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Showing posts from November, 2010

Haiti cholera death toll tops 900

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Source : BBC 14 November 2010 Haiti cholera death toll tops 900 More than 14,000 people have been hospitalised since the outbreak The number of people in Haiti who have died from cholera has reached 917, the country's health ministry says. The disease is present in six out of 10 provinces and 14,642 people have been hospitalised since the outbreak of the waterborne disease began last month. Aid agencies are battling to contain cholera in the capital Port-au-Prince, amid fears it will spread through camps housing 1.1m earthquake survivors. The UN is appealing for $164m (£101m) to treat the disease in the next year. The death toll has risen by 121 since Friday. Elections due The worst affected area remains the central province of Artibonite, where 595 people have died, said an update on the health ministry's website . In Port-au-Prince - which was badly damaged by the earthquake in January - 27 deaths have been rec

Pakistani Christian woman appeals over death sentence

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Pakistani Christians in church Rights groups say the blasphemy law is often exploited by Islamist extremists or people harbouring personal grudges. Pakistani Christian woman appeals over death sentence Relatives of a Pakistani Christian woman sentenced to death for insulting the Prophet Muhammad say they will appeal against her conviction. Asia Bibi is believed to be the first woman sentenced to death under Pakistan's blasphemy law. Her husband told the BBC her conviction was based on "false accusations". Although no-one has ever been executed under the law, about 10 accused have been murdered before the completion of their trials. The 45-year-old mother was sentenced to death on Monday by a court in the town of Nankana, around 75km (45 miles) from the city of Lahore in Punjab province. Altercation over water Her husband, Ashiq Masih, who is a field labourer, said: "We have never ever insulted the Prophet Muhammad or Islamic scripture, and we will contest the charges