Islamabad Heavy rains that caused flash floods and collapsed houses in different parts of Pakistan have killed 53 people over the past three days, a senior disaster management official said Monday.

Health groups said on Thursday they could rid the world of polio by 2018 with a $5.5 billion (3.5 billion pounds) vaccination and monitoring plan to stop the disease taking hold once more now there

An earthquake in Afghanistan's east and flash floods in the north killed at least 33 people on Wednesday as hundreds of traditional mud-brick homes collapsed, officials said.

40 feared dead in Iran, 20 in Pakistan; shockwaves felt in North India

Pakistan, specifically Balochistan, appears to have borne the brunt of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked the Iranian border province of Sistan-Baluchestan on Tuesday afternoon. While Pakistan confirmed the death of at least 20 people following the earthquake, there were conflicting reports from Tehran which ranged from no deaths to 40 dead. However, given the remoteness of the region from both capitals, the last word has not been said on the casualties.

A moderate earthquake hit the Kashmir valley around noon today, while there were no reports of any damage due to it.

Afghanistan has vast mineral deposits which on paper are worth trillions of dollars

Five-nation line may pass through Afghanistan and Pakistan

India has broached the idea of a hydrocarbon pipeline with Kazakhstan that would bring fuel through a five-nation route. India unveiled the concept of the pipeline, which in future could be extended to Russia, during a meeting between External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his visiting Kazakh counterpart Erlan Idrissov here on Tuesday.

New Delhi has requested Turkmenistan to give equity in the exploration and production blocks to Gail

India wants a share in gas fields in Turkmenistan from where the proposed $9-billion transnational gas pipeline will cross terrorist-infested regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan to deliver gas across the Punjab border. “India is keen on stakes in Turkmenistan’s upstream assets. If it can offer stakes to China, it can also make exception for us,” said a senior government officials involved in implementation of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project. Chinese firm CNPC is developing natural gas resources at Turkmenistan’s South Yolotan gas fields and has an agreement with state-run Turkmengaz to import natural gas.