Blind border collie has his own guide dog

October 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A blind South African man has earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records by driving a car at 200 miles per hour. South Africa's News24 reports that Durbanville native, Hein Wagner, piloted a high performance Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series to the amazing speed on a closed runway at Upington International Airport.

October 5th, 2009 LONDON - A 7-year-old blind boy has been given the nickname Batboy, for he has learnt how to "see" by using his ears. Lucas Murray, who was born blind, is believed to be the first in Britain to use echoes to visualise his surroundings.

September 28th, 2009 BRISBANE - A new Australian survey has found that Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, in Queensland are going blind at a staggering six times the rate of other Australians despite the fact that they are born with better eyesight. The survey, led by the University of Melbourne's Indigenous Eye Health Unit, was conducted from data collected from about 400 Aboriginal across Australia and Torres Strait Islander people in 30 communities.

September 12th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan has rejected India's allegations of breaking the ceasefire between the two countries by denying reports of rockets being fired from its side towards India at the Wagah border. The allegations from India and Pakistan's denial came during the emergency meeting between the Pakistan Rangers and Border Security Forces (BSF),following reports of three rockets being fired from the other side of the border into Indian territory.

September 6th, 2009 MELBOURNE - A deaf dog is learning sign language with the help of her carer. Coffs Harbour specialist Liz Grewal has taught Pixie, a border collie, to sit, drop and come forth through her hand commands.

September 2nd, 2009 LOS ANGELES - The two US journalists captured and held in North Korea for months before being released last month revealed the first details of their ordeal Wednesday. Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for Current TV, wrote on its website that they were captured March 17 after briefly crossing a frozen river that marked the border between China and North Korea and which was often used as a human trafficking route.

September 1st, 2009 BEIJING - China Tuesday urged the Myanmar junta to restore order and stability at their border following unrest that triggered mass exodus of Myanmarese into the Communist country. "Safeguarding the stability of the China-Myanmar border is in line with the vital interests of both governments," said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.

August 6th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The US Government must fundamentally redefine the struggle against terrorism, replacing the war on terror with a campaign combining all facets of national power to defeat the enemy, President Obama's senior counter-terrorism adviser, John O. Brennan, has said.

July 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A student team in the Virginia Tech College of Engineering is providing the blind with an opportunity many never thought possible -- the opportunity to drive. A retrofitted four-wheel dirt buggy, designed by them, uses laser range finders, an instant voice command interface and a host of other innovative, cutting-edge technology to guide blind drivers as they steer, brake, and accelerate.

July 5th, 2009 LONDON - A man who lost his eyesight in an accident at work can now see again, thanks to doctors who transplanted his tooth in his eye. Martin Jones, 42, a builder, had been blind for 12 years after a tub of white-hot aluminium exploded in his face while working at a scrapyard.

June 27th, 2009 MELBOURNE - An international student in Australia, Danny Ong, has written a guide for Indian students as well as for other international students in the country, which will offer essential advice to them regarding house-hunting, public transport, the justice system and the concept of human rights in Australia. The guide titled 'International Student Handbook: Living and Studying in Australia' will be published in August.

June 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Think twice before you decide to go on a blind date for you may be taken for a ride. A middle-aged man found this out the hard way, when he was tricked by a woman he met through a matchmaking service.

June 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Pakistan has moved more troops to its border with Afghanistan than it has to its border with India since the Nov 26 Mumbai terror attacks, according to a top US official. But the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, declined to say how many troops Pakistan has moved from the border with India even as he refuted a suggestion that Pakistani troops there are back to the pre-Mumbai attack levels.

April 28th, 2009 LONDON - A Buddhist leader in Thailand is planning to launch a 'good manners' guide to curb the flamboyant behaviour of homosexual and transgender monks. Upset by the reports, that monks often wear revealing robes, carry pink purses and sport effeminately shaped eyebrows, Phra Maha Wudhijaya Vajiramedhi, a senior monk, is planning to issue the new guidelines to discourage the ostentatious behaviour.

April 26th, 2009 LONDON - Principal of the Edwardes College in Peshawar Dr. David Gosling has accused the British High Commission officials in Pakistan of a dereliction of duty.