Thick haze in China could be there for days, authorities warn
Updated 0652 GMT (1452 HKT) November 10, 2015
The thick haze shrouding a large area of northeastern China could hang around until Saturday, authorities warn.
It started on the weekend as temperatures dropped and cities started burning coal to keep warm.
"Many cities in China, including the northeastern provinces, use coal as the major heat generator, which pushes up air pollution levels," said Zhang Bin, an official with Changchun city environmental protection department, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Farmers were also contributing to the haze by burning straw after the autumn harvest, according to Xinhua.
Egypt to Ben Carson: no, the pyramids were not for storing grain
Antiquities minister says presidential hopeful’s claim doesn’t deserve response, while another official points out that ‘this man is not an archaeologist’
Tuesday 10 November 2015 05.59 GMT
Egyptian antiquities officials have scoffed at claims by the Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson that Egypt’s ancient pyramids were not built as pharaonic tombs but used to store grain.
“Does he even deserve a response? He doesn’t,” said the antiquities minister, Mamdouh el-Damaty, on the sidelines of a news conference about recent thermal scans of the pyramids thatcould reveal hidden tombs.
Carson’s comments have received little attention in Egypt – where people are accustomed to accepted expert views about the 4,500-year-old structures – but have drawn interest in the United States where the retired neurosurgeon has jumped to the top of the crowded Republican presidential field.
Egypt plane crash: 'Fake' bomb detectors being used by hotel security guards searching for explosives
The devices seen are believed to be similar to British fakes like this one, manufactured by a couple in Bedfordshire
As British and Egyptian authorities continue to assure tourists trapped in Sharm el-Sheikh that all possible measures are being taken to ensure their safety, bomb detectors being used by some hotel staff have been exposed as fake.
Security guards at hotels in the Red Sea resort have been seen using gadgets believed to be based on those sold around the world by jailed British conmen and women.
The sightings came as thousands of tourists continue to be stranded amid increased security measures following the Russian plane crash that killed all 224 people on board on 31 October.
Wilayat Sinai, Isis’ affiliate in the region, immediately claimed it had downed Metrojet flight 9628 and Britain is among the countries believing a bomb hidden in the hold was the most likely cause of the disaster.
When I set myself on a quest for quality young-adult content on Pakistani TV, I did not fully realise the disillusionment I was signing myself up for. After eight hours glued to the TV set (except for the brief moments I closed my eyes while blinking away tears of frustration), it is safe to say that Pakistani TV has nothing to offer the average Pakistani teen (not even a grain of mercy when it comes to those ulcer-inducing fairness cream commercials that make you want to stab yourself in the chest.. repeatedly).
Here is a glimpse of the TV content I stumbled upon, in all its teen-repelling glory: — A typical Pakistani drama with the husband kicking the wife out of the house after accusing her of cheating while the ‘evil phuppi’ looks on (maybe it was the ‘evil saas’. I’m not sure; I can no longer tell them apart).
— A game show with the host hurling prizes at the audience like candy, and the audience reacting like five year-olds on a sugar rush; which admittedly had me clapping like a mentally-challenged seal towards the end, which is when I knew my slow descent into madness had begun.
Myanmar elections: Now comes the crunch for Aung San Suu Kyi
November 10, 2015 - 12:14PM
Lindsay Murdoch
South-East Asia correspondent for Fairfax Media
Yangon: To the outside world she is a gentle-speaking, photogenic icon of democracy shown in a Hollywood movie bravely defying brutal military rulers.
The 70-year-old Nobel laureate has returned democracy to a nation held hostage for more than half a century, and given hope for a better life to millions of desperately poor people.
But there is another side to Aung San Suu Kyi that worries foreign diplomats, analysts and businesspeople in Myanmar, one of an authoritarian figure cloistered by a small group of advisers who is often dismissive of advice.
Analysts say that as Ms Suu Kyi moves to form what she describes as a "government of national reconciliation" after Sunday's overwhelming election victory she will have to overcome scepticism over what many people here describe as a domineering management style and lack of experience.
France proposes UN resolution to halt Burundi violence
Draft resolution aims to toughen an international response, but foreign minister says "Burundi is not burning".
France presented a draft resolution to the UN Security Council aimed at toughening the international response to an outbreak of violence in Burundi, but the foreign minister rejected the move and announced "the country was calm".
The measure threatens targeted sanctions against Burundian leaders who incite attacks or hamper efforts to end the crisis that followed protests over President Pierre Nkurunziza's election for a third term.
"The escalating violence in Burundi has reached a very worrying stage, maybe a tipping point," French Deputy Ambassador Alexis Lamek told reporters on Monday.
"We must face the reality: If we let the tensions escalate without doing anything, the whole country could explode," he warned.
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