The Supreme Court's ruling brought down oil prices by over 10 %.
But officials said the government would lose $1.52bn because of the tax cut.
President Asif Ali Zardari's ordinance introduced on Thursday effectively returned oil prices to their previous levels.
Prior to the court order, one litre of petrol was being sold at 62.13 rupees (77 US cents) and diesel at 78 cents.
Following the court order, petrol prices on Wednesday fell to 63 cents while that of diesel fell to 66 cents.
Officials said they feared the loss of revenue as a result of the court decision would increase the budget deficit beyond the limit approved by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is funding the Pakistani budget.
'Controversy'
Court officials say the petition may come up for hearing on Monday.
The legal challenge has deepened the controversy over petroleum prices, the BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says.
Oil prices - fixed on 01 July through the finance bill for the year 2009-10 - were back to previous levels on Thursday in line with the presidential ordinance.
The row has left investors shocked and consumers furious.
It has also sparked a debate on whether the judiciary can intervene in legislative matters of parliament and aspects of the core financial policy through which the executive runs the affairs of the state., our correspondent says
The government in Pakistan is often criticised for relying heavily on indirect taxes which are easy to collect but are a burden on the poor.

US names soldier in Taliban video

The US military has identified a man shown on a Taliban video as an American soldier captured in Afghanistan.
He was named as Pte Bowe Bergdahl, 23, from Ketchum, Idaho. He went missing from his base in a Taleban stronghold near the Pakistani border last month.
In the video, released on the internet, the shaven-headed soldier says being a prisoner is "unnerving".
He also says US troops are suffering from low morale and should be brought home "where we belong".
The Pentagon said Pte Bergdahl was serving with an Alaska-based infantry regiment when he walked off his base in Paktika province, eastern Afghanistan.
Pte Bergdahl is believed to be the first soldier seized in either Iraq or Afghanistan for at least two years.
'Against international law'
In the 28-minute video, he says the date is 14 July and that he was captured as he lagged behind while on a patrol.
Please bring us home. It is America and American people who have that power
Quote from video
Afghan rebels capture US soldier
Q&A: Isaf troops in Afghanistan
It is not possible to verify the time and date the video was made.
Pte Bergdahl, interviewed in English, says he has "a very, very good family" in America.
"I miss them and I'm afraid that I might never see them again, and that I'll never be able to tell them that I love them again, and I'll never be able to hug them," he says.
When asked about his condition he replies: "Well I'm scared, scared I won't be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner."
A voice off camera asks if he has a message for his "people".
"To my fellow Americans who have loved ones over here, who know what it's like to miss them, you have the power to make our government bring them home," he says.
"Please, please bring us home so that we can be back where we belong and not over here, wasting our time and our lives and our precious life that we could be using back in our own country.
"Please bring us home. It is America and American people who have that power."
Bob Bergdahl, the soldier's father, told the Associated Press news agency: "We hope and pray for our son's safe return to his comrades."
US military spokesman in Kabul, Capt Jon Stock, condemned the use of the video.
He told Reuters news agency: "The use of the soldier for propaganda purposes we view as against international law.
"We are continuing to do whatever possible to recover the soldier safe and unharmed."
Leaflets have been distributed and a reward offered for his safe return.

Main Mumbai suspect pleads guilty

The leading suspect in last November's deadly attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay) has pleaded guilty.

Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab stood up before the court to say he admitted his role in the killings.
Mr Qasab, who is a Pakistani, faces 86 charges, including waging war on India, murder and possessing explosives.
It is not clear why he changed his plea after pleading not guilty in May to all charges. More than 170 people died in the attacks, nine of them gunmen.
Prosecutors say Mr Qasab is the sole surviving attacker.
He could face the death penalty if his confession is accepted and judges agree to impose the maximum penalty.
Shocked'

The BBC's Prachi Pinglay, who was in the courtroom in Mumbai, said Mr Qasab appeared calm.He said there had been no pressure on him to confess and it had been his decision to do so.
"I request the court to accept my plea and pronounce the sentence," he told the judge, smiling.
Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said: "We were not expecting this. We were all shocked when he made a plea of guilt.
"It is for the court to decide whether to accept his plea or not. It was all of a sudden. The court is now recording his plea."
Shortly afterwards Mr Nikam told the BBC the confession was "a victory for the prosecution".
During his testimony, the suspect gave details of his journey from Pakistan, the attacks at a historic railway station in Mumbai and the city's Cama hospital.
Mr Qasab's lawyer said he had nothing to do with the confession.
It is not fully clear what prompted Mr Qasab to change his plea.
He said he had done so because Pakistan had finally admitted he was a Pakistani citizen, but that was some time ago.
Police say Mr Qasab confessed before a magistrate to the attacks after his arrest, but he retracted that confession at an early hearing.
His lawyers said then that it had been coerced..
Wept in court

Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, 21, was arrested on the first day of the attacks and has been in Indian custody ever since.In his initial appearances before the court, Mr Qasab appeared relaxed and smiled and grinned.
But more recently, he broke down and wept in court as a witness recounted the violent events which took place over three days in late November.
The attacks led to a worsening of relationship between India and Pakistan.
India accused Pakistan-based fighters from the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba of carrying out the attacks.
In the immediate aftermath of the killings, Pakistan denied any responsibility, but later admitted the attacks had been partly planned on its soil.
Islamabad also eventually admitted that Mr Qasab was a Pakistani citizen.