Four US soldiers died when the helicopter they were riding in apparently crashed with another in southern Afghanistan. The helicopters were not involved in hostilities, according to the reports.

The news comes as earlier reports spoke of 10 US dead in another crash in Baghdis province in the west of the country involving a helicopter in an operation against  insurgents “conducting activities related to narcotics trafficking”, according to the International Security Asssistance Force spokesman.

In the centre of Kabul, the capital, hundreds of Afghans shouting anti-US slogans clashed with police to protest the alleged desecration of a Koran by US soldiers in the second day of protests. Similar protests were taking place in the western city of Herat, Monday 26 October. AFP, Reuters

Taiwanese rescuers located up to 700 people 11 and 12 August who were earlier feared engulfed in mudslides in the mountainous south of the country, in Kaohsiung county. “We have found around 700 people alive in three villages last night and 26 more this morning. We are deploying 25 helicopters to evacuate them,” said Richard Hu, a senior official in the rescue effort. The worst flooding in 50 years left at least 60 people dead and many hundreds still missing, after typhoon Morakot passed over the island and dumped 200 cm of rain in 24 hours. A rescue helicopter crashed into a mountain side in remote Pingtung County 11 August, killing all three people on board. CNA, Reuters