browser Official says avalanches in Afghanistan kill 21 Kabul: A series of avalanches struck a central province in Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least 21 people, authorities said on Friday. According to Ahmad Tameem Azimi, spokesman of the ministry for disaster management, seven people remain missing following the avalanches in central Daykundi province while 10 were injured. The 21 killed were all from two families in the area, Azimi said.

Antarctica hits record temperature of 20.75u00b0 C Sao Paulo: Scientists in Antarctica have recorded a new record temperature of 20.75 u00b0 C ( 69.35 Fahrenheit), breaking the barrier of 20 degrees for the first time on the continent, a researcher said. Brazilian researcher Carlos Schaefer told AFP the reading at a monitoring station on Seymour Island u2018 has no meaning in terms of a climate- change trend,u2019 but news that the icy continent is now recording temperatures in the 20s is likely to further fuel fears about global warming.