Around the world: 112 people killed as flash floods devastate Kashmir

TORRENTIAL rain followed by flash floods hit a Himalayan desert region in Indian-controlled Kashmir, sending rivers of mud down mountainsides. At least 112 people died and 400 were injured.

Nine bodies were recovered overnight from the debris of collapsed homes in the remote region of Ladakh. Heavy downpours triggered floods and mudslides in many places yesterday, burying homes and toppling power towers.

Thousands of foreign tourists were in Ladakh, a popular destination for adventure sports enthusiasts, when the calamity struck. There were no immediate reports of any foreigners being killed or injured.

Gushing waters swept away houses, cars and buses in a 60-square mile swath in and around Leh, the main town in Ladakh.

Police and soldiers rescued more than 150 people, including 100 foreign tourists, mostly Europeans, stranded in Pang village, northeast of Leh, army spokesman Lt. Col. JS Brar said in Srinagar, the main city in India's portion of Kashmir.

The deluge came as neighboring Pakistan suffered the worst flooding in decades.

Students in Jakarta rally before beginning a month-long fast for the month of Ramadan. Indonesia is the world's most-populous Muslim nation.

Castro returns to the spotlight

Fidel Castro will attend a special session of Cuba's parliament, his first appearance in official government proceedings since falling seriously ill four years ago.

Cuban state TV said the 83-year-old former president would attend the session, to be broadcast nationwide.

Baby dies for 'second' time

Authorities in central Mexico said a newborn baby girl who was declared dead but later revived inside her coffin has died.

Hidalgo state attorney general Jose Rodriguez said the baby died of asphyxia, three days after being declared dead the first time by a doctor in the town of Tulancingo.

Two lives lost in shops blast

A BOMB has exploded at a crowded market in a Burmese border town, killing at least two people and wounding at least eight others. The blast came last night in the town of Myawaddy, across a river from Thailand, according to the Mizzima news agency run by Burmese exiles in Thailand. The explosive is believed to have been thrown from a vehicle into the night bazaar. An official in Yangon, Burma, confirmed the death and injury toll.

Rush to sell off BlackBerries

Saudis are trying to sell their BlackBerries at rock-bottom prices before the ban on the smartphone's messenger service in the kingdom comes into force. The Saudi telecoms regulatory agency said earlier this week that the service was to be halted over security fears.

Miners freed from pit after fire tragedy

Rescue workers pulled out the last seven trapped workers today after an underground fire killed 16 people in China's latest mining disaster.

The blaze that broke out yesterday trapped 50 miners at the Lingnan Gold Mine in Zhaoyuan city in eastern Shandong province, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said.

An official said the fire was caused by an underground cable, and the owner of the mine was in police custody.